Category: Marketing

How to Market Your Business on a Budget

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio Central FL
Marketing

Marketing on a Budget

Did you know that the U.S. Small Business Administration recommends spending 7 to 8 percent of your gross revenue for marketing and advertising if you’re doing less than $5 million a year in sales? This statistic is also relevant if your net profit margin – after all expenses – is in the 10 percent to 12 percent range. The AD Leaf is a marketing agency that helps small businesses grow. We have helped many companies get to the next level with our expertise. One of the most important things you can do when launching your company is market it effectively to attract new customers. The problem is that many business owners don’t know how to market their company on a budget. Thankfully, we are here to help! Here is how our services can help you promote your business with the best marketing on a budget.

Consistent Social Media Posting

Making and scheduling posts for social media consistently will help your audience notice you. However, this can be time-consuming when you are running your business. That is one reason why we offer affordable content promotion services to our clients, so they have an opportunity to promote their company without spending too much time or money curating your social media channels. Our experts will be able to create the best posts that can result in leads and business.

Encourage User-Generated Content

User-generated content is a great way to save money on marketing. You can encourage your customers or clients to post reviews published on the business’ website and social media pages and shared them with their networks. This flexibility allows you to focus more of your time running the company while still getting recognition for it online via authentic positive reviews.

Host Livestreams

If you have a product or service best demonstrated live, then hosting scheduled livestreams can be great for advertising your company. Your target market will appreciate being able to watch the instructional videos from their homes, and they might even begin sharing them with their networks too. If you need help promoting or scheduling a livestream, ask one of our social media professionals for help!

Put Your Email List to Good Use

Email marketing is still one of the best ways to get customers even in this day and age. It would be best to use your email list to send newsletters that inform them about sales and new offers. Customers who have already provided you with their contact information will look forward to hearing from you. For assistance in creating these newsletters, talk to our email marketing experts today.

Call The AD Leaf Today for Marketing on a Budget

The AD Leaf offers high-quality marketing services for low prices. We offer everything, including graphic design, web development, and social media management! Contact us today via phone or our online form to learn more about our affordable packages.

Brands Staying Relevant

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio Central FL
Marketing

Let’s face it – it’s hard for brands to stand out in the field of marketing.

Amidst the global talent and social channels filled with advertisements and content, it can be tricky for a business or brand to capture consumers’ attention. Yet, it is the very thing a brand hopes to achieve with millions of dollars spent brainstorming strategies to achieve a relevant and genuine perception.

How far does a simple, good sense of humor get you with the level of expertise, money, and talent allocated in these departments? 

Over the past couple of weeks, it has been fun to watch a harmless, joking TikToks unfold into gaining millions of people’s attention, including being captured and utilized by multi-million dollar corporations. 

It all started with the user “@emilyzugay” remaking recognizable company logos such as Apple and Tinder and changing them into rudimentary designs as a joke, as you can see below in the graphic. 

To much of Emily’s surprise and many others that came across these company’s TikTok pages, the companies decided to replace their logo with her’s temporarily. 

I find this to be a fun concept that captures the audiences’ attention on TikTok, who, like me, organically came across her video and then, days later, saw the update that companies were seeing the videos and making changes to their profile. Just as Emily gained millions of new followers, the brands that partook in changing their logos are seen as fun and hip: something a brand wants to be on a platform filled with the Gen-Z audience. A win-win for both parties involved.

What do you think? A little bit of humor that could potentially confuse those who didn’t see the video, I think, is worth the risk involved by gaining more brand loyalty and building up their fan base. 

Concerning this topic, a couple of weeks earlier, I saw a post on LinkedIn about a graphic designer applying for jobs with her “portfolio,” including the infamous 90s WordArt and purposefully a nightmare of a design as you can see below in the graphic…and it not only got her noticed but also hired!  

Hiring manager, Kady O Connell, states that “when we advertised for a design role recently, this was the cover page of one of the portfolios that landed across my desk and as I was about to hit delete, something caught my eye, and I scrolled down.. to find pages of epic work. Amazing design skills AND a sense of humor?! I hired her immediately. We laugh about it still, and she says, “It was risky, but I wanted to get your attention.” 

With the multitude of competition in success today, the little bit of humor utilized in these situations proves that it may be enough to cut through as a refreshing and genuine stance to act on. 

Of course, brands and companies playing into humor have had their fair share of lousy PR. As long as it is tasteful and not too harmful, I think we will continue seeing a more organic and playful trend. It also gives way to consumers having more power and feeling as though they influence because, after all, we as consumers have the buying power.

What is “Cutting the Cord” and Why Should I Switch to Streaming Ads?

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio Central FL
Advertising, Marketing, Public Relations | , , , , ,

Every streaming service has hundreds of thousands of streaming titles, inspiring people to “cut the cord” and switch over their viewing preference to streaming services entirely. This means that if your advertising model is centered around running ads on cable television, your success is going to decline and fast. The general population is no longer interested in having cable in their home, which means the viewership of your ads is plummeting.

If you’re like most businesses, streaming advertising is not even on your radar, but it should be. You need to make the switch now because streaming is only going to become more popular. If you want to remain competitive in any market, streaming ads are essential for every industry.
With running ads on cable networks, you’re limited to targeting those who watch a specific show and reside within a particular zip code. Now, if you watch any TV yourself, you know that a singular audience who watches a show can be wildly different. Streaming services have identified this pitfall and designed a platform that allows you to select more specific targeting like genders, ages, interests, zip codes, travel preferences, and more. Your ad will be shown to a more intentional audience and will be far more successful as a result.

We’re currently seeing a trend in streaming services like Netflix and Hulu producing their own content. This means that streaming audiences are opting to watching shows like Stranger Things and The Handmaid’s Tale instead of watching them on traditional TV. The content that Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Video produces is helping to build niche groups of people. With their advanced targeting software, you’re getting access to a more refined target audience.
Here at The AD Leaf, we have access to unique resources that allow us to show your ad on various platforms outside of the big names like Hulu and Amazon Video. As streaming becomes more popular, we’re seeing increases in other entertainment companies building their own streaming services like Peacock, IMDBtv, Sling, Roku, and more. The demand for streaming is only going to increase, and with that, its audience size.
To stay ahead of the curve, you need to get in on this at the ground level. Chances are your competitors are already looking into it if they haven’t already taken the leap of faith. You don’t want to be playing catch up, do you?

Depending on your business goals, we can work with you to design a high-quality, eye-catching, and effective campaign. Your advertising dollars are essential, and we know you don’t have time to waste money on ineffective marketing. The benefit of working with an agency is that we have a well-versed team and can provide all of these services in-house. Our Creative Media team has produced a multitude of dynamic commercials and videography services that will bring your branding to the next level. We all know it’s tempting to use your neighbor’s brother’s cousin because they promised to give you a great deal, but let’s be honest, you deserve a commercial that represents you and your business in a professional light. We’re here to make your life easier, so we’ll take care of you from start to finish, providing updates and opportunities for feedback along the way so you can be in the know every step of the way.

If you’re ready to pull the trigger on getting started with streaming ads, we’re here to make that happen. Give us a call at 321-255-0900 or email us at info@theadleaf.com.

What Makes Great Web Content

What Makes Great Web Content and Why Is It Important?

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio Central FL
Content Writing, Marketing |

Great web content is the foundation for every successful website. Without great content, your readers will leave your website for content-rich pages with the material they can learn from and enjoy. Why? Because without content, there’s no reason to stay on your site any longer than it takes to click the back button and find another page with content more suitable to the reader’s needs.

Create Relevant, Audience-Focused Content

Your content needs to be relevant to your readers. Visitors to your website should quickly understand the purpose of the landing page and how it applies to what they’re searching for. Some of the best ways to do this are:

  1. Start with a buyer persona – Not all content can be relevant to everyone. Marketers and business owners should take the time to research and understand their target audience. Getting to know your customer means that you get a better idea of what they’re looking for, what they like to read, and how they read it. Operating a successful business is about fitting a need and providing customers and clients with solutions to their problems, and understanding them is the first step.
  2. Create a list of keywords – If relevance is all about the user, then identifying what users are searching for and using that on your own website is imperative. How users phrase their queries when inputting them into Google can give you clues as to how to help your content stand out from the rest and stay relevant.
  3. Write good meta descriptions – Consider how you decide which search result is the right choice for you. What things do you look for in a result before you click? Your first line of defense in demonstrating your website’s relevance lies in title tags, URLs, and meta descriptions. Writing engaging, attention-grabbing copy often makes the difference between a click and being passed over.
  4. Solve a problem – The most critical factor in determining whether your content will be relevant to potential customers and clients is if you can solve their problems. The most successful content is that which solves the reader’s pain points.

People Read Web Copy Differently

The content people read online is very different than the content they read in print. Printed content is generally more formal, and as a result, readers expect it to be professional, clean, and clutter-free.

By contrast, online content is often more informal, conversational, and interactive. For example, the web content of an average business will often include viewer comments, testimonials, or reviews.

Online Readers Scan

Online readers are more likely to scan web copy than they are other sources. Nielsen Norman Group found that 79 percent of users always scanned new pages they came across, while just 16 percent read word for word.

Does this mean content doesn’t matter? Absolutely not! If anything, this makes web content even more important (and harder to get right). The natural short-attention-span tendency of people browsing online means that your copy has to be as engaging as possible to hold the reader’s attention. It also means that your content needs to be free of grammatical errors, easily scannable, and written in a natural style suited for your audience.

Demonstrate Your Value Proposition

People search online to find the answers to their problems. By understanding your target audience and the way they search, you can strategically showcase your products and services as the solution.

Over time, accumulating content will help to establish you as the industry expert and a thought leader for your niche.

Build Trust With Customers

When customers are ready to buy, content has been shown to influence up to 50% of their purchase decision. Content helps inform and educate potential clients customers. By building trust with that audience that your site is consistent and reliable, you confirm for them that a real person created it and they’ll be more likely to return.

Content as an Asset

A well-written blog post can become an asset that can be repurposed for multiple platforms. Great copy can be recycled for social media posts, content upgrades, ebooks, and more. Content that holds timeless value, can be re-used again in the future. That means when you write content today, it can drive traffic and leads far into your future.

Great Content Impacts SEO

Well-written content is one of the best ways to contribute to your business’s SEO. That’s because content that focuses on a specific topic is naturally optimized for the keywords you want to rank for in search results.  

As Google becomes more sophisticated, it frequently updates to promote content that is more beneficial to user experience. The more intentional and relevant the content on your website is and the authority it garners in the industry, the higher you’ll eventually rank in search results.

Great Content Impacts Lead Generation

Great content is vital to lead generation. When content is consistent with your business goals, you get the opportunity to convert those website visitors into leads and then eventually paying customers.  

Why Should You Hire A Marketing Firm?

Managing an effective website that drives traffic, engages readers, and generates leads for your business takes time and effort. An effective content strategy is one that isn’t short-sighted. Great web pages require content updates, regular maintenance, and regular posting. These tasks demonstrate to users and Google alike that your site is active and functional.

All of these things can make attending to your site’s content more of a chore, especially when your passion is operating your business. You should hire a marketing firm to write your content not only because content creation takes time away from running your business but because digital marketing professionals understand what it takes to make your website successful.

Lifestyle image of women laughing wearing hats

Photos You Should Be Using to Market Your Business: What You Need To Know About Lifestyle Images

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio Central FL
Advertising, Marketing, Social Media

Lifestyle image of women laughing wearing hatsThe best way to market your business online is through lifestyle images in all of your digital marketing efforts. These images capture the essence of a brand and show people what they can get out of it. As you might know, not all businesses are created equal, which means there is no one size fits all solution for marketing strategies. This article discusses the importance of using lifestyle photos in order to reach your target audience and provide them with value.

What is a Lifestyle Image?

A lifestyle image is a photo that captures the essence of your brand. These images show people what they can get out of your business and are typically related to life’s everyday necessities (food, clothes, travel).

For example, a lifestyle photo of someone wearing your clothing line might show them picking out fresh produce for dinner at the grocery store or showing your customer traveling to an exotic location on vacation. These images aim to make people feel like they’re right there with you and provide value about what you have to offer them. A lot goes into making quality photos, which can be hard when time and resources are limited. But don’t let that stop you from sending messages through pictures! They’re not always just photos from within the office or shop itself; instead, sometimes these images come straight from the customers themselves.

When it comes from the customer, it’s called a user-generated piece of content. We love using user-generated content as it provides our audience a chance to interact directly with our brand, and it shows consumers how someone is using our product our service in real life.

How to Take The Perfect Lifestyle Photos for Your Business

So you know you want some lifestyle images, but you’re not sure where to start. Well, we’ve got you covered! Just follow these five steps, and you’ll be taking the perfect lifestyle photos in no time.

First of all, make sure that your subject is wearing something representative of the brand or product they’re using-something a consumer might wear if they were to purchase it themselves.

Secondly, try to take shots where people are interacting with one another as this helps show off how our products can help them interact socially at work or home (for example, someone cooking for dinner while on their computer). Thirdly, decide whether you want natural lighting vs. artificial light depending on what best fits into your business objectives. If outdoor photography works well, go outdoors and find areas with some shade but still get sun exposure.

Third, utilize natural light to avoid shadows and create a more realistic effect. The best lighting comes from the side, which means that you should be taking pictures with elements to show off your products in front of them.

Fourth, pay attention to what is going on around your product and consider what we talked about before: people interacting. For example, a co-worker having lunch at their desk while using social media or someone catching up over Skype.

Lastly, it’s essential to have images for marketing materials and ones that will work well as stories for Instagram or Facebook. These posts are great because they can go viral quickly and are more likely to stay shared longer than others due to how engaging the story is content.

Common Mistakes Businesses Make When Taking Lifestyle Images and How to Avoid Them

Now that we’ve talked about some best practices for taking lifestyle images let’s talk about what not to do. If you’re taking a picture of your product and want to show it off with someone using it, make sure the person does something. Don’t let them just stand there holding the item or smiling at the camera- this will only confuse users about what they should be doing with that product themselves. Another mistake businesses often make when taking lifestyle images is not including a face in their photo unless necessary; without facial expressions, customers are less likely to feel engaged by an image and more likely to scroll right past it, as we’ve discussed before.

Yet another mistake businesses sometimes make when it comes to lifestyle images is not including other people in the photo. Even if you are showing a product like headphones, for example, and don’t want to show someone wearing them because of branding purposes that they represent- make sure there’s at least one person in the background listening on their own pair so that customers know someone else would be able to use this product too.

Don’t forget about your company logo! It may seem unnecessary or out of place when taking photos. Still, as we discussed previously, logos being used subtly around an office space can also help businesses stand out from competitors who might have similar products by using less obvious placement options.

The Benefits of Using Lifestyle Images Over Stock Images

Now we know how to take great lifestyle images and what not to do, but you might be wondering, ‘Why can’t I just use stock photos?’. The answer is simple.

Stock photos are often generic images without connection to the products or services sold. In contrast, lifestyle images can be used individually on social media posts and in blog articles to help your business stand out from competitors. For example, if you’re a pet-sitting company, then it would make sense for one photo to show an owner playing with their dog at home while another might show them holding up a leash outside while actively walking through a neighborhood.

A great way to have fun when taking these photos is by including popular things like kitties, puppies, or even avocado toast! The more relatable they are to potential customers’ daily lives, the better chance you’ll connect with people who could become new clients.

Ways to Incorporate Lifestyle Photos into Other Aspects of Your Business

It’s not just about marketing your business on social media- it can also be a way to connect with potential clients. For example, if you’re an interior designer or property manager, then other areas of your digital marketing strategy. You can use lifestyle images to create a more personable feel on your landing page or property listings.

  • Include lifestyle images in your email newsletters and social media posts to give potential clients insight into the day-to-day life of someone who has hired you for their home, office space, etc.
  • For example: using photos from catalogs with descriptions about what is in the image (e.g., “Here is our library table set up as an atypical desk”) can help people envision themselves enjoying these types of benefits too!
  • Instead of thinking just about marketing through your website, blog, or other digital channels like Facebook ads – consider how to tie this strategy back around to offline interactions with customers.

If you’d like to learn more about lifestyle imagery, or you’d like to schedule a time to discuss helping your brand build a library of gorgeous lifestyle images, call us today at 321-255-0900.

The Importance of Brand Awareness Ads

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio Central FL
Advertising, Marketing, Social Media

For marketers, the choice between brand awareness and lead generation can feel like a boxing match. ‘Awareness’ fights to increase the size of your audience, while ‘lead gen’ limits your audience to a group of people who are willing to trade their contact information for your services.

There’s a simple formula for choosing brand awareness or lead generation. To determine the best strategy for your social media campaign, consider the benefits and drawbacks of each. When used effectively, the two methods can complement each other, and there are times when you might need to focus on one more than the other.

For instance, if you have a brand that has just started its social media strategy and has little to no posted content and little to no followers on its page, it may be wise to start with a brand awareness or a reach ad. This will entice potential customers with awareness of your brand without asking them for their personal information or coming across as too salesy. This type of ad is simply meant to spread awareness without asking for anything from the viewer. 

Look! We’re here. We exist. Did you know that?

Brand awareness creates visibility for your brand and what you offer.

There’s a good reason that brand awareness is the first pick for most marketers. Brands need to focus on attracting attention before lead generation ads can succeed. If no one knows about your brand and what they offer, they are much less likely to fill out a form with personal information such as their phone number or zip code. That said, it’s not always the need for personal information that turns potential customers away, but the time it takes to fill out a simple form, especially if they know nothing about you or have never heard of you before. 

Brand Comprehension

So let’s say you’ve been running a brand awareness ad for a few months. Your ad recall lift is high. Your page has a decent amount of likes and follows in this short amount of time. People know you, and it’s starting to show. You have a base now. You now have brand comprehension because you’ve been running brand awareness ads for a few months. People see your ad and know who you are and what services you offer. Now is the time to transition to a lead generation ad.

This same audience has been seeing your brand awareness ads on their feed for a few months now, and all of a sudden, they desperately need the service that your brand offers. What are the chances they fill out your new lead form? Pretty high! BAM! Quality lead.

Brand awareness is what makes lead generation ads work. With brand awareness comes brand comprehension and knowing what your brand offers. 

Starting Cold

Alright. Now let’s go in the other direction, where you don’t have much of an audience or following on social, but you want to get going and start getting leads as quickly as possible. You know you don’t have much of a following, yet you decide to run lead generation ads instead of brand awareness ads, hoping to get leads immediately.

You do this for months. Your page slowly grows, but your lead form is nearly vacant. You’ve had three leads in 60 days, and at this point, you’re wondering where you went wrong.

The problem is quite simple. Nobody knows your brand or who you are. Your brand is not trusted, and your audience is freezing cold.

The Process

It may be difficult to see a brand awareness ad as an investment, but that’s really what it is. You need to put money in, knowing that you probably aren’t getting an immediate return. Your brand needs a following. It needs to be easily recognizable and quickly comprehended, and brand awareness ads are the way to do that.

Once your audience knows you, they know they can trust you.

About Us

The entire process of putting together, running, and adjusting a quality Facebook ad is in-depth and time-consuming. Allow the experts at The AD Leaf to assist you in your lead procurement journey! Reach out via phone at (321) 255-0900, or complete our contact form.

Persisting During The Summer Slowdown

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio Central FL
Marketing

Contrary to what many might believe, the summer months usually see a decrease in business. This is because many consumers are saving money for the new fiscal year rather than spending it. The decline correlates to what is called the summer slowdown, a slump in business and profits. However, this does not mean that your marketing has to slow down. Keeping up with and maintaining your marketing channels can benefit your business despite the slowdown. 

Your social media accounts are an example of such channels. Business does not stop entirely during the summer, so your social media channels should not make it seem this way. Social media posts often increase by nearly 30% during the summer. Leaving your accounts vacant gives your company a negative impression, as inactivity makes it seem like you are out of business. This certainly should not be the case! Our social media team here at The AD Leaf recommends keeping up with current trends, holidays, and events. You can use these to create relevant social media posts and advertisements.

Email campaigns are also essential to keep up with despite the slowdown. As you might know, most of your campaign subscribers are most likely reading your emails on their phones. This means that they are aware of the company updates that your emails provide. It is vital to keep them updated regularly, especially when you have a sale or promotion starting. Enticing email subscribers with sneak peeks or special discounts in your summer emails can bring you great business.

Finally, the summer usually represents change as many people flock to the beach for a tan or the gym for a healthier lifestyle during this season. Working on your website’s SEO ranking and content could be a great thing to do during the dog days. It is essential to optimize your website’s contents so that it ranks higher on search engines. The demand for your products and services will persist in the summer, so make sure that your customers can find you.

Here at The AD Leaf Marketing Firm, our team is committed to promoting your business despite the supposed summer slowdown. We have highly experienced marketing consultants who have brought companies the results they need outside of their peak season. If you want to follow suit, contact our team! You can call us today at 321-255-0900 or send an email at info@theadleaf.com.

We look forward to providing you with marketing as long-lasting as the late summer nights.

Social Media in 2021

Social Media: What’s New this New Year

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio Central FL
Marketing, Social Media

What to Expect from Social Media in 2021

Social media is an everchanging industry brimming with innovation and opportunities. Social Media in 2021 is no different. If you are looking to grow your business or social prowess it is important to stay updated on recent trends and features on social media. Social media platforms have to constantly stay innovative or else their platforms could become obsolete. Take Myspace and Tumblr for example. These social platforms were not listening to users or innovating the way their platforms operate. On the other hand, Instagram and Facebook continuously make changes to their strategies and design to keep users actively participating on their platforms.

Farewell, Facebook Like Button
On January 6th, 2021 Facebook announced that they will be removing the Facebook like button from Facebook pages. This comes as no surprise considering Facebook has been making noticeable changes to its various platforms in recent years. Facebook is attempting to more accurately gage popularity by using the follow button rather than the like button. The follow button is believed to be a far better indicator of a page’s popularity than the like button. This is because people would like a page and decline to receive updates on the page indicating that the page had a higher reach than it actually possessed. Besides the like button, Facebook is altering the overall appearance and design of pages. Pages will now have a more simplified user interface. These changes will help all users to easily navigate Facebook pages. Followers will be able to navigate pages better, and page owners will be able to operate the page easier from behind the scenes.

Hello News Feed
Another new feature Facebook is implementing is the News Feed for Facebook pages. The News Feed can be used by pages to engage with groups, other pages, and fans. This change will likely lead to more genuine discussions and interactions between users. Pages will also be able to host Q&A’s with followers, which is another great way for pages to increase their interactions on the platform.

Looking Back on Instagram Likes
Last year, Instagram sent shock waves around the world when they announced they were testing out the removal of viewable likes on users’ accounts. This of course received a lot of negative feedback. Instagram believed that by removing the like feature, users would feel less pressure to get a certain amount of likes on their photos. This is a valid point when considering the amount of pressure young people feel regarding their relevance across social media platforms. This change appears too just be temporary. Instagram has not given any updates or indications that they are moving forward with this initiative.

Suggested Posts
Instagram is an ever-evolving social platform. They roll back certain features, to make way for new ones. One of the most recent changes is their new suggested posts feature. This feature is designed to keep users engaged on the platform when they have run out of new posts to scroll through. Suggested posts uses algorithms that gage what users are interested in. This feature cannot be turned off to the disdain of more skeptical Instagram users.

Suggested Unfollow
Another interesting new feature on Instagram is the suggested unfollow section. This section can be found in your following tab. This feature showcases which users you interact with the most and the least. If you notice you are following too many users, you can use the feature to remove people that you do not interact with regularly.

IGTV Accessibility
Most social media changes have to be implemented slowly before they are accepted by social media users. People use social media everyday so when platforms are altered it’s strikingly obvious to people engaging on these platforms. IGTV is a great example of how to slowly warm users up to a new feature. IGTV slowly gained traction, and Instagram wanted to capitalize on its recent success. IGTV posts are now as accessible as regular Instagram posts. IGTV posts can be viewed on users’ profile feed and news feed rather than in a separate section.

That’s a Wrap
Innovation and modification are important factors to the success of a social media platform. Social media platforms are ever-changing, so it is vital to stay updated and use new features to your advantage. Having an active and strategic social media presence can give your brand a competitive advantage. Many companies are on social media in 2021, but they are not using it as a tool to benefit their growth strategies. Don’t fall behind, instead use social media as a tool to increase brand awareness, start conversations, and gain fans.

rebranding

Why You Should Rebrand Your Marketing

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio Central FL
Marketing

Rebranding Can Revitalize Your Company!

2021 has already shown itself to be an interesting year for new developments and marketing practices. The question is whether or not you should take advantage of these new services through  rebranding. Perhaps you used to find great success in your current practices but have found business hitting a plateau. 

If this sounds like something that would interest you, The AD Leaf ® Marketing Firm LLC. is here to help! We offer several different marketing services that can reinvigorate your business’s strategy. If you are interested in a rebrand of your marketing, here are some things to consider.

Rebranding Keeps Things Interesting

When publishing marketing materials, whether print or digital, there needs to be a cohesive aesthetic that is easily noticeable. Using specific color palettes and typographies can help bring your brand together. Keeping up with current design trends is also useful, as more complex branding is being steadily replaced with simple branding. Having branding that looks like it is stuck in the past might not bring in the customers you want. 

If you feel like your branding is too complex or dated, The AD Leaf ® is here to help. We can help determine the best branding strategy for your business.

Take Your Audience Into Consideration

Your business probably has a specific target audience that it wants to appeal to. The chance that this audience might have new needs or expectations is very high, and it is important to consider this. There are many different ways you can further reach out to your audience. You could conduct market research to determine your target audience’s exact needs, or you can introduce your rebrand through appropriate channels and reintroduce your services and values. 

If you are unsure of what direction to take, we can help! The AD Leaf ® Marketing Firm LLC. has several years of experience helping to guide businesses towards the path of rebranding success. 

Rebranding Your Business with The AD Leaf

If you are interested in working with The AD Leaf ®’s team to create your business’s best rebrand, give us a call today at 321-255-0900. We look forward to working with you to help you and your business thrive in the ever-changing landscape of digital marketing.

what are Pinterest Story Pins?

What are Pinterest Story Pins?

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio Central FL
Marketing, Social Media

Wondering what Pinterest Story pins are? Stories seem to be an essential feature for social media platforms today. But did you know that only eight years ago they never existed? In 2013, Snapchat made a significant update to its platform and created stories. With this new update, Snapchat began to gain mass popularity, and it wasn’t long before other social media platforms integrated this story feature into their software. In 2016, Instagram added stories with Facebook and YouTube following in 2017.  Pinterest creators developed a version of their own, and it’s a significant update!

Though Pinterest Story Pins were first introduced in late 2019 overseas, it wasn’t until September 2020, when this beta feature became available to some business accounts. Pinterest surprised many users with early access to this new feature. But don’t worry. If you don’t have access now, you can request access with merely a click of a button. It should be about 5-7 business days for granted access if your request is approved. 

Request access here: https://www.pinterest.com/story-pin-invite/

What are Pinterest Story Pins?

Think of Story Pins like a slideshow. These Story Pins can incorporate more ideas and inspiration than a standard pin, with up to 20 different content pages, including a mix of pictures and videos. Like regular pins, a user can add to an existing, new, or even a shared board.  

For most Pinners on Pinterest searching for inspiration, DIYs, how-to guides, and tutorials, the new Story Pins will be an effective tool. Tag up to 10 relevant topics related to searched content with these Story Pins. Tagging is essential and makes it even easier to get the right content in front of the right audience who care the most. Story Pins unlock the door to creativity for creators to generate even more detailed and engaging content. The limitation of a single page of text is eliminated with the option to now go more in-depth and explain a concept. Some ideas of the best types of pins to maximize this feature would be how-to guides, list posts, detailed recipes with step-by-step photos, DIY guides, tutorials, and travel tips. 

They Never Expire

Don’t let the word “Story” fool you. Unlike most stories you see on major platforms, Pinterest Story Pins ever expire! Say goodbye to the 24-hour expiration date because these Story Pins will stay on your boards forever (unless, of course, you make them disappear).

You Will be Rewarded 

That’s right! Pinterest will favor Story Pins over regular pins. With their new algorithm, Pinterest is experimenting and providing more exposure than they typically would with standard pins. To have the algorithm work in your favor, you must take full advantage of the features Pinterest provides. Users that have utilized this feature have seen an increased reach of their pins within 24 hours with inflated numbers. Pinterest is rewarding content creators for using their features with a higher chance of generating more impressions, clicks, and traffic to their website. It’s the gift that keeps on giving!

Creating Story Pins in 4 Simple Steps

You will find that creating Story Pins is a very straightforward process with a super user-friendly interface, whether you’re on a desktop or mobile device. Below are the four areas you will be prompted with when creating a Story Pin:

  • Upload: You can upload up to 20 images or videos.
  • Design: This is where you can adjust the layout of your images, focal point and add text. 
  • Details: Add a theme with corresponding prompts. For example, if your theme is Crafts + DIY, you will have the drop-down to choose the difficulty level and a box to fill in the supplies needed. 
  • Audience: This is where you will create your Story Pin title, choose the board it will be uploaded to, and add up to 10 tagged topics.

So What’s the Catch?

With this fantastic new feature, you may be wondering, “Okay, what’s the catch? There has to be something”. Well, this is true. The biggest controversy is that the links you provide in Story Pins are not direct links. Go figure! Pinterest’s goal is to keep pinners on their platform as long as possible. Previously pinners would search through content, and then it was easy to visit the creator’s website from a pin. With Story Pins, this discourages Pinners from leaving Pinterest by eliminating direct links, making it a little more complicated. Sneaky right? But there is a bright side. There may not be direct links, but there will now be a follow button at the end of your Story Pins, which will link back to your Pinterest business page. This prompt is an excellent reminder for Pinners to follow you, especially if they enjoyed your content enough to read until the end. 

Where Do I Go From Here?

I’ll leave you with these few key points:

  1. Pinterest will favor Story Pins in their new algorithm. 
  2. Story pins are super easy to make.
  3. Story Pins never expire.

Even though you may not have access to this exciting new feature yet, you can either attempt to request early access or sit tight and wait patiently. If you decide to wait, this is still a great time to get familiar with Story Pins until it is available for everyone. In the meantime, it never hurts to educate yourself and be prepared to elevate your business’s presence on Pinterest. Get ready for the biggest update yet! 

Ps. Remember to have fun and get creative!

Interested in Pinterest’s official release video? Check it out here: https://youtu.be/j3xzahNK27Y