If you thought video is only for big brands with big budgets, think again. We take a look at some tools that will help you create a video in no time, helping you multiply likes and shares.

Video marketing has clearly arrived. One look at Facebook or Twitter and you’ll know where content is headed. Take a look at some of these stats if you need convincing on why your business needs to join this bandwagon.

• 82% of Twitter users watch video content on Twitter.
• YouTube has more than one billion users and 72 hours of video are uploaded to it every second!
• More than half of the video is viewed on mobile. 92% of mobile video users share videos with others.
• 10 million videos are watched on Snapchat each day.
• Marketers who use video grow revenue 49% faster than non-video users.
• Social video generates 1200% more shares than text and images combined.

Phew! Numbers all good, but, how do you go around creating videos without spending a bomb?

If your users are watching it on a mobile device – more than half of them – then you should create it on mobile.

Invest in a smart phone with a good quality camera and support it with tools such as tripod, battery back-up, basic lights (especially if you’re doing product shoots) and selfie stick will make the whole process quicker and more efficient. Next, find a platform that you’re most comfortable working on and master it. We put the magnifying glass on a few in this post.

Nutshell. Free app on iOS. Take three photos, add captions, choose your graphics and away you go. It’s very basic but super easy to create a quick mini-movie for social posts. 

Animoto. This is a very popular app. It makes editing simple by limiting the customisation and making many of the tricky editing decisions for you. You’ll end up with a pro video in no time. It’s free to try with paid plans available depending on your need.  

Magisto. Free to try. You’ll be charged at downloads or to use the advanced features of a premium account. This is a user-friendly platform to convert your photos and raw videos into edited movies with music and effects.

Videoshop. A video editor for beginners, this tool lets you create a video without restricting you to a template. You’ve more freedom and depending on how comfortable you’re with technology, you’ll either love this tool or hate it. You’ll know pretty quick! It is a paid download with no additional costs.

iMovie App. Similar to Videoeditor, this app lets you make a video without limiting you to a template. You’ll be charged for download but no additional costs.

These apps aside, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat have inbuilt video platforms – use them! You can even download your Facebook live video and cross post to other channels or your website. Facebook’s slideshow post feature is also rad.

Pro tips for video making …
Start with the goal of the video. Do you want to showcase a product or service? Is there a problem you’re trying to address? Then, write a script. Short and sweet - and only if necessary.

Then decide the location, props for set up etc. For example if you want to show fresh cookies, get the video of a tray of cookies being taken out of the oven.

Think out of the box. Add an element of fun or quirkiness to your videos – it’s the viral factor. Maybe give the cookies to a pre-schooler – they do make a great prop!

If you’re launching a new product, use a video to do the product reveal. It’s the mystery factor.
And lastly, make it real. Go behind the scenes. Show the goof-ups and wins that got you to where you are.

1.Set clear goals and objectives
If you want to get anywhere with your social channels, be very clear on what you want and set measurable goals accordingly. Your objectives could be to get more followers or fans, increase traffic from social channels to website or have a better ratio of visitors to conversions from social.
Use your goals and understand your customer content needs by looking at social channels’ and website’s insights to define your strategy for social media.

2.Converse and engage
Now that you know where you want to go, start conversing online. While social media forms an important part of the consumer purchase cycle, your customers are not here with the intent to buy. Share and be helpful; don’t push a sale down their throat at every opportunity if you want to fans to stick and become paying customers.
Interact with your followers; thank them for positive feedback, participate in discussions and show then you’re interested in serving their needs. Another good way to engage and find communities is by joining relevant groups. Social influencers – people with large fan following – are gold mines; engage them and use them to spread your message. Making advocates out of influencers is a very important part of any social media strategy, particularly online retailers.

3.Use live videos
Show the action as it happens. Live videos are a great way to build brand awareness and create a community. And as engagement statistics around video posts continue to shoot through the roof, live videos have become an affordable and easy way to create content. They are perfect for real-time conversations about industry news, trends and behind-the-scenes.
They’re also great to improve your organic reach as every time a video is created, a notification is sent to all your followers. The same can’t be said for every post you create.

4.Get native chat
The ‘right-here, right-now’ modern consumers want instant answers. They’re not ones to wait overnight for your email responses. So brands have moved to native chatting – or conversational e-commerce, which uses the messaging services within social networks to automate, customise and personalise your communication. You can use third party chat apps to manage your native chatting – the investment is well worth the improved retention and engagement rates you’ll see.

5.Make it easy to buy from your social channels
Turn browsers into buyers by getting your audience a step closer to buying. In Facebook, set up an e-store (requires some development, but it’s very effective on retailers!). Use the ‘buy’ buttons on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to your advantage – it’s all about making the customer journey to check-out shorter.

6.Listen
Monitor conversations about your business, industry and competitors. It sounds more complicated than it is; with a bunch of easy to use listening tools like Hootsuite, SproutSocial, TweetReach, Social Mention, Klout and more, the task is very simple. Keeping a finger on the pulse of your online audience helps you salvage tricky situations, reward brand advocates, generate new leads, mine creative marketing techniques, identify customer pain points, track sentiments, and gauge motivations. 

7.Feature user content and reviews
Heard of UGC? User Generated Content is no longer a buzzword; it’s essential. It is content that is created and shared by your fans, followers, and customers on social platforms, either spontaneously or through contests or giveaways. Some data shows that consumers who come across UGC are 97% more likely to convert than those who don’t!
Using authentic visuals will demonstrate social proof, drive high-intent users from social channels to product pages, increase on-site conversions and improve ad performance.
Reviews are another form of UGC and absolutely integral in creating an online reputation for your brand. Encourage and harness them to lure new customers.

8.Produce seasonal, topical and event-related content
Social is all about here and now. When posting, be relevant by talking about seasonal issues, products and trends. If there is a big event happening in your location, use that as a hook in posts. Example: If there is an Ariana Grande concert happening and you’re a fashion retailer, ask your audience what they’ll be wearing to the concert? 

9.Create social-friendly images
There is no denying the importance of visuals in making an impact on social channels. But everyday brand or stick images are not too great in stirring social users into action. They need more authentic and well-crafted visuals. There are plenty of apps available to help you create good social visuals or infographics in no time. You could even use UGC push your case.

10.Optimise your social media pages and posts
Using high-conversion keywords on your page and in your posts t increase their visibility in search and thereby enable you to reach an even larger audience than your direct followers. Be consistent across all channels and use hashtags to make your content more ‘findable’. 

Article by Namtra Malik
Namrta Malik is a digital specialist, helping brands create stories that are engaging and leads to action. Contact her www.facebook.com/thescriptwriterforyou for your content requirements, blogging, SEO or social media management. 

As developers who are comfortable with HTML we normally remove the 'powered by shopify' text in the code behind. But you can also do this by editing the Language settings of your theme:

1. In Shopify Admin go to Online Store, Themes.
   
2. Find the theme you want to edit, then click Actions and select Edit Language.
   
3. In the Filter translations box enter 'powered', then press enter.
   
4. You will now see the Powered by shopify textbox. Put a single space in this box.
   
5. Click the save button.

 If you have an ecommerce website you'll know how essential a good email marketing strategy is to help generate first purchase and repeat sales from customers. You can setup a MailChimp automation, which are free for all MailChimp accounts, to automatically send a welcome email to new subscribers encouraging or offering them an incentive to make that first purchase with your store.

This tutorial will guide you through the process of setting up a Welcome Series Automation in MailChimp using a Shopify discount code as an incentive. Before beginning this tutorial you'll need to make sure your MailChimp account is integrated with your Shopify store.

• Click Start Workflow to make your welcome automation active.
• To pause or edit your automation, click Automation from the top menu, click the automation name you want to edit, and then click Pause.

How easy was that!
Now you have an automated incentive running for new subscribers who join your list - you can set and forget this now and hopefully see an increase in first purchases from customers.

If you need help with this automation or any of the other automation options in MailChimp, let us know. We can even help you with your email marketing strategy, so just get in touch. ​​​​​

9 out of 10 consumers say free shipping is the number 1 incentive to shop online more.

If you can, consider building your shipping costs into your product pricing. For customers buying online, free shipping can greatly influence whether a customer completes an order or not. Adding your products to your cart, then getting to checkout and seeing the shipping cost can make many people think again about completing their purchase. Offering free shipping, means they only need to consider the product price and know that when they get to checkout there won't be any other additional costs.

If you can't affordably incorporate shipping costs into your product prices, then consider these options instead:

• offer free shipping on orders over a certain value
  
• offer a fixed, flat rate shipping cost
  
• offer reduced shipping cost for customers who join your loyalty program

Trying to avoid that 'shipping cost shock' at checkout, can reduce the number of abandoned carts you see for your shopify store and hopefully increase your online sales!

There are a number of excellent apps that you can use to easily create a loyalty program for your Shopify store. A loyalty program can really help to encourage repeat purchases from your existing customers. 

Pricing for loyalty apps varies:

• some apps offer a free version and some don't.
• some pricing plans allow a certain number of orders per month and some charge by the number of members in your loyalty program

Here are 2 great loyalty apps that you make like to trial:

Loyalty Lion

• free plan for under 400 orders/month and unlimited members
• paid plans start from $159(USD) - you can book a demo too

Main Features:

• 5+ different rewards
• integrates with Yotpo, Shopify and Stamped.io so you can encourage more reviews with loyalty points
• different loyalty tiers
• customise to match your brand

Sweet Tooth

• free plan for up to 500 members
• paid plans start from $59(USD) for up to 2k loyalty members

Main Features:

• 10+ different rewards
• VIP Tiers
• ability to integrate loyalty functionality directly in your store headers/footer etc
• customise to match your brand

Here is a link to a great Shopify article that you should read if you're considering implementing a loyalty program for your store: www.shopify.com/blog/117007237-how-to-start-a-loyalty-program-that-keeps-customers-coming-back

If you'd like any help choosing an app and setting up your loyalty program, just give me shout.

Here is a selection of Live Chat apps you can use in your Shopify store to increase conversions by engaging your customers and answering questions that may be preventing them from completing their purchase.

1) Tidio

• easy to install
  
• mobile support
  
• option for offline contact
  
• option for automatic messages
  
• lots of good reviews for their app on Shopify

2) Formilla Live Chat

• allows you to see customer actions in real-time as well as chat with them
  
• out-of-the-box installation
  
• pro-active chat (initiate chat with visitor)
  
• desktop notifications to ensure you don't miss any chats
  
• custom banners, colours and themes

3) Reamaze

• allows you to communicate with customers across multi-platforms
  
• integrates with email, twitter, facebook, instagram
  
• real time and classic live chat
  
• manage different stores customer support in one place

4) FREE tawk.to Live Chat

• monitor website visitors in real time
  
• mobile support
  
• free app

If you’re a blogging newbie, here are three common questions to consider before you start writing. Hopefully these answers will help you gain the blogging confidence you need to get started.
 
How often should I update my blog?
 
In an ideal world, the answer would be ‘as much as possible’. But the world is far from ideal – and the same goes for the content that’s posted on most blogs! Aim for quality over quantity. It’s better to write a good-quality post once a month than to write a low-quality post once a week.
 
That said, it’s important to be consistent. Try to get into a predictable blogging rhythm so your customers know when to expect fresh content – and so that you stick to your own schedule.
 
Here are some tips:

• Set out a content plan that you can comfortably write yourself. Come up with 8-12 topic ideas at once and then schedule the writing time in your calendar.
  
  
• If time is an issue, consider outsourcing the writing to a freelance copywriter. Or, write a rough draft and outsource the editing process.
  
  
• Make sure your blog post adds value to the reader. Your writing should help, guide, and entertain. Give away some knowledge for free so your readers can trust in your expertise.
  
  
• Don’t forget to include keywords. Aim for a couple of keywords per post and keep it natural.

 
What’s a good length for a blog post?
 
Blog articles should ideally be at least 500 words – but quality is more important than word count.
 
Most people read blogs because they need good, solid information that helps them get to the bottom of an issue. At least 500 words is usually enough to explore a topic in-depth without going into too much detail. If the topic warrants more explanation, aim for 800 words.
 
Here are a few tips:

• Do your research and plan your articles before you start writing. Planning helps you focus your mind on the article at hand and means you can gather good links to use within your articles. Search engines like quality links and quality writing.
  
  
• Write about topics that interest you. You’ll be surprised at how quickly the word count goes up AND how helpful your writing will be to readers – a win-win for everybody.
  
  
• Share your blog posts on social media. After writing an outstanding post, don’t keep it to yourself. Share it across all platforms.

 
Should I set up a blog?
 
The short answer is yes. Here are just three reasons why you need a blog as part of your store:
 
One: A blog keeps your website fresh
 
Updating your blog regularly sends signals to search engines that your site is a ‘living digital organism’ – that it’s breathing and hasn’t died! The ‘Google Spider’ will crawl your site more often to check for updates. This is great for SEO and for quickly indexing your pages.
 
Two: A blog allows you to define yourself as a thought leader
 
People are more likely to buy from you if you know what you’re talking about. They’re also more likely to buy from you if you’re passionate about your product. Your blog is a great platform to showcase your expertise and increase conversions.
 
Three: A blog drives new traffic to your website
 
Blogging gives you an opportunity to write about a range of topics, including your interests and hobbies (as they relate to your products) and your opinions on industry news and developments. Think of every blog post you write as a new door opening to your online shop. Each new post could attract visitors who might have never found your site through your product keywords alone.
 
So what are you waiting for? Start blogging and experience the results for yourself. And if you have any more questions, get in touch and I’ll do my best to help.

​Shopify collections (or categories) are often overlooked and thought of as ‘just a container’ for your products. However, they are pages in their own right and show up in Google searches – so it’s a good idea to create them with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) in mind. 
 
Here are some tips for improving SEO on your Shopify collection pages.
 
Create an enjoyable user experience
 
Make sure your collection pages look good and are easy to navigate. The better they look, the more likely your customers will spend time on each page and click through to view products.
 
Choose a two-column layout for collection products if your Shopify theme has this option. Two columns look good on mobile devices and reduce the amount of scrolling required on small screens.
 
Write unique collection descriptions
 
Include a collection description to give your visitors more information about your products (this is great for SEO).  
 
Some things to keep in mind when writing:
 

• Don’t make descriptions too long – aim to write about 100 words. You want to provide an interesting overview without going into too much detail. If you want to expand on your descriptions, include a ‘read more’ link that points to a separate web page or blog article. 
  
  
• Think about the words people use to search for your products and include these in your collection description, as well as your collection name and URL.

 
Backup collection pages with excellent product pages
 
Product pages are your final opportunity to get your potential customer to add a product to their cart. Backup your collection pages by spending some time on your product pages, too.
 
Here are some tips:
 

• Don’t copy product descriptions from a supplier’s website. Duplicating content from another website is bad for SEO. Write your own engaging descriptions and include descriptive keywords in your content that you think people will enter into Google to find your products. Be as specific as you can. For example, ‘Women’s flat red leather shoes’ will work much better than just ‘red shoes’.
  
  
• Include all the information your customer needs to make a purchase, such as colour and size choice; specifications, dimensions, and materials; any special offer incentives; delivery cost and timeframes; and customer reviews.
  
  
• Consider adding live chat to your website – this gives visitors the opportunity to ask last-minute questions before they add a product to their cart. Adding live chat is easy to do on Shopify, with free app options available.

 
Spending some time on your collection and product pages is well worth the effort. By making sure the design looks good, including relevant keywords, and writing engaging content, you’ll convert more browsers into buying customers. 

Your Shopify homepage should impress your visitors in a matter of seconds. After all, it needs to inspire them to stay, scroll, and click.
 
Here are five tips for creating an impressive Shopify homepage that stops visitors from hitting the ‘back’ button.
 
1. Keep it simple
 
When it comes to your homepage, less is more. Keep the design and copy simple to avoid information overload. Too many widgets, links, and calls-to-action will overwhelm your visitors.
 
Instead, focus on providing your visitors with the information they need. Make sure your homepage answers the following questions:
 

• What is your ideal customer looking for?
• What is your value proposition?
• How can visitors find out more (call-to-action)?

 
Your visitors should be able to understand what you offer in less than a minute. You can go into more detail on other pages of your website, but keep your homepage simple. 
 
2. Respect the fold
 
There are two main areas on a website homepage:
 

1. ‘Above the fold’ (what you see when you first open a website)
2. ‘Below the fold’ (what you see when you start scrolling down)

 
Most Shopify themes include the following items ‘above the fold’:
 

• Logo
• Search bar
• Main navigation menu
• Link to Checkout
• Link to Customer Account
• Hero banner or slideshow

 
If these items don’t show up ‘above the fold’, you may want to consider upgrading your theme.
 
It’s also essential to check how the ‘above the fold’ content looks on different devices, e.g. tablets and mobiles. Your website might look great on a desktop computer or laptop, but not work so well on a mobile device.
 
When customers start scrolling down ‘below the fold’, give them more information about your products and services. Make sure you include the following elements:
 

• Intro text (this is important for SEO)
• Links to main categories (so they don’t have to scroll back to the top)
• Social links
• Mailing list sign-up form

 
You want to make it as easy as possible for visitors to understand what you offer and take the next step (e.g. sign up to your mailing list, like you on social media, fill out a contact form, or explore the rest of your website).
 
3. Choose your colours and fonts wisely
 
Your colour and font choices can have a huge impact on whether people stay or leave your homepage. As a general rule, less is more. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind:
 

• A neutral dark colour works best for headings/content
• Use one accent colour for links and buttons
• Avoid using too many different fonts
• Choose simple fonts instead of elaborate or flowery fonts
• Make sure your text is easy to read

 
You can choose your colours in the Shopify Theme Customisation area. Make sure you’ve customised your theme colours for all available colour options within your theme, including the cart page.
 
If you’re unsure about your colours and fonts, it’s a good idea to consult a graphic designer. They can help you pick a theme that suits your brand and looks amazing.
 
4. Share relevant content
 
Your homepage is a great place to share your latest sales and special offers. Most Shopify themes have a ‘featured products/collections’ section where you can share relevant products. For example, in the lead-up to Mother’s Day you could promote great gifts for under $50. You can back this up by posting links to your promoted products across social media and in email marketing campaigns. 
 
5. Get a second opinion
 
Your homepage is arguably the most important page on your website. If you’re struggling with the design, you’re unsure what to write, or you’re simply unhappy with the way it looks and works, then it’s worth getting a second opinion.
 
As a registered Shopify expert, I can help you create an impressive homepage that ticks all the right boxes. Get in touch today to learn how I can take your homepage to the next level – I’d love to hear from you.