DEV Community: Alfred Winston

Digital Marketing Ideas For Fashion Brands

Alfred Winston — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 11:54:03 +0000

Digital marketing should remain an important part of your overall strategy. Because so many companies are going digital these days, you need to make yours stand out. There are so many digital marketing agency strategies for fashion firms that it's difficult to know where to start. This list of digital marketing post ideas will keep you motivated for quite some time.

Here are a few tips to help you establish successful fashion digital marketing agency strategies for apparel manufacturers and businesses:

Increase brand awareness
Ensure that you have a mobile presence
Join the Social Networking World
Use cutting-edge technologies, such as chatbot integration, to your advantage
Make your own packaging
Run Facebook ads that are retargeted
Create style guides and start a blog
Make a gift guide
Develop relationships with potential customers
Coupons for birthday discounts
Keep an eye on your info

Learn Social Media Algorithms & Unique Marketing Strategies for Each Platform

Alfred Winston — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 12:45:03 +0000

Since its dawn in the early 2000s, social media has consistently made a mark in people’s lives. The novel concepts it introduced and the way it revolutionized the way we connect sealed its place in today’s social norm, which inevitably includes the way we do business. Social media has become so business-friendly as a result, to the point that brands and companies can easily hyper-target numerous users on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. It even didn’t take long for marketers to create specific strategies for each one based on the social media algorithms. There are specific, highly effective methods for Instagram marketing just as there are for Twitter marketing. Is it any wonder then that there’s such a big demand for social media marketing services?

If you want a good reference as to the current state of social media marketing per platform along with the proven strategies in each one, look no further than this post.

Common Strategies That Work for Any Channel

You’ll see these techniques being applied a lot by any experienced digital marketing agency due to their reliability and sheer essentialness for any social media marketing campaign. You’ll learn soon enough why by reading each entry here.

Goals in social media marketing pertain mostly to what you intend to achieve in a given campaign. Are you trying to improve brand awareness and visitors to your site? Or are you trying to boost ROI and sales?

Setting Goals

This may seem like a no-brainer, but it needs to be underscored simply because some campaigns tend to stray away from the ones they set. Others have unclear objectives so they end up unsure of what route to take when hurdles arise.

Understand and Focus on Your Target Audience
This is another thing that’s essential for any kind of campaign since many make the mistake of going after as many leads as possible. Quality leads, however seemingly low they may seem when compared to the numerous (often low-quality) leads you to acquire from shotgun approaches, often translate to better ROI.

This is why it’s better to focus on a specific target audience and learn about their behavior, needs, and requirements. This paves the way for optimal communication with them, too.

Crafting Viral Content
If you focus on creating content that is more likely to become viral, you not only save effort and time but enjoy other perks as well. Viral marketing cuts costs since people will naturally share your content (oftentimes at a pleasantly fast rate at that!). Besides the unrivaled reach, you can also build your brand’s credibility without lifting a finger.
Timing

Even if you have the best content in the world, if you’re posting at the wrong times, you’re pretty much throwing most of its value away. For example, a key Facebook marketing strategy involves knowing the exact times to post.
On Facebook, many can attest that 8 in the morning to 12 noon are the best times to post on weekdays. Some even schedule their software at these exact times, with comparatively successful results.

Measuring Results and Replanning

There’s no better way to tweak and hone a campaign than to pay attention to the results. There’s never really a perfect campaign, and there’s almost always room for improvement. It’s not just about figuring out whether a campaign is worth continuing with regard to the ROI you got (or didn’t get).

It’s just as important to know whether you’re targeting the right audience, making posts that they’ll find engaging, etc. Pretty much every essential aspect of a campaign should be looked at then make improvements (i.e. replan) from there.

An Overview of How Social Media Marketing Is Done Per Platform with Strategy Examples

Social Media channels for business offer myriad, distinctive solutions in the same way that the average user finds Facebook completely different from Twitter or Instagram. With that in mind, the following factors and strategies should always be considered should you decide to launch your campaign based on the different types of social media marketing. Let’s start with Facebook.

Facebook

a) Algorithm

Social media algorithms are important because it has a big impact on whether your content will appear to and engage your target audience. How can you be sure that your post will be viewed by the people meant for them? Relevancy plays an immense role in this regard, besides a number of other factors such as:

The fact that Facebook’s algorithm prioritizes content posted by a user’s friends and family.
The same goes for people and topics you reach out to and engage with.
The platform also places precedence on popular posts, posts with numerous comments, the group- and event-related posts, and newer content in general.

b) Demographics & Usage

The US and Canada occupy a big slice (47%, to be exact) of the ad revenue pie when it comes to Facebook. 56.6% of Facebook’s audience worldwide is male. Up to 32% belong to the 25–34 age range.

As for usage, the average Facebook user spends a little over 30 minutes per day on the platform, with a vast majority of them accessing it on their smartphones and tablets. As said above, the best time to post on the platform is early morning to noon on most weekdays.

c) Recommended Unique Strategies

Focus on Ad Descriptions — Facebook has a feature in their feed ads where they only show ad descriptions to the person that will find it engaging or appealing. You can use this to your advantage to include the most relevant information such as the exact price, reviews, ratings, and, of course, detailed information about the product.
Carousel Ads — These ads are highly recommended for the way you can present a product with their help. You can even tell a story, which only ever raises engagement and, in turn, boost conversions and traffic. Ultimately, they allow you to exercise your creativity to the fullest and include eye-catching visuals every time.

d) Best Industries for Facebook
eCommerce, Auto, and Fashion

Instagram a) Algorithm

The platform puts importance on the number of likes a post has received as well as its recency.
Much like Facebook, it pushes your posts to people you engage with.
Expect content creators that frequently post and can maintain quality to enjoy higher priority.
Content that relies on clickbait or has no inherent value will be demoted.

b) Demographics & Usage

Having over 1 billion users in 2021, Instagram easily earns its spot among the top marketing channels. At present, it’s still growing at a rapid pace, a little more than 20%. 51.6% of users are male and 48.4% are female. Like Facebook, the majority of its users fall within the 25–34 age range.

Tuesday is the best day to post based on engagement levels. As for the most ideal time to post on weekdays, experts recommend doing it between 10 AM to 3 PM.

c) Recommended Unique Strategies

High-Quality Creatives — High-performing creatives will never lose their appeal. How-to guides alone, with their own unique spins, consistently draw tons of people, for example. Once we add awesome visuals to the equation, it only gets better from there. The key is to prioritize authenticity and do your best to humanize your content.
Influencers — Micro & macro-influencers almost always have the innate advantage of creating content based on what they love and their general lifestyle. This allows them to craft genuine content that their loyal audience can’t get enough of. Make sure to collaborate with those who share your passion and believe in your products.

d) Best Industries for Instagram
Traveling, Lifestyle, Fashion, and Health

a) Algorithm

Like the other two channels mentioned before, LinkedIn is no different in prioritizing content from people you are engaging with.
Any post with high engagement and with long comments (either will do) is sure to gain the spotlight in the feeds.
The platform values consistency as well.
Any kind of promotional content is deprioritized.

b) Demographics & Usage
As of 2021, LinkedIn is close to reaching 800 million users. A majority (38%) of users also belong in the 25–34 age range. 56.6% are male and 43.4% are female.
The best time to post on LinkedIn is between 8 AM to 11 AM on most weekdays, with Tuesday being considered as the most ideal day.

c) Recommended Unique Strategies

Connections Building — Exercise the fundamentals of networking when considering LinkedIn marketing, and you’re all set. Build maximize connections & invite them to follow your business page. Follow up and engage with existing connections and be sure to post consistently.
Video Creatives — Video marketing is just as powerful on LinkedIn as it is on YouTube. They can bring immediate reactions, besides, of course, dispensing vital information and telling compelling stories. Use them to your advantage to build deeper connections.

d) Best Industries for LinkedIn
IT, Healthcare, Construction, and Other B2B

Twitter

a) Algorithm

In Twitter Marketing, Recent posts take precedence as well as those with a high engagement and number of comments and retweets.
Any post from a user you follow will be prioritized.

b) Demographics & Usage

As of 2021, the platform has 192 million active users. 63% fall in the 35–65 age range. 66% of users are male while 34% are female.

The best time to post is early morning and evening. That’s between 8 AM and 10 AM or 6 PM and 9 PM.

c) Recommended Unique Strategies

Hashtags — Hashtags remain the most effective way to drive free traffic to your posts. After all, anyone who shifts to the ‘Latest’ tab will see all the new posts that contain that hashtag, should they be highly interested in the topic it’s associated with. ‘Top’ posts benefit from it in the same way.
Promoted Tweets — You can promote your tweets to specific users, especially those who are more likely to be engaged with your content, pay your website a visit, or any kind of relevant action you want them to perform.

d) Best Industries for Twitter
News, Politics, and Cinema

Conclusion

We hope that by revealing these strategies, we’ve educated you about how social media marketing helps businesses in a more in-depth way. Ultimately, the best social marketing ideas won’t bring the intended value they can impart if you won’t take action and plan accordingly.

A Comprehensive Guide for eWallet App Development

Alfred Winston — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 06:20:17 +0000

Mobile payments are slowly becoming the preferred mode of the transaction by people worldwide. This fact could not be underscored more by the fact that users relying on it will reach more than 1 billion come 2023. This is why if you’re considering going into eWallet app development, know that there’s no better time than now to get into the industry.

Naturally, before you choose a mobile app development agency to work with, you should take the time to orient yourself first about the basics of a digital wallet and the typical development process involved. We’ve come up with this comprehensive guide to do just that, so we highly recommend that you take the time to read it.

What Is a Digital Wallet?

Nowadays, a digital wallet is almost synonymous with a mobile wallet. As its name suggests, it mainly functions as a payment medium that can be used by both individuals and businesses to transact digitally.

Much like any innovation, it’s built with convenience in mind. You can use it to universally pay for all the products and services you avail of online. Most of this benefit hinges on the wallet’s ability to support various payment modes, to the point that they can virtually use their smartphones to pay for anything.

Why Are Digital Wallets All the Rage Nowadays?

Popular apps like GPay and Paypal, according to statistics, enjoy a continuously growing user base with Paypal having close to 400 million active users in 2021 as opposed to GPay’s 100 million. Why is this the case? Well, besides the evident convenience mentioned above, there are other aspects of a digital pay wallet that make it all the more attractive for people and enterprises.

Often, it noticeably focuses on keeping transactions as secure as possible. There are numerous types of digital wallets that shine in this specific factor, and we’ll be discussing them below.
It’s also a rich source of invaluable data regarding customer behavior, which businesses can use to better serve their needs, improve customer support, and enhance their messaging.

Simply put, this combination of perks has no equal with regards to available alternatives. The most popular digital wallets have established themselves in the daily lives of their users and could very well become the norm in the future.

Types of E-Wallet Apps

Most eWallet app development revolves around the creation of these types of digital wallets because of their ability to fulfill specialized requirements and overcome various challenges when transacting electronically.

- Closed Wallet

These wallets are typically issued by a specific platform or business with the intention of making it the sole way for its end-users to transact with them. This provides convenience to both the business and the individual as it’s easier to keep track of and act on returns, refunds, and cancellations.

Examples: Amazon Pay and Ola Money

- Semi-closed Wallet

Not as popular as the others on this list because of its inherent restrictions, this variety of mobile wallets is slightly similar to closed wallets. They offer the unique benefit of offering support for a group of merchants operating in a given location. You can use these wallets to transact with all of them, usually either offline or online.

Examples: Citrus, Oxygen, and Paytm Wallet

- Open Wallet

This type removes most of the restrictions mentioned in a closed or semi-closed wallet. They’re commonly used by and partnered with banks, and users can rely on them for various transactions such as sending and withdrawing funds, minus any kind of limitation akin to closed and semi-closed digital wallets.

Examples: PayPal and Google Wallet

- Cryptocurrency Wallet

This one’s mainly used for cryptocurrency transactions. A cryptocurrency wallet provides the most security out of most digital wallets because it has the ready advantage of information encryption.

Examples: Coinbase, Exodus, and Electrum

- IoT Wallet

These are mostly just wallets used to accommodate IoT payments. Pay-as-you-go payment systems are prime examples of how this technology is being put to good use.

Examples: Bitcoin

- AI-Powered Wallet

Digital wallets that harness the innovative capabilities of AI fall under this category. For instance, some wallets come with their own chatbots to help users ease up the way they pay or resolve any issues related to a particular transaction. It’s relatively more secure, too, since AI-based wallets can prevent fraudulent transactions.

Examples: Puut Wallet

- Biometric Wallet

Another wallet that prioritizes secure transactions, a biometric wallet makes good use of biometric authorization strategies like facial and fingerprint recognition to minimize fraud.

Examples: Apple Pay and Samsung Pay

- NFT-based Wallet

As their name readily suggests, these wallets are intended to store and transact NFTs with. Normally, they overlap with cryptocurrency wallets since you can also use them for cryptocurrencies.

Examples: MetaMask, Trust Wallet, and Math Wallet

Applications of Digital Wallet Apps

Besides allowing users to pay with their smartphones, these wallets can also be utilized for the dispensation, use, and storage of digital coupons. Of course, there are also data perks we mentioned above.

At present, we are seeing robust applications of digital wallet apps in the e-commerce and fintech industries because of these never-before-seen advantages. These are all the more supported by these stats.

The e-wallet industry is projected to be a $2 trillion industry come 2023.
In 2020, close to 50% of global e-commerce transactions were done with the help of digital wallets.
Over 65% of Americans prefer to use a digital payment app for most of their transactions.
The pandemic also primarily affected people’s behaviors with regards to their payment mode preference. This could not be more apparent in the fact that digital wallets became the second most popular payment method since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

Integral Factors to Consider in Digital Payment App Development

Now that you are properly introduced to the state of the mobile wallet industry at present, it’s now time to discuss the essential steps and elements in e-wallet app development. Before you start, though, you should already be aware of the total e-wallet mobile app development cost.

UI/UX

Mobile wallets are generally known for their user-friendly interfaces, which allow users to enjoy smooth and easy transactions and managing of funds. UX design should be discussed during the initial discovery phase.
Naturally, it should be tailored to make the user’s journey through the app as convenient and helpful as possible.

Development

In this stage, the major features such as registration and sign-in, the dashboard where users can manage their finances, integration of chatbots, the inclusion of different payment processors, giving access to any kind of discount scheme or loyalty program you may be considering, among other extra features.

On the whole, development involves the integration of the features that were discussed during the discovery phase. The minimal viable product or MVP becomes the final result of the development phase.

Testing

Testing and development often go hand-in-hand. This includes any other tweaks you perform on the app to further improve its features.

Launch & Maintenance

Launching your app and keeping on top of feedback and future improvements should be your next priority after you’ve created a full-fledged digital wallet app. This includes paying attention to analytics, the inclusion of new features, improvements of present features and customer experience, boosting engagement by enhancing loyalty schemes, providing customer support, and releasing version updates.

Essential Features of a Mobile Wallet App

The must-have features during digital wallet app development can be broken down into the following:

Registration and user authorization
Profile creation
Debit card, credit card, and bank account integration and synchronization
GPS tracking
e-Receipts
Push notifications
Analytics tools and reports

How Does an E-Wallet Aid Boosting Businesses’ Revenue?

Profitability from wallet integration services takes advantage of its inherent benefits, which plenty of consumers worldwide find appealing. They’re not only more convenient and safer, but they can even be more economical for everyone as well because of lower service fees. Some may even remove these fees altogether.

Naturally, any enterprise that offers a better alternative will enjoy more patronage.

Conclusion

We hope that this e-wallet app development guide helped answer most of the basic questions you have about it. At best, the technology as a whole is showing a lot of promise because of its growing number of users and developers. Of course, it’s best to work with tried-and-tested cryptocurrency wallet development services if you want to bring your ideal mobile wallet to life.

10 Best Ideas for Better Mobile App Marketing During the Covid-19 Crisis

Alfred Winston — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 10:51:26 +0000

The entire world is in a state of despair since the beginning of the year. The COVID-19 pandemic has left everyone helpless. It has affected people in every which way possible. You can’t go out of your house; other people can’t come to see you, offices have been shut and practically every other place too. In these times, conducting businesses has been nearly impossible.

Even though you can’t conduct the regular business you used to, you can always make things work virtually. And when it comes to market your mobile application, you can utilize the benefits of Digital Marketing. Harnessing the power of digital marketing can prove to be a great way to keep your mobile app’s reach to the audiences alive.

We have come up with 10 ideas that will help you with better marketing for your mobile app

1.Let Go of Traditional Marketing Methods

Traditional Marketing is great when it comes to mobile apps. Putting up ads on TV, radio, and print media can get your app a lot of eyes. Most of these methods require human influence. With almost all of the industries being shut, radio and any kind of print media will not help your marketing. However, if you have a video ad ready for your app, or if you can create one, you can always try and put that video ad on TV. Especially in these times, when a majority of people around the world are watching television more than before, you could gain some benefits on marketing of your app.

Eliminating other traditional marketing methods can help you refine your focus on just television marketing

With a lot of people watching TV more than before, your app is bound to reach a lot of viewers

2.Harness The Power of Social Media Marketing

Since a majority of the world population is at home, digital platforms have gained a lot of business. Especially social media platforms. And this is the best opportunity to gain as many benefits as you can for your mobile app. Social media integration is one of the best ways to let your app be visible to people. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat can be good areas to target a large group of audience.

Integrate your app with top social media platforms to create a larger online presence

Put up paid ads on Instagram to target a specific group of audience

3.Email Marketing

Covering as much ground online as possible will only be a benefit for you and your app. Emails can be an excellent way to reach your users better and retain them in these times. Send out email communications regarding the current scenario and what you are doing to let that not affect the user’s way of accessing your app. Provide them with offers that can be availed if they invite other people to download your app. This can be very helpful in increasing your app’s user base.

Communicate to your customers through emails to mark your presence

Provide offers and benefits that users can avail on inviting other people to download your app

4.Take This Time to Enhance your App

When the world was still out there, you would hardly get a chance to sit back and get your hands on a new skill or hobby. Since you have the time now, invest it in learning new ways in which you can make your app even better. This will prove to be beneficial for both you and your app’s users.

It will improve the performance of your app

A better app ensures a greater user engagement

5.Provide In-App Offers

Providing in-app offers to your existing users can ensure increased app usage. If you have an app that allows online shopping, give the users intriguing offers such as a certain percentage of discount on adding a product to their cart, keeping it throughout the lockdown, and then ordering it once the deliveries services are back on the road. This way, your users will scroll through your app in order to get their favorite products on discount.

In-app offers are a great way to retain your customers

It also ensures a consistent, if not higher, app usage

6.Webinars and Podcasts

Any app user, in one way or another, would be interested in knowing the history behind the app they are using. There is always a level of curiosity in such cases, even if that application is not one of their favorites. Creating webinars and podcasts can be an excellent way to put your story across to attract more potential users. People highly tend to use a product if they know the backstory of it than using the ones they don’t know much about.

Collaborate virtually with podcasters who have a strong influence on the web

This will have a greater impact on your users and also any potential users

7.Go Live on Social Media Platforms

Social media lives are the new and one of the most efficient ways to connect with followers, and in your case, your users. Even if you don’t have a larger following, you can always go live with someone who does. This method is one step ahead of the podcasts. With live sessions, not only can you talk to your users, but they can also talk to you. And if you are going live with someone, you can always make it seem like an interview, and also allow your users to ask questions to you.

This is one of the best ways to engage with your users on a deeper level

Face to face conversations will give you a chance to introduce them and other potential users to your app and any new features you may have built

8.App Store Optimization

Take some time to optimize your application and make it appear more frequently on the app store searches. This will give your app higher visibility and will allow room for potential downloads.

Ensures higher visibility and potential downloads

Can increase the chances of your app being recommended by the app store

9.Relief Campaigns

Since the pandemic has hit, many people are in need of a lot of daily essentials which they either can’t afford, are not allowed to go out and buy it for themselves. Partner up with relief groups and organize relief campaigns. You can ask your users to donate whatever they can, through your app, and also invite other people to do so.

This is a good way to make use of your app to help the people in need

It will also put your app in front of a lot of new people

10.Ad Spots

Lastly, to promote your app and make it reach new potential users, you can buy ad spots on different websites or blog sites. You can buy a spot on a website and pay according to the visibility you want. You can also reach out to bloggers and ask them to display your ad on their posts. This will extend the visibility of your app a little more.

Paid ad spots are very easy to find and can be utilized as per your needs

Asking bloggers to put your ad on their posts can open up your app to newer sets of audiences

Conclusion

During these times, when almost everyone is locked out in their homes, there isn’t much you can do when it comes to physical work. But since you have the internet at your disposal, you can utilize it the way you want and boost the user base of your mobile app by trying out different means of online marketing. You can use any number of the ideas listed here, or you can mix and match them as per your needs to ensure that your app stays reachable and relevant even in times of crisis.