Is Sketch Wow worth it? In this Sketch Wow review, learn about its features, user experiences, and pricing to help decide if it’s the right tool for you.

Key Takeaways

• Sketch Wow is a user-friendly tool for creating visually appealing content with hand-drawn aesthetics, making it accessible for anyone, even those without design experience.
• The software offers great value with a one-time payment option of $49 for lifetime access, plus customizable templates and AI features to speed up the design process.
• Frequent updates and a responsive customer support team enhance the user experience, while the focus on simplicity makes it perfect for busy professionals wanting to create quality visuals quickly.

Overview for this Sketch Wow Review

Sketch Wow is a visual content creation tool designed to offer hand-drawn aesthetics. Whether you’re a marketer, educator, or just someone who loves creating engaging visuals, sketchwow offers something for you. Sketch Wow aims to enhance communication by using visually appealing formats that capture attention and effectively convey messages.

Users can create various visual content with Sketch Wow, including sketches, charts, and flowcharts. Available as a desktop application for both Windows and Mac, the software is versatile and convenient for different users.

Key Features and Functionality

Sketch Wow stands out with its wide array of professionally designed templates. These customizable templates enable users to quickly generate engaging content tailored to their needs. Whether you’re creating a flowchart or a dynamic presentation, Sketch Wow’s templates have got you covered.

The software also integrates AI to assist users in creating visuals more efficiently. The AI-driven assistant generates visuals based on your prompts, speeding up and simplifying the design tool process. This feature is particularly beneficial for those who may not have extensive design experience.

Another remarkable feature is the infinite canvas, which allows users to create without the limitations of a confined space. The drag-and-drop functionality simplifies arranging elements within your designs, making the entire process more features efficient and user-friendly.

Sketch Wow also offers animation and dynamic visual options to enhance user engagement. These features make your presentations and content not just visually appealing but also interactive, keeping your audience hooked from start to finish.

Pricing and Subscription Plans

When it comes to pricing, Sketch Wow offers flexibility to suit different budgets and needs. A one-time payment of $49 grants lifetime access to the software. Alternatively, a subscription plan is available at $39 per month for those who prefer monthly billing.

Many users, especially those who purchased the Pro version for its additional features, have expressed satisfaction with the value for money. Sketch Wow’s pricing is more accessible compared to similar tools, making it an attractive option for many users.

User Experience and Interface

Sketch Wow is designed with the user in mind, making it accessible even for those without technical skills. Its intuitive interface allows anyone to create eye-catching designs without a steep learning curve. Many users appreciate how user-friendly the software is, enabling them to dive right into creating their first sketch without needing extensive tutorials.

Compared to more complex software like Photoshop or Illustrator, Sketch Wow stands out for its simplicity. This user-friendly interface lets users focus on their creative ideas rather than complicated tools. Users highlight the ease of quickly creating professional-looking graphics.

Several users note that Sketch Wow significantly reduces the time spent creating diagrams and graphics, thus improving productivity. The drag-and-drop feature is particularly praised for enhancing the efficiency of the design process.

Sketch Wow also automatically checks for updates, simplifying the process for users. The software also allows installation on multiple devices, ensuring you can access your work from different computers, making it a versatile tool for busy professionals.

Security and Privacy Measures

Security is a top priority for Sketch Wow. The software employs industry-standard encryption protocols to safeguard user data during transmission and storage. This protection from unauthorized access gives you peace of mind when using the tool.

Sketch Wow is GDPR compliant, adhering to strict privacy regulations to protect user data. Data encryption and GDPR compliance bolster user trust, assuring them that their information is handled with care.

Sketch Wow Review: Pros and Cons

Like any software, Sketch Wow has its strengths and weaknesses. Users find the software extremely user-friendly and intuitive, making it easy to create professional-looking visuals quickly. Responsive and helpful customer support is another significant advantage, ensuring users can get assistance whenever needed.

However, some users have noted that Sketch Wow lacks advanced features found in more professional tools. This can be a limitation for those working on highly complex projects that require sophisticated design capabilities.

Despite these limitations, many users feel the benefits of Sketch Wow outweigh the drawbacks, especially for those needing a straightforward and efficient tool for creating visual content.

Customer Reviews and Testimonials

Customer feedback for Sketch Wow is overwhelmingly positive. Users often describe the software as highly engaging and enjoyable to use. Whether for marketing, education, or presentations, Sketch Wow has proven to be a valuable tool in various professional settings.

The unique hand-drawn style of Sketch Wow appeals to users looking for a more casual yet appealing presentation method. This distinctive style sets Sketch Wow apart from other visual content creation tools, adding a personal touch to your visuals with a hand drawn effect.

The customer support team also receives high praise for their responsiveness and helpfulness. Users appreciate the quick and effective assistance they receive, which enhances their overall experience with the software.

Frequent Updates and New Features

Sketch Wow is known for its frequent updates, ensuring the software remains cutting-edge and user-friendly. Regular updates and improvements, driven by user feedback, make the software more robust and tailored to customer needs. I absolutely love sketchwow.

Recent updates have included enhancements to AI-powered features, allowing users to create visuals more efficiently. Installing the software on multiple devices ensures users can access new features across platforms, making Sketch Wow versatile for various use cases.

Comparison with Competitors

When comparing Sketch Wow to its competitors, one of the most significant advantages is its pricing. The one-time payment option of $49 is more accessible compared to the subscription models offered by some competitors, providing excellent value for money.

While Sketch Wow provides user-friendly features for visual content creation, tools like Adobe Illustrator are known for more comprehensive features and options. This makes Sketch Wow a better choice for those who prioritize ease of use over advanced functionalities.

Users transitioning from tools like Canva often find Sketch Wow makes visual creation more enjoyable and easier to navigate. The intuitive interface and unique hand-drawn style provide a refreshing alternative to other visual content creation tools.

Best Use Cases for Sketch Wow

Sketch Wow is perfect for creating a variety of visuals, including flowcharts, mind maps, and infographics. The software continually adds new templates and tools, keeping the platform fresh and engaging for users. This versatility makes it a great choice for creating distinctive and captivating visuals.

Quick visual creation is another significant advantage. Users report substantial time savings compared to traditional graphic design tools, making Sketch Wow ideal for busy professionals needing to produce high-quality content efficiently.

How to Get Started with Sketch Wow

Getting started with Sketch Wow is a breeze. Start by selecting a template from the extensive library available. The variety of templates ensures you can find something that suits your specific needs, whether creating a flowchart, mind map, or infographic.

After choosing a template, personalize it by editing the text and incorporating icons. This customization allows you to create visuals that are uniquely yours, ensuring that your content marketing stands out and captures attention.

Sketch Wow Review Conclusion

Sketch Wow shines as a user-friendly and versatile tool for creating visually appealing content. Its intuitive interface, wide range of templates, and AI-driven features make it accessible for users of all skill levels. The software’s competitive pricing and frequent updates further enhance its appeal, making it a valuable tool for anyone involved in content creation.

In conclusion, Sketch Wow offers a unique blend of simplicity and functionality, allowing users to create captivating visuals quickly and efficiently. Whether you’re a marketer, educator, or creative professional, Sketch Wow is worth exploring for its ability to transform ideas into engaging hand-drawn visuals.

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of visuals can I create with Sketch Wow?

With Sketch Wow, you can whip up sketches, flowcharts, mind maps, and infographics easily! It’s a great way to bring your ideas to life visually.

Is Sketch Wow suitable for beginners?

Absolutely, Sketch Wow is perfect for beginners thanks to its user-friendly interface! You won’t feel lost trying to figure it out.

How much does Sketch Wow cost?

Sketch Wow costs $49 for a one-time payment or you can opt for a monthly subscription at $39.

Does Sketch Wow offer customer support?

Absolutely! People really appreciate how responsive and helpful Sketch Wow’s customer support is.

Is Sketch Wow regularly updated?

Absolutely, during our Sketch Wow review we noticed that it gets regular updates that keep it fresh and user-friendly! You’re in good hands with a tool that evolves often.

The post Honest Sketch Wow Review: Insights from Users and Their Experiences appeared first on Done For You.

Leveraging AI business plan generators is no longer optional—it’s essential. These tools can drastically improve the accuracy, efficiency, and strategic insight of your business plans. This article will explore how AI can simplify data analysis, enhance financial forecasting, and streamline strategic planning. Expect practical examples and top AI tools to help you revolutionize your business planning process.

Key Takeaways

• AI tools revolutionize business planning by automating data analysis, improving financial forecasting, and streamlining strategic planning, enabling quicker and more accurate decision-making.
• Top AI-powered business plan generators, such as Upmetrics AI, PrometAI, and Plannit.ai, provide tailored solutions to efficiently create comprehensive business plans for entrepreneurs.
• Customization capabilities in AI tools allow businesses to personalize plans with market insights and realistic financial projections, enhancing their appeal to investors and ensuring alignment with business strategies.

The Role of AI in Business Planning

Artificial intelligence is reshaping business planning by enabling quicker decision-making and enhancing accuracy in strategies. The days of sifting through endless data and struggling to create comprehensive business plans are over. AI tools now automate data analysis, enhance financial forecasting, and streamline strategic planning, making the complex business planning process more manageable.

AI business plan generators have emerged as invaluable resources, transforming how businesses approach planning. These tools, integrating advanced algorithms and comprehensive market data, provide a new level of precision and efficiency in business planning software.

AI is transforming data analysis, financial forecasting, and strategic planning.

Automating Data Analysis

AI automates the daunting task of data gathering, market analysis, and writing, revolutionizing how businesses plan. These tools can rapidly process extensive datasets to extract valuable insights, significantly enhancing the market research process. Imagine the hours saved and the accuracy gained when AI takes over these tasks, allowing entrepreneurs to focus on what they do best – innovating and growing their businesses.

Automating various tasks, AI business plan generators save significant time and enhance plan quality with accurate market insights. This level of automation represents a significant leap forward in the planning process, transforming it from a time-consuming chore into a streamlined, efficient operation.

Enhancing Financial Forecasting

Financial forecasting is crucial for making informed business decisions and long-term planning. AI improves financial forecasting precision by analyzing historical data patterns to predict future financial trends. This methodology involves using AI algorithms to process vast amounts of historical financial data, identifying patterns and trends that might be missed by human analysts.

Enhanced precision in financial forecasting allows businesses to allocate resources effectively and mitigate risks. Leveraging AI allows businesses to create well-structured plans with accurate financial projections, appealing to investors and financial institutions.

Streamlining Strategic Planning

AI assists in strategic business planning by modeling various scenarios, helping businesses prepare for potential risks and opportunities. For instance, PrometAI has helped various startups transform their business ideas into actionable plans, illustrating the effectiveness of AI in strategic planning.

Integrating advanced AI with comprehensive market data enhances business planning, ensuring strategic decisions are based on accurate information. This strategic advantage is invaluable in today’s competitive business environment, enabling companies to stay ahead of the curve.

Top AI-Powered Business Plan Generators

AI business plan generators utilize natural language processing (NLP) algorithms to produce tailored written content, making the drafting process faster and easier. These generators are designed to assist users in creating comprehensive business plans that include components such as an executive summary, market analysis, and financial projections.

Here are three top AI-powered business plan generators: Upmetrics AI, PrometAI, and Plannit.ai. Each of these tools offers unique features that can help streamline the complex business planning process, making it easier for entrepreneurs to create detailed and professional business plans.

Upmetrics AI

Upmetrics AI is an AI business plan generator designed to streamline the business planning process. With the capability to generate a complete business plan in under 10 minutes, it is a time-efficient solution for entrepreneurs. One of its standout features includes robust financial forecasting capabilities, allowing users to plan their finances effectively.

At a starting price of $7 per month, Upmetrics AI is accessible for startups and small businesses, making it an attractive option for those looking to create professional business plans without breaking the bank.

PrometAI

PrometAI is an AI-driven business planning and financial analysis tool designed to help users create comprehensive, expertly crafted business plans. It simplifies the business planning process by breaking it down into manageable sections with input prompts and examples. The tool combines a polished, visually appealing presentation style with accurate financial projections, ensuring that the final product is both professional and precise.

Offering a comprehensive collection of free business plan templates tailored to startups, PrometAI provides all the necessary resources. Its collaborative editing and investor-centric insights make it a valuable resource for anyone looking to create an effective business plan.

Plannit.ai

Plannit.ai is designed to outline and manage business ideas using the latest AI technology. It is perfect for medium and small businesses, helping them create tailored business plans efficiently. Plannit.ai provides a step-by-step process that guides users through the business planning journey with a series of well-structured questions.

Users have complete control over their documents and can download them in editable formats such as DOCX or PDF, ensuring flexibility and ease of use. Additionally, Plannit.ai features an AI business consultant that offers real-time feedback, enhancing user interaction and collaboration.

Customizing Your Business Plan with AI Tools

AI tools can personalize business plans based on specific prompts, making them more relevant to individual business needs. While AI-generated plans provide a solid foundation, customization is key to ensuring that the plan aligns perfectly with your business goals and strategies.

We’ll discuss personalizing templates, incorporating market analysis, and adjusting financial projections to create a standout detailed business plan.

Personalizing Templates

AI business plan generators frequently begin with templates. These templates serve as a foundational starting point for the plans. Look for robust customization options that allow you to tailor plans to specific business models. Effective AI business plan generators enable users to modify templates to fit their unique business strategies, ensuring that the final product is a true reflection of their business vision.

Personalizing templates not only helps in creating a unique business plan but also ensures that all aspects of the business are accurately represented. This customization is crucial for attracting potential investors and stakeholders.

Incorporating Market Analysis

AI tools can provide insights into market trends and consumer behaviors, aiding in a more informed market analysis. A comprehensive market analysis should outline customer demographics, competitive landscape, and market forecasts. Integrating these insights derived from AI into your business plan leads to more strategic decision-making.

A well-structured market analysis can significantly enhance the credibility of your business plan, making it more appealing to potential investors and stakeholders. It serves as the backbone of your business strategy, providing a clear understanding of the target market and competitive environment.

Adjusting Financial Projections

Users should input basic information about their business into AI generators to create financial forecasts. A well-rounded financial plan should include revenue forecasts, projected expenses, break-even analysis, funding needs, and potential funding sources. Adjusting these financial projections to reflect realistic and achievable goals is crucial for the success of your financial planning business plan.

AI tools provide the flexibility to modify financial details, ensuring that your financial projections are accurate and aligned with your business strategy. This precision is vital for securing funding and building investor confidence. An ai tool can enhance this process further.

Real-Time Collaboration and AI Integration

Collaborative tools allow teams to work simultaneously, enhancing overall productivity. Real-time collaboration features in AI tools are essential as they facilitate teamwork and drive productivity. Instant communication during collaborative sessions helps align team members and accelerates decision-making.

Effective collaboration tools can integrate with existing workflows, reducing the time spent switching between applications. These collaborative features not only improve productivity but also enhance decision-making and transparency among team members.

Ensuring Security and Privacy in AI Business Planning

Regular audits and strict data retention policies can minimize the risks associated with AI data breaches. Businesses leveraging AI must adhere to strict data protection regulations to avoid legal repercussions. Integrating privacy considerations from the initial design phase of AI systems is crucial for data protection.

Educating employees on ethical AI use is essential to uphold data protection standards within organizations. Implementing measures such as data anonymization and aggregation can help protect individual identities in AI data sets.

Ensuring security and privacy is paramount for maintaining trust and integrity in AI business planning.

Case Studies: Success Stories Using AI for Business Planning

General Electric uses AI-driven predictive maintenance to foresee equipment failures, thus preventing costly downtimes in manufacturing. Amazon leverages AI for optimizing inventory levels and personalizing shopping experiences based on user behavior. Hilton Hotels has integrated AI through ‘Connie’, a robot concierge that enhances guest services with personalized recommendations.

Sahihi Seeds, an agricultural company in South Sudan, utilized AI-powered business planning to enhance their growth strategy while saving time and reducing costs. These examples demonstrate the versatility and effectiveness of AI in transforming business planning across various industries.

How to Choose the Right AI Business Plan Generator

Crucial factors to consider when choosing an AI business plan generator include features, cost, and user reviews. Identify essential functionalities such as writing help and visual templates when selecting an AI business plan generator. Ensure the price of the AI business plan generator aligns with the features necessary for your needs.

Pick a user-friendly tool that is easy to navigate, especially for individuals with basic writing skills. Check platforms like Capterra and Trustpilot for genuine user reviews and feedback on the AI business plan generators. These steps will help you select a tool that meets your specific business planning needs.

Summary

The transformative role of AI in business planning is undeniable. From automating data analysis to enhancing financial forecasting and streamlining strategic planning, AI tools offer a new level of precision and efficiency. Top AI-powered business plan generators like Upmetrics AI, PrometAI, and Plannit.ai provide invaluable resources for creating comprehensive business plans.

By customizing AI-generated plans, incorporating market analysis, and adjusting financial projections, businesses can create well-structured, professional plans that align with their goals. With real-time collaboration features and a focus on security and privacy, AI tools are set to revolutionize business planning. Embrace the future of business planning with AI and watch your business idea soar.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of using AI in business planning?

Utilizing AI in business planning significantly boosts accuracy and efficiency by automating data analysis and enhancing financial forecasting. This ultimately leads to more informed strategic decisions.

How do AI business plan generators work?

AI business plan generators leverage natural language processing algorithms to create customized written content, significantly streamlining the drafting process. This technology allows users to efficiently produce comprehensive business plans tailored to their specific needs.

What should I look for in an AI business plan generator?

When choosing an AI business plan generator, prioritize essential features, affordability, user testimonials, and functionalities such as writing assistance and visual templates. This will ensure you select a tool that meets your specific needs effectively.

How can I ensure the security and privacy of my data when using AI tools?

To ensure the security and privacy of your data when using AI tools, implement regular audits and establish strict data retention policies. Additionally, integrate privacy considerations from the initial design phase.

Can AI business plan generators be customized to fit my specific business needs?

Yes, AI business plan generators can be customized to fit your specific business needs, allowing you to tailor the plan to align with your unique business strategy.

The post Top AI Business Plan Generators That Are Revolutionizing Startup Planning appeared first on Done For You.

Mastering the OpenAI Playground: Tips and Best Practices

The OpenAI Playground lets users experiment with AI models like GPT-4. This guide covers its features, usage tips, and best practices.

Key Takeaways

• The OpenAI Playground provides a user-friendly interface for exploring and customizing various AI models, making it suitable for both novices and experts in AI.
• Key features such as interactive chat, model selection, and custom system prompts enable users to enhance engagement and tailor AI outputs for specific tasks.
• By automating content generation and coding tasks, the OpenAI Playground significantly boosts efficiency and reduces costs for businesses, facilitating more strategic initiatives.

Understanding OpenAI Playground

The OpenAI Playground is a platform designed for experimenting with various AI models, providing advanced features to specify output formats and test different applications. Unlike traditional AI tools, OpenAI’s playground offers a comprehensive environment where users can interact with the latest versions of ChatGPT, GPT-4, and even older models like GPT-3. This makes it an indispensable resource for both novices and experts in AI exploration, allowing them to delve deeper into the functionalities of OpenAI’s models.

One of the standout features of the OpenAI Playground is its user-friendly interface, which facilitates quick iteration and immediate feedback on changes. This ease of use makes it accessible to a wide range of users, from developers and AI researchers to business professionals looking to enhance their operations through AI. The platform supports a variety of applications, including content generation, translation, and coding, making it a versatile tool for numerous tasks.

Users can write prompts and make updates in the OpenAI Playground’s intuitive interface, enabling seamless experimentation. Whether you’re looking to create marketing content, develop new software, or simply explore the capabilities of AI, the Playground provides the tools you need to innovate and succeed.

Differences Between ChatGPT and OpenAI Playground

While both ChatGPT and the OpenAI Playground are powerful AI tools, they cater to different user needs and offer distinct functionalities. ChatGPT is tailored for casual users who seek interactive conversations with AI, providing a more straightforward and user-friendly experience. On the other hand, OpenAI Playground is aimed at developers and researchers who require a more complex interface designed for extensive customization and experimentation.

One of the key differences lies in the flexibility and customization capabilities. ChatGPT operates within stricter parameters to ensure usability and safety, making it less flexible compared to the Playground. The OpenAI Playground allows users to fine-tune models and customize settings, offering a broader range of machine learning models to choose from. This makes it an ideal platform for users who need to experiment with different model parameters and settings to achieve specific outcomes.

In summary, while ChatGPT is perfect for everyday conversational tasks, the OpenAI Playground is the go-to platform for those who need to dive deeper into AI capabilities and customize their interactions extensively. Understanding these differences helps users choose the appropriate tool, maximizing productivity and creativity with AI.

Getting Started with OpenAI Playground

Accessing the OpenAI Playground is straightforward and user-friendly. Simply visit the website platform.openai.com and log in using your Google account or sign up for a new account if you’re a first-time user. After logging in, you can start testing prompts. This will allow you to explore the various AI models that are available. Remember, to fully utilize the Playground’s capabilities, you’ll need an OpenAI API key, which grants you access to the platform’s advanced features.

The initial setup process is designed to be as smooth as possible, allowing you to dive right into experimenting with OpenAI’s models. Start by entering sample prompts and observing how the models respond, which will give you a feel for the platform’s capabilities and potential applications.

This hands-on approach not only enhances your understanding of the Playground but also sparks creativity as you discover new ways to leverage AI in your projects.

Key Features of OpenAI Playground

The OpenAI Playground is packed with features that make it a powerful tool for AI experimentation and content creation. Key features include interactive chat, model selection, and custom system prompts, each designed to enhance user engagement and productivity.

Let’s delve into these features to understand how they can be leveraged to achieve specific tasks and optimize your AI interactions.

Interactive Chat

The interactive chat feature in OpenAI Playground is designed to generate natural language responses that closely mimic human conversation. This feature allows users to input queries and receive coherent, contextually relevant responses, making it an invaluable tool for exploring the capabilities of AI. Whether you’re looking to develop a chatbot, create engaging content, or simply experiment with different conversational scenarios, the interactive chat offers a dynamic and responsive interface for your needs.

By logging into the platform, users can start experimenting with the chat feature, allowing for real-time feedback and adjustments. This immediate response capability not only enhances user engagement but also provides a practical example to test and refine prompts for various applications.

Whether you’re a developer fine-tuning a chatbot or a content creator crafting compelling narratives, the interactive chat in OpenAI Playground is a versatile tool that can significantly boost your productivity and creativity.

Model Selection

Model selection is a crucial feature of the OpenAI Playground, offering users the ability to choose from various GPT models tailored to specific tasks. The model dropdown menu allows you to select the model that best fits your needs, whether you require the latest version for optimal performance or an older version for specific functionalities. This flexibility ensures that you can always find the right tool for your project, enhancing your experimentation and output quality.

Additionally, understanding the different assistant modes available, such as Assistants, Chat, and Complete, can further refine your interactions with the AI. The numbers in model names, like 16K, 32K, or 128K, represent the context length, which is crucial for tasks that require more extensive input and output.

By experimenting with different models and modes, you can tailor the AI’s performance to meet your specific requirements, making the OpenAI Playground a powerful asset for your projects.

Custom System Prompts

Crafting custom system prompts is an advanced feature that allows users to explicitly define the desired tone and style of the AI’s responses. This aspect of prompt engineering is critical for achieving specific outcomes, whether you’re looking to generate formal business communications or casual social media posts.

Custom system prompts guide the AI to produce outputs that align with your intended message and style, enhancing content relevance and effectiveness.

Practical Uses of OpenAI Playground

The OpenAI Playground is not just a tool for experimentation; it offers practical applications that can significantly enhance business operations and personal projects. Users can create tailored AI tools for specific tasks, from content generation to customer support solutions, using the Playground. The ability to enter sample prompts and see how the models respond provides a hands-on approach to understanding the platform’s capabilities and exploring its potential applications.

Businesses can particularly benefit from the Playground’s versatility, enabling them to automate routine tasks, enhance creativity in problem-solving, and improve user interaction through personalized customer support solutions.

Let’s explore some of the key practical uses of OpenAI Playground in more detail.

Content Creation

OpenAI Playground is a powerful tool for generating various business resources. It can create web copy, marketing emails, social media posts, blog articles, and internal communications. Using the Playground for tasks requiring extensive output or specific instructions allows businesses to reduce costs and streamline content production processes. The ability to create tailored prompts helps in efficiently managing repetitive tasks, saving both time and resources.

Moreover, the Playground’s rapid prototyping capabilities allow businesses to quickly test and refine ideas, accelerating the implementation of new strategies. This not only enhances creativity but also ensures that businesses can stay ahead of the competition by rapidly adapting to market changes.

AI-generated content helps businesses minimize the need for additional staff or outsourcing, leading to significant cost savings.

Audio Generation

The audio generation feature in the OpenAI Playground allows users to create voiceovers and audio content with ease. Users can select from multiple voice presets, enabling them to produce high-quality audio that suits their specific needs.

This feature is particularly useful for creating podcasts, video narrations, and other multimedia content, adding an extra layer of creativity and professionalism to your projects.

Code Assistance

For developers, the OpenAI Playground offers a robust code assistance feature that can significantly enhance productivity. The Assistants models are designed specifically for API use, enabling developers to automate tasks and generate code snippets efficiently. These models allow developers to quickly retrieve information, making it easier to access coding resources and documentation, crucial for development tasks.

Additionally, the code generation process is streamlined, providing developers with instant solutions and suggestions that can aid in various tasks within the Playground. This not only boosts efficiency but also supports coding novices by offering guidance and reducing the learning curve.

Whether you’re pasting sample code or testing new algorithms, the code assistance feature in OpenAI Playground is an invaluable tool for developers of all skill levels.

Benefits for Business Owners

Utilizing the OpenAI Playground can bring significant benefits to business owners, enhancing operational efficiency and reducing costs. By automating content generation tasks, businesses can streamline their workflows and focus on more strategic initiatives.

Let’s delve into the specific benefits of efficiency, productivity, and cost-effectiveness.

Efficiency and Productivity

OpenAI Playground assists in code generation, boosting efficiency for developers and aiding coding novices. The platform’s ability to provide instant code suggestions and solutions enhances coding productivity, allowing developers to progress more quickly in their tasks. Additionally, using role-based prompts helps define the tone and style of the AI’s responses, making interactions more engaging and relevant to specific job requirements.

These tools help businesses save time and resources, enabling employees to focus on more innovative and strategic tasks. The improvements in efficiency and productivity ultimately contribute to faster progress and better outcomes in various projects.

Cost-Effectiveness

Automating routine tasks through the OpenAI Playground can lead to significant cost savings for businesses. Reducing labor costs and minimizing errors enhances profitability and allows businesses to allocate resources more effectively.

Additionally, the automation capabilities allow employees to focus on more innovative tasks, driving further advancements and improvements within the organization.

Advanced Tips for Using OpenAI Playground

For users looking to get the most out of the OpenAI Playground, experimenting with different prompt structures and utilizing feedback loops can significantly enhance the quality of AI responses.

Let’s explore some advanced tips for optimizing prompts and adjusting temperature settings to achieve the best results.

Optimizing Prompts

Effective prompt engineering is key to getting the best results from the OpenAI Playground. Using clear and specific language in your prompts helps the AI understand the desired outcome better, leading to more accurate and relevant responses. Incorporating examples within prompts can further guide the AI, ensuring that it produces outputs that closely align with your expectations.

Additionally, providing specific context and instructions within prompts can significantly improve the quality and relevance of AI outputs. Refining prompts through continuous experimentation and feedback unlocks the full potential of the OpenAI Playground, achieving optimal project results.

Adjusting Temperature Settings

The temperature setting in the OpenAI Playground influences the randomness of AI outputs, allowing users to adjust the level of creativity and diversity in responses. Lowering the temperature typically leads to more focused and predictable outputs, which is useful for tasks that require precision and consistency. On the other hand, increasing the temperature fosters creativity, resulting in more varied and innovative outputs.

To master the OpenAI Playground, strategically adjusting the temperature settings based on your specific needs can help you balance predictability and creativity. This allows you to tailor the AI’s performance to suit different tasks, enhancing the overall effectiveness of your interactions with the platform.

Summary

In summary, the OpenAI Playground is a versatile and powerful platform that offers extensive customization and experimentation capabilities. By understanding its key features, such as interactive chat, model selection, and custom system prompts, users can leverage this tool to enhance their productivity, creativity, and efficiency. The Playground’s practical applications in content creation, audio generation, and code assistance highlight its potential to revolutionize various aspects of business operations.

For business owners, the benefits of using the OpenAI Playground are clear. It can significantly improve efficiency and productivity, reduce costs, and drive innovation. By mastering the advanced tips for optimizing prompts and adjusting temperature settings, users can unlock the full potential of this powerful tool. Embrace the OpenAI Playground, and let it transform the way you work and achieve your goals.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the OpenAI Playground?

The OpenAI Playground is an interactive platform for experimenting with AI models like ChatGPT and GPT-4, offering tools for customizing output and testing diverse applications. It’s an excellent resource for exploring the capabilities of advanced AI technologies.

How does the OpenAI Playground differ from ChatGPT?

The OpenAI Playground provides a more complex interface for developers and researchers, allowing extensive customization and access to a wider range of models, whereas ChatGPT is designed for casual users seeking interactive conversations. This distinction makes the Playground suitable for in-depth experimentation.

How do I get started with the OpenAI Playground?

To get started with the OpenAI Playground, visit platform.openai.com and log in with your Google account or create a new one. After logging in, you can test prompts and explore AI models, but remember to obtain an OpenAI API key to maximize your experience.

What are some practical uses of the OpenAI Playground?

The OpenAI Playground is highly versatile, enabling users to create content like web copy and marketing emails, generate audio voiceovers, and assist with coding by automating tasks and generating code snippets. This makes it a valuable tool for professionals in numerous fields.

What are the benefits of using the OpenAI Playground for business owners?

Using the OpenAI Playground can significantly enhance operational efficiency and reduce costs for business owners. By automating routine tasks and providing instant solutions, it fosters increased productivity and innovation.

The post Mastering the OpenAI Playground: Tips for Effective AI Experimentation appeared first on Done For You.

Napkin AI Review: An In-Depth Exploration

Creating high-quality infographics, charts, and social media visuals can be a daunting task. However, with the advent of Napkin AI, this process has become significantly more streamlined. Among various AI apps, Napkin AI distinguishes itself by simplifying graphic design through AI-powered automation, quickly becoming a favorite for content creators, marketers, and business owners. But does it truly stand out as the best AI design tool available? Let’s delve into this comprehensive Napkin AI review and evaluate its capabilities.

What is Napkin AI?

Napkin AI is a cutting-edge AI tool designed to seamlessly transform text into visuals. It allows users to generate stunning infographics, data-driven charts, and branded social media graphics without the need for advanced design skills. Unlike traditional design software, Napkin AI leverages artificial intelligence to automate layout, color selection, and data visualization, making it easier than ever to create polished content.

Key Features of Napkin AI for Graphic Design

1. AI-Powered Infographic Creation

Napkin AI revolutionizes infographic design by enabling users to create visuals from their key points or data effortlessly. By simply entering your key points or data, the AI arranges them into professional-quality graphics, streamlining the design process.

2. Smart Chart & Graph Generation

For those involved in creating reports, presentations, or blog visuals, Napkin AI transforms raw data into engaging charts with minimal effort. The AI optimizes the design of various visual formats like charts and graphs instantly, eliminating the need for manual adjustments.

3. One-Click Branding & Customizable Templates

Brand consistency is critical in today’s market, and Napkin AI allows users to apply their brand colors, fonts, and styles across all visuals automatically. The platform boasts a library of pre-made templates tailored for different industries and content types, ensuring brand uniformity.

4. Seamless Social Media Integration

Napkin AI facilitates the resizing and optimization of graphics for different social media platforms. Whether you’re designing a LinkedIn infographic, an Instagram carousel, or a Twitter post, the AI ensures that your visuals are perfectly tailored for each channel.

5. Easy Collaboration & Export Options

Collaboration is key in content creation, and Napkin AI enables users to share and develop their visual ideas with teams. Users can export designs in multiple formats (PNG, SVG, PDF) and integrate with popular workflow tools like Trello, Notion, and Google Drive, enhancing productivity.

How Napkin AI Works

Napkin AI is an innovative artificial intelligence tool designed to transform your text descriptions into visual sketches and diagrams effortlessly. By leveraging advanced machine learning models trained on extensive sketch data and visual representations, Napkin AI combines natural language processing with computer vision to understand your intent and create appropriate visualizations.

Using Napkin AI is straightforward: simply write or paste your text content into the platform, and the AI will generate a visual representation of your ideas. This process not only saves time but also ensures that your visuals are accurate and relevant. Once the visuals are generated, you can easily customize and edit them to fit your specific needs, making the design process both efficient and user-friendly.

Benefits of Using Napkin AI

Napkin AI offers a multitude of benefits that make it a standout tool in the realm of graphic design:

• Time-saving: With Napkin AI, you can generate visuals in seconds, drastically reducing the time and effort typically required for graphic design.
• Ease of use: The platform’s user-friendly interface ensures that even those without graphic design experience can create professional-looking visuals with ease.
• Multiple visual styles: Napkin AI can produce a variety of visuals, including diagrams, charts, scenes, and images, providing you with the flexibility to choose the best representation for your ideas.
• Artificial intelligence: The AI technology behind Napkin AI ensures that the visuals created are both accurate and relevant to your text content.
• Customizable templates: Napkin AI offers a range of customizable templates to help you get started quickly and easily with your visual creation.

Getting Started

Getting started with Napkin AI is a breeze. Follow these simple steps to begin creating stunning visuals:

1. Sign up: Create an account on the Napkin AI website to access the platform.
2. Write or paste text: Enter your text content into the platform’s workspace.
3. Generate visuals: Click the “Spark” icon to generate visuals based on your text content.
4. Customize and edit: Tailor the visuals to fit your needs using the platform’s editing tools.
5. Export: Export your visuals in various formats, including PNG, PDF, and SVG, to use them across different platforms and media.

Why It Stands Out

Napkin AI is an essential tool for creating infographics and charts for blogs, reports, and social media posts. Here’s why it’s become a favorite among content creators:

• Saves Hours of Manual Design Work – AI handles the heavy lifting, making graphic creation fast and effortless.
• No Design Experience Needed – The tool’s smart templates and automation mean anyone can create stunning visuals.
• Enhances Blog & Social Media Engagement – High-quality visuals improve engagement, making content more shareable and impactful.
• Affordable Alternative to Expensive Design Tools – Compared to hiring a designer or subscribing to advanced software, Napkin AI is a budget-friendly powerhouse.

Napkin AI vs. Canva vs. Adobe Express

How does Napkin AI compare to popular design tools? Let’s break it down:

While Canva and Adobe Express are great for general design needs, Napkin AI dominates when it comes to AI-driven infographic and chart creation. If your goal is to turn complex ideas into simple, engaging visuals effortlessly, Napkin AI is the clear winner.

Pricing & Plans

Napkin AI offers affordable pricing tiers based on user needs. Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Free Plan – Basic design tools with watermark branding.
• Pro Plan (TBD after Beta ends) – Unlocks premium templates, branding tools, and advanced AI features.
• Enterprise Plan (Custom Pricing) – Ideal for businesses needing team collaboration and API access.

Support and Resources for Napkin AI

Napkin AI provides a wealth of support and resources to help you make the most of the platform:

• Tutorials: Access video guides and detailed articles to help you get started and master Napkin AI.
• Help center: Visit the dedicated help center for answers to frequently asked questions and troubleshooting tips.
• Email support: Premium users can benefit from email support for more personalized assistance.
• Live chat: Premium users also have access to live chat support for real-time help.
• Community: Join a community of users and developers who can offer feedback, support, and share their experiences with Napkin AI.

By leveraging these resources and through this Napkin AI Review, you can ensure that you are fully equipped to utilize Napkin AI to its fullest potential.

Final Verdict: Is It Worth It?

If you create infographics, charts, or social media visuals, Napkin AI is a game-changer. It simplifies design, speeds up content creation, and ensures your visuals look professional with minimal effort.

For business owners, marketers, and content creators who want to stand out with engaging graphics—without spending hours on design—Napkin AI is an absolute must-have. Hopefully this Napkin AI Review has been helpful to your content creation process. 

FAQ

Q: Is Napkin AI beginner-friendly?
A: Yes! Even if you have zero design experience, the AI-powered templates and automation make it incredibly easy to use.

Q: Can I use Napkin AI for business branding?
A: Absolutely! The one-click branding feature ensures all your visuals align with your brand’s colors, fonts, and style.

Q: Does Napkin AI replace Canva or Adobe Express?
A: Not entirely—it depends on what you need. If you primarily create infographics and data-driven visuals, Napkin AI is far superior to traditional design tools.

Q: Is there a free version of Napkin AI?
A: Yes! There’s a free plan with limited features, and you can upgrade to Pro or Enterprise for more advanced options

Did you find this Napkin AI Review Helpful? If so, check out our other Artificial Intelligence related articles!

AI Isn’t the Future—It’s the Present. Are You Using It to Your Advantage?

Most business owners are either wasting time on tasks AI could handle or missing out on powerful automation because they don’t know where to start. If you want to free up hours in your week, increase revenue, and scale without burnout, AI is the answer –> but only if you use it the right way.

Let’s talk. Book a free strategy call, and we’ll walk through how AI can be integrated into your business to make you more efficient, profitable, and unstoppable.

Schedule Your Free Call Now

The post Napkin AI Review: A Simple and Affordable Design Tool for Everyone appeared first on Done For You.

Sora AI is OpenAI’s groundbreaking text-to-video model, designed to generate high-quality, realistic video content from simple text prompts. For marketers, leveraging AI-generated video opens up a new world of possibilities—saving time, cutting costs, and enhancing audience engagement with minimal effort. It represents a major leap forward in AI-driven content creation, enabling marketers, entrepreneurs, and businesses to produce engaging video content without the need for extensive editing, expensive equipment, or deep technical skills.

For marketers, this means the ability to produce high-quality video content quickly and efficiently, without the typical constraints of traditional video production. Whether you’re a small business owner, course creator, or digital agency, Sora AI offers a new level of creative freedom and efficiency.

Why Sora Ai Is A Must Have For Marketers

As it’s been for years, video content is king. Businesses that effectively use video marketing see higher engagement, stronger brand recognition, and increased sales. However, traditional video production is often expensive, time-consuming, and requires technical expertise. That’s where Sora AI comes in—it democratizes video creation, allowing businesses of all sizes to produce high-quality content at scale.

Sora AI eliminates the barriers to entry by making professional-grade video accessible to everyone. Instead of hiring videographers, editors, and designers, businesses can generate engaging, AI-powered content in minutes. This not only saves resources but also enables rapid content iteration, ensuring that marketing campaigns stay fresh and relevant.

With Sora AI, even small teams and solo entrepreneurs can create high-impact marketing videos without breaking the bank. Whether it’s social media ads, explainer videos, or product promotions, AI-driven video production empowers marketers to reach their audience faster and more effectively than ever before.

Here’s why marketers should be paying attention:

• Cost-Effective Production – No need for expensive cameras, actors, or editing software.
• Speed and Efficiency – Generate professional-quality videos in minutes rather than days or weeks.
• Customization and Creativity – Tailor content to specific audiences with personalized, data-driven messaging.
• Scalability – Produce multiple videos for A/B testing, social media, and ad campaigns without exhausting resources.
• No Technical Expertise Needed – Anyone can create high-quality video content with simple text prompts.

By leveraging Sora AI, businesses can create attention-grabbing content that engages audiences and drives conversions.

How to Use Sora AI for Marketing

Sora AI offers businesses an easy and effective way to create high-quality videos, but using it correctly can determine the success of your campaigns. Many marketers dive in without a plan, but those who take a structured approach see the best results. Understanding your goals, defining a clear message, and refining your content strategy before using Sora AI ensures that every video serves a purpose.

One of the key factors in using Sora AI effectively is crafting a compelling text prompt. Since Sora AI generates videos based on your descriptions, the quality of your input directly impacts the output. Providing clear, detailed instructions about the visuals, tone, and messaging will help produce content that aligns with your brand’s needs.

Step-by-Step Guide to Using Sora AI for Marketing

Define Your Objective – Before creating a video, outline its purpose. Is it for brand awareness, engagement, or conversions? Identifying this will help you craft the right messaging and ensure your video serves a clear function.

Craft a Strong Prompt – Provide Sora AI with a detailed description of the video you want. For example, if you’re creating a product demo, specify the setting, mood, and key features to highlight. A vague prompt leads to generic content, while a precise prompt ensures a compelling final product.

Review and Refine – Sora AI can generate multiple versions of a video based on different prompts. Test variations to find what resonates best with your audience. Experiment with wording and structure until you get the perfect balance.

Enhance with Branding – Branding elements like logos, color schemes, and call-to-action overlays should be incorporated into every video. These elements make your content instantly recognizable and ensure consistency across all platforms.

Publish and Analyze – Once your video is live, track its performance. Look at engagement metrics, audience retention, and conversion rates to determine its effectiveness. Adjust future videos based on these insights for continuous improvement.

When used effectively, Sora AI can create visually stunning, impactful content that engages customers and boosts conversions.

How to Create the Perfect Sora Prompts

Mastering prompt creation is the key to unlocking the full potential of Sora AI. The better your prompts, the better the output. Follow these guidelines to create highly effective prompts that result in compelling video content:

Be Specific and Detailed

A vague prompt will lead to generic, uninspired results. Instead of saying, “Create a video of a person walking in the park,” try: “Generate a video of a young woman jogging through Central Park on a sunny morning, with birds chirping and a bustling background of cyclists and dog walkers.” The more detail you provide, the closer the AI’s output will match your vision.

Set the Mood and Tone

If you want your video to convey a specific feeling, include descriptive language that reflects the mood. Words like “dramatic,” “upbeat,” “inspiring,” or “cinematic” can help guide the AI in crafting the right ambiance for your content.

Incorporate Key Visual Elements

If you need specific imagery, mention it. Whether it’s a particular background, camera angle, or lighting style, including these elements in your prompt will help tailor the final video to your exact needs.

Use Examples for Clarity

If possible, reference existing videos, movies, or visual styles to guide the AI. For example, “Create a futuristic cityscape similar to Blade Runner, with neon lights and flying cars at night.” This helps Sora AI understand your expectations.

Iterate and Improve

Even well-crafted prompts may need tweaking. Run tests, analyze the results, and refine your inputs to get the best possible outcome. The more you experiment, the better you’ll understand how Sora AI interprets prompts, allowing you to optimize your future content.

By mastering these techniques, marketers can maximize Sora AI’s potential and produce high-quality videos that stand out.

Maximizing Sora AI for Business Growth

Sora AI isn’t just for creating videos—it’s a powerful tool for business expansion. Companies using AI-generated video for marketing, training, and customer engagement see improved efficiency and increased brand awareness. Leveraging AI to handle repetitive video creation tasks frees up time for strategy and scaling your business.

Businesses can use Sora AI to produce video content at a fraction of the cost of traditional production, making high-quality video marketing more accessible. Instead of spending thousands on video shoots, companies can generate stunning visuals within minutes, allowing them to reallocate budgets to other growth strategies.

Additionally, AI-driven video content enables brands to test different marketing approaches quickly. A/B testing variations of ads, landing pages, and product promos becomes seamless with AI-generated video, helping companies refine their messaging for maximum impact.

For businesses looking to expand into new markets, AI video translation features can remove language barriers, making it easier to reach international audiences. By localizing video content with AI-generated voiceovers or subtitles, brands can connect with customers worldwide without hiring translators or re-recording content.

The Future of AI in Video Marketing

As AI technology continues to evolve, tools like Sora AI will redefine how businesses approach video marketing. Companies that embrace AI-powered video early will have a competitive edge in content creation and customer engagement. AI-generated video allows brands to produce more content faster, enabling them to keep up with the growing demand for video marketing across social media, websites, and advertising platforms.

One of the biggest shifts in video marketing will be the personalization AI offers. With tools like Sora AI, businesses can create hyper-personalized video ads tailored to individual customers based on browsing history, purchase behavior, or demographic data. This means higher engagement rates and more effective ad spend.

AI-driven automation will allow brands to quickly repurpose content for multiple platforms. A single video can be reformatted for TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn, ensuring that businesses maximize their reach without additional production costs.

As the technology continues to develop, we may see Sora AI integrating with AR and VR, allowing businesses to create immersive brand experiences without the need for expensive production studios. The future of AI in video marketing is limitless, and businesses that adopt these tools early will be positioned as industry leaders.

Final Thoughts on Sora AI

Sora AI represents a transformative shift in the way marketers create and distribute video content. By eliminating traditional barriers like cost, complexity, and production time, it enables businesses of all sizes to compete in an increasingly visual world. However, as with any tool, success comes down to strategy. Knowing when, how, and why to use Sora AI will determine whether it becomes an asset or just another tech novelty.

For marketers willing to experiment and optimize their approach, Sora AI is an unparalleled opportunity to elevate branding, storytelling, and customer engagement. The businesses that embrace it today will be the industry leaders of tomorrow.

FAQ About Sora AI

1. Is Sora AI free to use? Sora AI may have different pricing tiers, including free trials and premium features. Always check OpenAI’s official website for current pricing details.

2. Can I use Sora AI for commercial projects? Yes, businesses can use Sora AI for marketing campaigns, product promotions, and branded content.

3. How long can videos generated by Sora AI be? Currently, Sora AI is optimized for short to medium-length videos, but OpenAI may expand its capabilities in the future.

4. What industries benefit most from Sora AI? E-commerce, digital marketing, coaching, education, and real estate are just a few industries that can leverage Sora AI.

5. Can I edit Sora AI-generated videos? Yes, you can refine and enhance AI-generated videos using standard editing tools.

AI Isn’t the Future—It’s the Present. Are You Using It to Your Advantage?

Most business owners are either wasting time on tasks AI could handle or missing out on powerful automation because they don’t know where to start. If you want to free up hours in your week, increase revenue, and scale without burnout, AI is the answer –> but only if you use it the right way.

Let’s talk. Book a free strategy call, and we’ll walk through how AI can be integrated into your business to make you more efficient, profitable, and unstoppable.

Schedule Your Free Call Now

The post Is Sora AI The Future of Video Content Creation? appeared first on Done For You.

In an era where data drives decisions, business owners, entrepreneurs, and marketers face a constant challenge: extracting actionable insights from an ocean of information. Enter deep research—AI’s newest innovation designed to revolutionize how businesses analyze markets, competitors, and trends. By automating the synthesis of vast datasets, deep research empowers leaders to make faster, evidence-based decisions.

The urgency to adopt deep research grows as industries face accelerating competition and information overload. Traditional methods of manual analysis—scouring reports, compiling spreadsheets, or hiring consultants—are no longer sustainable. AI-driven deep research bridges this gap, offering scalability and precision that human teams alone cannot match.

What Is Deep Research?

Deep research refers to AI systems capable of autonomously conducting multi-step investigations across vast datasets. Unlike traditional search engines or basic chatbots, these tools synthesize information from hundreds of sources, analyze patterns, and generate comprehensive reports tailored to user prompts.

This technology represents a leap beyond earlier AI tools, which focused on single-step tasks like keyword searches. Modern deep research platforms, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT-powered agent, leverage reinforcement learning to iteratively refine their investigations. For example, they can:

• Scour academic papers, news articles, and financial filings.
• Compare pricing strategies across industries.
• Predict market shifts using historical data.

For businesses, deep research eliminates days of manual analysis, delivering insights in minutes.

Why Deep Research Matters for Business

In today’s hypercompetitive landscape, businesses that fail to harness deep research risk falling behind. The ability to rapidly decode market dynamics, consumer behavior, and regulatory changes is no longer optional—it’s a strategic imperative.

Deep research democratizes access to high-quality intelligence, enabling even small teams to compete with enterprise-level resources. For instance, startups can now conduct due diligence on par with venture capital firms, while marketers can uncover niche audience insights without costly surveys. Below are three areas where deep research delivers transformative value:

1. Competitive Intelligence

Deep research tools excel at dissecting competitors’ strategies. A marketer could prompt, “Analyze Apple’s Q1 2025 earnings, focusing on China’s declining sales and AI-driven revenue claims.” The AI browses earnings calls, regional market reports, and expert analyses to debunk assumptions or validate trends.

2. Market Entry Decisions

Entrepreneurs exploring new markets can use deep research to evaluate risks. For instance, “Compare EV adoption rates in Germany and India, including infrastructure challenges and consumer sentiment.” The tool compiles regulatory hurdles, charging station density, and cultural preferences into a structured SWOT analysis.

3. Customer Insights

Marketers gain nuanced audience insights by tasking deep research with prompts like, “Identify Gen Z’s top sustainability concerns in the fashion industry.” The AI aggregates social media sentiment, survey data, and influencer content to highlight actionable trends.

How Deep Research Works: A Step-by-Step Breakdown

The power of deep research lies in its ability to mimic human reasoning at scale. By combining natural language processing with advanced algorithms, these tools navigate complex queries through iterative learning.

First, the AI breaks down a user’s prompt into sub-tasks, prioritizing the most relevant data sources. For example, when asked to analyze supply chain risks, it might cross-reference geopolitical news, supplier databases, and logistics reports. This structured approach ensures depth without sacrificing efficiency. Below is a detailed workflow:

1. Prompt Customization

Users input detailed queries (e.g., “Create a supply chain risk report for the semiconductor industry”). The AI clarifies objectives, ensuring alignment with business goals.

2. Autonomous Investigation

Using reinforcement learning, the AI browses academic journals, news sites, and proprietary databases. For example, when analyzing a medical issue, it might cross-reference NIH studies, clinical trials, and patient forums.

3. Synthesis & Reporting

Findings are organized into digestible formats—tables, summaries, or visual dashboards—with citations for verification. A CEO reviewing a deep research report on renewable energy trends can trace claims back to sources like BloombergNEF or IRENA.

Real-World Applications of Deep Research

The versatility makes it applicable across industries, from healthcare to retail. Businesses are already leveraging this technology to streamline operations and uncover hidden opportunities.

For example, a fintech startup used it to analyze global regulatory changes, identifying gaps in compliance frameworks that competitors overlooked. Similarly, a retail chain optimized its inventory by using AI to predict regional demand shifts based on climate data and social media trends. Key applications include:

• Product Development: A startup used it to identify gaps in the electric bike market, discovering unmet demand for foldable models in urban areas.
• M&A Strategy: A venture capital firm automated due diligence, flagging regulatory risks in a target company’s overseas operations.
• Content Marketing: A SaaS company generated SEO-optimized blog posts by analyzing top-ranking articles and integrating keyword gaps.

Challenges and Limitations

While this type of research is transformative, businesses must navigate its limitations to maximize value. The technology’s reliance on publicly available data means it may miss proprietary insights or emerging trends not yet documented.

Additionally, the quality of output depends heavily on input specificity. Vague prompts can lead to generic reports, while overly narrow queries might overlook critical context. Below are common challenges users face:

• Accuracy Gaps: In niche industries, the AI might overlook privately held data (e.g., a supply chain report missing a key regional supplier).
• Source Bias: Overreliance on low-quality websites can skew results. Users must verify citations.
• Cost: At $200/month, OpenAI’s Pro plan may deter small businesses, though ROI often justifies the expense.

Choosing the Right Deep Research Tool

The rise of deep research has sparked competition among tech giants and startups, each offering unique strengths. For businesses, selecting the right platform depends on use case, budget, and required depth of analysis.

OpenAI’s stands out for enterprise-level tasks requiring exhaustive analysis. Its ability to process 100+ sources per report makes it ideal for industries like finance and healthcare, where precision is non-negotiable. However, its 5–30 minute processing time and premium pricing may not suit time-sensitive or budget-conscious teams.

Google’s prioritizes speed, delivering results in 2–4 minutes. It’s optimized for real-time competitive scans, such as tracking social media sentiment during a product launch. While less comprehensive than OpenAI’s tool, its free tier and integration with Google Workspace appeal to startups and marketers.

Perplexity bridges the gap between academic rigor and practicality. With freemium pricing and strengths in sourcing peer-reviewed studies, it’s a favorite among researchers and analysts. However, its narrower focus on technical topics limits its utility for broader business strategy.

Deep Research Tools Compared

Selecting the best deep research tool requires evaluating speed, depth, and alignment with business goals. Below is a comparative overview:

Future of Deep Research in Business

As AI evolves, deep research will integrate private data (e.g., internal CRM systems) and predictive analytics. Imagine tools that not only summarize past trends but simulate scenarios like:

• “How will a 10% tariff on Chinese imports impact our Q3 margins?”
• “What regions will see VR adoption spikes by 2026?”

These advancements will blur the line between analysis and strategy, enabling businesses to anticipate disruptions rather than react to them. Early adopters of deep research will gain a first-mover advantage, leveraging AI to outpace competitors in innovation and agility.

Getting Started with Deep Research

Implementing deep research requires a strategic approach to maximize its potential. Begin by identifying high-impact areas where data overload slows decision-making, such as market analysis or competitor monitoring.

Next, train teams to craft precise prompts. For example, instead of “Analyze the tech industry,” use “Evaluate cloud computing adoption rates among SMEs in Southeast Asia, 2023–2025.” This specificity ensures actionable insights. Follow these steps to integrate deep research effectively:

1. Define Objectives: Start with specific prompts (e.g., “Analyze TikTok’s algorithm changes for Q2 2025”).
2. Verify Outputs: Cross-check citations and refine prompts for precision.
3. Scale Gradually: Begin with market analyses before tackling complex tasks like merger evaluations.

Deep research is more than a productivity tool—it’s a paradigm shift in business intelligence. By automating data collection and analysis, companies can focus on high-impact decisions, from product launches to global expansions.

While challenges like accuracy and cost persist, the benefits of deep research—speed, depth, and scalability—make it indispensable for forward-thinking leaders. As AI continues to advance, businesses that master deep research today will shape the industries of tomorrow.

FAQ: Deep Research for Business Owners

1. What is deep research, and how does it differ from traditional market research?

It refers to AI-powered tools that autonomously analyze hundreds of data sources to generate comprehensive, actionable reports. Unlike traditional methods—which rely on manual data collection—deep research automates tasks like competitor analysis, trend forecasting, and customer sentiment tracking, delivering insights in minutes rather than weeks.

2. How accurate is deep research?

While it excels at aggregating data, accuracy depends on the quality of sources and specificity of prompts. Tools like OpenAI’s version cite sources for verification, but users should cross-check critical findings. Niche industries may face gaps due to limited public data.

3. Is deep research expensive?

Costs vary: OpenAI’s Pro plan starts at $200/month, while Google’s offers a free tier. Budget-conscious businesses can start with freemium tools like Perplexity, scaling to premium options as needs grow.

4. Can deep research replace human analysts?

Not entirely. Deep research augments human teams by handling data-heavy tasks, but strategic interpretation and creative problem-solving still require human expertise. Think of it as a force multiplier, not a replacement.

5. How do I integrate deep research into my workflow?

Start with specific, high-impact tasks like competitor analysis or market entry reports. Train teams to craft precise prompts (e.g., “Analyze Q3 2025 consumer trends in vegan skincare”) and verify outputs against trusted sources.

6. What industries benefit most from deep research?

All industries gain value, but sectors like finance, healthcare, and tech see immediate ROI. For example, it helps investors analyze regulatory risks or enables marketers to decode Gen Z purchasing habits.

7. How secure is deep research with sensitive data?

Most tools prioritize privacy, but avoid inputting proprietary data unless the platform offers encryption or private cloud options. Always review vendor security policies before use.

8. Can deep research analyze non-English data?

Leading tools like OpenAI and Google support multiple languages, making it viable for global markets. However, accuracy may vary in regions with limited digital data footprints.

9. How does deep research handle real-time data?

Google’s  excels here, scanning social media, news, and stock trends in 2–4 minutes. OpenAI’s tool is slower (5–30 minutes) but offers deeper historical analysis.

10. What are the risks of relying on deep research?

Overdependence on AI can lead to “analysis paralysis” or missed nuances. Balance it with human intuition, especially for high-stakes decisions like mergers or product launches.

11. Can small businesses afford deep research tools?

Yes! Start with free tiers (e.g., Google) or sector-specific tools. As revenue grows, upgrade to premium plans for advanced features like CRM integration or predictive analytics.

12. How does deep research stay updated with industry changes?

AI models are retrained regularly on new data. For instance, OpenAI’s incorporates quarterly financial filings, patent databases, and peer-reviewed journals to stay current.

13. What’s the future of deep research?

Expect tighter integration with internal systems (e.g., ERP, CRM) and predictive “what-if” scenarios (e.g., “Simulate supply chain impacts of a natural disaster”).

14. How do I measure the ROI of deep research?

Track time saved on manual tasks, revenue from data-driven strategies, or risk mitigation (e.g., avoiding a flawed market entry). Most businesses see ROI within 3–6 months.

15. Can I customize deep research outputs for stakeholders?

Absolutely. Tools like OpenAI allow users to request summaries, charts, or board-ready presentations. Tailor reports to audience needs—executives prefer dashboards, while analysts value raw data.

AI Isn’t the Future—It’s the Present. Are You Using It to Your Advantage?

Most business owners are either wasting time on tasks AI could handle or missing out on powerful automation because they don’t know where to start. If you want to free up hours in your week, increase revenue, and scale without burnout, AI is the answer –> but only if you use it the right way.

Let’s talk. Book a free strategy call, and we’ll walk through how AI can be integrated into your business to make you more efficient, profitable, and unstoppable.

Schedule Your Free Call Now

The post Deep Research: How AI’s Latest Breakthrough Transforms Business Strategy appeared first on Done For You.

OpenAI has introduced OpenAI Orion, its latest AI model, with claims of better accuracy, reasoning, and efficiency. But does it really change how we use AI, or is it just another small upgrade?

Over the past few years, AI development has exploded, but each new version seems to promise more than it delivers. OpenAI Orion is being positioned as the next big thing—but how much of a difference does it really make in everyday business and content creation?

How OpenAI Orion Improves on Previous Models

OpenAI Orion isn’t just about bigger data sets or faster processing—it focuses on refining how AI understands and interacts with information. The goal is to make AI more reliable, efficient, and capable of handling complex requests. Here’s where OpenAI Orion improves:

1. Better Accuracy & Fewer Mistakes – AI hallucinations (false information) have been reduced, making outputs more trustworthy.
2. Improved Reasoning & Decision-Making – OpenAI Orion is designed to process complex questions and provide more logical, structured responses.
3. Faster Response Times – OpenAI has optimized the model to generate content more quickly, making it better suited for real-time interactions.
4. Stronger Context Retention – OpenAI Orion can handle longer conversations without losing track of the discussion.

These are solid improvements, but how much will they actually impact business use cases?

What OpenAI Orion Means for Business & AI Users

The release of OpenAI Orion signals a shift in how businesses can leverage AI for everyday operations, but its impact depends largely on how it’s integrated into workflows. While the model offers improvements in accuracy, speed, and reasoning, businesses need to evaluate whether these enhancements translate into meaningful advantages for their specific needs.

For companies relying on AI-generated content, OpenAI Orion’s ability to refine text with fewer errors means higher quality outputs with less manual editing. This is particularly beneficial for businesses producing large volumes of written material, such as blogs, ad copy, and customer emails. However, human oversight remains crucial, as OpenAI Orion, like previous models, still lacks the depth of human creativity and brand nuance.

In customer service and automation, OpenAI Orion’s stronger contextual retention allows AI-powered chatbots to maintain more natural conversations, reducing repetitive responses and misunderstandings. This can lead to higher customer satisfaction and reduced response times, making AI a more viable tool for handling routine inquiries.

On the data analysis front, OpenAI Orion’s enhanced reasoning capabilities help businesses extract more meaningful insights from complex datasets. While it won’t replace human decision-making, it can serve as a valuable tool for spotting trends, predicting market movements, and optimizing strategies based on data-driven insights. However, AI should be viewed as an enhancement, not a substitute for critical thinking and expertise.

For those integrating AI into their workflows, OpenAI Orion’s enhancements can be useful, but whether they justify an upgrade depends on how you’re using AI.

1. Smarter AI for Content & Marketing

Marketers relying on AI for blog writing, ad copy, and social media posts may see better, more refined results. However, it still requires human editing—no AI tool can completely replace a strong brand voice and personal touch.

2. More Effective Customer Support & Automation

Companies using AI-powered chatbots and automated responses may find OpenAI Orion more reliable, with better handling of customer interactions and fewer irrelevant responses. This could help reduce miscommunication and frustration for customers.

3. AI-Powered Business Insights & Strategy

If your business relies on data analysis and trend forecasting, OpenAI Orion’s improved reasoning could provide more accurate insights—but it’s still not a replacement for real-world experience and strategic thinking.

The Challenges & Limitations of OpenAI Orion

While OpenAI Orion introduces notable improvements, it still comes with its own set of challenges. AI technology is progressing rapidly, but it remains far from perfect. Businesses and AI users should be aware of the following limitations before fully integrating OpenAI Orion into their operations.

Accuracy & Reliability Concerns

Even though OpenAI has reduced AI hallucinations, OpenAI Orion still generates incorrect or misleading information at times. Relying too heavily on AI for factual content can lead to misinformation or inaccuracies slipping through the cracks, making human oversight essential.

High Costs & Accessibility

Advanced AI models like OpenAI Orion often come with higher pricing tiers, limiting accessibility for smaller businesses and individual users. While larger enterprises may afford premium AI tools, smaller teams may struggle to justify the expense, especially if they don’t require high-volume AI outputs.

Over-Reliance on AI & Diminishing Human Input

The ease of AI automation can lead to a lack of critical thinking and originality in content creation, marketing, and decision-making. Businesses that blindly depend on AI-generated insights or strategies risk losing their unique voice, creativity, and industry expertise over time.

Ethical & Bias Issues

AI is only as good as the data it’s trained on, and bias remains a major concern. OpenAI Orion, like previous models, reflects biases present in its training data, meaning responses can sometimes be skewed or problematic. Companies need to be aware of this and ensure responsible AI usage to avoid unintended consequences.

Ultimately, while OpenAI Orion pushes AI forward, it is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Businesses should assess their needs carefully and integrate AI strategically rather than depending on it as a standalone fix.

What’s Next for AI? The Road Beyond OpenAI Orion

As AI technology continues to advance, we’re reaching a pivotal moment where the improvements from one model to the next are becoming more nuanced. Rather than focusing solely on making AI bigger, researchers are shifting their attention to making AI smarter—enhancing reasoning, reducing bias, and improving real-world problem-solving capabilities.

One of the biggest trends on the horizon is AI that learns more dynamically. Instead of relying solely on pre-trained data, future models may continuously adapt based on new information, making them more responsive and better suited for complex, evolving industries.

Another key area of focus is multimodal AI—the ability to process and generate not just text but also images, audio, and video. This shift will have huge implications for businesses, content creators, and marketing professionals, as AI-powered tools become more versatile and capable of producing high-quality multimedia content.

• AI That Thinks, Not Just Predicts – Future models will aim for deeper understanding rather than just generating words.
• Multimodal AI – The ability to process and generate images, text, video, and audio together.
• Industry-Specific AI Models – Expect AI tools built specifically for healthcare, finance, and legal industries, offering more targeted solutions.

Should You Care About The New Update?

If you’re already using AI for content, automation, or analytics, OpenAI Orion may offer some benefits, but it’s not a massive leap forward. The biggest takeaway? AI is evolving, but human strategy and creativity still matter.

Businesses that learn how to integrate OpenAI Orion as a tool, rather than a crutch, will have the biggest competitive advantage.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What makes OpenAI Orion different from previous models?

OpenAI Orion introduces improved accuracy, enhanced reasoning, and better context retention. It’s designed to generate more reliable responses while reducing misinformation and hallucinations compared to previous AI models.

2. Is OpenAI Orion worth upgrading to if I already use GPT-4?

It depends on your needs. If you rely on AI for content creation, automation, or customer support, Orion’s enhancements can provide value. However, if you’re expecting a groundbreaking leap in performance, the improvements may feel incremental rather than transformative.

3. How can businesses benefit from OpenAI Orion?

Businesses can leverage OpenAI Orion for more accurate content generation, better customer service automation, and improved data analysis. The model’s stronger reasoning capabilities can also help with decision-making and strategic planning.

4. What are the main limitations of OpenAI Orion?

While Orion offers notable improvements, it still has limitations, such as potential biases in responses, occasional inaccuracies, and the cost of access for premium AI features. Additionally, AI should be used as a tool, not a full replacement for human expertise.

5. What’s next for OpenAI after Orion?

OpenAI is likely focusing on developing models that improve real-world reasoning, multimodal AI capabilities (integrating text, images, audio, and video), and industry-specific AI solutions. The next iterations of AI will focus on making models more adaptable and responsive to evolving business needs.

AI Isn’t the Future—It’s the Present. Are You Using It to Your Advantage?

Most business owners are either wasting time on tasks AI could handle or missing out on powerful automation because they don’t know where to start. If you want to free up hours in your week, increase revenue, and scale without burnout, AI is the answer –> but only if you use it the right way.Let’s talk. Book a free strategy call, and we’ll walk through how AI can be integrated into your business to make you more efficient, profitable, and unstoppable.

 Schedule Your Free Call Now

The post OpenAI Orion: A Closer Look at What’s New and What It Means for You appeared first on Done For You.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has exploded in capability—and options. With new models launching every few months, it can be tough to figure out which one is the right fit for your work or business. This updated AI model comparison includes a breakdown of the leading tools on the market: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot, Surfer AI—and now, Jasper AI, Grok AI, and DeepSeek.

Whether you’re looking for creative content generation, deep research capabilities, or ethical AI practices, this guide will provide a clear, opinionated overview.

Why This Comparison Matters

AI models are evolving at an unprecedented pace. What was cutting-edge six months ago may already feel outdated. As of early 2025, the AI landscape is dominated by a few key players, each offering unique strengths and weaknesses. This ai model comparison guide focuses on general-purpose AI models that are accessible to most users, with an emphasis on paid tiers (around $20/month) for the best performance.

Let’s dive into the capabilities, strengths, and ideal use cases for each model.

How We Tested These AI Models

To ensure a fair and accurate AI model comparison, we tested each AI model across multiple real-world applications. Our goal was to evaluate how well each AI performs in different scenarios that users typically encounter.

We started by designing a structured set of prompts tailored to measure key capabilities. These included creative writing tasks, factual research queries, conversational depth tests, and technical problem-solving challenges. By applying the same prompts to each model, we were able to compare responses side by side, measuring accuracy, fluency, and usability.

Additionally, we considered factors such as response speed, ease of integration into workflows, and limitations in specific use cases. Through this testing approach, we gained valuable insights into where each AI model excels and where it may fall short.

• Content generation: Evaluating creativity, coherence, and structure in long-form writing.
• Research & fact-checking: Assessing the accuracy and sourcing of responses.
• Conversational ability: Measuring fluency, natural language understanding, and contextual awareness.
• Technical problem-solving: Testing code generation and complex reasoning capabilities.

By running identical prompts through each AI model, we gained valuable insights into their strengths and limitations, allowing us to present a balanced breakdown of their capabilities.

1. ChatGPT: The Multimodal Powerhouse

Overview

Developed by OpenAI, ChatGPT is arguably the most well-known AI model. Built on the GPT architecture, it’s a versatile tool for everything from casual conversation to complex problem-solving.

Key Features

ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode allows real-time, multimodal interactions (voice, text, and video). It can generate images using DALL-E 3, analyze data, and even execute code. Additionally, ChatGPT excels at synthesizing complex information into detailed reports through its Deep Research capabilities.

Strengths

ChatGPT’s versatility is unmatched. From creative writing to coding, it handles a wide range of tasks with ease. Its Live Mode is particularly impressive, offering real-time interaction capabilities that feel natural and intuitive. Users can also create custom GPTs for specific tasks, making it highly adaptable.

Weaknesses

However, access to advanced features can be expensive, and the sheer number of options can be overwhelming for beginners. While ChatGPT is powerful, its complexity may require a learning curve for those new to AI tools.

Ideal Use Cases

After reviewing our AI model comparison results it’s clear that ChatGPT is ideal for real-time multimodal interactions, content creation, and data analysis. Its ability to execute code and generate detailed reports makes it a favorite among developers and researchers.

2. Claude: The Ethical and Creative Thinker

Overview

Claude, developed by Anthropic, is designed with a strong emphasis on ethical AI. It’s known for its creativity and ability to handle long-form content.

Key Features

Claude avoids harmful or biased outputs, making it ideal for sensitive applications. It excels at processing and generating lengthy documents, and its conversational tone is often described as friendly and socially engaging.

Strengths

Claude’s creativity sets it apart. It often provides unique and insightful responses, making it a favorite for brainstorming and creative tasks. Its ethical focus ensures that it’s a reliable choice for applications requiring high standards of fairness and safety.

Weaknesses

Claude lacks some of the advanced capabilities of ChatGPT and Gemini, such as web access and multimodal features. While it’s excellent for long-form content, it may not be the best choice for tasks requiring real-time data or complex coding.

Ideal Use Cases

After reviewing our AI model comparison results it’s clear that Claude is perfect for long-form content generation, ethical AI applications, and creative brainstorming. Its friendly tone and ethical design make it a trusted companion for sensitive tasks.

3. Gemini: The Multimodal Innovator

Overview

Gemini, developed by Google DeepMind, is a cutting-edge AI model that integrates text, image, and video processing. It’s designed for users who need advanced multimodal capabilities.

Key Features

Gemini can process and generate text, images, and video, making it a powerful tool for multimedia projects. It also offers robust research capabilities, summarizing vast amounts of information quickly and accurately. With web access, Gemini can pull real-time data from the internet, ensuring up-to-date responses.

Strengths

Gemini’s multimodal power is its standout feature. Its ability to handle multiple data types sets it apart from other models. Integration with the Google ecosystem makes it seamless to use alongside other Google tools, and its deep research capabilities are ideal for users who need comprehensive, up-to-date information.

Weaknesses

However, Gemini’s advanced features may require technical expertise, and access to its full capabilities can be expensive. While it’s a powerful tool, it may not be the most user-friendly option for beginners.

Ideal Use Cases

After reviewing our AI model comparison results it’s clear that Gemini is ideal for multimodal content creation, data analysis, and deep research. Its ability to handle complex tasks makes it a favorite among professionals in fields like media, research, and data science.

4. Perplexity: The Search-Optimized Assistant

Overview

Perplexity is designed for users who need accurate, search-optimized answers. It’s a lightweight, efficient tool for research and information retrieval.

Key Features

Perplexity delivers precise, relevant answers to user queries. It can pull in up-to-date information from the web, ensuring that users have access to the latest data. Its user-friendly interface makes it accessible even for non-technical users.

Strengths

Perplexity excels at providing factual, reliable information quickly. Its speed and accuracy make it ideal for time-sensitive tasks, and its affordability makes it a cost-effective option for users who don’t need advanced features.

Weaknesses

However, Perplexity is more focused on factual accuracy than creative content generation. While it’s excellent for research and information retrieval, it may not be as versatile as other models for broader applications.

Ideal Use Cases

After reviewing our AI model comparison results it’s clear that Perplexity is perfect for research, customer support FAQs, and data-driven decision-making. Its ability to deliver quick, accurate answers makes it a valuable tool for users who need reliable information fast.

5. Microsoft Copilot: The Productivity AI

Overview

Microsoft Copilot is deeply integrated into Microsoft 365 applications, offering AI-driven assistance in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. It enhances productivity by streamlining tasks like document generation, data analysis, and email drafting.

Key Features

Microsoft Copilot offers seamless integration with Microsoft 365, working directly within Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. This deep integration allows users to leverage AI-powered enhancements without leaving their workflow.

One of its standout features is advanced automation. Microsoft Copilot can summarize documents, suggest edits, and automate repetitive tasks, significantly reducing the time spent on administrative work.

The AI is also context-aware, meaning it learns from previous interactions to provide personalized recommendations. This adaptability makes it an efficient tool for those who frequently work on similar projects.

Enterprise security is another major advantage. Microsoft Copilot is designed with built-in compliance and data protection, making it a trustworthy solution for businesses handling sensitive information.

Strengths

Microsoft Copilot excels for professionals who already use Microsoft products. Its seamless integration ensures users don’t need to switch between multiple applications, streamlining productivity.

It significantly reduces manual work by automating repetitive tasks, allowing users to focus on higher-value work rather than administrative duties.

Additionally, Microsoft Copilot boasts strong security and compliance features, making it ideal for businesses concerned about data protection and regulatory requirements.

Weaknesses

One of the biggest drawbacks of Microsoft Copilot is that it requires a Microsoft 365 subscription. This dependency may not be ideal for users who rely on other productivity suites.

Another limitation is that Microsoft Copilot’s capabilities are largely confined to the Microsoft ecosystem. Users who work across multiple platforms may find it less useful than more flexible AI solutions.

Ideal Use Cases

Microsoft Copilot is best suited for office professionals looking to streamline workflow and enhance document creation efficiency.

Teams managing large documents or spreadsheets will benefit from its automation features, which can help with organization, formatting, and summarization.

Businesses needing AI-driven efficiency in daily operations will find Microsoft Copilot particularly valuable, as it optimizes processes within the Microsoft suite, reducing inefficiencies.

6. Surfer AI: The SEO-Focused Content Creator

Overview

Surfer AI is an AI-driven content optimization tool designed to help users create high-ranking SEO content. It analyzes top-performing pages and provides recommendations for keyword usage, structure, and readability.

Key Features

Surfer AI specializes in AI-generated SEO content, optimizing articles in real-time based on competitor analysis. It ensures that each piece of content is structured to meet current search engine ranking factors.

The tool also provides content audit capabilities, analyzing existing pages and suggesting improvements to enhance search visibility. By identifying gaps and weak points in content, Surfer AI helps users refine their digital presence.

Keyword integration is another powerful feature. Surfer AI helps structure content around high-ranking keywords, ensuring optimal placement to maximize visibility and engagement.

Readability and natural language processing (NLP) recommendations are built into Surfer AI, ensuring that content is not only SEO-optimized but also engaging and user-friendly.

Strengths

Surfer AI is ideal for marketers and content creators who need to optimize their content for search engines without extensive manual research. Its AI-driven recommendations help streamline the writing process.

By automating SEO research and content structuring, Surfer AI saves users a significant amount of time, allowing them to focus on content creation rather than keyword analysis.

The tool also provides real-time insights, offering data-backed recommendations to improve search rankings. This ensures content remains competitive in fast-moving digital spaces.

Weaknesses

Surfer AI is not particularly useful for general-purpose AI applications beyond SEO. Users looking for AI solutions in customer service, analytics, or automation may not find this tool beneficial.

A subscription is required for full access to its features. While it offers a high ROI for serious content marketers, casual users may find it cost-prohibitive.

Ideal Use Cases

Content marketers optimizing blog posts and web pages will benefit from Surfer AI’s structured approach to keyword placement and ranking improvement.

SEO specialists analyzing competitor content will find the tool invaluable for gaining insights into industry trends and gaps in their own content strategies.

Businesses looking to improve organic search rankings can use Surfer AI to refine their website content, ensuring greater visibility and higher engagement rates.

7. Jasper AI: The Content Marketer’s Ally

Overview

Jasper AI is built specifically for marketers and content teams. It shines in generating high-quality long-form content, crafting social media captions, writing email sequences, and building out product descriptions—all while maintaining a consistent brand voice.

Key Features

Jasper comes equipped with a library of templates for blog posts, emails, and ad copy, and features a “Brand Voice” engine that lets users train the AI on their specific tone and writing style. Integration with tools like Surfer SEO adds a layer of content optimization, while its AI workflows allow for campaign planning, auto-content generation, and scaling content creation across teams.

Strengths

Jasper is fast, intuitive, and deeply aligned with marketing needs. It’s especially useful for those looking to create content at scale without compromising on quality or branding. The user-friendly interface makes collaboration between marketing teams and freelancers seamless. Jasper also offers multi-language support, making it a solid choice for global teams.

Weaknesses

Jasper isn’t built for technical problem-solving or data-heavy applications like code generation or analytics. It also requires a subscription, and some users may find it less flexible than open-ended AI tools when venturing outside marketing.

Ideal Use Cases

Jasper AI is ideal for content marketing agencies, social media managers, solopreneurs, and e-commerce brands needing consistent, high-volume content output. It’s also a strong fit for those building brand voice at scale across various platforms.

8. Grok AI: The Conversational Wildcard

Overview

Developed by xAI (Elon Musk’s AI venture), Grok is integrated into X (formerly Twitter) and trained to reflect a humorous, human-like conversational style.

Key Features

Grok has access to real-time posts from X, giving it a unique edge in cultural relevance. It was built with a focus on sarcasm, humor, and snarky personality, but it still performs well in question answering and summarization.

Strengths

Grok excels at casual, engaging dialogue and can tap into live social media trends. It’s a novelty tool with growing functionality and shines in short-form, witty exchanges.

Weaknesses

It’s not built for professional writing, research, or deep technical tasks. Grok’s informal tone might not suit business environments or formal communication.

Ideal Use Cases

Use Grok AI if you’re experimenting with brand voice on social, need quick takes on trending topics, or want a fun alternative for general conversation. It’s best suited for personal branding and businesses targeting younger, online-native audiences.

9. DeepSeek: The Research Powerhouse

Overview

DeepSeek is a powerful, research-focused AI language model developed in China, gaining global attention for its depth of reasoning, extensive context capabilities, and multilingual functionality. It was built to excel at high-volume, information-dense tasks like document analysis, summarization, and technical evaluations.

Key Features

DeepSeek’s standout feature is its massive 200,000 token context window, which allows users to upload and process extremely long documents—everything from academic papers to technical manuals. The model excels in generating high-accuracy summaries, comparing data points across texts, and evaluating lengthy content using logic-based reasoning.

It supports multilingual output and analysis, making it a practical tool for global teams and users working with international documentation. Its performance in processing PDFs, spreadsheets, and research-heavy materials is considered one of the best in class.

DeepSeek also includes functionality for comparative evaluation. Users can input multiple documents and receive a side-by-side analysis highlighting key differences, thematic similarities, or inconsistencies—a major advantage in legal, academic, and market research settings.

Strengths

DeepSeek is highly effective for professionals working with large volumes of technical or legal content. Its summarization tools are not only fast but highly accurate, offering clean distillations of long texts without losing nuance.

Its multilingual support and ability to handle multilingual documents in a single query make it a standout for global users. Research institutions, data teams, and analysts will appreciate the structured outputs and logic-based analysis that can be difficult for other models to replicate.

Weaknesses

Where DeepSeek struggles is in casual conversation, user interface polish, and tone generation. Its English responses can sometimes feel mechanical or overly formal, and the platform’s UI is less refined than tools like ChatGPT or Gemini.

The system also tends to lag when processing very large files, making it best suited for high-value research tasks rather than real-time queries or creative brainstorming.

Ideal Use Cases

DeepSeek is ideal for academic researchers needing to summarize large studies, legal professionals analyzing case law or contracts, and market analysts reviewing long-form trend reports. It’s also highly effective for enterprise teams managing multilingual data sets or competitive research at scale.

For users who prioritize accuracy, document structure, and reasoning over creative content or user-friendly chat, DeepSeek is one of the most capable tools available today.

AI Model Comparison: Side-by-Side Analysis

To simplify the decision-making process, here’s a quick comparison of the models:

Future Predictions for AI Models

AI is advancing at an unprecedented pace, and each of these models is evolving in its own direction. ChatGPT is expected to become even more powerful as OpenAI continues to enhance its reasoning abilities. With the introduction of the o1 model, OpenAI is shifting toward advanced reasoning capabilities, making ChatGPT not just a content generator but a true problem-solving AI.

Claude is making strides with its hybrid reasoning capabilities. The latest update, Claude 3.7 Sonnet, allows users to adjust reasoning depth based on task complexity. This makes it highly adaptable for both quick answers and deep, analytical responses. However, some users may find it overanalyzing simple queries.

Gemini is pushing forward with its multimodal capabilities, particularly in real-time data retrieval, image understanding, and even audio processing. This positions Gemini as a strong contender for businesses that need AI capable of handling diverse input formats beyond just text. As Google integrates it further into its ecosystem, Gemini could become a dominant force in search-driven AI applications.

Perplexity remains focused on accuracy and sourcing, solidifying its place as the most reliable AI for fact-checking and research. While it doesn’t have the conversational abilities of ChatGPT or Claude, its commitment to verifiable information makes it a go-to tool for professionals and academics needing trustworthy responses.

It is important to note that as the months pass and AI models improve we will be running further testing to ensure that our AI model comparisons in this article are up to date.

Which AI Should You Choose?

The best AI model for you depends on your specific needs based on our AI model comparison research:

• Choose ChatGPT if you need a versatile, multimodal tool with real-time interaction capabilities.
• Choose Claude if ethical considerations and creative, long-form content are your priorities.
• Choose Gemini if you require advanced multimodal features and deep research capabilities.
• Choose Perplexity if you need fast, accurate answers for research or customer support.
• Choose Microsoft Copilot if your workflows live inside Microsoft 365 and you want to boost productivity within Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Choose Surfer AI if your priority is content optimization for SEO and improving blog/article rankings.
• Choose Jasper AI if you’re a marketer or content creator looking for fast, high-quality branded content at scale.
• Choose Grok AI if your focus is conversational engagement, humor, and real-time trend interaction through social platforms.
• Choose DeepSeek if you work with large documents, need advanced summarization, or require research-driven analysis in multiple languages.

Who Shouldn’t Use These Models?

After our AI model comparison research, it’s clear that not every AI model is suitable for every user. Here’s who might not benefit from certain models:

ChatGPT is not ideal for users who require real-time, fact-checked data for critical decision-making. While it is excellent for brainstorming and content generation, it sometimes provides outdated or inaccurate information, making it less reliable for research-heavy tasks.

Claude is best suited for ethical AI considerations and creative projects but may not be the best option for users needing high levels of creativity or real-time search results. While it excels in summarization and structured responses, it may fall short in generating highly innovative or dynamic content.

Gemini is great for data analysis and research but may not be well-suited for in-depth content generation beyond factual data. Those looking for a more conversational AI with storytelling capabilities might find other models more effective.

Perplexity is designed for AI-driven research and search integration but won’t work well for storytelling, conversational AI, or brainstorming sessions. Its focus on providing search-based responses limits its ability to create long-form, creative content.

Microsoft Copilot is an excellent tool for those deeply integrated into the Microsoft ecosystem. However, users who do not rely on Microsoft 365 applications may find its functionality limited. It lacks flexibility for those who prefer cross-platform compatibility.

Surfer AI is a powerful SEO optimization tool but is not suited for general AI applications. If you’re looking for AI that can handle customer support, technical problem-solving, or conversational AI, Surfer AI won’t be the best fit. It is best reserved for content marketers and SEO specialists.

Jasper AI is highly specialized for marketers. If your work involves technical writing, research analysis, or creative storytelling outside a marketing context, Jasper’s templated workflows may feel restrictive or too niche.

Grok AI is not a good fit for users who need professional communication, data-driven decision-making, or business applications. Its informal tone, limited integrations, and narrow functionality make it best for entertainment and casual content.

DeepSeek is not ideal for users seeking creative writing tools, intuitive UI, or casual conversation. It’s built for heavy research and multilingual data parsing, which makes it less appealing to those needing interactive, conversational AI for brainstorming or brand messaging.

Limitations & Challenges of AI Models

While AI models continue to advance, they still face significant limitations and challenges that users should be aware of. One of the most pressing issues is hallucination, where AI generates confident but factually incorrect or misleading information. This is particularly problematic in research and business applications where accuracy is critical. Even models like Perplexity, which prioritize citations, are not immune to misinformation.

Another major challenge is bias in AI outputs. Since these models are trained on vast datasets sourced from the internet, they can unintentionally reinforce stereotypes, political biases, or misleading narratives. Companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google are actively working on improving fairness and reducing bias, but complete neutrality remains an ongoing challenge.

Lastly, over-reliance on AI can be risky, especially in decision-making. While AI models are excellent for automating tasks and enhancing productivity, they should not replace human judgment in areas requiring nuance, creativity, and ethical considerations. Users must remain critical thinkers, verifying AI-generated insights rather than accepting them blindly.

AI Model Comparison Conclusion

The AI landscape is evolving rapidly, and new capabilities are being added every day. While this AI model comparison provides a snapshot of the current state of these tools, the best way to find the right AI for you is to experiment. Try out the free versions of these models, explore their features, and see which one aligns with your workflow and goals.

Remember, the perfect AI doesn’t exist—yet. But by diving in and exploring these tools, you’ll gain a better understanding of how AI can enhance your work and life. So, which AI will you choose?

FAQ: AI Model Comparison

1. What is the key difference between ChatGPT and Claude in this AI model comparison?

ChatGPT excels in multimodal capabilities (text, voice, and video) and real-time interactions, making it ideal for developers and content creators. Claude, on the other hand, focuses on ethical AI and long-form content generation, making it a better choice for sensitive or creative tasks.

2. Which AI model is best for real-time data and research?

In this AI model comparison, Gemini stands out for real-time data and research due to its integration with Google’s ecosystem and ability to pull up-to-date information from the web. Perplexity is also a strong contender for fact-checking and quick, accurate answers.

3. Can Claude generate images or videos like ChatGPT and Gemini?

No, Claude does not support multimodal features like image or video generation. It is primarily focused on text-based tasks, making it less versatile for multimedia projects compared to ChatGPT and Gemini.

4. Is Perplexity suitable for creative tasks like storytelling or brainstorming?

No, Perplexity is optimized for search accuracy and factual information retrieval. For creative tasks like storytelling or brainstorming, ChatGPT or Claude would be better choices in this AI model comparison.

5. Which AI model is the most cost-effective for general use?

In this AI model comparison, Perplexity is the most cost-effective option for users who need fast, accurate answers without advanced features. However, if you require multimodal capabilities, ChatGPT or Gemini may be worth the higher cost.

6. What are the limitations of these AI models?

All models in this AI model comparison have limitations. ChatGPT can be expensive and complex for beginners, Claude lacks real-time data access, Gemini requires technical expertise, and Perplexity is limited in creative tasks. Additionally, all models can occasionally produce inaccurate or biased outputs, so human oversight is essential.

7. How does Microsoft Copilot improve productivity?

Microsoft Copilot enhances productivity by automating repetitive tasks in Microsoft 365 applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. It can generate summaries, suggest edits, and streamline workflows, saving users time and effort.

8. Can I use Microsoft Copilot without a Microsoft 365 subscription?

No, Microsoft Copilot is exclusively available to Microsoft 365 users. It integrates deeply with Microsoft apps, so a subscription is required to access its features.

9. Is Surfer AI only for SEO content creation?

Yes, Surfer AI is designed specifically for SEO content optimization. It analyzes competitor content, suggests keyword placement, and provides real-time insights to improve rankings. It’s not suited for general AI tasks like customer support or chat automation.

10. How does Surfer AI help with search rankings?

Surfer AI analyzes top-ranking pages and provides data-driven recommendations on keyword usage, content structure, and readability to improve search engine visibility.

11. Can I use Surfer AI for non-SEO-related writing?

While you can technically use Surfer AI for general content writing, its core strengths lie in SEO optimization. If you’re looking for creative or technical writing support, a general AI model like ChatGPT or Claude might be a better fit.

12.  What is Jasper AI best used for?

Jasper AI is built for marketers and content creators who need to generate brand-consistent copy fast. It’s perfect for writing social media posts, ad copy, email campaigns, and landing page content with speed and scalability.

13. Can Jasper AI be used for technical or academic writing?

While Jasper AI excels at marketing and brand voice content, it’s not ideal for technical documentation or deep academic work. Its strength lies in pre-trained templates for promotional material, not nuanced research-based writing.

14. What makes Grok AI different from other conversational AIs?

Grok AI is designed to be witty, casual, and responsive to trending topics in real time. Its integration with platforms like X (formerly Twitter) gives it a social-savvy edge that other AIs don’t prioritize.

15. Is Grok AI suitable for business or professional use?

Not really. Grok’s tone is intentionally informal and humorous, which may not align with professional or data-sensitive environments. It’s best used for engagement and entertainment rather than productivity or sales.

16. What is DeepSeek used for in a business context?

DeepSeek is excellent for tasks that involve large-scale document summarization, research aggregation, or multilingual analysis. It’s ideal for law firms, researchers, and analysts who deal with technical or academic content.

17. Does DeepSeek support real-time interaction like ChatGPT?

No. DeepSeek is optimized for precision and depth, not conversation. Its focus is on delivering highly accurate data summaries and insights rather than dynamic back-and-forth chat.

AI Isn’t the Future—It’s the Present. Are You Using It to Your Advantage?

Most business owners are either wasting time on tasks AI could handle or missing out on powerful automation because they don’t know where to start. If you want to free up hours in your week, increase revenue, and scale without burnout, AI is the answer –> but only if you use it the right way.

Let’s talk. Book a free strategy call, and we’ll walk through how AI can be integrated into your business to make you more efficient, profitable, and unstoppable.

Schedule Your Free Call Now

The post AI Model Comparison: Which AI Reigns Supreme in 2025? appeared first on Done For You.

AI Art Tools are shaking things up in the creative world—and fast. Whether you’re an artist looking to experiment, a business owner needing quick visuals, or someone who just wants to have fun generating unique images, AI Art Tools make it easier than ever to create stunning visuals in seconds.

But with a flood of AI Art Tools out there, how do you know which one’s actually worth your time? More importantly, how do you get the best results? Let’s break it all down.

What Are AI Art Tools?

AI Art Tools use machine learning models—trained on millions of images—to generate new artwork based on text prompts, sketches, or even existing images. These tools analyze styles, colors, and patterns to create unique pieces of art that range from realistic portraits to abstract compositions.

And the best part? You don’t need to be an artist. AI levels the playing field, letting anyone create professional-looking visuals with just a few clicks.

Some AI Art Tools are designed for professionals who want high-resolution, editable images, while others focus on casual users who want to experiment with AI-generated creativity.

AI Art Tools isn’t random—it’s built on massive datasets that teach the AI how to mimic artistic styles, textures, and compositions. Many tools rely on deep learning algorithms that continuously improve, meaning the more they are used, the better and more refined their outputs become.

Additionally, these tools aren’t just generating something from nothing. They work by interpreting patterns in existing data and blending them in ways that feel unique. This is why the same text prompt can yield different results depending on the AI tool used—each platform has its own dataset and interpretation method.

How to Use AI Art Tools

Getting the most out of AI Art Tools isn’t just about typing a random phrase and hoping for the best. The quality of your results depends on how well you understand the tool’s capabilities and settings. Each AI generator has different features, and knowing how to adjust things like resolution, style, and creative parameters can make a huge difference.

One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is being too vague with their prompts. AI needs clear and descriptive input to generate the best output. If you simply type “a cat,” you might get something generic. But if you type “a highly detailed, photorealistic orange tabby cat sitting on a windowsill, bathed in warm golden sunset light,” you’ll get something far more compelling.

Using AI Art Tools is easier than you think. Here’s how to dive in and start creating like a pro (or at least have some fun experimenting):

1. Choose a Tool – Pick an AI art generator that aligns with your needs (we’ll cover the best options shortly).
2. Enter a Prompt – Type in a description of what you want the AI to generate. The more specific you are, the better.
3. Select a Style – Many AI Art Tools allow you to choose from various artistic styles, like photorealism, oil painting, anime, or cyberpunk.
4. Generate and Refine – Click generate and let the AI do its thing. Some tools let you tweak the results, adjust colors, or upscale the resolution.
5. Download or Edit – Once satisfied, save your artwork or enhance it further using other software like Photoshop.

Pro Tip: The best AI-generated art starts with a great prompt. Instead of “a futuristic city,” try “a neon-lit cyberpunk city at night with flying cars and digital billboards.” The more detail you give, the better the AI delivers.

Example Prompt for Stunning AI Art:

“A majestic white wolf standing on a snowy mountain peak, looking over a vast frozen landscape, illuminated by the Northern Lights in the night sky.”

This level of detail helps the AI understand exactly what you’re looking for, leading to much better results.

What Can AI Art Be Used For?

If you think AI Art Tools are just for messing around, think again. These tools are changing the game for businesses, entrepreneurs, and creatives—helping people produce high-quality visuals faster and cheaper than ever before.

One of the biggest advantages? No more waiting on designers or expensive agencies. Need an ad image for a campaign? A social media post? AI can generate what you need in seconds. And if you’re someone who constantly needs fresh content, AI Art Tools become a productivity powerhouse.

Beyond marketing, AI-generated art is transforming how creators and businesses develop visual assets. Whether it’s brainstorming concept art for a new project, designing t-shirts for an online store, or even crafting personalized illustrations for a book—AI gives you the power to create without traditional barriers.

• Branding & Marketing – Generate high-quality visuals for ads, social media, and product packaging instantly.
• Content Creation – Create unique images for blog posts, email campaigns, and digital content without hiring a designer.
• E-Commerce & Merch – Design AI-powered product images, t-shirts, and promotional materials for online stores.
• Game & Film Concept Art – Quickly bring creative ideas to life with AI-generated visuals for pre-production work.
• Personalized Client Work – Offer custom AI-generated illustrations, album covers, and book covers as part of a creative business.
• Inspiration & Experimentation – Use AI as a brainstorming tool to explore new styles and ideas without committing to expensive production.

Best AI Art Tools for Beginners

If you’re new to AI-generated art, here are some of the best tools to start with:

With so many AI Art Tools out there, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Some tools focus on photorealism, while others specialize in abstract or stylized art. The key is choosing the right tool for what you need—whether that’s social media content, business branding, or just experimenting for fun.

Beginners should look for AI Art Tools that are easy to use, produce high-quality images, and offer customization options. The tools below strike a balance between accessibility and creative control, making them perfect for anyone looking to dive into AI-generated art.

1. DALL·E 3 (Best for Business & Marketing Graphics)

DALL·E 3, developed by OpenAI, is ideal for entrepreneurs and businesses needing high-quality, professional visuals. It’s great for ad creatives, social media posts, and branding assets.

2. MidJourney (Best for Stylized & Unique Artwork)

MidJourney is the go-to for those who want striking, artistic, and unique imagery. Perfect for personal branding, social media content, and digital products.

3. Stable Diffusion (Best for Customization & Control)

As an open-source AI art tool, Stable Diffusion is great for users who want full control over their art creation, making it an excellent choice for advanced customization and branding projects.

4. Leonardo.Ai (Best for E-Commerce & Product Design)

Leonardo.Ai is designed for businesses that need product mockups, digital assets, and polished e-commerce imagery—without the high production costs.

5. Runway ML (Best for AI Video & Motion Graphics)

If you create video content, Runway ML is a must. It enables AI-driven video editing and animations, perfect for YouTube creators, marketers, and agencies.

Where to Go from Here

AI Art Tools are breaking down barriers, making creativity accessible to everyone, not just designers and digital artists. Whether you’re using them for business, personal projects, or just exploring new artistic possibilities, these tools can help you bring ideas to life in ways that weren’t possible before.

At the end of the day, the real magic happens when you combine human creativity with AI’s limitless potential. So, what are you waiting for? Pick a tool, experiment, and start creating. Who knows? You might just design something insanely cool.

FAQs About AI Art Tools

1. Are AI Art Tools free to use?

Some AI Art Tools offer free versions with limited features, while others require a subscription or pay-per-use model for higher-quality outputs and advanced options.

2. Can AI-generated art be used commercially?

Yes, but it depends on the tool’s terms of service. Some platforms allow full commercial use, while others may have restrictions, so always check the licensing agreement.

3. How can I make my AI-generated art look more professional?

Use detailed and specific prompts, refine images with manual editing tools, and experiment with different styles to achieve high-quality, unique visuals.

4. Will AI replace human artists?

AI is a tool, not a replacement. While it can assist in generating concepts and speeding up workflows, human creativity, storytelling, and artistic intent remain irreplaceable.

5. What’s the best AI art tool for beginners?

DALL·E 3 and MidJourney are great starting points due to their user-friendly interfaces and high-quality outputs. If you want customization, Stable Diffusion is a strong choice.

AI Isn’t the Future—It’s the Present. Are You Using It to Your Advantage?

Most business owners are either wasting time on tasks AI could handle or missing out on powerful automation because they don’t know where to start. If you want to free up hours in your week, increase revenue, and scale without burnout, AI is the answer –> but only if you use it the right way.

Let’s talk. Book a free strategy call, and we’ll walk through how AI can be integrated into your business to make you more efficient, profitable, and unstoppable.

Schedule Your Free Call Now

The post AI Art Tools: How to Use Them & Best Picks for Beginners appeared first on Done For You.

Artificial intelligence is transforming AI book writing, making the process faster and more efficient than ever before. AI book writing tools can help with everything from brainstorming and outlining to drafting and editing, making AI book writing more accessible than ever. Whether you’re an aspiring author or an entrepreneur looking to create lead-generating content, AI can simplify the journey of AI book writing, helping authors bring their ideas to life more efficiently.

However, AI isn’t a magic solution that writes a bestseller for you. Success still requires creativity, strategy, and refinement. The key is knowing how to properly integrate AI into your writing process while keeping your unique voice and storytelling intact. In this guide, we’ll walk through how to write a book with AI step by step.

The Rise of AI Book Writing

The publishing industry is evolving, and AI book writing is leading the charge. Many authors, marketers, and content creators are using AI to accelerate the writing process, improve content quality, and bring their ideas to life more efficiently.

One of the biggest advantages of AI book writing is its ability to streamline the process. AI can help writers generate new ideas, structure their books, and even assist in the actual drafting of content. This means that authors can focus more on refining their message rather than getting stuck in the early stages of writing.

Beyond writing, AI also plays a crucial role in editing and formatting. AI-driven platforms can suggest grammar improvements, enhance readability, and format a manuscript for self-publishing. By leveraging AI book writing tools, authors can create polished, professional books without the need for extensive manual editing.

How to Write a Book with AI

Step 1: Brainstorming and Idea Development

Coming up with a book idea can be one of the most challenging steps. AI can help by generating ideas, expanding on concepts, and identifying market trends.

Before jumping into AI-assisted brainstorming, it’s important to have a general idea of the type of book you want to write. Whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, AI tools work best when given a starting point. If you have a rough theme in mind, AI can help refine it into a compelling concept that resonates with your audience.

AI book writing tools can analyze market trends and competitor books to see what topics are currently in demand. This helps ensure that your book not only aligns with your passion but also has a viable audience ready to engage with it.

• Use AI brainstorming tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity to explore different book ideas.
• Input a general topic into AI and ask for unique angles or subtopics.
• Research trending book topics and market demand using AI-driven analytics.

Step 2: Creating an Outline with AI

Once you have an idea, an outline helps structure the book logically. AI can assist in developing a chapter-by-chapter breakdown.

Creating an outline is crucial because it serves as the roadmap for your book. AI-generated outlines help ensure that your content flows logically and keeps readers engaged from start to finish. With AI, you can quickly organize thoughts into a structured format, making the writing process much smoother.

Furthermore, AI can help identify any gaps in your outline by suggesting subtopics or relevant points that might have been overlooked. This ensures that your book covers all essential aspects of your subject matter while maintaining clarity and coherence.

• Provide AI with your book’s theme, and let it generate an initial outline.
• Refine the structure to ensure coherence and logical flow.
• Expand each chapter with key points and supporting details.

Step 3: Writing the First Draft

AI book writing tools can generate content, but it’s important to maintain a human touch.

While AI can help speed up the writing process, it lacks the emotional depth and storytelling nuance that make a book truly engaging. AI-generated content often needs refinement to ensure it aligns with your voice and delivers a compelling narrative.

Beyond that, readers connect with authenticity. A book that feels robotic or overly generic won’t resonate with an audience. This is why it’s crucial to review, rewrite, and add your own insights, ensuring that the final product feels uniquely yours.

• Start by drafting one chapter at a time, using AI to generate text.
• Review and refine AI-generated content, ensuring originality and clarity.
• Use AI as a supplement, adding your own voice and insights.

Key Benefits of AI Book Writing

AI book writing brings several advantages that make the writing process faster, more efficient, and less overwhelming. Whether you’re writing your first book or looking to optimize your workflow, AI can provide valuable support.

One of the biggest benefits is the speed and efficiency AI offers. Traditional writing can take months, if not years, to complete, but AI can help generate well-structured drafts in a fraction of the time. This allows authors to focus on refining their message rather than struggling to get words on the page.

Another key advantage is enhanced creativity. AI can help break through writer’s block by suggesting ideas, expanding on concepts, and even helping with phrasing. It can offer new perspectives and insights that authors might not have considered otherwise, making the content more engaging and diverse.

AI also plays a crucial role in editing and proofreading. AI-powered tools refine grammar, improve clarity, and help polish a manuscript before publishing. Additionally, AI can assist with formatting and structuring chapters, making the publishing process smoother and ensuring the final book looks professional.

Polishing Your AI-Written Manuscript

Step 4: Editing with AI

Editing is one of the most critical stages of book writing, and AI can be a powerful tool to refine your manuscript. AI editing tools help identify grammatical mistakes, improve sentence flow, and suggest better word choices, making your content more polished and professional.

Beyond grammar and spelling, AI can analyze readability and suggest structural improvements. It can flag overused phrases, recommend variations, and ensure clarity in your writing. By leveraging AI book writing tools at this stage, you can make your book more engaging for readers while maintaining your unique voice.

AI editing tools can enhance readability and correct grammatical errors.

• Use Grammarly or ProWritingAid for grammar and style suggestions.
• Use Hemingway Editor to improve readability.
• Use Sudowrite for refining creative writing.

Step 5: Formatting and Publishing

Formatting is a crucial step in preparing your book for publication. A well-formatted book enhances readability and ensures a professional appearance, whether it’s an eBook or a printed copy. AI-powered formatting tools help streamline this process by structuring chapters, adjusting spacing, and applying consistent fonts and styles.

AI can also assist with the publishing process. From generating book descriptions to selecting the right keywords for better discoverability, AI tools can optimize your book for online marketplaces. This ensures that your book not only looks great but also has a strong presence where readers can find it.

AI book writing tools can simplify book formatting and help with self-publishing.

• Use Atticus or Reedsy for professional book formatting.
• Generate AI-powered book descriptions and marketing content.
• Publish to platforms like Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) with AI-assisted tools.

Maximizing AI Book Writing Success

AI book writing can be a game-changer, but to truly benefit from it, you need to use it strategically. One of the most important things to remember is to maintain your unique voice. AI-generated content can be helpful, but it should never replace your personal style or storytelling abilities. Readers connect with authenticity, so always make sure to infuse your own perspective into the writing process.

Another crucial factor is fact-checking. AI can sometimes generate misleading or incorrect information, especially when pulling from outdated or unreliable sources. To ensure accuracy, always verify facts, statistics, and references before including them in your book. A well-researched and credible book will stand out and build trust with readers.

AI should be seen as a guide, not a crutch. While AI can assist with brainstorming, drafting, and editing, human creativity and critical thinking remain essential. The best results come when AI complements your writing process rather than taking over entirely. By using AI effectively, you can streamline your workflow while still producing high-quality, engaging content.

Is AI Book Writing Right for You?

AI book writing is an excellent option for entrepreneurs, content creators, and aspiring authors who want to produce books efficiently without sacrificing quality. AI tools can assist in drafting, structuring, and editing, making the process smoother and more manageable. However, it’s important to remember that AI should enhance creativity, not replace it.

For those struggling with writer’s block or time constraints, AI can provide a framework to get words on the page quickly. It can generate outlines, expand on ideas, and suggest improvements, allowing authors to focus on refining their message rather than starting from scratch. This makes it a valuable tool for both experienced and first-time authors.

That said, AI-generated content still requires human oversight. While AI can accelerate the writing process, it lacks the emotional depth and unique voice that make books compelling. The best approach is to use AI as a collaborator, combining its efficiency with your creativity to produce a book that truly resonates with readers.

FAQs About AI Book Writing

1. Can AI write a book entirely on its own?

AI can generate text, but human creativity and oversight are needed to ensure originality, coherence, and quality storytelling.

2. What AI tools are best for book writing?

Popular AI book writing tools include ChatGPT, Jasper, Sudowrite, Grammarly, and Atticus.

3. Will AI replace human authors?

No, AI is an assistive tool, not a replacement. The personal touch of human authors is irreplaceable.

4. How can AI help with book marketing?

AI can generate book descriptions, email sequences, and ad copy, making promotion more efficient.

5. Is AI-generated content copyrightable?

Currently, AI-generated content may not be eligible for copyright protection unless significantly edited by a human.

AI book writing can be a rewarding experience. By using AI as a partner in the process, you can unlock new levels of efficiency and creativity in your writing journey.

AI Isn’t the Future—It’s the Present. Are You Using It to Your Advantage?

Most business owners are either wasting time on tasks AI could handle or missing out on powerful automation because they don’t know where to start. If you want to free up hours in your week, increase revenue, and scale without burnout, AI is the answer –> but only if you use it the right way.

Let’s talk. Book a free strategy call, and we’ll walk through how AI can be integrated into your business to make you more efficient, profitable, and unstoppable.

Schedule Your Free Call Now

The post How to Write a Book with AI: A Step-by-Step Guide appeared first on Done For You.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly become a transformative force in modern business, revolutionizing productivity and creating pathways to AI money. From streamlining repetitive tasks to developing innovative tools, AI provides businesses and entrepreneurs with countless opportunities to enhance their workflows and generate new revenue streams.

AI money refers to leveraging artificial intelligence to create, optimize, and scale income-generating strategies. This isn’t about replacing human creativity—it’s about using AI to enhance it. Entrepreneurs and businesses across industries are already harnessing the power of AI to automate tasks, gain insights, and even develop entirely new business models.

In this article, we’ll explore practical ways to incorporate AI into your business to boost productivity and revenue while staying competitive in a rapidly evolving landscape.

What Is AI Money?

AI money is income generated through the strategic application of artificial intelligence tools and technologies. These tools simplify complex processes, optimize operations, and enable innovative solutions, allowing businesses to reach their goals more efficiently. Whether it’s writing high-quality content, developing websites, or automating customer interactions, AI empowers users to achieve more in less time.

Earning AI money doesn’t require advanced technical expertise. Many tools are user-friendly and accessible to freelancers, small business owners, and large corporations alike. The key is understanding your strengths and pairing them with the right tools.

Why Businesses Are Turning to AI:

• Enhanced Productivity: AI automates repetitive tasks, freeing time for creative and strategic work.
• Cost Savings: By increasing efficiency, businesses save money on labor-intensive processes.
• New Revenue Opportunities: AI creates avenues for monetizing skills and services that were previously limited or inaccessible.

By integrating AI into your business, you can unlock potential in areas you may not have considered before.

The “How” of Earning AI Money

Harnessing AI for income requires a strategic approach. Here’s how to do it effectively:

1. AI for Content Creation

AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude have revolutionized the way businesses create content.

• Freelance Writing: Offer services such as blog writing, technical documentation, or product descriptions, with AI helping to streamline the process.
• SEO Optimization: Use AI tools to refine keywords, improve readability, and boost search engine rankings.
• Content Enhancement: Writers can employ AI to edit, rewrite, and polish their work, delivering high-quality results faster.

These tools don’t just save time, they allow you to handle larger workloads, increasing your earning potential.

2. Developing AI Chatbots

AI-powered chatbots are in high demand as businesses seek scalable ways to improve customer engagement.

• Customer Support Bots: Automate responses to common inquiries, reducing the burden on support teams.
• Lead Generation Bots: Program bots to collect customer information and qualify leads.
• Social Media Integration: Use chatbots to engage with customers on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

With platforms like Tidio and ChatBot, even those with minimal coding knowledge can build effective AI chatbots.

3. AI for Social Media Marketing

AI tools simplify social media marketing by automating repetitive tasks and enhancing creative workflows.

• Content Scheduling: Tools like Hootsuite and Buffer help plan and publish posts across multiple platforms.
• Ad Optimization: Leverage AI to refine targeting strategies and improve ad performance.
• Audience Insights: Use analytics to identify trends and craft personalized campaigns.

By offering AI-driven marketing services, you can attract clients seeking measurable results and efficient campaign management. Now that we’ve covered some general methods for generating income with AI, let’s explore specific tools that can help you put these ideas into action.

20 Popular AI Tools to Make Money and Their Applications

ChatGPT (OpenAI)

What It Does: Conversational AI for generating high-quality text.

How to Use It:

• Generate blog posts, social media content, and video scripts.
• Automate customer support chat.
• Provide personalized recommendations for marketing materials.

Claude (Anthropic)

What It Does: An advanced AI model for natural language understanding and content creation.

How to Use It:

• Write technical documents or white papers.
• Assist in brainstorming creative marketing strategies.
• Refine content for readability and accuracy.

Writesonic

What It Does: AI writing assistant for short and long-form content.

How to Use It:

• Craft engaging ad copy.
• Develop optimized product descriptions.
• Create outlines and initial drafts for blogs and articles.

Copy.ai

What It Does: AI-powered writing tool for businesses and freelancers.

How to Use It:

• Write email campaigns, social posts, and ad copy.
• Generate SEO-friendly headlines and introductions.

Grammarly

What It Does: AI-based tool for editing, grammar checks, and content refinement.

How to Use It:

• Improve writing quality for freelance projects.
• Edit blog drafts for readability and engagement.

Tidio

What It Does: Chatbot and live chat platform for websites.

How to Use It:

• Automate customer support inquiries.
• Qualify leads directly on your website.

ChatBot

What It Does: A tool for building AI-powered chatbots without coding.

How to Use It:

• Develop bots to handle FAQs and lead generation.
• Create personalized customer experiences for social media platforms.

Dialogflow (Google)

What It Does: A platform for building conversational experiences with voice and text.

How to Use It:

• Design chatbots for voice assistants and customer service apps.
• Automate appointment scheduling or product inquiries.

LiveChatAI

What It Does: AI-enhanced live chat software for businesses.

How to Use It:

• Integrate into websites to provide real-time assistance.
• Offer 24/7 support with intelligent, automated responses.

Hootsuite

What It Does: Social media management platform with AI features.

How to Use It:

• Schedule and manage social media content across multiple platforms.
• Analyze post performance and audience engagement trends.

Buffer

What It Does: A simplified social media scheduler and analytics tool.

How to Use It:

• Plan campaigns in advance.
• Review metrics to optimize posting times and strategies.

Sprout Social

What It Does: A social media management platform with analytics and reporting.

How to Use It:

• Monitor brand mentions and sentiment analysis.
• Create detailed campaign reports for clients.

AdCreative.ai

What It Does: Generates ad creatives tailored to your audience.

How to Use It:

• Develop A/B test-ready ad visuals.
• Optimize designs for performance on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

Canva AI

What It Does: Enhances design capabilities with AI-driven features.

How to Use It:

• Create stunning visuals for marketing campaigns.
• Automate resizing and design adjustments for social media.

Opus Clips

What It Does: AI tool for creating short, engaging video clips from long-form content.

How to Use It:

• Repurpose podcasts or webinars into shareable social content.
• Enhance social media engagement with dynamic video snippets.

Search Atlas

What It Does: A search engine research platform with AI-driven insights.

How to Use It:

• Analyze search behavior and trends to enhance SEO strategies.
• Optimize content for higher search visibility.

Jasper Art

What It Does: Generate AI-based visual content and illustrations.

How to Use It:

• Create unique graphics for blogs or websites.
• Produce tailored images for ad campaigns.

Relume

What It Does: AI website builder for creating professional web designs.

How to Use It:

• Rapidly prototype websites with AI assistance.
• Customize layouts for clients with minimal effort.

CodeWP

What It Does: AI tool for WordPress development.

How to Use It:

• Automate the creation of custom WordPress plugins.
• Simplify theme development for clients.

Framer

What It Does: AI-powered website design and prototyping tool.

How to Use It:

• Build interactive website mockups.
• Create client-ready designs with minimal coding required.

Building a Sustainable AI Money Strategy

To maximize your success with AI Money, it’s essential to approach your efforts with a clear plan, realistic goals, and an eye on long-term growth. AI is a powerful tool, but sustainable success requires strategy, adaptability, and consistent effort.

Evaluate Your Strengths

Before diving into AI-driven income opportunities, take a step back and assess your unique strengths. Understanding where AI can complement your skills is the foundation of a sustainable strategy.

• Leverage Existing Expertise: For example, if you’re a graphic designer, tools like DALL-E or Canva can accelerate your creative workflows. Writers can use tools like ChatGPT for ideation, editing, or generating drafts.
• Identify Gaps AI Can Fill: Look for areas where AI can improve efficiency or help you scale your operations, such as automating repetitive tasks or analyzing data for insights.
• Play to Your Niche: Success often comes from focusing on a specific area. Whether it’s creating content, developing chatbots, or crafting custom solutions, tailor your AI use to your strengths.

Invest in the Right Tools

Not all AI tools are created equal, and the right choice depends on your goals and industry. Selecting the appropriate platforms ensures you’re equipped to tackle challenges effectively.

• Match Tools to Tasks: For marketing campaigns, tools like Claude can streamline content creation. For project management, look at AI-powered platforms like Trello or Monday.com.
• Prioritize Scalability: Choose tools that grow with your needs. If your business expands, you’ll want platforms like Salesforce or HubSpot CRM that can handle increased demands.
• Experiment and Iterate: Many tools offer free trials—use these opportunities to test features and find what works best before committing.

Continuously Learn and Adapt

AI evolves rapidly, and staying informed is key to remaining competitive. New features, tools, and applications emerge constantly, offering fresh opportunities to refine your approach.

• Stay Updated: Follow blogs, attend webinars, or join communities like Reddit’s AI threads or LinkedIn groups to stay ahead of the curve.
• Experiment with New Features: Regularly test new functionalities in tools you already use to discover innovative ways to enhance your output.
• Invest in Training: Consider courses or certifications to deepen your understanding of AI applications in your field. Platforms like Coursera and Udemy offer valuable resources.

Create a Measurable Plan

Establishing clear, actionable goals helps keep your efforts aligned and measurable. A sustainable AI Money strategy includes regular evaluations to track progress and refine your approach.

• Set Milestones: Break long-term goals into smaller, manageable tasks to measure your success along the way.
• Monitor ROI: Use analytics tools to track the performance of AI-driven projects, ensuring they meet your expectations and deliver value.
• Adjust as Needed: Be flexible—what works today may need adjustment tomorrow as tools and trends evolve.

By carefully evaluating your strengths, investing in the right tools, and staying informed, you can build a sustainable AI Money strategy that grows with you and adapts to changing market conditions. The key is to focus on continuous improvement and long-term value rather than short-term gains.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

While the potential of AI Money is immense, navigating its challenges is essential to ensure sustainable success. Overlooking critical aspects can lead to inefficiencies, lost trust, or missed opportunities. Here are common mistakes to avoid and how to overcome them:

Over-Reliance on Automation

AI is a powerful tool, but relying too heavily on it can make your work feel robotic and impersonal. Customers and clients value authenticity, and overly automated processes may fall short in building meaningful connections.

• Maintain the Human Touch: Combine AI tools with your expertise to create content, solutions, or interactions that feel genuine and relatable.
• Customize Outputs: Avoid generic results by tailoring AI-generated outputs to align with your brand voice and audience expectations.
• Engage Directly: Whether through personalized emails or social media interactions, supplement AI with human engagement to build stronger relationships.

Skipping Quality Control

AI tools, while efficient, are not flawless. Outputs often require thorough review and refinement to ensure they align with quality standards and audience needs. Neglecting this step can undermine your credibility and diminish the value of your efforts.

• Fact-Check and Edit: Always verify the accuracy of AI-generated content, especially when dealing with technical or niche topics.
• Refine for Relevance: Ensure that the outputs are aligned with your objectives and resonate with your audience.
• Test Outputs: Use A/B testing to evaluate different AI-generated content variations and determine what works best.

Ignoring Ethics

Ethical considerations are paramount when leveraging AI to earn money. Transparency and responsible practices help maintain trust with clients, customers, and collaborators.

• Disclose AI Use: Be upfront about how AI tools contribute to your work. For example, indicate if an article, chatbot, or product description was AI-assisted.
• Respect Privacy: When collecting or processing data, follow industry best practices and legal guidelines to protect user information.
• Avoid Misrepresentation: Ensure that AI outputs reflect your genuine intent and don’t mislead or manipulate your audience.

Failing to Adapt

The landscape of AI Money is constantly evolving, and staying stagnant can hinder growth. What works today may not be effective tomorrow.

• Monitor Trends: Stay informed about the latest advancements in AI tools and applications to stay competitive.
• Invest in Learning: Continuously upgrade your skills and knowledge to harness AI’s full potential effectively.
• Seek Feedback: Engage with your audience or clients to understand how they perceive your use of AI and adjust accordingly.

By balancing automation with authenticity, maintaining strict quality control, and adhering to ethical practices, you can avoid common pitfalls and build a solid foundation for earning AI Money sustainably. The key is to approach AI with intention and adaptability, ensuring it complements rather than replaces the human element in your work.

Driving Revenue with Confidence

AI offers endless opportunities to innovate and grow your income. By incorporating tools into your workflow, you can boost productivity, expand your reach, and achieve your business goals faster than ever. Whether you’re creating content, developing chatbots, or exploring new markets, AI empowers you to work smarter, not harder.

Take the time to explore AI tools that align with your strengths and start experimenting today. With persistence and a commitment to quality, the potential for success is limitless.

AI Isn’t the Future—It’s the Present. Are You Using It to Your Advantage?

Most business owners are either wasting time on tasks AI could handle or missing out on powerful automation because they don’t know where to start. If you want to free up hours in your week, increase revenue, and scale without burnout, AI is the answer –> but only if you use it the right way.

Let’s talk. Book a free strategy call, and we’ll walk through how AI can be integrated into your business to make you more efficient, profitable, and unstoppable.

Schedule Your Free Call Now

The post Make Artificial Intelligence Work for Your Revenue With AI Money appeared first on Done For You.

In today’s crowded digital space, getting your audience’s attention is harder than ever. Banner ads are ignored, pop-ups are closed, and traditional marketing methods often miss the mark. Enter advertorial marketing, a strategy that blends the informative nature of editorial content with the persuasive power of advertising. But what exactly is advertorial marketing, and why is it such a game-changer for brands?

Let’s break it down and explore how this hybrid approach can create value for both readers and businesses.

What Is Advertorial Marketing?

At its core, advertorial marketing is the practice of creating content that looks and feels like an editorial article but is designed to promote a product, service, or brand. The term itself is a mashup of “advertisement” and “editorial,” and the key to a successful advertorial is striking the right balance between value-driven content and subtle promotion.

Unlike blatant ads that scream “buy now,” advertorials aim to educate, inform, or entertain the audience while gently guiding them toward a desired action—whether that’s making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or exploring a brand’s offerings.

Key Characteristics of Advertorials:

• Educational Tone: They often provide useful insights, tips, or solutions to a problem.
• Seamless Integration: Advertorials align with the publication’s style, ensuring they don’t feel out of place.
• Subtle Promotion: The focus is on adding value first, with the product or service naturally woven into the narrative.

Why Advertorial Marketing Works

Trust Through Value

Readers are more likely to engage with content that provides value—whether it’s answering a question, solving a problem, or offering actionable advice. By focusing on education or entertainment, advertorials build trust and credibility, making the audience more receptive to the promotional aspect.

Better Engagement

Studies show that people are more likely to read advertorials than traditional ads because they blend into the content they’re already consuming. Advertorials feel less intrusive and more organic, which keeps readers engaged longer.

Higher Conversions

When done well, advertorials can drive significant conversions. Why? Because they create a natural bridge between the reader’s interest and the solution your product or service provides.

Examples of Advertorial Marketing

Let’s bring this concept to life with a few examples:

1. Travel Industry:

The article titled “5 Keys to a Better Business Travel Experience“ published on Business Travel News highlights strategies for improving business travel while subtly promoting specific tools or services that align with these strategies. This approach ensures the content is both valuable and aligned with the sponsor’s offerings.

2. Tech Industry:

The article titled “How Embedding Technology is Revolutionizing AI and Contextual Advertising“ published on TechCrunch serves as an excellent example. This advertorial delves into how innovative embedding technology is shaping the future of advertising, aligning seamlessly with the sponsor’s expertise. Its detailed insights make it a valuable read for both tech enthusiasts and professionals looking to stay ahead.

3. Health & Wellness:

The article such as “Build Healthy Habits“ published on Healthline exemplifies how health-focused advertorials can effectively educate readers while aligning with a brand’s offerings. This piece not only provides actionable advice for creating sustainable habits but also subtly integrates a wellness program as a practical solution, making it both valuable and promotional in nature.

These examples illustrate how advertorials provide genuine value while promoting a brand in a non-pushy way.

How to Create Effective Advertorials

If you’re ready to incorporate advertorial marketing into your strategy, here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Understand Your Audience

Great advertorials start with a deep understanding of your target audience. What are their pain points? What kind of content do they enjoy? The more you know, the easier it is to craft a message that resonates.

2. Prioritize Value Over Promotion

The golden rule of advertorial marketing is this: focus on providing value first. Whether you’re offering tips, insights, or solutions, ensure the content stands on its own even without the promotional elements.

3. Choose the Right Platform

Where you publish your advertorial matters. Partner with publications or platforms that align with your target audience to maximize relevance and reach.

4. Write Like an Editor

Ensure your advertorial matches the tone, style, and format of the publication. The more seamlessly it integrates, the more credible it will feel.

5. End With a Call-to-Action (CTA)

While the promotion should be subtle, every advertorial needs a clear next step. Whether it’s “learn more,” “get started,” or “find out how,” make sure your CTA aligns with the reader’s journey.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Overtly Salesy Tone: An advertorial should never feel like a hard sell. The moment it’s too promotional, you lose the audience’s trust.
2. Lack of Value: If the content doesn’t educate, inform, or entertain, it’s just an ad pretending to be something more. That’s a quick way to alienate readers.
3. Ignoring Compliance: Be transparent about sponsored content. Disclose when a piece is paid for to maintain credibility and avoid legal issues.

Advertorials vs. Traditional Blogs: Key Differences

While advertorials and blogs share similarities, they serve different purposes. Blogs are typically educational or informational and aim to establish authority or build trust over time. Advertorials, on the other hand, are more focused on driving immediate action while still providing value.

Differences:

• Intent: Blogs prioritize education; advertorials balance education with subtle promotion.
• Tone: Blogs are purely editorial, whereas advertorials combine editorial style with advertising goals.
• CTA: Advertorials often include a direct call-to-action, while blogs may or may not.

Expanding the Scope: Integrating Advertorials Into Your Strategy

To make the most of advertorials, integrate them into a broader content marketing strategy. Pair them with:

• Email Campaigns: Use advertorials as lead magnets or nurture content.
• Social Media Ads: Promote your advertorials to reach a wider audience.
• Retargeting Campaigns: Drive prospects back to your website with advertorial-based ads.

Embrace the Power of Advertorial Marketing

Advertorial marketing isn’t just about blending in; it’s about standing out by providing real value in a way that connects with your audience. When executed well, it bridges the gap between advertising and storytelling, creating a win-win for both brands and readers.

As you define your marketing strategy, consider how advertorials could amplify your reach, build trust, and drive meaningful results. It’s not just about promoting a product; it’s about starting a conversation, solving problems, and creating lasting impressions.

Ready to redefine how you connect with your audience? Start crafting advertorials that don’t just inform but inspire.

FAQs About Advertorial Marketing

1. What’s the difference between an advertorial and a blog post?
While both aim to provide value, an advertorial subtly promotes a product or service, whereas a blog post is typically purely informational.

2. Are advertorials effective for all industries?
Yes! The key is tailoring the content to the audience and ensuring the promotion aligns naturally with the narrative.

3. Do advertorials need to be disclosed as ads?
Yes, transparency is crucial. Disclose paid content to maintain trust and comply with advertising regulations.

4. How long should an advertorial be?
Length depends on the platform and audience. However, aim to provide enough depth to inform and engage while staying concise.

5. What metrics should I track to measure success?
Focus on engagement metrics like time on page, click-through rates, and conversions to evaluate the impact of your advertorial.

The post Defining Advertorial Marketing: Bridging Value and Promotion appeared first on Done For You.

Today, building an online presence is truly crucial. Whether you’d like to change your career path or simply wish to share your personal story, creating a personal website is a great way to establish your name in the industry. And because the way you present yourself online also impacts how others perceive you and your brand, creating the right website is truly essential. To that end, here is an extensive guide to building a personal website that will guarantee success:

Outline your website goals

Before you start building your website, it would be a good idea to outline its purpose, goals, and main features first, as this will give you a better idea of how the finished site should look. Begin by defining the purpose, whether that means selling products or displaying a portfolio, and then list out the features your website needs to have to achieve that purpose, such as high-quality photo galleries or shopping carts and secure checkout pages.

Then, continue by creating a layout of the homepage, main pages like “contact” and “about us” pages, as well as the main menu. This might also be a good time to make some important branding decisions, such as choosing the right logo, fonts, and color palettes.

Choose the right site builder

While it might be common practice to hire professional web developers, or even create your website if you have the technical skills, most smaller businesses don’t have enough time or a high enough budget for these options. Instead, a frequent solution for personal websites is using tools that will allow you to build a site with no coding knowledge required.
For instance, you could opt for a content management system like WordPress is one of the most popular choices, but keep in mind this option is best for websites that require plenty of customization, as well as quite basic, and content-heavy sites. Another option is also website builders such as Weebly and Wix, being a great solution for novices looking to build a well-designed personal website.

Select the best domain name

Your domain name is one of the most important aspects of your website, both in terms of usability and SEO. To make the best first impression, the domain name should be short and simple to spell, while still being unique, personal, and memorable enough for your customers to easily find it.

Apart from the name itself, the domain extension you select can also be quite impactful. That is why choosing a personal website domain such as .me is always recommended. Besides being a secure, trusted, and easily customizable extension, such a domain is also ranked highly by Google, thus aiding in SEO efforts, while being a brilliant call to action as well.

Invest in website design

Whether you are developing your website or using a specialized site-building tool, paying attention to web design is incredibly important. Not only will a well-designed website help to make a great first impression and attract visitors, but it can also build trust in your brand, boost SEO efforts, and allow you to stand out from your competition.

To make web design a bit easier for beginners, you might want to choose a premade theme or template that matches your content needs and personal style the best. Then, it would be wise to customize your theme as much as possible, such as choosing a different font, opting for your brand’s color palette, and incorporating logos and relevant images, to create a more distinct and unique website.

Don’t forget about SEO

After finishing your website, preparing it for search engines is one of the most important things you could do, as this aspect determines how highly you will rank in search engine results, and ultimately how wide of an audience you will attract. And while search engine optimization (SEO) might be quite a complicated business, there are some simple things you can do right now to achieve better results.

Besides a good domain name and extension, it’s crucial to find the best, most relevant keywords to your brand, and include them in the content on your website. Filling out necessary meta-information, increasing website loading speeds, and linking to social media pages can be good tactics for driving traffic to your website as well.

Building a personal site by yourself can often be a challenging and time-consuming task. However, simply by utilizing the helpful tips mentioned above, you will be well on your way towards a functional and successful website.

The post An Extensive Guide to Building a Personal Website appeared first on Done For You.

Today, we're going to talk about increasing trust through your website. This week, we've been discussing getting more fully qualified leads, better leaders, and better clients who want to work with you. And I just finished this book called, They Ask You Answer. Anybody whom I've talked to in the past week or so, I've been sharing this, and even with my team. This was recommended by a client of ours who liked the philosophy, strategy, and stuff related to content marketing in their business.

I read it over the weekend. For those of you who don't know, I read a lot. I typically wake up between 4:30 and 5:00 every morning, and I read for about the first hour and a half to two hours, audiobook or read, one way or another. I get through a book a week, a book every three or four days. This was the last one.

Gain Trust By Answering Questions about your Website

The entire premise is this. When you answer questions that your prospects, your clients, ask, and you answer them in a public forum, a video, a blog post, and sometimes you even tackle the hard questions, pricing questions, questions where you compare and rate competitors' products, all of that stuff. When you create that kind of content, you can break through the noise of everyone else and everything else in your niche, in your space, and establish trust with the prospect and the buyer.

The exciting thing is that I've been doing marketing forever. I used to do this with affiliate marketing. When we promoted affiliate products way back in the day, when we enabled Video Boss and Total Product Blueprint and all of Ryan Deiss' stuff, Mobile Local Fusion and Let's Get Social and all of those big barn burner products way back in the day, when I used to do a lot of SEO, I answered these questions. These questions were things that were routine when discussing a product. You're creating these reviews when you're talking about a space, niche, category, or whatever. You're doing reviews, talking about, and doing versus and comparisons, talking about price. You're doing all of these things. I had this interesting …

Three Categories of Buyers

Way back in the day, I used to think of buyers in three categories.

1. You had your stage one buyer, the relatively unsophisticated buyer; they didn't know what they were doing, but they decided they knew they were moving in that direction, so they were researching.
2. You had your stage two buyer who broke down, and they knew there were a couple of categories, a couple of brands, and a couple of solutions that they were looking for and were comparing them against each other.
3. Your stage three buyer and that person were decided and needed to be pushed over the edge.

I built an incredible affiliate business around this before Panda and Penguin, the search engine updates. I used that three-bucket model to create affiliate reviews that promoted products. To the point where I trust through my website where people are writing in, "Well, I'm trying to decide between product A and product B. What do you recommend?" Well, for product A and product B, I got paid an affiliate commission because they were clicking the links in the reviews.

Promoting Products

However, I had forgotten about it. I forgot about it in the context of content marketing because it works so well with affiliate products, but then you get blogging. You get promoting and producing your content, and all of a sudden, you forget about that shit because you're promoting your stuff, because you're promoting services, because you're promoting info products. It makes 100% total sense that you would still be talking about all of these things, and you get to trust me through my website.

Now, inside the book They Ask You Answer, there are five types of content that you can create. Now, this is a relatively quick read. I say that. I think it was 330 pages or something. My favorite way to read, just in general now, is to grab the Kindle book right here, and then when you hold the Kindle book, you usually can add the Audible version for three or four bucks or seven bucks or something. That's usually what I do, and then I listen to it, read it, highlight it, and all that other stuff. See where it says, "You purchased this item on October 7th."

Five Types of Content

This book has five types of content; you'll want to dig into the book for more, but the five subjects have five content classifications.

1. Pricing and Costs

The first is pricing and costs. Most people, especially in service-based or service-based companies, don't discuss pricing prices, which is a big miss. It would help if you discussed pricing and costs on your blog and content, not necessarily ... to qualify prospects. We are making a significant shift in our stuff, so you'll start seeing more of this kind of content from us.

2. Problems

The second is the problems. Please discuss the market's issues, the problems people often face, why they come to you, and how you provide a solution. That's the type of content number two.

3. Verses and Comparisons

The type of content number three is verses and comparisons. That might be how you stack up against other professionals in your area. How does your product stack up against other best-sellers, or how does your software solution compare to other industry leaders? Because you're going to be able to snipe some traffic from those people, but then, of course, there was an example in the book where he did, I think it was the five best service pool installers in his area.

He did not put himself on the list. People came to that article and realized that he was rating his peers, and then his business jumped because they thought, "Wow, if you're going to rate your peers, you must be a trustworthy person." That's how, amazingly, that worked out in his favor. It's just an example of something you can do on trust through my website.

4. Reviews

Another type of content is reviews. Any product review case study, testimonial, or anything like that.

5. Award Blog Post

Then the fifth is the best in class. What they did was they had an award show, not an award show, but an awards blog post, or an awards thing where they awarded top products that they used in their installations throughout the year, and they had a couple of different categories, a couple different classifications.

Next Steps

Remember, the value of trust cannot be understated in converting leads into devoted clients. So, are you ready to create content that converts, addresses the core concerns of your clientele, and builds a business that withstands algorithm updates?

If you're looking to leverage these insights for your business but need a guiding hand, don't hesitate. Visit doneforyou.com/start to get personalized help with deploying these content strategies to the advantage of your business. Whether creating impactful content or tailoring a direct response marketing strategy, your journey to undeniable trust and business growth is just a click away.

The post How Do I Build Trust Through My Website? appeared first on Done For You.

Today, we will talk about how to automate incoming sales calls. We’ve worked with many different kinds of businesses over the years. One of the questions that we get asked most often is how do we get great clients coming into our website, coming into our world and raising their hand and saying, “Yes, I want more information about your products, your services, whatever.

Schedule Calls by Group

One of the ways that we do it, in addition to the sales funnel, is to build a specific kind of sales funnel that gets them to schedule incoming sales calls on our calendar. Now, everybody’s offer is different. If it’s over a thousand dollars, a sales call is typically required. Especially if you don’t have a great audience or a great relationship with your audience, you can typically sell through an order form if it’s below a thousand dollars. Still, the incoming sales calls scheduling thing that comes in is in those higher ticket offers.

So, if they come from, let’s say, Facebook and land on your website, they watch a little bit of a video, and then there’s usually an application or something below this video. It might be a form. It might be a chatbot. It might be a Facebook messenger bot or something like that. But there’s usually a way, some medium that they interact with, which asks them a couple of questions. We talked about this yesterday. First name, last name business, ask them a couple of questions. And then the magic happens when they hit the submit button. So, if they fill out the questionnaire, they fill out the survey, and the application the way that you want them to, then they move to a scheduling link. Now, the scheduling software… There are so many different ways to do it, and to be quite honest; I am very picky about when to send a scheduling link and when not to.

I think sending a scheduling link to specific prospects is wrong to ensure clients when you should have a conversation and talk it out. You should figure out, “Okay, I have an availability Thursday afternoon, pick a time.” That’s not so hard, and some people respect that. Sometimes, the impersonal sending a link to book a time on my calendar aggravates me and other people I’ve talked to. The more high-level, I guess, people who value time, oddly enough, don’t like the calendar link. They feel it’s too impersonal.

Scheduling Software

Acuity Scheduling

However, where calendar links work well is inside the sales funnel. Because people are in process, they’re in flow, they’re in-state, they’re going through your sales funnel. They clicked an ad. They’re watching a video. They fill out a form. The next thing that you want them to do is you want to book a time on your calendar or your sales team’s calendar. So, in that instance, it works well. And there are some sales calendar tools that we have used very successfully. One of the ones that we send our clients to is Acuity Scheduling. Acuity Scheduling is nice, robust software, but it allows pooled availability.

So, if you have a sales team of two, three, or four people, then what it does is it kind of collects all of their calendars and then gives your prospect one calendar to book a time in. And then, it assigns the person who will be responsible for that call. So, you can have some people fill up many time slots in the calendar. And it has worked out nicely in teams of two, three, four sales reps. So, you can have blanket coverage of the week, working hours, or even the entire day. And people can book calls wherever it suits them. So, that’s an Acuity Scheduling.

Calendly

Another one, kind of the default one that people use, is Calendly. Calendly friendly, simple software. If you have a one-person shop and want to send out a calendar booking link, Calendly will work well. It’s nice.

Time Slots
What we use in the process we’ve even built one called Time Slots, which is being updated and added into the access marketplace.

Drift

The one we’re using right now that we like is Drift. Drift is chatting bot software or conversational marketing software. It is what powers the chatbox that is on doneforyou.com and some of our other websites. They have a scheduling functionality that you can grab a link to. So, you can send people directly to a call scheduling tab inside the chat or have a link to send people, like an email and stuff. And it has worked out well for us, too. There are some caveats to it. It’s not quite as full-featured as Acuity Scheduling, but you have it in; you can use the calendaring widget inside a chatbot, which is super cool. So if somebody says, “I want to schedule a time with a human being,” they click the button, the schedule pops up, and they can book a time in their calendar right there. And then it’s a metric that is reportable inside Drift. So, that’s pretty cool too.

Those are just some quick ways of engaging your high-ticket prospects in a calendaring scheduling application while they’re still in process. If there’s anything you want us to look over or need any help, go to doneforyou.com, and we’ll get you taken care of.

The post Mastering the Art of Automating Incoming Sales Calls for High-Ticket Offers appeared first on Done For You.

Google processes over 40,000 searches per second, 3.5 billion searches per day, and more than 1.2 trillion searches per year worldwide.

That’s incredible if you ask us.

Even if a tiny fraction of that traffic flows through and finds its way to your website, your funnels can literally light up like it’s Christmas and keep your cash register ringing.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)–if done well, consistently, and for an extended period of time–can get you plenty of traffic all by itself thanks to millions of searches on Google for your specific keywords.

Simple SEO tips for WordPress users

Is SEO Dead? No!

Is SEO easy? No!

Does SEO deliver traffic and results? Absolutely yes!

Is WordPress SEO simple? It can be!

WordPress SEO can drive free traffic to your funnels

Sales funnels stand all alone, by themselves. Without traffic, there are of no use to your business. SEO can help bring in relevant traffic but it requires plenty of investment in terms of time, resources, content, and some more content.

You could hire help for SEO if you need to, but you could also do it yourself without getting too involved with SEO nitty-gritty.

You could make SEO work for you (at least the basics) without actually doing any of the song and dance that SEO pros do–all by yourself. That is without actually spending any more time than you’d spend to write blog posts and do the rest of the digital marketing that you do anyway.

Here’s how:

Tip #1: Pay attention to your WordPress foundation

Once upon a time, SEO was just about the keywords found within a piece of content on your page.

Today, it’s a bewildering mix of attributes and factors that can help rank your pages, starting with where your WordPress website lives (hosting), the speed with which your page loads, how your WordPress website is built (architecture), the code running behind the theme (Is it a bloated theme?), and more.

Before you even think of SEO ensure that you use the right kind of hosting which is in turn backed by the most optimum technology stack for WordPress–most managed WordPress hosting providers do this for you.

Tip #2: Start with Yoast SEO plugin

Yoast SEO plugin is the easiest way to get started with your WordPress–we use it here for Doneforyou too.

Yoast SEO plugin takes all the heavy work out of the equation for you and makes it relatively easy for you to do On-page SEO for every single blog post you write and publish.

You can also extend the inbuilt functionalities of Yoast SEO Plugin to help you write meta information for your WordPress pages and the overall website itself.

Yoast lets you pick a primary keyword that you want a blog post or page to rank for and then quickly analyzes the page (while you are writing the blog post) to let you know whether or not it’s optimized for the keyword you selected.

If you see a green dot (right above the page), your post is well-optimized for that particular keyword.

Yoast WordPress SEO plugin also recommends the steps you should take–one by one–to help you optimize so it works like an in-house SEO mentor.

Look for the green signal. Hit publish!

Tip #3: Use short, SE-optimized link structures

The first step for you to do before you get to creating SEO-optimized links is to change the permalink structure.

By default, WordPress permalinks look something like this: https://yoursite.com/blog/your-content?p=12543

That’s a non-SEO friendly link structure and it won’t help you at all.

By changing permalinks slightly, you can modify your links to have a pre-defined structure such as

https://yoursite.com/blog/your-awesome-seo-friendly-link/

WPBeginner has a simple tutorial to help you with this.

Get to your WordPress Dashboard> Settings > and change your permalink settings.

Once this is done, you’d only have to edit your permalink appropriately while you create your blog posts or pages as shown below:

Tip #4: Do your preliminary keyword research

With the help of tools like Google Keyword Planner (free) or Ahrefs (paid, while allowing you to check on your competitors’ keywords), do some initial research on the keywords you ought to target along with Keyword volume.

You’d then get plenty of long-tail and medium-tail keywords you can target. Structure your titles around these keywords and start writing away.

Ilia Markov of Ahrefs also recommends many other ways for you to target appropriate keywords easily:

• Listen in and gather ideas from Customers’ emails, social comments, live chat, phone calls, etc.
• Use Google’s Autocomplete (when you start typing in your keywords)
• Pick up ideas from Google Trends
• Gather keywords from “related searches” you’d find right below each search results page.
• Dig for questions asked on social communities and forums such as Quora, Reddit, and other forums around the topic you are interested in.
• You can also build keyword lists off Podcasts (on your topics), books listed on Amazon (on your topic), and more.

Tip #5: Publish on your blog regularly

If you had to only top off this list to help you with your WordPress SEO efforts, just pick this: Publish regularly on your blog. Follow a schedule and publish at an established frequency.

You can publish once a week, or three times a week, or every single day of the week.

Some publications and blogs also publish multiple times per week.

How many blog posts you publish is really up to you, but you’d have to think about the quality of your blog posts, your resources, budget, time, and many other constraints.

If needed, you can create a simple editorial calendar to help you plan your content strategy or even use a tool like CoSchedule.

Every time you hit publish, share your posts on social media. Google takes the social signals of your published content into account too.

This is in addition to getting direct traffic, fuel for conversations, a chance to network with others, and a way for you to establish your thought leadership on social media.

Tip #6: Say “hello” to Google RankBrain

Google recently introduced machine learning into its algorithm to help make rapid decisions on whether or not a page should rank. It’s apparently Google’s third most important signal and it only gets more important per day.

Brian Dean of Backlinko has a fantastic guide on Google Rankbrain. According to Brian, Google Rankbrain is looking specifically for:

• Organic Click-Through-Rate: How Interesting, relevant, and attention-grabbing are your posts when they show up on search?
• Dwell Time: How long do people spend on your posts after they arrive?
• Bounce Rate: How quickly do they leave, after consuming your content?
• Pogo-sticking: If more people click on a search result and seem happy, that link goes up the ranking hierarchy.

What does Rankbrain force you to do now, as far as content goes?

• Focus on writing headlines and meta information in a relevant and attractive way (much like ads) so that people who are searching tend to click-through
• Write long-form content, with plenty of information loaded into each post to keep them on the site.
• Try to make sure that your content is the most comprehensive answer to the question users seek when they search on Google.

Tip #7: Get some backlinks

Links are still the currency of the web. Google determines how important and relevant your site is (for a given keyword) based on how many links are pointing to you from other sources. But buying links, submitting your links to directories, link farming, and keyword stuffing won’t work.

Don’t get ahead of your yourself when trying to do backlinks for SEO–it’s not a one-time thing; your efforts won’t stop with a couple of links earned; you won’t ever be done with it.

Creating amazing content that others will automatically link to, doing guest blogging by actually writing up high-quality content on other blogs, and creating tools or products that people can use while simultaneously linking to you–now, these are a few ways using which you can certainly build links.

Tip #8: Curate content

What’s the next best thing you could do for your content marketing strategy apart from blogging regularly and going all out with content marketing?

Curate content. With all of the tools available for you to curate content, you’d only have to schedule your time or deploy resources to curate content which also adds incredible value for your long-term SEO strategy.

By curating content, you’ll essentially create your own point of view and spin on existing content which makes your content curation unique by itself.

Need more content sources and topic ideas for your blog? Try Curately, the ultimate tool for fast content creation. With Curately, you will have an endless supply of new, fresh content that will get you traffic, leads and sales! Visit http://curately.org/ to learn more.

You’ll also link out to several resources (both Internal and external) giving you a healthy link distribution & spread.

Additionally, point to other influencers, blogs, and publications which might link back to you (any one linking back to you will help boost your rankings in addition to traffic, of course)

Focus your WordPress SEO efforts for better results

WordPress SEO takes a lot of work, and time. Instead of trying to manipulate or wasting time looking for shortcuts, you are better off focusing on developing great content and then optimizing what you create for search results.

What are you going to do for your WordPress search optimization?

GSDdaily Episode 91

This week we’re going to talk about SEO. For those of you who have been around me or followed me or been familiar with a lot of my work over the last 14 years, SEO was always my thing. It was early on, it was my thing. I ended up… We did a lot of affiliate work, where we were building affiliate sites and creating affiliate content or advertorials or whatever. They would get ranked. And then would send traffic into an affiliate offer.

The affiliate offer would pay us a commission whenever something was sold. It might be a digital product or a membership course, or a membership site, or as a CPA offer. So you can think protein shakes, you can think Audible eBooks, all of that kind of stuff ended up working out really, really well in the early days. Then Google went through and basically slapped everybody’s sites. So half of all the websites that were ranking in Google were basically de-indexed in the matter of not a whole lot of time. We had sites that were making a lot of money. Four figures, five figures a month that were de-indexed and no more because they weren’t getting search traffic because the SEO game changed.

I pivoted into paid ads and building courses and all that other stuff. And that worked well, obviously. Worked great. But now, in the last couple of years, I have moved back into trying to refigure out SEO and figure out if there was a way that we could actually generate significant traffic, significant revenue from SEO based activities.

Now the game used to be that you created a piece of content and that content needed to be 500 to 700 words. And then you would basically load a bunch of keywords in there. So the keyword phrases that you wanted to rank for, whether it was because they were getting a lot of traffic in Google, or because you knew they would be getting a lot of traffic in Google. Like whenever there was a big product launch, we would always like to do a product launch review. There was a lot of that kind of stuff.

Rank Articles by stuffing more keyword phrases

You would rank these articles by stuffing them with keyword phrases and then building a lot of backlinks to them from article sites and stuff, social bookmarking services, any of that kind of stuff that could be controlled. There was lots of software out that lets you do it. You would pay and then it would build 20 to 100 backlinks in a matter of a week or whatever. But all that stuff disappeared when the algorithm changed. Which is fine. But one of the biggest kinds of things that happened was Google rather than being primarily SEO based, where they really… Somebody said you’re bringing back awesome memories. I know. Right.

About that time when everybody, like the Penguin update and the Panda update and all that stuff, whenever somebody… Google was primarily algorithm-based. All of those things that Google could see, they use to factor into rankings. The number of keywords on a phrase, what we call LSI keywords. Which are Latent Semantic Indexing keywords, all of the similar keyword phrases, all on the blog post, there were internal links? It was all quantifiable. It was all a number.

Internal links, backlinks, how many keyword phrases were in a blog post, where those keyword phrases were used, H1 tags, H2 tags, all of that stuff. All that stuff was very, very quantifiable. And that’s why it was really easy to game SEO 10 years ago because all you had to do was get the math right. You had to get the numbers right. And use the blackout kind of software that helped you get your numbers right. Do you know what I mean?

Rank Articles based on the number of shares

Then Google de-indexed everybody. And the game changed. About the same time, Facebook started getting hot. MySpace was hot. LinkedIn, there were people liking and sharing, and then basically all these social indicators started popping up. So a good piece of content, it wasn’t so much that it had a lot of keyword phrases or it got a lot of backlinks. A good piece of content might be something that was shared 340 times. So Google was relying less on their algorithms than they relied on people. And you can look now if you do a Google search, you will find that a lot of the top result pages that are showing up on page one and page two of Google, they have significant share reach behind them.

It’s still a black box. From an algorithm standpoint, SEO is still a black box, but there are some things that we’re going to cover this week that has done well for us in getting your websites to rank better. So there are some SEO plugins that have worked really well for us. There are some content tricks like video content. There are some things that we do that I wanted to share this week so that you could start getting your organic, your free traffic game leveled up, I guess. So that’s going to be the point of this week’s training. So we’re going to have five sessions on free traffic if you will. In content marketing, so free traffic in… They really go hand in hand.

Content marketing

The idea of content marketing is to

1. get traffic
2. position your prospects in a way that they’re going to buy

Every blog post that you write, should be both of those things. You should write a blog post and create a piece of content that you think reasonably, has a reasonable chance of getting traffic in the future. You should also create that piece of content so that it moves somebody along the buyer journey from just learning about you to ultimately buying something. So that is where native ads and text link ads and all that other stuff come into play. So this one piece of content attracts traffic and helps convert traffic and ultimately move them. It’s kind of like a bridge page that moves them over into the sales funnel. So that is really what we’re going to be talking about this week.

Now, the article that I have for you today, let me grab this link here. These are simple WordPress SEO tips. Something like 25% of all the websites online is running WordPress. I wanted to put together a quick little video on how to rank your WordPress sites better. At least some high-level tips. I just dropped it in the comments there.

Well at the time of the writing, Google processes 40,000 searches per second. It’s more now. And so many searches are full-sentence searches because of smart assistants. So not only are they processing more, but they are also processing more words. So rather than a one or two or three word kind of query, they’re processing six, seven, eight-word queries. And it’s a full sentence question. So take that into consideration in doing your keyword research. Queries are longer now than they ever have been. It used to be the average query was like three words. And I think it’s five now. So that’s across billions of searches every month.

Some simple SEO tips for WordPress users

1. First is to pay attention to your WordPress foundation

More than, well, I can’t say more than anything, but more than a lot. WordPress gets bloated really, really quickly. When you add a bunch of keywords or when you add a bunch of plugins, when you start messing around with different themes, when you start getting really, really image-heavy, WordPress tends to slow down really, really quickly. You always want to make sure that you only have the plugins active and the themes active and the things active that you truly need.

There’s a lot of different cache plugins that’ll help you speed up your WordPress site. But one of them is W3 Total Cache. One that we like a lot, we use it on a lot of different sites, including our own. And then W3 Total Cache actually also has a Cloudflare integration, which lets you do a free CDN ( content delivery network). You can have Cloudflare, which is a publicly-traded company. You’re going to have them manage your DNS. Then it also has some free CDN capabilities. It can offload some of your bigger image files and stuff on to a content delivery network that you’re going to have to pay for. You can also do Amazon S3 too for your CDN capabilities. But you want to make sure that your WordPress site is lean and fast.

2. You have your Yoast SEO plugin activated

Yoast, there was a previous video where we actually went through this Yoast SEO plugin. Yoast is pretty much the default. The default SEO plugin you need on your website. So Yoast does a couple of things. First is it’s free and the free version is awesome.  It’ll let you optimize blog posts for one keyword phrase and it basically works like a checklist. You have to put the keyword phrase so many times throughout the article in the meta description and the meta title and the blog post title. Many times in so many first paragraphs, last paragraph, all the things that I’ve been basically sharing forever, Yoast actually makes you do. Which is awesome.

They also have social sharing capabilities. You can actually upload your Facebook meta descriptions and stuff and your LinkedIn meta descriptions. And that will be the image and the description that Facebook and LinkedIn use when people share your stuff with them. Again, it’s a huge, huge, huge benefit. It’s free, so there’s no reason not to use it.

3. Use short SE optimized link structures

What this basically means is, it’s really easy. When you put a new blog post in WordPress, the blog post, the slug, the URL, is your title phrase. Like for this one, actually this is a great example. This title phrase is 8 Simple WordPress SEO Tips, No SEO Skills Needed! Now, look at this URL. The URL is a simple WordPress SEO tips. The keyword phrase that we’re ranking for is WordPress SEO tips. We get ranked for this one, in search engines, we can traffic forward all that other stuff. That’s why we’re updating this blog post today with a video and transcript. So that’s called content optimization. Yeah, that’s what that’s called.

Now, so you want to… And yes, we have Yoast SEO. Yoast SEO is this little green bar right here. This shows you that this blog post is. It would be red or yellow if it wasn’t. Use short search engine optimized link structures. You want to have them. So you want it to be the post name in the permalinks, but then you also want to keep all your kind of weird words out of the title, so that it really only has to be the keyword phrase that you’re ranking for, so Simple WordPress SEO Tips. That’s it. So right there, you got a little tutorial on how to do that. Your SEO post title.

4. Do your preliminary keyword research

This is something that we’re going to talk about in great detail this week because keyword research is the make or break point for your business for doing blog posts. I’ve brought it up on these GST Dailies probably five or six times. We’ve showcased it probably four. That’s how important it is. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing online. Your keyword research is really the most important activity that you’re going to do. So you want to do your preliminary keyword research first. Actually, you know what? Let’s just go do it now. So let’s just go mess around with some keyword research real quick. It’s really that important.

We’re going to make this a little bit bigger, your keyword research. What we want to do is we are inside Google Ads, their keyword planner tool. And what we want to do is we want to go discover new keyword phrases. So this particular blog post that we are looking for, so WordPress SEO Tips. So all we’re going to do is just really, really simple. We’re going to go to WordPress SEO. We’re just going to see what it says. And we’ll see what comes up. So if we hit get results, it’s going to show us all the different variations of WordPress SEO and the different ways that people search for it.

Walkthrough on various keyword phrases

Here we have WordPress SEO, which gets 2,400 searches a month. Now, just to kind of walk through this interface a little bit, so this is basically the trends. And then we have the keywords I provided were WordPress SEO, and then some keyword ideas are down here. So we’re going to go through this. Now, this is your average monthly searches, pretty self-explanatory. And then we have our competition here. Competition doesn’t have anything to do with SEO. So nothing at all. It’s 100% paid traffic based. So this is how competitive are those keyword phrases inside Google Ads. Then we have our ad impression share, again, not related to this. Top of page bid, low range is $2.40. And top of page high range is $10.45.
Here’s when I care about that.

If you have what seems to be a higher number in that top of page bid, then that means it’s a more valuable keyword phrase. WordPress SEO is a pretty valuable keyword phrase if per click people are paying $10.45 cents. That’s a lot of money per click. If it was a buck, $1.50, 50 cents, then it’s probably not that valuable of a keyword phrase. But think about the implication. If somebody is typing the keyword phrase WordPress SEO into their URL bar, then they literally want search engine optimization for their WordPress site, or they’re looking for more information. We’re going to be finding plugins, we’re going to be finding themes, probably finding services if we were to type in WordPress SEO. That’s why WordPress SEO is a pretty valuable keyword phrase. There are lots of different things that people are advertising to generate revenue for their business.

Now, Yoast SEO Premium. Yoast SEO WordPress. So those are a little bit less. Yoast SEO Premium, you might have Yoast advertising for that, maybe an affiliate program, but it’s probably against their terms of service, Yoast’s terms of service. So they’re not getting a whole lot of traffic that way. But let’s continue down. So WooCommerce SEO, $13.30, and $5.36. That’s another pretty good keyword phrase. I could write another blog post for WooCommerce SEO. WooCommerce is an SEO plugin or is a shopping cart plugin for WordPress. There’s SEOPressor, which has a pretty high top of page bid range. This is a piece of software that does have an affiliate marketing program. There’s Rank Math SEO, there are WordPress keywords.

Notice WordPress keywords, 110 searches a month, no bids. That means that the keyword phrase kind of sucks and thinks about it. It kind of does. I mean, WordPress keywords, what are you looking for when you are searching for WordPress keywords? I don’t even know. If that person who’s typing WordPress keywords, what are they looking for? They’re not looking to spend any money, what are they? I actually don’t know what they could be looking for. I don’t know. That’s interesting. Elementor SEO. Elementor is a theme.

So there’s lots and lots and lots. But what you do is, let’s say I wanted to write a blog post on WordPress SEO or I wanted to write three or four blog posts on WordPress SEO. I would just scroll through here. So normally I sort these based on average monthly searches. SEO Yoast. 6,600. So that goes right to the blog, right to the plugin. But here. SEO plug height or plug space in WordPress, 1300 searches a month. You could write a blog post that has this content in there. SEO plugin WordPress. Just copy that keyword phrase, write a blog post about it, get it ranked.

Yoast SEO Premium. Yoast SEO WordPress. You might do Yoast SEO Premium or a tutorial. And you’re going to be 590 searches for that thing. SEO plug. Eh. There’s WordPress SEO optimization. That could be a good blog post. There are WordPress SEO services. Yoast Breadcrumb, probably nothing there. Best SEO for WordPress, WordPress, and SEO. And then you just kind of go through and you look at the keyword phrases. So you just do another search or you go down a rabbit hole and say, “Okay, this is WordPress SEO, but now,” I found that WooCommerce SEO.

Let me see what else. E-commerce SEO. Let’s see if there’s anything in e-commerce SEO. We can rank for. Shopify SEO, 1900 searches a month, and that’s trending up. E-commerce SEO services. E-commerce SEO agency. There’s big commerce. There are Shopify SEO experts. Look at that. Shopify SEO experts, top of page bid one is $27.60 a click. So you can go down these rabbit holes and just do a tremendous amount of keyword research. But what that does is it gives you a good foundation for the blog post and the content that you’re going to have on your website. And if you do the keyword research prior to writing your article, you are that much further ahead in getting ranked and getting traffic for these things. Does that make sense? Okay, cool.

5. Publish on your blog regularly

You 100% want to publish regularly. And as evidence, so we don’t publish on our blog as regularly, but obviously, we have these GSDdailies and they start at 10:00 AM every morning, sometimes a couple of minutes late, sometimes a couple of minutes early. But every day, at 10 o’clock. People kind of has come to expect me to do this life. And then the blog posts, starting a couple of weeks ago, we started making sure that that video was then emailed out. So that has been the regular schedule, has been something that people have relied on. And then I have relied on to create content, to share, to answer some questions, to all of that stuff.

You want to make sure to publish regularly and have a calendar. Maybe Monday you do a certain, like a Q & A post, Wednesday, you do a video post and then Friday you do a tutorial post or something. Stay engaged, be interested in doing something and write content that you research first and then you have a game plan for. Even these, one of the reasons I like doing the weekly themes is it lets me think about how I’m going to deliver a piece of content.

This weekend, I didn’t, but I usually schedule these the previous week or on Saturday. And then I figure out what I’m going to talk about, what is ranking, what needs to be optimized? What I haven’t talked about a whole lot yet, because we are in episode 91, I think. So I have 90 episodes, each 20, 25 minutes of content that I didn’t script. And I just haven’t done an SEO week yet. So this makes a lot of sense to do this week. But so publish regularly.

6. You also want to say hello to Google RankBrain

There’s a fantastic guide here that you can go check out. So the Definitive Guide on Google RankBrain. You can go ahead and click through that. You want to get some backlinks, of course.

7. Get some backlinks

Backlinks are important, not as important as they used to be. So you want to make sure that your backlinks are from authority websites. So we’re not looking to do article marketing and social posting and all that other kind of crazy stuff and start and have a thousand backlinks to your website. That’s spammy. But what you are and should be doing is getting one backlink from one good site once a month or once a week. And you can do that with guest posting. You can do it just by reaching out.

Every once in a while, I’ll grant somebody as I’ve done for you. I’ll put a link on an old blog post that they find, but how I would do that is make it as simple, and easy for them as possible. Like, say, “This is the blog post that I would like the rank, here’s the link that I would have like to have and here’s the keyword phrase that I would like to have. And then once you place it, let me know.” And I’ll place a link back on a different site. Something that is… You don’t want to do reciprocal links, back and forth. Or just have them pay for it, like PayPal or whatever. So get some backlinks that way. You can pay for backlinks too, from PayPal. Nobody’s going to know.

8. Curated Content

We really, really like curating content, although even curating content takes more time than we invest.  Curating content is great when you want to aggregate a bunch of types of content and put it together in a blog post. But you still want to start with that keyword focus. You want to start with WordPress SEO tools or whatever. And then you want to curate content about WordPress and SEO into a blog post. It might be a list post or whatever. And then from there, you would post it.

The content that we have been creating starts from video then gets transcribed. And we’re going to go through that process this week, but we start with video and then move to with text-based content. And then we post that thing and then it goes out to podcasts and stuff. So there’s just a different way that… You just want to have something that works for you. And I have a lot of clients that they love curated content. They love curating content where they find the best of each and then they put it together into a list post or a blog post. And that is the post that they put out there into the world. Takes two or three hours to put together a 2000 word blog post curated, a curated blog post.

If you write it from scratch, you’re looking at, I don’t know, six, seven hours to write a 2000 word blog post. If you’re doing it like this, where you record a video and get it transcribed, that takes about 45 minutes. So it just depends on how perfect you want your blog post to be. Because our transcribed blog posts are definitely not perfect, but they’re effective. And most people would rather watch the video or watch sound bites, listen to sound bites from the video than they would be to actually read, but you still want the transcript to get ranked in Google. So there’s a lot of different ways that you can go about creating content. And those are the 8 SEO tips that you can use inside your WordPress sites to get ranked in Google.

For Questions and Guide

Now, so this week is like I said, is SEO week. We’re going to be talking about SEO, content marketing, and all of that kind of stuff. If there’s anything that we can do to help you put together a content marketing strategy, a paid traffic strategy, a website funnel, any of that kind of stuff, go to doneforyou.com/start, fill out the little form. And we will take a look at everything you got, from blog posts to traffic to sales funnels to advertorials or whatever. Whatever was in kind of the marketing mix. And we’ll put together an action plan for you. And we’ll talk to you soon. All right. Thanks. Bye.

The post 8 Best WordPress SEO Tips To Increase Website Traffic appeared first on Done For You.

Automated, sequential email messages are a great way to describe drip campaigns in plain English.

Often referred to as drip campaigns but also known by other names – automated email campaigns, drip marketing automation, email automation, lifecycle emails, autoresponders, and sometimes marketing automation – the idea is the same…

Drip campaigns are a sequence of marketing email messages that are sent out automatically on a preset schedule.

Picture this – one email will be sent out as soon as a new subscriber joins your list, another will go out two days later featuring your services, and one more will go out four days later asking people what they’re struggling with. That would be a time-based sequence.

The emails in the drip campaign can be triggered by actions the subscriber has performed or some behavior they have demonstrated on your website. For example, an effort is when a link in your email is clicked; A behavioral trigger can be a visit to a particular web page or a purchase.

NOTE: If you'd like to forgo the rest of this guide and skip right to the fun part of getting it set up, make sure to set up an Action Plan call with us through the Done For You Email Marketing page...  We'll get you dialed in quickly :0)

Table of contents

In this complete guide to drip campaigns and email automation, we're going to discuss the following:

Chapter 1: Why Your Marketing Needs Drip Campaigns
Chapter 2: Infographic: Drip campaign basics
Chapter 3: How is email marketing different from drip campaigns?
Chapter 4: When should you use a drip campaign? Drip use cases.
Chapter 5: Who runs drip email campaigns?
Chapter 6: How to create effective email drip campaigns
Chapter 7: Best drip campaign examples
Chapter 8: 7 Lessons Learned from high-performance Drip Campaigns
Chapter 9: Where drip campaigns go off the rails
Chapter 10: The tools you need for drip marketing
Chapter 11: How to measure drip campaign results
Video Transcript: Quick Strategies For Drip Marketing Automation

Why you need drip marketing automation campaigns

Combining marketing automation with drip campaigns can generate 20% more sales opportunities.

Every organization needs to run drip campaigns to reap the following benefits:

Be relevant with timely communication

With drip campaigns, you can deliver relevant information precisely when your users need it.

The information delivered through drip email sequences is activated by how a user engages with your brand and web assets and where they reside in the sales cycle.

Nurture leads until they are sales-ready

Drip marketing nurtures warm leads until they are sales-ready.

Drip campaigns can provide your business development team with an ongoing supply of prospects ready to close, making the most of marketing and sales effectiveness.

Work smarter with marketing automation.

Drip campaigns allow you to put tedious parts of the sales process on auto-pilot. Drip campaigns inform and nurture your business leads without you lifting a finger. This way, you can spend less time pitching your services and more time closing clients.

Infographic: Drip campaign basics

Want a closer look at drip marketing automation? Pardot has put together the infographic below to present the basics of what you can do with automated email campaigns. Click on the drip campaign infographic to zoom in.

Back to the table of contents.

How is email marketing different from drip campaigns?

You might be wondering how email marketing is different from drip email campaigns. Watch the video below, which explains where the two terms intersect and how they follow different paths.

When should you use drip campaign automation and drip campaign software?

Drip marketing is an umbrella that covers several different marketing techniques. But the end goal remains the same: keep users immersed in your product.

Let's look at a few use cases where creating an automated drip campaign may help you deliver better information to targeted viewers and convert them into paying customers. You might want to try some of these drip marketing examples with your subscribers, or perhaps these use cases will spark your imagination for other approaches to marketing your products using drip campaigns.

Nurture leads

You can't take every user by the hand through their buyer's journey, but drip email campaigns can do that difficult task for you. You can use welcome, onboarding, or abandoned cart autoresponder sequences to nurture your leads and prepare them to become paying customers.

Welcome

You could use a welcome email sequence to automatically send a new list of subscribers some of your most popular blog posts. Or, if you get a new free trial signup for your SaaS product, you could try a drip showcasing an example of how other customers use your product features.

Onboarding

Pageviews and free trial users are good, but ultimately, you need your users to purchase something from your business. That's where an onboarding drip campaign would come in handy: combined with welcome campaigns and newsletters, onboarding emails provide targeted messages to the customer, which are small wins for your business.

Abandoned carts

You designed compelling newsletters, offered flash sales, and tempted your user to click the "add to cart" button. But then, the user leaves empty-handed. Shopping cart abandonment can be a plague for an e-shop. But with a drip campaign to recover abandoned carts, you can reengage those customers and drive them back to complete the purchase.

Renewals

Whether your user renewed their membership or the subscription is about to end, you can leverage drip campaigns to captivate subscribers. For automatic renewals, you might use an autoresponder that sends users a notification that their account is about to be charged.

However, you need to test the effectiveness of this because, in some cases, it might result in people canceling their account before their subscription is extended.

If your subscriptions don't auto-renew, create your drip campaign with a clear CTA, asking users to commit to your service for another term or year.

Engagement

The math is quite simple: the more often someone interacts with your website, the more likely they are to become a paying customer.

Engagement email sequences are a drip campaign that encourages the recipient to return to your site and browse, triggered either by some on-page activity or complete inactivity.

Social networks are a fantastic example of using activity-based triggers for drip campaigns. If somebody on Twitter mentions you in their tweet, Twitter can send an alert-style email, motivating you to visit Twitter, see the tweet, and respond.

Courses

Putting together a drip campaign to deliver a multi-part online course is a way to repackage old content or promote new content, and it helps you attract more targeted subscribers. Plus, once the user receives the last email, they know your product and are ready to move deeper into your funnel.

Back to the table of contents.

Who runs drip email campaigns?

Bloggers

Promote a new freebie (ebook, checklist, or free course), automatically share your recent blog posts, and engage your audience in pre-launch campaigns.

Course sellers

Grow your list by dripping free email courses to new signups, segmenting your subscribers into interest groups, and send highly personalized emails to increase course sales. Build a referral program, so every student can refer their friends and earn a gift.

SaaS businesses

Warm up your leads and nurture them until they leave their free trial and become paying customers. Create an onboarding sequence to showcase your product features to new users. Reduce churn by timely managing subscription renewals.

Realtors

Stay ahead of the competition and follow up on your prospects effectively. Drip campaigns can do the work for you, as well as take care of most recurring tasks. The sky's the limit. Drip campaigns can nurture your real estate leads.

Insurance brokers

Any solopreneur or freelancer can deploy drip marketing campaigns and automation to their benefit. Take insurance brokers, for example. They need to constantly be in touch with different segments of their audience, i.e., cold leads, warm leads, customers, health plan customers home insurance customers, and so on.

Fashion industry

Set up drip campaigns to send out flash sales offers, happy birthday emails, customer satisfaction surveys, abandoned cart drip campaigns... you name it!

Beauty professionals

Track and automatically reward your most loyal buyers, use upsell and cross-sell to increase your revenue, or send personalized product recommendations based on behavioral patterns or the location of your customers.

Ecommerce

Cart abandonment drip campaigns, product replenishment drips, VIP customer reward campaigns, and upselling/cross-selling sequences are the most typical drip email examples in eCommerce.

Online entrepreneurs/affiliate marketers

There are unlimited ways to use drip marketing automation to grow your business. With drip campaigns, you can achieve any of the goals mentioned here, plus create any customized campaign, like promoting an affiliate program to grow your business even further.

If you are an affiliate marketer, you'll be interested to read this post about high-conversion affiliate marketing email sequences.

Back to the table of contents.

How to create successful drip campaigns

1. Determine your goal

If you have no idea what you intend to achieve, how can you even accomplish it? You have to choose whether to warm up your leads, get them to purchase, or take other action that serves your marketing goals. When describing your plan, you need to be specific if you want to be able to measure it.

2. Optimize your messages

Simply having a drip campaign in place won't bring you much. The information in these emails must be excellent. If you send poor content, the outcome will be lousy. If your drip campaign doesn't add value to the email recipients, it can harm your marketing because people will unsubscribe or even report you for spam.

Keep the emails short (up to 250 words), or your list won't bother to read them. Know that most of your customers are not exactly reading your newsletter instead, they are scanning through the content, so make your emails scannable.

3. Focus on your CTAs

When you start developing content for the drip campaign, think about this: What is it that my leads need to make a decision or take action? For example, suppose your objective is to activate more users of your SaaS. In that case, you might want to create an email drip campaign that describes the best functionality of your drip campaign software and shows success stories of how other people used it and got results.

On the other hand, you should aim to enhance people's confidence in your brand by building credibility - that is, if your objective is to sell them your products and services. You should be able to do this by educating them, addressing their concerns (i.e., removing friction), and presenting proof of how your product helps them materialize their aspirations.

4. Set frequency and timing

When it comes to the optimal email sending times, check your email marketing platform stats to see if any particular times of day generated more opens. About frequency, there is no one-size-fits-all guideline here. Typically, you should send emails more often when someone is new to your list and slow down as they go further down your funnel. You could start with sending emails once a day, then every couple of days, then once a week, and finally once every two weeks or so.

Of course, there are exceptions. Someone might be on your list for a long time, but suddenly, they express their purchase intent by visiting your e-shop and by abandoning a product in their cart. In this case, it makes sense to email them daily to recover the cart while the user is still warm.

Or you might segment old subscribers by having them sign up for a new ebook or whitepaper. Then, you could also email them frequently to educate them more on the particular subject and entice them to opt-in for one of your relevant offers.

5. Segment your lists

So, a way to optimize your drip campaigns, especially if your list has more than 600-700 subscribers, is to create segments. With segmenting, you can send different parallel campaigns but tailor them to specific groups of subscribers.

For example, you can design two separate landing pages for two different list segments. Now, when people subscribe to your list on one of those two pages, you'll be able to know what interests them more and add them to the better-suited email drip campaign.

6. Always measure performance

This goes for all your marketing efforts. You must measure the results to find and fix bottlenecks and optimize your marketing spend. With email marketing come basic KPIs like open rate and click-through rate. Besides those, we suggest that you measure the revenue your campaigns generate. The impact on your bottom line is all that matters. Set up UTM links within your drip campaign emails so you can track the complete funnel and identify the source of a sale.

Now, let’s move on to some drip campaign examples so you can get inspiration and ideas for your next drip campaign.

Back to the table of contents.

Best drip campaign examples

1. Example of an onboarding drip campaign

When someone turns into a buyer, you can schedule a series of email messages to encourage them to use your product and be satisfied. Here is an example of an email drip campaign for customer onboarding:

Email 1: Encourage customers to finish setting up their new accounts. Take them through the basic steps they need to take to start using your product. If the account is fully set up automatically, use the first onboarding email to welcome new customers and let them know you are available for a demo.

Email 2: Show them your training material and user guides. Give them links to resources, videos, your knowledge base, community forums, or FAQs. Encourage them to contact support if they need extra help.

Email 3: Point new customers to your blog, ebooks, or relevant beginner resources. Educate them, show them best practices, and anything else that will help them move forward and succeed. Show them that their success is your success.

2. Welcome email drip

The most basic drip that you need to have is the welcome email sequence. This is the first sequence activated after a new subscriber has joined your list. This is often the first impression people will get from your brand.

So, the welcome email is super important. Welcome email drips also serve to increase your bottom line. According to Experian, they generate 3x more revenue than other types of emails.

Have a look at this illustration of a welcome email from Yoga Pod. It offers a brief greeting, a vibrant video with real customers, links to explore the class schedule, and details about the business location.

SmartrMail also did a comprehensive review of the welcome drip series from Barnes & Noble. This drip campaign consists of an initial welcome message, then an email with a 15% off coupon, then recommended products, followed by an email summarizing the value of Barnes & Noble, and finally, an email informing customers about their mobile app. After this email series come the regular newsletters.

The value of this complete drip campaign example is that it gives users a thorough look at the Barnes & Noble brand and highlights the brick-and-mortar locations of the stores.

3. Retain current customers' drip example

There's a perfect chance that you will want to return the favor when somebody does something nice for you or gives you something. This natural urge to even the scales is called the reciprocity effect. Reciprocity can have a significant impact on customer advocacy, loyalty, and retention.

For instance, one of the top ways to keep current clients is to help them obtain more value from their investment in your product. You can deploy an automated drip campaign to share helpful content about market trends influencing their situation, inspiration, ideas and ways to use your product, and other practical resources to keep them engaged with your product and brand.

Look at this use case: After closing the sale, Contently's business development team sends customers regular emails sharing popular blog posts that bring practical value.

4. Drip campaign example to acquire referrals

About 83% of happy customers are more than willing to transform into your advocates.

The Yesware sales team sends out automated email campaigns to follow up with active customers two months after they join. When your team makes sure customers are satisfied and are seeing the value of the product and your support, it becomes easier to get upsell and referral opportunities.

In this example, the dripped sequence of messages looks like this:

Forty-five days post-close: The sales team sends the buyer a reminder email to confirm that they are satisfied and doing well. Then, they schedule a two-part email campaign to send to the client, with the first of the two emails going out that day.

Sixty days post-close: Email #2 is automatically delivered, wishing the client a happy two months. Yesware is asking if they know of any other organizations that would potentially benefit from Yesware's products.

5. Offer and promotion drips

Anything like offers, sales, promotions, other in-store campaigns, or seasonal campaigns can be added to a dripped series to automate the workflow. Such a drip campaign could include promo codes, discounts, limited-time offers, freebies, VIP access, or anything else you may use to drive a purchase.

You've got a 24-hour coupon! Claim this offer before it expires! These are great drip campaign examples of the subject lines of a promo email.

Moreover, customer milestones make fantastic reasons to present a one-time offer to your clients. Plus, contacting them as they progress lets you make your communication more personal. Email drip campaign ideas are when you send them a birthday email or celebrate their anniversary of becoming a customer.

Here's how Nike makes the most out of email drip campaigns to put birthday emails on auto-pilot:

So, instead of sending a primary "happy birthday" email, Nike rewards customers with a unique coupon code for a 25% discount on a product. It makes sense that you need to provide value, not just wish your customers happy birthday for the sake of it.

Back to the table of contents.

Lessons learned from high-performance drip campaigns

Neil Patel has published a fascinating blog post on seven lessons learned from top-performing drip email campaigns.

He studied seven branded drips that achieved their goals and presented the results in this article. In brief, here's what the best practices are:

1. Highlight the next step

Most free trials (~50%) don’t turn into paying users. People need guidance on what to do next, especially if they haven’t seen that ‘first win’ yet.

Neil gives the example of how Time Etc., a virtual assistant service, sends an early task or feature highlight to new free trials to activate them. The goal is to prompt people with a specific next step.

2. Use psychology and personalization

Neil uses drip email examples from different brands to demonstrate how psychological triggers (like urgency and scarcity) and personalization elements (e.g., location-based email campaigns) can generate more sales.

The lesson learned is that more sophisticated drips can increase your bottom line.

3. Reduce cart abandonment

While as many as 67% of potential e-shop customers might abandon a loaded cart, 81% of people looking to book a hotel or trip might also bounce.

In that article, there’s an example of how Expedia sends behavioral, event-based emails shortly after the user abandons the search for hotels in specific locations.

The moral of the story is that you can build a winning drip campaign when aligning what a web visitor was doing on your site with the email subject line. This aligns with what they were thinking about and will get their attention.

4. Start slow and escalate

Neil also teaches, when he brings up the example of one of Ramit Sethi’s campaigns, that you can fork a drip campaign to segment users according to their behavior (e.g., clicks) and use these segments to transition seamlessly from mentioning pain points to offering a solution.

5. Reduce churn proactively

A churn rate of 5-7% might be typical and acceptable, but anything more excellent can quickly send you out of business.

To cater to that proactively, you can utilize email drips that will be triggered at some points where you sense or predict churn. You can avoid churn by proactively responding to it.

6. Set up personalized notifications

Another drip campaign lesson is learned when Neil mentions how Mint uses email notifications to help its users recognize and understand their difficult situation and then explains how Mint can help.

One example of how Mint does that is by tracking personalized historical averages and then sending notifications or alerts when aberrations appear.

7. Timely and stylish communication

Finally, a lesson learned from op performing drip email campaigns is that contacting new user within a short time after they’ve signed up can help to activate them. The communication style and content, as well as personalization elements, are essential to keep your users coming back to your site and keep them engaged with your brand.

There’s a pattern among all drip campaigns that have a significant impact on their success. Personalization. Keep in mind that the more you can personalize your drip campaigns (using name, location, job title, stage of the customer journey, or anything like that), the better results you will get.

Back to the table of contents.

Where drip campaigns go off the rails

For every effective drip campaign, dozens crash and burn. But what makes a campaign go off the rails? These are some of the most frequent missteps with drip marketing:

Don't: Send too much email

A subscriber's level of engagement and stage of their journey can give you a hint about the ideal frequency of your emails. As we discussed, it's normal to contact the new lead every day soon after they've subscribed to your brand's mailing list. But when the user is mature, maybe once a week or every two weeks is best.

Don't: Email your list more than once a day.

Some marketers would say that mailing more than once a day can increase engagement. According to our experience, that's not true. It's a bad idea. It can come off as too salesy or aggressive, even intrusive, if you mail people more than once a day. They might think you are too desperate to get their attention - and that's not good.

As time goes by, you can look at your drip campaign stats and see what time of the day brings the highest open rates. That's the best way to do it, instead of sending a lot of emails to make sure the subscriber opens at least once.

Don't Resend old content.

Repurposing content for publishing on different media is a good content marketing strategy. But sending the same old content repeatedly to the same people will not go unnoticed.

Your audience will soon realize they are part of a robotic drip campaign that has lost the human touch. They will also think that your company has nothing new to say to them.
Make sure your drip email content is delivered once to every customer or lead, or else it will have the opposite effect.

Don't: Leave your sales staff in the dark.

In most companies, there is a gap to bridge between marketing and sales. What you need to do is use account-based marketing (ABM). ABM will help your business align sales and marketing efforts so that you derive the maximum benefit. If your marketing team launches a drip campaign but neglects to loop in your sales team, then prospects will wind up receiving both a drip campaign and a direct call the same day. This wouldn't be the end of the world, but can be confusing to receive mixed messages.

Establish regular sales and marketing meetings to discuss outbound strategies and campaigns.

Back to the table of contents.

Email Drip Campaign Software

Axis One: Convert customers with email marketing and automation

Axis One helps you contact and convert more customers by building email marketing campaigns that work. From sending broadcast messages to deploying triggered autoresponder sequences, all is done for you in Axis.

With this tool, you can achieve the ultimate goal of every business: get as many conversions as possible from the prospects that visit your website.

Watch the video below to learn how simple it is to use Axis and how it stacks up against competitive email marketing tools.

Some of the benefits you can reap from Axis include:

• Grow your email marketing list the simple way
• Send one-off broadcasts, i.e., email blasts
• Automate new subscriber onboarding with autoresponder sequences
• Create triggered email sequences that will automate your communications
• Effortlessly stay in touch with your past customers
• Reengage your list and convert more subscribers into customers.

All these reasons make it a worthy investment for your business. After all, you need to do email marketing if you want to grow your business. There is nothing quite like reaching your customers’ inbox when we talk about conversions!

Other Drip Email Software

There are dozens of tools available for managing your emails and crafting an effective drip campaign -- Drip, MailChimp, and Active Campaign are some of the most popular ones. But each of those marketing automation tools has a different set of features, limitations, and price points, so you'll want to review them thoroughly before committing.

Scripting: Autoresponder engine with email swipes and DFY scripts

Scriptly provides professionally written scripts that you can use as they are or customize to suit your business better. These scripts or email swipes will help you write high-converting sales copy immediately, even if you’ve never written a line of sales copy before.

As a Scriptly user, you’ll get instant access to:

• Autoresponder engine – This is a set of dozens of email sequences that are completely done for you. Anything from affiliate autoresponder sequences to webinar sequences is there.
• Page builder – Create any customizable landing page. All templates are tested and proven to convert to paid traffic.
• Customer avatars – There is no need for a separate tool to define different customer avatars to customize your marketing material to address other target groups. We have it all covered in Scriptly.
• VSL creator – Video sales letters can be easily created using Scriptly’s well-structured templates. For every part of the sales letter script, you can choose the sales copy that resonates with your audience.
• Webinar creator – Create your next webinar in minutes, not hours, with this unique fill-in-the-blank formula. The webinar creator is a handy tool that will help you get past writer’s block instantly.

Statly: Understand marketing data to improve sales performance.

If you want to succeed in drip marketing automation, you must be able to track and analyze data. See, you may be successful at attracting tons of targeted website traffic. But what if only 2% of those visitors convert, while the rest remain anonymous? Don’t you want a way to identify who they are, track their behavior, and keep them coming back? Of course you do.

How are users acting when they visit your website? In today’s competitive times, obtaining meaningful data is an integral part of a successful marketing plan.

This is where Statly comes into the picture. As the complete tool that helps you in real-time tracking of users leveraging the sales funnel strategy, it can immensely help your chances of converting traffic into sales. Statly enables you to obtain meaningful data to make the right business decisions.

But how does Statly work? Statly gives you a comprehensive idea of how your sales funnels are converting. It helps you spot opportunities and the parts of your funnels that need to be improved. Watch this video to learn more about what our patent-pending tool can do for your business.

Here are some of the salient features of the tool:

• Real-time website analytics
• Conversion tracking through sales funnels
• Tracking conversion opportunities
• Tracking sales and user behavior on the website

If WordPress powers your site, then all you need to do is install the latest version of our plugin to get started with Statly’s advanced analytics and sales funnel tracking. Click here to sign up for a free Statly trial!

With Statly in your arsenal, you can better optimize your automated marketing campaigns and the buyer’s journey so you entice more web visitors to convert into paying customers. Sitting in front of a load of data wouldn’t do any good, would it? But with Statly by your side, all these previously intimidating numbers will finally make sense.

Back to the table of contents.

How to measure drip campaign results

As with all business endeavors, establishing a set of metrics you will use to track the success of your drip campaigns is crucial to making the right decisions. So, what's the best way to keep track of how users are engaging with your content?

One of the best strategies to accurately track sources of traffic (and the funnel that follows) involves UTM codes (alternatively called URL parameters) -- small text strings that come at the end of a URL. UTM codes don't affect the destination. They add tags to the URL so you know where the visitor came from.

UTM

UTMs track web browsing via cookies in Google Analytics and other analytics suites. Using UTM tags, Google Analytics can show you exactly where a user has been before they visited your site and whether or not they've been to your website before, amongst other information.

When you use UTMs in your drip campaigns, you can track visitors coming from each email message that is part of your drip.

Google has built a custom URL builder that you can use to create custom UTMs.

The beginning of a UTM code is a question mark. At the end of a URL. Here's an example:

https://doneforyou.com/?utm_source=dfyblog&utm_medium=drip-campaigns-post

Whether you use the part after the question mark or not, the user will land on the same page. But if the URL is tagged, you'll know where that user came from.

A lot of the time, if you're using an app to manage your drip campaigns, the app will automatically tag URLs. So, you need to set up the tagging pattern once, and your app will do the rest for every newsletter you send.

Now, here are some vital drip campaign metrics or KPIs you need to measure regularly.

Depending on the sort of drip campaign software you are using, you should be able to find most of these metrics on your dashboard. For the rest, simple calculations would give you what you need.

1. Open Rate

Open rate shows the percentage of your email recipients who opened your message. This is an essential metric to evaluate because your email drips won't do much unless your list subscribers are clicking to open your emails. Opening an email means reading it in most cases.

How to calculate open rate: Total Opens / Total Emails Delivered

2. Bounce Rate

Bounce rate is the percentage of your emails that weren't delivered to your subscribers' inbox. There might be a lot of reasons for bounces, but the most common one is that the email address does not exist.

How to calculate bounce rate: Total Bounces / Total Emails Sent

3. Click-Through Rate

Click-through rate is the percentage of clicks on a link inside your email over the total number of emails delivered. Typically, getting your list members to click on a link within your email message will be the main objective of your drip campaign because clicking a link is equal to taking action.

How to calculate click-through rate: Total Clicks / Total Emails Delivered

4. Unsubscribe Rate

The unsubscribe rate is the percentage of people who unsubscribe following an email blast. If you send 1,000 emails and ten people click on the "unsubscribe" link inside your email, then the unsubscribe rate is 1%.

How to calculate unsubscribe rate: Total Unsubscribes / Total Emails Delivered

5. Conversion Rate

It's all about conversions. So, the conversion rate is the percentage of the people on your list who completed an action (e.g. filling out a form or purchasing a product) after receiving your email.

As explained before, you will need to have UTM links in place to track the whole funnel from click to purchase. Click the link to read more about how to keep track of the complete customer journey.

How to calculate conversion rate: Total Conversions / Total Emails Delivered

6. Drip Campaign ROI

Your campaign's Return On Investment is the overall return on your money spent on the email drip campaign.

How to calculate drip campaign ROI: ($ Sales-- $ Invested)/ $ Invested

7. List Growth Rate

This is a generic measure of how good you are doing growing your email list. List growth rate is the rate at which the number of people on your list has grown over a specified period of time.

How to calculate list growth rate: New Subscribes-(Unsubscribes + Complaints) / Total Subscribers (over a period of time, e.g. the last month).

So, that was it! The Complete Guide To Drip Campaigns And Email Automation.

We hope we did a good job explaining what drip campaigns are and how marketing automation works towards optimizing your processes and increasing your revenue.

Email drips or email automation or marketing automation, whatever you call it, is here to stay; jump on the bandwagon to reap the benefits of automated lead generation, lead nurturing on auto-pilot and sales conversion 24/7 using email drips. Click here to go back to the top of the article.

Video Transcript: Quick Strategies For Drip Marketing Automation

Today we're going to be talking about drip marketing automation.

This is going to date me a little bit but back when I first got into internet marketing 14 years ago, but I remember listening to an audio program from this guy named Eben Pagan and Frank Kern. They were talking about the miracle of email marketing in building your email list, and this thing called an email autoresponder.

The magic of an email autoresponder

This email autoresponder, basically somebody will go to a landing page, they'd fill in an opt in form for a lead magnet or a freebie of some kind, a bribe, and this autoresponder would send them email, after email, after email, after email. Day one it would send an email, day two it would send an email, day three it would send an email. So, that was this autoresponder. The big company back then was a company called AWeber, and they're still around. They're still actually a great drip campaign software. They're also in Pennsylvania here, but AWeber created this autoresponder so that an assistant, or you, or whoever wouldn't have to actually email your list every single day based on when somebody signed up. So day one, the email goes out. Day two, the email goes out. Day three, the email goes out.

So, everybody is happy and everybody is being marketing to automatically. It's the beauty and the magic of technology. Now fast forward to today, and that autoresponder has since been renamed a drip email sequence or drip marketing.

The evolution: drip marketing automation

So, drip marketing is same thing as an autoresponder. Email one goes out, email two drips out the next day. Third email drips out the next day. Fourth email drips out the next day. Your membership content is dripped out week, after week, after week. So, this drip is now basically what the terminology is calling automation or autoresponders. Now, when we get to drip marketing automation really, the automation piece just adds another layer on top of it. So, the automation piece adds a trigger. So, now you have this email, this drip marketing sequence that is set to go out. Email one, two, three, four. It's set to go out.

Now the automation piece adds in a trigger, and the trigger might be a tag is added to a contact record. This person visited a landing page. This form was filled out. This webinar was attended. This survey result was submitted. So, there's lots of triggers that will fire that drip marketing automation, and that's where the magic all comes together. So, it's the trigger. When we build sales funnels for our clients, we will go in and we will set up a bunch of drip marketing already because we already know how people are going to be moving through the sales funnel.

Ideas for drip email examples

Some of them, the biggest, most common drip email examples are we will set up a lead magnet fulfillment sequence. So when somebody downloads a lead magnet, then they go into this fulfillment sequence. The fulfillment sequence drips out, day one, drips out the link, the download link that they can get the report. Day two, maybe it drips out the social media profiles for our client. Day three, what we're trying to do is we're trying to bond them. It's called an indoctrination sequence. So day two it might be social media profiles, day three, "Hey, this is what we do." Day four might be the about page of day five is, "This is why we do what we do." So, it's basically telling the story of our client.

Webinar Promo Campaign

Another example of a drip marketing automation campaign that we have, that we put together for our clients, would be a webinar promo campaign. It's a four email sequence that promotes a webinar, or a webinar replay sequence, which is a six email sequence that we use to promote the webinar replay. Or, a strategy session promo sequence. So, these we already have all loaded up inside whatever CRM our client is going to be using, because we know that these emails are going to be used.

We're going to be increasing website traffic fast through a sales funnel. Now we have to figure out what triggers.

1. automation piece of the drip marketing automation
2. triggers are going to fire
3. forms are going to be figured out
4. pages are going to be visited
5. webinars are going to be attended
6. if that person signs up for the webinar and doesn't attend, what happens?

All of those triggers then put people in different drip marketing campaigns.

It layers all of that complexity in on top of itself. So, that's some great drip marketing examples. Ways that you can engage your folks through your sales funnel. Another thing is an affiliate sequence, so finding three, or four, or five, or eight affiliate products in your space that you can promote and get paid commission. Another drip marketing example would be looking at all of your blog posts over the last six months and then taking your best ones, putting it all together into an autoresponder, and then letting your prospects go through it on autopilot. So that they're bonding with you and engaging with your company without you actually having to do something.

Deploying the best drip campaigns now in terms of the best drip campaigns, there are so many examples.

Many different ones to use. My absolute favorite are Axis One, Infusionsoft, Ontraport, and ActiveCampaign. We have clients using all of them. Infusionsoft, a little bit bulky. It's Keap now but like I said, I've been doing this a long time. So, it will always be Infusionsoft to me. Ontraport is one that we use personally for our stuff. We use Axis One personally for our stuff, and then we also use ActiveCampaign for a bunch of clients. ActiveCampaign, brilliantly awesome drip campaign software however, it doesn't let you do much from a sales pipeline standpoint. It doesn't let you do much from an API tie in standpoint, so it's one of the reasons why we choose the other three unless our client is just looking for drip marketing automation, that's it.

What is an excellent open rate in an email marketing drip campaign?

That's an interesting question because when somebody is brand new to you, your open rate is going to be high. So if somebody signs up for a lead magnet, then that first email that they're going to get is going to be an open rate of 50%, 60%, 70%, even if it's not double opt-in. Then from there, it's going to go down. It might go down to 20%, 30% for the next couple of emails. Once you get to two weeks, three weeks, four weeks out then your open rate is going to be probably between 16% and 20% unless they purchased something.

If it's actually a buyer's list, then your open rate is going to be high for a really, really long time because these are buyers. As long as you didn't sell them some shit product, then they are going to love you for a while. Especially because you're emailing them. So, that is one of the biggest reasons why your buyer's list, the metric is at 16% more profitable than your prospect list, and that is why. So if you are looking for drip marketing automation software, then check out AxisOne.io. If you would like to talk about setting up marketing automation for your business, setting up your products, setting up services, and figuring out how best to use drip marketing automation for you or for your clients even, then go to DoneForYou.com/Start.

GSDdaily 078

This is episode number 78, how to set up drip campaigns and email automation. This week is marketing automation week. It was so funny, I actually talked to a guy yesterday named Clint who literally geeks out on marketing automation the same way that I do, which is, I mean, it's this magical thing, really.

When you have one piece of software that can talk to another piece of software and you can send all kinds of interesting things back and forth and really is, it's magical, because you can set the few things up so that if somebody hits a website, then you get a ping and slack. Nuts, right? You're able to literally see the life of your website, the life of your sales funnel, who is coming to your sales funnel, what their phone numbers are, what their email address is. Then you just pick up the phone if you want, if you want to be that aggressive from a business development standpoint.

It's pretty cool the way marketing automation or marketing technology or martech or adtech or whatever kind of fun little synonym you want to put into play. I mean, it's funny how all of those things come together to just give us something us marketing nerds can geek out on. That is pretty cool when you can reach out and have an impact in somebody's life, help them make some transformation, help them on their journey without having to do it personally, without having to do it one-on-one. That's the fun part.

How to Set Up Drip Campaigns and Email Automation

For those of you who don't know who I am, my name is Jason Drohn, the creator of doneforyou.com. We specialize in three things, setting up offers, helping build offers, helping build sales funnels, and then also setting up marketing automation and traffic. That is where we live. It's the thing that I have spent the last 14 years of my life perfecting. It's what my team does every single day.

This is called The Complete Guide To Drip Campaigns And Email Automation. We're going to talk through it. I'm going to show you some cool stuff.

Now for those of you, if you have marketing automation set up in your business, just say, "Yes," because marketing automation really is super, super important.

It started back a little while ago. I don't even know how long ago, 16 years ago, 14 years ago maybe. It started as just an email autoresponder. The simplest form of that is in Gmail. When you set up your vacation message, that is an autoresponder. When you get an email, then a vacation message triggers out, so it alerts the person that you were on vacation and you will not be getting back to them, and here's the number to call if you have an urgent problem. That's the simplest form of an autoresponder.

Sequence of Autoresponders

Now the next level higher is actually just a sequence of autoresponders. It's an autoresponder that's set up and sends multiple emails or multiple text messages or whatever. What this lets you do is it lets you predefine how people, what copy is going to be going out for somebody to read. You get to write five, seven, 10 emails once, and then on day one, that email goes out and somebody gets it. On day two, the next email goes out and somebody gets it. On day three, the next email goes out and somebody gets it.

It's powerful in simplicity because when you have a sales call, you can literally just put somebody on that list, and then they get the next 30 days' worth of email from you. You aren't writing any of it. You're not sending it one-on-one. It doesn't even enter your consciousness. The software just sends it and the person receiving it, usually knows it's an email autoresponder at this point, but they didn't use it. But even now seeing your name pop up in the inbox, seeing your image, your logo, the copy, the content, all of that stuff, it helps them know, like, and trust you. That is what good marketing automation does. That's what drip campaigns do.

Now drip campaigns, there is a sequence of marketing email messages that are sent out automatically on a preset schedule. That preset schedule can be daily, it can be every other day, it can be every three days, it can be at 7:00 a.m. every morning, it can be at 11:00 p.m. We try to send them out first thing in the morning. We try to make sure that they are going out a first thing or as first thing as possible.

Why you need drip marketing automation campaigns?

1. You want to be relevant with timely communication.

You don't ever want somebody to forget about you. Never, ever do you want them to forget about who you are, what you do, what you stand for. You want them to remember you, to remember your brands, remember doing business with you, to remember getting value from you. That is one of the biggest things, one of the biggest reasons why email automation is so important.

2. You want to nurture leads until they are sales-ready.

Not everybody who comes to your website is going to be ready to pull the trigger and buy something right now. You want to help them get there. That might mean a month's worth of warming up to you. It might mean days or hours worth of warming up to you. It might mean years of warming up to you. Marketing automation buys you that time so that you are able to market to that person without it involving considerable mind share from you.

If you have a list of 70,000 people, you might only actively be doing business from maybe a consulting standpoint, with 150 of them and at any time. But that also means that how many tens of thousands of them are engaged with you ready to become your next customer. It's all because of marketing automation.

It also lets you work smarter. It lets you work smarter with marketing automation. Think about it hard once and then you put it together and then you dial it in forever.

Infographic On Some Drip Campaign Basics

Now here's a little infographic on some drip campaign basics. I will let you explore that, some other little videos and stuff. Just some very simple sequences that you want to have in place when you start. You want to nurture your leads. That might involve podcasts and blog posts, other pieces of content that you create. You want to welcome them onto your list so that they are seeing what you do. They're being onboarded correctly. You want to make sure to send abandonment cart emails. Those abandonment cart emails, it's a marketing automation thing. If somebody hits your order form but then doesn't buy within an hour, you want to send them emails and say, "Hey, you really should go back and buy. Your discount is expiring. Your whatever is expiring," and hit them with a couple of emails there. That's marketing automation.

Anytime there's a renewal, so whether it's a monthly subscription renewal or an annual subscription renewal or whatever, and they're almost at their end. The subscription renewal is every 30 days usually. On day 27, day 28, you should email them a report or email them something nice.

Reengage them in your brand so that they feel value a couple of days before it's time for them to renew.

This encourages them to stick around longer. It's a very simple trigger. It's like if they sign up now, that first one goes out on day 27, the next one goes out 30 days after that, so it's day 57. The next one goes out 30 days after that, day 87. Let the software track it, let the software handle it. All you got to do is think about it. Just think about it hard for an hour and put a couple of blog posts together, put a couple of leads together, whatever, figure out what you're going to do for that person, and then let the software handle it.

Engagement is another one. If somebody needs to be reengaged, if they haven't done anything, you haven't seen them, heard from them, they haven't been to your website, they haven't opened an email in 90 days or more than you want to try to reengage them. If they don't reengage, you cut them from your email list because you want your sender score to stay high.

Drip Your Course Through Email

One of the cool things about drip automation is you can actually drip your course material out through email. Rather than go through the hard work of protecting your membership website, doing the login and the password and all that other stuff and protecting the pages and then worrying about some folks not being able to login or some password reset reminders or all of the customer support that goes with membership, which there is a lot, you can literally just automate in an email. They buy a course on day one, they get the first email. In that email, they get access to all the videos. On day eight, or seven, whatever, they get access to the next lesson, the next module, and that's all the videos.

You don't have to worry about a login. There are benefits to log in, of course, but there's also a lot of drawbacks to forcing a login. It just depends on how committed you are, if you have a support team. If your mind getting support reminders about passwords and stuff, it might be simpler just to kind of let it publicly available, but not have that URL show publicly, like in Google so you can have them de-index it.

Who runs drip email campaigns?

Bloggers, core sellers, SAS businesses, realtors, insurance brokers, fashion industry, beauty professionals, eCommerce online. Basically, if you have a business, you should be running email, you should be running marketing automation. That's really all there is to it.

Now we talked a lot about this yesterday, but basically, there's a couple of different things. Every marketing automation lives in this triggered category right up here, so in the center in the white there. Every automation has a trigger. That trigger activates the content. It activates the dripping material that's going out, it also activates any nurture sequences, but everything has a trigger. The automation doesn't start until the trigger fires. That trigger might be a URL visit, it might be a form fill out. It might be somebody logging into a CRM and manually adding a tag. Everything has to trigger in order for it to go out.

Determine your goals for your marketing automation

You want to make sure to determine your goals when it comes to marketing automation. That is a very kind of macro question. What do you want your prospects to do? If your goal is to have your prospects sign up for a strategy session with you, then everything, all roads lead to Rome. All roads need to end at that strategy session. It might be a call to action in your blog posts, it's going to be a PS, and all of your up on emails, all your webinars are going to pitch that strategy session. All marketing automation needs to be constructed around that idea of your goal is X so all automation is pointing to that one area.

That lets you optimize your marketing messages. It lets you know what your language is going to be like. It lets you focus on your CTS so that your calls to action there. All of that stuff, super, super important.

Frequency and Timing

Then your frequency and timing. We talked about this on Monday, but how often do you mail? How often do you set it up so that somebody gets something from you? Personally, we do usually daily. Daily emails go out and if somebody doesn't want an email, they just delete it. But most of our folks open and they at least open and read. Then there are the people who are engaged, click, go over and watch the live stream, go watch a video, go read a blog post, whatever.

Very little of what we do is a direct link to a sales video. Most of it is content-based, and that's by design. The people who want to buy something, end up buying something down the road. But a lot of that is based on the segments. Who are our more engaged buyers, who are the folks who just signed up, who signed up through a webinar, and maybe they're going through a replay sequence, or did they just find us by visiting the website and opting in for something?

Those segments tell us a lot about their intention. Inside your CRM, you want to set up groups. The group might be a tag, it might be a sequence, it might be a thing. But then that group is how you trigger the marketing automation itself.

Make sure to measure performance

Then you will always want to make sure to measure performance. What are your clicks, opens, or 90-day engaged numbers? How many people did you sign up for your list yesterday? How many emails did you send? All of that stuff is you can just set up a good dashboard for it. Most good CRMs have dashboards like that, how many emails were sent, how many people are on your list, all that stuff.

Onboarding Drip Campaign

Now, some campaign examples. There's an onboarding drip campaign. Email one might encourage customers to finish setting up their new accounts. Then email two shows them around your training material, maybe user guides give them some demo videos and stuff. Email three is going to point customers to a blog, maybe some updates, maybe some ways to keep track of what is new and exciting in your world.

That's an example of a nice onboarding campaign. A lot of these you can just kind of click-through. There's a welcome email drip sequence that we talk through a little bit. You can retain a customer or current customers. There is a drip campaign example to acquire referrals. That one I think is going to be really good for a lot of you. Email example, email two examples.

Offer and Promotion Drips

Then we have the offer and promotion drips. When we are trying to get somebody to buy or when we maybe do a flash sale or send out a discount code, then that stuff would be in there too.

Let's see. Use psychology and personalization, reduce cart abandonment where drip campaigns go off the rail. That's a funny picture. I didn't take that. That's funny, but it looks like something Sebastian would do. Let's see, resend old content. Don't leave your sales staff. Drip automation software and so on and so forth.

Marketing automation is something that you need to have set up in your business.

If you haven't already addressed marketing automation and you don't have a plan for it, you don't have the emails that are supposed to go out or even an idea of how those need to go, then definitely by all means set up an action plan call with us. Over at doneforyou.com/start, you can book a call with my team and me.

What we're going to do is we're going to look at the sales funnel because the sales funnel is really kind of the big piece. I mean, it's the big visual component of your process. You have your lead magnets, you have your webinar registration page, you have your webinar replay page. You have all of that stuff up live in public, but then you have this underlying piece, which is marketing automation.

Sales funnels don't work without marketing automation.

A sales funnel that is just pages is very simply just pages. It is a collection of pages that do certain things, but without marketing automation, none of the rest of it works. When somebody signs up for your lead magnet, then they will get no emails telling them what to do next. If somebody signs up for your webinar that is going live in 15 minutes, they will get no replay emails without marketing automation. If somebody goes to your webinar and books a sales call without marketing automation, nobody would get the reminders for that sales call. Marketing automation is the glue that really brings all of this together.

It's something you need to address in your business, whether the sales funnel is built, or whether you're thinking about building a sales funnel, all of it needs to be addressed through this lens of marketing automation. Click funnels are great. The lead pages are fine. Optimizepress is fine. So many of these page funnel-building software is completely awesome, but they're page builders. They don't have this underlying kind of marketing automation component. Click funnels to have something. Does it do what you need it to do? Maybe it's a great scenario, maybe it's not. You just need to know what you're looking for and what that end result is and then what the capabilities of the software are going to be in order to really put everything together.

For Questions and Guide

We will be happy to explore that with you, all the way from a done-for-you sales funnel, all the way to sending traffic to marketing automation. Just go to doneforyou.com/start, book, fill out the little form, book your call and we will get started there. If you have any questions at all about getting all of this stuff set up, just comment below and I'll make sure to kind of backfill on any comments and answers and we'll go from there.

Thank you so much for joining me today. I will see you tomorrow. I think tomorrow we're going to talk about SMS maybe. We're going to talk about different marketing automation. I think it's going to be SMS. Show you a couple of cool examples. And then Friday, we're going to wrap up the marketing automation week and I will talk to you soon. All right. Thanks. Bye.

The post How To Set-up Drip Campaigns And Email Automation appeared first on Done For You.

Such issues can hinder an entire company and prevent it from growing or developing further. Fortunately, modern technology has improved business communication systems, thus allowing companies to utilize the full potential of such systems.

Not only does this help a company improve its productivity, efficiency and overall performance, but it also bridges the collaboration gaps. When employees can communicate and collaborate seamlessly, they can do a much better job, as well as make more strategic decisions based on facts and relevant information.

That’s why it’s of vital importance that every company today makes an effort to improve an existing business communication system or implement a new one that will ensure exceptional company-wide communication and collaboration. With that in mind, here are a few ways business communication systems can bridge your company’s collaboration gaps.

Conferencing and face-to-face meetings

Human interactions are essential for good communication and collaboration between employees. Emails and instant messaging apps are great ways to communicate but they are often not personal enough for employees to form a healthy business relationship.

Conferencing and face-to-face meetings are, therefore, ideal ways to bridge this gap. Face-to-face meetings are designed for in-house employees who can meet at one place and share ideas or insights, whereas video conferencing is ideally suited for remote employees who cannot attend such meetings in person. When it comes to remote work, more and more companies are leveraging this trend.

However, if remote employees are not included in everyday company activities or if the communication with their coworkers is hindered in any way, they will soon become isolated and they’ll start to lose their morale, which can lead to a huge collaboration gap. That’s why your business communication system should include remote employees and make them feels like regular members of the team.

Effective phone systems

Phone calls may seem like they are an outdated communication method with all the apps and other modern gadgets going about. However, phone systems are still one of the most effective communication methods, especially when it comes to cross-department collaboration. For instance, if you choose Nextiva toolbar, which is one of the best office phone systems, you can vastly improve both customer service and support. Not only do such systems improve communication between your staff and customers, but they also enhance collaboration between departments. Customer support can easily contact other colleagues from sales or marketing departments to help resolve an issue a customer is having or to help provide them with relevant answers to their questions.

Moreover, marketing and sales teams can quickly communicate over the phone to create ideal strategies without the need for lengthy meetings or troublesome email correspondence. Oftentimes, the departments need to act quickly and communication over the phone is ideally suited for such scenarios.

Seamless flow of information

The successful collaboration between employees and their departments rests on the free and seamless flow of information. Back in the day, companies would silo relevant information. Managers or executives would then decide whether to disclose any of that information to employees.

Nowadays, it’s vital for companies to get rid of information silos and allow information to be freely shared between departments. Information in written form is particularly handy in such cases.

However, thanks to modern technology, written information doesn’t have to be handed out on paper. Instead, companies can leverage cloud services as a form of a business communication system.

The cloud allows for any piece of information or a document to be stored in the online storage where it’s available to all employees wherever they may be and on any device they may be using. That way, employees can access documents and information whenever they need it and leverage data to improve their efficiency, collaboration and productivity.

Knowledge sharing

Companies hire new employees all the time. However, these new employees need to be brought up to speed regarding company activities, operations and so on. This is an ideal moment to foster communication and collaboration for the very beginning.

Various tools, such as virtual classrooms, project management software, messaging apps and so on can help new employees create a relationship with their coworkers, as well as help them learn and hone their skills. This way, a company can guarantee collaboration through effective communication between their current and their newly-hired employees.

Therefore, by integrating your existing business communication system with relevant tools and apps, you can not only boost the productivity of all your employees but also encourage teamwork and collaboration company-wide.

Effective communication and seamless collaboration are vital for companies and their employees. That’s why the necessity for quality business communication systems is, indeed, important. Without such systems in place, the collaboration gap in your company may become too wide to bridge.

The post Ways Business Communication Systems Can Bridge Your Company’s Collaboration Gaps appeared first on Done For You.

In this episode of GSDdaily, we are going to talk about the tools and technology needed to create digital products. Stuff you can sell on your website, whether it’s ebooks, video courses, membership sites, all that kind of stuff. Basically, ways that you can package your knowledge and then sell it online. We’ve worked with a lot of people for a long time to package their knowledge. And for us, it follows a very similar path.

We’re going to talk about the tools, but getting you out of your head is a pain in the ass. It’s not that you don’t know how to do something. Oftentimes it’s difficult to teach something you inherently know or something that you figured out at one point in your life.

One of the biggest burdens that we’ve seen in helping people, we organize their business and create digital products and sell membership sites and all that other stuff.

What we’re going to do is we’re going to walk through the technology to make some of that happen and the software to make some of that happen. For those of you who don’t know, my name is Jason Drohn. I created doneforyou.com quite a few years ago. We specialize in three things; helping people create digital products, helping people automate their sales funnels, and they also deal with their traffic and automation on the backside.

Today we’re going to dig into how to create digital products. By and large, product creation, there are a couple of tools that you can use. So to create digital products, you don’t need much. You don’t need much in terms of software and technology to create an ebook. Once you get into video, video tends to be a little bit, not more difficult, but a little bit more intense.

To create digital products like ebooks, you just need, at the very minimum, you need some sort of a word processor. Microsoft Word is on pretty much almost any computer. Google Docs, you just need a Google account and then you can log in and get access to Google Docs. Then that gives you spreadsheets and Docs and all that other stuff.

The magic is just exporting it as a PDF. Once you’re able to export it as a PDF, then you’re able to sell that thing on your website. And you can also use a piece of software called Kindle Create, which will let you do ebooks and stuff and upload them to Kindle. We’re to talk about that in a minute. I’ll just take you on a little tour like I did yesterday.

Software for Audio Capture

For audio capture, some of the good ones.

• QuickTime
• Audacity
• Zoom
• StreamYard

QuickTime is a great tool. If you’re on an Apple, you can record on QuickTime. Audacity is a free piece of software that you can use to record your MP3s too. Where there’s a will, there’s away. You can use voice notes on your mobile and grab and record audio. Or you can jump on Zoom and record audio. Or you can jump on, this is StreamYard and I can record my video and my audio from here. So there are so many different ways of recording yourself if you have something to share. Do you know what I mean?

Software for Video Capture

What’s up, Mars? Mars said hi. There are so many ways of recording yourself. If you’re comfortable. Even if you’re not comfortable with it, you can use a piece of tool.

• Camtasia
• Screenflow
• iMovie
• Final Cut Pro
• Screenflow

As one of these video capture tools like Camtasia or ScreenFlow, which we’re going to kick through in a minute.

In terms of stuff, in terms of gear, again, you don’t need much.

Tools for Video Capture

• any mobile phone
• HD webcam
• Camcorder
• Mic

Any mobile phone, any newer webcam is going to work just fine. I have been recording the last couple of videos on just an old HD webcam. This is an actual camcorder because right now, for whatever reason, webcams are super expensive. Well, we know the reason because everybody’s buying a webcam. But it was like, that webcam, that old webcam, was $170. This camcorder that I’m recording on was $220, and it’s an HD camcorder that you can do other things besides just hookups through the web. So, by and large, it works out pretty well. So I’m going to kick through Amazon.

Then mics. You can have something like this. This is an Audio Technica AT2020, which is that top result there. There’s a Blue Yeti, which is just a brand name. Most people have a Blue Yeti. That tends to be the one. Or any wireless mic. I have Amazon…

I got this camera, Vixia HF R800, which is the top result. It outputs through an HDMI cable, and then it… This camera sends the signal to a little, it’s like a game capture card. For the gamers who want to stream their gameplay on a computer, then it sends the HD signal into a USB port on the computer. And that USB port had a malfunction yesterday. That’s why it ended up being weird. But with this camera, I’m really happy with it. And then it’s paired with this and AT2020. An Audio Technica AT2020 mic, which is this guy.

There’s a couple of different versions of this thing. This is a USB version, which is this one. So it just goes USB port directly into the computer. This guy is super nice. I bought this thing eight or nine years ago. I bought the stand eight or nine years ago too. And then once I decided I wanted to start podcasting with doing these with a standing desk, I was like, wow, I need something that stands. And then this ended up working out pretty well.

The other version of this mic ends up going into a mixing board. A little bit cheaper going into a mixing board. So this one has the full, I don’t know exactly what the cable is called. I’m sure other people… Mars says, “Advice to anyone showing up is to listen to what this fella tells you.” That’s funny. Thank you, Mars. I appreciate it.

Mic, camera, and then the webcam. From a web game standpoint, you can work with just about any webcam you want. You don’t even need a webcam. This is the one that I have, the C920 is the one that’s over there. And I got it a long time ago. But there are all kinds of webcams and they’re all… It looks like they’re all kind of coming down in price, but these are not brand names. They look like it, but they’re not. So if you’re a brand-name person, then just make sure you’re on Amazon and looking for the right kind of thing.

iMovie

Literally, your mobile device is going to work just fine. Being able to record a video on this guy, and then I record the video on my phone all the time and then edit it using something like iMovie. IMovie if you’re on a Mac. So iMovie is a fantastic tool if you’re on a Mac. It’s free and a part of the Apple suite. It’s beginner-friendly. You even have iMovie on an Apple device and you import a bunch of clips, you can move them around, you can cut them. You can do some general video editing. But you look at some of these YouTube streamers and they’re doing this super, super simple video editing. And a lot of them are just doing it right on their mobile device. It’s not magic, even though that’s what Apple is telling you it is.

Final Cut Pro

I also use Final Cut Pro. So once you graduate out of iMovie, then Final Cut Pro is probably where you’re going to end up landing. Final Cut Pro, fantastic software. It’s iMovie but to the next level. So you can do all the production-ready stuff in Final Cut Pro. I’m not real sure what the windows equivalent is, but I’m sure if you were just to Google it, then it would tell you.

ScreenFlow

Let’s see. There is ScreenFlow, which ScreenFlow is how I record all of our tutorial videos and stuff. Anything that is not a live stream ends up being ScreenFlow. It’s just software that records in different tracks. So you have your video track, you have your audio track, you have your camera track. And then you can move them around, you can dub them out, you can cut them, you can move them above each other. So basically they’re like layers in Photoshop. And then you can edit your videos that way.

This is the tool that I use most often. Even some non-complicated video edits, sometimes it’s just easier just to drag it into ScreenFlow, chop a couple of things, and then export it as opposed to starting a project in iMovie, or starting a project I Final Cut, or whatever. I end up using ScreenFlow more than almost any other piece of software, just because my video edits tend to be a lot less intensive or intense than more… Somebody does video full time. Do you know what I mean?

Camtasia

Camtasia is a piece of software that you’re going to be able to record your screen, just like ScreenFlow, only for Windows. So there is a Camtasia product for Mac, but almost everybody who’s on a Mac uses ScreenFlow. So you can use try the Windows version or try the Mac version. I came from a Windows world. Eight years ago I was on a Windows machine and I did a lot with Camtasia. Moved to Mac, downloaded Camtasia, tried Camtasia, didn’t work all that well. And then I tried ScreenFlow, stuck with ScreenFlow. But Camtasia would work on a Mac too. But it’s pretty much the only thing you got on a desktop.

Snagit

If your videos are going to be shorter, Snagit works well too. I’m not sure if Snagit has a Windows counterpart. We’re going to go look. So Snagit is also by TechSmith, also by the same company that Camtasia is, but it’s a very, very simple editor. You can make small cuts, but even that ends up being a little bit burdensome. But if you’ve just got to grab a quick screen recording video and then do some voiceover and then send it off, Snagit’s going to work well. It’s great for working with people.

It’s easier to describe a stat or a result or something, so I will open up Snagit, record a quick video, and then send it off to them. Or a team member. You record a quick video, you send it off to him. There are lots of other kinds of tools like Loom and some other ones, but Snagit is the one that I just use.

Tools

• Microsoft Word and Pages
• Google Docs
• Amazon Kindle Create

Let’s see. Now in terms of tools, I don’t think Microsoft Word and Pages require any tremendous amount of detail. Google Docs, I don’t think we need to go there. If you just go to docs.google.com, it’s a word processor, you can edit as a PDF, and that’s it. The one place I do want to go is Amazon Create. Amazon Kindle Create is the name of it. So there is a piece of software called the Kindle Creates that basically what it does is it helps you format your ebook for the Kindle marketplace and also for the Kindle browsers.

Kindle Create

If you look, there is Kindle Create. I’m just going to grab this link and let me share it here. Kindle Create. I don’t think I have it on this computer. But basically what Kindle Create does is it lets you take your PDF, your doc file, whatever, and then you can import it into Kindle Create, and then it sets it up to be a Kindle ebook.

In creating your eBooks, Kindle is something you need to think about. You’re not going to make that much money on it. So if you sell the PDF from your website, you’re going to make, seven bucks, 10 bucks, five bucks, 12 bucks, $27, whatever. Whatever your pricing is, and that’s 100% yours. With Kindle, you have two different royalty levels and you’re only going to make a couple of bucks per sale, but you’re able to tap into all of Kindles buyers. All of Amazon’s buyers. So you’re qualifying buyers. You’re leveraging the Amazon network to generate buyers and leads for yourself. So it’s a network you need to think about.

Kindle Create is a way that you format those books. You can also format textbooks and stuff too. Here, this textbook right now is formatted as a Kindle version and I created this one… Here, I’m just going to drop this link. So I created this Kindle book and this textbook using Kindle Create. And this textbook is full… I’m waiting for a proof copy. But the Kindle book is a Kindle book as you would expect a Kindle book to be. And then the paperback is a full eight and a half by an 11-inch textbook that is 274 pages long. And hence the textbook nature, I was like, a hundred bucks, sure. Let’s do it. And this was created using that Kindle Create.

Creating Ebooks

I also create digital products like ebooks. The Convert ebook and the Create ebook are both ebooks up there now. I did the same thing here. Kindle Create created these ebooks. I use this software, the Kindle Creates software to format them, add the table of contents, upload them. And it took about an hour of work. So after the doc files like created, then you import it into Kindle Create and then you upload it and go from there. So that works out pretty nice.

Audio Recording

Now, audio recording, the easiest way to record audio, absolutely easy is just to record a video and then strip the audio out. If you record a video using StreamYard, Zoom, ScreenFlow, your camcorder, your mobile phone, whatever, and then you import it into any video editor. Then what it’s going to do, any video editor is going to let you detach the audio from the video clip. Then you detach the audio. It becomes a freestanding layer. Then you just delete out the video. And now you have an audio layer that can be saved as an MP3 file. So if you want audio, that’s how you should do it. If you just record the video, you might as well, you’re going to be recording it anyway. So unless you’re outside and, I don’t know, whatever, doing, whatever, then just record the video and strip off the audio.

If you do want to record the audio, just the audio, use a voice notes app on your mobile phone, or whatever. Audacity Project is an old timepiece of software that you can export MP3 files on. Look at this interface. It’s awesomely 1998-ish, but it works well. So there’s that. But it’ll work if you want to just record audio.

There was one other thing. Oh, I just ran across this new tool called Descript, and I was just talking to a client about it. Descript is the name of it. What it does is you can import any audio or video file and then it does a machine learning transcript on it and then you can scrub through the video based on the text.

If you want to go in and just grab a chunk or do social media clips out of a video like this, a 25, 30-minute video, or of an interview, you can actually write down the pieces of the places you want to remember in the interview or the video, and then afterward you can go and scrub to those places, chunk it out and then create digital products content that way. So this is a tool that I just started playing with. It is super cool. It’s very interesting. In terms of workflow, I don’t have it anywhere in my workflow yet, but I think it’s going to probably make up the pre-editing of social media clips and stuff. So very cool stuff there though.

Do you have any questions? Any questions you’d like me to answer? I think we’ve covered all the product creation tools. I don’t have too much else in terms of software and technology that I think we need to talk about. Just looking around and seeing if there’s anything else. There’s the gimbal, which I think is important. So mobile gimbal. It’s one of these things. There are lots of different brands and stuff now. It’s a stabilizer. So it’s got a couple of axes on it so you can hold the camera in front of you and then it’ll go back and forth. That works out pretty nicely.

Creating digital products is mostly about recording your thoughts.

But other than that, so creating create digital products is mostly about just recording your thoughts. And oftentimes when clients come to us and they won’t help in getting everything set up, the best place really to get started is to start brainstorming. So we’ve talked about MindMeister yesterday, but it’s a way for you to get in and figure out what you want to teach on, what you want to write about. A lot of where our product creation sessions start is just by having one central topic and then you go through and you figure, what are all the offshoots of that topic? What are the categories, the chapters you want to talk about, and then fleshing each of those out? Each of those things ends up being modules.

Once you fill those out, once you start recording that video, the content, and whenever, then you can edit the video, it becomes a product. And then once the product is created, you move into the sales process. Yeah. So if you would like to create digital products, if you would like to start a coaching offer consulting offer, figure out how to use these tools and this technology and stuff to create your offers, then go to doneforyou.com/start, fill out the form. Book a call with my team. We’d be happy to take you through and brainstorm your offer and brainstorm all of that stuff. Help you put everything together. I think that’s about it.

Tomorrow we’re going to talk about business tools. Software and tech for the business side. The business of doing business. Things that can help you automate some of your workflows, automate some of your days, integrate into your processes, and go from there.

The post How To Use Tools And Technology To Create Digital Products appeared first on Done For You.

Creating a customer avatar is not easy, but it's crucial to your business success. No matter your business, you need to niche down and position your product to serve a particular market segment. That's a bold statement, but it is true for most small businesses unless you operate in a highly regulated market.

Before we dive into the how-to of things, let's explain what a customer avatar is, how a niche is defined, and what brand positioning means.

What Is A Niche?

Whether you pronounce it “nitch” or “neesh,” one thing’s sure: the focus is king.  I designed this, printed it out, and it's hanging on my office wall to remind me daily how important, "Focus" is.

A niche, as defined in the Business Dictionary, is a small but profitable market segment suitable for focused attention by a marketer.

It's important to understand that:

Market niches do not exist by themselves but are created by identifying needs or wants that are not being addressed by competitors, and by offering products that satisfy them.

Have you ever considered how difficult it is for business people to say what they do in one sentence? Instead, when you ask them what they're working on, they list five or six things they do.

While, as a small business owner, you might be naturally multi-passionate, knowing precisely what you sell and to whom is of the utmost importance. Building a memorable brand by focusing on the one thing your business does best is part of your success.

By niching down, a solopreneur or small business owner can give a proven valuable solution to a specific group of people with a particular need instead of trying to sell a product that pleases everyone—and we all know you can’t please everyone.

Here are ten popular niches or categories in business, each with a brief description of a typical customer avatar:

1. E-commerce Entrepreneurs: This avatar is tech-savvy, likely between the ages of 25-45, and is interested in scaling their online store. They look for tools that help with SEO, inventory management, and customer engagement.
2. Small Business Owners: Typically aged 35-60, these are people who own physical stores or offer local services. They are interested in solutions that help them manage their operations, enhance local SEO, and engage their community.
3. SaaS Users: These are generally corporate decision-makers or team leads aged 30-50 interested in software solutions that can help automate and streamline business processes.
4. Healthcare Providers: Doctors, hospital administrators, or clinic owners make up this avatar. They seek electronic health record systems, patient management solutions, and telemedicine platforms.
5. Real Estate Investors: Aged 30-60, they are focused on tools and services that help them identify investment opportunities, manage properties, and understand market trends.
6. Freelancers: This young group, generally aged 20-40, is looking for platforms for job opportunities, invoicing tools, and personal brand-building solutions.
7. Digital Marketers: Generally in the 25-45 age range, they seek tools for SEO, social media marketing, content creation, and analytics. They are very tech-savvy and always looking for the latest trends and tools.
8. Educational Institutions: This comprises administrators or decision-makers in educational settings. They seek e-learning solutions, administrative software, and tools for virtual classrooms.
9. Manufacturers: This avatar includes business owners in the manufacturing sector, typically aged 40-60, interested in supply chain management solutions, quality control software, and industrial automation tools.
10. Non-Profits: Leaders or decision-makers in charitable organizations make up this avatar. They look for fundraising platforms, donor management systems, and community engagement tools.

By knowing these customer avatars' characteristics, needs, and wants, businesses can tailor their products and marketing strategies for maximum impact and revenue generation.

Your Ideal Customer Avatar Defined

As HubSpot explains, the ideal customer avatar or buyer persona is a fictional character representing your perfect prospect.

When complete, it will help you see the motivation, fears, dreams, and desires that influence your customer's purchase decisions.

Your ideal client avatar will help you streamline your promotional efforts, whether it be through Facebook ads, lead magnets, or landing pages. It will also help you understand why some offers sell better than others and how to do A/B testing correctly. Creating a customer avatar helps to surface critical gaps or inconsistencies in your brand message.

Figuring out your customer avatar involves qualitative and quantitative research, diving into demographic and psychographic factors influencing purchasing decisions. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you determine who your customer avatar is:

Step 1: Identify Your Business Goals

Before diving into customer research, know what you aim to achieve with your product or service. Are you looking to maximize revenue, extend brand reach, or enter a new market? Your goals will guide the characteristics you focus on in your avatar.

Step 2: Examine Existing Data

If you've been in business for a while, you already have a wealth of data. Analyze customer data from sales, surveys, and analytics tools to get initial insights into who your customers might be.

Step 3: Demographic Research

Collect basic demographic information such as:

• Age
• Gender
• Location
• Income level
• Education
• Occupation

Step 4: Psychographic Analysis

Dig deeper and investigate psychographic traits like:

• Values
• Interests
• Hobbies
• Lifestyle
• Behavior
• Pain points

Step 5: Competitor Analysis

Study your competitors to see who they are targeting. Read their customer reviews, examine their social media, and determine the characteristics of people who engage with them.

Step 6: Conduct Surveys and Interviews

Create and distribute surveys or conduct one-on-one interviews with existing customers to delve deeper into their needs, desires, and pain points.

Step 7: Online Research

Use platforms like Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, or specialized industry tools to gather data on customer behavior, interests, and interactions with your online content.

Step 8: Create Multiple Avatars

Don't limit yourself to a single avatar, especially if you have multiple products or services. Develop multiple customer avatars to represent various segments of your market.

Step 9: Develop the Avatar Profiles

Compile the demographic and psychographic information to create detailed profiles for your avatars. This should be a straightforward document that anyone in your company can refer to when making product development, marketing, and customer service decisions.

Step 10: Test and Revise

Your customer avatar is not set in stone. As you get more data and insights or release new products, revisit and adjust your avatars as needed.

By following these steps, you'll build a well-rounded understanding of your customer avatar, which will guide your marketing strategies, product development, and customer engagement activities.

The Offer Framework

One of the things I teach our clients is the Offer Framework, which involves creating a customer-a-customer avatar by asking a straightforward question...

Here's a workshop livestream that you might enjoy!

What Is Brand Positioning

Positioning refers to the place that a brand occupies in the mind of the customer and how it is distinguished from products from competitors.

(Source: Wikipedia)

In other words, brand positioning describes how a brand differs from its competitors and where or how exactly it sits in a particular market. The differences might be tangible, but they do have no motivating qualities.

Niche, buyer avatar, positioning... they all tie up

All three concepts, calling, customer avatar, and brand positioning, are interrelated and affect each other. Let's see how it all works together and how you can define your ideal customer avatar.

How To Find Your Niche

Start with this question: What valuable services can you offer your desired audience?

Think of services and products as solutions to problems; think of them as experiences that create a transformation from the present state to the desired shape. Understanding your industry and niche is the first step before painting the picture of your ideal buyer persona.

Here are a few prompts to help you through the process of determining your niche:

• What one word describes me?
• What do I want to be known for?
• What role do I imagine myself in 5 years? What are my natural-born traits?
• What are my learned skills?
• What would other people in my circle say are my superpowers?
• What am I not as good at?
• What do I hate doing?
• What is in demand now and seems to have a good outlook for the years to come?

Your answers can help you solve the puzzle of finding your niche.

When determining your niche, you want to find the sweet spot: the convergence of talent, interests, skills, and market demand. And you want to become an expert in that niche.

Creating A Target Avatar

After you have defined your niche, you need to know who your ideal customer is.

Defining your buyer persona will help you to understand their situation, feelings, and needs, thus creating better products and marketing material with your ideal customer's needs in mind.

The better defined your customer avatar is, the easier it is to create a marketing strategy that establishes you as an expert in your niche.

Why exactly are customer avatars so crucial to your business?

Buyer personas make it easier for you to tailor your blog and marketing content, messaging, product features, and services to match different consumer groups' particular needs, behaviors, and concerns.

You may feel you understand your target audience, but with buyer personas, get to know their specific needs, interests, and purchase drives.

How To Define Perfect Buyers As Your Target Avatar

If you're starting with your business or want to launch a new product, you can search on social media and find people who match your perfect customer. See what questions they're asking, what problems they're facing, what's important to them, and what makes them happy. It may also help to think about people already in your network who may fit your ideal customer profile.

But wait! Is every customer the ideal customer? Naturally, not every new customer you get will exactly fit your perfect customer avatar, but keeping your marketing focused will help you attract more of your ideal customers.

How To Position Your Brand For Success

Now that we've explained what a niche is and how to create the ideal customer avatar, let's briefly discuss positioning and how all these notions—place, customer avatar, and positioning—fit together.

You have your niche, the part of the specific market that you want to serve.

You know your ideal customer, their needs and wants.

Now, you're setting off to create a product or solution for that ideal customer avatar in the specific niche. But what features will you attach to that product, and how will you market it so it attracts your perfect customer?

This is where positioning comes in place; frankly, it's essential to your business to get this part right.

As we previously explained in this post, brand positioning is the process of putting your brand in the minds of your customers. Brand positioning is also referred to as brand strategy or positioning strategy. It's all about the image that people hold of your brand. How valuable is it to them? What feelings does your brand create?

To create a strong brand positioning, you must find your brand’s uniqueness and determine what differentiates your product from your competitors.

Take a minute or two to contemplate the following brand positioning questions, and remember always to keep your ideal customer avatar in mind.

• How do I differentiate my brand?
• Does the experience match my ideal customer perceptions of the brand?
• Is my core message believable and credible?
• What's the unique value to my customers?
• What's a clear picture that describes my brands? How is it from my competitors?
• Is my brand streamlined for my core customer's profile?
• Is it memorable? Inspiring? Motivating? Fun?
• Is it consistent in all areas of my marketing?
• Are the value and benefits accessible to grasp?
• Is my brand challenging to replicate?
• Is it designed for long-term growth?
• Does my brand have a unique voice?
• How are my products priced compared to the competition?

The answers to those questions will most likely help you solve the mystery of positioning your brand better to serve your ideal audience in a specific niche.

Consistency Wins The Race In Brand Building And Customer Avatars

Next, you need to impress your brand positioning upon your ideal customers. To do that, you must start from within your business.

Everything in your marketing needs to be consistent. This includes every member of your business that touches the customer. Each customer touchpoint needs to be the perfect expression of your branding.

Remember always to come back and revisit your ideal customer avatar when new prospects and sales data are available.  And if it's something you want help with, we're happy to work you through it.  Just schedule an Action Plan call with us here!

The post The Blueprint for Creating a Customer Avatar: Tailoring Your Marketing to Your Ideal Customer appeared first on Done For You.

The newest type of advertising funnel is the Facebook Funnel, which gives you access to cold and warm buyers. Here's how to set it up.

Every month, more than 2 billion people are active on Facebook. That's a lot of people that could be in your Facebook Funnel. These users go to Facebook in search of something. Some come to connect with friends and families. On the other hand, some of them need information about specific products or services.

With this vast number of users, Facebook creates a great marketing opportunity. Facebook's average CPC (cost per click) is still low compared to other advertising platforms.

Facebook Ads, for instance, is one of the marketing tools you can use to reach your campaign objectives and goals, whether they be acquiring fresh leads or increasing sales.

For example, a sales funnel through Facebook Ads can help you create brand awareness. It can also aim to attract new leads or boost traffic to your business website (although traffic only is not a well-thought sales funnel goal). Note that Facebook Ads can allow customers to redeem your offers instantly. That means instant sales!

Ads can boost engagement between these customers and your business, too. Most customers are attracted to companies that respond to their issues and provide solutions. Therefore, you should take advantage of Facebook Advertising to keep customers updated.

How is Facebook Ads different from other PPC platforms?

When you compare it to Google Ads, Facebook needs to be approached differently. Facebook is not about buying impressions for keywords that people search for. It goes beyond that. It can target behaviors, demographics, and interests.

The truth is that most people will not make instant purchases when they come across your ad on Facebook. So, relax, do not yell at people, "Buy now!"

Instead, craft a Facebook Ads sales funnel. However, your funnel should be as intelligent and authentic as possible. By doing so, you'll be successful with Facebook Ads.

But what is a Facebook sales funnel all about?  And how do you sequence up the advertising funnel to convert more buyers?

What does a sales funnel (i.e., advertising funnel) entail?

Many businesses are offering the same products as yours. Have you ever wondered how customers connected with your business in the first place instead of choosing your competitors? Maybe you can do some research here and find the origin.

Take a moment and think of how customers found your business. It could be that you shared content from your site, a piece of content went viral, or a Facebook advert caught their attention.

Either way, there are some steps you can follow for people to connect with you and for them to notice your business. These steps include:

• Awareness in terms of engagement, tips, and sharing content.
• Consideration through videos, long/detailed content, and special offers.
• Conversion via webinars, testimonials, trials, and remarketing.

Then, there is retention and upselling by providing more value through consistent marketing efforts.

Having listed these basic automated sales funnel steps, let's now check out how to build your Facebook Funnel.

Step 1. Start Your Facebook Ads Funnel by Installing The Facebook Pixel

The first step is to download the Facebook Pixel and install it. Facebook Pixel comes in the form of a code snippet that you place on your site. Its role is to track the activities of your visitors on your website. This tool is potent in retargeting and monitoring traffic – you can't afford to miss it.

Apart from tracking traffic, your Pixel will collect data as well. It will do so even when you don't have any ads.

For any person who visits your website, the Pixel will track their activity. Hence, you'll be able to know how many people visit your site and what they do. Further, you'll learn of the interaction you get in your social profiles, and it'll timestamp prospects in your advertising funnel.

Do you need an advanced analytics tool with behavioral tracking features to map exactly what people do along your funnel's steps?

Is tracking visitors the only thing the Pixel can do?

Of course not! The Pixel will guarantee that your Facebook adverts are visible only to the right audience. Therefore, you'll be able to segment your audiences and utilize Facebook Ads in your Facebook Funnel more sophisticatedly.

Step 2. Develop captivating content for your Facebook Funnel

For leads to progress through your sales funnel with the lowest friction possible, you must facilitate the leads' journey with compelling content. There are different content needs for each stage of the Facebook Ads sales funnel. Read this post about how to create the right content.

It would help if you contented specifically for different audience segments. For example, how you address cold traffic differs from warm leads. Promote your top-ranking content to cold audiences and narrow it down to problem-specific solutions as you start to define the interests and behaviors of hard leaders.

Apart from installing the Pixel and creating some content, you should create epic content. Read this post on how captivating content will undoubtedly attract people's attention.

Step 3. Concentrate on warm audiences

About warm audiences, audiences that know your brand and have indicated that your product might be a good fit for them are audiences that you could advertise directly to.

You can start with your warm audiences. Add them as custom audiences in Facebook Ads and include them in your marketing campaigns.

Here's a video about custom audiences and how to create them to serve your Facebook Funnel.

Here, you can try a few things. For instance, you can send people directly to your product page. Then, see what trend your conversion rate takes. Or maybe send them to a limited-time offer page. As a result, you'll note that certain products yield incredible results – especially when aiming for an intuitive low-price purchase.

Nevertheless, you shouldn't take the same approach with your products - specifically if they are expensive and people know little about them. Typically, people won't buy spontaneously, so running a campaign that sends traffic directly to your sales page won't help your bottom line. Instead, it could consume your advertising budget in an instant.

What you can do instead is what we describe in this article: create a Facebook Ads sales funnel. And in the next section, we will explain how that looks.

Step 4. Attract similar audiences

So, you have installed the Facebook pixel and have created unique content for every step of the funnel. You have also separated warm leads as custom audiences.

Now, it's time to use lookalike audiences to reach out to a larger group of people on Facebook.

You can use your custom audience data to classify visitors and build lookalike audiences. Read this guide to learn how to make these expanded yet targeted audiences.

See the power of similar audiences? Users in the new audience will have similar interests and attributes to those already buying and interacting with you. Facebook knows the characteristics of your buyers (from your custom audiences) and can expand this group to include more people with similar demographics, interests, and behaviors (lookalike audiences).

Now, to paint the picture, your Facebook Funnel should look like this:

EXAMPLE OF A FACEBOOK ADS SALES FUNNEL

Top of Funnel

Cold traffic to your epic content coming from basic demographic and interest targeting.

Middle of Funnel

Warm traffic to conversion-optimized content that provides a solution.

Traffic is coming from custom audiences that have already visited your pages.

Bottom of Funnel

Hot traffic to a conversion-optimized product or sales page.

Traffic is coming from lookalike audiences and has the purchase as an objective.

This indicative Facebook Ads sales funnel will help convert cold traffic into warm leads and buyers.

But is one more step in the Facebook Ads sales funnel missing?

Step 5. Focus on retargeting

If you stopped in our previous step, you would miss out on a great opportunity. Remarketing.

Most of the time, even if people have gone through your complete sales funnel, they are not yet ready to buy. Sometimes, force majeure makes them leave products in their shopping cart. And you don't want them to forget to come back.

By the way, we have a done-for-you cart abandonment email sequence readily available for you to download and plug into your autoresponder. This can work with your Facebook Ads remarketing to get forgetful buyers back to your checkout page.

Also note that, as some marketers say, people will see your products and brand at least seven times before they make a purchase decision. Buyers are also hesitant even to enter their card information.

This is precisely why you must add another step to your Facebook Funnel. Retargeting campaigns that will show ads to people who have interacted with your other campaigns. For example, you can set ads for abandoned carts or different bottom-of-funnel audiences, e.g., people visiting a product category page. Also, you can run ads for middle-of-funnel leads to inform them of new, exciting content you just published.

Here's a guide by Facebook that explains how you can create remarketing ads for your products. We wrote This piece about advanced advertising strategies to build a high-conversion Facebook Ads sales funnel.

It would help if you kept remarketing to people who visited your site but never made a purchase until they do or you decide you don't want to deal with them anymore.

Warm Traffic VS. Cold Traffic in your Facebook Ads sales funnel

Keep tabs on the inside of your advertising funnel. It is interesting... Mainly because your ad funnel starts with cold traffic. They're They'reen they see an ad or experience your brand.

Then, the advertising funnel warms them up, so ...

The Cold Traffic Progression

We build all of our advertising for our clients this way. There is always a set of ads that is specific to cold traffic.  Your cold traffic audience comprises those who don't know who you are. They've heard of you. In the Facebook world, they aren't even searching for the solution that you provide. They go to Google and type in a keyword phrase because Facebook traffic is interruption-based.

In the Google world, they go to Google and search for the keyword phrase you are advertising for or related to your business. So that is one of the differences between Google and Facebook and how they are similar in the cold traffic sense.

But this cold traffic person doesn't care who you are. They've never heard of your business because if they'd heard of you, they'd be warmer. You know what I mean?

Warming Your Target Market Up

The advertising funnel works because folks see an ad as a cold prospect. Then, they take some action... That action might be:

• Watching a video for 50% of its length, 75% or more...
• It might be clicking on the ad and going to your website.
• It might be opting in for a report for a lead magnet.
• It might be just full-out buying something.

But that cold prospect is, in their action, warming up to you... Warming up to your brand. So, that is what the advertising funnel is all about. When we warm them up, we can do additional things with them.

Now, The Transition In Your Advertising Funnel

So after they do something, they are no longer cold prospects.

They move past that cold traffic ad, and now they see a retargeted ad because they did something... They watched the video. They clicked the link. They landed on a page. They opted in. They bought something. They're They're cold. They are warm and friendly and see a different type of ad from you.

So, with Facebook Advertising, it might be a welcome back or shopping cart abandonment ad. It might tell them about a product they might be interested in that they didn't didn't purchase.

So, you can there carry out this retargeting campaign in many ways.  One of the things that we like to do is, once they move from cold traffic to warm to a retargeted ad, we also acknowledge that they are probably getting warmer or colder within our sphere of influence. So, we might have a retargeted ad that shows a lead magnet for days 1 through 4.

So if they land on our website, then, for these four days, they see something on our ... They see a Facebook  Video Ad talking about a lead magnet, and then if they don't do anything, days 5 through 8, we give them something else. Maybe it's a titlist, or we promote a different product or newsletter.

Then, on days 9 through 13, we do something a little different.

When Prospects Cool Off

With the understanding that they're they're colder. The longer they go without doing something, the harder they are getting. They are moving past what we do because a buyer is only hot for a concise amount of time. It might be a week, three days, or three weeks, but they usually buy and consume a bunch of stuff in the same period and then move on.

Think about your own experience. Let's say you're looking for a piece of software, like a video-hosting platform. Chances are, you recognize that you need a video-hosting platform like Wistia or Vimeo or whatever.

...So you do a little research and find all the companies in the market.  That might not have even been triggered by you internally but by an ad. Maybe you saw a Wistia ad and think, "Wait, it makes sense. I need to keep my videos private. So, who else has this technology?" Then" you do a little research, and then you buy. You do free trials, but you've decided in the first week or two.

How It Relates To Your Buyers

So, that's that's how buyers react. That's what's buyers react. So understanding that they're they're then they're they're then they're you...  And you can engage those customers differently through your advertising funnel with different ad types.

Now, Facebook is a little bit different when you're using these advertising funnels because:

1. You can do a lot with Facebook Video Ads.
   1. You get cheap clicks.
   2. You can do video view campaigns and then target people based on how much of a video somebody watches...  Which is essential for capitalizing on the momentum and moving somebody through this advertising funnel.

But it all returns to the targeted website traffic from the Facebook pixel. That's how you increase website traffic fast...  It's b. It's using paid traffic sources the right way.

So, on Facebook ... You add the Facebook pixel to your website, and then that pixel tracks:

• Which pages do your prospects visit
• Where do they go on your website
• What your conversion events are
• Ads send you leads, sales, and, ultimately, conversions.

So the pixel is essential in this entire makeup, and that's what up the staggered Facebook Ad Funnel process where you target different creative for:

• Day 1 through 4
• Day 5 through 8
• Day 9 through 13
• And so on...

We say, "Okay, if"somebody is brand new to this audience because of the pixel, show them this ad. Show them this ad if they're five or eight days old. Show them this ad if they're 9 and 13 days old."

Progress Lookalike Audiences Based On Your BEST Segment

It's all based on the pixel and the audience that that pixel creates.

And from that audience, we create lookalike audiences of our most successful segment of folks. So first, if we have no data, we're a lookalike audience based on the people who watch 50% or more of a video or 75% or more.

Then, suppose we get a significant population of people who hit a webpage or opt-in for a report or buy. In that case, that's the next lookalike audience we're we're we're constantly creating a new lookalike audience based on our best data set. Then, we're moving all ads to that audience. So, we're continually optimizing the audiences and letting Facebook know precisely who we want to get in front of.

So, all of this stuff is important for your advertising funnel. As protests progress, the ad funnel must align with your sales funnel. The sales funnel, your landing pages, your automated webinars, your VSLs, all of that stuff comes out to party in these Facebook ads. We like video a lot. We do a lot of video view campaigns.

DIY or DFY Facebook Ads sales funnel

As you try out different strategies and mix up sales funnel elements to create the perfect recipe, always keep track of your conversion rate. Conversion rate is arguably the best indicator of the success level of your campaigns.

If you want to run your business and you are not a DIY kind of person, then our team at DoneForYou is equipped with all the skills and tools to create high-conversion sales funnels for you, ones that start with Facebook Ads and end with filled-up shopping carts.

Schedule a call to discuss how we can create a funnel that serves your business goals and adds to your bottom line.

The post How To Create A Facebook Funnel For High Conversion Advertising appeared first on Done For You.

Instagram Live Videos

• They are more popular than ever. According to a recent report by Livestream, 80% of consumers prefer to watch live video from a brand rather than read a blog post, and 82% prefer to watch live video from a brand rather than read social media posts.
• It can help you reach a wider audience. Instagram Live Videos are shown to more followers than pre-recorded videos and are more likely to be shared.
• It can boost your sales and conversions. A recent study by Socialbakers found that live video shopping campaigns can increase conversions by up to 10%.

How to Use Instagram Live Videos to Grow Your Business

Here are a few tips on how to use Instagram Live Videos to grow your business:

• Plan your content ahead of time. This will help you ensure that your videos are informative and engaging.
• Promote your live videos in advance. Let your followers know when you’re going live and what they can expect to learn.
• Be yourself and have fun. People can tell when you’re genuine, so relax and enjoy yourself.
• Interact with your audience. Answer questions and respond to comments in real-time.
• Offer exclusive deals and discounts to your live viewers. This is a great way to incentivize people to watch your videos and learn more about your products or services.

The Essential Equipment Guide for Instagram Live Videos

Few platforms offer the immediacy and reach of Instagram Live Videos when engaging with your audience in real-time. Whether you’re an influencer, a business owner, or simply someone with a message to share, the live video feature on Instagram provides a unique opportunity to connect. However, for your Instagram Live Videos to resonate and leave a lasting impression, the quality of your broadcast is crucial. In this blog post, we’ll explore the essential equipment to help you create professional-quality Instagram Live Videos.

A Mobile Phone: The Heart of Instagram Live Videos

Why Your Phone Matters

Instagram Live is a mobile-centric platform, so the quality of your mobile phone will play a significant role in the outcome of your live streams.

Recommended Phones for Live Streaming

The latest iPhone models, like the iPhone 13 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S21, are ideal for Instagram Live Videos. These phones offer excellent camera quality and built-in stabilization features that can make a difference.

Best Practices for Using Mobile Phones

1. Stable Connection: Ensure you have a reliable Wi-Fi connection for uninterrupted streaming.
2. Battery Life: Make sure your phone is fully charged, and consider having a power source nearby.
3. Orientation: Lock your phone’s direction to avoid unintended rotation during the stream.

Quality Audio: The Need for an External Mic or Lavalier

Why Audio Quality is Crucial

Audio is often an overlooked aspect of Instagram Live Videos. Poor audio can be a distraction and severely reduce your message’s impact.

Types of Microphones

• Lavalier Microphone: This clip-on mic provides hands-free operation and good sound quality.
• External Shotgun Mic: This is ideal for capturing audio from a particular direction, minimizing background noise.

Audio Settings and Testing

Before you go live, test your audio setup. Check for any latency or echo issues and ensure the audio levels are balanced.

A Teleprompter: Your Secret Weapon for Scripted Content

Why Use a Teleprompter?

A teleprompter can be incredibly helpful for Instagram Live Videos that require you to convey a lot of information precisely.

Choosing the Right Teleprompter

You don’t need a full-scale studio teleprompter; even a tiny smartphone-compatible device will do the trick. Many teleprompter apps are available that can run alongside your Instagram Live application.

Teleprompter Best Practices

• Speed: Adjust the scrolling rate to match your natural speaking pace.
• Practice: A few dry runs will make you more comfortable when you’re live.

Optional Equipment: The Green Screen

Creative Freedom with a Green Screen

A green screen can add professionalism and creative possibilities to your Instagram Live Videos. You can superimpose any backdrop, whether a professional office setup or a tropical beach.

Quick Setup Tips

1. Lighting: Proper lighting is crucial for practical green screen usage.
2. Software: Ensure you have compatible software to handle the green screen effects.

Additional Gear: Tripods, Lighting, and More

Stabilization with Tripods

A tripod can stabilize your video, making it appear more professional.

Proper Lighting

Good lighting is essential for any video. Softbox lights or ring lights are popular choices for Instagram Live Videos.

Just Show Yourself In Your Instagram Live Videos

Chances are that we’ve all taken to the tendency of hiding behind computers, laptops, and smartphones. We’ve been hiding for way too long, haven’t we?

Indeed, nothing is more endearing, connecting, and human-like than showing up in person on your followers’ Instagram feeds. There’s that human connection and that face that puts everything you do into perspective. Plus, videos with “you” in them are usually instant hits, giving you a lot of traction.

• Was I thinking aloud? Go live!
• Have an opinion? Say it aloud!
• Are you sharing tips? The world wants to know.

Go Behind The Scenes

In the Vimeo LiveStream audience behavior insights survey (above), more than 87% of surveyed audiences revealed that they’d happily watch “behind the scenes” footage — live or otherwise — compared to anything else on television.

The moment you show “behind the scenes” — and that could be anything from the mess your pet dog left behind on the office floor to how you hustled in your pajamas to find influencers for Interviewing in your next webinar — you let everyone know that you are not afraid to be open, that you want not just to show the results but also share the journey you took to achieve what you did, and more.

Let’s make it simple here: The world is a curious place. Open your windows, please?

Use Instagram Live Video For Product Launches

Instagram is a mobile-first application. Over 34% of the world’s mobile audience spends all their waking hours on social media (including Instagram).

The opportunity is enormous for you to let everyone know what you are coming up with next. What’s the next shiny thing? What are you launching next? What are you working on? Remember that little tease that went something like “Coming soon”?

Since this is a live video, you’ll be available at a particular time and date. Just inform your followers and announce your live event on Instagram (and other social networks) before the event itself.

What’s Your Story?

How and why did you start your business? What insights did you pick from all these years (or even days or weeks if you are beginning)? Do your customers have stories about how your business, services, or products changed their lives for good?

All these are stories that others can relate to.

The human psyche loves, craves, and digs stories. You don’t have to make this stuff up.

You have stories. Your customers have accounts. Your team members have stories to share.

You only have to get those stories out in video format, like Instagram video.

Go Live And Make A Pitch!

Consider webinars: marketers and businesses announce webinars, get attendees to sign up for these webinars, provide value or solve a problem during the webinar, and then make a pitch (usually the deal is sweetened with a deep discount or a special offer) to make some sales.

Webinars are a proven way to generate leads and instantly make sales while the webinar is on (or soon after the webinar ends).

Instagram Live videos work just like Webinars (minus the webinar software). The only difference is that all the action happens on Instagram itself, and the only way you’ll be able to have people sign up for an offer or visit a landing page is with a link in your bio.

How are you going to use Instagram Live Video? Tell us all about it.

The post Unlock the Potential of Instagram Live Video: How and Why to Use It appeared first on Done For You.

What’s more, there are so many different types of content and venues to publish content, such as articles, guest posts, podcasts, YouTube, and other video-marketing channels—you name it. So, as a small business owner, how do you decide among all these different types of content? So, how do you know what’s worth your time, money, and effort?

The answer is twofold:

1. You need to place your brand in as many places as possible.
2. You need to choose the content marketing activities that bring in the highest ROI.

In other words, as a small business or startup with a limited number of team members and a small marketing budget, you need to prioritize. You cannot drop content creation and content marketing completely, nor can you be everywhere. But you can choose as many of the types of content and content marketing channels as possible among the ones that bring the best results for your business.

How do you do that? By putting content out there, tracking every bit of how it performs, measuring results, and focusing on the actions that work for you.

Step 1: Create and publish content

Start with what you like doing best. Is it writing posts? Is it speaking on a mic? Or do you feel more comfortable on camera? Whatever type of content resonates with you is what you need to be producing. It only makes sense to start with what you’re best at instead of trying to improve your productivity doing what is of no interest to you.

Just keep in mind that the type of content you create is dependent on your industry and audience. For example, if you are a coach and your business heavily depend on your personal brand, video might be the best fit for your audience. On the other hand, if you’re into internet marketing and want to rank high in Google organic search results, an elaborate step-by-step guide on your blog might attract more prospects.

Step 2: Track how your content performs

The only real way you can make a decision is to have hard data to back it up. It’s one thing to base your decision process on your instincts or experience, and it’s another thing to make an informed business decision based on real performance.

To do that, to actually find out which type of content and on which marketing channel performs better, you need to set a goal or a couple of KPIs and set up a tracking system.

For example, if you want to measure how many leads opt in to download a free e-book, you need to know how those leads land on your page, what they do after that, and how many of those give up their e-mail.

To achieve that, you first need to use custom UTM links to track the source of traffic. Then, you need to have set up a visitor tracking system with complete funnel analytics, like Statly. You will also define your goals in Statly. In this example, the goal is achieved (or the event happens) when someone subscribes to your list.

Finally, you need an autoresponder to add new subscribers to your e-mail list and follow up with them.

Step 3: Measure medium-term results

Now, to have enough data to decide which type of content works best for your business, you need to have your campaigns run for some time. How long? Well, it depends on how fast you’ll get results. Usually, a couple of months will allow you to gather enough data and reach a safe conclusion.

Use a simple Google sheet to gather all meaningful data from different campaigns over time. Keep it as simple as possible. Here’s some basic information you should include in such a report so that you are able to calculate ROI of different campaigns.

• Campaign name
• Type of content (e.g. blog post, video, podcast)
• Advertising budget
• Content creation budget
• Number of visitors
• Opt-ins
• Number of purchases
• Value of purchases

Compare different campaigns over the same period of time to reach safe results. And of course, this is just an example where list opt-ins are one goal and purchases another. These are practically two events (opt-ins and purchases) that exist in a basic sales funnel.

Step 4: Rank by ROI and prioritize

After a couple of months, you should be able to calculate your ROI and other KPIs.

How much did you earn for the money you spent – Value of purchases over (advertising budget & content creation budget)?

Which type of content and marketing channel had the highest conversion rate – Number of opt-ins over the number of visitors from a campaign?

These are two basic metrics that should be a good advisor on how to prioritize your content creation and promotion tasks. Rank the campaigns according to their ROI and basic conversion rate, and you should be able to see what’s the way to move forward. Choose one or two content types from text, audio, and video. Go with the channel that performs better, whether it be your blog or iTunes or YouTube.

Then, as your business grows and more cash flows in, you’ll be able to add more content marketing tactics to your online-marketing strategy.

Content marketing tips

1. Use the right software

Do you need help with your content marketing? you get a high ROI from your content? Try these tools:

• Scriptly – Your sales funnel machine

• Curately – Your content creation engine

• Statly – Your analytics and tracking toolset

You can try any of the tools for free or schedule a complimentary call with us to help you jumpstart your online-marketing strategy.

2. Outsource what you can

Today, in the gig economy, there are a handful of platforms you can use to hire content creators at an affordable price. Go to Upwork.com or Fiverr.com and find writers with 5-star reviews who have the skills that you need and are within budget. As your business grows, hire a permanent team member who will create content that matches your brand, culture, and style.

3. Promote evergreen content

As your content pool grows, you’ll be able to spot pieces of content that not only perform extremely well but are also classic and timeless. Instead of putting 100% of your effort in creating new content, don’t neglect to also promote your evergreen content on social media, email, and PPC campaigns.

4. Create a content calendar

Having a content calendar will save you time and money if you’re managing a large copywriting and editorial team. A content calendar will also help create content strategically to serve business goals and to improve SEO. Use a simple Google sheet or any to-do app to plan content creation and publishing.

5. Create content for all types of customers

Maybe you start with writing blog posts that interest part of your target audience. But what about the rest? You should be able to define different buyer personas and create content that serves them best. Read more about defining your ideal customer in this article. What’s more, you should publish content for all stages of the buyer’s journey. Here’s an article we wrote about generating appropriate content for the top and bottom of the funnel.

Need to create lead magnets and reports that your target audience will love in minutes, not days? Watch this video to learn more about our proven method!

The post The Content Maze: How To Escape And Create Content That Generates Sales appeared first on Done For You.

The best-written newspaper columns would not get a second glance without an eye-catching headline. The following examples are famous headlines written years ago:

“Assassin Kills Kennedy”
“Diana Dead”
“VE Day – It’s All Over”
“The First Footstep”
“King Elvis Dead”

Those who remember these events will recall what they were doing at the time. Newspapers and Magazines needed powerful headlines to attract readers to their publication in the light of fierce competition.

Now consider the humble email. Estimates suggest that almost 300 billion emails are sent every day. Yes, that is 300 billion!

Open rates

The open rate for email, depending on the industry, is between 14.92% and 26.52%, according to email marketing stats published by MailChimp. The average for all industries that MailChimp analyzed is 20.81%. That means nearly 80% of marketing emails are never opened!

In such a crowded space, what subject line is required to encourage people to open your email?

Click-through rates

More startling is the click-through rate, the percentage of recipients who take action after opening the email. The top rate for those who click on a link in your email is just 4.78% and might be as low as 1.06%, based on recently updated stats from MailChimp!

So, with this competition, you need confidence in writing great email subject lines to boost your open rates.

These tips will help you write better subject lines:

Keep your subject line short

This is a difficult skill to master. But consider that most emails are now opened on mobile devices. Check this compelling email headline:

5 Effective Copywriting Techniques You Can Use Immediately To Power Up Your Copy! (14 words 85 characters)

Which may display like this:

5 Effective Copywriting Techniques You Can Use Immediately (9 words 63 characters).

The truncation has left the subject line without its emotional charge.

Consider this shorter alternative:

Today Only! A Copywriter’s Dream! (5 words 30 characters)

Urgency

The example above shows a sense of urgency. “Today Only!” The offer won’t be available tomorrow. So fear of missing a good deal may prompt recipients to open.

This fear of missing out (FIMO) is a powerful psychological tool. You can introduce FIMO by creating a sense of urgency or scarcity, for example, “only 5 left” or, “you have 1 day left.”

Curiosity

If the subject line leaves an open-ended question in the air or a cliffhanger, the recipient will need to open it to satisfy their curiosity.

A surprise gift inside (unwrap it now!)

Is this the quickest way to make money today?

But don’t push this to the point of absurdity. “Don’t Open This Email” will provoke a cynical reaction from today’s savvy internet users. They are likely to take you at your word–and not open the email!

Laziness

Many people today seek instant gratification or a quick fix. If you can help someone to get where they are going without hard work or a learning curve, you have a market.

These examples will demonstrate:

Learn Spanish with only 10 minutes a day!

How to build a website in one hour without using code.

Done For You Sales Funnel to make $100 a day

With this approach, you can encourage your subscribers to achieve their goals the easy way by offering a useful tool that saves them time and energy.

Personalize your email headline

The email subject line has an important bearing on the open and click-through rates. It is estimated that a personalized subject line increases the open rate by 17% and the click-through rate by 30%.

You can easily include your subscribers’ names in the subject line or in the content with the features of current auto-responders. Use this sparingly to be effective. If a recipient’s name appears five or six times throughout an email, it could have the opposite effect.

Happy Birthday Alice! There’s a present inside!

Hi, Bob! Here’s a special gift for being my valued subscriber.

If you know your list well, you can adopt a more personal style and be more relaxed and familiar with your headline and content. You can inject your personal humor. But know that humor doesn’t always travel well across language and cultural boundaries. If you have an all-American audience, you will know how far you can go.

Another personalization approach is to mention the recipient’s town or city in the subject heading.

Learn This Little Known Secret from Denver and Boost Your Profits by 50%!

But if you are not a first-name-type-of-person then use plenty of “you” and “yours” in your copy.

Use numbers in email subject lines

Use numbers in your subject line. You will get a better opening rate. Headlines on emails work like the headlines on blogs. A number can be represented by a percentage, or the size of an audience, or a numerical benefit.

10 Ways to Increase Your Profits Using Free Traffic.

Increase your mailing list by 50% with These Powerful Tips.

Join with 1000 Marketers at Our Special Webinar.

Make a statement

Sometimes it’s best to take a straightforward approach to engaging your audience. Take a rest from clever headlines and keep it simple:

Facebook Goes For Growth: 10 Things You Should Know.

Tips That Show How You Can Make Money Online – Guaranteed!

Thousands Make a Fortune in Internet Marketing – So Can You!

Want to take “luck” out of the equation?

Pick up our free guide to the 100 most opened subject lines.

Discover which email subject lines ‘get the open,’ complete with open rates and click-through percentages, so you compare your own results…

Also provided in the report is a spreadsheet of all of the subject lines, so you can sort them as you want… Just click here to download it!

Some practical tips in email marketing

List segmentation

Segment your list and target your emails better. You can group your subscribers by gender, age, state, country, business, lifestyle and many other categories. That way you won’t be making a great offer on football kit to a baseball fan, nor a special on a big meat pack to a vegetarian.

Now that emails are more interactive, targeting your customers with the right offer is now more important. Interactive emails mean that the recipients can buy from within the email with just one click.

A/B split testing

A word can make a significant impact in an email subject line. So always test every batch of emails you send to analyze open rates, click-through rates, and sales. Introduce one small change at a time to see what difference it makes. Perhaps introducing a personal name will make a big impact, or using a particular word like “powerful” in the subject line provides an emotional charge that increases profits.

Get your timing right

Synchronize your email dispatches to get the best returns. A weekday may work better than a weekend. Mornings may work better than afternoons. It is likely to be different for different audiences.

Conclusion

Even though open and click-through rates are low, email still outperforms other marketing platforms like social media in reaching your clients.

Email is the best way to establish lasting relationships with your subscribers. There may be a steep learning curve in perfecting the art of creating a good email and an even better email subject line, but it’s worth the climb!

The post How To Write Email Subject Lines That Will Boost Your Open Rates By 17% appeared first on Done For You.

A brand is defined by the customer experience.

In today’s competitive economy, customer experience has emerged as the one factor that contributes the most to the success of a business. Don’t believe it? Well, here are some numbers that will help you understand it better.

According to a Walker Study, customer experience will be the key brand differentiator by 2020, leaving pricing and product behind.

The same study quotes that buyers will be ready to pay more for a better customer experience.

So, it is quite evident that outstanding customer experience is going to be the next battlefield for businesses, as quoted by many industry experts.

Now, the question that arises is how a business can make the most of this opportunity? If you are also thinking in the same light, like countless other marketers out there then we have got the best advice for you.

Here is a step-by-step guide to help you adopt that piece of advice with regards to creating an amazing customer experience:

Step #1: It all begins with easy website navigation

The first place to begin with customer experience optimization is your website. Take a look at your top menu.

Is the navigation simple? Even if it is, could you think of a way to make it more intuitive? The point is to make sure that the customer does not feel lost while browsing your website.

So, take a closer look at the structure of the website and sit with the designer to see what can be done to make the navigation simpler than what it is right now.

Step #2: Multiple support options

The second important factor that plays role in optimizing customer experience is your customer support.

Your customer support can be the key differentiator between success and failure. But, it’s not just about having a support team.

You must offer the customer multiple support options.

For instance, instant chat, twitter support, email support and availability over the phone. These are some of the most common options you ought to give the customer.

Step #3: Your customer support team

Is your customer support team motivated enough to offer the customers a great service experience?

This is literally a million dollar question.

Remember, when it comes to customer service people prefer having an interaction with a real person rather than those automated IVRs.

On the other hand, a customer support team member who is not motivated enough is not going to sound much different than that IVR machine.

So before looking for external factors and streamlining them to build better customer experience, make it a point to motivate your employees to deal with customers as real humans. You will get to see an instant impact on customer feedback.

Step #4: A lightning-quick website

Your website’s page loading time is directly proportional to the experience the customer is going to have with your business.

Make it a point to bring down the loading time to the lowest.

Get to know about the elements that are making the website take long to load.

Figure out the challenges, and then come up with a solution to make it quick like breeze.

People are too impatient to wait for the website to load, and hence leave it in a matter of seconds.

In order to ensure that every single visitor that reaches the website gets a great experience, focus on bringing the loading time down.

And, it’s not just the home page that we are talking about. This rule applies to all the pages on your website.

Step #5: Build better user experience across all channels

Is your website mobile friendly? Do you have a mobile app? When was the last time you actually interacted with your customers on social media?

These are some of the common factors that differentiate a smart business in today’s time from a regular; not so smart one.

You need to find out ways to help and be available wherever the customer is. This is what the true meaning of customer service experience is.

Invest in efforts that can ensure the customer always gets to hear from you, no matter where he or she is, especially when they are facing any problem.

This single trick could make a world of difference.

Step #6: Offer something of value, apart from product/service

Another major trick that always works when we talk about optimizing customer service experience is offering the customer some rewards.

It is a fact that the term discount is always able to lure the customer towards a brand. But, this discount does not mean you have the leverage to compromise on quality.

It is these small factors that play a massive role in building a great business, which offers its customer true value.

Rather than giving something just for the sake of it, try to find out a smart offering that can entice the customers towards your brand, and then build a great customer experience from there!

The missing ingredient: It’s all about connecting with the customer

On a concluding note, all we have to say is that – the journey towards a great customer experience begins with the first step of understanding the customer needs. This lays down the foundation of what you have to deliver.

After all, you are in the business industry to offer customers something and sell.

And, you cannot expect to achieve this unless you are able to connect with the customer. This is where customer support comes into the picture.

The harsh truth is that the majority of businesses don’t pay attention to building a powerful support team. All they believe in is sales.

However, with the current economy, this philosophy will always fail. You need to have an adept sales team and an equally adept customer support team if you want your business to thrive.

Businesses that have accepted this fact have been able to make a great impact, and reap great rewards out of it!

On the flip side, those who fail to understand this are still struggling to find their feet.

Now that you know about the factors that contribute towards building a great customer experience, you can simply go ahead and begin implementing them in your business.

If you found this article helpful, please feel free to share it with a friend who might be interested in the topic of optimizing their customer service experience.

The post The Step-by-step Guide To Optimizing Your Customer Service Experience appeared first on Done For You.

In the next few days, count the number of times you hear the word “test” or “testing” as it related to marketing, and it’ll shock you! I know I say it all that time and I hear it from a lot of different people in their podcasts, webinars and blog posts…

The thing about A/B testing is, by being diligent about the pages that you include in your tests, you can test to a winning campaign if you have the patience and a traffic source.

What I mean by that is most marketing fails.  It’s a fact of business.  Product offers, startups, ad campaigns; the deck is stacked against us most of the time…  But, byA/B testing your marketing and sales material, you can make iterative improvements on the messaging, target markets, images and design, all adding up to a dramatically improved campaign over time.

That’s the trick to landing page optimization…  It’s not one test – oftentimes it’s multiple!

What I want to share with you today is what I call the “Split Test Evolution.”

In this iterative A/B testing process, you’ll see how we test one thing first, find the winner, and then start a second test based on that one control.

After Test 2, Test 3, and so on; you start to truly zero in on your ideal conversion because your landing pages are as closed to optimized as possible…

Most of the time when you get started with A/B testing, you put up a few variations of a page and figure out which one converts best…  Maybe there’s a method to your madness – maybe there isn’t.  But then what?  What happens after you find a winner?

What you DO with the results is what matters in your hunt for landing page optimization.

First, let’s establish some ground rules:

• Split testing takes patience and practice.  You should only be testing out ONE thing per page, per test.  That might be colors, buttons, headlines or images.
• For every additional variation you add, you need to send that much MORE traffic!  If you're testing 2 variations, you might need 200 clicks.  3 variations, 300 clicks.  8 variations, 800 or 1000 clicks.
• Disable the losers when you think they're losing - not when the software tells you they are.  You can always re-enable variations as the apparent winners start to drop (and they always do!)
• Expect pretty high conversions right after you start a campaign.  The true test of your variations is what they do when you start to scale them...  From 20 clicks to 200 and 500 clicks or more!

Now, to do split testing, you need to have split testing software.  My pick is Visual Website Optimizer because you can test any page you have online, and it’s super easy to use.

Click here to check out VWO >>

Now, let’s look at some tests…

Here’s a landing page optimization campaign that we’ve been running for quite a while.  The traffic source is Facebook Ads driven directly to an opt-in page.  From Facebook Ads Manager, this is a website clicks campaign to a cold audience.

As you can see, Variation 2 is the clear winner with 37.74% conversions after we finished the test.  We discovered that pretty early so the majority of traffic went to that page…

This is actually where the A/B testing started out though…

Our very first test, we were getting 24.47% conversions from cold, paid traffic.

Here’s what that page looked like:

From there, we tested different headlines to see which one resonated with our audience…

The headlines were:

• 100 "Plug & Play" Subject Lines
• 100 "Most-Opened" Subject Lines
• "Tested For You" Subject Lines
• Subject Lines That Get Your Emails Opened

And as a refresher, here were our stats at the beginning of the A/B testing:

As you can see, Version 1 was our winner.  The one that said “100 Most-Opened Subject Lines.”

Now, a 2% bump doesn’t sound like a lot (and it’s not!), but it did give us some very valuable intel…

We knew which headline to use on our next test!

For Test 2, we used the winning variation, Variation 2, and changed the look of the landing page itself.  Now, if you’re familiar with our Scriptly Page Builder, one of these examples is inside Scriptly for you to use…  Largely because of this A/B test!

The text is the same – the headline, body copy, book image and top headline.

What we changed were the colors of the background, the button and the button location.

• In Control and Variation 1 - the difference is the primary background color.
• In Variation 2 and Variation 3 - we moved the button to the other side of the page.
• And in Variation 3, we changed the button color.

Here are the results:

As you can see, Variation 2 was the HUGE winner of the A/B test, at 37.74%!

Here’s the winning landing page:

That’s a 13% bump in optin conversions and landing page optimization that rivals most other landing pages out there, consider this traffic was cold Facebook Ads…  All from two simple tests…

That’s some pretty impressive performance testing for only a few weeks worth of time!  Please take notice too – a 13% bump in conversions means 13 MORE people out of 100 who hit that page optin for the lead magnet…  Meaning, my lead cost dropped and my ad budget is going further for building our list.

Now, the next thing I need to do after this A/B test is test subheadlines to see if there’s a noticeable bump in conversion from them.  I’m guessing that there isn’t, but I’ve been wrong in the past :0)

At the end of the day, make small changes, see what’s working, and use that data to keep improving your conversions!  If you need help with performance testing and landing page optimization, make sure to book a call with us here!

The post A/B Testing: Performance Testing And Landing Page Optimization appeared first on Done For You.