Greedy Internet Overlords

 Greedy Internet Overlords: FCC Approves Net Neutrality Rules

While most days we find ourselves confronted with society's woeful inability to manage our own Frankenstein, and generally terrifying implications for our future, the Federal Communications Commission has finally after a year-long morass of debate and creeping corruption passed net neutrality rules that will prohibit greedy bastard Internet service providers from granting faster access to companies that are able to pay for this privilege. Not so surprisingly, the FCC commissioners voted in lockstep with party lines; three Democrats voted in favor of the prohibition and two Republicans voted against. A quick and dirty lowdown: The American peopleand policymakers have been hotly debating net neutrality for a good 365 days.

The general public believes the Internet is a new "public" service and serves as a fundamental democratizer; it's a virtual utopia where theoretically, everyone can have an equal voice and access to people to share it with. This is called net neutrality. The FCC and particularly the commission's chairman Tom Wheeler has repeatedly gotten into hot water. Wheeler's proposal for an "Open Internet" sounds good, but is actually a euphemism for a classist, capitalistic wet dream. Basically, it would allow service providers to offer a "pay-to-play" option where shocker! the wealthiest people could have superior service to the rest of us peons. Oh, and large corporations would have faster websites and generally elbow out dissenters and other small-fish independents that are vital to keeping free speech alive and well. On May 15 of last year, following a 3-2 vote along party lines, the FCC announced that pay-for-priority deals would be against the rules “until proven otherwise" opening the door to ISPs potentially getting special treatment. In September, the FCC held a 120-day purgatorial review to foster a "public debate" about how the Internet should be regulated in the wake of their pending decision. According to a report by the Sunlight Foundation, a watchdog, open government advocacy organization, 99% of the 1.1 million comments submitted to the FCC were in favor of maintaining net neutrality. Cut to today, where, of course, Internet bigwigs are none too pleased in fact both AT&T and Verizon have taken serious umbrage with the decision. AT&T is currently previewing two pending lawsuits which basically argue that A) the FCC didn't pursue a proper analysis of all the ins and outs of their decision and B) whether these Internet Service Providers (ISPs) should be classified as "common carriers" under Title II of the Telecommunications Act, which places them in the same category as utility companies like gas and electricity.

TikTok For Business

 6 Ways You Can Use it to Boost Your Brand

TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms ever. The numbers are staggering: It was the most downloaded app of 2021, topping out with 656 million downloads. In the summer of 2021, it hit one billion monthly active users. It’s also the only non-Meta app to hit the three billion install mark. It’s not just a place for dance challenges or pranks, either. Brands can use TikTok to build their reputation, engage audiences, and drive conversions. However, unlike Facebook and Instagram, it’s not immediately obvious how brands can best use TikTok to their advantage. That’s why TikTok created TikTok For Business. This marketing tool offers everything brands need to create awesome TikTok ads that drive real business results. This article explains what TikTok For Business is and how it works, who should use TikTok For Business, and how you can get the most from this tool. By the end of the article, you’ll have a clear idea of how you can succeed with this phenomenal social network.

What Is TikTok For Business? 

TikTok For Business is highly recommended. It won B2B Brand of the Year at The Drum Awards for B2B in 2021, thanks to its rebranding efforts and glowing recommendations from brands of all sizes.

What Is TikTok For Business? TikTok For Business is highly recommended. It won B2B Brand of the Year at The Drum Awards for B2B in 2021, thanks to its rebranding efforts and glowing recommendations from brands of all sizes. The tool makes it easy for brands to start advertising on TikTok. It contains in-depth guides on the solutions it offers, including: Introduction to TikTok For Business Creative Best Practices The Creative Exchange The TikTok Shop It also offers plenty of inspirational success stories (something we’ll cover in more detail below) and loads of blog posts and how-to videos. The tool makes it easy for brands to start advertising on TikTok. It contains in-depth guides on the solutions it offers, including: 

Introduction to TikTok For Business 

Creative Best Practices 

The Creative Exchange

The TikTok Shop

It also offers plenty of inspirational success stories (something we’ll cover in more detail below) and loads of blog posts and how-to videos.

Why Should You Use TikTok For Business?

TikTok For Business sounds great. However, is it right for everyone? I think almost every business has a lot to gain from TikTok. For one, it is the leading app for consumer spending. In 2021, users spent a whopping $2.3 billion in the app, up from $1.3 billion in 2020. It also offers the following three major benefits to brands. 

Enormous Exposure Potential Consumers love videos. In 2022, we watched an average of 2.5 hours of online video content per day, up from 1.5 hours per day in 2018. The same study also shows we’re twice as likely to share video content with friends than any other online content. There are few better places to watch videos than on TikTok. As the leading video-based social network, TikTok gives brands access to millions of potential views. As I mentioned in the introduction, TikTok has a phenomenal number of users in over 140 countries. What’s even more important is that those users are highly engaged. Data released by TikTok shows the average user opens the app 19 times a day and actively uses the app for 89 minutes per day—basically an hour and a half. Even better, almost anyone can create a viral TikTok video. The nature of the platform’s algorithm means even creators with tiny audiences can become viral hits. Just ask Nathan Apodaca, whose video become so popular it reached Fleetwood Mac, whose song he sings in the soothing video he records while skateboarding to work. Brands Look More Authentic on TikTok No one wants to be known as the company that runs cheesy adverts on social media. Consumers don’t want crap ads, either. Consumers want an emotional connection to brands now more than ever, and 90 percent say authenticity is important when deciding which brands they support. Thanks to the solutions offered by TikTok For Business, it’s easier for brands to come across as authentic and create the same level of content pushed out by veteran content creators. Of course, it’s easy to go too far and jump on all of the latest TikTok trends. While it’s important to be creative and authentic, take care to stay true to your brand’s personality. If the trend doesn’t mirror your brand image, you don’t need to jump on the bandwagon. 

Access to Endless Influencers The power of influencer marketing is well understood. Three in four marketers use influencers as a marketing tool, and 90 percent believe it to be effective. TikTok takes influencer marketing to a new level. Because it’s possible for someone with very few influencers to go viral on TikTok, brands have access to a potentially unlimited number of influencers. TikTok also makes it easy to connect with influencers thanks to its Creator Marketplace. We’ll talk about this analytics tool below, but it’s a great way to find partners with the engagement, reach, and demographics you care about. 

Who Should Use TikTok For Business?

            It doesn’t matter who you are or what kind of business you run; TikTok has something to offer everyone from large enterprises to small businesses and agencies. Big brands with even bigger marketing budgets have quickly made TikTok their home. Companies like Coca-Cola, Google, and Sony have already established effective partnerships with popular TikTokers to promote brand awareness and drive conversions. The New York Times reports that at least 18 public retail brands have referred to marketing efforts on TikTok on calls with analysts and investors between August and December. TikTok goes to great lengths to promote itself as the social media platform of choice for small businesses. In 2021, the company unveiled its Small Wins initiative, which showed the value it can bring to smaller businesses around the globe. This includes a bakery that turned 3,000 followers into 2 million and a candlemaker who went viral. 

10 Best E-commerce Email Marketing

There are plenty of e-commerce marketing channels available to grow your business, such as social media, PPC, SEO, and network marketing. Successful e-commerce business owners, though, know that email marketing is one of the most profitable channels available. Let’s take a look at “what is e-commerce email marketing?” and why e-commerce businesses should use it. Finally, we’ll delve into the 10 best e-commerce email marketing strategies that you can implement immediately for great results.

What Is E-Commerce Email Marketing? 

                                E-commerce email marketing is a marketing channel that enables you to send marketing messages to current and potential customers. The strategies you use can be simple, like sending a weekly email blast with featured products, or complex—with multiple automated email series for cart abandonment, customer re-engagement, and exclusive membership deals. Either way, the ultimate goal is to increase customer engagement and drive conversions. Why Should E-Commerce Businesses Do Email Marketing? As an e-commerce business owner, you’ve probably heard the sales pitch for just about every marketing channel there is. You may even dabble in email marketing currently, but perhaps you don’t understand just how valuable a tool it is to your sales strategy. Email marketing is a unique process in that, unlike social media or SEO, you own every piece of the funnel. Most importantly, you own the email subscriber list.

Why is that so important? With 4 billion daily email users (which will climb to 4.6 billion by 2025), you can’t afford to miss this incredible opportunity. Through email marketing strategies, an e-commerce business can benefit from brand awareness, customer engagement, and high-intent customers. We also can’t ignore the conversion rate boosts that e-commerce businesses see when they implement a solid email marketing strategy, with the best ROI when compared to other marketing channels. With an average of $36 earned for every $1 spent, that’s a whopping 3,600 percent ROI! 

How to Do Email Marketing

            While much of this article will focus on email marketing strategies for active marketers, we understand that not every e-commerce business is yet set up for email marketing. If that’s you and you are completely brand new to email marketing, here are the steps you should take first: Set realistic and sustainable goals to grow your business, such as building an email list or improving customer retention by X percent. Select an email marketing software like MailChimp or Constant Contact. Map out your initial campaigns (e.g., welcome series, abandoned cart series, or new product launches.) Decide how you’ll collect email addresses. Many e-commerce companies offer a small coupon in exchange for email addresses. Set up landing pages as needed for campaigns. Set up campaign tracking with your chosen analytics provider. Take the time to establish a firm foundation and you’ll be off to a better start than even many seasoned e-commerce businesses. 

Best E-Commerce Email Marketing Strategies 

        Whether you’re new to email marketing or you’re looking to optimize your current setup, our best e-commerce email marketing strategies will provide you with a solid foundation to build your email marketing empire. 

1. Start With a Welcome Series 

For the best impression with new subscribers, establish a welcome email series. This gives you a chance to share your brand story, highlight your best products, and even offer a discount to drive sales. Beyond that, a welcome series drives serious engagement. With an average open rate of 68.59 percent and an average click-through rate of 16.05 percent, a welcome series is a great part of your larger email marketing campaign. Why? First and foremost, a welcome series implies more than one email. Two or three emails is the sweet spot and anything beyond that is considered “spammy” and may scare off new subscribers. With two emails, you have the chance to welcome the customer and invite them to connect. With three emails, you have the chance to do the previous two while also getting to know the customer more personally. Take, for example, the NewEgg welcome series below which welcomes the customer and then invites them to connect with the mobile app: