2024 Recap: Facebook Ads Edition

2024 Recap: Facebook Ads Edition

by | Dec 17, 2024 | Entrepreneurship, Facebook™ Ads, How To, Launching

Y’all, we’ve (almost) done it — we’ve almost made it through 2024!

*happy dance*

And, let’s be honest: a LOT has happened this year. In a year of AI innovations, elections, new tech, and beyond, there’s been something to look at, try, or test every single time we turn our heads.

But, guess what? That’s the kind of year that creates big-time growth.

Come along with us for a recap of 2024 Facebook ads innovation — and then let’s start thinking ahead to 2025!

Facebook ads: what changed in 2024?
When it comes to ads, Meta is always on the front of innovation — and 2024 was no different. From boosting targeting capabilities to allowing for more personalization, we saw a lot of changes for the better this year.

Here are some of our favorite 2024 Facebook ad level-ups:

  • The embrace of AI: If “artificial intelligence” isn’t TIME’s word of the year, I’m confused. Honestly, after all, AI has been a HUGE part of this year’s tech reckoning, and Facebook ads are no different. This year, Meta added AI-powered ad tools into the ad platform… and we’re obsessed. Now, you can edit images, customize text, create variations, forecast performance, and so much more. It’s been a game-changer for efficiency, for ad spend, and for overall ad performance.
  • More personalization opportunities: The internet is a crowded place, and people NEED to feel like something is meant for them — which is why the fact that Facebook has leaned into personalization makes SUCH a big difference. This year, we saw the ability to lean heavily into audience preferences with a big uptick in dynamic ad capabilities — meaning that you can customize ads in real-time, make audience-centric adjustments, and even tailor them to the seasons. Yes, please!
  • Deeper insights: As an FB ads agency, we’re (obviously) always looking for more data — and so are our clients! Updates to the Audience Insights dashboard have given us all a much deeper capability into data dives, which we’re all obsessed with. You can now see enhanced behavior tracking, predictive analytics, privacy-focused insights, and so much more. This has been key for optimizing budgets and improving ROI.

Some top System Envy moments
While the Metadata wizards have been spinning up new things, so have we! This has been a campaign-heavy year (packed with some BIG results), and we’ve had an infinite amount of fun trying different platforms, shaking up our strategies, and helping our clients make their biggest dreams come true.

Here are a few of our top moments and practices:

  • Obsessing over Pinterest: Our entire team has been biggggg fans of  Pinterest forever and ever, and we really embraced the Pinterest ad game this year! And, trust us here — if you haven’t tried Pinterest ads, you’re going to want to! Data shows that over 80% of Pinterest users have made a purchase based on their Pins before, and the longevity is insane. (Wondering what we mean? The average Pin is re-pinned 11 times, which points to how long its reach can grow!) Here’s what we’ve learned this year.
  • Making $1.4M for our new client: We have so much fun with every single client launch we support (I mean, hello… we have the best clients EVER!), but we really can’t stop thinking about one of the launches that we started with last year and re-did this year. Long story short? We helped get a 725%+ return on ad spend for a whopping $1.4 million return on investment! This was a course launch for a brand new course and involved a quickfire engagement strategy AND launch strategy to work. You can learn more about it our first go-round here!
  • Dipping our toes in the TikTok water: Leaning into the TikTok ads game was a huge priority for us this year, and it’s one we’re really glad to have leaned into. Likely, TikTok is going to be a huge moneymaker — especially for younger audiences — for quite a while. By taking the leap this year, we’ve been able to prime our clients for some big successes. Here’s what you need to know.

And, guys… we have to be honest with you — all of the above is BARELY even scratching the surface. This year has been huge, and we know next year will be, too.

We just can’t WAIT for it! Let’s do it together, yeah?

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11 Must-Try Reel Ideas for Ads

11 Must-Try Reel Ideas for Ads

by | Sep 4, 2024 | Entrepreneurship, Facebook™ Ads, Strategy

 

These days, you kiiiinda can’t grow your following (or your engagement) on Meta and Instagram without Reels. Whether you’re running Facebook ads, posting on IG for fun, or in the middle of a launch, a Reels strategy is a *must* for driving clicks.

But, as we all know… the creative process is hard. And, sometimes, we ALL run out of ideas!

However, you know me — and I simply *refuse* to gatekeep.

So, just for fun, I’m sharing 11 MORE Reel ideas to use for your next Facebook or Instagram ad campaign.

 

11 Reel Ideas You Need In Your Next Campaign 

 

  1. Level up your visuals by adding your own brand fonts and colors inside of Canva, Capcut, or Inshot. Instagram is starting to roll out more features that actually feel like Canva, (ie. adding stickers, collages, more font options, etc.) so keep an eye out on that! 
  2. Spotlight a good ole’ before-and-after moment that encapsulates the transformation your product or service provides.
  3. Share a hot take or unpopular opinion you have in your industry. Be ready to engage your audience in the comments!
  4. Give your audience a BTS look inside of your process (or spotlight something specific, like a discovery call or a workday!)
  5. Show off your team with an intro reel! (It can also be really fun to spotlight your customers, too.)
  6. Do a rapid-fire Q&A. 
  7. Showcase social proof with overlaid images on top of your video.
  8. Try out B-roll Reel ideas (we have even more ideas and examples, here)!
  9. Utilize teasers for your next launch that align with your launch strategy itself. Start to show sneak peaks behind the scenes of what you’re working on. Include people in the process so they’re super primed for your launch!
  10. Do you package a product? Show it off! 
  11. Showcase your customer pain points as one-liners in your Reel text — and then break down your solution in the caption.

 

Want to keep elevating your Reels?

If you want to keep your Reels effective, engaging, and exciting (the goal alllllways, of course!), there are a few best practices you can follow! First, focus on the HOOK — AKA, what’s going to suck viewers in? You can really rock your hook strategy with a lot of our Reels ideas, and you can always go back to the old faithfuls, too: clear copy, bright lighting, and well-filmed video. It’s amazing how much of an incredible hook it can be simply to have a high-quality video in itself.

Once you’ve nailed that down, layer in the fun things — like trending sounds, jokes, or transitions — to add detail and depth to your Reels. And, most importantly, please (pleassse!) give your Reels — especially those you’re using in ads campaigns — a clear CTA. People need to know where they’re supposed to be going next, or they’ll keep scrolling. It’s that simple. 

And, there you have it! When your Reels ideas are paired with the right audience (and the right captions!), you can ensure that your content is doing what you’ve intended for it to do.

I can’t wait to see you SHINE, friend.

Do Podcast Ads Work?

Do Podcast Ads Work?

by | Oct 17, 2023 | Entrepreneurship, Facebook™ Ads, How To

Over the years, we’ve been able to work with clients on countless course launches, membership programs, product offers — you name it. Essentially, we’ve been able to see our clients make these massive, massive moves (with the help of Facebook ads), and it’s been, quite simply, the BEST.

 

Lately, though — while we’ve still been doing lots of launches, memberships, and offers — we’ve also been supporting clients on their podcasts. In fact, several System Envy clients have top worldwide podcasts (casual!), and we pretty regularly get asked about podcast ads from our audience.

 

So, here’s to the big question we’ve been getting lately: “do podcast ads work?”

 

Short answer: yes. 

 

Long answer: let’s talk about it.

 

Podcast ads work if you do them right

A consistent ad strategy can lead to hundreds of thousands of clicks to and subsequent downloads of your podcast — and when they’re done right, you can typically count on a cost-per-click of under $0.10, a high clickthrough rate of 10% or more, and a cost-per-download average of around $0.60. 

 

And, here’s why: if you run consistent podcast ads, you’re able to boost your most valuable content in a purposeful, impactful way — leading to new listeners, a more engaged audience, and, in turn, more earnings because of that podcast of yours. Plus, you can use your podcast to align with your business offers in themselves — and use your podcast ads audiences to retarget any of your aligned offers, too.

 

Win, win, win.

 

How to build a podcast ads strategy

When you’re running ads to your podcast, there are a few things we’ve found that really do work for maximum effect:

 

Keep it timely: You can reuse and re-promote old episodes, but make sure that this isn’t your focus! The more timely — AKA, new episodes, please! — the better, especially when it comes to building a highly engaged audience.
Video works well: We really recommend recording your podcasts live, and then utilizing snippets to run ads. We’ve seen great podcast ad success by showing audiences an inside look, pulling small teaching moments, and sharing the funniest pieces of an episode. 
Run multiples in a cycle: With our clients, we’ve noticed the biggest success — and ROI — by running multiple videos (3-4 at a time, typically) for about a weeklong cycle. Then, within that cycle, you can A/B test everything from video length to copy to see what’s really working and what’s not. 
Keep track: There’s nothing more important (well, besides testing) than keeping track of your ads, consistently taking note of your findings, and reporting final numbers. Don’t leave this step out, okay?!

 

So, my podcast pals, here’s your job: run some podcast ads! They’re easy to start, low-cost to run, and maximally effective with the right strategy — and you will grow your podcast with ‘em.

Ready, go!

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Launching a Course With a Personal AND a Business Brand: Content Planning Edition

Launching a Course With a Personal AND a Business Brand: Content Planning Edition

by | Oct 4, 2023 | Entrepreneurship, Facebook™ Ads, How To

At System Envy, we have a lot of clients who have 2 important things:

 

  1. A business with a successful, popular, and profitable course or product offer.
  2. A personal brand that they love just as much.

 

Chances are, you fit in that category, too. After all, you’re not just a businessperson — you’re A HUMAN! And, the way we see it… that personal brand matters just as much.

 

Here’s the thing, though: likely, your personal brand and your business brand are going to have different strategies when you’re planning for a launch — and approaching them both with different strategies is key to making an impact and staying sane… especially when it comes to content planning.

So, let’s break it down.

Courses vs. personal brands: How to plan content for each.

 

Course content planning: Business brand So, you’re prepping to launch your course — and you’re wondering how the heck to plan the content so it’s not the same as your personal brand? I got you.

 

First off, you need to have an understanding of your funnel (essentially the journey from freebie to offer to checkout). What does each step look like? What do you want each click/each engagement to turn into?

 

Then, since you’re running a business account, you need to focus — and focus heavily — on building engagement and rapport with cold audience members. Plan content that adds serious value (freebies, educational videos, small learnings, etc.), and create a schedule that pours into those who may not be too familiar with your brand yet. (Psst — any warm audience members are going to love this, too!)

 

For bonus points, get personal on your business account, too. Talk about why you created this course/offer, share testimonials, and give your audience insight into the results and wins YOU have achieved from it.

 

Course content planning: Personal brand When you’re prepping to launch your course as a personal brand, you want to approach the strategy a little differently. However, the overarching idea is the same — to encourage people to float through your funnel and, eventually, make that big-ticket purchase.

 

To do this, niche your content down to the people following your personal brand who are raving fans of yours (and will, in turn, buy from you). Focus on nurturing them, adding value to them, and simply being yourself. Feel free to share freebies and educational videos, but also take the time to invite them into your life through the lens of your course — and take the time to appeal to them through that personal connection you already have.

 

Sound simple? That’s because, my friend, it is. If you’ve been building an engaging personal brand, you definitely have people who want to support you on it — you just have to reach them in the right way.

 

Also, keep your audience in mind. This is of utmost importance when you’re balancing posting about your business, but also about your life around your business. In most cases, if you feel like you’re overdoing it, you’re probably right on the money. But do consider your audience and how well you’ve trained them to hear from you while launching. Our clients have done a phenomenal job of teaching followers that we WILL be emailing and posting about offers.

For example, if you’re currently launching a course, think about the phase of your launch, and how many posts you want to make for each phase

  • Webinar
  • Cart Open
  • Cart Close

If you create 8-10 posts for each phase, your webinar phase is a week, and your cart period is a week, then you could have the following organic content plan:

  • reel with long-form copy about the benefits and learnings from the webinar/course
  • image with short copy about how to join
  • reel with long-form copy about your personal expertise and the results from the webinar or course learnings
  • image with long-form copy sharing a sneak peek of the strategy you’ll share in your webinar or course
  • personal reel about your lifestyle, learnings lately, etc. with CTA to engage in the comments (for example: “Comment below if you agree” or “Tag that person in the comments”)
  • carousel with testimonial images for the course or webinar takeaways
  • personal image about your life and hobbies, more casual, storytelling
  • reel with b-roll footage and a thought-provoking text on image, explain the text in the caption long-form and then invite people to the webinar/course
  • reel sharing answers to any objections your audience might have about joining
  • personal reel about how you created the course content or webinar

 

This is a pretty good mix of content for your audience to digest, and not feel like they’re being overwhelmed with your offer. Keep in mind, that you should be posting consistently with your previous posting schedule. If you rarely post and then turn it into high gear during a launch, and post 3x/day, your audience miiiight notice, and not take kindly to this strategy. Post what feels right for your regular routine!

 

— And, there you have it — our simple tips for creating course-friendly content, regardless of a business or a personal account! As usual, remember: the key lies in testing, engaging, and adding value to your audience. In all honesty, THAT is what matters.

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Reflecting on 2023 So Far

Reflecting on 2023 So Far

by | Sep 21, 2023 | Entrepreneurship, Facebook™ Ads

Okay, guys… I hate to be this person but I HAVE to ask:

 

Can you BELIEVE it’s already the FALL?! 

 

Like, honestly… what has happened this year? It’s like we hit January 1 and life decided to accelerate — and to say it’s been busy, full of lessons, and full of work is an understatement.

 

But, I digress. ‘Tis life, isn’t it?!

 

And, during this busy year, I’ve learned a LOT. My team has learned a LOT. My clients have learned — you guessed it — a LOT. We’re in this really interesting space of time where we’re seeing new innovations in tech every day, new ways to reach audiences and customers WITH that tech, and new variations on the things that have worked already.

 

So, I want to dive into a little reflection of 2023 so far: ads edition.

 

What we’ve learned about ads (so far) in 2023

After a year of news about privacy changes, allowances, and rebrands, there was a lot to contend with — but, to be honest, we’ve learned and have really decided to dial in on a lot of the strategies we’ve been focused on.

 

And it’s worked.

 

#1: Video is still king (queen?!)

It’s really been no secret that video content has been heavily, heavily prioritized across social — and for good reasons. Audiences enjoy it, it’s highly engaging, and it’s immediately eye-catching. This has only increased in 2023 so far — especially in your ads.

 

Whether it’s running ads on Reels/TikTok or it’s repurposing video content to engage your audience with ads, showing up is SO important. We’ve learned through countless launches this year that video testing is just as important as we assumed, too. Don’t forget this — and focus on testing lifestyle videos, TikTok-style videos, talking videos, and more. It’s important to really dig into the types of content your audience loves so that you can lean into more of it.

 

However, I do really want to make something clear: images are not dead! Photo ads and creative still work and perform really, really well among audiences — and I don’t see that ever changing. But, paying attention to video content is still highly important, and for a couple reasons:  you want to please the algorithm when you can, it’s important to show up in multiple ways, and trying new things is never a bad thing.

 

#2: The strategies we promote are still working.

Over here, we place the biggest emphasis — always — on testing. We test creative assets, we test timing, we test audiences… you name it. And, guess what? That strategy remains one of theeee best things you can do for a successful ad campaign and launch. Every. Single. Time. Don’t get caught on one practice and refuse to try and test other things, because you will miss out on a huge opportunity there.

 

You deserve better than that.

 

#3: Diversification of spend is getting the most return.

While we may have started out as a FB ads agency, we’re a lot more than that now — we’re comfortable running ads on any platform, and I have to urge you to do the same. See, there are constantly new platforms (hello, TikTok is not that old!) and there are also platforms that you may not have been taking advantage of (hello, Pinterest!). By leveraging them, you can truly see a huge return on spend.

 

Now, a note: for us and for our clients, FB and IG are still seeing the biggest return and engagement levels. However, it very well may not stay like that forever — and, regardless, we are still seeing big return and engagement in places like TikTok and Pinterest, too.

 

Don’t miss out.

 

—

 

Stay tuned — the year isn’t over yet! These are just a few of the things we’ve learned so far, and we’re excited for more. And, as always, if there’s anything you want us to dig into… let us know!

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The Key to Getting off the Content Hamster Wheel

The Key to Getting off the Content Hamster Wheel

by | Jul 31, 2023 | Entrepreneurship, Facebook™ Ads, How To

Do you ever feel like you’re on a constant content wheel that’s spinning and spinning (and spinning some more), only to never really go anywhere? It’s like between Instagram stories, TikToks (ugh), the ever-elusive video content, the grid posts, and the blogging, it never, ever stops.

It’s exhausting.

But, tough love here (and I’m heavy on the love part, because I feel the same way you do)… content creation is a necessary part of growing a business today. Continually pushing out (quality) content is key to helping grow your organic traffic and followers, and it also leads you toward highly engaged audiences.

Good news, though: you can take that content hamster wheel and put it to some seriously good use. I promise. Here’s how:

  1. Use your content for between-launch ads!

Instead of just sending your content into the SEO and social media stratosphere (which, don’t get me wrong, you should still do!), integrate it into your ads content as well. We do this a ton over here with our clients by using IG posts and Reels as engagement ads — which keeps an audience highly engaged and helps the Ads Manager learn more about what works for your specific audience.

 

  1. Remember that quantity > perfectionism = key to good content

There are two important things to remember when it comes to your content: original content is being prioritized by the Facebook algorithm, and ads do fatigue. Remembering those, it’s definitely easy to remind yourself of the importance of content creation – and of creating content that your audience will love, even if it’s not professionally produced or exactly as perfect as you might want it to be.

 

See, here’s a quick case study:

One of our clients is such a content queen, and she’s always pumping out the Reels and the content for us, which gives us SOSOSO many options for ads and allows us to continually engage her audience. With that, we have so much to pull from that our ads allow for tons of testing and have much better optimization.

On the other hand, we have a (still incredible!) client who isn’t much for posting on IG. She posts maaaaybe once a month, and we have to ask for Reels pretty often. The engagement rate isn’t as high as our other client, and it is a little trickier to test.

 

But…

Here’s the thing, though: This is a common problem — because creating content can really go hand in hand with a lot of perfectionism, especially as an entrepreneur. It can be so easy to never want to post or act unless something’s perfectly branded, and done. I get that, and I’ve felt it, too (like, daily).

And guess what? Perfectionism can limit your growth opportunities. Don’t do that to yourself! Instead, create content that feels good — and then TRUST in your own expertise and in your audience.

That’s all it takes.

Hamster wheel no more. 🙂 Just have fun with it, and then put it to good use!

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How I Use Asana as an Entrepreneur: Content Edition

by | Apr 6, 2022 | Entrepreneurship

Over here, I make nooooo secret of how much I love Asana — AKA,  the ultimate project management software, and the one that we use for absolutely everything at System Envy HQ. From client workflows to internal processes, Asana is our #1 teammate for allllll the things. And, while we use Asana within several different categories, there’s one area that we REALLY rely on it for:

Content management.

So, if you’ve been looking for a true-blue method to manage content, create a killer editorial calendar, and streamline alllll your content processes, you’re in the right place.

Here’s why we love Asana for content

We’re always singing the praises of Asana (and, no… this isn’t sponsored, though we wish it was!), but there’s a few reasons why I want to really scream them when it comes to content. 

First, the ability to see tasks in a comprehensive view (AKA, month, day, week, etc.), and then also to collaborate with others on them makes it a no-brainer for planning content and working around schedules. But, on the other hand, it’s easy to use. Asana isn’t this clunky, 17-steps-to-find-your-task situation. It’s straightforward and helpful, just like we like our content itself to be.

How I Use Asana as an Entrepreneur: Content Edition

When it comes to trying out Asana for your content, there are a few best practices that we’d recommend following — and that we’ve tried and implemented in our own internal processes.

First up, get really granular with it! Asana gives you tons of leeway for categorizing tasks and structuring your schedule, so take advantage of that by breaking all of your content down, piece by piece, within the platform. Wondering what we mean? Instead of using Asana to plan out just an entire month’s of content on a high level, use it to really define specific goals. For instance, we have separate workspaces and tasks for blogging, email marketing, IG captions, Reels ideas, video content, and everything in-between. 

Then, keep it organized. This is key, because Asana is really robust — and, while it’s simple, you can also overwhelm yourself unnecessarily. We focus on keeping each task streamlined with one specific idea or category instead of looping tons of things into one, which is really essential when it comes to building cohesiveness and consistency in your content process.

(Bonus tip: keep all passwords, processes, and resources safe and all in one place inside of Asana, too!)

Next up? Timelines, which are arguably one of theeeeee best things to use Asana for, especially when it comes to content. When you’re planning your content out for the month or quarter, you can look at every date from a birds-eye view — something that’s key to making things happen on time. We bake in tons of time for content to get made, and we make that a huge part of our process. 

For instance, our content tasks in Asana look a lot like this:

  • Create topic ideas
  • Gather notes around content/create an outline if necessary
  • Assign content to whoever’s going to write it, whether that’s our copywriter or me
  • Review and edit content, if needed
  • Upload content to ShowIt/social media
  • Schedule content

And, that’s just one piece of content! There’s usually about a month of lead time between all of those tasks, which means we have quite a few Asana subtasks ready to fill. But, it’s all in one place… and that changes everything. We’re able to assign those tasks, get those approvals, and provide that feedback — win, win, win.

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There you have it — how we utilize Asana to make content management a breeze over here! Have any other process, workflow, or system Q’s you wanna ask? Let us know.

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How I use Asana as an Entrepreneur

How I use Asana as an Entrepreneur

by | Mar 23, 2022 | Entrepreneurship

Can we all please just talk about how much the internet has improved entrepreneur life?! Am I showing my age here LOL?

And, I loooooove a good online tool for running my business.

Enter: my ultimate favorite, Asana. I’ve tried quite a few project management softwares within my business and with my team, but Asana is the one I just keep coming back to, over and over again.

Why, you ask? It has an incredibly easy (and pretty) interface, it’s super intuitive for clients and team members alike, and it doesn’t feel clunky and scary to figure out.

AKA, the trifecta.

So, I wanted to share a little bit more about why I love Asana so much AND how I use it as an entrepreneur. 

First up: here’s an Asana primer.

To put it simply, Asana is a project management software for teams, for individuals, and for clients. It uses a calendar and to-do list method to help you assign out tasks and build out projects, and, lemme tell ya…

…it’s a life saver.

It also has a communication element that lets you talk back and forth on different projects, too, which makes it easy to streamline and simplify. Plus, the organization? OOH. We love.

How I use Asana as an Entrepreneur

At System Envy, we actually use Asana for a couple different reasons — content management, client work, and day-to-day operations. That’s why I’m so obsessed with it, actually: it’s a true-blue workhorse, and we put it to work.

Here are our fave ways to use it in this business:

Creating client consistency: Consistency is absolutely essential when you run a service-based business, especially one like ours where there’s so much data and so many goals to reach. 

The key? Using project templates so that every single client has a consistent experience, and so every single team member knows exactly what they need and when they need it.

Onboarding, reporting, and even launching with clients is so much easier with Asana, because we have templates for absolutely everything. Then, when it’s time for a new project or for a status update on an existing one, it’s easy to duplicate an existing template or project and be set up in minutes.

Self-tasks AND team tasks: I also use Asana a lot for its most famous feature, AKA the to-do lists feature! I can build tasks for myself to follow up for keeping the team on track, but I can also assign tasks — or have tasks assigned *to* me.

Our entire team loves it, because it’s so easy to make sure things aren’t falling between the cracks… which is pretty dang essential when you’re managing clients and team members who are, quite literally, all across the country and abroad.

Plus, you don’t have to assign overarching, huge tasks out, either! The subtask feature inside of Asana lets us build small, achievable tasks that aren’t at all overwhelming or overbearing. And, these subtasks are also really key to building processes within the team, too.

High level looks: With several different clients (and a business to run), it’s definitely really important to be able to see the week, the month, the quarter, and even the year at a glance. 

With Asana, we’re able to map out client projects and team tasks to see time periods unfold in front of us in different calendar views, which is so, so helpful when it comes to things like client launches or prepping for new products in our own digital suite.

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In case you can’t tell, we’re pretty dang obsessed with Asana over here at System Envy… and I’m convinced it’s absolutely the easiest-to-use, most aesthetically pleasing project management software around. 

Check it out here.

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The Tools and Software We Use Over Here at System Envy

The Tools and Software We Use Over Here at System Envy

by | Feb 16, 2022 | Entrepreneurship

We’re convinced that there is nothing better than finding tools and resources and software that you actually (like, REALLY actually) use and focus on in your business, especially in a ~very~ saturated market of “must-have” biz resources and tools to choose from.

But, can we all just agree that hearing from fellow entrepreneurs and business owners about the tools and software they use is SO dang fun?! We love it. So, today, we wanted to dive into the things that WE rely on with our team. 

What we look for in tools and resources

When you’re really trying to streamline your business processes, there are an overwhelming amount of tools that people are going to recommend to you… and that’s putting it *lightly.* We’ve tried out a zillion and one things over here (some of which have been great and some of which have been… not so much), and our team has realized that these are the most important things to look for when trying things out:

  • Ease of use: No one wants to use a tool or a resource that feels complicated and overwhelming — no one. That’s why we’re huge on only using resources and tools that feel truly simple and streamlined, and it’s why we pay so much attention to only trying out things that we know our entire team can manage.
  • Cost per use: To put it simply, you don’t need every tool that someone tells you you do. You just don’t. And, you likely don’t need the paid version of everything, either! When you’re trying out new business tools and resources, really consider how much you’ll actually use something before deciding to pay for it.
  • Flexibility: Not every business is the same, which is why flexibility in tools and software is so massively important. When you’re digging into new tools, make sure you can adjust the settings and set it up from the backend in ways that are truly and actually beneficial to what you and your business need.

 

The Tools and Software We Use Over Here at System Envy

Here’s the thing: what works for one business owner might not work for you, right? But, man… when you find the things that DO work for you, it’s like magic. From our content calendars all the way to the tools we use to find stock photos, there are a lot of resources we love and use day to day and week to week. 

Day Designer: Is there anything better than a planner that you TRULY love and rely on each and every day? That’s how we all feel about Day Designer, which is the most well-designed planner any of us have ever used. The Day Designer is built to truly help you, well, design your day, and is really flexible for planning out days, weeks, and months.

Haute Stock: We are pretty much convinced that stock photos can be 1 of 2 things: horrific or stunning. And, obviously, we want the stunning ones, right? It’s why we rely on Haute Stock so much, which is a stock photo membership full of on-brand stock photos that we use on everything from blog posts to ad campaigns. A winner.

Asana: If you’ve tried out task management platforms before, you’ve likely been left ~wildly~ confused and frustrated… which is why we love Asana so much. It’s streamlined and easy to use, and it’s what we turn to at System Envy to build out content calendars, keep track of deadlines, and assign tasks to each team member.

Later/Tailwind: Social media management is a way of life these days, and Later and Tailwind are our BFFs. We use Tailwind (and are obsessed with its easy interface!) for scheduling Pinterest pins, and we use Later to plan out and schedule Instagram feed posts. The. Best.

Slack: These days, there are WAY more effective ways to communicate with your team and your clients than email… and it’s why we turn to Slack. Slack lets you create chat channels for a variety of people and topics (we use them for specific clients, for general conversation, for direct messages, and for specialties like copy and strategy), and will quickly become a mainstay in your biz.

GSuite: Google makes everything easy when it comes to content and email, and we rely on it like crazy. From Google Docs to Google Sheets to Google Drive, we use GSuite for truly everything at System Envy. From creating image folders to writing blog content, there’s really nothing you can use that’s easier or more efficient than GSuite.

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If you’ve been looking for some new tools and software to try out, we can’t recommend these enough. However, here’s a reminder: do what feels right for you and your business. 

That’s what matters most.

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5 Ways to Add Social Proof to Your Marketing

by | Feb 2, 2022 | Entrepreneurship, How To

There are a lot of things that make marketing (and Facebook ads, of course!) more effective, from in-depth strategy all the way to gorgeous graphics. However, my fave? Social proof.

Why, you ask? Because social proof allows you to really and truly take what your audience and customers are saying to heart — and then to use it to remind potential audience members and customers that you really do care about what they say, too.

Wait… what’s social proof?

Truly, social proof is exactly what it sounds like: it’s proof (AKA, feedback) from clients and customers that your product or service is really, really great and transformative.

See, here’s the thing: people like to watch other people. I mean, hey — what on earth would social media even BE if people didn’t like to watch other people?!

Social proof allows you to capitalize on that and then to grow as a business owner.

Win, win.

Now, let’s talk about a few ways you can do this in your own business, yeah?

 

5 Ways to Add Social Proof to Your Marketing

Adding social proof to your marketing strategy (and, in turn, your ad strategy) can be a really easy and powerful expansion tool. The cool thing about social proof is that it’s really already done for you by your audience and customers — you just have to leverage it.

 

1. Run a carousel ad of testimonials.

Running an ad with testimonials is 100% sure to be a super, super engaging way to get people interested in your ad… and, it’s also my *fave* way to showcase some social proof.

Here’s why: when people can swipe through customer testimonial after customer testimonial, they can start to really and truly  SEE the transformation that your product or service brings real, authentic people. And, when they start to really and truly SEE that transformation, they start to think “if all these people did it, why can’t I?”

And then… sale. Voila.

 

2. Simplify it with screenshots.

Truly the world’s easiest way to showcase social proof is with a good ole’ screenshot. 

(So, essentially, I gotta tell you… you kind of have no excuse not to try this one out.)

Every time you get really great feedback that might inspire someone else to work with you, take a screenshot and keep it in a folder in your Google Drive or on your desktop. Then, you have an arsenal of ready-to-go social proof that you can drop into Facebook ads, onto sales pages, and even into your social media feed.

 

3. Share testimonial videos.

Videos in and of themselves are one of the most effective ways to instantly engage an audience, especially on a Facebook ad or in a social media post. Combine that engaging technique with a testimonial, and BAM. You’ve made magic. 

(These are great to use in a variety of ways, but I especially love ‘em on a Facebook ad.)

Wondering how to get testimonial videos? It’s simpler than you think: just ask! I love asking my clients for short vids (or even voice memos) of their testimonials and feedback, and they’re always more than willing to give it. I know yours will be, too!

 

4. Use partner or brand logos.

Have you ever clicked on a website or a sales page and been suuuuper impressed with the logos you’ve seen or the partner names you’ve spotted?

Me, too — the power of social proof, baby!

When you work with a client you’re really proud of, don’t hesitate to snip their logo and include it on a sales page or a website. It’s a great way to attract similar clients, and there’s 1,000% nothing wrong with bragging on yourself a little.

I promise.

5. Case studies, case studies, case studies!

If you want to get a little more in-depth with your social proof, I’m a huge proponent of writing and publishing case studies on your site’s blog or even on your LinkedIn profile. Case studies are an effective way to really break down a project in a more detailed way than you’d usually be able to, and they can showcase nitty-gritty numbers and goals that really underline your success.

Plus, they don’t need to be complicated. Instead of stressing about how to write a case study, keep it simple. I like asking and answering questions like these:

  • What was the #1 goal for this product/service/transformation?
  • What were the key performance indicators (KPIs)? AKA, how we could tell if it was working?
  • What did the client love about the product/service/transformation?

All you have to do is answer the questions and stick ‘em in a blog post. It’s so much easier than you might think!

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Friends, there you have it — some of my go-to ways for including social proof in my clients and my marketing collateral. Do you have any other methods of social proof you love? Share ‘em with us!

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