Author: Franz Malten Buemann

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Hi guys what platforms do you recommend to send out marketing automation emails with? At the moment I am using Mailchimp, but I keep running into various restrictions and I feel that this only works for simple marketing automations, not for long and more complex flows. Looking forward to your opinions submitted by /u/lottiee2000 [link] [comments]

I’m a huge homebody who prefers the ease of shopping online from home. However, the problem with buying items online is that I can’t try on, measure, or get a good feel for the product until it arrives at my door. So, before deciding to purchase, I always check the item’s product attributes to ensure it’s right for me.

Product attributes play an essential role in the decision-making process for buyers. They’re also crucial for marketers when promoting or advertising a product. Read on to learn more about product attributes, their importance, and how to incorporate them into your marketing strategy.
What are product attributes?
Product Attributes vs. Product Benefits
Why You Need Product Attributes
Product Attributes Examples
Use product attributes in your marketing strategy.

Product attributes fall into two categories: tangible and intangible. Tangible attributes are physical attributes that the senses can perceive, such as color, shape, size, and texture. Intangible attributes are characteristics that can’t be perceived by seeing or holding the product.
For example, take a look at this Victrola record player system.
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Tangible attributes of this record player include its red color and retro-inspired design. Intangible attributes would be Bluetooth capability and recording software allowing buyers to convert vinyl to MP3.

Product Attributes vs. Product Benefits
While product attributes describe the products, product benefits describe what customers stand to gain from the product. For instance, let’s go back to the record player example.
As I said earlier, a product attribute of the record player is its Bluetooth capability. A product benefit is that this capability allows users to stream their favorite music wirelessly.

Why You Need Product Attributes
Including product attributes helps consumers get a feel for your product and what it can do for them. Attributes also influence the potential buyer’s decision and allow them to properly weigh their options when looking for a product that suits their needs.
Helpful product attributes can improve the customer experience by making their decision process more manageable.
Product attributes are also necessary because they can boost your brand’s discoverability online. Marketers can and should incorporate keywords into product attribute descriptions so people searching these terms are more likely to find your product.

Product Attributes Examples
Below are a few tangible and intangible product attributes from several companies and brands.
1. Quality
Quality is a critical product attribute to include in your marketing because consumers want products they trust will work. Product reviews, manufacturing data, and the use of durable materials are just some ways you can demonstrate a product’s quality.
An example of a quality product attribute can be seen in this cat tree made by FRISCO. The cat tree is described as a “heavy-duty tree” made with sisal posts and is “designed for your cat to climb, play, nap, and scratch just the way they like, as much as they like.”
Best for: When your target consumers want a long-lasting, durable product or a high-quality customer experience.
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2. Design
Design refers to the product’s appearance. For example, the amethyst engagement ring below comprises a cushion-cut amethyst, a 14K yellow gold band, and “sparkling twists of round diamonds” for a “regal design.”
Best for: When aesthetics and style are a core value for your consumers. It’s also a great opportunity to optimize for keywords. For example, the ring’s description includes key search words such as “cushion-cut,” “amethyst,” and “yellow gold band.”
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3. Price
Price is an excellent attribute to include in your product’s description, especially if you’re emphasizing how much a consumer can get at a cost-effective rate. For instance, Canva mentions it offers free use of its design tools and lists all the things users can access at zero costs.Best for: When your product is available at a lower price point than your competitors or if your product is available in budget-friendly options.
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4. Verification and Safety
Again, consumers need assurance that your product is trustworthy, credible, and safe. One way to prove those points is to include verification and safety attributes. Philly’s Phinest Roofing, a Philadelphia-based roofing company, proves its credibility by emphasizing the 40 years it’s been in business and its status as a certified roofing company. It even has the company’s license number features on its website for potential customers to verify.Best for: If safety and reliability are top concerns for your target audience.
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5. Marketing Claims
Marketing claims are product attributes that reference your product’s performance, and they can be in the form of statistics or data. To generate an accurate and compelling marketing claim, brands invest in research groups and customer surveys.
An example of a marketing claim is Lysol promoting that its products kill 99.9% of germs.
Best for: Showing how your product outperforms competitors or highlighting its effectiveness.
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Use product attributes in your marketing strategy.
Product attributes help consumers make confident and informed decisions about their purchases. They also contribute to an easier and more enjoyable customer experience.
Most importantly, they build trust in your brand and help to ensure you’re marketing your products to the right people. To better market your product and delight your customers, include product attributes in your strategy.

 

For your team, screen recorders can be used for several reasons — from creating tutorials for your website to recording a recurring tech issue to sending your marketing team a quick note instead of an email.
Plus, we can’t forget about product demos and training videos that can be used by many departments on your team, from marketing to sales to customer service.
Below, let’s learn about the best free and paid screen recording options for your company — whether you work at a small business or enterprise company.

What is the best screen recorder?
What’s considered the best will depend on what you need. Are you using it for work? For fun? Will you be live streaming on another platform? Once you’ve figured out your use cases, it will be easier to choose a screen recording tool.
Other qualities you should take into account include:

Cost
User interface and ease of use
Built-in editing tools
Sound quality

While we can’t definitively tell you which screen recorder is best for you, we’ve come up with a list of some of our top choices.

Best Screen Recorder Tools Overall
1. Loom
Price: Starter Plan, free; BusinessPlan, $12.50/user/month; Enterprise, contact for pricing
Best for: Work communication
Pros:

Background noise suppression
Viewer insights
Can create a team workspace for storing and sharing videos
Integrates with Slack, Jira, Dropbox, GitLab, and more

Cons:

5 minute recording limit with Starter Plan
Limited editing features

Loom is one of the best screen recorders on the market for Mac, Windows, and iOS.
You can easily record your whole screen or a partial screen and narrate using your microphone. At HubSpot, we’ve been known to use it to disseminate information to our marketing team.
When you’re done recording, it offers easy editing capabilities, allowing you to trim the video or add a call-to-action (CTA) and custom thumbnail.
To share your video, you can instantly share with a link and even add a password for extra privacy. Loom’s easy-to-use platform and privacy features make it an excellent choice for workplace communication.
Overall, this is a great choice because it’s quick, easy to use, and offers everything you’d need.
2. Screencastify
Price: Free; Starter, $7/user/month; Pro $10/user/month
Best for: Tutorial videos
Pros:

Easy to use for newbies
All videos are saved in Google Drive for easy access
Ability to add interactive questions to check for information retention

Cons:

For chrome devices and browsers only
Limited editing capabilities

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Screencastify is a Google Chrome screen recorder that is best used for creating tutorial videos.
With its free version, you can easily record up to five minutes per video of your screen and webcam, add annotations, trim your videos, and export to Google Drive or publish to YouTube.
The paid versions offer some more bells and whistles, most notably the unlimited recording length, and priority support.
Other features include narration, offline recording, the ability to instantly share via Google Drive, and direct upload capabilities.
The easy annotations and customizable screen options make it an excellent choice for tutorial videos.
3. OBS Studio
Price: FreeBest for: Professional live streaming
Pros:

Easy to customize
Great for streaming on platforms like Twitch or YouTube
Offers several premade scenes

Cons:

No ability to use multiple screen transitions between takes
High learning curve

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Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) is a screen recording software mainly used for live streaming on platforms like Twitch and YouTube.
When you begin recording, you can choose what part of the screen you want to capture and will have access to an audio mixer. The audio mixer will allow for professional sound quality.
With OBS, you can record an unlimited amount of scenes, switching seamlessly with custom transitions.
Additionally, this software offers a streamlined settings panel so you have a variety of configuration options for your broadcast or recording.
The customizability makes it one of the best screen recorders.
4. RecordScreen.io
Price: Free
Best for: No frills videos
Pros:

No time limits
Easy to use
No watermarks

Cons:

No built-in converter
Requires internet connection
No additional video formats

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If you want an absolutely zero-frills, easy-to-use option, RecordScreen.io is one of the best options.
All you need to do is go to the site and click Record. Then, you’ll choose whether to record the webcam and screen or just the screen.
When you’re finished, all you have to do is download the video.
 
5. CloudApp
Price: Free; Individual, $9.95/month; Team, $8/user per month; Enterprise, contact for pricing
Best for: Enterprise recording communication
Pros:

Ability to annotate screenshots
Easy to share files with a simple link
Can customize your content with logos and other features

Cons:

File size could be improved
Limited editing features

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CloudApp is a great option for the enterprise company in need of screen recording capabilities.
However, it still offers lightweight versions for smaller teams. With the free version, you can create short videos with annotations, GIFs, and basic editing capabilities.
Still, you’ll have to pay for the more robust enterprise tool. With paid versions, you’ll have access to custom branding, management, and support tools that the other plans don’t have.
Additionally, CloudApp offers analytics and insights into who views your content and from where.
These robust enterprise capabilities make it an excellent option for larger companies.
6. TinyTake
Price: Basic, free; Standard, $29.95/year; Plus, $59.95/year; Jumbo, $99.95/year
Best for: Annotated videos
Pros:

Simple interface
Uses minimal RAM resources

Cons:

Very limited capabilities on the free version

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TinyTake is another screen recording option for Windows and Mac users.
When you begin recording your screen, you can capture images, videos, and presentations. Additionally, you can add comments and annotations.
In fact, the annotation toolset is one of the most unique features. You can easily add text, highlight, draw arrows, or blur parts of your screen for privacy. This tool is a convenient way to annotate product reviews or demos.
To get the most out of this product, you’ll want to buy a paid version. The biggest difference in the free and paid versions is the recording limit and annotation capabilities.
7. Camtasia
Price: Individual, $299 one-time fee, install on two machines per user; Business, $239 – 299 depending on the size of your team
Best for: Professional videos
Pros:

Robust editing features
Helpful tutorials and website support available
Supports multiple media formats

Cons:

Expensive compared to other options

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Camtasia is a screen recording option for Mac and Windows users that are looking to create professional-looking videos such as webinars, explainer videos, or knowledge base videos.
With this software, you can record your screen and audio, add effects including text and transitions, and instantly upload your video to YouTube, Vimeo, or Screencast.
Additionally, this software offers features including music and audio from its royalty-free music and sound effects, catchy titles and annotations, quizzes for interactivity, and animated transitions.
The built-in video editing tool is what sets it apart from other screen recording software, giving this software the ability to create more put-together videos for your team.
8. SnagIt
Price: Individual, $62.99 one-time fee, install on two machines per user; Business, $31.99 – 62.99 depending on the size of your team; Education, $22.46 – $37.99 depending on the size of your team
Best for: Visual instruction videos
Pros:

Has a built-in Gif maker
Can create and share custom templates
Can export files to cloud storage

Cons:

One of the pricier options on this list

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With this option, your team can easily create instructional videos that are customizable.
Before you begin, you can choose to create a video from templates, images, or record a new video.
Once you capture the process, you can markup the screenshots or talk through the process and add in visual instructions including custom how-to guides or tutorials.
Additionally, SnagIt offers other customizable options. You can easily move objects around on your screen capture, rearrange buttons, or even delete and edit text.
Plus, the step tool allows you to quickly document a process and workflow with a series of numbers.
The customizable tools are built with step-by-step instructional videos in mind.
9. Droplr
Price: Pro, $6/month per user; Teams, starting at $79/month per user; Enterprise, custom pricing
Best for: Remote collaboration
Pros:

Team file sharing and cloud storage
Easy to use screen capture and recording

Cons:

No free option
Limited file formats for export

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Droplr is a screencast tool that is best used for remote collaboration.
When you capture a screenshot or record your screen, you can explain your thoughts by adding messages with the text field.
Additionally, there’s also a privacy feature so you can blur sensitive information to keep your content safe.
However, one of the best tools is that your videos can be branded, with customizable short links using your company domain, adding a company logo, and using your own branding images for professionalism.
Overall, the advanced annotation feature makes this a great option for remote teams to get their jobs done faster.
10. OneScreen
Price: OneScreen Hype, $10/month; OneScreen Annotate, $100 Perpetual License
Best for: Collaboration and video conferencing
Pros:

Works in browser so no download required
Built-in whiteboard tools
Customer support available

Cons:

Participant limit for Hype may be prohibitive for larger teams

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OneScreen is a browser-based video conferencing tool companies can use to collaborate, meet, train, or present.
One of its most basic capabilities is the screen sharing and recording function, so your team can record any meeting right in the browser, no download required.
Additionally, there are robust annotation and whiteboard tools your team can utilize.
While OneScreen works well with enterprise companies who need video conferencing hardware and software, it also offers more affordable software for smaller companies.
11. Clip by ClickUp
Price: Free Forever; $5/mo. for Unlimited, $12/mo. for Business; Business Plus $19/mo
Best for:Productivity and work management
Pros:

Free training and 24-hour support
Create tasks from your recordings
Easy share links, no downloads required

Cons:

Unnecessary if you don’t also need project management software

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ClickUp is a powerful productivity tool that includes task management, goal tracking, dashboards, 15+ views, and hundreds of features that can be customized for any work need.
ClickUp offers a free in-app screen recording tool,Clip, that allows you to capture your entire screen, app window, or your browser tab, and add voice messages over your recordings directly from your microphone.
Once your recordings are ready, you can share them with anyone via a link that plays in any browser, or view them instantly after recording, no downloads required.
Additionally, it allows you to create a task from your recording, add a description, and assign team members so everyone knows the full context and what to do next. Sometimes it’s more effective to show than tell, especially if you’re a visual learner.
12. Vmaker
Price: Lite Plan, Free; Starter Plan, $7/month; Teams Plan, $10/month; Enterprise Plan, contact for additional pricing
Best for: Sales prospecting
Pros:

Intuitive interface
Plenty of customization options
4k recording capabilities

Cons:

Free version has a limited video length

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Vmaker is an easy-to-use screen recorder that is best used for sales prospecting. Vmaker comes with Gmail and Hubspot integration that enables users to send personalized video emails from their Gmail and Hubspot accounts.
Vmaker offers highly useful branding features that allow you to customize subdomains, logos, and add a custom CTA to improve your brand visibility and response rates.
With the free version, you can record up to seven minutes per video at 720p resolution along with an inbuilt video editor that provides you with all the basic editing features.
The paid version offers advanced features and capabilities including 4K recording, pro video editing tools, unlimited recording times, and more.
Overall, Vmaker’s ease of usability and features make it an ideal tool for marketers, sales professionals, and any content creators looking to personalize their communication.
Best screen recorder for mac
13. Screencast-O-Matic
Price: Free; Deluxe, $41.65/month billed yearly; Premier, $64/month billed yearly; Max, $10/month billed yearly; lower rates for educators
Best for: Quick tutorial videos
Pro:

Comes with royalty-free music for use
Easy to use drag and drop interface
Unlimited videos

Cons:

Only exports images as PNG files

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Screencast-O-Matic is another easy-to-use screen recorder that supports webcam and screen recordings.
With its free version, you can add stock music and captions to your recording, narrate from your microphone, and trim your video.
With the paid version, you’ll get more advanced animation and editing tools. For example, you can even draw on your screen while recording. Plus, you’ll have access to more music and overlay effects.
Additionally, one of the newest features is the stock library full of videos and images you can add to your recordings.
If you’re looking for a no-frills experience, the free version of Screencast-O-Matic is a great option. However, the paid options still offer advanced capabilities.
Best Screen Recorder for PC
14. Bandicam
Price: Free download or $39 one-time license fee
Best for: Webinar recordings
Pros:

Excellent sound quality
Easy user interface
Uses a low amount of RAM

Cons:

Free version has limited capabilities
Editing requires other software

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Another lightweight screen recorder is Bandicam. This is a software for Windows users making it possible to capture anything on your PC screen as high-quality video.
With Bandicam, you can record webinars, games, meetings, or Skype calls. Then, you can even add narration after the video is recorded.
Additionally, features such as real-time drawing and branding make it a competitive option.
The high-definition recordings and customizable narration options make it great for webinar recordings.
An important thing to note is that the free version places a watermark on videos, so you’ll have to be a paid user to create branded videos.
Simplify Your Workflow With Screen Recorders
Whether you need to record a message for your team, a product demo, or a webinar, you’ll have to use a screen recording software. While most easy-to-use, free options can be used for your needs, there are also more robust tools for larger companies.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in January 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

 

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I was laid off from my perfect-fit job as a virtual assistant in 2015 because the company imploded overnight. When it happened, I never would have imagined ending up where I am today—running a multi-million dollar business that employs hundreds of military spouses just like me.At the time, my life felt like a bad country song. I was three months pregnant and had made the decision to start a family based on the solidity of being a dual-income household, which was suddenly no longer true. Given how hard it had been to find this job in the first place, I wasn’t confident I’d be able to find another quickly—military spouses are one of the highest unemployed demographics in the U.S. because of how often we have to move. My husband had been deployed two weeks before the layoffs, so I was on my own trying to process all of this. I was a hot hormonal mess and definitely let myself cry a lot of tears that first day.And then I started to turn things around, because I didn’t really have any other choice. At first, I started working for myself as a freelance virtual assistant (VA). Before long, I had more work than I could handle. Two years later, I launched Squared Away with the goal of eventually employing as many military spouses as possible by matching them with companies that need flexible support. After five and a half years of bootstrapping my business, we recently crossed $20 million in gross revenue, work with over 900 clients, and employ over 390 military spouses—numbers that still surprise me every day.For anyone else looking to take stability into their own hands in the face of economic uncertainty, here are some of the strategies that have helped us scale fast but also sustainably over the past five years.We built the company based on a real needFrankly, I think part of what has helped my business succeed is that I didn’t walk in with the goal of being a CEO of a big company. I didn’t even walk in with the goal of starting a company. Instead, I set out to meet needs I saw. Initially that was my own need to have an income, along with the needs of the clients of the company that laid me off who expressed interest in continuing to work with me. This kicked off my initial stint of self employment.A few years later, one of my clients came to me expressing a need for more support. His company was getting ready to expand, and he wanted more VA capacity. On the flip side, I was seeing a need from other military spouses in my network for flexible, stable, fulfilling jobs like the one I had. So many friends came to me sharing how they couldn’t find any jobs that worked for them, and asking how I did it. Seeing the overlap of those needs is how the idea for Squared Away initially came about. “Military spouse Michelle Penczak got tired of getting turned down for jobs, so she did something about it. Now she runs a $5 million company that helps women just like her.” @michellepencz @kelseyopel & co-founder @ShaneMac #squaredawaylife #startuphttps://t.co/c4bl09Hzdd— Squared Away (@gosquaredaway) June 11, 2021

Walking the path of entrepreneurship from the headspace of wanting sustainable careers for myself and those like me, as well as seeking to meet others’ needs, helped me identify real opportunities for natural growth instead of trying to force something.We focused our marketing on impactWhen people hear about our growth, they’re often surprised to hear that we’ve spent less than $1,500 on paid marketing over the past five years.Instead, we keep our marketing targeted toward communities for which we think our type of flexible VA support can have the most impact. Over the years, we’ve partnered with predominantly female founder organizations like Dreamers & Doers, Chief, and TheLi.st to share information about our services and offer discounts to members. As a female founder myself, I know how valuable it can be to have a little extra help when working toward a mission you care about, so I felt like we could garner a high level of interest from this cohort. In terms of our marketing messaging, we also focus on educating customers about the impact that delegation can have. Our emails and social media posts will share ideas for tasks to delegate, advice for how to communicate when delegating, and other actionable tips. By providing free help up front, we create immediate value for customers and give them a taste of how much we could do for them if they sign on. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Squared Away (@awaysquared) Finally, we’ve always made sure our mission to employ military spouses is front and center, which I think helps people feel more emotionally connected to our brand and excited to be a part of something bigger. When we can say, “Hey, you’re going to be ten times less stressed than you were before and, by the way, you’re supporting a meaningful cause while you’re at it,” that’s a much more enticing pitch than just another subscription you have to pay for.We’ve held a high bar for quality to encourage referralsWord-of-mouth has always been our biggest marketing channel: 85 percent of our new clients come from referrals. While we do encourage this by giving a referral credit to our existing customers, I think the bigger reason they’re excited to share us with other business owners is because of the quality of work we provide.For starters, we are very picky about the VAs we’ll hire. Everyone who wants to join our team goes through a rigorous application and training process where we’re constantly assessing whether they exhibit our pillars of over-communication, extreme attention to detail, the ability to think outside the box, and being a team player—and only about 10 percent of those who apply make it. As hard as it is for me to turn away military spouses given our mission, I know keeping our quality bar high is critical to long-term success (and we give feedback to those who don’t get hired to help them in their employment journeys).We also won’t match just any client with just any assistant. We always want to find the best fit on both sides so that our employees are excited to give their all to each client they’re working with. This occasionally means we have to ask clients to wait a little longer until we can identify the right match, but clients have expressed they appreciate the thoughtfulness behind our matching process.There were certainly moments where I could have scaled faster by matching incoming clients with whoever we had available or hiring assistants that weren’t quite to our standard. But I’d rather grow more slowly while keeping our clients happy so they keep wanting to work with us, and keep wanting to sing our praises to others.We’ve intentionally grown more slowlyOnce we launched and saw early success in the first year, there were certainly many people who encouraged me to scale faster. I could have raised money to hire a huge influx of virtual assistants so I could be ready at a moment’s notice to staff up new clients. I could have paid for big marketing campaigns to get a ton of new clients.But I didn’t want to take the same path of the company I had worked for previously, growing too fast and then having to lay people off when things didn’t work out as planned. Instead, I’ve taken a more incremental approach to growth.Congrats to @michellepencz and the @gosquaredaway team to kick off 2023 passing $20m in total revenue pic.twitter.com/6sCXPYW3Yu— Shane Mac (@ShaneMac) January 2, 2023

I think of it almost like a teeter totter approach, seesawing back and forth between growth on the client side and the staff side to keep things balanced. If we find ourselves with more clients than assistants, I can slow down our marketing funnel and focus more on recruiting, reaching out to military spouse forums or groups and asking our VAs to refer friends. If we swing the other direction, I can slow recruiting and ramp up marketing, increasing our social media or email pushes and reminding clients about our referral program.Yes, this means we occasionally find ourselves with minor growing pains—short stints where we’ve had to ask clients to wait a little longer than we’d like to find their perfect VA, or where we haven’t had enough work to fill our staff’s schedules. But those little imbalances are much easier to correct than they would be had we swung way too far in one direction like so many rapidly scaling companies seem to do.It makes me think back to the company I was working for before this all started. If they had taken a more incremental approach to growth, maybe they never would have had to lay me off in the first place—but then I’d never be where I am today. It’s hard to believe one of the worst days of my life turned into this incredible opportunity, and I hope I can keep offering stability to myself and my community for years to come.

Hey Redditors, Have you heard of ChatGPT? The cutting-edge language model developed by OpenAl? This Al tool has the ability to understand natural language and generate human-like responses, making it a game-changer for businesses looking to improve their customer engagement efforts. With ChatGPT, businesses can provide personalized customer service, automate lead generation and qualification, gather customer feedback and insights, promote their products and services, and educate and onboard customers in real-time. All of these capabilities can help businesses build better relationships with their customers and drive conversions and sales. So, if you’re in the business of customer engagement and are looking for ways to enhance your campaigns, consider incorporating ChatGPT into your strategy. Let me know what you think about this powerful tool in the comments below! Thanks for reading! ChatGPT for Customer Engagement Campaigns: 5 Benefits submitted by /u/Popular-Sympathy-696 [link] [comments]