Category: Marketing Automation

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From the subject line to the email body, compelling and engaging content is one of the strong pillars that define the success of your email marketing strategy. However, there’s a method to the madness and a few things needed to create a successful email.  Every effective email marketing strategy consists of the following: Content and…
The post 5 Tips for Beating Writer’s Block With Your Email Content appeared first on Benchmark Email.

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If you’re a nonprofit, you should be a member of Google for Nonprofits, a program that includes a free membership and access to various products. One product that should be on your radar is Google Ad Grants.

With Google Ad Grants, qualifying nonprofits have access to up to $10,000 per month in search ads shown on Google.com. Nonprofits like DonorsChoose, Days for Girls, and We Care Animal Rescue all use Google Grants in their campaigns and drive more traffic through organic search.
You can use Google Grants to:

Reach donors, volunteers, and consumers when they’re searching keywords relevant to your nonprofit
Raise awareness by choosing relevant keywords and creating unique ads to highlight your work
Track online donations, newsletter sign-ups, and volunteer registrations
Promote your organization’s website on Google with in-kind AdWords advertising

According to Google Support, there are a few limitations to Google Ad Grants, including a $2.00 max cost per click — but that can be circumvented by using the Maximize conversions strategy. Another rule is that your ads will be shown below paying AdWords advertisers.
Many Google Ad Grant members under-spend their budget, with an average recipient spending approximately $330 a month (out of $10,000). To help you get the most out of Google Ad Grants, here is what you need to know about eligibility, plus 10 helpful tips.
Who is eligible for Google Ad Grants?
Tip #1: Create a campaign for every organizational goal or project.
Tip #2: Use keyword research tools to expand your list of core words.
Tip #3: Use all three match-type options when creating your keyword list.
Tip #4: Write compelling and succinct copy.
Tip #5: Drop users on the most relevant page within your website.
Tip #6: Keep subscription and contact forms as short as possible.
Tip #7: Direct traffic to a targeted landing page instead of your homepage.
Tip #8: Use statistics to introduce the problem.
Tip #9: Share information that potential supporters want.
Tip #10: Keep forms as short as possible.

Who is eligible for Google Ad Grants?
To be eligible for Google Ad Grants, a nonprofit must:

Be registered as a charitable organization in a country where Google for Nonprofits is available.
Meet the requirements in its country
Agree to the Google for Nonprofits Additional Terms of Service

A nonprofit is ineligible if:

It is a government entity or organization
A hospital or healthcare organization but charitable arms or foundations associated with healthcare organizations are eligible.
A school, academic institution, or university, but philanthropic arms of educational organizations are eligible.
Now that you know who’s eligible, here are some tips to keep in mind:

 

Tip #1: Create a campaign for every organizational goal or project.
Your ad groups should have 15-30 similar keywords that align with a specific page on the website. The more focused the ad group, the better the ad targeting. To get the right traffic to your website, here are a few do’s and don’ts when developing your keyword lists for your campaign(s):

Do: Create a robust keyword list. You never know what users will respond to.
Don’t:Start with a small keyword list and wait to expand.
Do: Leverage all variations of the brand, product, and service terms as keywords.
Don’t: Assume target users are familiar with your brand.
Do: Include problem- and solution-oriented keywords.
Don’t: Assume all target users have the same search tendencies.

Tip #2: Use keyword research tools to expand your list of core words.
Your keywords should be particular to the content on the website or landing page to which you’re sending your visitors. Using a keyword research tool will allow you to pinpoint the keywords that will give you the best results and higher ranking in Google. Get a good mix of short- and long-tail keywords to help capitalize on the traffic that’s difficult to rank for and highly qualified traffic that will help your conversions.

Tip #3: Use all three match-type options when creating your keyword list.
Use broad match, phrase match, and exact match to find keywords with higher search volume. Different match types for your keywords will trigger your ad for a potential visitor’s search in different ways. It’s a good idea to use these three match types so you can attract a variety of audiences.

Tip #4: Write compelling and succinct copy.
Do not assume that all of your target audience will respond to the same creative language. Ads with high-level language should be tested alongside ads with language geared toward more savvy users. Test 3-4 variations targeted to different types of audiences and see which performs the best.

Tip #5: Drop users on the most relevant page within your website.
Before creating your ads, consider all your organization’s assets — blog articles, landing pages, and annual reports. Provide the information your visitor is looking for when they click your ad by dropping them on the most relevant page. This will increase your landing page conversion rate and reduce your AdWords campaigns’ bounce rate.
The bounce rate is the rate at which visitors leave your site without clicking on another page on your website.

Tip #6: Keep subscription and contact forms as short as possible.
For a newsletter or blog subscription form, asking for just an email address is enough. Contact Us forms should ask for the person’s full name, email, phone number, and possibly where they live, if necessary. But before you add more fields to your forms, ask yourself, “Do I need this information at this point in the relationship?” Don’t require fields unless it’s for a good reason, as it can negatively impact your submission rate.

Tip #7: Direct traffic to a targeted landing page instead of your homepage.
Ensure the page you’re sending visitors to is relevant to the ad. Nonprofit Futures Without Violence’s homepage conversion rate was 0%. However, its ad that led to a targeted landing page resulted in a conversion rate of 12.59% for that page — getting the nonprofit 1,000 new email addresses.

Tip #8: Use statistics to introduce the problem.
Since targeted landing pages have a higher conversion rate for email acquisition, you should focus on optimizing them for your ad campaigns. Statistics make a significant impact and are digestible pieces of content that will help visitors understand a bit more about your cause and what you’re trying to accomplish. They are also attention grabbers that draw new visitors in to learn more.

Tip #9: Share information that potential supporters want.
Your AdWords campaigns aim to bring in new traffic, so providing basic information about your cause and organization is a great way to educate your new audience. Also, ensure that the information provided on the landing page is relevant to the headline of your ad. If you’re offering a fact sheet about your organization, make sure the landing page you send the visitor to is where the fact sheet is located.

Tip #10: Keep forms as short as possible.
When providing educational information in the form of a download, requiring more than an email address can drastically impact your conversion rate when working with PPC ads. But, if you are planning to nurture individuals who download your content via email, ensure you collect their first name, last name, and email address. Four form fields are a reasonable maximum for your landing page forms for new visitors from PPC.
Google Ad Grants is only available to Google for Nonprofit members. Signing up as a Google for Nonprofits member is free, with some restrictions that you can review online before applying. There are other products to take advantage of, including Google’s new mobile application One Today. You can also see all the organizations using Google Grants in the Google for Nonprofits community.
How has your organization used Google Grants?

Instagram isn’t just a go-to social network for individuals anymore. Many marketers have caught wind that it’s a powerful social network where they need to have some sort of presence.
The platform’s heavy emphasis on visual content like photos, videos, illustrations, and GIFs is becoming a critical way for brands to communicate their story and message. Plus, it’s an excellent way for businesses to humanize their brand, recruit future employees, showcase their products and content, and delight and engage customers.
Check out these 18 ideas for videos, photos, and other content you can post on Instagram. (And for more inspiration, check out our list of the best brands to follow on Instagram.)

18 Content Ideas for Videos, GIFs & Photos to Post on Instagram
1. Behind-the-Scenes Content
Instagram is a great platform for humanizing your brand, and giving your audience a sneak peek at what goes on behind the scenes is one way to do that. It’s also a good way to show followers what it’s like to work there, which is great for your recruiting efforts.
Here’s an example from the Boston Red Sox, showing what batting practice looks like close-up (with a really cool, fish-eye shot).

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And here’s one from a small arts and crafts store called Cherry Tree Beads. We love how this one uses the hashtag #employeetakeover to share one of the faces behind the brand, giving followers the chance to get to know who’s on the inside.

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Pro Tip: Posting candid photos of your work environment can help humanize your business and allow your customers to connect with your employees, which can translate into stronger brand loyalty.
2. User-generated Content
Some of the best photos on brands’ Instagram accounts are curated by fans and followers. (In fact, FedEx’s Instagram feed is almost entirely made up of curated photos.)
Check out the posts people have tagged you in, and if you love them, consider reposting them to your followers. Not only does it make the original poster feel good, but it also shows everyone that you’re listening to your fans. Just be sure the photos you’re reposting are high-quality and that you @-mention the original poster in your caption.
Here’s a reposted image from ASOS. Take note of how they write the caption: They write an entirely new caption, which includes a tidbit on how their followers can get featured on their Instagram page (by using the hashtag #AsSeenOnMe). Then, they credit the original poster using the camera emoji and the poster’s username.

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To repost a photo on Instagram, you can simply screenshot and crop it. You can also repost a photo to your Instagram story by tapping the share icon below the post you want to repost and tapping “Add video to your story.”
3. Inspirational or Motivational Quotes
Some people poke fun at the number of quotes on Instagram. But if you post them sparingly, they tend to encourage your followers. If the post speaks to your audience, people love to share it and tag their friends in the comments. Quotes are also a great opportunity to share what your brand stands for, whether it’s spiritual, inspiring, funny, or something else.
To create a quote image, you’ll want to download an app that lets you upload a photo and overlay it with text. Here are some good ones:

Canva: A free app that you can use to create graphics with text overlays to share on social media.
Phonto: A free app that you can use to overlay text on photos with text resizing, alignment, and positioning tools.
Snapseed: A free app with professional photo editing tools that pairs fonts with different photo filters.

You can also create a quote post through your Instagram story. To create a quote post on your Instagram story, simply upload an image from your gallery to use as a background and add a text overlay of the quote.
Here are a few examples of quotes done well, starting with this one from TheSkimm. The key to this post’s success is that it’s hilarious to their specific audience — which shows that the quote doesn’t have to be fancy to delight people.

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Here’s a more beautifully designed quote from activewear brand Lorna Jane, which carries an empowering message from their founder:

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Pro Tip: Want to play around with words and images? WordFoto is a $2 app that lets you turn your pictures into images made of words instead of just adding words on top of photos.

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4. Interesting Statistics
Another cool way to overlay text on an image is by posting a statistic that resonates with your audience. Try using statistics from your own research or finding some relevant to your message, your value proposition, and so on. (Read this blog post to learn how and where to find accurate, compelling data.)
Here’s an example from the meditation app Headspace, with a simple text box overlaying a colored, nondescript background.

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5. Timely or Current Events Posts
Is something cool happening in the world or the country where your target market lives? A specific holiday? National Puppy Day? Get in on the action by posting something delightful. Remember to use good judgment when newsjacking — the last thing you want to do is publish inaccurate information or offend anyone.
What are some examples of delightful, timely posts? Here’s one from a Mediterranean restaurant called Cava Mezze Grill to celebrate Halloween.

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And here’s a fun example from Starbucks for National Croissant Day.

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Pro Tip: Set up Google Alerts to get notified of breaking news related to your business’s industry. News stories are a great source of inspiration for timely social media posts.
6. Humorous Images or Videos
If you can make your followers laugh, they’ll likely enjoy your photo — and may even share it with others. After all, sometimes the most memorable photos are the ones that make us laugh.
Try posting photos and images you think will make your audience laugh like Oreo did with this fake text message conversation with “Milk.”

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Here’s another example from BuzzFeed Parents, which shows how simple a super shareable post can be.

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And in this one from Pabst Blue Ribbon. All they did was put an empty case of Pabst beer on a dog’s head, and it worked like a charm.

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7. Compelling Drawings or Graphics
Have any artists on your team? One way to stand out in a sea of images is to post a cool, compelling illustration. They don’t even have to be super fancy — check out this simple, black-and-white example from Oreo:

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Here’s a more complex one from Pabst Blue Ribbon:

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8. Content Promotions
Beautiful images are critical to your Instagram marketing strategy because they tell a story and draw people in. Colored visuals increase people’s willingness to read a piece of content by a whopping 80%.
So if you’re creating a piece of compelling written content like a recipe, a report, or a blog post, why not use a visual platform like Instagram to promote it?
Simply pair an interesting and relevant image with a caption that promotes the content, and then ask people to follow the link in your bio or post description. (Again, be sure to make that link trackable.)
Here’s an example from Staples that promotes their hard-copy planners for National Planner Day:

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And here’s an example from Nature’s Path Organic, which shows off the finished product of a recipe that’s linked in their bio:

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9. Product Promotions
Instagram isn’t the place to publish product-centric posts every day — but that doesn’t mean you can’t use it to showcase products every once in a while. We suggest using the 80/20 rule on social media: 80% of the content you post to social media should be helpful and valuable to your audience, and 20% can be self-promotional.
Making promotional content that’s fun, compelling, and lovable is even more important when posting on Instagram. To highlight a specific product, post a picture or video about it, and then tell people where they can find the product using the product names and codes or a trackable link in your bio.
Here’s an example from the online clothing company ASOS. (Check out how casual and cool the caption is.)

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Here’s another one from Frank Body, which uses an image and some humor in the caption to pique followers’ interest in the product without being overly promotional.

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Pro Tip: When you post is almost as important as what you post. We suggest posting to Instagram on Saturdays in the mid-to-late afternoon.
10. Compelling Videos, Reels, and Stories
Instagram users can record and upload videos up to 60 seconds long, reels of multiple video clips that are each up to 15 seconds long, and stories composed of images and short videos that disappear after 24 hours.
When executed well, videos, stories, and reels are a great way for your Instagram content to stand out. You can record a video from scratch (including recording multiple video clips) or upload videos to your feed, stories, or reels from your phone’s library the same way you’d upload a photo.
Pro Tip: By default, every Instagram video will start playing without sound — after which viewers can choose whether or not to turn the sound on. Because of this, you’ll need to upload videos that don’t need sound to be well understood or entice people to turn the sound in the first second or two.
Here’s a great video from Purina that delights viewers with some cute puppy love.
11. Hyperlapse Videos
Want to use video to stand out from the crowd while also solving for your followers’ short attention spans? Try creating a Hyperlapse video.
Hyperlapse is a free app by Instagram that condenses videos into brief, moving, hyper-speed videos. The videos use built-in stabilization technology to film these time-lapse videos without keeping your hands still. (Want to make your own? Here are step-by-step instructions.)
Here’s one of our favorite examples, which comes from Starbucks.
12. Fun, Lighthearted GIFs
GIFs are everywhere nowadays, and people love them because they help accurately convey ideas, messages, thoughts, and feelings in a snackable (and often laughable) way. On Instagram, you can upload a GIF just like a video (as long as it’s less than 60 seconds long).
Check out the examples of GIFs on Instagram below for some inspiration. (Click here for instructions for creating your own animated GIF using Photoshop.) Here’s an example from Staples.
And one from Starbucks.
13. Contests and Giveaways
Are you trying to support the launch of a new product? Contests are one of the best ways to expand your reach and engage your community on Instagram. A study by Tailwind found that hosting an Instagram contest or giveaway can help you grow your followers 70% faster over three months than not holding a contest.
Instagram doesn’t make capturing leads and information from your followers easy, but a contest or giveaway is one way to do it.
Just be sure to call your followers to take action by using the space in your caption to explain the contest and even guide them to a link in your bio.
Pro Tip: Make the link trackable so you can see how much traffic your Instagram post is driving. Learn how to add a trackable link to your Instagram bio by reading #6 in this blog post.
There are many, many different types of contests you can post on Instagram. Here are a few ideas, starting with the one below from Social Print Studio. Their call-to-action asks for comments on the post, from which they’ll choose winners.

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Here’s one from Root Well Being Studio asking people to enter a contest by liking the post and following their account. Participants can earn an extra entry by sharing the post to their Instagram story and tagging Root Well Being Studio.

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14. Mosaics
Not many brands use this tactic, but it’s a really cool, unique user experience. It’s also a clever way to get users to visit your business’ account page.
Most of your followers won’t look at your Instagram photos from your account page, as they’ll typically look at them in their Instagram feed.
When you start scrolling through the images below from MyStory Wiesbaden in your feed, it may take you a second to figure out what’s happening. MyStory Wiesbaden posted snippets of a tattoo, which is a cool teaser that entices you to go to their main account page, where you can see the full picture.

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15. Asks to “Tag A Friend.”
While you can tag friends on Facebook and Twitter posts, it happens most regularly on Instagram. There’s a culture around tagging your friends if you see a post that resonates with you or reminds you of someone. This helps you both increase engagement and broaden your reach.
If you want to encourage your followers to share the post with others, sometimes all you’ve got to do is ask. In the caption, include a call-to-action asking people to tag their friends and give them a prompt to do so.
For example, the post below from Rent the Runway asks followers to “Tag your future RTR BFF!”

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Our post below from HubSpot asked followers to tag their office coffee buddy.

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In this cute video from Headspace, they asked followers to tag someone they love to help celebrate Valentine’s Day.
Similar to asking your followers to tag a friend, you can ask them to “double-tap,” which is how your followers can like your photo or video. The standard language for a request like this is: “Double-tap if…”
In the example below from The Parentologist, she asks followers to double-tap if they’re looking for a last-minute gift for a parent, which is a fun way to engage her fans.

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16. Reposts From Your Employees
Reposting your employees is an awesome way to showcase what happens behind the scenes at your company, while really helping your followers “bond” with the people who work there.
For example, the people behind the Boston Red Sox’s Fenway Park account often repost photos and videos from their grounds crew.
New Look has a really cool approach: They repost Instagram content from their employees, who function as brand lifestyle ambassadors with accounts specifically associated with New Look. Their deputy manager @newlook_georgia and their dress designer @newlook_emilie are a couple of New Look’s employees who act as brand ambassadors.
While the main New Look account posts mostly their own content, they often repost from their employees, like in the image below.

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17. Cross-promotion of Another Social Media Account
Cross-promotion of other social media accounts on Instagram is a great way to let your Instagram followers know where else on social media they can find you. That way, you can get your Instagram followers to become your followers on Facebook, Twitter, and so on.
18. “We’re Hiring.”
Finally, let your followers know you’re hiring every once in a while by posting a simple call-to-action on your Instagram page, including a trackable link to your jobs page in your bio.
Here’s an example of a “we’re hiring” post from Arey’s Pond Boat Yard:

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Post Like A Pro
Now that we’ve gone over some tips to get your creativity flowing, it’s time to create a post of your own. Use these content ideas for Instagram to increase brand awareness and connect with your community in new ways.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in October 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

If you produce video content or sell video footage, the right WordPress video theme will allow your content to shine. You’ll also create a compelling experience for your visitors the moment they enter your site.
Are you looking for a WordPress video theme to put your video content on full display? There are a lot of WordPress Video themes out there to choose from. But not to worry, we did the legwork for you. Explore this list of 16 WordPress video themes (in no specific order) to help you choose the best theme for your site.

We’ll break down our list by the following categories:

Multi-Purpose Video Themes
Blogging Video Themes
Portfolio and Photography Video Themes
Filmmaking Video Themes
Creative Video Themes
Streaming and Membership Themes

Before you continue, you can also watch this useful video on WordPress video themes from themesCode:

Multi-Purpose Video Themes
These WordPress themes aren’t wholly video-focused. However, they have solid and unique video-related features. These themes are ideal for anyone who doesn’t need their website to revolve around their videos and would benefit from a wide range of additional features.
1. Revolution Pro

Revolution Pro is a responsive, minimalist theme that focuses on your content. It’s built on the Genesis Framework, known for its speed and ease of configuration. It’s compatible with the Gutenberg editor, so you can easily embed videos using the Video block.
Revolution Pro also comes fully configured with HubSpot upon installation, so you’ll be set up with HubSpot’s marketing and CRM tools from the start. If you’re already a WP Engine hosting plan user, you get free access to all other StudioPress themes.
Core Features

Section video backgrounds
Video transitions included
Slider feature

2. Bridge

Bridge is a multipurpose, creative theme for sharing videos with your customers. Bridge comes fully featured with multiple options for integrating your video content via sliders, overlays, and more. For example, you can use section video backgrounds to make your video take up the entire screen width for an immersive experience.
You can also add different transitions, like fades, animations, and more to the beginning or end of your videos. The video slider feature lets you place multiple video clips in one section so visitors can slide right and left through all of your clips.
Core Features

Gutenberg compatible
Fully configured with HubSpot’s free suite of marketing and CRM tools
Minimalist design to highlight your videos

3. Brooklyn

Brooklyn is a multi-purpose WordPress video theme that can make a beautiful site for any type of business. Brooklyn is renowned for its drag-and-drop editor, which makes adding video content to your site a breeze.
In addition, there are options to feature photo and video galleries on different website pages and create fullscreen video backgrounds. There is also a video widget to make adding, editing, and formatting your website’s videos quick and straightforward.
Core Features

Drag-and-drop page builder
Video galleries
Fullscreen video backgrounds

Blogging Video Themes
If you’re a video blogger, these themes are for you. They’re built for people who want to include written blog content alongside videos on their website.
4. Videoblog

Videoblog is a blog and magazine video theme that allows you to list your latest or featured posts on your homepage. Videoblog is a traditional style theme that focuses on readability and content. The design is intuitive, and customers will appreciate the familiarity of the two-column layout format.
Core Features

Ideal for blogs and magazines
Latest and featured posts listed on your homepage
Two-column layout

5. Video by Templatic

Video by Templatic is a mobile responsive WordPress video theme that is an excellent choice for creating blogs with video content as the primary focus. This theme makes it simple to add video and other content types. You can also manage your posts with categories and sub-categories.
With Video by Templatic, you’ll have deep customization abilities, automatic thumbnail generation, and the option to let users submit and upload video content from the front end.
Core Features

Automatic thumbnail generation
WooCommerce compatibility
Real-time customizer feature

6. Vlog

Vlog is a WordPress video theme optimized for blog and magazine content, with a focus on videos. The theme is compatible with YouTube, Vimeo, and Dailymotion to simplify sharing your video content.
You can group your videos into playlists to keep related content together, so it’s easy to find for your visitors. You can also quickly set your video’s thumbnail as your featured image with a click.
Core Features

Created for blogs and digital magazines
Compatible with YouTube, Vimeo, and Dailymotion
Can group videos into playlists

Portfolio and Photography Video Themes
If you want to share your portfolio, feature your videos and photos in a gallery, and possibly sell your work straight from your website, these themes may suit your needs.
7. Fargo

Fargo is a WordPress theme marketed toward wedding photographers. It is an elegant theme that certainly lends itself well to that. However, the theme’s photo sharing and portfolio features would benefit any type of photographer looking to show off their work.
Fargo’s Smart Galleries allow you to move from written content to photo content to video content seamlessly. In addition, Fargo’s flexible navigation includes customizable transitions that create an interactive, 3D experience for your visitors while they browse your different site pages.
Core Features

Created for sharing photography and video content
Smart Galleries
Flexible navigation with customizable transitions

8. Inspiro PRO

Inspiro PRO is a professional portfolio theme based on the Elementor page builder, a drag-and-drop website builder plugin. If you already use the Elementor page builder, Inspiro PRO could be a great option.
This theme provides excellent features for photo and video professionals to show off their work in style. It’s user-friendly and features many custom modules, dynamic elements, and video features. That includes video backgrounds and play-on-hover videos. It is also fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor.
Core Features

Built for professional photo and video creatives
Custom, fullscreen slideshows, and videos
Based on the Elementor page builder plugin

9. Pronto

Pronto by Flothemes is an elegant WordPress theme for displaying your photography online. Pronto is fully integrated with the Gutenberg editor and comes stocked with a complete library of Flex blocks, or content blocks from Flothemes’ proprietary drag-and-drop editor plugin.
Unlike other themes on this list, Pronto is offered on a subscription basis, making it a little more expensive. However, the extra cost is worth it for the access to premium support and full integration of Flothemes’ features and designs.
Core Features

Elegant and minimalist design
Premium support with a subscription
Access to Flothemes templates and starter sites

Filmmaking Video Themes
Videographers, directors, and producers may benefit from these WordPress themes. They have layouts and customizable options for sharing and displaying videos of many lengths, topics, and genres.
10. Cinerama

Cinerama is a premium WordPress video theme by the makers at Edge Themes. Cinerama is focused on videographers and filmmakers, allowing them to create beautifully designed portfolio sites. The theme features a variety of custom shortcodes, an easy-to-use admin interface, and video carousel functionality. Cinerama makes it simple to present your video content in an attractive and eye-catching manner.
Core Features

Ideal for videographers and filmmakers
Extensive collection of custom shortcodes
Retina-ready

11. Pelicula
Pelicula is another premium WordPress offering from Edge Themes. This modern portfolio design is great for the film industry and video production pros. The theme comes fully stocked with 13 pre-designed, attractive homepages so you can get your site up and running quickly.
In addition, it is fully compatible with the Elementor Page Builder plugin so that you can create new site pages rapidly with a drag-and-drop interface.
Core Features

Ideal for film industry professionals and videographers
Compatible with Elementor Page Builder plugin
Parallax effects and infinite scroll functionality

12. Superflick

Superflick is another video-oriented WordPress theme for movie studios and video professionals. Despite this, Superflick is robust enough to meet the needs of all types of creatives, vloggers, agencies, or anyone looking to display their video work in an elegant portfolio format.
Superflick is responsive, retina ready, and comes ready to go out of the box. The theme also offers advanced customization options so users can build bespoke websites for themselves or their clients.
Core Features

Created for showcasing video work
Over 100 pre-made site page templates
Highly rated customer support

13. Silverscreen

If you are a filmmaker or production company, Silverscreen can help you showcase your movie projects and video work. Silverscreen comes stock with stunning parallax scrolling effects, a variety of distinct homepages, and practical inner website pages for displaying awards and portfolios. If you are serious about cinema, Silverscreen might be your theme!
Core Features

Ideal for movie and video producers
Fullscreen video backgrounds
Smooth parallax effects

14. Leitmotif

Leitmotif is a modern WordPress theme for film and cinema. If you are an independent filmmaker or simply enjoy the indie aesthetic, Leitmotif might be for you. The theme is simple to use and easy to set up. Plus, it features all the bells and whistles you can expect from similar themes above.
Leitmotif is also a good option for music festivals, portfolios, or any creative project you want to showcase. There are many film-centric WordPress video themes on this list, but we think Leitmotif’s edgy and cool design aesthetic sets it apart from the rest.
Core Features

Modern design aestetic
WooCommerce Integration
Smooth parallax effects

Creative Video Themes
Creative video themes are versatile and flexible enough for various industries. However, they’re still all explicitly created for video-based websites.
15. VideoPro

VideoPro is a creative video theme with a responsive design and layout options ideal for various video types. This theme can showcase movies, games, news, entertainment, education, and more.
In addition, VideoPro integrates with sites like YouTube and social media platforms such as Facebook. Here, you can easily embed, import, and share your content. VideoPro also has a feature that allows you to create a multi-episode video series on your website — displaying related videos below whatever is being watched by a visitor at any given moment.
Core Features

Responsive design
Video and social media integrations included

Multi-episode video series feature

16. VideoBox

VideoBox is an excellent solution for anyone looking to show off their video or audio content. The theme features an attractive video slider as the homepage’s main attraction to capture site visitors’ attention.
VideoBox is a straightforward and easy-to-use WordPress video theme option that is intuitive enough to suit a variety of business needs. Plus, it’s compatible with WooCommerce and is fully responsive.
Core Features

WooCommerce integration
Homepage slider
Minimalist design with a dark color scheme

17. Pisces

Pisces is a multi-concept creative theme flexible enough to suit almost all website-related needs. You can create portfolio pages, business sites, share video content, or sell products with their WooCommerce integration. Pisces features an intuitive drag-and-drop website builder, making it an easy-to-use WordPress theme solution.
Core Features

Responsive design
Video and social media integrations included
WooCommerce integration

18. Oshine

Oshine is a creative, multi-purpose WordPress video theme that can do it all. It is a trendy theme with over 30,000 customers, for a good reason. This solid theme handles video content beautifully and can help you create almost any type of website with style. It’s super customizable, WooCommerce ready, and comes stock with smooth AJAX animated transitions available.
With 100s of pre-built sample pages, 52 demo sites, and an entirely visual page builder, your options are limitless with Oshine.
Core Features

Highly versatile
Top-rated and frequently updated theme
WooCommerce integration

19. Astra

Astra is an extremely popular WordPress theme that you can use to create virtually any type of website. Astra is renowned for being fast and lightweight, with a 100% speed score on Pingdom and a 91% speed grade from Yslow. When using Astra, you never have to worry about your site’s load time being an issue. Astra’s drag-and-drop page builder makes customization a breeze, but if you want to take a more straightforward approach, you can drop in any of their 230+ pre-built websites to get started.
Core Features

Highly versatile
Best-in-class speed and load times
WooCommerce integration

Streaming and Membership Themes
Streaming and membership themes allow you to create websites with subscription tiers to host your premium content. Check out four options to get you started.
20. Vayvo

Vayvo by Progression Studios is a media streaming and membership theme that you can use to create a video or audio streaming website akin to Netflix or HBO Go. Using Vayvo, you can create subscription tiers for members to access your premium content.
In addition, you can make free trials and restrict access to certain content based on membership tier. For a fully featured and powerful theme, Vayvo is simple to use and easy to set up. So, if you are a content creator or podcaster looking to create a gated membership community for streaming your premium content, look no further than Vayvo.
Core Features

Media streaming and membership theme
Subscription tiers and free trials
Tablet and mobile friendly

21. Streamit

Streamit is a WordPress streaming and membership theme similar to Vayvo. It offers the ability to create a premium streaming environment for your content, be it movies, shows, web series, or podcasts.
Streamit is integrated with WooCommerce, so you can create an online store. Here, fans of your content can buy branded merchandise. We like the dark and impactful design of Streamit and the easy-to-use drag-and-drop page builder courtesy of Elementor.
Core Features

Media streaming and membership theme
WooCommerce integration
Elementor page builder

22. Aztec

Aztec is another WordPress streaming and membership theme that can help you monetize your videos via a subscription model. Like the above themes in the same category, Aztec is eCommerce integrated, features a drag-and-drop page builder, and supports third-party video and audio players.
One nice feature is the Pay-Per-Post option, which lets users purchase single content pieces at a time if they prefer not to sign up for a subscription.
Core Features

Media streaming and membership theme
Par-Per-Post ability
Advanced search functionality

23. ViewTube

ViewTube is a WordPress video streaming theme that takes some not-so-subtle design inspiration from YouTube. If you want to create a YouTube-inspired streaming website, then ViewTube is the answer.
This theme is designed to host a large amount of user-uploaded content. For example, it can help create a company-wide knowledge base or a custom submission site for video auditions. ViewTube is highly customizable, so you aren’t stuck with the red-and-white YouTube vibe if you want to change things up.
Core Features

YouTube-inspired streaming theme
Can handle large libraries of video content
Elementor page builder

Choose the right video theme for WordPress.
WordPress video themes allow you to display your content, mix and match your videos with photos and written content, sell your content, and more. Whatever your needs, there is a video theme that will work for your WordPress website.
Try installing one of the themes above, or check out the number of other video themes in the WordPress theme library. By applying your unique content, you can create a website that works for your business needs.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in December 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Affiliate marketing on Instagram works the same as other platforms, where a business pays someone (i.e., an influencer) a commission for attracting people to purchase its product or service. The amount of commission paid is tracked through a unique code or URL.  
Instagram used to have a native program for creators, but it ended in August of 2022. Not to worry, though, because you can still make money from affiliate marketing on Instagram. This post will discuss how and give examples of creators that successfully use the strategy.

How to Do Affiliate Marketing on Instagram
1. Switch to a creator or business account.
An important step, although not required, is to have a creator or business account on Instagram.
When you have this designation on your account, it establishes your legitimacy with your followers and the businesses you choose to work with. You’ll be seen as a trusted source that is not trying to run a scam or make a quick profit.  
2. Find affiliate partners or businesses that you want to work with.
To start affiliate marketing on Instagram, you need to find an affiliate program you want to work with. Amazon Associates is an excellent example of an affiliate program, where you can earn a commission between 1 and 10% based on the product category.
Another option is to reach out to businesses directly that you’d like to work with and explain how you relate to what they offer and the potential your audience has to bring them.
Businesses might also reach out to you directly to start an affiliate partnership, which brings back the importance of having a business profile or creator account to establish your legitimacy.
3. Choose products relevant to your niche and the type of content you create.
When finalizing your partnerships, ensure you choose products or services that relate to your niche, audience, and the content you already create. For example, if you’re a technology creator, partnering with a beauty brand does not align with the influence and content you create.
It’s also essential to have trust in the products, businesses, or services you recommend. If your audience follows through with a purchase because of your recommendation and experience with the product and it doesn’t work as advertised, you can lose the trust with your audience that you worked hard to build.
It’s a best practice to try products or services yourself beforehand to ensure the partnership is worthwhile for all involved.
4. Share your unique links or codes.
The way you make money as an affiliate is when your audiences make a purchase through your unique code or link. So, make sure you share your codes in your Feed posts, Stories, Reels, your profile Bio — wherever they’ll be visible to your audience. If you have 10k or more followers, you can include a swipe up link in your Stories.
When you share these links, it’s also a best practice to make it clear that it is part of a paid partnership to be transparent with your audience.
Affiliate Marketing on Instagram Examples
Let’s go over some examples of people on Instagram who have used affiliate marketing in different ways.
1. Sean Garrette
Sean Garrette uses affiliate marketing through a Linktree in his Instagram bio that leads audiences to his different affiliate partnerships.

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2. Cash Jordan
Cash Jordan, a New York City real estate agent, shares affiliate codes from his partnerships in his post captions. He recently partnered with Roadway Movers, and he created an Instagram video to explain the service and let his followers know that they’ll receive 10% off with his unique code.

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Cash Jordan (@iamcashjordan)

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3. Adriana Lopez
Adriana Lopez is a travel and lifestyle blogger who is often an affiliate partner of different lifestyle and travel companies. In a recent post, she shared an affiliate code that gives audiences a discount when they book their next vacation with her code.

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4. KarenBritChick
New York based influencer, shares affiliate links in her Instagram Stories with an easy-to-use clickable link sticker to immediately begin shopping, or you also have the option to enter her unique code during checkout.
Source 
5. Jesse James West
In the image below, fitness influencer Jesse James West shares a unique story about this experience with a brand and vouching for their products along with an affiliate code for his followers to use.

Source 
Over to You
Affiliate marketing helps you drive revenue, develop relationships with your favorite brands or businesses, and bring value to your audiences, so it’s a worthwhile strategy to consider when it comes to driving loyalty and engagement on the platform.

🖊️Small Business, Big Lessons is a podcast from Buffer that goes behind the scenes with inspirational small businesses to explore how they are questioning the best ways to build a business and uncover the big lessons we can learn from their journeys (so far). Check out episode seven here.Today, businesses are not just known for the products and services they offer, but consumers also take into account a company’s values and morals. According to a recent study done by Ipsos, people believe brands have a responsibility to address social and political concerns. And now is an especially opportune time for these entities to speak up, says business consultant Holly Howard. She credits social media for both normalizing discourse around current events and making it easier for company’s to vocalize their thoughts on these topics. “20 years ago, you could take a stand as a business, but it wasn’t going to spread as much as it can when a business is online … I think a lot of things contributed to the fact that people feel more comfortable [speaking up] nowadays … Using those times as a source of inspiration and motivation to create something new in the world is really important.”In season 2 episode 7 of our podcast Small Business, Big Lessons, we spoke to several entrepreneurs and learned why, for them, taking a stand is embedded within their business’s overall purpose.A small business galvanized by social justiceIn the spring of 2020, Azikiwee Anderson, or Z, was dealing with the pandemic like most Americans were. At the time, Covid-19 had not yet become a household name, and there was a ton of uncertainty in the air. But then, in May of that year, something else occurred that disrupted Z’s world: George Floyd was murdered in police custody. Floyd’s death caused an uproar and pushed the issue of racial discrimination and the Black Lives Matter movement to the forefront of American society. A Black man himself, Z was profoundly impacted by this incident and it led the private chef to reevaluate his life, purpose, and the way he is perceived by society. “During the pandemic, I went down a rabbit hole. I tell people, it kind of broke my brain,” Z said. “The whole murder of George Floyd, what it meant to the world, what it meant to me. What it meant because he looked and was seen like me in the world…,” Z said. “How the world sees people like me. Like the person I am … can I be my own authentic self?” Angry, frustrated, and confused, Z felt like he had no place to just be. It was a time of immense reflection and contemplation and when he finally was able to pull himself out of this rut, it was thanks to an unlikely source – sourdough. At the time, baking sourdough had been a popular pandemic activity, something that helped people keep busy during lockdown and also provided comfort during an unprecedented time. But for Z, the hobby would become so much more than a relaxing pastime. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rize Up Bakery (@rizeupbakery) “Baking helped me back from that edge,” he said. “The actual act – the zen of getting lost and working with my hands and being really present and enjoying that action – healed a lot of cracks in my heart.” Z ended up sharing his baking adventures with his followers on his personal Instagram page when dozens of individuals inquired about purchasing loaves from the private chef. And just like that, Rize Up Bakery was born. What first began in Z’s kitchen, has now expanded to a thriving small business in San Francisco. The entrepreneur makes clear that social justice is baked into Rize Up’s overall purpose. Not only is it how the business got its start, but Z’s mission is to show others, especially Black youth, the power of baking. Z hopes this can help kids see that there are other life paths they can take to be successful. “If you only think you can be a basketball player, or a rapper or drug dealer, or like some dude who’s flossing, if that’s the only reality that your force fed every single day, it’s no wonder that people have an identity crisis,” Z said.For Z, Rize Up Bakery has multiple goals: spreading his love for baking to others, brightening up customers’ days, and providing nourishing food to his community. But as he continues to lay down the roots for his small business, he’s adamant about incorporating a greater social justice angle to his work, especially when it comes to working with the younger generation. “I don’t think the world, especially kids, are taught to be great,” Z said. “They’re taught not to make mistakes, they’re taught to get along, they’re taught to not stand up for themselves or not stand up for someone else …They’re taught all these things, but they’re not really taught like, ‘hey, you know what, you can be great.’”How these entrepreneurs take a stand through their workZ isn’t the only entrepreneur who’s passionate about making a difference through his work. The below small business owners are dedicated to pushing back against what they feel are societal wrongs – including wasteful consumption, tech monopolies, and misinformation – by implementing policies and initiatives within their companies that address these issues.Paynter Jacket is an alternative to the fast fashion industryCo-founders Becky and Huw created their small business Paynter Jacket with one mission in mind: do things differently and more ethically than most clothing companies. They only sell four limited edition jackets a year and have a made-to-order business model, meaning they order the only what they need – down to the exact meters of fabric and the precise number of buttons – so they don’t produce any waste. Becky knows that their clothing company may not be able to fix the fast fashion industry on its own, but she hopes Paynter Jacket’s philosophy around ethical production can help remind customers that they don’t need to be constantly buying new clothes, but should buy fewer, higher quality staples. The entrepreneur finds herself nostalgic for the days clothing was actually valued. “I remember some of the most exciting days actually, as a child growing up, when my cousins would come over, and they’d bring their bags of hand-me-down clothes and we’d rifle through them and decide what we’re going to keep,ultimately giving those garments a longer life. I don’t think that really happens anymore.”Despite the fact that Paynter Jacket has grown in popularity and could very well expand their operations, they still choose to produce a limited number of jackets each year – staying true to their roots.SparkToro speaks up against large tech monopoliesRand Fishkin has co-founded two tech companies – SEO software Moz and his latest company, SparkToro, an audience research tool. As someone with a ton of experience in the tech industry, the entrepreneur has been very vocal about the lack of antitrust enforcement in the U.S as he believes its harmed economic opportunity in the U.S. and allowed for more inequality. “You have just a few companies that kind of control the gateways to the Internet, control internet commerce, control internet advertising, and that lack of enforcement is also illegal, it is breaking the rule of law in the United States.” In fact, Rand built SparkToro with principles to ensure that it would run differently than most tech companies, as one of their values is egalitarianism – they want to help small businesses catch up to the big tech giants with audience research.NEW blog post.If you’re not familiar with the Big Tech Monopoly bill being considered this summer by the US Congress… get ready. It could have a massive effect on entrepreneurship, marketing, Google’s results, SEO, PPC, and more.https://t.co/FaE8OOFusu— Rand Fishkin (@randfish) June 14, 2022 But Rand has also published research on how big companies like Facebook, Amazon, and Google are stifling innovation and fair competition. This very research has been cited by the U.S. Congress and even featured on Last Week tonight with John Oliver. Rand is also open on his social media accounts and blog about this issue, and hopes his words and research can have some kind of impact. “My hope is, if there’s just a few more people contributing in small ways, maybe together, we can make a difference.” In his opinion,“I think that everyone has an obligation to help.”Buffer combats online misinformationIn recent years, there has been a trend of blatantly false information spreading – including misinformation about elections and vaccines – on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, and unfortunately, we’ve noticed our products and tools at Buffer sometimes being used to publish these false messages.This misinformation can potentially lead to real life consequences and it was important for our entire team at Buffer, including our CEO Joel Gascoigne too. That’s why we’ve adjusted our terms of services and terms of use of our products to more clearly define what is and isn’t allowed. We’ve been cracking down on accounts that don’t follow the rules.  “Since we’re a small company, we can do that. And we can move pretty fast with those things. And so that’s the direction we’ve been going more recently and it’s feeling like the right thing for us for the stage where the culture, the DNA, the type of company we are.” As our core values revolve around transparency, authenticity, and helping our customers thrive, we plan to continue to stand up against all kinds of misinformation.Taking a stand by nurturing community relationshipsSometimes as a business owner, you may want to take a stance in multiple ways, for multiple events, but Holly advises her clients to pick one or two causes they really resonate with, rather than try to do it all. “I tell people to really take a step back and ask yourself why you’re aligning with certain causes, not from a political perspective, But I just mean from an internal culture perspective,” Holly said. Another way these small business owners have taken a stand is by reaching out and partnering with other organizations and causes they feel connected back to their greater mission.Made with Local addresses food insecurityMade with Local – a B corporation that produces a variety of granola products – has always actively worked with their local community to address social inequities. One of the causes founder Sheena Russel is passionate about is providing food for those in need in their community in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. “We work closely with organizations that are helping to address food insecurity, which has much deeper roots than just not having enough food in your pantry. These are systemic issues that are a significant issue in where we live in the world,” Sheena said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Made with Local (@madewithlocal) They’ve partnered with North Grove, a community food center in Nova Scotia that advocates for and provides a healthy and fair food system for its community. Along with that, the small business also helped found the Dartmouth community fridge project, another organization with the goal of feeding the community.By supporting local community partners, Made with Local is actively advocating for all community members to have access to fresh and nutritious foods.​​Rize Up partners with a variety of San Francisco orgsAs a child, Z and his family experienced homelessness for some time, and the experience has shaped the way he thinks about giving back to others. The baker is big on donating a portion of the bakery’s sourdough loaves to multiple organizations within San Francisco. Rize Up partners with Glide – a SF social justice center that works to combat poverty, housing, and homelessness within the city, and One Richmond, a community center that aims to strengthen the bonds between residents. Z has also donated loaves to battered women shelters throughout SF, as well. This small act of charity is one small way Z feels like he can help his fellow neighbors. “I might not be able to fix everything on the planet. I might not be able to buy somebody a place to live in. But what I can do is use my hands and use my skills to make beautiful food,” Z said. “Because some days, you just need enough food to get through the day, so you can live another day. And for me, that really matters.”Buffer’s annual charitable contributionWe’re big on giving back at Buffer, and something we’re proud of is our annual charitable contribution. At the end of every profitable year we have, we take about 20 percent of our profit share and match that and donate to a deserving cause that the entire team gets to vote on. In recent years, we’ve incorporated more flexibility in how we donate, for example, in 2020 we donated to various organizations in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, in addition to matching team donations and continuing to invest in anti-racism education for our team. We also make room to donate to new causes whenever the need arises. That’s why in 2022 we showed our support to Ukraine and donated to Global Giving’s Ukraine crisis relief fund.  + It was important for Joel that the causes we chose to support aligned with our overall mission at Buffer. “We’ve started to shift thinking about it, not just as, ‘okay, we’re donating money.’ But can we do something that’s really intertwined with our own mission…,”Joel said. “We started thinking more about underrepresented groups and causes focused on them that are also focused on small businesses in some way.” Paynter Jacket raises money for UkraineWhen the crisis in Ukraine was first unfolding, Becky and Huw immediately knew they wanted to help in whatever way they could. While they didn’t have a ton of resources as a small business, what they did have was some leftover samples from their previous batches. They decided to put these prints and samples to good use with an online fundraiser. Thanks to user donations, plus a very generous anonymous contribution that matched, Paynter Jacket raised 23,000 pounds and donated that money to the Red Cross’s humanitarian work in Ukraine. “We felt it was really important to help people in Ukraine, because, how totally and utterly frightening, and we felt like we couldn’t do anything from so far away. So the best thing that we can do is show solidarity by raising money,” Becky said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Paynter (@paynterjacket) While taking a stand is absolutely something you should do as a small business owner, sometimes it’s okay to take a step back and reflect before speaking up about an issue. Holly takes inspiration from activist Loretta Ross and her thoughts on being an ally.“[Ross’s] whole posture is about approaching activism from this space of first taking a moment to really think about why it is that we’re doing what we’re doing,” Holly said. “And to not approach it from a space of, ‘we have to get out there immediately and do this thing.’  And I think that moment of pause is really important,” Holly said.It’s crucial to not come off as being performative in your activism, something that customers and followers can usually notice. You want to make sure you truly understand the cause, and back up your words with actions, too.Once you do find a deserving cause that feels aligned with your brand’s mission, however, take a cue from these entrepreneurs and be vocal in your advocacy and support.Want more on Taking a Stand? Check out the full episodeThe businesses we interviewed in this episode have further insights to share about taking a stand and its value for brands. Check out the full episode here.

In the past, encouraging customers to leave the house and step over the shop threshold was a challenge for businesses. Not anymore. Customers can now access products and services without moving an inch from their sofa. eCommerce represents, therefore, a great boom for business.   So, it’s easy for businesses now, right? Well, no. There are…
The post 5 Ways to Communicate More Effectively With Customers For eCommerce appeared first on Benchmark Email.

Last Updated on November 7, 2022 by Rakesh Gupta Big Idea or Enduring Question: How do predicate filters secure your CRM Analytics datasets based on security requirements? Objectives: After reading this blog, you’ll be able to: Use predicate filters to secure datasets Apply sharing inheritance to add additional security to
The post CRM Analytics: Data Security to Control Access to Rows appeared first on Automation Champion.