How Do They Paint Signs On The Ceiling Of Buildings

How Do They Paint Signs On The Ceiling Of Buildings 

A lot of people may not know how professional looking signs are created, nor do they realize just how expensive it is to get those beautiful designs! This article will go into detail about one of the most integral parts of any building’s interior-the ceiling.

The first step in designing an impressive ceiling is choosing your style. There are many types of ceilings that artists use to design and express their ideas. These styles include classic, modern, futuristic, and even comic book inspired!

Once you have picked your style, the next thing to do is pick your material. Materials such as metal or plastic give off light better than something like wood, which sometimes darkens due to all of the natural reflections.

This article will focus mostly on one type of material – painted plaster. It is by no means the cheapest way to design a ceiling, but it can be done for a very affordable price.

How to properly paint a ceiling

When painting a room or wall, it is important to prepare for your coat!

You will need a primer (layers of thin coats) and a final topcoat layer. The primer should be spread as thoroughly as possible to ensure good adhesion for the next step.

The second stage is to apply a thick protective coating which helps prevent chipping and/or peeling of the first color layer. This is typically referred to as a clearcoat or surface sealant. Most professionals use acrylic latex paints for this purpose because they are more durable than oil-based products.

Once those two steps have been completed, you can start applying additional colors using either brushes or rollers. Make sure to mix up both liquid and powder form materials correctly before application to achieve the best results.

Painting tips for a ceiling

When painting your building’s exterior ceilings, you will want to make sure that you have all of your materials and equipment ready.

You do not need special tools or products to apply paint onto a surface, but having them can help you achieve your desired look more quickly and properly.

As we mentioned before, primer is usually used as the base coat in most cases. To ensure this process goes well, you should be aware of how different types of roofs react to primers.

For instance, flat roofs will typically dry and harden very fast which makes it easy to apply the second layer of paint right away. However, if there are some raised areas on the roof, then the two layers may bond together and seep slowly, making it difficult to get a smooth finish.

Painting the walls and ceiling together

When painting an interior space, it is very common to only paint the walls while leaving the ceiling and floor exposed. This is not the case when painting signs!

When painting a room for example, a business sign or your personal logo, you will need to paint both the wall and ceiling at the same time. Doing so will create a seamless look that does not show any sort of gap between the two surfaces.

This applies particularly well if you are trying to conceal some of the components behind the painted surface. For instance, if there’s wire coming out of the back side of the sign, it can be difficult to disguise unless the whole thing is painted in one go.

By doing this before laying down other colors, the effect is slightly like looking into a window where you can see part of the background color.

Use a primer

For most interior design projects, your final color choice will be made by choosing either an oil-based or water-based paint. Oil paints are thicker than regular liquid colors, which is why they’re usually used as a primer for other layers.

A typical way to use oils as a primer is to apply a thin layer directly onto a surface and let it dry. Then, you can add another coat of thinner liquid paint over the top. This process is repeated until all the needed coats have been applied.

Waterproofing is also important when painting signs on buildings. A very common method is using lacquer as a topcoat. Lacquers contain plasticizers that make them more fluid. These liquids can sometimes streak and run, so it is advised to test your paint at least once on a small area to see if this happens.

If it does, try adding some cornstarch to help reduce flowy marks.

Use the proper lighting

When painting outside buildings, you need to make sure your light source is not coming from behind the building. This could be due to direct sunlight or electrical lights being used as illumination sources.

In both cases, the surface of the paint will reflect this light, altering the color and style of the painted sign. For that reason, it is important to use enough light so that you do not have to worry about this!

Surface texture and patterning also play an integral part in how well painted signs look. Due to the fact that we are talking about walls and ceilings here, there can be some very tricky situations when it comes to ensuring your painted sign looks its best.

That’s why it is extremely important to test out what kind of lighting you have before starting to paint anything! There are many ways to do this. You can research different types of light sources, purchase one for testing purposes, or ask someone who has done similar things if they know anyone with better lighting.

Practice makes perfect

Even though most people can recognize the signs for an average business’s closing, it is very important to understand how businesses close their doors. The way this process comes down depends on the type of business and what kind of closure the company wants to have.

Some companies will go out with a bang, going all-out with decorations and special events to send their customers and staff good vibes before they close up shop. These events typically include drinks or snacks as well as some sort of gathering at the end where employees can say goodbye or hug each other.

Other times, business owners may choose to keep things low key. This could be due to cost constraints, lack of motivation, or just because that is the way they are built.

Whatever type of closure the owner chooses, it must be authentic and believable. If there are too many indications of shutdown, then potential customers might question if the business really plans to stay closed forever.

Test the paint for quality

After painting the surface, your next step is to test the material to make sure it will hold up! You can do this by rubbing the painted area with your finger or use a piece of non-glazed ceramic tile as was done in our article above.

Make sure you press hard enough so that you get some shape under the paint, but not so much that you break the layer. Then, keep pressing and lifting until you have gone all the way through the topcoat and seen how many layers there are!

You want to make sure that you still see the natural color of the substrate underneath the new coat of paint! If you don’t, then the first layer has failed and you start over. It is very difficult to re-layer a failing primer, so be careful about pulling off too much of the old coating.

Consider the weather

The next step in defining your space is deciding how to cover it while painting. Obviously, you will want to paint what needs to be painted, but there are two other things that can make or break the look you desire for your space.

One of these is whether to have natural light come into your studio from outside, or if you should close off part of your space and create your own internal lighting. This also applies to choosing whether to use natural sunlight as illumination, or artificial light like lamps.

The second thing to consider is the weather! If your painting area has direct exposure to the elements, then your paints may get wet and go rusty or even washed away. Even indirect sun exposure could cause your art to fade or crumble due to moisture.

To prevent this, you can either find an easy fix such as taping down plastic sheets or using glass containers, or investing in UV protective covers and mats for your brushes and tools.

Project.co Reveals Project Management Statistics & Themes They’ll Be Watching in 2021

There's a long-established idea that creativity is somehow rooted in chaos: that structure and organization are somehow the enemy of great ideas.

If it wasn't already time to reassess that idea — then, surely, that time is now.

2020, after all, saw creative teams around the world removed (often without warning) from their offices, and scattered to home offices and kitchen tables.

Most of us moved from a world of anytime, face—to—face communication to a world of video calls, email, and chat apps.

And this has only amplified an idea many already believed to be true: that great creative teams need not only great ideas — but also great processes, communication, and project management in order to succeed.

In the midst of all that chaos, the team at Project.co just released the State of Project Management report, designed to find out how creative teams manage their projects as we move into 2021.

The survey sought to gauge what teams do well, and what they feel could be improved. It explored which tools and systems they use, and how their processes impact their efficiency and productivity.

The research suggests:

• People almost unanimously believe that there is room for improvement in the way they manage projects.
• Most people struggle to have visibility of what others on their team are working on, and many take a dim view of communication within their business — despite acknowledging its mission-critical importance.
• An alarmingly high number of people openly admit regularly missing deadlines — and even forgetting tasks they have due.

• Email overwhelmingly dominates as a communication tool, both between teams and with clients — although this isn't to everyone's liking.

About the Survey

Project.co's State of Project Management is a comprehensive report designed to assess the way in which creative teams manage their projects and communication.

It asks a range of questions to evaluate how the project management landscape looks. This is the first report, but it will be released annually and, over time, will trace the changes in the industry.

The findings of this report were gathered by surveying 437 unique respondents, from a range of industries, niches and countries, in December 2020.

The Key Findings

The Power of Task Clarity

It emerged that having a clear list of tasks to methodically work through is a key driver of well-being and performance.

95% of people feel that having a list of tasks to do each day is good for their mental health, and 96% of people feel that it makes them more efficient and productive.

Out of those who don't create a daily to—do list, 90% say they either 'occasionally' or 'regularly' miss or forget tasks.

A Problem with Cross Team Visibility

An old metaphor for coordination is that the left hand needs to know what the right hand is doing.

In business terms, this means it's important for people to know what others in their team are working on — avoiding re—work, duplication, and facilitating the input of creative solutions and diverse perspectives from across teams.

This is validated by the fact that 94% of people feel that having a good view of what their teammates are working on improves productivity and efficiency in a business.

However, this is where it gets interesting: less than half (42%) of people say they find it easy to understand what other members of their team are working on at any given time.

Needless to say, this is a particularly big missed opportunity in view of the current situation, where greater cross—team understanding and collaboration can clearly help foster a great sense of employee engagement and mitigate many of the challenges that arise from remote working.

Communication with Clients

When it comes to communicating with clients, email rules the roost. 67% of people say they mainly communicate with clients using email, which overshadows phone calls (8%) project management software (9%), online meetings (8%) and face-to-face meetings (5%).

But that doesn't necessarily work for everyone. Less than half of people say email is their preferred way to deal with businesses as customers, with 25% saying they prefer to use project management software.

Email is less than ideal because of its siloed, disconnected nature — this often leads to lost/misplaced assets, inconsistent sharing of information, and a frustrating experience for the client.

Room for Improvement

What's clear throughout the data is the extent to which people feel things could, and should, be better.

92% of people say they believe collaboration with their teammates could be improved.

And this filters down to day—to—day deliverables: just 16% of people say they 'always' hit their deadlines.

This lays bare the fact that, despite organization, communication, efficiency, and reliability being paramount in the creative industry — late delivery, shabby communication, and poor levels of organization are still a major factor, and no doubt holding back countless businesses from hitting their full potential.

Time Tracking & Project Profitability

For many creative teams, time is money — and that's often literally the case, with billing completed on a per—hour basis for many agencies.

So the actual intelligence and data around time spent on projects is clearly really important — or at least it should be.

Remarkably, in the survey, it emerged that 15% of businesses which actually bill clients according to time spent on projects don't actually track that time at all.

Where businesses DO track time spent on projects, only 13% believe it's tracked 'extremely accurately' with 35% saying it's not tracked very accurately at all.

And the data, even when collected, is being underutilized: 60% of people who DO track time spent on projects say they don't retrospectively use this data to identify efficiency in their projects.

To Sum Up

When evaluating this data, it seems that there's, essentially, good and bad news.

The bad news is that the data depicts a creative industry experiencing a real pinch around basic issues of organization, task and time management, communication, and operational efficiency. There's little doubt that these 'basics' are undermining amazing creative work across a range of industries and niches, and selling businesses short.

The good news, though, is that people really seem to 'get' that these are problems. Issues are clearly on the radar, having been identified, and there seems to be a demonstrable commitment to resolving them.

In many ways, there's no better time to take stock of this. If necessity is the mother of invention, it could well be that current world events are the driving force behind a new era of investment in systems, processes, and technology that make creative projects work better for the teams involved, and, of course, the clients.

By investing in software that allows teams greater visibility over work, lets them create their own task lists, communicate centrally in one place and track time/project profitability, businesses can finally take control over the smooth running of their projects.

In turn, they'll be able to offer a healthier, more efficient experience for their employees — while effortlessly delivering a customer service experience that matches the quality of their creative work.

You can check out the full report — with plenty more data points — and get a downloadable version by visiting Project.co's State of Project Management page.

Posted by https://bit.ly/31tHUKW

18 Examples of Brilliant Email Marketing Campaigns [Template]

On any given day, most of our email inboxes are flooded with a barrage of automated email newsletters that do little else besides giving us another task to do on our commutes to work -- namely, marking them all as unread without reading or unsubscribing altogether.

It may not seem like a good idea to add to all the noise. However, according to Constant Contact, the average ROI for email marketing is $38 for every $1 spent. Needless to say, email is an important component of a marketing strategy, and its success relies largely on how well you craft your email campaigns.

What is an email marketing campaign?

An email marketing campaign consists of planned content distributed via email with the goal of accomplishing a specific goal for the organization. It's important that an email campaign's recipients have opted in to receive this content and that each piece offers something valuable.

Here are some examples of different purposes your email campaign may set out to accomplish:

• Traffic generation - Email can be an effective promotion channel for the high-value content you create on your website.
• Awareness - Not everyone who opts into your email list is ready for a purchasing decision. You can use email marketing to stay top of mind while providing the educational content that is most relevant to them.
• Lead nurturing - As you stay top of mind, you may also consider ways to identify the leads you have with the highest purchase intent and provide conversion-focused content that "nurtures" them toward a sale (or at least toward becoming sales-ready).
• Revenue generation - You can create email marketing campaigns for your existing customers to promote upsell and cross-sell opportunities. You can also create campaigns to capture a sales conversion from leads who are close to a purchasing decision. (One example might be creating "abandon cart" campaigns for recovering lost sales conversions.)

The options for effective email marketing are endless. Want some quick advice? Check out these 10 email marketing tips in 60 seconds:

Ready to take a deeper dive? Effective email marketing campaigns need to be cleverly written to attract attention in busy inboxes. Let's get into how to create an effective email marketing campaign of your own.

1. Understand who you're emailing.

Have you ever heard the saying from Meredith Hill, "When you speak to everyone, you speak to no one"? What Hill is getting at here is that if you're watering down your message to apply to your entire audience, you're leaving opportunity on the table -- opportunity for creating high-value, specific, relevant content that speaks directly to the recipient. 

With this in mind, the key to a great email marketing campaign is identifying your audience and using email segmentation to ensure you're delivering to the right people at the right time. If you can accomplish this and build it into your strategy, you can get more creative and specific with your messaging.

2. Create a goal for the campaign.

Even with email marketing being a relatively low-risk and high-reward activity, you don't want to send emails for emails' sake. In other words, you won't be successful simply because you marked it from your to-do list. 

Instead, you should be intentional about what you want to get from your emails because that will help you target the right audience and build the right emails. For example, if you know you want to nurture leads from MQL to SQL, you can create a segment of MQLs and create content that is educational and persuasive enough to move them closer to a buying decision.

3. Outline the email or emails that will be included in the campaign.

Once you know who you're emailing and why, it's time to strategize how to move them from A (where they are) to B (where you want them to be, the goal of the campaign). 

Keep in mind that you can't expect a single email to do everything. Your email campaign can be made up of multiple emails, so consider taking your email recipients on a journey with each email serving a single purpose. This will increase the odds of each email being successful in its role toward reaching your goal.  After all, "A confused mind says no."

For example, if you're doing a lead nurturing campaign, you might have a few educational emails to take them from the awareness stage to the consideration stage before providing more conversion-focused content.

The longer the buying process and sales cycle, the more emails you'll need.

4. Spend time on the subject lines.

No one gets to the body content of your email unless they first click the subject line. That's why it's so important to consider your subject lines carefully: They're like gatekeepers for the rest of your information. 

Check out our article on the best tips for writing email subject lines.

5. Write copy that's suited for them.

Once you know the purpose of each email you're sending and you have the subject lines, you can write the copy that will engage your list. Consider where your audience is in their buying journey and provide the type of content that they'll find useful. For example, it doesn't make sense to promote products if you're emailing a segment of subscribers who are largely in the awareness stage of the buying journey.

6. Use a comprehensive email builder.

Once you've written the copy for your emails, you'll want to build them out in the email software client you're intending to use.

There are several options depending on your needs, including HubSpot, MailChimp, Pabbly Email Marketing and Constant Contact.

With a comprehensive email builder, you can create, optimize, and personalize your own email campaigns without needing any technical or graphic design experience.

7. Include personalization elements and excellent imagery.

Marketing emails need to be personalized to the reader and filled with interesting graphics.

Few people want to read emails that are addressed "Dear Sir/Madam" -- as opposed to their first or last name -- and even fewer people want to read an email that simply gives them a wall of text. Visuals help your recipients quickly understand the point of the email.

8. Include calls-to-action where appropriate.

Remember, if you're taking up your audience's time -- and inbox space -- with another email, your message must have a point to it. Consider what you want your email recipients to take away from the email. 

In most cases, you'll want to add a call-to-action (CTA) for them to take further action.

Your goal behind the CTA may vary depending on the audience's buyer's journey stage and what you want to accomplish with your email campaign. For example, you may simply want to engage them further with another piece of content, or you might want to get them to make a purchase.

Regardless of what it is, you should follow CTA best practices such as making the ask with clear language and emphasizing it with contrasting design elements.

9. Test your emails and make sure they work on all devices.

Once your emails are built out, check them over before hitting the send button. Effective email marketing campaigns are designed for all devices on which users can read their emails -- desktop, tablet, and mobile. Consider sending them as a test to a colleague and checking them across multiple devices and email clients. 

Want a quick refresher on how to master marketing email? Check out this helpful video: 

Now that you know how to responsibly wield email marketing, grab some inspiration from the masterful email marketing campaigns below.

But first, download the planning template you'll need to craft your own lovable email marketing campaign.

1. charity: water

Marketing Campaign: Donation Progress Update

When people talk about email marketing, lots of them forget to mention transactional emails. These are the automated emails you get in your inbox after taking a certain action on a website. This could be anything from filling out a form, to purchasing a product, to updating you on the progress of your order. Often, these are plain text emails that marketers set and forget.

Well, charity: water took an alternate route. Once someone donates to a charity: water project, her money takes a long journey. Most charities don't tell you about that journey at all -- charity: water uses automated emails to show donors how their money is making an impact over time. With the project timeline and accompanying table, you don't even really need to read the email -- you know immediately where you are in the whole process so you can move onto other things in your inbox.

2. Brooks Sports

Marketing Campaign: Desiree Linden's Boston Marathon Victory

When Desiree Linden won the 2018 Boston Marathon, she became the first American woman to win the race in more than 30 years. To her shoe and apparel sponsor, Brooks Sports, it was an opportunity to celebrate their long partnership together. The resulting email campaign focuses almost entirely on the Olympic marathoner's amazing accomplishment.

Email campaigns like this one allow companies to demonstrate their loyalties and add value to the products their best users have chosen. The blue CTA button at the bottom of the email reads, "See Desiree's go-to gear." What better products to call attention to than the stuff worn by America's latest legend?

After Desiree's victory, everyone knew her name. Brooks Sports struck while the iron was hot with a proud email that was sure to be opened and forwarded.

3. BuzzFeed

Marketing Campaign: 'BuzzFeed Today' Newsletter

I already have a soft spot for BuzzFeed content, but that isn't the only reason I fell in love with its emails.

First of all, BuzzFeed has awesome subject lines and preview text. They are always short and punchy -- which fits in perfectly with the rest of BuzzFeed's content. I especially love how the preview text will accompany the subject line. For example, if the subject line is a question, the preview text is the answer. Or if the subject line is a command (like the one below), the preview text seems like the next logical thought right after it:

Once you open up an email from BuzzFeed, the copy is equally awesome. Just take a look at that glorious alt text action happening where the images should be. The email still conveys what it is supposed to convey -- and looks great -- whether you use an image or not. That's definitely something to admire.

Without images:

With images:

4. Uber

Marketing Campaign: Calendar Integration

The beauty of Uber's emails is in their simplicity. Email subscribers are alerted to deals and promotions with emails like the one you see below. We love how brief the initial description is, paired with a very clear CTA -- perfect for subscribers who are quickly skimming the email.

For the people who want to learn more, these are followed by a more detailed (but still pleasingly simple), step-by-step explanation of how the deal works.

We also love how consistent the design of Uber's emails is with its brand. Like its app, website, social media photos, and other parts of the visual branding, the emails are represented by bright colors and geometric patterns. All of its communications and marketing assets tell the brand's story -- and brand consistency is one tactic Uber's nailed in order to gain brand loyalty.

Check out the clever copywriting and email design at work in this example:

5. TheSkimm

Marketing Campaign: Subscription Anniversary

We love TheSkimm's daily newsletter -- especially its clean design and its short, punchy paragraphs. But newsletters aren't TheSkimm's only strength when it comes to email. Check out its subscriber engagement email below, which rewarded one of their subscribers for being subscribed for two years.

Emails triggered by milestones, like anniversaries and birthdays, are fun to get -- who doesn't like to celebrate a special occasion? The beauty of anniversary emails, in particular, is that they don't require subscribers to input any extra data, and they can work for a variety of senders. Plus, the timeframe can be modified based on the business model.

Here, the folks at TheSkimm took it a step further by asking Mineo if she'd like to earn the title of brand ambassador as a loyal subscriber -- which would require her to share the link with ten friends, of course.

6. Mom and Dad Money

Marketing Campaign: Get to Know Your Subscribers

Think you know all about the people who are reading your marketing emails? How much of what you "know" about them is based on assumptions? The strongest buyer personas are based on insights you gather from your actual readership, through surveys, interviews, and so on -- in addition to the market research.

That's exactly what Matt Becker of Mom and Dad Money does -- and he does it very, very well.

Here's an example of an email I once received from this brand. Design-wise, it's nothing special -- but that's the point. It reads just like an email from a friend or colleague asking for a quick favor.

Not only was this initial email great, but his response to my answers was even better: Within a few days of responding to the questionnaire, I received a long and detailed personal email from Matt thanking me for filling out the questionnaire and offering a ton of helpful advice and links to resources specifically catered to my answers. I was very impressed by his business acumen, communication skills, and obvious dedication to his readers.

7. Birchbox

Marketing Campaign: Co-marketing Promotion

The subject line of this email from beauty product subscription service Birchbox got my colleague Pam Vaughan clicking. It read: "We Forgot Something in Your February Box!" Of course, if you read the email copy below, Birchbox didn't actually forget to put that discount code in her box -- but it was certainly a clever way to get her attention.

As it turned out, the discount code was actually a bonus promo for Rent the Runway, a dress rental company that likely fits the interest profile of most Birchbox customers -- which certainly didn't disappoint. That's a great co-marketing partnership right there.

8. Postmates

Marketing Campaign: New Product

I have to say, I'm a sucker for GIFs. They're easy to consume, they catch your eye, and they have an emotional impact -- like the fun GIF in one of Postmates' emails that's not only delightful to watch, but also makes you crave some delicious Chipotle.

You, too, can use animated GIFs in your marketing to show a fun header, draw people's eyes to a certain part of the email, or display your products and services in action.

9. Dropbox

Marketing Campaign: User Reengagement

You might think it'd be hard to love an email from a company whose product you haven't been using. But Dropbox found a way to make its "come back to us!" email cute and funny, thanks to a pair of whimsical cartoons and an emoticon.

Plus, the email was kept short and sweet, to emphasize the message that Dropox didn't want to intrude -- it just wants to remind the recipient that the brand exists, and why it could be helpful. When sending these types of email, you might include an incentive for recipients to come back to using your service, like a limited-time coupon.

10. InVision App

Marketing Campaign: Weekly Blog Newsletter

Every week, the folks at InVision send a roundup of their best blog content, their favorite design links from the week, and a new opportunity to win a free t-shirt. (Seriously. They give away a new design every week.) They also sometimes have fun survey questions where they crowdsource for their blog. This week's, for example, asked subscribers what they would do if the internet didn't exist.

Not only is InVision's newsletter a great mix of content, but I also love the nice balance between images and text, making it really easy to read and mobile-friendly -- which is especially important, because its newsletters are so long (below is just an excerpt). We like the clever copy on the call-to-action (CTA) buttons, too.

11. Warby Parker

Marketing Campaign: Product Renewal

What goes better with a new prescription than a new pair of glasses? The folks at Warby Parker made that connection very clear in their email to a friend of mine back in 2014. It's an older email, but it's such a good example of personalized email marketing that I had to include it in here.

The subject line was: "Uh-oh, your prescription is expiring." What a clever email trigger. And you've gotta love the reminder that your prescription needs updating.

Speaking of which, check out the clever co-marketing at the bottom of the email: If you don't know where to go to renew your subscription, the information for an optometrist is right in the email. Now there's no excuse not to shop for new glasses!

12. Cook Smarts

Marketing Campaign: Weekly Product Newsletter

I've been a huge fan of Cook Smarts' "Weekly Eats" newsletter for a while. The company sends yummy recipes in the form of a meal plan to my inbox every week. But I didn't just include it because of its delicious recipes -- I'm truly a fan of its emails.

I especially love the layout of Cook Smarts' emails: Each message features three distinct sections: one for the menu, one for kitchen how-to's, and one for the tips. That means you don't have to go hunting to find the most interesting part of its blog posts -- you know exactly where to look after an email or two.

I also love Cook Smarts' "Forward to a Friend" CTA in the top-right of the email. Emails are super shareable over -- you guessed it -- email, so you should also think about reminding your subscribers to forward your emails to friends, family, or coworkers.

13. HireVue

Marketing Campaign: Customer Retention

"Saying goodbye is never easy to do… So, we thought we’d give you a chance to rethink things." That was the subject of this automated unsubscribe email from HireVue. We love the simple, guilt-free messaging here, from the funny header images to the great CTA button copy.

Not only are the design and copy here top-notch, but we applaud the folks at HireVue for sending automated unsubscribe emails in the first place. It's smart to purge your subscriber lists of folks who aren't opening your email lists, because low open rates can seriously hurt email deliverability.

14. Paperless Post

Marketing Campaign: Mother's Day Promotion

When you think of "holiday email marketing," your mind might jump straight to Christmas, but there are other holidays sprinkled throughout the rest of the year that you can create campaigns around. (Download these email marketing planning templates to keep yourself organized throughout the year.)

Take the email below from Paperless Post, for example. I love the header of this email: It provides a clear CTA that includes a sense of urgency. Then, the subheader asks a question that forces recipients to think to themselves, "Wait, when is Mother's Day again? Did I buy Mom a card?" Below this copy, the simple grid design is both easy to scan and quite visually appealing. Each card picture is a CTA in and of itself -- click on any one of them, and you'll be taken to a purchase page.

15. Stitcher

Marketing Campaign: Recommended for You

As humans, we tend to crave personalized experiences. So when emails appear to be created especially for you, you feel special -- you’re not just getting what everyone else is getting. You might even feel like the company sending you the email knows you in some way, and that it cares about your preferences and making you happy.

That's why I love on-demand podcast/radio show app Stitcher's "Recommended For You" emails. I tend to listen to episodes from the same podcast instead of branching out to new ones. But Stitcher wants me to discover (and subscribe to) all the other awesome content it has -- and I probably wouldn't without this encouragement.

I think this email also makes quite a brilliant use of responsive design. The colors are bright, and it's not too hard to scroll and click -- notice the CTAs are large enough for me to hit with my thumbs. Also, the mobile email actually has features that make sense for recipients who are on their mobile device. Check out the CTA at the bottom of the email, for example: The "Open Stitcher Radio" button prompts the app to open on your phone.

16. RCN

Marketing Campaign: Storm Update

Internet providers and bad weather are natural enemies. You'd think telecommunications companies wouldn't want to call attention to storm-induced power outages -- the one thing that sets off customers' impatience. Then, there's RCN.

RCN, a cable and wireless internet service, turned this email marketing campaign into a weather forecast just for its customers. This "storm update" got the company out ahead of an event that threatened its service, while allowing its users to get the weather updates they need right from the company they count on for Wi-Fi.

As you can see below, the email even advises personal safety -- a nice touch of care to go with the promise of responsive service. At the bottom of the email, RCN also took the opportunity to highlight its social media channels, which the company appropriately uses to keep users informed of network outages.

17. Trulia

Marketing Campaign: Moving Trends

I'm a huge advocate of thought leadership. To me, some of the best companies gain customer loyalty by becoming the go-to source for expertise on a given topic. Trulia -- a property search engine for buyers, sellers, and renters -- is that expert in the real estate biz. How do I know? Just read their emails, much like the one below.

"Why aren't millennials moving?" The subject line of this email campaign reads before citing interesting data about relocation trends in the U.S. Trulia doesn't benefit from people who choose not to move, but the company does benefit from having its fingers on the pulse of the industry -- and showing it cares which way the real estate winds are blowing.

18. RedBubble

Marketing Campaign: Featured Artist

This email marketing campaign crushes it, and for so many reasons.

Not only is the design below super eye-catching -- without looking cluttered -- but the artwork is user-made. RedBubble sells merchandise featuring designs from artists all over the world. This presents a golden opportunity to feature popular submissions across the RedBubble community.

The example below showcases artwork from "Letter Shoppe," and when that artist sees RedBubble featuring her content, she's more likely to forward it to friends and colleagues.

In addition to linking to Letter Shoppe's designs (available on merchandise that is ultimately sold by RedBubble), the email campaign includes an endearing quote by the Featured Artist: "Never compromise on your values, and only do work you want to get more of." RedBubble's customers are likely to agree -- and open other emails in this campaign for more inspiring quotes.

These are just some of our favorite emails. Don't just follow best practice when it comes to your marketing emails. Every email you send from your work email address also can be optimized to convert with a little planning.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in October 2013 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Posted by https://bit.ly/31tHUKW

The 6 Best Thank You Page Examples of 2021

via GIPHY

… Not exactly the message you want your customers inferring from your website's Thank You Pages, is it?

Thank You pages are effective opportunities to demonstrate appreciation towards your leads, prospects, and customers for taking a desired action — and even potentially convert users or increase sales through additional CTAs. 

Here, we'll explore six different purposes of a Thank You page, along with six stunning examples of Thank You pages to inspire your own designs in 2021 and beyond. 

Let's dive in. 

What is a Thank You page?

Your customers and leads see your Thank You Page immediately after completing a form or making a purchase on your web page. It acts similarly to a confirmation email — except viewers don't have to choose to open it. 

Think of a Thank You page as both the last step in your conversion process and the first step for customer retention. 

The Thank You Page presents a prime opportunity to turn a lead into a customer — or a customer into a brand advocate. The best way to do this? Make the next step(s) in the buyer or user journey:

• … Obvious and clear
• … Immediate
• And exciting or desirable.

What is the benefit of a Thank You page?

Think of it this way: you may never have an easier, more natural opportunity to give a customer something that pleasantly surprises them and precisely fits what they want. 

How do you know what your customer wants? They just told you exactly what they want, by following a call-to-action on your site.

After someone follows the CTA on a landing page, take them to step two in their journey before they click away. Show customers you're ready to deliver value time and time again.

For instance, if a customer makes a purchase on your site, use the Thank You page as an opportunity to add value through additional resources or content — which will build trust and delight customers. 

Alternatively, you might use a form Thank You page as an opportunity to provide leads with next steps. If the lead downloaded a Social Media Calendar ebook, the Thank You page can list out alternative social media resources you'd like to provide. 

To see this in-action, let's explore Thank You page examples, next. 

Thank You Page Examples

1. Purpose: Contact Form Completion

Confirm to your customer that they completed their intended action successfully – and remind them what you will (and won't) do with their information. Build trust and let them know you're on their side. 

Let consumers know you're interested in delivering value … and won't be emailing them just for the sake of it.

This is your best chance to convince consumers your brand is different, and it comes long before they run across one of your messages in their inbox.

Best Contact Form Thank You Page

Axis Social tells a big, layered story on their Thank You page for new contact form sign-ups. Thanks to careful layout and crisp design, they manage to push their primary CTA while also reinforcing social validation and trusted partners.

2. Purpose: Downloadable

You likely have an ebook or other lead generation downloadable send automatically via email. However, it's still best to offer a download link to the originally-requested item right on your Thank You Page, as well. 

This can keep your customer engaged on your site and increase the likelihood they'll open and engage with your materials right away. 

Best Thank You Page for Downloadables

The Content Marketing Institute incorporates both native download links and curated suggestions for additional on-site content into their Thank You Pages. (It's almost like they do this kind of thing for a living …)

3. Purpose: Purchase Confirmation Pages

The post-sale confirmation page is an often-missed opportunity to surface similar, related, or complementary products. 

To increase effectiveness, you'll want to customize these recommendations with an aligning offer — such as a coupon, rewards program, etc. 

If customers can create an account with your site, but also have the option of checking out as a guest, the confirmation page is also a great opportunity to prompt a free account creation. 

Best Purchase Thank You Page

Few companies can even begin to approach the level of customer data that Amazon collects, stores, and leverages across their businesses. This quality of information – and the company's essentially limitless supply of items and store listings – makes the purchase confirmation page incredibly effective (and, as a consumer, quite difficult to resist).

4. Purpose: Appointments and Reservations

When you've got someone newly signed up for an appointment, the Thank You Page provides a ready-made opportunity to expand or extend the conversation with them. Encouraging viewers to follow or engage with your organization on social is a natural next step.

Best Thank You Page for an Appointment or Booking

OpenTable incentivizes users to download the app once they've made an appointment so they can track and modify changes from within the app itself. The Thank You page also includes helpful notes about what to know before arriving at the restaurant. 

5. Purpose: Account Creation Thank You Pages

This is a prime opportunity to usher your lead seamlessly into your onboarding or account setup process. 

You'll want to make it so easy they don't even think about clicking away. 

You know how hard you had to work to get them to this point in the first place. Why not capitalize at the start by moving them a step or two along in your retention lifecycle journey?

Best Account Creation Thank You Page

Backlinko goes above and beyond in laying out the next steps for their leads. They've infused their page's messaging with urgency, but also friendliness and approachability. 

6. Purpose: Donation Thank You Pages

A donor isn't ‘buying' a product in the same way most other customers are, but they're undoubtedly looking for some element of reassurance, affirmation, appreciation, or — at the very least — some confirmation that their contribution is making a positive impact and being well spent. 

For nonprofits, political campaigns, and other donor-soliciting sites, use the Thank You Page to provide a window into each donation's impact, right from the start.

Additionally, it never hurts if you can anticipate and answer questions about your efficacy before they're even asked. 

Best Donor Thank You Page

Save the Chimps nails the impact of storytelling on their donor Thank You page, putting the chimps — the organization's beneficiaries — front-and-center. 

Posted by https://bit.ly/31tHUKW

13 Creative Ideas for Your Next Facebook Live Event, from HubSpot's Social Media Campaign Manager

In 2016, Facebook released Live video on their platform. As we came into a new decade, it seemed the initial live streaming frenzy on Facebook had calmed down. But today, remote work and digital events are the norm.

The effect: Live video is having its moment in the spotlight again.

In fact, Facebook says the number of people in the U.S. watching live streams has increased by 50% since the beginning of 2020. This leaves many marketers again asking: Should I go live?

The answer will depend on your brand, goals, and resources. But for many marketers, streaming a Facebook Live is at the top of their to-do list. For starters, video consumption isn’t slowing down. By 2022, online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic.

Live videos specifically are attention-grabbing — especially when the audience gets a push notification.

Plus, live videos present a unique opportunity to build trust with interactive, two-way conversations.

The immediate, authentic, and interactive experience of a livestream is a no-brainer for some marketers. But it’s important to note that not every tactic is right for every brand. Going live can be intimidating. And there are nuances that dissuade many marketers from taking the plunge. Some reasons a brand may choose not to go live: time, talent, content strategy, resources, and more.

Debating whether Facebook Live fits into your strategy? Consider these questions: Why are you creating Facebook Live? Do you have resources? Do you have the time? Does your target audience consume Facebook Live? Can you repurpose the live video content elsewhere?

You don’t have to use Facebook Live to be successful. But it's worth exploring, especially now that live streaming is booming. Need some encouragement to take the plunge? Live streams are simple to set up. All you need to "go Live" is a smartphone and some creative ideas.

That’s where we come in — here, let's explore creative Facebook Live ideas, as well as best practices to take your Live strategy to the next level.

1. Teach a class.

Once of the most valuable things you can do for your audience on social media is teach them how to do something. Free, live educational programming is a great way to position your brand as a thought leader. It also gives your audience a more robust understanding of your product and or services.

For instance, at HubSpot we often post educational content on our Facebook page, like the example below:

By going live, you're adding an extra level of authenticity and connection. For instance, you might tell readers they can send along questions in real time, and they can watch their questions get answered on-the-fly. The live Q&A format might also help readers feel more engaged than they would with a pre-recorded video.

Additionally, you can save and upload your Live videos for viewers to consume after-the-fact. This enables you to reach a larger audience than you could just through live.

2. Make an announcement or share breaking news.

Unless they choose the "Follow" setting, fans of your Facebook page don't see everything you post. However, the default setting for users is to receive a notification when someone they know or a page they follow goes live. With this in mind, Facebook Live is an ideal channel for those important updates that you want the majority of your followers to know about.

Here are some great examples of announcements you can make:

• Breaking news in your industry and your company's stance on it
• New product launches or enhanced features (more on this later)
• Changes in your organization's leadership
• An office move to a new location or renovations to your space

3. Raise money for a cause.

More than ever, consumers want to buy from companies with values. Use a live stream to support your values and raise awareness for the things your care most about.

During the live stream, explain the cause, why it's important, and how the audience can help. You can even pin a comment to direct your audience to the right place to provide support. Additionally, some qualified Facebook pages will be able to add a Donate button to their live videos on mobile.

4. Host a weekly roundtable.

Take time to talk about topics your audience cares about with a weekly roundtable. Some of the most popular roundtables on Facebook now include Red Table Talk, STEVE on Watch, and more.

During a roundtable livestream the participants could field audience questions, give perspective on industry news, or entertain the audience. Of course, a live roundtable style will take more set-up than others. But, like a TV show, it can become content your audience tunes in for weekly.

5. Take them behind the scenes with a tour or process-style workshop.

Give your audience an exclusive look at what happens behind-the-scenes of your product. Your audience will have a deeper connection to a product or service if they know the process.

Think about what you can share that would be interesting or compelling for your audience to know. This tactic is especially great for brands who pride themselves on transparency.

For instance, take a look at this Dunkin' Behind-the-Scenes Live video, in which you'll see a "First store of the future concept":

The Live video gives viewers the opportunity to deepen their connection to the brand, particularly since the video isn't especially "polished", instead showcasing a more authentic side to Dunkin'.

6. Hang out live in a Facebook Group.

There are over 10M+ groups on Facebook, with 1.4B people using them every month. Consider going live in a group for an exclusive chat with your community. Groups are often smaller and more niche than company pages, so it’s likely the audience is more invested in a topic.

Consider keeping this style of live video very casual. For instance, you could set a discussion topic each week for the audience to ask questions around. Or, ask your group want they want to talk about and program around their interests.

7. Do an AMA with a company expert.

Access to experts in-person is difficult — even before physical distancing. Host an AMA and give your audience access to your businesses’ most knowledgeable employees.

During the live stream, the expert can answer questions on the fly — or consider fielding questions from other social channels and promote a loose agenda.

8. Do a consulting session live.

Service-based industries, particularly ones with a coaching or consulting element, can use Facebook Live as an opportunity to show off skills in real time. This can often be even more interesting than an AMA since you're able to go beyond high-level strategy and into the gritty details. 

If you have a prospect who is interested in taking the first step with you, ask for their permission to be featured live. You'll increase your chances of them saying yes by providing an incentive (whether that's making the session free when you normally charge for it or some other kind of bonus).

The goal of the live consultation will be to solve one of their pains or problems in front of an audience so that each viewer imagines themselves in the prospect's shoes. Ideally, they'd be thinking, "That person could be me. I wonder what would be said in a consultation/coaching session about my business/situation."

9. Showcase current inventory and sell to a live audience.

If you're a product-based business with visually interesting merchandise, you might consider showcasing your existing inventory with a live video and allowing customers to comment when they see something they want to buy.

It's best to use this type of content sparingly, though, because you don't want to always come across as overly salesy on social media since most people aren't logging on with purchasing intent. However, once in a while and with a lot of engagement, this kind of post can prompt curiosity and generate revenue.

10. Host an exclusive product launch or post-launch education session.

Want to make a splash with your next product launch? Consider launching it on Facebook Live. This tactic gives your audience incentive to tune in.

Alternatively, you might consider launching your product across all channels and provide a supplementary live stream. Then, during the live stream you can give the audience a first look at the product in action.

11. Host a contest.

Everyone likes a chance to win something, right? Incentivize your audience to get involved by promoting the contest ahead of time and putting up a prize that excites them.

Some examples of Facebook Live contests include:

• Trivia
• Spin to Win
• Pick a Number
• Lottery

Those are all great examples, but don't be afraid to get creative, either. Any kind of carnival-style test of skill could work for your audience to (virtually) "step right up."

12. Play a game.

One of the key ways to succeed on social media is to humanize your brand. And what better way to do that than share content of you playing a game? Challenge one of your employees to a Jenga match or game of Taboo. Recording it live is a way of including your audience in on the shenanigans you get up to (and, in effect, the human elements of your brand).

13. Have a little fun.

Speaking of humanizing your brand, you don't have to play a game or run a contest. There are other types of content you can share that shows your fun and playful side:

• Doing a dance
• Highlighting "a day in the life" (or rather maybe just a few minutes in the life)
• Recording an experiment
• Tapping into acting skills to convey a message or make a point
• Lip syncing

Just let loose and be authentic. Your audience will love the chance to get to know you. For more inspiration, take a look at The Best Facebook Live Videos We've Ever Seen.

Best Practices for Facebook Live

Once you have your ideas set, there are best practices to keep in mind. Below are some tips for before, during, and after you go live.

Before Going Live

Before your live stream, encourage your audience to tune-in. Do this by notifying them via social media posts and Stories.

In your promotional content, source questions from audience members. This will help guarantee the content you produce is relevant and timely. Next, grab a tripod or prop up your phone in a stabilized place. Check your Internet connection and get ready to start the show.

Pro-tip: Write a compelling description of your live video beforehand. That way there are no spelling or grammar errors.

During Your Live Stream

At the start of your live stream, be sure to build-in time to allow your audience to tune in. If filming on a phone, get the best picture possible and lock the focus and exposure.

Some live stream concepts require the talent to move further away from the phone. In that case, consider purchasing a wireless microphone that plugs into your phone.

Once you’re live, make it conversational and encourage your audience to participate. You can respond to and or pin fan comments. Get more exposure by sharing the live stream in groups or Pages you manage.

Additionally, although your audience isn’t there in person, try to make direct eye contact. Look at the lens and connect with the camera. When it comes to using music in a live stream you need to have the rights to it. Using commercial music without rights can be grounds for removal of your live stream. Try using music from the Sound Collection within Facebook’s Creator Studio.

Facebook recommends going live for at least 15 minutes or longer. But remember, the time limit for a session using the Facebook mobile app is four hours.

After the Live Stream

After the live stream is complete, save the live video to your camera roll. There will be a prompt once it ends. A great way to repurpose this content is to share it in your Feed, Stories, and even on IGTV. Repurposing a live video into supplementary social content can be even more rewarding.

So why go live on Facebook? It's a unique content opportunity to help build brand awareness. The real-time, two-way conversations that happen on live also help build relationships.

There are so many options for live streaming so get creative! And don't forget, you can repurpose live videos across social channels. Adding value for your fans and followers in real time has never been easier.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in May 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Posted by https://bit.ly/31tHUKW

What Is YouTube CPM? [+ Why It Matters]

With over two billion monthly active YouTube users, YouTube is an undeniably powerful channel for advertising — which means, if you're a YouTube creator, there are plenty of opportunities for you to make money off the platform. 

For instance, if advertisers pay to display ads on your videos, you can increase revenue in the form of CPM. 

Along with increasing your revenue, CPM is a strong indicator that your content is valuable, and helps you identify businesses with whom you may want to partner down the road. 

Whether you've been a YouTube creator for years or are just starting out, CPM is an important metric to understand to ensure you're maximizing YouTube's potential as a revenue generator. 

Here, we'll explore what CPM is, how it's calculated, and what makes a "good CPM". 

What is CPM, and how is it calculated? 

CPM, or cost per 1,000 impressions, is the cost an advertiser needs to pay on YouTube for every 1,000 impressions their ads receive on your video.

CPM varies depending on how much an advertiser pays to display the ad. Ad price on YouTube depends on a range of factors, including bidding price, type of ad, and consistency. 

So, for instance, let's assume an advertiser is paying $9 for an ad, and the ad was seen 5,000 times on your video. To calculate CPM, you'd divide 9 by 5,000 = $0.0018, then multiply $0.0018 by 1,000.

The CPA, then, is $1.80. You'll receive 55% of that $1.80 — since YouTube takes a percentage of the CPA, as well (45%, to be exact). So if you make $1.80 CPA off an ad, you'll only keep $0.99.

Additionally, there's another type of CPM: playback-based CPM. Rather than calculating the cost the advertiser pays for 1,000 impressions, playback-based CPM calculates the cost an advertiser pays for 1,000 video playbacks where an ad is displayed. 

There are free calculators available online, if you don't want to calculate your CPM manually. And while individual videos' CPMs might seem small (like the $0.99 made, above), it can add up to a hefty monthly earning if plenty of businesses see your videos as consistently worthwhile platforms for their promotions. 

Why is CPM important? 

As a YouTube creator, CPM is an important metric for analyzing which of your videos are most valuable to advertisers. Since advertising is the primary method for monetization on YouTube, this is critical information. 

To make a full-time career out of YouTube, it's critical you know which videos can be monetized so you can create a more efficient, long-term strategy to target those types of topics. 

For instance, perhaps you create YouTube videos for beauty, health, and wellness — but you find, in particular, "Drugstore Makeup Tutorials" receive the highest CPMs. This might suggest you should create more content that aligns with that topic. 

Additionally, you might find one business in particular consistently advertises on your videos. If the brand aligns with your own values, you might reach out directly to discuss other YouTube partnership opportunities, like affiliate marketing. 

Average CPM on YouTube 

CPM varies greatly depending on how much an advertiser pays to distribute an ad on your video. 

For instance, let's say an advertiser pays $10 for an ad that plays on your video, which has 1,000 views. If that's the case, you'd make $10 CPM (10/1,000 x 1,000). Of course, then, you'll need to take 45% off that total — making your earnings around $5.

However, in most cases, the videos on which businesses choose to advertise will have more than 1,000 views, making your earnings closer to $7-$10. 

Jilliian Hope, HubSpot's Senior Manager of Brand Advertising, agrees, telling me her team typically sees an average of $7 to $10 from past campaigns. 

However, CPM varies by country. For instance, one source reports the United States has an average 0.38 CPM, while Spain is 4.38, Switzerland is 3.87, and Mauritius is as high as 7.05. This means the amount of money you make off YouTube depends, in part, on your geography. 

Highest CPM on YouTube

The highest CPM varies by country, but here's a list of the five highest CPA rates by country, as reported by one source:

1. Maldives: $15.47
2. Guadeloupe: $10.97
3. Denmark: $10.61
4. Poland: $9.23
5. Pakistan: $7.54

Additionally, certain niche topics will ultimately have higher CPMs. Industries that a) perform well on YouTube and b) are incredibly profitable, will perform better in terms of CPM. These industries include:

• Makeup
• Retail
• Health
• Finance
• Technology 

As a brand, you should use CPM as a metric to help you identify which topics seem most valuable to advertisers, since those topics likely provide the most opportunity for monetization. 

Rather than looking for "quick tricks" to increase your CPM, however, you'll want to play the long-game by creating a comprehensive YouTube strategy that helps you increase sales, reach new audiences, and grow brand awareness. 

Posted by https://bit.ly/31tHUKW