Saffire Blog

Facebook Ads Manager, Simplified

For years, Facebook has had two ways to manage ads (both Power Editor and Ads Manager). But now they have finally merged the two platforms! We are so pumped about this update and wanted to share the news with you, so you can be ahead of the game in learning the new system! Last month, … Continue reading “Facebook Ads Manager, Simplified”

For years, Facebook has had two ways to manage ads (both Power Editor and Ads Manager). But now they have finally merged the two platforms! We are so pumped about this update and wanted to share the news with you, so you can be ahead of the game in learning the new system! Last month, Facebook began rolling out this change with a different advertising interface, but more streamlined to make it easier than ever to manage Facebook Ads.

Over the past couple years, the lines have blurred between what you could do in Power Editor and Ads Manager. It seemed like you could do most things in Ads Manager that you were able to do in Power Editor. However, there were still limitations in Ads Manager, which meant you had to switch back and forth between the two platforms to make certain edits. Facebook also kept making changes to the two platforms constantly. As you know, one thing that has made Facebook Ads difficult in the past is that every time you go to create an ad, the platform looks different and harder to navigate.

Hopefully with this new update, those days are over! According to Facebook, “this redesigned interface provides advertisers the tools they need to manage their business on Facebook successfully, no matter how complex, or simple, those needs may be. By combining Ads Manager and Power Editor we are simplifying Facebook’s ad buying ecosystem. This simplification reduces the tools advertisers need to learn and allows us to focus our resources on maintaining and improving a single interface”. You can see the full press release and a detailed overview of all the changes HERE.

Want to really sink your teeth into learning the new Ads Manager? Facebook rolled out their free training and certification program, Blueprint, a few years ago and you can get a “Digital Badge” as a Facebook Certified Planning Professional and a Facebook Certified Buying Professional. To get started on your certification, click HERE.

We hope you are looking forward to a new, simplified way to managing your Facebook Ads! We sure are!

Facebook Videos Made Easy

The mere thought of creating and starring in a marketing video can be terrifying! Well, guess what? Times are changing! You no longer have to star in a video to have perfectly curated video clips! Did you know that 85% of Facebook videos are viewed without sound? That’s right – that mean’s there’s no pressure fur us as marketers to stand in front of the camera! Not only that, but native videos on Facebook have 10 times higher reach compared to YouTube links you might share in your Facebook post! We are going to focus on what YOU CAN DO TODAY to get a native Facebook video planned, created and posted.

The best part is that you don’t even need any video editing software! It’s as simple as choosing some of your photos, sticking some text on them, building the video on Facebook and adding some music to it!

Create a Storyboard: Since this is a quick and easy exercise, we will keep the storyboard creation short and simple. First, you will need to decide what you want to showcase in your video. Then, decide how many images you would like to showcase in your video (you can choose between 3 – 10 images). Then, if you want the graphics to deliver a message, write out what you want each image to say. Remember, all images will be on the screen for the same duration, so keep the text SHORT and impactful. You can choose between 0.5 and 5 seconds per image. Finally, decide what kind of feel you want the video to have (upbeat, chill, funny, country/western, etc.).
Select your Background Music: Based on what kind of feel you want your video to have, now is the time to select your music! Don’t worry, you don’t need a guitar! In December of 2017, Facebook rolled out Sound Collection, which is a collection of royalty free and high-quality audio tracks and sound effects. The only limit here is that these audio files can only be used on Facebook and Instagram. Sound Collection allows you to search and filter songs by genres, moods, lengths, vocal type and sound effects by categories and lengths. Check out the variety of options here.
Add Some Text: Saffire recommends using a simple, free photo editing tool like Canva.com. You can quickly and easily put together stunning graphics with your message on them. Check out Canva’s How-To Guide here.
Create your slideshow in Facebook! Once logged into Facebook, click on “Write a Post” and select the camera icon. From the drop-down menu, click on “Create a Slideshow”. A pop-up window will appear. This is where you can upload your own images, chose your music, image duration and transition options of the slides. When you are happy with your slideshow, you can select “Create Slideshow” in the bottom right corner of the page. In a matter of two minutes, you will have a video slideshow on your page. Ta-da!Facebook also gives you the option to boost the post so that your video slideshow will be seen by even more of your target audience! If you have any other questions about the process you can follow this easy step-by-step guide here.

The Saffire Marketing team wanted to show you just how easy and quick you can create a video, so we put together a slideshow video of our own! We only used Canva and made this in less than an hour. Check it out below!

Making an effective social media video does not have to be a daunting task. Facebook’s slideshow video generator is the easiest way to make an eye-catching video that will resonate with your audience!

In the News – 1/31/2018

Facebook is constantly updating their platform to improve user experience. Find out more about the changing news feed and what marketers need to know. Get familiarized with these 5 email marketing trends to watch in 2018. Find out more about how voice search will change travel marketing faster than we think.

Navigating the World of Ticketing

We’ve heard time and time again, that one of the most painful parts of hosting an event is trying to calculate how many tickets you sold and how much money you made at the end of the night! Who wants to sit around weighing bags of tickets or balancing registers? Luckily, ticketing systems that combine your online, advance and gate sales are now widely available, and many of these tasks can be handled digitally, with the click of a mouse. However, there are SO many ticketing solutions out there and so many features that are important! Besides integrated and all-inclusive reporting, how do you choose which is best for you? Here are a few tips to take in to consideration when choosing a ticketing system.

The first thing to look for is the ability to bundle items together to make a nice, convenient, all-inclusive ticket or pass. You should be able to produce one QR code or barcode and then be able to track multiple variables. For example, one code generated could be used for entry into your fair gate, parking and the rodeo, all on one code. This makes things less confusing for your customers as well as people taking tickets, and is often less expensive for you and your customers because you are only paying a fee on one ticket. If possible, allow customers to download the bundled ticket they purchase to their own device as well, rather than requiring them to have a printed copy.

Next, look for a solution that gets creative in helping you track all different kinds of tickets and badges! Have you ever wanted the ability to create VIP passes, but have just not been able to make it work? Or, how about quickly creating scannable parking tags? Maybe even badges for a convention hosted at your venue or destination? With many comprehensive ticketing systems, anything that you need tracked is all within your grasp, no matter the type of material or physical item you are selling.

Finally, you should focus on streamlining the checkout process for your customer. Linking off to another website or ticketing portal results in “cart abandonment” and lost ticket sales due to confusion and clicking through multiple sites and pages. Having an integrated platform is one of the best tools to prevent people from leaving before they complete their purchase. If your tickets cannot be on your website, and you must link to a third-party portal, at the very least, make sure you are able to match the theme and colors of the ticketing portal to your website as closely as possible so that customers feel at ease when making a purchase.

Savvy customers today expect an integrated, seamless ticketing experience, no matter where they choose to buy or what type of event they attend. When looking for a ticketing solution, be sure that the system can be as dynamic and flexible as your organization!

In the News – 1/12/2018

Learn about the 6 marketing trends to help you budget for 2018. Find out what Instagram predicts 2018 will mean for social media marketing. Also, be sure and check out these tourism marketing trends to tap in 2018!

In The News! 12/12/17

Learn about the 6 marketing trends to help you budget for 2018. Find out what Instagram predicts what 2018 will mean for social media marketing. Also, as the fair industry continues to grow and changes, so does the need to shake things up a bit. Check out this article about how IAFE members explore the … Continue reading “In The News! 12/12/17”

Facebook Messenger Tips & Tricks

Facebook Messenger is becoming an important tool for events, venues and destinations to communicate with their visitors and customers. However, when dozens of messages are received at once, it can be overwhelming to manage! Luckily, organizations can benefit from using various Facebook Messenger tools that help manage the influx of Facebook messages during your events … Continue reading “Facebook Messenger Tips & Tricks”

Facebook Messenger is becoming an important tool for events, venues and destinations to communicate with their visitors and customers. However, when dozens of messages are received at once, it can be overwhelming to manage! Luckily, organizations can benefit from using various Facebook Messenger tools that help manage the influx of Facebook messages during your events or busy season. Hopefully these tips and tricks will help you manage your Facebook Messenger inbox!

Welcome Greeting – Creating an informative “Welcome Greeting” will lower the number of messages that you receive by answering your top questions before a visitor pushes send. Focus your customized greeting to help answer your two or three most frequently asked questions. You’re only able to use 160 characters, so be sure to keep the greeting message short, sweet and to the point!

For instructions on how to create your Welcome Greeting, CLICK HERE

Instant Replies – Instant Reply messages will appear immediately after someone messages you. We recommend that you do a quick audit of your Facebook messages and have your Instant Reply cover your most frequently asked questions, like hours, prices, and daily deals! Since instant replies allow you to use up to 250 characters, you’re able to provide links to more in-depth answers to your FAQs.

For instructions on how to create your Instant Replies, CLICK HERE

Saved Replies – For remaining Frequently Asked Questions or questions that need more explanation, you’re able to create and save personalized responses. You can use these Saved Replies to address more complicated questions like directions, policies, varying ticket prices, etc. Saved replies do not have a character limit and can even include images. One thing to note is that these messages are not automated, which means you will need to go in and select the saved reply in order to respond to the message. However, Saved Replies do save you time in that you don’t have to write the same thing over and over again!

For instructions on how to create your Saved Replies, CLICK HERE

Facebook Pages Manager – To help you respond on the go, be sure and download the Facebook Pages Manager app to your phone. Just like on your desktop, this app will allow you to manage all social interactions across Facebook (comments, likes, reviews, etc), Facebook Messenger and even Instagram!

To help manage your inbox, we recommend marking messages as Done, Unread, Follow Up or Spam.

Chatbots – If you still find yourself overwhelmed by the number of Facebook Messages coming in every day, you may consider implementing Chatbots into your marketing plan. A Chatbot is a tool that automatically provides your customers with an immediate response to their questions. For example: If a person asks, “What is the height requirements for the rides?” a Chatbot will be able to answer the question without you or your staff responding. Due to Chatbot’s complex setup, we recommend seeking someone experienced in building bots for your industry if you’re wanting to use this feature.

We hope that you have found these Facebook Messenger tips and tricks helpful! If you still have questions, the Saffire marketing team would love to help you out! You can email marketing@saffire.com.

In The News! 10/20/17

Learn about a new feature that Snapchat is working on for marketers of hotels, restaurants, activity operators and other points of interest. Find out what five technologies are changing marketing forever. With our phones constantly buzzing with “breaking news updates” about current events, learn what marketing should look like in the age of anxiety.

Mobile Apps – Can You Live Without Them? I Can’t!

How many apps do you have on your phone? Do you use them on a regular basis? Studies show that 85% of the people only use 5 apps on their phone but have over 20 apps downloaded. So that got me to thinking about which apps I have on my phone that I actually use? … Continue reading “Mobile Apps – Can You Live Without Them? I Can’t!”

How many apps do you have on your phone? Do you use them on a regular basis? Studies show that 85% of the people only use 5 apps on their phone but have over 20 apps downloaded. So that got me to thinking about which apps I have on my phone that I actually use? I did a little polling of my friends to get their take on it too. Here’s a small glimpse at what we collectively have and why we like them.

Your Banking App – All of us use our banking apps. With most banking apps, you can have them send you alerts if your balance goes below the amount you set. They also allow you to transfer money into your different accounts while just sitting on your couch shopping on Amazon! I personally like the Banking App because I have two teenage boys that have ATM cards. Instead of me running to give them cash, I can just transfer $20 into their account. Another bonus is that I can ask them to run to the store, buy some groceries or supplies and see exactly what they spent and transfer the money. I don’t even need to ask for change anymore!
Amazon – Who doesn’t have an Amazon App? It makes shopping so easy and if you have Amazon Prime, its free shipping in two days. With Amazon, you can have ‘wish lists’ for various family members. Again, this is helpful for a busy family. Just yesterday, I ordered some dog treats, coffee syrup and a pair of shorts for my son. All within 3 minutes and I didn’t have to leave my house. Plus, they will be delivered to my doorstep in two days.
Ibotta – I personally don’t use this app, but am planning to start using it. My neighbor does and she just announced that she has saved $300 in the past 6 months by using this app (sidenote – she does a lot of shopping!). How it works: Before you shop, you can add rebates on products by completing simple tasks. Then shop at any of the participating stores. Keep your receipt. To redeem your rebates, you take a photo of the receipt. Ibotta will match the items you bought to the rebates you selected and give you the cash back. It’s deposited into your PayPal account.
FreePrints – If you are like me, you take a ton of photos and they are all saved on your phone. I rarely would take the time to print them. But with FreePrints its super easy and quick. There is no subscription involved which is great. How it works: You get up to 85 free 4 x 6 prints per month and up to 1,000 4 x 6 prints per year. They have other sized prints too, but there is a cost to them. All you pay for is the shipping. Shipping costs start at $1.99 and will never exceed $9.99.
Sam’s Club – I use the Sam’s Club Scan and Go app every single time I shop at Sams. Super easy. How it works: Scan each of the items when you add them to your cart. When you are ready to check out you just click on check out and it charges the credit card or bank card you have previously inputted into the app. Skip the check-out lines and when you get to the door, the attendant will scan your phone and approve your purchases.Out the door you go. Saves so much time and all your purchases are stored in your app. If you need to return something, you can show them the receipt on your phone.
CamScanner – I have to admit, I probably don’t use this app to the best of its ability. But it sure has come in handy. With this app, I can use my phone and ‘scan’ any document and save it as a .pdf and then email it. One example was when I was out of town traveling and needed to sign some financial documents. I ran to the hotel business office, printed the documents out, signed them and then scanned them into my phone and emailed them back from my phone. It was easy and slick. There are other features to the app too, but I’ve used it mainly for scanning a document that I have signed and need to send it back quickly.
WhiteNoise – Yes, I use this app. With my travel schedule and multiple hotel stays, this app has helped me tremendously. I have the free version, but there is a $.99 version too. Basically, the app gives you a lot of sounds to choose from to block out other sounds in the area. It is extremely helpful when my hotel room is next to the ice machine or the elevator. Sounds can range from cars driving to a vacuum cleaner. I, personally, enjoy the oscillating fan sound.
Expensify – This app has saved me a ton of paperwork for work related receipts. As many of you know, when you travel for work, you need to keep track of your expenses. At Saffire, we use Expensify to submit our monthly reports. I have the app downloaded on my phone and I NEVER keep a receipt again. With expensify, I take a photo of the receipt, tag it for whatever event or conference I am attending, then I categorize it in meals, transportation, booth fees etc. I can even add a comment to the receipt to explain it more. It takes a little bit of effort to setup the tags and categories, but it’s well worth it. Last week I was traveling in Canada. This app allowed me to select the currency my credit card was charged and it changed it automatically in my reports. It will be easy for me to cross check and verify the correct charges when I receive the credit card statement. All of this literally takes me seconds to do. I never save a receipt anymore. When I return to the office to fill out my expense report, it is already completed. I review it, and click send.
ComfortBase – This app spoils me. My husband and I recently purchased a new bed. The kind where my side can elevate differently than his. Yes, the bed comes with two remotes. But, with this app downloaded on my phone, I can have it programmed for my side of the bed AND for his side of the bed. The beauty of it being on your phone is I can click on ‘snore mode’ at 2 am and his side will elevate to where it’s supposed to be. The downside of this app is that I can’t freak him out and automatically raise his side of the bed when I’m traveling. It runs on Bluetooth and I need to be near it to do that.
GroupMe – GroupMe has been an app that I have used for a few years. It is a free group messaging chat room. You can have as many people as you chose to be in the group. Whether it’s a group of co-workers, family members, friends, etc. It works better than trying to send out a mass text to a variety of phone numbers. Just this last weekend, one of our neighbors sent out a GroupMe text and said they were inviting everyone over at 4 pm for a Bean Bag/Corn Hole Tournament. Everyone responded to the invitation via the app. The great thing about GroupMe is that it allows everyone in your group the option of responding within the app or just by regular SMS text messages.

I am also a parent to two teenage boys. With that being said, I have quite a few apps on my phone that are school and sports related (most communities have similar types of apps available). A few that I use regularly are:

My School Bucks – it allows me to add money to my kids’ lunch fund and to see how much is left. No more checks need to be sent with the child to school.
Power Schools – Our school district uses Power Schools. This app allows me to see my child’s grades, test scores, attendance and more at my fingertips. I’m even able to send messages to the teachers via the app.
Meet Mobile – My neighbor’s family are swimmers. This app keeps them up to date on the swimmers in the area and whoever else they are tracking to see what their times and places are for the multiple meets happening each weekend.
LeagueAthletics – My son is a lacrosse player and I am the team manager. This app is super easy for me to update the scores of the games while sitting at the field. It will also push out notifications to all the families for quick references.

I can see how overwhelming it can be to have so many app options out there, but these are just a few of the apps that I use almost daily. Like I mentioned, the average person has 20+ apps and after just counting, I have 46 apps on my phone. How many do you have?

Jodi Written with love by: Jodi Buresh!

At Your Service!

What constitutes “good service” is changing. The Internet has made self-service very attractive. Getting out of your PJ’s to do a job isn’t even a requirement. Explaining your needs to an actual live human being? Hardly necessary. Creating a clear definition of your project to hand over to an expert? Nah, just sign up and … Continue reading “At Your Service!”

AtYourService

In fact, whether you’re shopping for new furniture or concert tickets, most of us find it easier to grab our iPad and “just do it” without reaching out to anyone for help.

But what if you need to do something just a little out of your comfort zone? Like build a website or sell your own event tickets? Is pure self-service the way to go? It might seem attractive if your budget is teeny-tiny, since it generally uses an inexpensive online service and there is no “guy” you have to pay for the service. But when it comes right down to it, this can be a very scary path because on the web, it’s not IF something will go wrong, but WHEN. And when you’ve only got one shot at selling your tickets online, it’s imperative your website and ticketing systems work.

Burned by the DIY approach, folks tend to flip the script and try full service instead. It feels like a “safer” way to go. But we’ve heard so many horror stories. Event managers left in the lurch when their website or ticketing “guy” wasn’t available or went on vacation, always when he was needed most. Or worse, they were charged top dollar for terrible service provided by a huge organization with no personal connection or skin in the game.

Saffire believes that being At Your Service means you can manage any part of your website and ticketing on your own, and we’re just a quick chat away if you ever need help. Prospective clients ask us, “Do you enter my site content, or do I? Do you create my tickets, or do I?”

Our answer usually surprises them – “What would you prefer?”

Let’s put it another way; what does great service look like to you? Are you a “tinkerer?” Awesome! We have step-by-step videos and articles to help you manage any part of your website and ticketing. Does the thought of setting things up or making changes scare you? Not a problem! We are happy to do it for you, or hold your hand while we show you how it’s done. For our most timid or technology-challenged clients, our favorite moment is when they end up feeling smart and empowered to manage things for themselves. We’ve got their backs all along the way, ensuring the warm-fuzzies instead of cold feet!

Saffire’s hybrid approach to service represents the best of both worlds and the “latest and greatest” of service in the age of technology. We get to meet people where they are, helping them ooze with the confidence that they can ease into managing raging website and ticketing success on their own, with us right by their side as a safety net, just a call, chat or email away.

For over 7 years it’s worked for us, and it’s worked for the clients we love. Listen to them. We sure do.

Two of our happy clients!

“I’m just really not sure where to start in describing what an amazing experience we had in launching our new website with Saffire. From receipt of their response to our request for proposal to our go live launch date, every single interaction with our Saffire team was beyond ideal. Their design team is smart and intuitive. Their customer service is so over the top that they literally redefine the term “customer service”. And after you launch, you are part of this amazing culture of excellence as part of the Saffire family. Hands down, bar none, choosing to go with Saffire for our new website was the best decision our office has made at least in my time with the Conroe CVB if not in our history.”
Sherry Morgan, Event & Marketing Manager
Conroe Convention & Visitors Bureau

“I am beyond excited about where I think our event can go with the help of Saffire. We will no longer get lost in the crowd of fairs! From the incredible customer service to the educational webinars, it’s clear that Saffire honestly wants to improve the overall online presence of the event industry! I have never been more pleased with a company we were working with and I’m glad we are a part of this movement.”
Brittni Kaczyk
San Angelo Stock Show & Rodeo