Saint Louis Thrive

12/18/2021

Bring Your Links to Life On Instagram

The Instagram Link Sticker

The term “swipe up” is officially out the door and the new feature has been dubbed the Instagram link sticker. The Link sticker can be used directly within an Instagram story where users can add an external link which they can strategically place for users to access. Story stickers have become increasingly popular over the past year as Instagram has partnered with various organizations for their change-makers series which curates different sticker types based on a holiday, celebration or occasion. Story link stickers are fast, simple, and easy to use which means whether you’re an influencer with sponsorships to promote, a content writer sharing blogs, or a marketer looking to share a new product, they can be used to help amplify your social strategy.

Instagram chose the sticker versus just allowing the swipe up feature to be accessible by the masses because it allows for more creative control over the aesthetics of a story in addition to allowing users to engage with the story via a reaction or comment. Link stickers are proving to be just as valuable as the swipe up feature if not even more because of the ability to customize the sticker and make it blend seamlessly into any story the post.

How to Add a Link to Instagram

The great thing about the link story feature is that it is very simple to use. While stories still have a limited expiration date of 24 hours, it still provides ample opportunity for your link to be engaged with and help with conversions, impressions, and traffic to a dedicated page. Just like your link in bio or the swipe up feature, your links can still be tracked and monitored in order to evaluate the overall performance.

Here’s three simple steps to adding your link sticker to your Instagram account.

Step 1: Click on Instagram Stories sticker selection and select the link sticker within the app.
Step 2: Paste your link into the link field- make sure it’s not a broken page.
Step 3: Get creative and switch the text and color by tapping on the sticker.
It’s just that simple! Now that we all have access to this amazing feature, it’s time to be strategic about the types of links you share in your stories. If you’re looking to maximize your social media experience and stand out from the sea of link stickers, it’s time to start branding your links. Using STL Business Directory branded links can help your content to stand out from competitors, attract more clicks, and inspire trust in your audiences that you aren’t sharing spammy links. Our links are built for social media and can transform your content into branded assets that are recognizable to your audience.

Don’t be the last in line to start branding your links and improving your social presence.

Saint Louis Thrive business directory helps connect new customers with local businesses

12/17/2021

1 – Build an email subscriber list
Growing your list of email subscribers is an ongoing task. One way you can use QR Codes is to help attract new signups. All you have to do is add one to your marketing collateral, brochure, leaflet, or sticker, and point people to your email signup form.

2 – Boost your social media following
Want to grow your social media following? Use a QR Code to point to your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or another social account. We’ve seen influencers and businesses do this at events, in-office lobbies—even on business cards.

3 – Share promotions & discounts
Got a special offer you want to advertise? Point your audience to it using a QR Code to share seasonal offers, limited-time promotions, and special discount codes for your most loyal customers. You can even add a QR Code to your packaging or receipts that offer the buyer a special deal on their next purchase.

4 – Customer gifts
If you’re looking to send your clients a gift, such as a bottle of wine or a box of cupcakes, try adding a QR Code to tie back to your business. You can point them to a landing page that thanks them for being a long-time customer or sharing exciting company news.

5 – Giveaways
Have some fun with your customers by giving away something you know they’ll value—like a free product or trial, or exclusive content. This one is more about where you point people to than where you place the QR Code. We’ve seen businesses add QR Codes on TV ads or in their direct mail to customers, enticing them to scan the code to receive a free gift.

6 – Guerilla marketing campaigns
Depending on your brand, you may also be open to less conventional marketing tactics, such as spray chalking a QR Code on the sidewalk or including them in interactive art or on temporary tattoos. This is a great way to make a statement while seamlessly driving people from your in-person experience to anywhere online you want to point them.

7 – Share product info
Share more information, including reviews, about your products, your brand, or virtually any other aspect of your business by placing a QR Code on your products. This is a great way to win customers over on a product they’re on the fence about, while also seamlessly bridging your online and offline shopping experience. And what a bonus to not try to cram too much info onto the product itself! (Your design team will thank you.)

8 – Point to an instructional video
Show. Don’t tell. If your product or service requires users to follow a set of instructions, consider directing them to a step-by-step video. We’ve seen this done for products like furniture and appliances, but it can work just as well for anything that requires assembly.

9 – Save time, skip the line
Use QR Codes outside and throughout your store, as well as in physical advertisements, to let shoppers know you have in-store/curbside pickup. The pandemic has made ordering online and picking up in-store or curbside a very popular option.

10 – Create a contactless shopping storefront
Take “window shopping” to a new level by creating a contactless shopping storefront or pop-up. To do this, add QR Codes to physical items displayed behind your storefront window. When a shopper sees something they like, they can scan it and be sent directly to the specific page in your app or on your website to purchase it. It’s easy, and it’s a fun twist to your typical “window shopping.”

11 – Point buyers online when a product is sold out in stores
Add QR Codes to the back of product shelves. When a product sells out, customers can scan the code and be directed to your website or app to make the purchase online. Not only is this a great way to improve the shopping experience but it’s also an easy way to acquaint people with your website or app.

12 – Make checkouts a touchless experience
smartphone-wielding shoppers have grown familiar with scanning QR Codes throughout the pandemic to complete their transactions. This helps keep your customers safe since they can scan a code and be directed to a payment page where they can check out using their mobile device.

13 – Add an event to customers’ calendars
Have an upcoming event you want your customers to attend? Use a QR Code to prompt them to add the event to their online calendar.
15 Clever Ways to Use QR Codes

Simply take the URL pointing to the calendar event and use it to generate a QR Code. Once it’s on their calendar, they’ll be less likely to forget about it.

14 – Share your location coordinates
Advertise an event, sale, or promotion with a CTA pointing people to your location. Customers will be able to transition from scanning your code to a map app, making it easy for them to follow the GPS directions to find you. This is especially helpful if you’re located somewhere that doesn’t get a lot of foot or vehicle traffic.

15 – No more printing menus
If your business sells food, point people to your menu via a QR Code printed on signage, a coaster, or a placemat. This is a great way to save on printing costs and avoid multiple people touching a menu.

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QR Codes can be used to enable all kinds of interactive, yet touchless, experiences. QR Codes are easy to generate and provide real-time insights into how customers engage with your brand. Learn more about our QR Code features.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

www.SaintLouisThrive.com

Saint Louis Thrive business directory helps connect new customers with local businesses

12/10/2021

6 Benefits of an online business directory for your business

1. Enhance your online presence

When you search for your business on search engines like Google and Bing, you may come across your business listings on several directories where you never submitted for business details. This happens because many business directories and listing websites extract business details from larger directories and create listings. Getting listed on an online business directory automatically means getting listed in many more. However, there are several instances where the accurate details do not get updated on the listing websites and web directories. To avoid such a situation, it is important to regularly check your listings and fix your online presence as you can.

2. Improve your local visibility

Many large business directories offer advanced filter options that enable your customers to connect with you in your area. Local business directories are useful for targeting customers in your local community.

3. Get discovered easily

By ensuring that your business details are accurate on different online web directories and listing websites, you can increase your chances of getting discovered whenever customers search for services or products like yours, even if they don’t search your business name directly. This comes in handy as a majority of customers don’t search for a business name when looking for a service or product. Examples of some search terms that customers use are “cosmetic surgeons near me” or “best restaurants in San Diego”.

4. Create your brand awareness

When customers perform a search in an online business directory, a list of matching results, each with a snapshot and business details are listed. To learn more about the business, you can click on it. In this case, even if the customer does not click on your business name, they still see your business. Each time a customer sees your business, it increases the awareness of your brand in the customer’s mind and improves your chances of getting business from them.

5. Boost your SEO

Search engine optimization is the technique of using your web content in such a way that search engines find it useful and rank it higher in relevant search results. Online business directories and listing are a great platform to supplement your already existing web content and give it extra validation to gain the trust of search engines such as Google and Bing.

6. Rank higher on Google

SEO is a good practice to establish your business on the first page of Google, but it can take up to six months to start seeing the results. An online business directory, on the other hand, is considered a valuable and trusted source of information by Google. It’s the first page of results that usually contains results for online business directories. If you get listed on an online business directory website, you have a chance of benefitting from their well-established SEO and appearing on the first page of Google.

The final thought...

While having your business listed on online business directories is a great advantage, incomplete and inaccurate business details can affect your online reputation and frustrate customers who are looking for your business. Customers, if unable to contact you, will shift away from your brand and might end up landing on to your competitor’s perfectly updated listing and eventually doing business with them.

11/29/2021

www.SaintLouisThrive.com is a directory of handpicked brands that are redefining business in the St. Louis region through community involvement, contributing to the economy, and providing outstanding value to its customers.

Saint Louis Thrive business directory helps connect new customers with local businesses

11/29/2021

We all know how hard it is to attract customers. With complicated search engine algorithms and oversaturation of products and services, it’s hard to feel like anyone will find your business. That’s why we have a team of professionals standing by to build a customer attraction strategy tailored specifically to your business. Contact us today to get started.

11/22/2021

The easiest ways to create brand recognition for your business as well as to direct traffic to your website are through social media, SEO, and word of mouth. Not only are these extremely straightforward strategies, but they are FREE!
www.SaintLouisThrive.com

Saint Louis Thrive business directory helps connect new customers with local businesses

11/22/2021

FIND BUSINESSES OFFERING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES NEAR YOU!

With the U.S. business landscape radically changing in the past several months due to the coronavirus, the majority of stories people are seeing concern businesses that are closing, losing revenue, and laying off workers.