Speaking with multiple network marketing company owners during the first quarter of 2023 it appears most network marketing companies are down between 30% – 40% the first quarter of this year.

As I have stated many times, we have killed the goose that is laying the Golden Eggs. I talk about it in detail in this session.

Disruption is here, throughout retail as well.

The post Network Marketing/Direct Sales Companies Revenues have dropped 30% – 40% during the first quarter of 2023 first appeared on cmgdigitalproperty.com.

Where financial and tax confusion exists, you’ll find scammers. Seniors are often targeted because they are confused by Social Security and Medicare regulations. Now, scammers are targeting businesses because of the increasing complexity of IRS regulations, including the Employee Retention Credit (ERC).

Many business owners and their financial advisors, including their accountants, have had difficulty unraveling and understanding the ERC. One of the first areas of concern has been its legitimacy and that of the companies promoting they can help businesses capitalize on this credit.

Contents

• Is the Employee Retention Credit legitimate?
• 4 Ways to Avoid Scams with ERC Companies
  • 1. Look for a contingency-based company.
  • 2. Check out their record of success and online reviews by past customers.
  • 3. Learn the standards to qualify for the ERC before signing an agreement.
  • 4. Inquire about assistance with IRS audits.
• Bottom Line Concepts offers legitimate ERC assistance.

Is the Employee Retention Credit legitimate?

The Employee Retention Credit is a legitimate, refundable credit that eligible businesses can receive for having kept employees on their payrolls during the COVID-19 pandemic. The credit can be as high as $5,000 per employee in 2020 and $21,000 in 2021.

The key word in the description above is “eligible businesses.” What constitutes an eligible business is a complex topic that can’t be adequately covered here, but for most business owners, even reading about it can create confusion and anxiety.

Unfortunately, some bad actors have created companies profiting from the ERC’s complexity and padding their pockets at the expense of bewildered businesses. How can you avoid being a victim?

4 Ways to Avoid Scams with ERC Companies

To avoid being scammed by an ERC company, take these precautions:

1. Look for a contingency-based company.

When it comes to an ERC company helping you claim this credit, results are the name of the game. Beware of companies that approach you asking for an upfront fee of thousands of dollars to help you with the ERC.

Instead, work with a company that is paid only if they can help you receive what the IRS legally owes you concerning the ERC. Companies that charge a fee are often the type that take the money and run, leaving you with nothing to show for the money you gave them.

2. Check out their record of success and online reviews by past customers.

Before agreeing to hire an employee, you have them complete an application or read their resume because you want to know how they performed in the past.

It should be no different with an ERC company. Find out how many businesses they have enrolled in the program, the dollar amount of credits recovered for their client companies, and how many employees qualified.

In addition, check out their online reviews and ratings, including those on social media. While you’ll always find some negative reviews on any company, the majority should be extremely positive and detailed, including the names of employees that helped the reviewer.

3. Learn the standards to qualify for the ERC before signing an agreement.

At the very least, the ERC company you’re considering working with should be able to clearly explain to you how your eligibility to receive the Employee Retention Credit is determined.

Going into that conversation, be aware that:

1. Applications are made for 2020 and the first three quarters of 2021.
2. You must be a business that was restricted from doing business by statute, ordinance, or executive order.
3. Alternatively, you must demonstrate your business suffered significant declines in revenue in these quarters.

This is just an overview of three parameters. Make sure the ERC company can fill them in with details (in writing).

4. Inquire about assistance with IRS audits.

A reputable, legitimate ERC company will, at a minimum, provide you with all the detailed documents you need if the IRS investigates your request for the ERC. Don’t expect them to be physically present at an in-person audit, but confirm in writing how they’ll support you if you are audited over the ERC.

Bottom Line Concepts offers legitimate ERC assistance.

Bottom Line Concepts is a no-risk, contingency-based company that helps businesses honestly and legitimately get the ERC they deserve. We have helped over 16,000 businesses enroll and recover almost $3 billion in credits.

Schedule your 15-minute no-cost, no-obligation call today to learn who we are and how we can help you with the Employee Retention Credit.

The post How to Avoid Scams with ERC Companies first appeared on cmgdigitalproperty.com.

As an individual, you’re not eligible for tax credits or refunds if you didn’t file a personal tax return. Many churches have extrapolated this reasoning and concluded that since they don’t pay taxes, they’re not eligible for the Employee Retention Credit (ERC).

While their logic is understandable, their conclusion is false. Churches can qualify for the ERC if they meet certain eligibility requirements.

Suppose your church experienced a significant decline in quarterly gross receipts or was mandated by a government order to partially or fully suspend operations. In that case, you may be entitled to a credit of $5,000 per employee for 2020 and $7,000 per employee per eligible quarter for the first three quarters of 2021.

For qualifying periods, the ERC remains available for churches to claim on amended payroll tax returns, assuming they met the eligibility criteria and paid eligible wages and/or benefits during those periods.

Contents

• Two ways churches can qualify for the credit.
• Are churches eligible for the PPP and the ERC?

Two ways churches can qualify for the credit.

If your church didn’t experience a significant decline in gross receipts during 2020 or 2021, you could still qualify for the ERC. Many churches have qualified not because of a loss of revenue but because they qualified due to government mandates that partially or fully restrict their operation.

To qualify for the ERC in terms of decreased gross receipts, remember that gross receipts were measured quarterly against the same quarter in 2019. Your annual revenues may have been flat in 2020 and/or 2021, but it’s quarterly performance compared to 2019 that counts. You may qualify for one quarter, two quarters, or all quarters–each quarter is measured independently.

Are churches eligible for the PPP and the ERC?

Many churches also are operating under the false assumption that they are ineligible to claim the employee retention credit because they obtained a PPP loan. While this was initially the case, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, signed into law on December 27, 2020, expanded ERC eligibility to include organizations, including churches, that received a PPP loan.

Unlike the PPC, where the church had to spend the loan dispersal on specific payroll and non-payroll items to achieve forgiveness of its PPP loan, eligible churches that obtain the ERC can spend the funding in any way they choose.

Your church could use its ERC credit to expand or enhance existing programs serving the congregation, compensate employees who have had pay increases frozen, or pay for deferred maintenance items not covered in the budget, such as adding additional parking lot lighting or re-paving walkways leading to the church.

By claiming the ERC, your church will not be subject to any more government mandates, restrictions, modifications, or oversight than you were previously.

You will need to file a form 941X, which is required to issue your tax credit. One 941X must be submitted for each quarter the church qualifies.

Fortunately, there is still time for churches that have not yet filed for the ERC. The credit can be claimed for three years after the original filing deadline. Contact Bottom Line Concepts today and speak with one of our ERC experts about your church’s eligibility.

The post Do Churches Qualify for the Employee Retention Credit? first appeared on cmgdigitalproperty.com.

Ampifire by Chris Munch is a content amplification and advertising system helping the underdog get exposure online

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You’re reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Due to the recent pandemic, more and more entrepreneurs and business owners are shifting to remote working. Remote work was already on the rise with many large international tech companies such as Automattic, the creators of the blogging platform WordPress, opting for a remote work culture.

While having the ability to work from outside of a corporate office has been feasible for some decades, working remotely is now becoming mainstream. Recently, a cultural paradigm shift has been observed in what society deems to be an appropriate workplace—and remote work has capitalized on that revaluation.

As an entrepreneur or digital marketer working remotely, it might be difficult to find the best marketing platform to grow your business, especially when trying to keep costs low. Also, the marketing technology landscape is massive with over 7,000 marketing tools to choose from. This can definitely cause confusion, leaving you with questions such as which are the most effective tools that will help me attract the attention of my audience and grow my business? Or which content marketing platform should I use to increase my brand’s online visibility and exposure?

Being on the right platforms can boost brand awareness and engagement. It can also be good for return on investment with 77 per cent of consumers more likely to buy from a brand they follow on social media over one they do not. Marketing your startup is synonymous with the old phrase “easier said than done’. More often than not, the expenses and efforts attached to getting your name out there and grabbing attention sink the boat even before it sets sail.

Now many businesses, entrepreneurs and consultants want to create, run and grow their remote business using simple and cost-effective tools.

Content creation and distribution platforms such as AmpiFire can help entrepreneurs use it remotely to offer various marketing services to their clients or for their own business, without having to do any content writing or distribution themselves.

“With many people looking to get exposure and build their businesses, it’s important to have access to remote tools and services to ensure that they gain the necessary attention needed for business growth without having to hire someone in-house,” explains CEO and co-founder Chris Munch. “Our aim was to help small businesses and entrepreneurs around the world, including single person companies, to have the chance to get published and advertise on major sites, without having to build media connections or create content themselves.”

Munch started out as an underdog in the tech startup world so he knows the pain small businesses go through, and the importance the right type of content marketing can play in your growth. Beginning in his bedroom as a single person company before eventually starting AmpiFire in 2019, he grew the software platform from scratch without any funding or investors, and it is already profitable and serving thousands of businesses worldwide.

“The Internet is dominated by bigger brands, and that is not always fair. AmpiFire helps the underdogs, those small businesses out there which make up 50 per cent of our economy who have tighter marketing budgets. This one-of-a-kind platform empowers them to publish and distribute content across the internet for their clients or their own business which, in turn, results in exposure on major platforms and websites in a world mostly dominated by bigger brands,” concludes Munch.

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Here are some of the ways this startup is helping small businesses, one-person companies, and digital entrepreneurs grow and even start remote businesses with a simple content marketing platform.

Ability to Drive Traffic and Buyer Leads

A common goal among business owners is to drive sales and generate leads. Anyone serious about starting and growing their businesses can create and publish content on high-quality websites with this content syndication platform. As you publish more content, your visibility increases over time and you build some momentum.

AmpiFire Levels the Playing Field for All

With the market being saturated with big brands dominating the Internet, it can be difficult for the average business to get exposure due to lack of size, connections, money or reach.

AmpiFire helps to level the playing field so that businesses can get their message out there and be seen without having to pay for expensive public relations campaigns or costly advertising fees.

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Cost-effective

By entrepreneurs and digital marketers remotely accessing AmpiFire from anywhere in the world and publishing their works and not needing their own content and PR team, the costs of having to go into the office to carry out transactions or hold meetings are reduced. Thus their businesses can also save money on costs like rent and office furniture.

Increased Productivity and Fast Distribution of Content

If 100 per cent of your marketing campaigns can be done virtually on a single feature-rich platform, you should see an increase in your productivity as you would be able to deliver professional results in a short time and take on more clients with ease.

Entrepreneurs, digital marketers, consultants, etc., can easily draft professional news articles and then transform their news pieces into blog posts, videos, infographics, and podcast advertisements in a matter of minutes, or have the AmpiFire team do it for them. The content amplification platform instantly repurposes and distributes newly created, highly-convertible marketing content on mainstream news channels, high-traffic blogs, popular podcast directories, SlideShare, YouTube and Vimeo and reach their audience in no time.

AmpiFire is still a relatively new concept in the marketing and entrepreneur world. With technology advancing at a faster rate than ever before, old-fashioned ways of marketing are slowly fading away and adapting to new ways. If you’re interested in living a more flexible lifestyle and building a sustainable business, look into how to remotely work from anywhere in the world. Offer your clients the necessary exposure and online presence their business needs through the first and only automated content amplification engine.

The post This Content Syndication Platform is Helping Entrepreneurs Build Remote One-Person Businesses with Content Marketing first appeared on cmgdigitalproperty.com.

The McRib without question in my opinion is the worst fast foold sandwhich ever created. I am not sure what processed soy bean concoction the so called meat is made from, but nothing about this comes close to Rib Meat. You cannot eat it no matter how they try to smoother it with onions, pickels and BBQ sause. Anyone that knows ribs, knows the McRib is anything but.

I have always lived with the motto fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me 3 times study their marketing. I have never met anyone who enjoys a McRib sandwhich. So why do people continue to buy the worlds worst BBQ product ever produced when quality BBQ joints are not near as hard to find as they once were!

(NEXSTAR) – Over the last few years, McDonald’s has brought the tasteless McRib back for limited-time stints at its restaurants. The McRib is making its annual return again this fall, but it appears this will be the sandwich’s last hurrah.

In 2019, McDonald’s sold the McRib at 10,000 of its 14,000 U.S. locations before making it available nationwide in 2020 for the first time since 2012. It made a limited-time appearance again last year.

The sandwich, which debuted on menus in Kansas City, Kansas, in 1981, has enjoyed a cult following for decades, thanks in no small part to its fleeting, sporadic appearances at restaurants. Speaking to its elusiveness, Mike Bullington, the senior archives manager for McDonald’s, said in a press release last year that the sandwich was designed to be “enjoyed during the colder seasons.” (I guess you need numb taste buds to be able to eat this terrible sandwhich}

McDonald’s had also previously revealed that the sandwich infrequently appears on its restaurants’ menus because it’s “a local option based on customer demand,” according to a 2017 tweet from the company. Yeah, who believes that crap?

According to a product description for the McRib on the McDonald’s website, the sandwich’s 2022 return is unique: it’s “the McRib Farewell Tour.” Please Never Return Tour is what they should call it.

“Order yours in the McDonald’s app for delivery or pick up before you say goodbye on 11/20/22. Enjoy our famous pork sandwich as if it’s your last!” the listing reads.

While McDonald’s doesn’t list an exact day the sandwich will be available, multiple restaurants nationwide tell Nexstar the sandwich will be on their menus early this week. Nexstar has reached out to McDonald’s for comment but hasn’t yet heard back. Before you run to your nearest location to get a McRib (or two), you may want to call ahead to check availability.

This is just the latest fan-favorite McDonald’s has brought back this year. Earlier this month, it rolled out its iconic Halloween Happy Meal pails.

The post The McRib is back. (Don’t Let them Fool You AGAIN) first appeared on cmgdigitalproperty.com.

How Salon Owners Can Claim The Employee Retention Credit

There’s a federal tax credit that’s helping salon owners get hundreds of thousands of dollars—and you could be eligible for it. The Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERC) is available to business owners with employees who were affected by the pandemic, and we have the details on how you can claim the ERC.

First, to answer your biggest questions—yes, this is real, and yes, this is free money. It’s a government program specifically for business owners with employees. Salons have reportedly been able to get ERC in values from $46,000 to $262,000, said Naomi Prusinski, CEO of Be Better Salon Accelerator. IHub Meta has contracted with Bottom line concepts to help salons wade through the confusing IRS lingo and file for the ERC on their behalf with no fees or upfront cost to Salon owners. You can learn how to claim your money and schedule a call here.

What is the Employee Retention Credit?

The ERC is a federal payroll tax credit to give businesses affected by the pandemic a way to keep employees on their payroll (and off unemployment). Established by the CARES Act of 2020, the ERC has been modified a few times since then, and was recently sunset as of the end of 2021. However, eligible businesses can still claim the ERC retroactively.

“You have the next couple of years to file, but they change the qualifications all the time,” “The program is constantly changing, which makes it so difficult.” but the experts at Bottom Line can help you make sense of at all and get your money.

Is the Employee Retention Credit A Loan?

No, it’s important to understand that the ERC is NOT a loan or deferral of any kind—it does not need to be repaid. This is literally a tax credit that eligible salons can claim against their quarterly payroll tax bill. If the credit is greater than the amount you pay for federal unemployment taxes, you will get a check from the IRS.

How Much Of A Credit Does The ERC Give?

In 2020, the ERC entitled employers to a credit worth 50% of qualified wages paid to employees from March 12, 2020 to the end of 2020. The max credit during 2020 is $5,000 per employee. In 2021 the tax credit became 70% of up to $10,000 of qualified wages per quarter, with the max credit being $7,000 per employee per quarter. The max credit available is $26,000 per employee.

Determining the amount of tax credit is pretty complicated, and even hard to figure out by an accountant or your tax professional that is why it makes sense to work with the top company that specilizes in ERC recovery. It cost you nothing but a phone call to see if you are eligible, and they only get paid when you do. There are no upfront cost, and the call is free. Schedule your call here, you will probably happy you did.

• An Ohio Valley-area salon owner opened a second location during the pandemic to get more space for her employees to work. She was eligible for about $262,000 through the ERC.
• One stylist worked at a salon that closed during the pandemic, so she opened her own salon and hired everyone from the closed salon. She was eligible for $200,000 through the ERC.

How Do I Know If My Salon Is Eligible For The ERC?

First, you have to have employees. If you don’t, this won’t apply to you. Next, you have to demonstrate that your business was affected by COVID-19. You must show that either one of these two scenarios applied to you:

• You’ve experienced a full or partial stop to your business because of government mandated shutdowns, and that the shutdown resulted in loss of money.
• Your business experienced at least a 50% reduction in revenue in 2020, or a 20% reduction in revenue in 2021.

To claim the ERC for 2021, you must demonstrate either of these scenarios on a quarter-by-quarter basis. “Almost everybody would qualify for at least one quarter,” say the professionals at Bottom Line.

How Long Does It Take To Get A Check?

Once you do these forms, it takes 4 to 6 months to get the checks back from the IRS. The folks at IHub Meta and Bottom Line will keep you informed throughout each stage of the process.

I Got a Payroll Protection Program (PPP) Loan—Can I Still Get The ERC?

You sure can. Just keep in mind that any wages paid using forgiven PPP loan funds are not considered “qualified wages” for the ERC, but when you have you intro call with a pro at Bottom line, they will thoroughly explain the entire process and answer any questions you have.

Don’t Procrastinate, CLICK HERE AND LEARN MORE NOW, while it is fresh on your mind. This program will ends in the near future, so go ahead and get the process started would be my advice.

The post SALON OWNERS: ARE YOU AWARE OF THE HUGE ERC GOVERNMENT PAYMENT YOU ARE PROBABLY ENTITLED TO? (Most Aren’t) first appeared on cmgdigitalproperty.com.

• October 4, 2022 published at Retail Bum

Retail Bum

TikTok has teamed up with multichannel streaming platform Loop Media to bring TikTok entertainment to patrons of bars, restaurants, retail shops and other venues.

“In our continual pursuit to create channels that bring value to businesses of all kinds, our new TikTok channel on Loop TV is the perfect addition to our service,” said Greg Drebin, chief content officer for Loop Media Studios. “TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video and together, we have curated a new channel that captures the diversity and popularity of this world-class platform.”

The collaboration is aimed at helping TikTok further boost its reach as it will enable the platform to increase in viewership in public spaces, reaching more than 12,500 Loop Players and devices across the United States.

“TikTok has become the platform more than a billion people turn to for entertainment throughout their day. With TikTok’s dedicated channel on Loop TV, that experience can be extended to new screens, venues, and audiences,” said Dan Page, head of global distribution, new screens at TikTok. “We are excited to collaborate with Loop to launch a channel that provides viewers with an experience that’s distinctly TikTok and offers our community more opportunities to spark joy throughout their day.”

The new TikTok channel is available now to all businesses and venues using the Loop Player. If you own a retail business and would like to learn how your company can benefit from installing free Loop Players click here.

The post TikTok Teams Up With Loop TV For Out-Of-Home Experiences first appeared on cmgdigitalproperty.com.

Want to close deals like a pro? Be a strategist and create a deeper bond with your clients.

Handwritten notes command a staggering 90% open and read rate and 5 times the response of normal direct mail.

Shorten sales cycle with a thoughtful handwritten note just for them.Make a more trusted relationship, one they would love to be part of.

Whether you’re sending to one or thousands, we make it easy. Book a demo today and watch new clients roll in

Use our handwritten-notes platform to break through to prospects and customers with a 90% read rate and 5 times the response of normal direct mail. 

Use our personalized marketing platform to break through to prospects and customers. Our customers drive 6x higher response rates and build deeper, stronger and more trusted relationships.

Our platform combines robotic handwritten notes with precision-targeted lead generation and digital-marketing follow up. Whether you’re a real-estate agent or Shopify site, SaaS company or car dealer, our platform helps you shorten sales cycles, close more deals and form a meaningful bond with prospects and customers.

After all, when all you get is spam email and junk direct mail, it’s nice to receive a thoughtful handwritten note, created just for you.

Handwritten mail wields the rare ability to break through, capture attention, drive action and accelerate deals.

Whether you’re a real estate agent (broker or realtor), insurance, mortgage or title-insurance broker, wealth manager (private banker), roofer, pest control company, winery, solar panel installer, online retailer, shopify eCommerce site, high-end luxury fashion brand, auto dealer, fundraising (non-profit), education or software (SaaS company), send a handwritten letter, thank you note or thank you card.

Handwritten direct mail has long been an effective way to build relationships with buyers and customers, but the channel has been inefficient and difficult to scale.

Until now, that is… 

Meet Our Handwriting Robots

Our machines hold real pens and write with precise pressure, slant and flow.

They mimic the nuances of the human hand, rendering your personalized message in a font style you choose that fits your brand and personality. 

We write your message on a thick-stock note card, which we print on demand with your logo and artwork. Or simply upload or drag-and-drop images or photos of your choice.

Our robots even add slight variations to each character. They also leave subtle blemishes and the telltale imprint of a pen pressed down on paper.

We print, write, stamp, seal and send via first-class mail all in one business day.

Make Sales Success Inevitable

Built to Help You Grow

There are many ways to use us to grow your business:

• Break through to cold prospects.
• Follow up after meetings.
• Motivate prospects to sign contracts.
• Welcome new customers.
• Reward high-value customers.
• Reactivate dormant customers.
• Celebrate milestones.
• Give thanks for referrals.
• Warm up leads before trade shows.
• Follow up after trade shows.
• Say thanks for a donation.
• Appreciate channel & other partners.
• Commend, console & thank employees.
• Ease the aftermath of a tough meeting.
• Drive upsells and cross-sells.
• Share promo codes.
• Recover abandoned carts.
• Invite to events and webinars.
• Trigger drip sequences from sales reps.
• Include a gift card with any note.
• Send holiday greetings.

As Easy as Sending a Text

We’ve made handwritten marketing easy.

In the time it takes to send a text, use our web application to trigger a note on your custom stationary.

Show an extra level of thoughtfulness by including a gift card from Starbucks, Amazon and other merchants. Also, get unlimited warehouse storage for business cards and other inserts, which we can add to any of your notes.

If you’re sending to multiple recipients, email or upload a spreadsheet. Or import your audience with our seamless integrations.

You can use our web application or work with your Customer Success Rep to configure trigger-based campaigns in just minutes.

Easily customize your content based on who you’re talking to. Send a totally personalized note or add custom variables such as name, company and product. Just like email, no one wants to receive a note that isn’t relevant to them.

Create your own message or easily select from hundreds of winning letter templates for any situation.

Whether you’re sending to one or thousands, we make it easy.

Track Performance

With our system, you can track ROI by measuring lift in lifetime value and conversions from audience segments that received notes versus your control group.

Or we can insert unique promo codes and tracking URLs. Quickly tweak your notes and postcards for different audiences.

Then after you have it perfect and it works, put it on auto-pilot.

Grow Faster and Leave a Long-Lasting Impression

We help you grow your business and leave a long-lasting impression in a way that’s surprisingly easy and cost-effective.

Use our platform to break through to prospects, drive conversions, increase retention and deliver a rare, one-on-one experience.

Most of all, add a personal touch to your sales process to close the distance between you and the people who matter.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS SERVICE

The post Promote and Follow-Up with Handwritten Notes first appeared on cmgdigitalproperty.com.

Personally I wouldn’t walk across the streat to meet a Kardashian or 99.9% of the most popular influencers on the planet. In fact the only influencer I would make any effort to meet would be Gary Vee, and that is just who I am as a person. Let me spend a relaxing afternoon with a family member or the most popular influencer on the planet, I am going to choose a member of my own family, EVERY TIME.

But when Gary Vee came out with his K-Swiss tennis shoe deal, and when daughters asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I said the Gary Vee Sneakers, I had the paridgmn shift immediately, that moment.

I really don’t give a flying flip what other people think about me. Over my entreprenurial career I have just seen too many talented people that have done great things, never be able to muster up the courage to try because they were too afraid or what other people would think if they decided to build a network marketing team, or start an Amazon FBA business on the side. I guess I am not normal from that standpoint, and one of the reasons I never gave influencer marketing a second look.

I find it even more repulsive that we have created a society where people making buying decisions not on what they actually like or need, but based upon what someone they don’t even have a personal relationship with is telling them they should buy.  I am sorry, I understand it psychologically, but it is sad that that is the state of the world in which we live.

We live in a world where people can find the exact product of service they are looking for, but if it doesn’t have enough positive Amazon reviews they start second guessing their purchase.

As a business owner, I never felt good paying someone to talk about my Beach Store unless they were a satisfied customer.   However, it should have connected in my mind that if someone has a beach blog, and does beach videos and has a large following having him or her talk about my online beach store would probably make good business sense.  Just because I wouldn’t do it unless I was an actual customer of the product does not necessarily mean that others shouldn’t, and that the right recommendation from an influencer could create more sales than targeted advertising on social media platforms.

That is the real issue.  If you are struggling paying some shallow, simple-minded influencer to promote your product or service you need to understand that their shoutout is better use of your advertising dollars and statistically will create more sales than targeted Facebook or Instagram ads.

It took me many years to understand, that the market determines the real potential of your product or service.  Personally knowing it is the best, means nothing if the market doesn’t care or agree.

Success magazine had it right years ago when they said “If people want, what your selling, you will get rich”

So finding the right influencer can literally explode your business and the best way we have found to do that is with the Shoutcart platform.

Shoutcart Review: How Does the Platform Work?

Before we dig deeper and talk about the overall Shoutcart review, let’s first understand how the platform works.

Shoutcart is a virtual marketplace that enables influencers to list their services and quote a price for a shoutout. Any brand or user who registers on the platform can browse through the influencer profiles and filter profiles based on the requirements.

Let’s see what you, as a brand, can do on the platform once you register.

You can select influencers based on the following criteria:

• Influencer Channels: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, IG Story, Instagram+ bio, TikTok + bio, and IG Story + link
• Influencer Type: Personal and Page
• Categories: Food and Nutrition, Technology, Cars, Makeup, Travel, Architecture, Memes, Fitness, Entrepreneurship, Hair, Nails, and others
• Language: Dutch, German, English, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Hindi
• Country: Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the USA
• Age: 13-65+
• Follower Count: 0-50 million
• Shoutcart Score: 0-10
• Keywords: Add any keyword of your choice

Overview Of Shoutcart

Shoutcart is an online marketplace where you can buy and sell social media shoutouts. If you’re an influencer, you can sell shoutouts on Twitter as well as Instagram.

If you’re a marketer, you can buy shoutouts through the self-serve platform.

There is a minimum $50 to fund, which shouldn’t be a problem for most bloggers or any marketer. The platform processes the payments giving buyers and sellers and a layer of protection (vs. paying influencers directly).

Shoutcart is an awesome platform with an intuitive user interface. It makes it easy to search for influencers by keyword or using a number of different filters:

• Channel (i.e. Twitter/Instagram).
• Type (i.e. Page/Personal).
• Category (i.e. Fitness or Cars).
• Language.
• Country.
• Age.
• Sex.
• Activity Time (i.e. Active at Night vs. Active During the Day).
• # of Followers.
• Score (A Shoutcart metric for ranking users).

Shoutcart provides a variety of pricing options that vary by promotion length and whether or not you want to include a link.

Overall, the platform is straightforward and easy to use. Simply browse through the influencers and find ones that may be relevant to your project. If there’s a good fit, choose your pricing, and submit your promotion. Go To ShoutCart

Shoutcart has influencers in a variety of niches. They allow you to choose whether you want shoutouts via Instagram posts, Instagram bio links, or Twitter posts. You can also choose between personal or business pages for the shoutouts.

Categories range from humour and fashion to fitness and food. Language selection is somewhat limited; it includes Dutch, English, German, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. Countries, likewise, are limited to Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. I actually appreciate this; they only list areas they have influencers in, rather than just copying one of those full lists for similar forms.

Shoutscore ranges from 0 to 30. The lower socred being associated with influencers that do not post out that often. Since you have a lot of upcoming influencers on the platform there are a lot of lower range scores. However, you can filter on the search to eliminate these.

Once you have found the influencers you want you can then buy your shoutout. One thing that the platform lacks compared to others is the ability to get detailed analytics on an influencers engagement level.

If you want to buy a shoutout, add it to your cart and checkout. At checkout, you will be able to submit your image/video, a caption, and a preferred shoutout time. You can include your Instagram username, as well as any relevant hashtags you want to add to the post. If you pay for a promotion with a bio link, you will submit that is well (goo.gl or bit.ly is recommended for tracking).

Shoutcart – What Is A Shoutout On Instagram?

An Instagram shoutout, otherwise known as an “Insta shoutout” or “IG shoutout“, happens when one user promotes another user on their own Instagram account.

On Instagram User A creates a post or story that contains a photo or @mention of User B.

If it’s a business shoutout, User A’s post might contain a photo or video related or of product or service that User B sells.

In many cases, shoutouts are a form of influencer marketing.

There are three ways shoutouts happen:

• Paid shoutouts: These shoutouts are a classic influencer marketing tactic. This is when you pay a user to promote your brand, typically with cash or via an exchange for a free product or access to your service.
• S4S (shoutout for shoutout): S4S is a simple trade – they agree to give you a shoutout on their page if you give them a shoutout on yours.
• Voluntary shoutout: The Holy Grail of shoutouts. This is when someone is just so darn happy with your product or customer service that they give your brand a shoutout without you even having to ask or pay.

Aside from the type, your Instagram shoutout can vary based on the goal you’re looking to accomplish.

Do you want more followers for your photography account?

In this case, you can ask your shoutout partner to post a photo of yours and include a simple call-to-action (CTA) asking their followers to follow you.

Do you want more sales for the cat litter mat you’re selling on your dropshipping store?

You might send a free mat to your shoutout partner and ask them to post a photo or video of their cat using it, with a CTA that encourages their followers to visit your store to buy their own.Go To ShoutCart

Instagram Shoutout Examples

Shoutout Post With Product Photo

We can see that the purpose of this blog is to sell some shoes, as Carl’s CTA is to head over to his blog to learn more about the company.

As you can see by the #ad hashtag, this was a paid shoutout.

ECCO either paid him in cash, sent him some free shoes, or both, depending on how much Carl charges for shoutouts and influencer campaigns.

Shoutout Post Without Product Photo

Because Instagram is a visual platform, photos are recommended to give people a shot of your offerings in action. But you don’t have to have a photo-based post for your IG shoutouts to be successful.

In this shoutout, traveler Angela Liggs (@angelaliggs) used a photo of her Patagonia trip as the backdrop to a caption-based shoutout for a Safedome bluetooth tracker.

She described her experience and how it benefited her trip, then dropped a CTA telling her followers to check out the company’s Instagram page.

Shoutout Post For More Followers

In addition to promoting a brand that sells products or services, another popular use for shoutouts is getting more Instagram followers.

This is especially popular for certain niches like photography.

Canon (@canonusa) is a great example of this. Photographers who use a Canon camera can include the hashtag #MyCanonStory in the caption of their post.

Canon regularly reposts some of the most captivating shots, as well as a quote from the photographer and shooting details like the camera model, lens, and exposure settings.

This brilliant marketing strategy is a win-win for both Canon and its loyal users, who get serious boosts in their credibility and following.

How To Shoutout – Instagram Stories

The great thing about Instagram – especially Stories – is that you and your partners have a lot of leeway to get creative with your approach.

Choosing the best Story style really boils down to knowing your audience and what they’re most interested in seeing.

If you’re not familiar with Instagram Stories, here’s a quick refresher:

• They can be photos or videos with a maximum duration of 15 seconds
• Users have the option to overlay text and graphics, as well as clickable hashtags and @ mentions for other accounts
• They last for 24 hours, then they disappear forever into the ether

Jess Fay, the fashionista mom of @lipstickheelsandababy, gave The Pink Lily Boutique a shoutout by shooting an Instagram story video of herself wearing one of the company’s blouses.

In the video, she explains the blouse and how it feels, and offers her followers some fashion tips like which types of jeans would go well to complete the outfit.

If you have a Evil Eye Jewelry Store. I strongly recommend that you send your partner free samples of the items you’d like to promote. Because Jess’s story video was tagged as an #ad, we can assume that’s what The Pink Lily Boutique did.

This is something of a status quo in the world of Instagram women’s fashion.

Jenni and Mimi of @naughtynutrition.co, a food and nutrition brand, gave Crock-Pot a shoutout by showing a video of a recipe they made using their Crockpot Express Crock.

The shoutout is simple: no sound or narration, just a beautiful close-up of some pineapple jerk chicken.

If your company sells cooking gadgets or ingredients, having your partner showcase a recipe is a tried-and-true Insta shoutout tactic.

Tips To Get Instagram Shoutouts

While there’s no single right way to get an Instagram shoutout, there are some guidelines and best practices that can increase your chances of getting some action.

And there are certainly some things you just shouldn’t do.

Let’s go over a few tips to get Instagram shoutouts that actually work.

1. Be Picky About Who You Choose

A lot can go wrong when you don’t vet your options carefully.

For example, if you’re selling gardening tools, you’re probably not going to have much success trying to get a fruitful shoutout from a high-fashion Instagrammer.

To make sure your potential partners are compatible, look carefully through their profile, posts, and stories so far.

Look at things like:

• How many followers they have. Unless you already have a lot of clout, stick with “micro-influencers,” or people with audiences of roughly 5,000 to 50,000. Keep in mind that the more followers they have, the more it’ll cost you to buy Instagram shoutouts. If you’re taking the S4S (shoutout for shoutout) route, look for users with similar numbers to your own so there’s mutual benefit.
• The content, tone, and feel of their profile. What kind of content do they post? Would their followers be interested in your brand too? Also, look at the general vibe they give off to see if it aligns with your own.
• How many likes and comments their posts get on average. If they have 50,000 followers, but only 50 likes and one comment per post on average, those followers might be fake or purchased.
• The types of engagement their posts are receiving. Are their followers truly engaged, or are the comments empty, generic, or spammy? This can be another sign of fake followers.

Taking a few extra minutes to do some detective work can make a huge difference in the quality of IG shoutouts you end up with.

It can also save you some valuable time and money in the long run.

And who doesn’t want more disposable time and money?

2. Build Relationships Before Pitching Them

Before you ask a stranger to vouch for your integrity, give them a taste of it authentically.

Once you decide that a person or brand is a good candidate, follow their account. If they have other social media accounts like Facebook or Twitter, follow those too. Subscribe to their blog if they have one.

Then periodically engage with their posts by liking and commenting on them. (Just don’t go overboard… there’s a fine line between engaged and desperate.)

Follow the rules of tip #1 above: leave comments that add real value.

Give them personalized compliments, bring up relevant discussion topics, or ask them meaningful questions that show you’re really paying attention.

This way, they’ll be familiar with your profile when you message them to ask for your shoutout.

3. Start A Conversation With A Thoughtful Message Or Email

As you embark on your search for awesome Instagram shoutout partners, you might come across posts that are littered with spammy comments like “S4S?”

Don’t be that person.

When the time comes to actually reach out to your prospects, do it via an Instagram Direct message or an email (if they provide one in their profile info).

Your pitch will have a lot more weight if it comes as a separate communication.

In your message or email, be transparent about what you’re looking for and how you’d generally like it to pan out.

Here’s a little Instagram shoutout template for your message:

• Get personal: Introduce yourself and mention something about their account. You can tell them how much you enjoy it, or get as granular as telling them their dog is cute.

“Hi [their name]. I’m [your name] from [your company]. I’ve been following your page, and I love/appreciate/admire your [insert personalized compliment or observation].”

• State your offer: What’s the purpose of your message, and what value will it deliver to them? If you’re looking to give them a freebie in exchange for a shoutout, or a shoutout for shoutout (S4S), get right to it.

“I think my followers would really enjoy your page. Likewise, I think your followers would enjoy mine. Would you like to trade a shoutout for shoutout post or story?”

• Give them a next step: What do you want them to do after they read your message? Direct them to your store or profile to learn more, or ask for their thoughts.

“If you’re interested, let me know which one you prefer. Then we can work out the details. Looking forward to hearing from you!”

Here’s an example of a freebie-for-shoutout message:

How To Find Instagram Shoutout Pages

Your first step for finding relevant Instagram shoutout pages should be good ol’ fashioned research.

I’m not going to sugar coat it: when done right, this will take several hours of digging (unless you have the budget for a specialized Instagram shoutout app, which we’ll discuss soon).

Start with industry-specific hashtags. You can find trending hashtags on sites like Best-Hashtags or TagsFinder.

For example, if you’re selling men’s gifts, some good hashtags to kick off your research might include:

• #menswear
• #mensfashion
• #fashion
• #style
• #mensstyle
• #streetwear
• #menstyle
• #streetstyle
• #menwithstyle

You can also brainstorm your own or get ideas as you do searches. I recommend keeping a list handy so you have a “database” to reference.

Once you have a good list, type your hashtags into the Instagram search bar and browse through profiles until you find some good candidates.

Clicking the hashtag in the dropdown will show you top posts from accounts that used the hashtag recently. Put your detective glasses on and skim away.

For more juicy tips on how to find quality Instagram shoutout pages, check out this article on how to find influencers in your industry.

Instagram Shoutout Apps

If you have the budget, consider a specialized Instagram shoutout app that’s designed to connect brands with the right Instagrammers.

An Instagram shoutout app like Shoutcart or NeoReach has its own database of pre-vetted influencers that you can sort through based on industry and keywords.

If you’re interested, you’re able to message them securely through the platform to handle all of the details.

Platforms like these can be a real lifesaver if you don’t have the resources or bandwidth to spend hours sorting through profiles on your own.

Should You Buy Instagram Shoutouts?

In a world where social media is a marketing commodity, you have loads of opportunities to buy Instagram shoutouts.

While some people have a knee-jerk reaction that any type of paid promotion is worse than getting them organically, this isn’t always the case.

When you’re careful about who you work with and how you approach the situation, paid Instagram shoutouts can be a great way to gain exposure, build trust with your target audience, and ultimately boost your sales.

And to be honest, you’ll have to put in a lot more time and effort to get the same results organically as you could get through paid Instagram shoutouts like giving away freebies or paying cash.

Just make sure you keep it kosher and avoid the trap of shady or fake opportunities – the ones we discussed in tip #1 about being picky over who to choose for getting shoutouts.

Not only do you risk getting ripped off financially, but you can also harm your brand’s reputation.

Key Features Of Shoutcart

• Influencer search – choose by category, audience size, follower demographics or simply search by keyword.
• Scalable Campaigns – order shoutouts from multiple influencers at once.
• Follower Demographics – Filter followers by language, country, age, sex and gender.
• Tracking and Metrics – Post tracking and statistics are available for all campaigns.

Try Shoutcart

The  platform for influencer marketing. Reach over 400M Active Followers!VISIT Shoutcart

Other Influencer Marketing Tools

• AspireIQ
• Buzzstream
• Buzzsumo
• Curalate
• DealSpotr
• Extole
• Famebit
• GroupHigh
• HypeAuditor
• Hypr
• Izea
• Julius
• JustReachOut
• Klear
• Lefty
• Lumanu
• Mavrck
• Neoreach
• Ninja Outreach
• Pitchbox
• Popular Chips
• Quuu Promote
• Snov.io
• Tagger
• Tomoson
• Traackr
• Upfluence

The post Buy Shoutouts on any Social Media Platform for your business. (Shoutcart Influencer Marketing Platform) first appeared on cmgdigitalproperty.com.

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