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For years, Facebook has been one of the best places to build and reach your audience. Over that same period of time, though, it’s become much more of a pay-to-play channel.

In the earlier days of Facebook, you could create a post and count on your audience seeing it. Now, you’re lucky if that content reaches even 4% of your fans. Even if you can cut through the noise and reach them, though, can you say with confidence how it helps your business? Valuing your Facebook audience has been a black hole for many marketers. It’s hard to tie that audience to activity further down the funnel.

Facebook wants businesses to keep their audience on Facebook properties. Posts that link out to external websites often see lower reach than those without.

Messenger might be the key to monetizing your Facebook audience in a delightful way. Using channels together make them work better together. In other words, Facebook + Messenger = $ is the same thing as 1 + 1 = 3.

With over 1.3 billion monthly active users, there’s a good chance your audience already uses Messenger. Facebook continues to invest in building new ways to reach your audience. One of those is “Comment-to-Messenger”. All a visitor has to do is comment a specific keyword on one of your Facebook posts. Then, a Messenger chat opens up, even if it’s the first time you’ve talked.

This is a powerful way to send automated, contextual follow-ups to your audience. There’s lots of potential here across Marketing, Sales, and Service. But if you’re trying to monetize your audience, you need to be using it for conversational marketing today.

Our Facebook audience loves watching videos on marketing-related topics, like SEO. And the only thing people love more on the internet than watching videos are taking quizzes. It’s one reason that BuzzFeed continues to dominate engagement.

For a video on SEO myths, the post description said to comment “SEO” to test your knowledge in Messenger. More than 2% of people who viewed the video commented that keyword on the post. That’s a good baseline to shoot for as you start running these tests.

Here’s my approach for creating great Messenger quizzes:

• Write for the channel.
• Messenger is a more personal channel than email. Use gifs, emojis, and shorter copy to make the experience feel more natural.
• Use progress markers.
• Use these throughout the quiz to let people know how far along they are. There’s nothing people hate more than a conversation with no end in sight. Once a user completes half of the questions, give them a “you’re doing great — we’re halfway there” to set expectations.
• Provide feedback.
• If someone’s taking a quiz, they want to see how much they know for themselves. When they answer, let them know in a contextual way if that was right or wrong.
• Keep it simple.
• Make users think about what the answer is to the question, not how to answer the question. If you can avoid it, don’t make users type in text responses. Use features of the Messenger platform like Quick Replies to give users an easy way to move forward.

Incorporating those guidelines helped create a quiz that users loved to take. In fact, 95.31% of people who started the quiz answered all 5 questions and got their score. That’s 86.88% higher than the average completion rate, according to AdEspresso.

After they finished the quiz, they received a contextual card with their score and a next step. Because they were already engaging with us on SEO, it was natural to ask them to download an ebook on the same topic.

We turned our traditional lead generation form into a one-to-one conversation. Instead of asking users to fill out eight fields at once, we asked them questions one at a time and made it feel more natural.

It was a much more delightful way to download an ebook. We met users on the channel where they spend their time. And we gave them an experience that felt natural and human-like.

68.89% of people who started downloading the ebook converted and filled out all the information. You don’t get conversion rates like that anywhere other than messaging.

Re-engagement was a big part of the success for both the quiz and the ebook. If someone started but didn’t finish, they got a message to come back in and finish getting their offer 24 hours later. This persistence of identity is invaluable compared to web traffic. With web forms, if someone only fills out a few pieces of information, you have no way to contact them again.

People went from viewing a Facebook video to becoming a lead in less than two minutes — without ever leaving Facebook. Growing an audience on Facebook will be a top priority for marketers for years to come. It’s more important than ever that you have a plan in place to monetize them over time. Messenger’s the key to doing that.

Welcome one, welcome all to a very warm Wednesday. Not only have we reached the week’s halfway point, but we’re one day away from the official start of summer here in Boston.

This Wednesday also brings another edition of “Unriddled”: the HubSpot Marketing Blog’s mid-week digest of the tech news you need to know. We’ve sifted through the vast pool of tech news items to help you decrypt what’s happening.

It’s our Wednesday tech news roundup, and we’re breaking it down.

Unriddled: The Tech News You Need

1. A Big Departure and New Ads From Facebook

Last week, Facebook’s now former head of public policy and communications, Elliot Schrage, announced that he would be leaving the social media giant.

“Leading policy and communications for hyper growth technology companies is a joy,” Schrage wrote in his official statement, “but it’s also intense and leaves little room for much else.”

In his announcement, Schrage also said that he would stay on just long enough to find and assist with the on-boarding of a replacement. It comes after months of criticism toward Facebook — from lawmakers, consumers, and others — not only for the Cambridge Analytica crisis, but also, for how the company responded to it.

Schrage’s looming departure is followed by a recent announcement that Facebook will display ads in more places, the latest being Messenger. While ad space has been sold within Messenger for about a year and a half, users will now see autoplay video ads.

The changes provide another means of ad revenue for Facebook, but how well-received they are by all users remains to be seen. Read more about the new autoplay video ads from Recode‘s Kurt Wagner. Read full story >>

2. Aleksandr Kogan Appears Before Senate Sub-Committee

Aleksandr Kogan — the Cambridge University professor who developed the app blamed for improperly obtaining Facebook user data that would later be exploited by voter profiling firm Cambridge Analytica — appeared yesterday before the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance, and Data Security.

Very little new information emerged from the hearing, where Kogan was joined by witnesses John Battelle (CEO of NewCo) and Ashkan Soltani (former CTO of the FTC).

In his written testimony, Kogan discounted the effectiveness of any data obtained by his app in “a political campaign,” but did comment on what he sees as flaws in Facebook’s approach to terms and user consent, as well as what can be done to prevent similar events or crises. Alfred Ng of CNET writes more on today’s events and Kogan’s commentary. Read full story >>

3. Apple Closes the Data Transfer “Backdoor”

Apple is making it harder for law enforcement to hack iPhones, announcing a future software update that would disable the phone’s charging and data port — the port used by authorities to transfer the phone’s data to another device — if it’s been inactive for an hour since it was last locked.

The announcement comes after a 2016 high-profile disagreement between Apple and the FBI, when the former refused to provide what it called “backdoor” methods of accessing a locked iPhone. which it cited as potential violations of “basics of digital security.”

At the time, the FBI eventually enlisted a third-party that discovered a loophole — which is what Apple is seeking to close with this latest update. Jack Nicas of the New York Times has the full report. Read full story >>

4. Apple + Public Safety

Meanwhile, Apple has announced more consumer-friendly, public-safety-oriented features within the yet-to-be-released iOS 12. When an iPhone user makes a call to 911, the public emergency telephone number in North America, the device will automatically and securely share its location with first responders.

The feature addresses the growing number of emergency calls made from mobile devices — about 80%, Apple says — that previously could not be traced to a precise location. And while the FCC requires wireless carriers to locate 911 callers “within 50 meters at least 80% of the time by 2021,” Apple says that’s not soon enough — and wants to provide a more immediate solution. Read full announcement >>

5. The App Store and Antitrust

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal from Apple to a lower court’s ruling that would allow a class-action lawsuit by iPhone customers.

The plaintiffs seeking the suit claim that Apple has an unfair monopoly on mobile apps, which leads to prices that are more “inflated” than they would be if apps were available for purchase from other outlets. And while developers determine a price point for a given app, Apple charges them 30% commission for every purchase. Andrew Chung of Reuters explains more. Read full story >>

6. Login With Snapchat

Snapchat announced last week that it would launch a brand-new “Snap Kit” for developers, which contains — among other items — a “Login Kit” that allows users to log into certain sites with their Snapchat accounts.

The Snap Kit launch comes at a time when social networks, like Facebook, are dealing with particularly high scrutiny for the way these login APIs can be misused, such as the improper sharing of personal user data, even if unintentional. But Snapchat’s Login Kit shares far less information — only the user’s display name and Bitmoji avatar — with third parties than Facebook Login does. Read full announcement >>

That’s all for today. Until next week, feel free to weigh in on Twitter to ask us your tech news questions, or to let us know what kind of events and topics you’d like us to cover.

Let’s take a look at one of the most famous buildings in the world — the Taj Mahal. While there are numerous reasons the Taj Mahal is aesthetically-pleasing, one reason is its symmetrical balance, which evokes a sense of traditionalism and stability.

Image courtesy of livescience.com.

Now, let’s take a look at another famous piece of artwork — The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. This painting, unlike the Taj Mahal, is asymmetrical in nature — and yet, it’s still balanced and strategic in design.

Image courtesy of Moma.org.

Looking at the Taj Mahal and The Starry Night, you can see the profound beauty of both types of balance in design. But for the purposes of every day design, which one should you use? What’s the real difference?

Here, we’ll define asymmetrical and symmetrical balance, and compare the two, so you can choose properly for your own creative purposes.

The Definition of Symmetrical Balance

Symmetrical balance occurs when you have two identical sides of a design with a central point of axis — so if you cut the design in half, the left and right are mirror images of each other. To be considered perfectly symmetrical, a design needs to have equally weighted visuals on either side.

Symmetrical design allows you to draw attention to all areas of an image equally. Since this form of design is usually very structured and rigid in nature, it’s referred to as formal balance. For marketers, symmetrical design is ideal for projects like event invitations or discount offers, but can seem boring if used on more creative pieces.

Let’s take a look at an (admittedly very basic) example of symmetrical balance:

Not quite the Taj Mahal, but it’ll do.

The Definition of Asymmetrical Balance

Asymmetrical balance occurs when you have different visual images on either side of a design, and yet the image still seems balanced. To be considered asymmetrical, a design needs to have unequal visual weight on either side, but those unequal visuals need to balance each other.

Asymmetrical designs can evoke feelings of movement and seem more modern than symmetrical designs, but it can be more difficult and less straightforward to create relationships between the design’s individual elements.

Let’s take a look at an example of asymmetrical balance:

It’s important to note asymmetrical balance is still strategic — placing shapes haphazardly around a page won’t create a compelling composition. To create a successful asymmetrical design, you still need to figure out how to balance out the image.

Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night, for instance, uses a notable visual, the sun, in the top right, and balances it out with a dark cypress tree in the bottom left. It would not be a successfully asymmetrical balance if van Gogh put both the sun and tree on the right side of the page.

Even if you create loads of visual content, it can be a struggle to hold your audience’s attention — especially when you’re trying to communicate complex, detailed, and abstract topics. 

What’s a marketer to do? 

One option that often gets overlooked is animated images or videos. They’re great because they can explain a point in a matter of seconds. They also grab attention and help convert viewers into leads and buyers.

An animated image, GIF, or video might sound difficult to create, but in reality, you don’t need to carve out a budget to add this type of visual content to your marketing strategy. Check out the following tools that let you easily create cool animated images and video.

Animated Flows

1. WhatFix

Price: Free

If you’re looking for a simple way to instruct someone on how to do something online, the following tool is super handy.

This tool is actually the one that has inspired the whole article. WhatFix lets you create quick flows showing steps users should take. You can embed the widget on your web page or send your users to the “live” version of the link that will play all the steps on your actual web page.

You can play with the widget below or on the WhatFix website.

You’ll need WhatFix’s extension for Firefox or Google Chrome to build those widgets, but other than that, the process is so easy. Just click the links on your page and type in the instructions for each link. The extension will record everything and immediately put together a widget for you.

It also creates YouTube videos on the fly, which is a great re-packaging option. Here’s an example of what that can look like.

WhatFix offers its basic features for free: You can go ahead and try creating those flows right now. It does have a business version that has an option to create private flows, export flows, and more.

Animated GIF Makers

Animated GIFs have remained a standard in basic online media over the years. Social media platforms like Tumblr thrive on them, and a single GIF reaching viral status can have a big impact on your social strategy and success. They are also great for creating animated instructions that will auto-play the steps on Twitter, Pinterest, and now Facebook.

Here are my favorite GIF image generators:

2. GIFBrewery

Price: $4.99 one time

Mac users can quickly convert sections of their videos into GIFs using GIFBrewery. You just purchase and download the app onto your Mac OSX, and use it from your computer as often as you’d like.

The steps are easy to follow, and the interface rather intuitive. You can edit the GIFs with overlay text and images, apply image filters, and more. It is a great tool for making preview animations for longer videos to post on Pinterest, your blog, Instagram, and beyond. It does cost $4.99, but it is well worth the price if you are planning on regularly making GIF files.

3. Gyazo

Price: Free

While it is technically a screen-capture tool, you can capture and save GIFs and videos now using Gyazo. It is a free tool available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. All captures can be quickly shared on multiple platforms, too.

This is a great, if somewhat casual, tool for anyone who takes screen captures and wants to show them off to others. With a bit of creativity, it could be used in other business-related capacities, though it may not have all the tools you are looking for.

Here’s an example of a GIF made from HubSpot’s YouTube video on topic clusters:

Price: Free4. Recordit

Need to make a fast screencast, such as a simple demo? Recordit is specifically meant for quickie tutorials or examples, rather than those that require longer record times.

You simply drag the space you want to capture, hit record, and show viewers what they need to see before stopping the recording. It breaks these down into moving slides and converts the file into a GIF rather than a video recording. If this sounds like something you would like to integrate into an app, they now have an API, too.

Here’s an example that actually took me five seconds to create — it’s quite easy to explain your point:

5. GIFDeck

Price: Free

Do you share educational content on SlideShare? (Hint: You should!) GIFDeck a great way to turn your decks into GIFs. Here’s an example of one I created just recently:

6. Make a GIF

Price: Free

This is a more extensive GIF maker that allows you to choose from a couple of options to make your GIF. On Make a GIF, you can create from screenshots, YouTube videos, uploaded videos, or premade GIFs.

It is also a free image hosting site, so once the GIF has been made, you can link to it directly from the Make a GIF gallery. Accounts are free, and if you change your mind about a GIF, you can easily request that it be deleted.

Here’s a GIF I animated from two separate pictures of HubSpot’s tagline during Pride Month:

7. GIFYT

Price: Free

YouTube videos are a great source for screencasts. If your users create screencasts of how they use your product, turn those videos into animated GIFs to share with your community. That means original content for you and more exposure for your fans’ videos. 

You can make GIFs from YouTube videos using GIFYT. Just paste in the URL, select the time period you want captured, and convert it to a GIF.

It is very easy to use, fast, and free. The only downside is that you have to be careful you don’t select too long a clip duration. Keep it short and relevant for the best quality GIFs.

Here’s a GIF I created using an animated video from HubSpot’s YouTube channel:

Video Animation Software

Then there are times when you want to make a full-fledged animation — audio, story, and all. Luckily, the tools at your disposal aren’t all that complicated.

The following tools are quite similar. I tried all of them and was satisfied. They are all easy to use, as well — you don’t need any video editing experience to put together animated video instructions. You do need to invest some time into a script and some visual elements to make these instructions appealing. The good news? You can then convert them into animated GIFs using the tools above.

None of these tools are free, but they all offer a free trial, so you can play with them all and choose the one you prefer.

8. PowToon

Price: $59/month; $19/month for at least a year

PowToon describes itself as an animated video and presentations creator that can be easily exported to YouTube. Simply “pick a look you like” from one of five animation themes, and piece together the characters, objects, layouts, and backgrounds you need to tell your story.

9. VideoScribe

Price: Free to try; $29.00/month; $16/month if you pay annually; $665 if you pay once

VideoScribe specializes in whiteboard videos, and it lets you create really nice video animations. It’s a downloadable piece of software that you can take offline if you pay for the PRO plan. It supports both Mac and PC, and also has mobile applications that I haven’t yet tried (but am definitely planning to).

10. Vyond

Price: $79/month or $599/year

Image via G2 Crowd

Vyond, formerly GoAnimate, is a web application that can be used to create cartoon videos. It also has a collaboration feature, which comes in handy when you’re trying to coordinate with a larger team.

11. Animaker 

Price: Free with limited features or $12/month

Animaker is a one-stop shop for 10 types of videos for every purpose and channel. From explainer videos to animated infographics, this tool breaks down the templates you’d need based on the specific purpose of your video.  

12. Moovly

Price: Free to try; $24.92/month

Moovly is a “drag, drop & animate” tool that allows you to create quick animated videos right in your internet browser. Like many animation tools, this product drafts explainer videos, whiteboard-style animations, advertisements, and more. Moovly also gives you more than 750,000 free video clips to work from.

13. Synfig

Price: Free

Synfig is surprisingly detailed for being a completely free platform, but it’s an easy downloadable tool that’s compatible with any computer. The product gives you a user-friendly menu of tools to edit your subjects’ shape, color, and movements one frame at a time.

These are just a few tools I’ve used to create animated images and videos — but there are plenty of other options out there. 

Want to learn more about video editing? Check out 9 of the Best Free Video Editing Software to Try.