Michael Stancil - Practical Ecommerce

Articles by: Michael Stancil

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Michael Stancil

Michael Stancil

Michael Stancil is growth product manager at Zappos Family of Companies.

Michael was one of the most recognizable men on Pinterest, with over 1.8 million followers. Huffington Post ranked him as one of the top menswear pinners, alongside such media brands as Esquire, GQ, and Details. Michael is a graduate of University of Central Missouri.

Social Media
An Email List Isn’t Just for Emailing

November 13, 2018 • Michael Stancil

An email list is one of the central components of many marketing campaigns, beyond email marketing. Having email addresses is the difference between a targeted message versus scatter. The best email lists contain more info than just the address.
Social Media
3 Tips for Hiring (or Not) a Social Media Marketer

September 18, 2018 • Michael Stancil

You’ve made a critical decision for your company: It’s time to hire a social media marketer. Or is it that time? I ask because it’s important to know the answer ...
Social Media
All Products with Photos Have a Place on Pinterest

August 26, 2018 • Michael Stancil

Pinterest and I have a long history. Back in 2013, I was one of the most followed men on Pinterest, with over 1.8 million followers. I pinned about men’s style.
Social Media
Instagram: The Ad Channel Your Parents Aren’t On (Yet)

July 29, 2018 • Michael Stancil

It’s hard to believe Facebook is no longer the cool network. Instagram and Snapchat appeal to the younger crowd. The process for advertising on Instagram is the essentially the same as on Facebook.
Social Media
Navigating Changes to Facebook Ads

May 27, 2018 • Michael Stancil

In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook is running its own advertising campaign. The ads proclaim how terrible Facebook was, how it compromised your data, and how it’s ...
Social Media
Getting Reacquainted with LinkedIn Ads

April 19, 2018 • Michael Stancil

Advertising on LinkedIn has come a long way. But the platform still isn’t getting the attention it deserves. Until now. With Facebook’s data controversy and the renewed concerns about online privacy, advertisers ...
Analytics & Data
Does Facebook’s Data Debacle Impact Advertisers?

April 11, 2018 • Michael Stancil

Facebook is an enormously powerful advertising tool. There is no better mix of users, placements, and targeting. Sure, you have keywords with Google, and even audiences, but not with the ...
Social Media
High-performing Facebook Ad Placements (in 4 Steps)

March 23, 2018 • Michael Stancil

In 2018, Facebook ads can appear on Facebook itself, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and the Audience Network. Facebook is no longer a one-option platform. Advertisers must now keep a close eye on how their ads render on all platforms. Otherwise, you might be wasting money. Consider Instagram and Messenger, for example.
Social Media
For Digital Ads, Minimal Text Converts the Best

March 9, 2018 • Michael Stancil

When it comes to digital advertising, less is more. Ad platforms such as Google AdWords, Twitter, and Facebook have character limits. And that's good. No matter how complicated your product or how compelling your offer, brevity nearly always produces more conversions, in my experience.
Social Media
Facebook Product Feed Ads: Not Just for Remarketing

February 26, 2018 • Michael Stancil

Product feed ads for remarketing are seemingly everywhere on Facebook. And that makes sense because if a merchant can show a potential customer the exact product she viewed or added to the cart, why wouldn’t it? It’s a no-brainer, which is why it’s time to set up those ads if you haven't already. However, while product feed ads are good for remarketing, they also can be compelling prospecting tools.
Social Media
The State of Social Advertising and Tracking

February 9, 2018 • Michael Stancil

What a year 2017 was for social advertising and tracking. What stayed the same, what’s new, and what is on the horizon? Let’s get into it. UTM links are still crucial to understanding ad performance. We may never move beyond UTM tags, or any query parameter tracking for that matter. The reason is simple.
Social Media
6 Steps to Plan Social Media Ads for 2017

December 20, 2016 • Michael Stancil

With 2016 nearly complete, it’s time to start planning social media advertising for 2017. We don’t necessarily need to plan the entire year. But anything less than three months at ...
Social Media
Using Facebook’s Dynamic Product Ads to Move Holiday Inventory

December 7, 2016 • Michael Stancil

The holiday season is here. For many retailers, it’s the home stretch for selling inventory. Retailers that sell more than one product are often put in a tight spot: How ...
Social Media
Social Media Holiday Ads: 7 Steps to (Quickly) Prepare

November 13, 2016 • Michael Stancil

Millions of holiday shoppers will soon start looking for deals. Will your social media ads be there to meet them? If not, your sales will likely see a small bump ...
Social Media
How to Hire a Freelancer (for Social Media Marketing)

October 13, 2016 • Michael Stancil

Advertising on Facebook and other social media sites requires time and expertise. But ecommerce merchants often lack one or the other; they sometimes struggle with optimizing paid social media campaigns. The answer for ...
Social Media
LinkedIn Advertising: Time for a Second Look?

June 15, 2016 • Michael Stancil

It’s a big week for LinkedIn. Microsoft announced it will acquire the company for $26.2 billion, which could provide LinkedIn with a much-needed boost. Is it time to put past ...
Social Media
Facebook Extends Lookalike Audiences with ‘Custom Combinations’

June 1, 2016 • Michael Stancil

Facebook lookalike audiences can help advertisers target relevant prospects. Until recently, there were really just two useful options, for most advertisers, to do this. First, advertisers could upload to Facebook ...
Social Media
Creating Facebook Lookalike Audiences with Behavior Targeting

May 19, 2016 • Michael Stancil

One of the huge benefits of Facebook ads is the ability to take a group of people — such as your customers — and then find a few million users who act similarly.
Social Media
Using Facebook to Target International Buyers

April 29, 2016 • Michael Stancil

An ecommerce business can sell and deliver products anywhere in the world. Yet, oftentimes, Facebook ad campaigns by U.S.-based merchants target just the U.S., and maybe Canada. Why is this? To ...
Social Media
How to Test and Change Facebook Ads, to Drive Performance

April 12, 2016 • Michael Stancil

When was the last time you updated your advertising copy, such as on AdWords or Facebook ads? If you’re not updating your ads, your frequency — the number of times ...
Social Media
Facebook ‘Lead Ads’ Good for Competitive Markets

March 3, 2016 • Michael Stancil

Are you advertising in an expensive market? Is the cost per click for a top term too expensive? If you rely on leads for your business, there is a solution:
Social Media
Instagram Ads: Low CPAs for Right Audience

February 24, 2016 • Michael Stancil

If you asked an ecommerce marketer what her lowest cost-per-acquisition channel is, she would likely not say Instagram. Instagram would probably not be in her top five. But Instagram ads can actually produce a low ...
Social Media
3 Facebook Ad Segments That Increase ROI

February 3, 2016 • Michael Stancil

Are you running ads on Facebook that are performing just average? What if you could get a greater return on investment without spending more? Facebook’s segmentation features can help. In this ...
Social Media
Facebook: Save Money with New Audience Overlap Ad Tool

January 19, 2016 • Michael Stancil

A few weeks ago, everyone should have received access to a new Facebook advertising feature that could become pretty useful: Audience Overlap. It’s a feature Facebook reps have had for some ...
Social Media
Advertising Options to Test (and Expand) in 2016, for Ecommerce

December 31, 2015 • Michael Stancil

With the new year, advertisers can put mistakes behind them, take note of what worked, and try something new. At Tailor Brands, my employer, we include marketing tests in every monthly ...
Social Media
Creating 1-day Facebook, Twitter Ad Campaigns

December 15, 2015 • Michael Stancil

Do you have a single-day sale planned for your ecommerce business? One day is plenty of time to create and execute a successful social media campaign. Say it’s 7:00 a.m. on ...
B2B
Using Facebook Ads for B2B Targeting

November 18, 2015 • Michael Stancil

If you had asked online marketers a couple of years ago to name the best channel for B2B targeting, most would not have said Facebook. In fact, it wasn’t until early ...
Social Media
Twitter Share Counts Are Going Away; Now What?

October 28, 2015 • Michael Stancil

There’s a big change coming to your Twitter buttons: The tweet count number is going away by Nov. 20, 2015. In this article, I will elaborate on what Twitter said, what ...
Social Media
Maximizing Facebook Ads for Ecommerce Sales

October 21, 2015 • Michael Stancil

Facebook ads are the rage lately — and for good reason. If you can supply at least a few valuable targeting components of your prospective customers, Facebook can do the rest and start ...
Social Media
Setting Up Facebook Remarketing, for Ecommerce

October 13, 2015 • Michael Stancil

Not every visitor to an ecommerce site converts, and not every customer comes back to buy more. But, don’t fret, with remarketing on Facebook there’s a way to get more ...