disable STRICT errors in PHP

 if you want to disable STRICT errors, add ^ E_STRICT to your error reporting configuration, for example:

error_reporting(E_ALL ^ E_STRICT);

Resolving php errors when the output is blank

If you just see a blank page instead of an error reporting and you have no server access so you can't edit php configuration files like php.ini try this:

- create a new file in which you include the faulty script:

<?php
error_reporting(E_ALL);ini_set("display_errors", 1);
include("file_with_errors.php");?>
- execute this file instead of the faulty script file 

now errors of your faulty script should be reported.

Google Analytics for WordPress

GA says: "Your Analytics tracking code does not include the necessary support for the Demographics and Interest reports. Learn more about the simple, one-line, one-time change to your tracking code to add this support."

https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/2444872?hl=en&utm_id=ad

Yoast Google Analytics plugin for WordPress 

• Go to Settings and then Google Analytics 
• Go to Host 'ga.js locally: 
  
• When you check the checkbox, a field appears:
  
• Add the following line: 'https://stats.g.doubleclick.net/dc.js':
  
• Scroll down and click 'Update Google Analytics Settings' to save the settings * You page now supports Google Analytics' Demographics and Interests reports.

Video - Create Facebook ad

Video - Create Facebook ad


how-to-create-a-facebook-ad-quickly-easily

let’s create an Ad using PicMonkey.

Step One:  Determine what photo you want to use.  Choose a high quality, bright photo, but one that doesn’t have too much going on, that it would distract from your message.  Also, please choose a photo that is complimentary to your marketing strategy, business or what you are trying to convey.

Step Two:  Open up PicMonkey in a separate window in your browser.  It will ask you right away what you want to do, choose, “Edit a Photo”.  This will then open up your computer, locate the photo and click “Choose”.

Step Three:  Now that the photo is in the window of PicMonkey, you can make any necessary edits, such as color, contrast, brightness etc.  Once you have the photo the way you like it, then click on “Resize”.  Facebook recommends using a photo that is 1200 x 627 pixels, but at least 600 pixels wide.  When resizing your photo, be sure to keep the box checked for “keep proportions” so your photo doesn’t get all wonky.  See below…

Step Four:  In the PicMonkey Editor, click on the little Butterfly icon, and that will open the Overlays selections.  You can choose from a million different overlays, and can even choose “Your Own” to upload something you have, a logo etc.  I chose to use a circle overlay for this Ad.

As with everything awesome PicMonkey, you can change the color of the overlay, the size, move it around on your photo and even change the “fade” of the overlay, so more of the photo beneath is exposed.  I tried to find a color that matched part of the flower for my overlay and chose to keep the fade set at 25%. (“hey PicMonkey, the eye dropper would be a great add for this!)

Step Five:  Once you’ve positioned the overlay, you’ll want to add text on top of it.  Click on the “Tt” icon on the left editing panel.  And again, you’ll have plenty of text choices here!  I am crushing on“Playfair” and “Great Vibes” right now, and is what I chose for this Ad.

Once you’ve chosen the font, a box will pop up and you can click on it to start typing.  Once you’ve finished typing, you can change the layout (I like centered for a circle…) the color of the font, and resize it by dragging the corners of the text box around.  I would suggest moving the text box over the overlay and see what size looks best.  Also, as you can see, I used two different fonts, so for the first text box, I just left enough room in the middle, to place the second font text box in between.

Step Six:  Last step, I like to add a frame to my Ads.  It helps to “pop” your Ad off the page.  To get to the frames, click on the icon in the editing panel that looks like a picture frame.  Again, many choices to look through, but I usually end up using the “Simple Edge” frame.  I also usually remove the “inner color” and just stick with the one border.  I like how using a border makes your image stand out, but I don’t want to use too many colors & frames to make it distracting.  I set my frame thickness to “10″ typically.  (one note:  adding a frame, increases the size of your photo, so sometimes making the frame larger, will actually help to “show” the frame when you are using the photo for a profile pic or cover photo etc.)

Congratulations!  You’ve just created a great Ad you can use on Facebook!  Quick note:  be sure to save your Ad (to your desktop for ease of grabbing) as a “PNG” file.  Facebook likes those better than a JPEG.

Now you can click on Nick’s video and follow his steps for creating an ad on Facebook! 

Design the Facebook ad.

Create an ad

Decide what to advertise
Pick an advertising goal.

Design the ad.

Facebook ads consist of a simple 25-character headline and a 90-character description, plus a thumbnail photograph. Facebook automatically suggests these, but it's usually better to rewrite them for your intended audience. These can be updated in real-time, so don't be afraid of trial and error.

These can be updated in real-time, so don't be afraid of trial and error.

The site displays images at 100 by 72 pixels, so be sure to use a photo that will still be clear even when it's displayed in a smaller format. Facebook recommends your image be at least this size, although the site automatically resizes images for you.

Facebook has a lengthy set of advertising standards related to what you can and cannot post. For example, ads can't refer to a potential customer's financial status. So before you write any copy, be sure to refer to the site's advertising guidelines.  

Target the ad.

You can narrow your ad's audience by targeting specific users. You can micro-target by location down to specific zip codes, then by age, gender and interests. In advanced options, you can segment by relationship status, languages spoken, college attended, workplace or just your own fans. By a process of trial and error, you can whittle down your audience from Facebook's roughly 167 million users in the U.S. to as few as 20 people, if your marketing goal is to target specific decision-makers.

Set name, pricing and schedule.

Next, it's time to name your campaign, and then set your budget and schedule. 

Pay for the ad.

3 Types Of Facebook Image Ads That Work

One of the major differences between Google and Facebook PPC advertising is the relative importance of images. In Facebook advertising, some experts say that certain elements of images in ads can make or break a campaign. In this article, I’ll cover images that convert well and various ways to effectively test Facebook images.

Of course, your mileage may vary. I’ve surveyed current expert opinion on leading-edge trends with Facebook ad performance, and found the work of Jennifer Sheahan from FBadsLAB to be particularly insightful. In fact, I credit many of the following tips to Jen and a recent conversation I had with her.

Before getting started, here are some general Facebook advertising tips:

1.  A sense of “urgency” works well with Facebook ads. Audiences will be more compelled to click if they don’t see your ad often and if they think the ad may not see them again.Translation: do not bid to the hilt in Facebook. Lower your impression share so ads appear less often.

2.  As with advertising on the Google display network, the goal of a Facebook ad is to distract users from other tasks and entice potential visitors to click on ads. Ads with a purpose or a clever hook work better than ads with no purpose. It’s better to tie your ad to a promotion, discount or a report with compelling information than to simply try to drive traffic to a site.

3.  Test many images at once. Experts suggest 7 to 10 images per campaign.

4.  Don’t be discouraged by low conversion rates, especially if you’re used to Google AdWords. Average conversion rates in FB are approximately 0.02%. You’re doing well if you see conversions in the 0.4% to 0.5% range.

In general, the following types of images convert best on Facebook.

Happy Women

The best types of images to use in Facebook advertising are of happy women. Women who look overjoyed, free and are looking directly at the camera convert best. Also, try images of women who joyfully have their arms in the air.

Images of woman can tie into almost any product like health nutrition, wellness, etc. Financial institutions like banks could use an image of a happy woman and tie it to the idea of getting freedom from services charges or getting freedom from a mortgage sooner.

Colorful Logos

Why do logos convert at all? Here, the key would seem to be extreme relevance and repetition over time to the most targeted audience possible. Involved in a niche sport like lacrosse? A leading lacrosse equipment maker could actually profit by simply showing you their logo every so often over a period of months or even years.

Recently, experts say logos have been converting better, and that’s likely because advertisers are getting better at implementing such strategies. Those who understand the long term benefit of building brand recall in consumers may be particularly impressed with Facebook’s ability to do this within communities of any size.

Try logos that are colorful and engaging. If your company’s logo is boring or bland, make look colorful by adding a colorful border, background or text. Definitely avoid blue and white as the colors blend too much with Facebook’s colors.

Images with text on them (calls to action) convert better than images alone. In general, ads with a “reason” convert better than ads with no reason. So don’t just tell people about your accounting services but include a reason like: 1) end of tax year special or 2) an online promotion with savings available for 3 days only.

Note: product images do not convert as well as straight up colorful logos.

Headshots

These work well for presenters or a well-known person like the head of a company. In general, happy pictures where people are looking directly at the camera work best.

For example, if advertising an expert speaker, action shots of them talking with expressive hands tend to convert best. Subconsciously, people who view these pictures want to hear what the speaker is saying. Here’s an example:

Close up pictures work best so try not to cram too much into your images. A good idea is to step away from your computer and see if you can still see your image clearly in the 110 x 80 format. If not, re-size, rinse and repeat.

In subsequent articles, I’ll cover best practices related to successful Facebook headlines, ad copy and testing strategies.

10 Examples of Facebook Ads That Actually Work (And Why)

by Dan Slagen

What Makes an Ad 'Effective'?

If we're talking about 'online advertising best practices,' exactly what makes an effective Facebook ad? First, let's consider how the success of online ads are generally measured. Typically, ads are measured based on click-through rates, although advanced ad tracking can also allow you to measure ads by leads or sales. So before we look at some Facebook ads we think are effective, let's quickly examine best practices on AdWords, as it's been the standard for so many years, and then we'll compare and contrast against Facebook. When advertising on Google AdWords, for example, the following three elements are crucial for high click-through rates.

1) High Relevance

When a user types in a specific query, ideally, an effective ad would be 100% relevant for the query. So, for instance, if I search for red running shoes, I should see search results for red running shoes:

Take a look at the example above. The first two results don't even address my needs indicated by my search query. Thankfully, Target came close by showing me an ad for red athletic shoes. Close enough, right? Well, let's take a look at the landing page I get directed to, just to be sure ...

Eek! Not quite, Target. You delivered on the ad, but the landing page isn't specifically showing me red running shoes. An effective ad needs to deliver relevancy throughout the entire process, from the ad to the landing page.

2) Compelling Call-to-Action

The call-to-action of your ad should motivate a user and generate a sense of urgency to click on your ad now. AirCanada does a nice job below, calling out the price of its flights today and making a compelling sense of urgency to book online now.

3) Value Proposition

Why should users shop at your store -- or online, for that matter? There needs to be a value proposition to encourage them. Zappos does a nice job of offering free shipping and a 365-day return policy, which saves consumers money and puts their mind at ease about a potential return policy. Old Navy has also done a nice job by putting its low prices right in the search results and also creating a sense of urgency with its call-to-action, calling out the end date of the sale, June 27th.

The Challenge With Facebook Ads

Pretty simple right? High relevance, a compelling call-to-action, and a solid value proposition -- the recipe for an effective ad on Google. When advertising on Facebook, however, the crucial elements of 'effective' ads change a bit. While relevance, a great call-to-action, and highlighting the value proposition are all important, the main different between Facebook and Google is that the messaging strategy is push versus pull. On Google, users are actively searching for something and then browsing the search results to find the content that best suits them.

On Facebook, users are there to check in on their social lives, which means that the element of disruption comes into play. Your ads now need to be louder and grab the attention of a user so they stop doing what they had initially set out to do on Facebook, and change their course of action to pay attention to your ad. And for Facebook advertisers, that's a big challenge.

That's why it's even more important to keep those best practices of relevance, calls-to-action, and value proposition in mind, in addition to the distraction factor, when creating Facebook ads. And if we do that, here are 10 Facebook ads we think are representative of effective Facebook advertising, and we'll break down exactly why.

1) Bing

Relevance: This ad was served on the Facebook homepage of a recent college grad. What better time for a vacation?!

Value Proposition: In a world of social reviews, what better way to determine the perfect vacation destination than by viewing recommendations from friends.

Call-to-Action: We think the ad could have been a bit more aggressive, but the call-out is to use Bing's sidebar for those ready for some vacation exploration, so perhaps the ad identifies with users further down the vacation purchase funnel.

Disruption Factor: Advertising vacations on Facebook is the perfect disruption for this medium. As users are seeing what their friends are doing, places they are visiting and vacations they are taking, it is only relevant that an ad pops up to entice users to take a vacation of their own.

2) Clairol

Relevance: This ad by Clairol came to us by a female Facebook user in her mid-20s, so the targeting appears to be sound.

Value Proposition: The value is very clear, offering up $1,000 for 50 lucky winners.

Call-to-Action: The call-to-action here is a mix of the offering and "enter here," as the user has been told what they can win and where they should go to enter.

Disruption Factor: The disruptive part of this ad is that "ENTER HERE" is in all capitals letters. A seemingly frowned upon approach in AdWords; however, on a site like Facebook with so many other things going on, the capital letters works well to draw the eye. As soon as the eye meets the ads, of course there is then a cash prize offering generating excitement through a contest, which is also a recommended strategy.

3) West Elm

Relevance: This West Elm ad was submitted to us by one of our female college interns, which makes the targeting spot on.

Value Proposition: It's very clear: 10% off if you are a college student.

Call-to-Action: This is one area that could use some improvement. However, the message is that if you're in the market to shop and you're also in college, you can save 10% off now through this ad.

Disruption Factor: The ad uses words that a college student would recognize and responds to well, including ".edu," "college," and a percent discount.

4) Bud Light

Relevance: This ad showed up for a man in his 30s, and it's about Bud Light and the NFL. Makes pretty good sense!

Value Proposition: There is a solid value proposition here, as this ad is answering questions that fans specifically asked, presenting them with exactly what they wanted from Bud.

Call-to-Action: The ad is updating fans by telling them that their questions have been answered and that they can now review the results.

Disruption Factor: "EXCLUSIVELY" for Bud's Facebook fans means that this ads was created for Facebook fans and Facebook fans only! The image is also well done, as it attracts users with the promise of a video.

5) SERPS.com

Relevance: This ad was shown to someone who has an interest in online marketing, so the SEO offering is definitely relevant.

Value Proposition: The value here is very clearly stated with the free, 14-day trial.

Call-to-Action: The offering here is that, in just 5 minutes, you can have the SEO dashboard of your dreams, and there is a 14-day free trial.

Disruption Factor: The image showing graphs (always relevant to a marketer) coinciding with the "SEO dashboard of your dreams" initially helps to draw the eye, and is then nicely followed up by "5 minute setup" and "14-day free trial" bonuses.

6) Fiverr

Relevance: This Fiverr ad was shown to an online marketing professional, so the targeting seems reasonable.

Value Proposition: The value proposition is well stated here, as Fiverr is offering an all-in-one marketing services destination for just $5.

Call-to-Action: It's a bold statement, but that's what it takes on Facebook to get attention, with the ad closing with "Check it Out Now!" using both capitalization and an exclamation point!

Disruption Factor: Fiverr does a great job leveraging imagery here in regard to its logo. The bright red, almost zombie-like logo does its job here, which is to draw the eye by being loud. It also helps that SEM and SEO are in all caps.

7) Survivalstraps.com

Relevance: This ad was shown to an active and athletic female in her late 20s, so the targeting looks to be right.

Value Proposition: The value proposition here is a bit hazy, but the keyword in this ad is "support." The ad is meant to appeal to those people who want to get behind their country and show a bit of national pride during the Olympic Games!

Call-to-Action: "Get yours today!" This call-out is designed to make people click NOW while they're "in the moment."

Disruption Factor: The disruption here is that the ad is calling out the Olympics, which is right around the corner and something that is in the news every day.

8) Samsung Mobile

Relevance: This ad was shown to an online marketer in their mid-20s, so the targeting could be a bit tighter perhaps by additionally targeting phone interests, but Samsung seems to be casting a wider net with this ad.

Value Proposition: There is a great value proposition here, as not only will Samsung take your old phone off your hands for you, but they will also give you $300 toward the purchase of a new phone.

Call-to-Action: The call-to-action here appears to be the flow of the entire ad. Trade in your old phone for $300 toward the new Samsung S III, targeting users who are further down the funnel and looking for either a new cell phone or specifically a new Samsung phone.

Disruption Factor: The disruption here is a combination of the visual and $300. There are 4 phones featured in the image with bright colors to draw the eye, and then an immediate call-out of $300, which attracts users to the value.

9) eWebinars

Relevance: This ad was shown to a marketer engaged with SMBs in their early 30s, so the targeting was well executed.

Value Proposition: The value prop is well stated here, as the offer is the ability to grow your business through pinning (on Pinterest).

Call-to-Action: If you'd like to grow your business, the ad does a nice job of using the word "advantage" and using all caps on the word "HERE," which is meant to make the user want to learn more.

Disruption Factor: Ah yes, the old 'sex sells' approach. You may think to yourself, "Huh? I've never associated an attractive blonde female with webinars," but we've seen this approach since the dawn of advertising (and every year during the Super Bowl thanks to Go-Daddy). You just have to ask yourself, "Is this a method you want to take for your business, and can you make it relatable to your offering?" If so, go for it!

10) HubSpot

Relevance: How could we not share a HubSpot example? This ad is quite relevant, as it's targeting SMB marketers who have expressed an interest in lead generation.

Value Proposition: The value proposition here is driving leads with Facebook. SMB marketers (our target) are on Facebook, and they've been hearing all about how Facebook doesn't work from GM. But now, thanks to the folks at the Wall Street Journal, they're getting assurance that Facebook ads do work from big names like Ford and Coke. So as thought leaders in the industry, we at HubSpot wanted to be sure that SMB marketers know that HubSpot is here to answer all of their questions and help make Facebook an efficient medium for their business.

Call-to-Action: Since we know our software will help you drive leads and improve your business, we want you to start today!

Disruption Factor: Since the ad was targeted specifically at SMB marketers, we opted to go with our logo for the visual, which stands out thanks to the orange sprocket. We then looked to draw the eye further by starting the ad out with a data point that is 100% relevant to SMB marketers.

Well, there you have it. Relevance, value proposition, call-to-action, and disruption: the four key elements to running effective Facebook ads. Don't afraid to try something new, be loud, be bold, or be controversial. Your main objective is to draw the eye away from all of the other distractions on Facebook, and there are a lot! Whether you're new to Facebook ads or a seasoned pro, things that are considered relevant are constantly changing (e.g. current events like the Olympics), so there is always good reason to update your ads regularly and test something new.