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Insights News

The evolution of Spring’s Boosted Network

The Boosted Network is a service that helps amplify creators’ sales by as much as 15% through enhanced promotional efforts. In 2022, we’re focused on harnessing the power of email marketing to help creators capture even more sales.

We originally launched the Boosted Network in 2017 with a heavy focus on advertising and marketplaces (like Amazon, Ebay, etc). However, in the last year, we removed the marketplace element to focus our efforts on unlocking more sales for creators through new advertising channels and effective email marketing tactics. The results? Creators are seeing their sales amplified by as much as 15% thanks to the Boosted Network.

How does it work?

Why is the Boosted Network so powerful? It requires no additional time, effort or upfront investment from you, and helps you generate extra sales. Spring’s marketing experts handle all retargeting efforts through advertisements and email, and you’ll earn a guaranteed profit amount for every sale made.

The Boosted Network works best when you drive fans to your listings and stores. If they don’t purchase your product, we’ll encourage them to come back to your store with curated retargeting efforts such as paid ads, cart abandonment emails, and more.

Boosted network: how it works

Email is front and center.

First, we’re expanding and optimizing cart abandonment emails. No carts will be left empty. Over the last weeks of testing, these emails saw an average open rate of 65%+ from fans, and creators are raking in an extra 7% in sales. The more you send fans to your listings, the more chances you’ll have to capitalize on cart abandonment sales.

Next, we’re expanding product recommendation emails for fans. We curate product suggestions based on your fans’ interests and past purchases to increase your repeat buyer rate. We’ll recommend your latest product launch, or other products you’ve created we think they’ll like, so it’s important to create fresh new products that can be featured. 

Please note: For now, these new email marketing efforts will feature simple, Spring branded templates. The plan is to incorporate custom creator branding across all buyer marketing emails. We’ll also aim to begin testing buyer marketing SMS in summer 2022.

Optimizing paid promotional efforts

Along with adding email marketing to the mix, we’ve focused specifically on enhancing our paid ad performance. This is an ongoing effort, but recently we have focused on Google and Facebook:

  • Google: Firstly, we’ve added Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) which means all Spring creators opted into the Boosted Network will notice their products will appear in higher google search results. We’ve improved the feed for Google Shopping too, meaning your listings will appear above competing ads.
  • Facebook and Instagram: We’ll be paying close attention to the performance of paid ads on Facebook by optimizing the wording, while tweaking the target audience where necessary. Additional changes include updated tracking in light of new iOS14 updates, and we’ve implemented retargeting ads to make your products appear first before others.

Your guaranteed profit 

Don’t forget, this service requires no upfront costs, and the fee is only applied if a sale is captured due to boosted marketing efforts. You can find the boosted payout structure below for each product category.

To ensure your products are eligible for the Boosted Network, they must have the minimum profit margin listed below. For example, a sticker with a profit of $1 would not be eligible to be sold on the Boosted Network; it needs to have a profit margin of at least $2 to be eligible.

Boosted profit payout structure for each product category

Now, watch the sales roll in

From May 2nd onwards, email marketing sales will be attributed to the Boosted Network within your account analytics—so expect to see a jump in boosted profit. Check out the screenshot below to see how boosted sales will appear. 

How to see Boosted Network profit amounts
Example of how boosted sales will appear in your Analytics

Don’t want to earn extra sales through this service or fancy opting back in? No problem. Just untick the “feature my listings in Spring’s Boosted Network” option within your Spring account settings here to opt-out.

Categories
Insights News

Updates coming to Spring’s custom product line and pricing

High-quality, one-of-a-kind, custom products for all. Like the sound of that? Here’s what to look out for this spring and beyond.

Last year was one for the books; we rebranded to Spring, hit 8 million+ creators, launched new partnerships, and expanded our product offering. We also made a commitment to provide top quality products to our creators and their fans. One of the ways we plan to empower more creators is to tap into bespoke products like never before—with the help of our brand new Custom Products Team.

Expanding custom product access

In the past, creators have had profound success with bespoke products like board games, NFTs, toys, plushies, and puzzles. Moving forward, we want more creators to dream big; launching everything from their own makeup collections, to candles, coin trays, pin packs, perfumes, jewelry, and even food products like coffees and teas.

Our Custom Products Team is dedicated to building powerful partnerships and creating opportunities for creators to offer one-of-a-kind products to their fans. We’ve also ramped up our digital efforts, removing barriers to exciting new products like NFTs, Metaverse merch, and much more to come.

Base cost adjustments  

In tandem with expanding our product line, we also need to make adjustments to our current product offering. Due to increased inflation rates and energy prices, the base cost of several products need to be updated accordingly. This increase enables us to continue offering key features and services like order processing, production, shipping and handling, not to mention our in-house support teams who love to assist you and your fans.

These changes will take effect on June 1st, 2022. You can see impacted product and categories in the table below. You can also reference all product pricing here

Here’s what to expect:

If you’d like to make adjustments ahead of time, you can edit product prices for your listings within your dashboard. If you prefer to wait, no sweat, here’s how the pricing update will work: 

  • As of June 1st, 2022, the specific cost changes listed in the section above will be applied to new product launches.
  • For existing products on the list, the base cost will update once the product’s print cycle restarts (following a sale). 
  • After the base cost is updated, if any products have a negative profit margin, we’ll automatically round the selling price up to the nearest $0.99 amount that ensures profitability.
  • You’ll receive an email notification indicating the products that have been updated so you can make further changes if you like.

For example, if your product has a selling price of $15.00 but has a negative profit margin because of the update to the base cost, we’ll round up the selling price to the nearest profitable amount, for example $15.99, to ensure there is a positive profit margin. 

Don’t forget, if you’re running any promotions make sure you’ve got enough profit margin to support the discount you’re offering. As always, if you have any questions our Creator Experience Team is standing by to help at creatorhelp@spri.ng

Categories
Creators Digital Insights

How Sapien Medicine sold 2,600+ NFTs with Mint-On-Demand™

Sapien Medicine is the most successful Mint-On-Demand creator on Spring. With an impressive 69 drops and a community of 2,400 NFT holders—read on to learn how do they do it. 

@SapienMedicine is a YouTube creator who connects with their community of 242,000 subscribers through digital artwork, spiritual wellness, and guided meditation. There’s huge demand and value around their NFTs: find out how to engage your fans with NFTs too.

Sapien Medicine—the youtube creator selling NFTs

Ready to start your journey into web3 with your fans? Take note of the ways Sapien Medicine does it and give it a go. Check to see if you’ve got access (If not, you will soon—register your interest here).

Creating hype and demand 

Before Mint-On-Demand, Sapien Medicine started with digital products—selling 4,000+ of them in just over a year. Through only announcing new products via gated forums, the exclusivity around them grew. Sapien’s digital product success meant NFTs were the obvious next step.

Building value and introducing co-creation 

Sapien continued to use their forums to exclusively announce new NFTs and discuss their value; an important community building tactic. They explained:

“Eventually, the process evolved into our community building what they would like in an NFT…then submitting it to me to create. The unique thing about having community project NFTs is that members are pre-invested in the idea, knowing they had a hand in creating it”.

Gated forums give fans the governance to vote on what content comes next, get benefits, and have a say in brand decisions. Becoming an NFT holder became much more than proving ownership—it made them part of the community.

Sapien Medicine's NFTs

Introducing utility for fans

Corpus Spiritus Tarot Deck NFT

Sapien Medicine then decided to take their NFT game to the next level; introducing the Corpus Spiritus Tarot Deck NFT. Each NFT holder received a bonus physical tarot card deck. Adding extra perks made for the perfect way to reward NFT holders for their support and mark the moment physically.

Members of the community went crazy for it. There’s now 205 NFT holders digitally flexing their NFT Tarot Decks. Sapien said:

“We try to add a real world value to it, so there is an actual worth. For examlpe, the Tarot Card Deck is a physical, and the NFT is used as a certifier of the purchase.”

See the full story below.

Now you’ve got tips from one of the best, start thinking about ways you can start co-creating with your community. Create and sell and NFTs for your fans below.

Categories
Creators Digital Insights

How to sell NFTs with Super Dacob: minting a milestone

Tons of creators sell NFTs with Mint-On-Demand™—and their fans are already digitally flexing. Read how creator @superdacob dropped 50 NFTs to commemorate a milestone with his community.

Fans are always searching for new ways to support you and your brand. @SuperDacob saw the opportunity to sell NFTs, engage with fans, and mark physical experiences within his community. With Mint-On-Demand™, you can too.

Ready to mint a milestone you have coming up? Head to the card template to start selling your digital collectibles below.

Examples of Spring creator Super Dacob's NFTs

Marking physical moments with NFTs  

YouTube creator @SuperDacob has a diverse, worldwide community tapped into high fashion, luxury, art and culture. Keeping a close eye on the industry, he noticed high profile fashion brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton were offering NFTs. 

After reaching 50,000 subscribers on YouTube, he decided to celebrate by dropping 50 unique NFTs. The limited edition collection would become a tokenized game for the community:

“We decided to launch our own series of fashion-inspired NFTs in a series of playful colors for my fans to collect and trade with each other, making the NFT experience interactive and fun”. 

Making the NFT relevant to fans

Each of the 50 NFTs are 1 of 1, and mimic a different bag material and hardware. The NFT project virtually represents the chase for a rare “unicorn bag” (something his community can relate to). Dacob explains: 

“The collector of the NFT gets to hunt down their favorite hardware… There are no two alike…It’s a game that reflects the chase after unicorn bags in the luxury fashion world, except it’s more sustainable. Once you catch a color-way you like, you can decide to swap it and chase down different variations.”

Promoting the NFT collection 

Dacob sold out by nailing promotion and getting fans hyped. There’s several ways he announced their availability on his store:

How Super Dacob promoted NFTs to their community
  • Announced the drop during 50K celebrations on Livestream and shared the link to his store. Only members could access the live—making the drop exclusive.
  • Communicated the value of the NFT collection and questions in real-time
  • Featured the NFTs in his Linktree—making them discoverable across all social platforms
  • Shared promotional imagery on Instagram 

What kind NFT will you sell first? Check to see if you’ve got access and get started below. (If not, you will soon—register your interest here).

Categories
Creators Digital Insights

The future of NFTs with FORJ; 4 facts you need to know

If you missed our Instagram Live with FORJ, it’s worth catching up. Watch the discussion below and learn the in’s and out’s of utility, community engagement, and more as you enter the world of NFTs.

Full livestream with FORJ and Spring team

Ready to get in the game? Begin strengthening your community and start selling NFTs with Mint-On-Demand™ below (If you’re not eligible yet, sign up, you will be soon). 

1. NFTs are the next step for creators.

One thing is clear: NFTs are community builders. Fans are constantly searching for new ways to support you and your career as a creator; and NFTs make for the perfect way to do so publicly. Selling an NFT tokenizes your brand—allowing unlimited utility and endless ways to keep your community engaged in the future. See how other creators are killing it with Mint-On-Demand already.

NFT examples by Spring creators

2. Utility adds value: marking physical experiences for fans 

The future for the creator world is about seamless interaction with digital content and mixing it with the real, physical world. Once upon a time, fans would subscribe to an email list to stay in the know and receive updates. NFTs give communities the chance to have a stake in their creator’s brand—technology has never allowed that.

That’s where ‘utility’ comes in. Soon, creators selling NFTs on Spring will give fans the governance to vote on what content comes next, receive special benefits, and have a stake on brand decisions (stay tuned for ways to give back to NFT buyers).

3. Mint-On-Demand™ allows for eco-friendly NFT minting.

Firstly, the Mint-On-Demand service is designed to reduce energy wastage, by only minting after purchase (more about that further down).

FORJ also works with the Polygon blockchain, allowing more eco-friendly NFT minting. One minted NFT with Polygon uses 3x less energy than streaming a video online for 20 minutes. 

4. Minting after purchase and receiving crypto-wallets: real benefits.

NFTs are only minted after purchase on Spring, reducing energy wastage. Both the creator and the NFT buyer then receive a crypto-wallet containing the NFT—so no need to worry about the technicalities.

In the future, creators will be able to leverage their crypto-wallets to give back to their communities. Prepare to be able to drop surprises in your NFT holders’ wallets, give access to gated chats, send bonus content, and more. 

Categories
Digital News

Thousands more creators get access to Mint-On-Demand™ in time for *NEW* card template feature

We promised there was more to come for Mint-On-Demand™. While we roll out access to all Spring creators, we’re coming through with additional features. Here’s the latest.

Introducing the Card Template—version 1 of further enhancements to Spring’s NFT launcher. This new update provides a quick and easy way to make your NFT stand out.   

Enjoy the ability to choose your background color and crop your artwork to fit the card shape provided. Create your digital collectibles using this optional tool and elevate the appearance of your NFT. 

The more exclusive your NFT looks, the more likely it is to sell within minutes—look out for v2 of this enhancement coming soon.

This is just the beginning, so stay tuned. 

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News Uncategorized

Introducing SpringMark: Protect your profits from copycats

Design theft in the creator commerce space is a real thing. Your creativity is your livelihood, so it’s important to protect it from copycats.

Subscribe and sit back while SpringMark asset protection technology scans 34 popular marketplaces for your content.  

Now, you’ve got a secret weapon to help ensure all search engine traffic (and profit) goes to you and your store. See a summary of the benefits below: 

  • Earn what’s yours, avoid losing $10+ whenever a copy of your product is sold
  • Safeguard your brand and protect fans from low-quality, copycat products
  • Save time searching for copies of your designs across the internet

How SpringMark works 

By signing up to SpringMark’s monthly subscription, you can protect all the listings on your store. We’ll send you weekly reports, as well as real time alerts as soon as we detect any potential copies. If we don’t find any problematic uses of your design, happy days. If we do, you’ll be able to review and report content using quick links provided. 

Got any questions? See our most popular FAQs. 

Categories
Creators Digital Insights

Why NFT enthusiast @byshayneanthony sells with Mint-On-Demand™

Mint-On-Demand™ makes launching NFTs easy. Shayne Anthony thought so too. After moving over from other NFT selling platforms to Spring, he launched a digital collectible alongside a new hoodie. See how he did it.

If you can engage fans with merch, you can sell NFTs too. Photographer and creative director @byshayneanthony tried his hand before selling NFTs via other platforms. Mint-On-Demand™ made for the perfect opportunity to go again with a more eco-friendly blockchain, zero upfront costs, and no risk.

The ease of Mint-On-Demand™ 

Shayne has experience selling merch to his community, so NFTs felt like the natural next step.  However, after trying to sell his digital collectibles on other marketplaces (like Opensea), Shayne quickly realized selling NFTs was a complicated process. Upfront, unsustainable minting, gas fees, and crypto wallet requirements for him and fans made the whole process intimidating.

Shayne and Spring’s Creative Director chat all things NFT Live on @springforcreators

That’s why he jumped at the chance to sell NFTs with Spring; Mint-On-Demand™ removes the upfront cost and risk, plus, no crypto requirements makes it easy for anybody to purchase NFTs.  

“Mint-On-Demand™ allows me to have my NFT in my store alongside my physical product range—if you sell merch for your channel, then I recommend bolting onto your physical product drops to create collectible NFTs.”

Shayne launched his NFT alongside a merch drop for maximum engagement

NFT inspiration

Shayne decided to launch his first NFT on Spring alongside a new merch drop; he took the design file from his Bad Signal Hoodie, and used it to create a limited edition NFT. Launching his hoodie and NFT at the same time was an engaging way for him to re-introduce digital collectibles to his community. Plus, taking inspiration from the hoodie design itself to create the digital collectible meant he could easily recycle his existing design asset to create a new NFT.

“My NFT captures the vibe of the new design, but in digital form. Something that isn’t just a graphic, but ties directly into the merch drop and my community.”

Please note: Currently, creators can use the Mint-On-Demand™ beta to launch NFT static file formats (JPG, PDF, PNG), we’ll introduce additional file formats soon.

NFT promotional strategy 

Shayne made sure to shout about his new launch on social media once it went live. Using Instagram stories and posts—he took advantage of the Spring x Linktree Integration. By pointing fans toward his Linktree, they’d be able to click, see his merch and NFT displayed together, and purchase both.

Creators can easily sell NFTs through Spring x Linktree Integration

Super fans who purchased the NFT would now be able to start digital flexing. They now have a collectible that marks the moment Shayne’s Bad signal merch launched—and the NFT in their crypto-wallet proved they supported it.

Ready to launch your own?

Planning to launch new merch? Merge it with a digital collectible launch—it’s the perfect strategy to ease you into creating your first NFT.

We’re rolling out access to Mint-On-Demand™ right now, so if you haven’t received an email from us confirming your NFT access—hold tight. In the meantime, check out our ultimate guide to NFTs here and apply for access below.

Categories
Creators Digital Insights

Connor DeWolfe’s story: NFTs made easy with Mint-On-Demand™

How do you create an NFT your community will love? If you’ve already sold merch, you’re ready to go. Connor was new to NFTs, but with the right steps, he nailed his first launch. Here’s how you can too.

  1. Finding NFT inspo 
  2. Creating a collectible NFT 
  3. Sharing with fans 

@Connor.DeWolfe creates video content about living with ADHD, educating his fans on what it’s really like to live with it. He’s been successfully selling merch (products like hats, backpacks, etc), so NFTs felt like a natural next step. With a loyal community following his cause and supporting his career as a creator, this made for the perfect foundation to enter web3.

Connor had read about NFTs before, but never found the platform to sell them easily. Mint-On-Demand™ made it easier than ever for creators like him to sell NFTs, plus he could launch crypto-free with no cost or risk.

1. Finding NFT inspiration

You might not realize it, but you may already have an NFT in your back pocket. Connor broke into NFTs by using one of our top recommended strategies: Bringing back a fan-favorite design from the past.

“I wanted to make a collectible moment around bees in my head that we could share together.”

His existing ‘Bees in my head’ physical merch skyrocketed sales—so next, using elements from this design felt right. Using a community driven strategy, using the same imagery made for the perfect digital collectible. For fans, buying the NFT would show allegiance to Connor, plus a homage to mental health awareness in his content. 

2. Creating the NFT

This didn’t need to be complicated for Connor (it doesn’t need to be for you, either). The next step for him was creating the digital art NFT. All Connor had to do was provide an image file. Taking elements from his Bee design, he made a cool, digitized .PNG file using the same bee in his design.

Connor’s strategy: Sell 10, first edition units of his NFT. Now, with limited numbers, they were true collectibles. Connor decided to price each unit at $150, affirming their value and exclusivity.

3. Promotional techniques

Connor’s promotional technique reflected its exclusivity—”if you know, you know”. Fans tuned into his announcements in Instagram Stories. He also did a great job creating hype: Getting fans involved in the discussion and answering questions live before launch.

“I really wanted to let my fans know as much information as possible before the NFT launch to create excitement and answer any questions they had about my NFTs.”

He set a countdown timer on his stories for fans to set reminders, and spoke about the fact his NFT was environmentally conscious. 

So how might you go about sharing the news of your NFT with fans? We’ve got a few suggestions to build the hype: 

  • Post teasers on your social media channels a few weeks before your NFT release—build hype. Like Connor, explain the idea and value of your NFT to your fans.
  • Create a countdown. Do this easily using Instagram stories and notify your community when your NFT goes live.
  • Make your NFT easily discoverable. Ensure you’re using the Spring x Linktree integration. This way, fans can find and purchase your NFT.
  • Communicate with fans. It’s likely some of your community may not understand what your NFT is. Go live, answer questions, reply to comments, and more. Describe the idea behind your NFT and why it’s a collectible. 

Be environmentally aware. There’s a chance you could get questions on how eco-friendly your NFT is. NFTs will only be minted once they are purchased. They’ll be minted on the Polygon blockchain, too. Let’s put this in perspective: One NFT minted by Polygon uses x3 less energy than streaming a video online for 1 hour—so you should communicate this with your fans. Read into this more on the Ultimate NFT Guide.  

Ready to get going? If you’ve got access, you’ll have received an email from us, or you’ll find the submission form in your dashboard. If not, our goal is to give all Spring creators access to this service within the coming weeks—watch this space. 

Read more about Mint-On-Demand™ with Spring below.

Categories
Digital News

Now, creators can sell on Apple’s App Store with Spring

Create with Spring, sell on the App Store. It’s all about connecting digitally—so we’re removing barriers for creators like you to expand the reach of your brand and tap into new products and platforms.

We’re excited to announce iMessage Stickers as the first digital product Spring creators can sell on Apple’s App Store. Since the initial beta release, many creators have seen fans go wild for this new product. One creator in particular even made it into the UK’s top trending app charts (more on that below). 

Giving you the ability to share your digital content using innovative tools and channels means it’s easier than ever for you to stay current in the creator space. Spring’s CEO, Chris Lamontagne, says: 

By integrating with Apple’s App Store, we are able to build a brand new paradigm for creators, offering creatives a new way to interact with their community of fans and followers digitally. This addition has been created following Spring’s aim to start setting future digital trends within the creator economy.” 

In a constantly evolving creator commerce world, iMessage Stickers mean you can expose your products in spaces you haven’t before—even off social media. First, they’re an affordable option for fans to engage with and support you. Second, they’re a fun way to create a network effect. 

We’re rolling out access to iStickers on a case by case basis, once you’ve gained access we’ll notify you via email. Until then, let us know you’re interested in this exciting new product using the form below.

Comic book creator and illustrator @SiberianLizard  is one of Spring’s most recent iMessage Sticker success stories. After adding her first sticker pack to the App Store, she immediately sold over 100 sticker packs in just 7 days. Her digital product reached No.1 in the UK charts, and ranked #14 on the Top Paid iMessage app list. How’s that for brand exposure? Following Siberian Lizard’s huge success, she’s currently working on her second Sticker Pack.

This is just the beginning. Soon, we’ll be inviting creators to try out this new way of selling, and we’re looking forward to seeing the impact it has on their brand and communities. 

Sound good? Let us know if you’re interested below.