Adding an announcement notice bar or popup to your WordPress site, such as your WooCommerce store “My Shop” (from your “Blog Page” guide), is an effective way to promote sales, capture leads, or highlight offers like “Flying Ninja” products (from your “Creating Products” guide). The Icegram Express plugin, featured in the 6fc Live Educate WordPress video hosted by Aisha, is a versatile tool with over 40,000 active installations, enabling easy creation of notice bars, popups, and more. This guide details how to install, configure, and customize these features, based on the video and enriched with web sources.
Sponsored Note: This video is sponsored by Appmaker, a plugin that converts WooCommerce sites into native Android/iOS apps. Get 30% off for the first 200 signups at appmaker.xyz (per video).
Why Use Icegram Express?
- Engagement Boost: Announcement bars and popups promote sales (e.g., “Mega Winter Sale”) or collect emails, increasing conversions by up to 20%.
- WooCommerce Fit: Enhances eCommerce stores with sale alerts, complementing tools like NotificationX (from your “NotificationX” guide).
- Free Features: Pre-designed templates for action bars, popups, toasts, and sidebars, with basic customization.
- Premium Features ($97+/year): Advanced templates, A/B testing, geolocation, and integrations (e.g., Mailchimp).
- Limitations: Free version lacks advanced targeting and integrations; some templates require Premium.
Step 1: Install and Activate Icegram Express
- Install Plugin:
- In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New.
- Search for Icegram (per video, “Icegram Express – Email Subscribers & Newsletters” by Icegram).
- Click Install Now, then Activate (per video).
- Alternative: Download from wordpress.org/plugins/email-subscribers/ and upload via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin.
- Verify Installation:
- Confirm: Icegram Express appears in the sidebar with a campaign dashboard (per video).
Step 2: Create an Announcement Notice Bar
- Access Campaigns:
- Go to Icegram Express > Campaigns (per video).
- Click Add New Campaign (per video).
- Choose Template:
- Browse pre-designed templates (per video, e.g., Action Bar, Popup, Toast).
- Select Action Bar for a notice bar (per video, e.g., “Mega Winter Sale”).
- Click Use This to start editing.
- Configure Campaign:
- Campaign Name: Enter a name (e.g., “Winter Sale”, per video, visible only to you).
- Headline: Set the main text (e.g., “Mega Winter Sale”, per video).
- Message Body: Add a subtext (e.g., “50% Off Everything!”, per video, in smaller font).
- Call to Action (CTA):
- Set CTA text (e.g., “Shop Now”, per video).
- Add a Target Link (e.g., yoursite.com/shop, per video).
- Enable Open in New Tab (optional, per video).
- Timing: Set display delay (e.g., show immediately, per video).
- Animation: Choose an effect (e.g., “No Animation”, per video, or slide/fade for Premium).
- Colors: Use theme default or customize (e.g., red background, white text, per video).
- Custom Code (Optional): Add CSS/JavaScript for advanced styling (per video, e.g., .icegram { font-size: 16px; }).
- Set Display Rules:
- Where to Show: Select pages (e.g., “Homepage Only”, per video, or specific URLs like yoursite.com/shop).
- When to Show: Choose “Always” or schedule (e.g., during a sale, per video).
- Device: Select devices (e.g., all devices, per video, or exclude tablets).
- Audience: Target all users, logged-in, or non-logged-in (e.g., “All Users”, per video).
- Retargeting:
- Prevent repeat displays (e.g., “Current Session”, per video, or “1 Week”).
- Hide for users who clicked the CTA (e.g., after signing up, per video).
- Save and Preview:
- Click Save (per video).
- Click Preview Campaign to view (per video, shows “Mega Winter Sale” bar).
- Visit your site (e.g., yoursite.com) to confirm the bar appears (per video, ignore admin toolbar).
Step 3: Create a Popup Notification
- Create New Campaign:
- Go to Icegram Express > Campaigns > Add New Campaign (per video).
- Select Popup template (per video, e.g., Black Friday or custom design).
- Customize Popup:
- Campaign Name: Enter a name (e.g., “Winter Sale Popup”, per video).
- Headline: Set text (e.g., “Winter Sale – Grab Your Favorites!”, per video).
- Message Body: Add details (e.g., “50% Off Everything!”, per video).
- CTA: Set text (e.g., “Shop Now”) and link (e.g., yoursite.com/shop).
- Timing: Set delay (e.g., “Show after 1 second”, per video).
- Colors: Customize or use theme defaults (e.g., blue background, per video).
- Close Behavior: Enable close button or auto-close (per video).
- Animation: Choose an effect (e.g., fade-in, per video).
- Set Display Rules:
- Where: Select pages (e.g., all pages or homepage).
- When: Schedule or show always (e.g., during sale).
- Device: Target all devices.
- Audience: Choose all users or specific groups (e.g., non-logged-in).
- Retargeting: Hide after view/click (e.g., “Current Session”, per video).
- Publish and Test:
- Click Publish (per video).
- Visit your site and refresh to confirm the popup appears (per video, e.g., “Winter Sale” popup after 1 second).
- Test close button functionality.
Step 4: Verify and Test
- Verify Display:
- Visit your homepage (e.g., yoursite.com) as a guest (use incognito mode).
- Confirm:
- Notice bar shows (e.g., “Mega Winter Sale” with “Shop Now” button, per video).
- Popup appears (e.g., “Winter Sale – 50% Off” after 1 second).
- Click CTAs to ensure links work (e.g., redirects to shop page).
- Test Functionality:
- Check retargeting: Refresh to confirm popup doesn’t reappear in the same session (per video).
- Test on mobile/tablet to verify responsiveness.
- Log in to confirm audience targeting (e.g., shows for all users).
- Troubleshoot:
- Bar/Popup Not Showing?:
- Verify campaign is published in Icegram Express > Campaigns.
- Check display rules (e.g., correct pages/devices).
- Clear cache (from your “Backup and Migration” guide).
- Design Issues?:
- Adjust colors or fonts in campaign settings.
- Test with Neve or Storefront (from your “Neve” or “Creating Products” guides).
- CTA Not Working?: Verify target link (e.g., yoursite.com/shop).
- Contact support at icegram.com/support/ or check icegram.com/documentation/.
- Bar/Popup Not Showing?:
Step 5: Enhance with Optional Features
- Icegram Express Features:
- Free:
- Action bars, popups, toasts, sidebars, and ribbons (per video).
- Basic templates (e.g., Black Friday, Welcome).
- Display rules and retargeting.
- Premium ($97+/year):
- Advanced templates (e.g., Halloween, exit-intent).
- Integrations (e.g., Mailchimp for newsletters, per video).
- A/B testing and geolocation.
- Sticky bars and countdown timers.
- Purchase at icegram.com/pricing/.
- Free:
- WooCommerce Integration:
- Promote sales with popups (e.g., “50% Off Flying Ninja”).
- Pair with NotificationX for additional alerts (from your “NotificationX” guide).
- Secure payments with Razorpay or UPI QR Code (from your “Razorpay” or “UPI Payment” guides).
- Enhance search with Search & Filter or FiboSearch (from your “Search & Filter” or “FiboSearch” guides).
- Use Convertful for advanced popups (from your “Newsletter” guide).
- Custom Styling:
Add CSS in Appearance > Customize > Additional CSS:
.icegram { background: #0073aa; color: #fff; padding: 10px; }
.ig_popup { border-radius: 5px; max-width: 500px; }
- @media (max-width: 600px) { .icegram, .ig_popup { font-size: 14px; } }
- Align with Neve’s design (from your “Neve” guide).
- Newsletter Integration:
- Add opt-in forms to popups (Premium, per video).
- Connect with Mailchimp or Convertful (from your “Newsletter” guide) for lead capture.
Step 6: Best Practices
- Campaign Design:
- Use clear, concise headlines (e.g., “Mega Winter Sale”).
- Include strong CTAs (e.g., “Shop Now”) with relevant links.
- Choose contrasting colors for visibility (e.g., white text on blue).
- User Experience:
- Set short delays for popups (e.g., 1-3 seconds) to avoid annoyance.
- Use retargeting to prevent repetitive displays (e.g., “Current Session”).
- Ensure mobile responsiveness for all campaigns.
- Testing:
- Test in incognito mode to simulate guest experience.
- Verify CTAs redirect correctly (e.g., to shop page).
- Check display rules across pages/devices.
- Performance:
- Icegram is lightweight; cache pages excluding dynamic content (from your “Backup and Migration” guide).
- Monitor load times with GTmetrix, as popups may add minor overhead.
Pro Tips
- Engagement: Pair with a Welcome Bar (from your “Sticky Menu” guide) or Join.chat for support (from your “Join.chat” guide).
- Security: Protect campaigns with Wordfence (from your “Malware Removal” guide).
- Compliance: Use GDPR Cookie Consent for popup cookies (from your “Cookie Notice” guide).
- SEO: Promote campaigns with Yoast SEO (from your “Yoast SEO” guide).
- Backup: Save settings with UpdraftPlus (from your “Backup and Migration” guide).
- Mobile Apps: Convert your site to an app with Appmaker (per video, 30% off at appmaker.xyz).
Congratulations!
You’ve added an announcement notice bar and popup to your WordPress site with Icegram Express and 6fc Live! Your WooCommerce store now drives sales and engagement with professional campaigns. For advanced features like A/B testing or newsletter integrations, explore Icegram Premium (icegram.com). Combine with your other guides (e.g., “NotificationX,” “Yoast SEO,” “Neve”) for a dynamic platform. Need help with customization, targeting, or troubleshooting? Comment below or visit icegram.com/support/!