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Written on Thursday, June 10th, 2010 by David and stored in digital/online, mobile, web
M-commerce as mobile retail is now dubbed is set to more than double by 2013, according to a recent report by Ovum and Verdict Research.
Sales via mobile phones are currently small (£122.9million in 2009 or 0.6% of total online sales) so doubling them is not that huge a leap, but as when e-commerce first started once the initial hurdles of adoption are overcome growth is likely to be exponential. (more…)
Many clients and commentators when talking about online marketing and advertising refer to social media and social networking in the same breath but in truth this leads to many misunderstandings as social media is by definition the tool for broadcasting your message just as in the offline environment and advertising, marketing and networking are 3 different ways of using the media. (more…)
Today going green is something we all must do and the construction industry is without doubt a sector where this is very important. Going green however needs to be a fundamental part of the brand of your business if consumers are to believe you are serious. Do not just bolt it on to your marketing strategy, make sure it is a theme throughout your business and that your staff believe in it as well. (more…)
Written on Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 by David and stored in marketing
Digital printing has been around for over a decade now and its usefulness as a marketing tool has developed every year since its inception. Originally whilst it had the advantages of variability and personalisation it was normally of poor quality and very expensive. All this has now changed, though it is still not cheap as by its very nature it is designed for smaller runs but quality issues are a thing of the past and the range of substrates that can be printed on is infinitely variable. Digital printing is now an integral part of the production process and has by its development allowed creativity to be expanded across campaigns from direct mail, point of sale and as a result of the development of flat bed technology hoardings and building wraps. (more…)
Written on Friday, May 7th, 2010 by David and stored in David
Yet again the summer is nearly upon us and it will soon be time for the Haddenham Real Ale Festival, which this year will be even bigger and better than before. Each year this festival has grown and each year we keep increasing the amount of beer and other drinks on offer in order to try and stop running out but as yet we have failed in this endeavour, although last year we were able to draft in some emergency supplies so we had beer until the last band had finished. (more…)
Written on Friday, May 7th, 2010 by David and stored in advertising
A recent rule change means that charities can now use comparative ads on TV and Radio. Whilst initially this may seem positive as it brings this sector in line with industries the fact that it will allow charities to compare how they spend donations and their working methods with others may well lead to divisions and conflict within the sector.
A spokeswoman (as reported in MarketingWeek) for the Institute of Fundraising, says the new rules could help charities “educate the public further about the charity’s work”, but charity marketers need to be careful they do not “denigrate” other charities’ work.
The recession is continuing to hit charitable donations. The latest Charity Commission study available from September 2009 found that 56% of charities have been affected by the recession, up from 52% at the start of 2009 and there is every likelihood that this will have continued into 2010 when the figures are available.
It is important that charities use the new rules sensibly although the one area we may find them highlighting is the “unfair” advantage the BBC’s charities gain by having a continuous stream of free advertisng and promotion available to them, if air time and production was given free to some of our smaller to medium sized charities they may well be able to raise a enough money to survive 3 or 4 years in one campaign, but unfortunately this will not happen, but if one of the larger charities was to compare costs of advertising to raise money with say Sport Relief then the public might be a little more sympathetic to their cause.
No doubt many of the larger charities will use this to their benefit and hopefully as a result benefits will filter through to local and smaller charities although if you are one of these do not rely on it but develop a clear strategy to increase your profile and even piggy back where possible on national events to help you raise money.
Written on Friday, April 23rd, 2010 by David and stored in digital/online, web
Utalkmarketing on one of their recent Newsletters has posed this question. It is an interesting subject as most commentary refers to ecommerce and how you can engage consumers and businesses to buy from you online. If you do not directly sell online however what should you be doing to improve your brands presence? The following tips are some of the areas you should most concern yourself with if you are currently pondering this question for your business or brand.
Define your objectives
If you do not have an ecommerce site then objectives and targets are of paramount importance. Really ask yourself what the purpose of your presence, is it to inform, gain leads, announce your services or products, and build brand awareness or a combination of all of these? Once you have decided what you want to achieve it will easier to then create a clear and sound strategy.
Create a clear strategy
Sounds obvious but again most brands are prone to jump on the latest bandwagon and online there are many of them to choose from. Not only do they do this they often only play at it and therefore end up doing it badly, this is particularly true of those who due to a lack of perceived budget try to bring in house complex ideas that they have no experience of or time to learn about. So a clear strategy is of paramount importance, as it will pave the way for decisions to be made to ignore some perceived opportunities, as well as creating time to develop those that have real value. Do not have a Facebook page just because you can, have one only if you can manage it and add value to your business or brand as a result.
Understand your target audience
How you talk to your audience will depend on who they are, what social and demographic sectors they fit in and how they use the Internet. If you are targeting other businesses it is probably unlikely that Facebook is for you but Linkedin may be a great way of increasing your network of contacts. Think about how your customers and potential customers are behaving and interact with them in a way that is unobtrusive.
Get them talking about you
This is by far the best way to increase your online presence as if people are talking about you and your brand then they are multiplying your message more than you ever could. You need to ensure that you are aware of comments being made and that you respond where necessary, particularly to bad comments, although don’t rubbish these just ensure you answer the queries in a positive manner and show that you care. Thompson holidays have recently announced that they will refund costs incurred by travellers stranded by the Icelandic Volcano in full, so who do you think those customers will travel with next time Ryanair? Track comments about your company using google alerts and make sure you respond where necessary.
Use your web site to listen to your audience as well as talking to them.
Create the opportunity on your site for comments either on blogs or forums and get your customers talking to each other not just you, as they are your best advocates, that is why they are your customers.
Use other sites to your advantage
Use others blogs and forums to talk about your brand (do not overtly sell though) and link back to your site where ever possible. Make sure you are part of blogs where your customers or potential customers are, and talk about things that interest and engage them.
There are many other online opportunities and plenty of the top brands are using these, such as mobile apps., actively being industry voices and opinion formers, video, viral and brand sharing but if you are looking to improve your presence and get your voice heard then starting with the above will help you along the way.
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