Archive for November, 2008

20 Twitter Tips for Business

Posted November 10th, 2008 by Stephen Harvey-Franklin in Microblogging, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking

The social networking website Twitter continues to grow in popularity amongst British web users, recently becoming the 38th most visited website in the UK. Twitter is a free-to-use micro blogging platform allowing users to correspond (or ‘tweet’) with each other in 140 characters or less.

Estimated at having more than 10 million users, Twitter is currently growing faster than any other networking site. As a result, businesses are getting on board as a means of extending their reach and participating in the ‘online conversation’. So what are some of the best ways to use Twitter for business?<!–more–>

Tweeting for Business the Right Way
The ability to communicate in real time with your followers is one of the main attractions of participating in the micro blogging arena. Add to this the ease of making updates of only 140 characters or less – and the ability to do so via a mobile device – and you can see why Twitter’s popularity is growing so quickly.

These same benefits also apply to businesses. At present, Twitter is free to use for companies. But users are not easily fooled. Participating with no other reason than to make sales will soon leave you ‘friendless’. To help you succeed on Twitter, consider the following 20 Twitter tips for business.

Begin with a strategy; otherwise, you may quickly find it a fruitless (and time-consuming) exercise
Update your personal profile, incorporating your business colours and ‘visual personality’
Add a picture profile
Include a ‘Follow us on Twitter’ link on your own website
Include a ‘Follow us on Twitter’ link in your email newsletters
Update your Bio information to give a little background, including a link to your website
Keep your strategy in mind as you tweet: stay on song
Use the Twitter search tools to find your target market
Search for Tweets related to your industry and participate in the conversations
Use ReTweets (RT) and replies (@…) when commenting on related Tweets
Keep an eye on trending topics
Ask for help from other Twitter users – it’s a great way to engage people
Use links in your Tweets to others sources, including (but not exclusive to) your website
Recommend other Twitterers; it’s a genuine act that is often reciprocated
Be yourself. Don’t be afraid to share your personality – it’s a part of being genuine
Ask questions and conduct polls
Give advice or assistance where applicable; this helps position you as an expert
Keep an eye on your Direct Messages (DM) and take time to respond to the genuine ones
Try not to use automated software. Think quality before quantity
Add yourself to the We Follow Twitter directory.

Other social networking sites such as FriendFeed and Facebook provide micro blogging tools as well, and it is possible to link your accounts with each application in order to update them all from one interface. Be selective, though. Don’t spread your resources too thinly.

While Twitter is fast becoming one of the biggest players in the social media arena, it shouldn’t be adopted as your only marketing activity. Instead, use it to complement your other marketing channels. If you would like help improving your social media strategy, call us on 01484 690430.

The Magic of Viral Marketing

Posted November 10th, 2008 by Stephen Harvey-Franklin in Advertising, Online Marketing

Drastically reducing your marketing budget during a recession is not necessarily the best strategy, although exploring more cost-effective ways to spread your message is worthwhile. The internet provides many marketing opportunities – some of which cost very little to implement, such as viral marketing.

Viral marketing relies on individuals to pass along your message for you. Once a viral campaign takes hold, the word can spread quickly – and at very little cost to the message beneficiary. How can you get viral marketing working for you?<!–more–>

When Marketing Goes Viral
Although the benefits of a successful viral marketing campaign are self-evident, the possible drawbacks should also be considered. Perhaps the greatest potential pitfall is the inability to control how the message is shared once the viral activity begins.

When preparing a viral campaign, consider how the message may be perceived, taking care not to compromise the brand. That said, you may be of the view that no publicity is bad publicity.

It’s All About the Idea
The main cost involved in sending a marketing message virally is in the creativity to originate the initial ideas. Ask yourself:

What motivates your customers? What do they like to talk about? What are they passionate about?
What will make your campaign original?
What makes it worth passing along?

The following viral marketing campaign ideas might help get your creative juices flowing:

Be funny
Be thought-provoking, even provocative
Provide a resource
Offer a freebie
Get behind a good cause

Each type of campaign has its pros and cons, so take time to think through your ideas and try to anticipate how to best prepare for the resulting activity.

Getting Started
Once you have a plan in place, the next step is to start spreading the word. Ideally, this should happen naturally as a result of an original, attractive message and subsequently publishing it to the right people in the right places.

As you may have experienced yourself, online video is a superb medium for viral marketing. Other successful methods might include:

An email newsletter broadcast – emails are very easily passed on
The use of Search Engine research to identify the best places to publish your viral message
Appropriate blogs on which to participate
The publication of your message (not spamming) on various Web 2.0 social networking websites
SMS text messaging

The aim should be to have a catchy title so you can gain the attention of your target audience and then make it easy to share by adding a ‘forward to a friend’ capability, for instance. Utilising existing relationships with related businesses is another good way to get the ball rolling.

Viral marketing can be challenging to get off the ground. However, once the ball starts rolling, the resulting customer activity is well worth the effort. If you would like help preparing a viral marketing campaign, please call us on 01484 690430.

Are You in Home Page Heaven or Hell?

Posted November 10th, 2008 by Stephen Harvey-Franklin in Interface Design, Web Design, Website Development

Although it may be a bit cliché, first impressions count. It is human nature to make instant judgements. Whether it’s a person, event, or website, the most vital time for winning over your audience is in the first few minutes – or even the first few seconds.

Occasionally, you may win over visitors with a website because the content is actually pretty good. However, more often than not, surfers just won’t invest the time it may take to look past an overly busy, flashy, or simply unfathomable website home page. So what makes a great home page?<!–more–>

Employing Home Page Essentials
Your website’s home page is your invitation to stay and see some more. As such, it has a number of roles to fulfil: tell your visitors who you are, what you offer, how you can help them, and where to find additional information. Each role is important and should be prioritised in accordance with your website goals. Following, in no particular order, are 4 tips to help fine-tune your home page.

1. Clearly Identify Who You Are
A well-devised logo will enable you to immediately introduce your brand – and maybe even convey your USP. Your website colours and style will also have an immediate impact on that all-important first impression.

Your company name should be prominently displayed, taking away any guesswork in identifying who the website represents.

2. Set Out Your Stall
This is your ‘elevator speech’ – what do you do? Make it short, punchy, and to the point. The fewer words the better. If your introductory paragraph (or two) successfully does its job, then you will have more opportunities to wax lyrical about your products once the surfer extends his or her visit.

Keep in mind that your website should be an extension of your normal business demeanour. A cleverly written home page introduction can also convey the tone of your website.

3. Include Clear Calls to Action
Don’t be shy. Make it clear where you want your website visitor to go next. Your navigation menu provides access to all the areas of your site, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t direct visitors yourself.

A strategically positioned image can work wonders as a “call to action,” instantly indicating the benefits of following your suggested path rather than following any other link from the home page.

4. Don’t Get Busy
Be selective with your home page content. In most cases, less is more. Establish your main website objectives, then organise your home page content accordingly. Here are some tips:

Use white space liberally to differentiate between your content; this will make it easy to quickly hone in on the most relevant messages.
Be selective with your images. The right pictures can instantly get your message across. Too many and your home page may lose some focus.
Consider using video. A well edited video message can be a fun and effective way of sharing your elevator speech.
Keep your most important messages “above the fold”. Your visitors shouldn’t need to scroll down to learn what you are all about.

Remember, too much content crammed into your home page can be confusing at best – and downright annoying at worst.

Your home page is perhaps the most important page of your site. It can make or break that all important first impression. If you would like help improving your website home page, call us on 01484 690430.

Making an Impression with Flash Animation

Posted November 10th, 2008 by Stephen Harvey-Franklin in Accessibility, Flash, Video, Web Design, Website Development

The internet is a wonderful communications medium, providing a vehicle for businesses and consumers alike to engage the masses. However, for all its advances, it still relies heavily on text and static images despite the fact that animation and audio have been available for some time in the form of Flash technology.

Flash technology has been a welcome addition to the internet. When used well, it can be the best way to get your message across. If used unwisely on the other hand, it simply deters your site visitors from sticking around. So how can you get the best out of Flash animation?<!–more–>

Using Flash Animation to the Best Effect
The internet community is split over the effective use of animation on the web. Some feel it has its place and is the direction the web should take. Others feel it is overused and not always effective, citing the following issues:

Potentially long download times, which slow down the Web
Usability problems from a majority of hand-held devices
Lack of programming skills amongst developers
Search Engine readability issues (although improvements have been made in this area)
Prohibitive development costs.

All of these are valid concerns. Consideration should be given to your own circumstance: Who is your target audience? How are they going to be accessing your website? Could animation help enhance your message?

A measured approach can help you identify the most effective way to use animation on your website. The following suggestions are offered to help you use Flash to great effect, rather than simply using it with no real purpose other than ‘it looks great’.

1. Subtly Rotating Content
The main reason for using Flash animation is to draw the eye and give attention to your main message. A subtle rotation of well-thought-out slogans, perhaps with accompanying images, will enable you to convey your most important sales messages.

The subtle animation will draw your visitor’s attention without overly distracting attention away from other content on the page. In other words, the rotating slogans enhance your other content, rather than become an unnecessary distraction.

2. Image Galleries
If you need to display a number of images in an orderly, professional manner, you should consider using Flash animation. A well-devised Flash-based image gallery will not only look great, but will also give the user a simple-to-use interface to navigate through your pictures with ease. Some features might include:

Self-navigation buttons
Functionality to scroll through the images
An auto-play slide show function
The option of including copy with each image
The option to link to another web page from each image
Little or no delay in loading images

It’s important to keep in mind that the aim of your image gallery should not only be to look good, but also (and perhaps more importantly) to provide a good user experience.

3. Video Footage
One area in which Flash technology is being well utilised is to enable the playing of video footage over the internet. Websites such as YouTube, Vimeo, and a myriad of other video-sharing sites have made online video almost commonplace with most web users.

The trend now is for businesses to make effective use of video on their company websites. A short 2 to 5 minute video enables the presenter to share a message on a whole new level – without having to cost the earth to produce or broadcast.

Other more complex uses of Flash animation could include product walkthroughs, interactive tutorials, animated calendars, multi-track audio players, and more. When incorporating animated content, the key is to enhance – not distract from – your main message. If you would like help implementing Flash animation effectively on your website, call us on 01484 690430.

Outsourcing SEO: What to Ask

Posted November 9th, 2008 by Stephen Harvey-Franklin in Online Marketing, Search Engine Optimisation

With millions of searches conducted daily to find products, conduct research, and make purchases, search engines play a key role in most web users’ online experiences. Marketing your website effectively via search engines can help you win some of this valuable targeted web traffic.

Many online marketing techniques can be learnt and implemented yourself, but hiring the services of a search engine optimisation (SEO) expert can save you time (lots of it!) while keeping you abreast of the best techniques and delivering real results. So how can you identify a reputable SEO consultant?<!–more–>

Asking the Right Questions
Search engines have become extremely sophisticated in the way they crawl, index, and rank a website’s content. An online marketing strategy set up primarily to trick search engines into artificially ranking web pages higher than competing pages is ill-advised and can get your site banned from search engines altogether.

On the other hand, an effective, long-term SEO plan will adopt best practice techniques, working within search engine guidelines to justify good rankings. The following questions should be asked when selecting a firm to outsource your SEO.

How much experience does your SEO team have?
This will help you determine not only their SEO experience, but also their business acumen, which plays a key role in identifying the best online marketing activities for your website.

What SEO methodologies do you adopt?
A genuine SEO firm will not be vague or try to hide its methodology. Instead, it will mention such things as keyword research, competitor analysis, internal linking, updated content, well-structured pages, inbound link building, and more.

Will my website need to be updated as part of the SEO campaign?
This is a key question. Your SEO plan will undoubtedly require your website to be modified – sometimes significantly. Updates might include making the content more targeted and readable or modifying the site’s internal linking structure.

How long will it be before we see results?
A SEO plan should not be adopted as an instant web marketing fix. A confident, honest answer is better than promises of thousands of new web visitors a few weeks from starting.

What can I expect in the way of reporting?
Many SEO firms will utilise various methods of reporting the activity and progress being achieved on your behalf. Make sure you understand the reporting process and are being kept informed of the strategies being adopted.

Can I speak to a few of your current clients?
Many SEO firms keep their clients under wraps in order to maintain a competitive advantage—but there is no harm in asking.

Other questions you may want to ask include:

Have you ever got a website banned from search engines?
Do you have any experience in my industry?
Who will manage my account?
How will my SEO activities be aligned with my PPC and/or social media marketing?
Do your SEO packages include consultation time?
What is your approach for growing inbound links and will I need to be involved?

Establishing a good working relationship with your SEO consultant is vital. You should feel comfortable enough to ask questions and expect honest answers in a language that you can understand. If you would like to implement a SEO campaign, please call us on 01484 690430.

Online Lead Capture Techniques That Work

Posted November 9th, 2008 by Stephen Harvey-Franklin in Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Web Design

A well-prepared online marketing plan will enable you to drive targeted customers to your website, yet not every potential customer will be ready to make a purchase during their first visit. Although the ultimate goal for a business website is to sell, measures should be taken to engage all of your site visitors.

Such measures include adding one or more lead capture features to your website. The purpose of a lead capture exercise is simple: to provide a compelling reason for your site visitor to give you their business contact details, with the understanding that you will use them for additional correspondence.<!–more–>

How to Acquire New Business Leads from Your Website
Many businesses lose the opportunity to establish a ‘connection’ with potential customers by not adopting any lead capture activities. Perhaps many of your site visitors are not ready to buy, yet they are happy to allow you to initiate correspondence. The following examples outline some tried-and-tested lead capture techniques.

1. Email Newsletter Subscription
If you publish a company email newsletter, always provide a subscription form on your website. Include the form – along with some sales copy – in the same conspicuous position on every page. Make it simple for your site visitors to register for your newsletter wherever they end up on your site.

2. Free Downloads
Giving away a valuable report, case studies, or industry research in the form of a White Paper in exchange for a few contact details is a win-win situation. Your website visitors get something of genuine value for their business while you get targeted contacts with whom to continue correspondence.

3. Prize Draws
You can be creative with prize draws – the more appealing the prize, the more leads you are likely to acquire. Fun, original prize draws can easily have a viral effect, multiplying the number of new leads many times over.

4. RSS Feeds
If you publish a business blog, you must provide Really Simple Syndication (RSS), which allows your blog visitors to subscribe to your blog with only a few clicks. RSS subscribers are immediately alerted when you publish a new blog post. Feeds can also be set up to let the subscriber know when new comments have been added to your blog posts as well.

5. Don’t Ignore Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is growing fast, partly because it is crossing into the business world. Web 2.0 sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube have added features to make their content sharing platforms more of a legitimate medium for business correspondence. New potential customers can follow all your updates very easily with the click of a button.

Whatever techniques you choose, consider creating a dedicated web page – sometimes called a squeeze page – which has one sole purpose: to capture contact details. Here are some quick tips for persuading your site visitors to begin a ‘conversation’ with you:

Use a clear Call to Action
Consider how the page layout can help channel your visitors’ attention
Be creative with images to break up copy and get your message across quicker
Share your message immediately with well-written headlines and sub-headlines
Keep your web forms tight – asking for too much data may mean that your visitor will not proceed

Implementing well-thought-out lead capture activities will provide you with ongoing opportunities to win new customers, even when they do not buy on their first visit. If you would like help acquiring more leads from your website, call us on 01484 690430.

Archive for November, 2008

The Magic of Viral Marketing

Posted November 10th, 2008 by Stephen Harvey-Franklin in Advertising, Online Marketing

Are You in Home Page Heaven or Hell?

Posted November 10th, 2008 by Stephen Harvey-Franklin in Interface Design, Web Design, Website Development

Making an Impression with Flash Animation

Posted November 10th, 2008 by Stephen Harvey-Franklin in Accessibility, Flash, Video, Web Design, Website Development

Outsourcing SEO: What to Ask

Posted November 9th, 2008 by Stephen Harvey-Franklin in Online Marketing, Search Engine Optimisation

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