Marketing is a way to get your business known, it helps to give your company top of the mind awareness and often it can be used as a method of differentiation. Not all businesses want to market in the same ways as their competitors and in a market full of companies offering similar services and products, a company’s approach to marketing can make all the difference.
One of the best ways to be noticed amongst your target audience is to get to know them. Academics call them ‘salient beliefs’, these are the attributes consumers are looking for and if activated they allow consumers to form overall attitudes on the product. These attitudes can make the difference between a consumer choosing your product over a competitors.
But how do you get to know your consumers?
Market research is an option and has been used by many companies to create successful campaigns. T-mobile is living proof that identifying consumers attitudes about a situation and appealing to them in your marketing communications can make you stand out. They carried out market research at the beginning of the recession and found that consumers were turning to friends and family, spending increasing amounts of time with them and they also found that unplanned get-togethers were becoming more popular. This research led Saatchi and Saatchi to create the ‘Life’s for sharing’ campaign and the famous Flashmob in Victoria station. It quickly created a buzz online and became a viral marketing campaign as people had captured the moment on their phones and uploaded it straight to Youtube.com therefore emphasising the role of ‘sharing’. Footage was also made into a TV advert and stills used for billboard, magazine and newspaper adverts. By appealing to their customers current attitudes and almost saying ‘we understand and we can help’ T-mobile contract sales increased by half compared to the same period the year before.
Another way to understand consumers is to put yourself in their shoes. What do they want? How would you like to be told about if you were them? What sort of media do they use? If your target audience are fans of social media then focus on that and do something creative, let them take the lead in sharing the links and encourage them to make spoof adverts, offer to put the best on the brand website. Think about what your customers would respond to and cater to it. After all if you can make your customers feel special they are more likely to remain loyal to your brand.
The best advice that can be given for companies not wanting to do the same as competitors is to try something new, take a new slant on an old idea and don’t jump on every bandwagon that goes past. Being different is bound to bring with it potential dangers and others may think your ideas are off the wall but do bear in mind: people used to believe the world was flat and those that suggested differently were the ‘weird’ ones…
Article Written by Carli Smith
Visit Inferno Designs for more on Company Branding and Marketing Consultancy.
Friday, 7 January 2011
Monday, 3 January 2011
Website Design - Where do I Start?
It can be a scary prospect creating the first website for your business, even if your business has just begun or if your business is already established making the technological move to have your own website can be daunting but as you might have guessed essential.
The majority of businesses are at least listed on Google places even if they don’t have their own website so securing your own domain is a logical and valuable asset to have. Individuals are using the internet for even the simplest of tasks and are more likely to research their options online before heading to the high street. Therefore having a website could make the difference between a consumer choosing between you and a competitor.
A small price to pay when it could mean the difference between survival or bankruptcy.
You could brave it alone, head out into the vast arena of the internet and build your own website using Wordpress.com, buildyourownsite.co.uk or one of the other sites available. If you are technologically minded or have a friend who is willing to help out this might be a viable option, especially if funds are extremely tight.
However web designers aren’t as expensive as first thought and the service you receive will make your website stand out from those that have been built by an unprofessional individual. You will be guided through the process from start to finish and you can be as hands on, or hands off if the case may be, as you like. If you build up a good relationship with your designer you will be able to develop your vision together safe in the knowledge that they know what they are doing.
When thinking of setting up your new website, whether that be alone or with the help of a designer, think about:
Article Written by Carli Smith
Visit Inferno Designs for more on Website Design and Website Optimisation.
The majority of businesses are at least listed on Google places even if they don’t have their own website so securing your own domain is a logical and valuable asset to have. Individuals are using the internet for even the simplest of tasks and are more likely to research their options online before heading to the high street. Therefore having a website could make the difference between a consumer choosing between you and a competitor.
A small price to pay when it could mean the difference between survival or bankruptcy.
You could brave it alone, head out into the vast arena of the internet and build your own website using Wordpress.com, buildyourownsite.co.uk or one of the other sites available. If you are technologically minded or have a friend who is willing to help out this might be a viable option, especially if funds are extremely tight.
However web designers aren’t as expensive as first thought and the service you receive will make your website stand out from those that have been built by an unprofessional individual. You will be guided through the process from start to finish and you can be as hands on, or hands off if the case may be, as you like. If you build up a good relationship with your designer you will be able to develop your vision together safe in the knowledge that they know what they are doing.
When thinking of setting up your new website, whether that be alone or with the help of a designer, think about:
- The ‘feel’ of the site – what do you want to project? A professional image? Corporate or fun
- Information to be contained – what will the website be used for? Purchasing goods? Finding out information?
- What sections do you want on the website?
- What will your website be called? Is that domain available?
- Is your current logo suitable? Can they be used online?
- Will you be using any other social media sites?
- Research similar sites and see what they have done – will yours be similar or completely different? You could build up a mood board of the type of thing you would like and maybe ones that you don’t.
- Get quotes from different website designers; ask your friends or business colleagues for recommendations. Word of mouth recommendations are the best way to recruit website designers as if someone has experienced their work then that’s the best advertisement they could have.
If you would like a professional website designed contact Inferno Designs, we will ensure that you get the guidance and expert help required to stand out from the crowd online!
Article Written by Carli Smith
Visit Inferno Designs for more on Website Design and Website Optimisation.
Sunday, 2 January 2011
How often should I be sending my e-shots?
Providing you have followed the rules of permission marketing, your customers have asked to hear from you and if your newsletters have been written properly they will be of some interest to the reader. But how often do you send them out? Every day? Every week? Every month?
It could be likened to speaking to a friend, if they have something interesting to say you don’t mind when they contact you but if they ring you every day and tell you something relatively boring then you begin to dread their phone call and if possible you attempt to ‘unsubscribe’ from the friendship…
If you are a business, individuals find it much easier to unsubscribe to your e-shots than they do to cut off from a friend so unfortunately the odds are against you!
It would be simple to recommend that businesses sent their mail shots out every month as that would ensure customers wouldn’t forget about you and hopefully there would be enough interesting information to be included in the e-shot itself. However if your business is fast paced, evolving on a regular basis and in touch with consumers regularly why not give them more regular updates? It could be that once a week or once a fortnight would be a better option for your business as if you left it a whole month you could have missed many opportunities to alert customers to good offers and new information.
So as usual, it depends!
When you send out e-shots depends completely on the individual business but by following these basis rules it will ensure your database doesn’t dwindle:
Article Written by Carli Smith
Visit Inferno Designs for more on Email Marketing and Online Business Marketing
It could be likened to speaking to a friend, if they have something interesting to say you don’t mind when they contact you but if they ring you every day and tell you something relatively boring then you begin to dread their phone call and if possible you attempt to ‘unsubscribe’ from the friendship…
If you are a business, individuals find it much easier to unsubscribe to your e-shots than they do to cut off from a friend so unfortunately the odds are against you!
It would be simple to recommend that businesses sent their mail shots out every month as that would ensure customers wouldn’t forget about you and hopefully there would be enough interesting information to be included in the e-shot itself. However if your business is fast paced, evolving on a regular basis and in touch with consumers regularly why not give them more regular updates? It could be that once a week or once a fortnight would be a better option for your business as if you left it a whole month you could have missed many opportunities to alert customers to good offers and new information.
So as usual, it depends!
When you send out e-shots depends completely on the individual business but by following these basis rules it will ensure your database doesn’t dwindle:
- Ask your customers how often they would like an e-shot.
- Measure click through rates and see if e-shots are a valuable communication tool for your business, if not there may be better ways to utilise your marketing budget.
- Keep a similar format – that way recipients know what to expect and can easily navigate the email.
- Make sure your offer different formats as some formats aren’t compatible with certain types of browsers – nothing worse than spending time and money when a customer can’t even open it…
- Don’t be afraid to try something different!
Article Written by Carli Smith
Visit Inferno Designs for more on Email Marketing and Online Business Marketing
Wednesday, 29 December 2010
The Importance of Website Imagery
How you feel if you logged onto your computer and your desktop background of your holiday from Barbados had disappeared? You were faced with a machine full of black and white text with no pictures…
Not great.
Companies have made millions of pounds creating user friendly interfaces for otherwise boring looking programmes, adding colour to blank backgrounds and comedy egg timers, all the make the experience more enjoyable for the users.
So why would companies forget these rules and create a website full of text and no images?
Imagery on websites is extremely important for two reasons.
Firstly it is essential to make your website as aesthetically appealing as it can be, if achieved you will be able to hold your visitors attention for longer and encourage them to come back. Visitors to your site don’t want to be face with a screen full of text so make it interesting for them, images can break up long passages of text and can add further explanation to text. In an ideal world they should complement each other, be used in conjunction to inform and entertain your reader.
The selected images need to add to the overall visual experience. Sometimes visitors can be drawn in by the use of an image which then causes them to read the text around it. However on the other extreme a website with hundreds of pictures and little text support are vague and often do not contain as much information as the visitor would like, so a good balance needs to be achieved.
Secondly, despite there being great debate, images can be used to increase optimisation of your website. Therefore images can make a difference to your ranking on Google.com. To do this however it is essential to alt tag your images, this is a 3-4 word description as to what the image is, the better the description the better results you obtain. As the famous catchphrase presenter says: Say what you see! One way to check if your description is the best it can be is to read it to a person who has not seen the image to see if they can visualise a version of the image.
Both imagery and text are important on a website and often selecting the right ones can be there hard part. You need to strike a good balance between both in order to cater to all your visitors needs and wants. One final note of warning however, it is important to remember to ensure that the images you choose are properly credited, you could open up a minefield…
Article Written by Carli Smith
Visit Inferno Designs for more on istock & Website Imagery and Company Branding.
Not great.
Companies have made millions of pounds creating user friendly interfaces for otherwise boring looking programmes, adding colour to blank backgrounds and comedy egg timers, all the make the experience more enjoyable for the users.
So why would companies forget these rules and create a website full of text and no images?
Imagery on websites is extremely important for two reasons.
Firstly it is essential to make your website as aesthetically appealing as it can be, if achieved you will be able to hold your visitors attention for longer and encourage them to come back. Visitors to your site don’t want to be face with a screen full of text so make it interesting for them, images can break up long passages of text and can add further explanation to text. In an ideal world they should complement each other, be used in conjunction to inform and entertain your reader.
The selected images need to add to the overall visual experience. Sometimes visitors can be drawn in by the use of an image which then causes them to read the text around it. However on the other extreme a website with hundreds of pictures and little text support are vague and often do not contain as much information as the visitor would like, so a good balance needs to be achieved.
Secondly, despite there being great debate, images can be used to increase optimisation of your website. Therefore images can make a difference to your ranking on Google.com. To do this however it is essential to alt tag your images, this is a 3-4 word description as to what the image is, the better the description the better results you obtain. As the famous catchphrase presenter says: Say what you see! One way to check if your description is the best it can be is to read it to a person who has not seen the image to see if they can visualise a version of the image.
Both imagery and text are important on a website and often selecting the right ones can be there hard part. You need to strike a good balance between both in order to cater to all your visitors needs and wants. One final note of warning however, it is important to remember to ensure that the images you choose are properly credited, you could open up a minefield…
Article Written by Carli Smith
Visit Inferno Designs for more on istock & Website Imagery and Company Branding.
Top Tips for Social Media engagement
Now that your company has a Twitter/ Facebook/ Flickr/ LinkedIn/ Behance account it is time to engage! Easier said than done, well not really, just remember to be SOCIAL…
S PAM – don’t do it!
Give followers what they want, if and when they want it. If they haven’t expressed an interest then don’t bombard them with endless messages full of self promotion and ‘exclusive’ offers. Engagement is a two-way communication process, if you aren’t receiving any feedback then that’s not engagement – that’s promotion. And trust me, people will get sick of it and are more than likely to ‘defriend’ you.
O pinions
By all means, give your opinions but stay out of the ‘how not to do it’ gang. It is so easy to get carried away and make your opinion know but remember on the internet the information is accessible to everyone and often misdemeanours spread faster than wildfire – so a word of warning. Understand that everything you do will be open to misinterpretation and even if you notice your error and delete the comment, it is still possible that someone took a screen shot and you could end up in hot water.
C hoose a brand personality
And stick to it! Ensure that the personality that your company projects online is consistent and fits in with the overall brand values. If you are a fun, lively office make sure that you project that. Social media offers a brilliant way for customers and other individuals to become involved with the business and feel part of your business. If they build up a relationship with the company they are more likely to remain loyal as they will feel an ‘emotional’ connection to it, often a powerful differentiating factor.
I nterest
Be interesting. People don’t engage with boring brands, so post fun links, make jokes and use ‘hot topics’ as a basis of your comments. By keeping up to date with what is happening to your customers then you can make sure what you are saying is relevant and people are more likely to respond if it something they have an opinion on. Take note of a previous point, be careful making comments on very controversial topics as you suffer negative repercussions.
A nswer
Everyone. Say a quick thank you or tell them to have a nice day, even if someone retweets a link make sure that you tweet them back to express your gratitude and they will be likely to do it again. Respond to questions, links, retweets and messages. By being friendly and accessible your company reputation will only benefit. The nature of social media means that responses can be sent quickly and from almost anywhere so there is no excuse.
L ook around
Check out your Klout score, keep track of the number of Twitter followers, measure your reach, see where your followers are coming from. There are hundreds of measurement tools out there for you to measure your effectiveness online so use them! You wouldn’t enter into any other type of communication with consumers without being able to measure its effectiveness and social media isn’t any different. Online advertising click through rates can be measured and you can even track an individual’s clicking process to see where they went.
When used correctly social media is an extremely powerful tool, it is a fantastic way to engage with consumers in a fast and convenient way. It allows consumers to get closer to the organisation and get a real feel for the company, be aware of this and harness the positives however ensure that you acknowledge the negatives and don’t become a case study online of a company who has used it inappropriately…
Article Written by Carli Smith
Visit Inferno Designs for more on Social Media Optimisation and Professional Logo Design.
S PAM – don’t do it!
Give followers what they want, if and when they want it. If they haven’t expressed an interest then don’t bombard them with endless messages full of self promotion and ‘exclusive’ offers. Engagement is a two-way communication process, if you aren’t receiving any feedback then that’s not engagement – that’s promotion. And trust me, people will get sick of it and are more than likely to ‘defriend’ you.
O pinions
By all means, give your opinions but stay out of the ‘how not to do it’ gang. It is so easy to get carried away and make your opinion know but remember on the internet the information is accessible to everyone and often misdemeanours spread faster than wildfire – so a word of warning. Understand that everything you do will be open to misinterpretation and even if you notice your error and delete the comment, it is still possible that someone took a screen shot and you could end up in hot water.
C hoose a brand personality
And stick to it! Ensure that the personality that your company projects online is consistent and fits in with the overall brand values. If you are a fun, lively office make sure that you project that. Social media offers a brilliant way for customers and other individuals to become involved with the business and feel part of your business. If they build up a relationship with the company they are more likely to remain loyal as they will feel an ‘emotional’ connection to it, often a powerful differentiating factor.
I nterest
Be interesting. People don’t engage with boring brands, so post fun links, make jokes and use ‘hot topics’ as a basis of your comments. By keeping up to date with what is happening to your customers then you can make sure what you are saying is relevant and people are more likely to respond if it something they have an opinion on. Take note of a previous point, be careful making comments on very controversial topics as you suffer negative repercussions.
A nswer
Everyone. Say a quick thank you or tell them to have a nice day, even if someone retweets a link make sure that you tweet them back to express your gratitude and they will be likely to do it again. Respond to questions, links, retweets and messages. By being friendly and accessible your company reputation will only benefit. The nature of social media means that responses can be sent quickly and from almost anywhere so there is no excuse.
L ook around
Check out your Klout score, keep track of the number of Twitter followers, measure your reach, see where your followers are coming from. There are hundreds of measurement tools out there for you to measure your effectiveness online so use them! You wouldn’t enter into any other type of communication with consumers without being able to measure its effectiveness and social media isn’t any different. Online advertising click through rates can be measured and you can even track an individual’s clicking process to see where they went.
When used correctly social media is an extremely powerful tool, it is a fantastic way to engage with consumers in a fast and convenient way. It allows consumers to get closer to the organisation and get a real feel for the company, be aware of this and harness the positives however ensure that you acknowledge the negatives and don’t become a case study online of a company who has used it inappropriately…
Article Written by Carli Smith
Visit Inferno Designs for more on Social Media Optimisation and Professional Logo Design.
Tuesday, 21 December 2010
What is the Shelf Life of a Company Website?
To put it bluntly: it depends!
For many companies their website acts as the face of the organisation, a perfectly built website full of relevant, up to date information for customers and the media. However other companies have let their websites slip, when they were first launched their websites were everything they could have wanted and more, but times have changed and so have needs and wants. Whilst this is the cheapest option it is a dangerous tactic as you run the risk of looking outdated and your website putting customers off rather than enticing them.
With increasing numbers of companies joining the market place in all sectors it is difficult to shine out through all the noise created by your competitors – what better way than with a well crafted and professional website? Don’t get left behind, guaranteed your competitors won’t be missing this trick…
Content itself is subject to change. Staff may get new Twitter accounts and phone numbers may change therefore it is essential to keep these details up to date. Also when consumers/ potential suppliers or the media access your website they are keen to see new content including client case studies and new pictures. One way to ensure an area of your website is constantly updated is to include a Twitterfeed, therefore every time you tweet it will appear on the site. By providing new content visitors to the site are more likely to come back to check for new information and see you as a credible source.
As well as the content the design of the website itself is important. As everyone knows fashions change and websites are the same. Depending on the design you choose it might quickly go out of fashion or it might remain timeless and just require little tweaks. Either way you will need to assess your website periodically and ask yourself if it is giving the best impression of your business that it can. Remember to keep your website integrated with other elements of your business and ensure that logos, fonts and pictures are used across all mediums. It is useful to build up good relationship with your website designer to create a design that you are happy with and that matches your business personality.
When it is so easy to keep websites up to date and designs fresh and professional, don’t let the face of the organisation slip. The cost to your reputation could be deadly.
Article Written by Carli Smith
Visit Inferno Designs for more on Search Engine Optimisation and Web Design.
For many companies their website acts as the face of the organisation, a perfectly built website full of relevant, up to date information for customers and the media. However other companies have let their websites slip, when they were first launched their websites were everything they could have wanted and more, but times have changed and so have needs and wants. Whilst this is the cheapest option it is a dangerous tactic as you run the risk of looking outdated and your website putting customers off rather than enticing them.
With increasing numbers of companies joining the market place in all sectors it is difficult to shine out through all the noise created by your competitors – what better way than with a well crafted and professional website? Don’t get left behind, guaranteed your competitors won’t be missing this trick…
Content itself is subject to change. Staff may get new Twitter accounts and phone numbers may change therefore it is essential to keep these details up to date. Also when consumers/ potential suppliers or the media access your website they are keen to see new content including client case studies and new pictures. One way to ensure an area of your website is constantly updated is to include a Twitterfeed, therefore every time you tweet it will appear on the site. By providing new content visitors to the site are more likely to come back to check for new information and see you as a credible source.
As well as the content the design of the website itself is important. As everyone knows fashions change and websites are the same. Depending on the design you choose it might quickly go out of fashion or it might remain timeless and just require little tweaks. Either way you will need to assess your website periodically and ask yourself if it is giving the best impression of your business that it can. Remember to keep your website integrated with other elements of your business and ensure that logos, fonts and pictures are used across all mediums. It is useful to build up good relationship with your website designer to create a design that you are happy with and that matches your business personality.
When it is so easy to keep websites up to date and designs fresh and professional, don’t let the face of the organisation slip. The cost to your reputation could be deadly.
Article Written by Carli Smith
Visit Inferno Designs for more on Search Engine Optimisation and Web Design.
Saturday, 18 December 2010
Twitter - I'm Set up, Now What?
You’ve heard all the hype and have now taken the step and to join the social media crowd, but what next?
Before you start it is important to develop an online personality so that people know what to expect from you. If your twitter feed swaps and changes from being formal to informal followers will be confused and won’t know how to engage with you as they will be unsure of how it will be met. It is essential that you ensure the personality you choose is integrated with the rest of your business and fits in with the morals and values it follows. This not only keeps communication integrated it also ensures that more than one member of staff is capable of being responsible for the companies social media. If you are an extremely corporate business such as a bank, formal and professional in style you wouldn’t/shouldn’t really be tweeting the same sorts of things as a business in a more informal sector as undoubtedly your target audience will differ.
The next step is to build up followers, one way to do this is to follow individuals and organisations of interest and they are likely to follow you back. Another way is to take part in tweetchats, there are lots out there, depending on your sector, so have a look! If there is make a virtual appearance and get involved, this is one way of building followers who are relevant and who are keen to engage online.
It cannot be stressed enough to: ENGAGE, ENGAGE, ENGAGE! There is little point in joining social media if you do not engage with your followers, in fact it could be said that having a site with no movement on it for the past 5 months is worse than not having one at all. Tweet at least once a day - more if you can - reply to any messages you receive, say thank you to anyone who retweets you and make sure that you retweet any links you find interesting.
For those that claim there is not enough time in the day to do everything you need to, you’re right, everyone wishes there were more hours in the day. However social media is something that is worth spending some of your time on, it gives you a chance to gather direct feedback from your customers, engage with them directly and make connections with others who could benefit your business. For those at a desk all day aim to check it 3 times a day – in the morning, at lunchtime and just before you leave – if not more.
The nature of social media means it is extremely easy to use and can be used on the go using a smart phone meaning so there isn’t much of an excuse not to use it. Give social media a chance, don’t just set it up and leave it as you won’t build followers and a positive online presence with no effort.
Article Written by Carli Smith
Visit Inferno Designs for more on Search Engine Optimisation and Company Web Design.
Before you start it is important to develop an online personality so that people know what to expect from you. If your twitter feed swaps and changes from being formal to informal followers will be confused and won’t know how to engage with you as they will be unsure of how it will be met. It is essential that you ensure the personality you choose is integrated with the rest of your business and fits in with the morals and values it follows. This not only keeps communication integrated it also ensures that more than one member of staff is capable of being responsible for the companies social media. If you are an extremely corporate business such as a bank, formal and professional in style you wouldn’t/shouldn’t really be tweeting the same sorts of things as a business in a more informal sector as undoubtedly your target audience will differ.
The next step is to build up followers, one way to do this is to follow individuals and organisations of interest and they are likely to follow you back. Another way is to take part in tweetchats, there are lots out there, depending on your sector, so have a look! If there is make a virtual appearance and get involved, this is one way of building followers who are relevant and who are keen to engage online.
It cannot be stressed enough to: ENGAGE, ENGAGE, ENGAGE! There is little point in joining social media if you do not engage with your followers, in fact it could be said that having a site with no movement on it for the past 5 months is worse than not having one at all. Tweet at least once a day - more if you can - reply to any messages you receive, say thank you to anyone who retweets you and make sure that you retweet any links you find interesting.
For those that claim there is not enough time in the day to do everything you need to, you’re right, everyone wishes there were more hours in the day. However social media is something that is worth spending some of your time on, it gives you a chance to gather direct feedback from your customers, engage with them directly and make connections with others who could benefit your business. For those at a desk all day aim to check it 3 times a day – in the morning, at lunchtime and just before you leave – if not more.
The nature of social media means it is extremely easy to use and can be used on the go using a smart phone meaning so there isn’t much of an excuse not to use it. Give social media a chance, don’t just set it up and leave it as you won’t build followers and a positive online presence with no effort.
Article Written by Carli Smith
Visit Inferno Designs for more on Search Engine Optimisation and Company Web Design.
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