4 Web Marketing Crackers for Christmas

The festive season brings with it an inevitable flurry of last-minute marketing and promotional activity. For most businesses, Christmas is a once-yearly opportunity to capitalise on the nation's willingness to spend, spend, spend. Last December internet shoppers spent £5.46bn, according to the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index (www.imrg.org), up 17% on the previous year. Sales in November also rose by 3.8%.

With Christmas looming – and with the opportunity to profit from an increasingly large proportion of festive sales – there has never been a better time to hone your web marketing strategy. In this article we'll look at 4 simple ways you can make the most of the Christmas rush.

Sophisticated Web Marketing Methods for the Christmas Season
Ideally, your Christmas marketing activities are a continuation of the best online business practices you should already have in place – just with a little tweaking.

1. Keyword Blogging
The use of keywords or phrases forms part of everyday blogging best practice for the budding internet marketer. Digging a little deeper, however, can often yield surprising results. 'Long-tail' keywords (three or four word phrases which are very specific to your product) are a great way to widen the net a little, particularly involving universal themes such as Christmas.

Producing content that promotes your product or service in conjunction with generic Christmas terms such as:

• Christmas
• Christmas presents
• Present ideas
• Christmas gifts etc...

2. Focussed Landing Pages
Landing pages are a great way of experimenting with new strategies/layouts or simply to promote specific products in a targeted manner. Consider using time-sensitive, seasonal offers to give your readers an incentive to purchase a product or sign up to your newsletter:

• "15% off until x"
• "Free gift when spending £50 or more before x"
• "Sign up now to receive x" etc.

3. Marketing Emails
Much like a mini landing page, targeted email messages can be a useful tool for promoting specific products and presenting exclusive offers to existing customers. Consider sending a pre-emptive mail-out, reminding existing customers on your database that Christmas is fast approaching.

People love nothing more than to feel organised – particularly at such a hectic time of year – so appeal to this basic human need in conjunction with a limited-time reward for that killer one-two combination.

4. Social Media & Keywords
Once you have a grasp on your basic keywords and search terms, this information can be used to broaden your seasonal marketing strategy. Take Twitter for example, which includes a facility to search and track certain words and phrases.

This is mainly achieved through the use of hashtags, Twitter's version of popular tags used in posts. By monitoring the use of certain hashtags, internet marketers can 'collect' related Tweets and their associated authors. This information can then be used to target tweeters in an appropriate manner, for example by providing a link to your promotional landing page.

However you choose to promote your business this Christmas, being genuine and sharing some good will will ensure you are remembered for a long time. If you would like help preparing your Christmas promotions, call us on 01454 261111.

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Linked In, Social Networking and Your Business – Part Two

Much like social media for the business-minded person, Linked In has rapidly grown over the last few years to represent the platform of choice for serious networkers the world over. With over 75 million members in over 200 countries, for many small and large businesses alike the question has become not so much "do I need to join?", but more "can I afford not to?".

In the first part of this two-part article we examined the origins of Linked In, how it compares to other social media platforms such as Facebook and what the future might hold. In this article we'll take a look at some useful tips for getting the most out of your Linked In experience.

Using Linked In to Improve Your Network
There are no hard and fast rules – the tips covered in this article are merely suggestions on how to get the most from your social media experience.

Client Focus
For those companies new to the social media experience, it's easy to forget the importance of the 'social' aspect of 'social media'. From a business perspective, it's too easy to focus on promotion, professional credentials and the sales pitch. Whilst these facets all form part of a successful strategy, the budding internet marketer should remember first and foremost that his audience are human.

Linked In is no different. One of the first things you'll be required to do as a new member is to complete a profile. Whilst it certainly helps to inform new contacts who you've worked with and how accomplished your career has been thus far, try not to avoid the temptation to recreate your CV.

Focus on the basics of any professional exchange – who do you help? How do you help them? If they're interested, then provide more detail – including how you are uniquely qualified in your field, or what sets you apart.

Treat your profile as a one-minute style introduction at a networking meeting – stick to the salient points and you can't go wrong.

Get Connected, But Beware...
Once you're up and running, there is of course a very real temptation to go connection-crazy. Connections are the currency of Linked In, accrued either via the search function or through your own contacts' networks. Connections mean opportunities – including the opportunity to convert said connections into business.

If you want to make the most of your Linked In experience, however, be prepared to invest some time and effort into building business relationships that will ultimately enhance your business.

Search For Business
Connections and networking aside, one must not overlook Linked In's usefulness as a way of procuring business. The platform's flexibility allows you to refine your search down to the finest detail – ensuring you find exactly what you're looking for in terms of potential business opportunities.

It's Good to Talk
Communication forms the basis for any internet marketing strategy. It may sound obvious, but many novice users forget this one simple principal – communication is a two way street. Lasting, fruitful relationships are only formed by engaging with your audience, and understanding that sometimes one has to give in order to receive.

Linked In groups allow you to join in discussions, make new connections and stay abreast of the latest news in your field. They're also a great way to help others, demonstrate your professional mastery of a particular subject and fish for potential clients.

What's Happening?
Status updates aren't exclusive to Facebook, and can be used in a similar fashion via Linked In. A great way of staying on your contacts' collective radar, status updates are an ideal non-intrusive tool for a little self-promotion.

However you choose to use Linked In, there is no doubting its potential as a platform from which to add genuine value and growth to your business. If you would like to review the effectiveness of social media marketing activities, please call 01454 261111.

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8 Ways to Make Your Website Work for You

In this age of digital marketing, it's all too easy to spend your time chasing the latest social media fad or hot tip. Even the most seasoned internet marketers occasionally lose sight of the basics from time to time – those foundations upon which the internet marketing industry was built, and without which wouldn't exist.

If things aren't working for you, or you feel your website has lost its way, then read on. In this two-part article, we're going to go back to basics and look at some simple ways in which you can harness the power of a simple web strategy.

Creating a Winning Website
Every website is different. Each needing to be customised to complement your marketing goals. But whatever your needs, here are some basic tried and tested factors to consider when preparing your online business presence.

1. What Does Your Web Address Say About You?
The best URLs (Uniform Resource Locator – or website address) speak clearly to both readers and the search engines. To give a clear indication of what you do, whilst sending visitors directly to your main website. In terms of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), there is no better time to start than at the very beginning with your URL.

Keyword research forms the foundation of any sound search marketing strategy. Once you have identified the right combination for you, give some thought as to how this could be built into your URL.

2. Include the Right Titles and Descriptions
Ensuring relevant metatags are included in your web pages is essential to achieving healthy organic search engine rankings. Loosely speaking these are broken down into a title (displayed in blue in the search results) and the page description (the lines of text beneath the title).

Incorporating rich keywords into these areas will, if done correctly, yield visible results when combined with other search marketing activity.

3. Provide a Clear Call to Action
Imagine you are a first-time visitor to your website. What is it you are required to do? Sign up? Buy something? At the very least, the site should be offering you something of value in return for your contact information.

If you're unclear as to what it is you want your visitors to do, then you can guarantee they're not going to spend time figuring it out for themselves. Decide, on a page-by-page basis, on a single desired 'action' – this way the point is clear and your visitor isn't confused by too many choices. Arrange your information in a clear concise manner, leaving nothing to chance.

4. Lead the Charge – Give an Incentive
Deciding on a clear 'lead product' is a simple but effective tool used by the majority of internet marketers. Enticing visitors to make a relatively low-value initial purchase is a fantastic way to build long-term sales opportunities.

Ultimately what to use as your lead product is entirely up to you – there are no hard and fast rules. Consider carrying out a series of split tests, in an effort to find out which product converts visitors to customers most effectively.

The internet is not a static medium, so your web strategy shouldn't be either. If necessary, be prepared to go back to basics to help attract more of your target audience. We return to this topic next month for some more tips on making your website work for you. If you would like to review the effectiveness of your website, please call us on 01454 261111.

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5 Top Tips for B2B Companies Using Twitter

This article isn't aimed at those of you under the mistaken belief that social media – in this instance Twitter – exists simply for short-term gain. Just as real-life business relationships require an investment of time and effort, the same ultimately applies to the digital medium. Whilst there are short-term results to be had, these should form the basis of a long-term commitment to engagement with your audience.

Whether you're focusing on lead-generation, industry insight or media exposure - this article highlights some key tips for leveraging two-way communication between you and your audience.

Improving Business Over Twitter
Used by millions of people on a daily basis, Twitter is a free micro-blogging service that enables users to send and read messages known as tweets. Now, people are turning to Twitter as an effective way to reach out to businesses, too. Here are 5 useful tips for using Twitter to help enhance your B2B communications.

1. Be Original
Try to avoid simply following the crowd, rehashing and retweeting (reposting) other people's content for the sake of it. Sure, every now and then an unmissable piece of content pops up on the viral radar, however one of the best ways of engaging your readers is to have something to say yourself. At the very least it will lend your voice some credibility, and you'll stand out from the crowd a little more.

Just as you're trying to achieve in your day-to-day business, establishing yourself as an authority in your chosen field is more likely to build and retain a loyal following than consistently referencing other people's content.

2. Retweeting Content
Following on from the last point, if you're going to share information from other sources – ensure it's relevant to your business. A snippet of information that you found valuable in terms of your own B2B business will help to both establish your grasp of the subject and assist in building affiliations with contemporaries, customers and national organisations.

Go one step further and add your own comment for that personal touch.

3. In the Field
One of the most appealing (and useful) aspects of Twitter is its dynamic nature. Users can update followers wherever, whenever. Got a sales team in the field? Attending a trade show? There's never been a better opportunity to post some original, 'as it happens' information that will – for a few hours at least – place you and your company on everyone's radar, leveraging invaluable exposure.

Imagine this scenario: you're at a trade show and have just lucked in with a casual 5 minute chat with a key player in the industry – what better time to tell everyone than right now?

4. Hashtags
Of course these days it's not just about what you post, but how you post it. In the same way that keywords matter in terms of SEO for your company website, you should be aware of the relevant hashtags and keywords that your target audience use on a daily basis. Broad search times no longer apply.

Once you have identified the relevant terms, set up appropriate searches on Twitter to automatically collect tweets that mention them. Doing so will open up a whole world of possibilities providing access to competitors, industry expertise and new followers hungry for relevant content. In other words, your target audience!

Handy hint: Twitter clients such as Hootsuite and Tweetdeck make hashtag monitoring a relatively painless process.

5. Inject a Little Personality
Any good internet marketer appreciates that, business aside, their audience is first and foremost human. Consider then that your use of social media doesn't have to be all business. Dropping in an amusing anecdote here and there – maybe even an irreverent musing on current affairs – is a great way of presenting yourself as a human being with genuine interests. Hey, it's called social media for a reason.

However you choose to use Twitter, it's important to remember why you are using it in the first place. Of course there are plenty of other ways social media can augment a great B2B strategy – so feel free to share your experiences. If you need help with your social media marketing activities, call us on 01454 261111.

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