by Nick Throlson | Jul 20, 2017 | Marketing
The value of digital marketing for any type of business isn't something that can be debated any longer. We all know that millions of people use the internet, including social media regularly. However, the cost of digital marketing can seem prohibitive for smaller companies as they don't have the capital behind them to launch huge, flashy campaigns. But, in actual fact, you don't have to break the bank to get you digital marketing up to speed, just read on to find out more.Chat boxes
First of all, why not consider installing a chat box on your website? Why? Well, they actually perform several marketing roles for you. Firstly they offer help to visitors of the sites, usually potential customers that need certain information before their visit turns into a sale. By providing this quickly and easily, you have a much better chance of gaining a sale than you would if you had no chat box.Secondly, chat boxes personalize an impersonal thing. Yes, it could be a bot on the other end and not a real person, but your customer doesn't know that. Instead, they see a company that is providing services tailored to them and their needs, and a way of getting the reassurance they need during the interaction. Something that less IT savvy customers can definitely appreciate. Charity donations A very simple way of raising your digital marketing game without it costing you very much at all is to include the option for you customers to provide a charity donation. You will see many successful companies doing this, including famous airlines. What this does is create a positive image around your company. It shows that you are concerned by things other than you own workings and profits, and it associates the said charity, and some of the good feelings your customer have about them, with you as well. The cost is minimal, because it the customer that is making the donation. So it's just the administration and web development fee to add a button to your site. 
Interactive and usable website Both of the above suggestions are dependent on your company having a website, something that demonstrates just how important websites actually are. They aren?t just another line of communication or a catalog of items. In fact, they really are the hub of all of your customer contact and your chief point of sale. All that means having an ugly, static, un-navigable website is very bad new for your businesses. So it's worth investing in the initial cost to have one built for you. You also need to think carefully about who you choose to host your website online. As poor hosting can result in all sort of problems like your site being unreachable, or it crashing if you have a lot of customers. Something that can directly affect your profit margins. Placement Lastly, a super cheap and easy way of getting some great digital marketing for free online is to send your products out to bloggers that appeal to your target audience. Then hopefully they will review your items (usually in a positive way, as no one wants to stop getting free products) and this reaches all of the people that follow them.
by Nick Throlson | Jul 11, 2017 | Marketing
Commercial communication, or marketing as its more widely know plays a huge rise in the success of SMEs. This is because it raises the awareness of your brand and product. Without which it would be impossible to sell in quantity necessary to stay in profit. While it can seem like a complicated area to master, it's possible to get some fantastic results by doing some very simple actions. Read on to find out more. Newsletters and mail shots On the more traditional side of things, we have the marketing tool that is the newsletter. This is a valuable way of keeping your SME?s customers and potential future customers up to date with your brand and products. It is something that can be circulated via paper post but is now or likely to be done via email as this is a lot more time and cost efficient, and you can reach a larger audience a lot quicker. However the downside of emailing newsletters is they have to be hugely engaging and tempting to read, else they run the risk of quickly being deleted and ignored. To help you with this you can check out posts like the top 6 tools for targeted email marketing. As there you can find info on how to make your copy much more reader-friendly and engaging in format. Special offers Once you have the format side of things sorted you need to ensure that your content is eye-catching as well. One way of doing this is to use special offers. These may take the form of money off codes, buy one get one free deals, free gifts, or the like. These are a great way of getting a potential customer to actually read and engage with your email and online marketing. They also encourage a quick purchase helping you to boost your sales figures in a short space of time. Viral marketing However, there is an even more tempting way of getting your customers to engage with the marketing tool that you are distributing, and that is viral marketing. But what is viral marketing? Well, it's a way of getting your brand out there that is a bit more avant-garde. 
It usually includes an image, or more typically a video, that has very watchable content. Such as something funny or something with an element of danger. The company name or product usually isn't the star of the show as is revealed at the end. It's more about the feeling that the video creates in its viewers which then becomes psychologically linked to your brand by the completion of the production. By entertaining folks first and promoting second, you give your potential customers something before you have asked for anything from them. Creating a positive association with your brand. You also give them something that they can share, spreading your message even further. Check out some of the best examples here on the web for some inspiration. But be careful, as some companies have had trouble with negative viral marketing as well.
by Nick Throlson | Jun 30, 2017 | Marketing
When you first went into business, chances are you did it because you already had certain relevant skills at your disposal. Much in the same way that some of us are naturally creative, or other naturally good with numbers, there are individual skills that nearly all business people seem to harbor. These range from resilience to good public speaking abilities, and all of them work together to produce a confident and well-rounded business professional. But, like in any job, there is always room to build on any skills you already have, even if you think you are already pretty good in most areas. One such area is the sphere of marketing ? something that is integral to business success, even more so in the modern age. The rise of the internet has changed the way companies market themselves forever, and even the most low-level marketing professional now needs to have a diverse and reliable skill set to rely on. Read on to find out what makes a good marketing executive, and how you can improve your skills to come out at the top of your game.
Education
Marketing IS one of those things you can learn on the job ? but only to a certain extent. Realistically, very few companies have the time to train marketing staff from scratch, especially if they are dealing with a complete novice. Instead, you would benefit from undertaking an education in marketing or public relations, such as a university degree. If that doesn?t take your fancy, however, or if you have already attended university, you may want to consider doing an mba in online marketing instead. Many of these qualifications don?t require you to attend classes in person ? you can do it all online ? making it easy to run alongside your job, or any other responsibilities you may have. 
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People skills
In your role as a marketing manager or executive, you will spend much of your time dealing with other people ? be it through email, over the phone or in person. Often, you will have to negotiate deals with advertising agencies, hire creative staff to help you put together your campaign and work closely with a sales team to tie it all together. Remember, in business, everyone is looking out for themselves, so you need to be calm and tactful to get the best results for your company. Plus, being a friendly and active person makes your working life a lot easier!
Analytical skills
Regrettably, the hard work doesn?t stop when the marketing campaign is over. In fact, it?s often only just begun. Marketing trends move at an astonishing rate, so you need to make sure that you know exactly how well your last campaign worked. Analytical skills are, therefore, integral to making sure you can thoroughly examine what went well, and what didn?t go so well, in the last project you were involved in. Only by doing this will you be able to progress in the work you do in the future.
by Nick Throlson | May 17, 2017 | Business, Marketing
It's easier than you might think for a business to find themselves stuck in a rut. They might have been going for a good few years, but failed to keep up with the times. It's easy for a family business or small company to fall behind, especially when what they have been doing might have worked for them for several decades. But if things are starting to stagnate, it's important to do something about it. One option is to relaunch the business, which could help you to get some more attention and remind people of your company. Your relaunch could involve rebranding or even a new name. But how do you make it a success?Analyzing Your MarketplaceBefore you relaunch your business, you might need to take a good look at your target market. If you've let the progress of your business slide recently, you could find that you're out of touch with what your customers want. Things change all the time, and people start to expect new things, while other elements of business fall out of favor. Maybe now your customers want to communicate with you online and not over the phone. Perhaps they want to be able to make an appointment or booking using their phone, without having to talk to anyone to confirm it. You need to know what your potential customers are looking for.What Does Relaunching Entail?If you've decided to relaunch your business, you should have a think about what that means. A business relaunch could entail one of several things, so don't assume that it will always be a total rebrand. Relaunching your business could simply mean getting in touch with your existing customer base to give them a little more attention. It could be sending out an email with a special offer or making a few phone calls to some potential new clients. However, you could also go further and completely transform your business to help you find a new customer base.
RebrandingSome business owners who decide on a relaunch choose to rebrand their whole business. While this can be a big and sometimes expensive move, it's often a good choice if your business is in desperate need of an update. You can find the right firm to do your website design and branding so you can give your business a new look. But your rebrand should be about more than just image. You also need to think about things like customer service and the tone of voice you want to use in official communications.New Name?Renaming your business is a possibility, but deciding if it's the right choice can be tough. You might have existing or past customers who know you by one name and could be confused or put off by a new name. However, if you feel like your brand has fallen into obscurity, a new name could be what it needs to refresh it.If you think relaunching your business is the right choice, you need a plan of action. You might make some big moves or choose a softer approach.
by Nick Throlson | Apr 26, 2017 | Business, Marketing
Every good company needs to market themselves. But what if you?re on a tight budget and can?t afford to hire a marketing company to take care of your needs? Fortunately, there are lots of simple tricks largely using the internet that can allow you to market your business effectively for next to nothing.
Photo Credit: image from HTSABO
Build up your reputation with online reviewsOnline reviews have more power than ever before and are becoming increasingly harder to avoid. Stop hiding from them and start embracing them. Get all your satisfied past clients to leave reviews on Google or Trip Advisor (you can even get your friends and family to leave a few positive reviews ? no-one will know). You can also collect positive testimonials and put them on your website. Occasionally you may get negative reviews ? respond to these politely or report them if you genuinely believe they are spam.Outsource on a budgetYou may be able to outsource some tasks without shelling out thousands on a marketing campaign. Sites such as Fiverr are full of freelancers offering their services for cheap. These services could involve SEO, product reviews, Facebook banner building, Press release writing and even advanced analytics. Check that freelancers have a website or testimonials to back up what they say they can do so that you know you?re getting a reliable service.
by Nick Throlson | Jan 6, 2017 | Business, Marketing, Web Design
The most successful web designers will all tell you one thing: keep it simple. Forget the fancy effects and Flash-based menus and systems that take forever to load and don?t work on mobile devices. The key to running a successful website is to use the right tools, keep it basic and don?t overload your humble site with too much useless junk.You want your users to focus on the content, not the fact that you have a sparkling trail following the mouse or a viewer count that spins every time your user loads your website. Get rid of the fancy widgets that make your website look like it hasn?t been updated since the 1990s and take control. Here are some tips on how to market your products and services on your website with ease.Picking the Right HostCreating a beautiful website is a time-consuming job if you?re not keen on designing. To remedy that, you can always pick a host such as Squarespace or WordPress. These two services have hundreds of different templates that you can pick and edit yourself. They?ll give you a good base to start your website and all you need to worry about is putting your content out there.Pricing is also a concern. You don?t want to spend too much money for a web host if it?s not going to make you money. There?s no reason to pay a web designer a tonne of money just to edit or change your website when you can do it yourself for cheap using hosting services, and there?s no need to pay for more storage space if your website is mainly text and pictures. Some web hosts offer easy integration for online storefronts too. You?ll have to pay a little extra, but it means you can easily sell your products on the internet and the only thing you need to worry about is printing shipping labels and packaging items to send.You also want to consider customer service. Look up reviews for the host that you plan to use and make sure they offer a 24/7 customer support service. If your website goes down, then you need to contact your host to get it back up again or ask them what issues there are. A web host that constantly fails will make it hard for your business to thrive, so ensure that uptime and customer service are top-notch before committing.Designing a LogoLogo design is expensive if you are hiring a freelancer with a lot of experience. You can make huge savings by using programs such as Photoshop or GIMP to create your own logos and designs?all it takes is a bit of reading and dedication. For example, these photoshop text effects tutorials are a great introduction to stylized logos that are easy to create and look great. You?ll be able to create some excellent art in a short amount of time and you can use it as a temporary logo until you upgrade your business.However, it might also be worth hiring a junior freelance designer that?s looking to expand their portfolio. Many freelancers that are just starting out are willing to work for cheaper rates or even for free. However, make sure that you speak to them directly and tell them what you want. It?s a gamble and you might get an expertly crafted piece of work for free, or you might just end up with something unusable due to their inexperience.How to Keep it SimpleWhether you?re creating a freelancing portfolio or you want to set up a web store to sell handcrafted memorabilia, you don?t want to overload your customers and visitors with an abundance of useless information they don?t care about. Even if you offer a very technical service, you don?t want to drown people in your technical jargon because chances are, they know they need your services, but they don?t know a thing about how it works and nor do they care. It?s also a good idea to keep your website simple enough to run smoothly and cleanly on mobile devices.Let?s say you want to focus on building custom computers for gaming enthusiasts. There?s no point listing information such as maximum temperatures or fan speeds right off the bat. They?re gamers that may or may not have an idea about the exact specs or why they?re important. Show them useful information such as how fast smoothly their games will run or the maximum graphics settings the computer is capable of. If they want to know more, simply add a ?technical specifications? link that shows all the details.
First of all, why not consider installing a chat box on your website? Why? Well, they actually perform several marketing roles for you. Firstly they offer help to visitors of the sites, usually potential customers that need certain information before their visit turns into a sale. By providing this quickly and easily, you have a much better chance of gaining a sale than you would if you had no chat box.Secondly, chat boxes personalize an impersonal thing. Yes, it could be a bot on the other end and not a real person, but your customer doesn't know that. Instead, they see a company that is providing services tailored to them and their needs, and a way of getting the reassurance they need during the interaction. Something that less IT savvy customers can definitely appreciate. Charity donations A very simple way of raising your digital marketing game without it costing you very much at all is to include the option for you customers to provide a charity donation. You will see many successful companies doing this, including famous airlines. What this does is create a positive image around your company. It shows that you are concerned by things other than you own workings and profits, and it associates the said charity, and some of the good feelings your customer have about them, with you as well. The cost is minimal, because it the customer that is making the donation. So it's just the administration and web development fee to add a button to your site. 
Interactive and usable website Both of the above suggestions are dependent on your company having a website, something that demonstrates just how important websites actually are. They aren?t just another line of communication or a catalog of items. In fact, they really are the hub of all of your customer contact and your chief point of sale. All that means having an ugly, static, un-navigable website is very bad new for your businesses. So it's worth investing in the initial cost to have one built for you. You also need to think carefully about who you choose to host your website online. As poor hosting can result in all sort of problems like your site being unreachable, or it crashing if you have a lot of customers. Something that can directly affect your profit margins. Placement Lastly, a super cheap and easy way of getting some great digital marketing for free online is to send your products out to bloggers that appeal to your target audience. Then hopefully they will review your items (usually in a positive way, as no one wants to stop getting free products) and this reaches all of the people that follow them.
It usually includes an image, or more 
Image source
Rebranding
Build up your reputation with online reviews
