January 17, 2012
Filed under: Marketing — admin @ 12:17 pm
A printed t-shirt is a great way to get attention for your event or organisation. You can choose from v-neck, crew neck, heavyweight, long sleeve, ringer and many other styles. Make sure you choose a memorable graphic and colour scheme to stand out in a sea of promotional clothing. A professional designer can help you come up with a printed design that people will immediately embrace and want to be associated with.
Making a promotional t shirt mandatory for your employees creates an impression of unity in the midst of say – a technology conference. It’s a cheap, memorable way of making a statement about your organisation that others will associate favourably with your products and services. Most organisations use printed t-shirts to create identity and an image of professionalism.
You can also choose ethically and environmentally sound options. For example, t shirts made from Fair Trade cotton are becoming increasingly popular. This “ethical fashion” movement sources cotton bought from farmers at a fair price and is available in all of the same styles and colours as standard cotton.
Another popular option is organic cotton. Organic cotton is classified as cotton grown in subtropical environments which has not been genetically modified. It is grown in much the same way that cotton was grown hundreds and hundreds of years ago. It is also favoured because it promotes biodiversity, which is the measure of number of life forms in a given environment. The more varied, the healthier the ecosystem is said to be.
A good quality printed t-shirt can help to boost the image of your organisation. You can choose the cut, colour, design and fabric to deliver a message to express what your organisation is all about. All of this advertising can be achieved for very little cost and in a way that also helps to boost company moral.
Article Courtesy of Express Garment Printing
January 4, 2012
Filed under: Marketing — Alan @ 1:43 pm
Constant Contact is an online marketing company from the United States who have recently opened an office in London, which they have said is designed to help the UK achieve a similar amount of technological development as seen in the United States. Constant Contact helps businesses to branch out in their online marketing efforts, and helps to monitor their presence on social networks as well as monitoring the use of their email.
The company was founded nearly 15 years ago and has built up a customer base of nearly 500,000 companies, with around 10,000 of these being based in the United Kingdom. Anette Iafrate is a managing director for the company and she has commented, “The early adopters of online marketing techniques, such as social networks ,were in the US but there is a significant expanding market in the UK.
We recently conducted a survey which showed around eight in every 10 businesses in the USvwere using social networks as a method of advertising where as in the UK only 50% were doing so.”
She also highlighted that only a third of businesses who utilised social media in the UK thought that it was being effective. The company has been growing at a steady rate and its expansion has been about 20% a year for the past several years. The company is based in Massachusetts and in 2011 recorded revenue of over $200 million.
Ms Iafrate continued, “There are a huge number of businesses in the UK who have ambitious social media plans and we feel these are crucial to the recovery of the UK economy. By establishing a permanent base in the UK we are hoping to be able to bring our extensive knowledge and skills to these businesses so that they can establish an effective social media campaign.”
November 18, 2011
Filed under: Marketing — Alan @ 10:55 pm
The recent news that Adobe is ending its support of MobileFlash technology could have a significant impact on the small businesses of the UK. Around one in every four websites for small companies utilises the technology and Adobe’s ending of their support could cost small businesses around half a billion pounds.
The ending of this support is going to have a huge effect on the SME community as many small businesses rely on tablets and mobile phones and a lot of their customers are coming to their website though them.
Chris Winstanley is from BaseKit and he has commented, “Many companies use mobile devices as a way to generate leads. Projections for next year suggest that around 20% of all Internet searches made will be from a mobile device. Basically, this is traffic that small businesses are unable to miss out on.”
Flash is ultimately going to be replaced by the new HTML5 programming language that has many advantages over flash and has none of the drawbacks. Over the next few years Flash will be withdrawn completely from the Internet market and this withdrawal of the mobile support is just the first stage of this process. Companies with a heavy reliance on flash websites are going to face significant costs as they have to phase these out and redesign their website.
Estimates say that around one in every four small business websites in the UK use at least one element of flash. Estimates say that the average cost of upgrading a website to HTML5 will be around £1000. The changeover to HTML5 has long been expected and Apple made the decision to use it back in 2007.
October 7, 2011
Filed under: Marketing — admin @ 5:13 pm
If you are planning on taking your business to the public at one of the many trade and industry exhibitions on offer this season, then you will want to make an impression that is a) good and b) lasting.
As with all things, preparation is key to getting it right at tradeshows so start planning now to make the most of the opportunity to create new leads and potentially bring new customers to your brand.
Before the Event
When you are preparing for a trade show there are a number of angles that need to be covered before the event itself kicks off. Things that you will need to consider in the run up to the show include:
- Publicity – while it is great that some potential customers will stumble across your trade show stand simple as the result of chance, it can be helpful to have people seeking you out specifically. The way to achieve this is to publicise your appearance in advance of the event. You may wish to offer a hook that will draw people to your location – tried and tested methods include offering free massages, refreshments or even an enticing competition form that can be completed in advance but must be delivered in person on the day.
- Stand – your stand will need to “stand” out from the crowd, so there is no point in leaving banners and hangings ‘til the last minute. These should feature eye-catching designs and prominent branding and need to look slick and professional if you are to have any chance of securing new leads at the event itself. It can be a good idea to set your stand up at the office in advance and get employees to evaluate its effectiveness – do this in plenty of time to allow for changes if necessary.
- Promotional Materials – if you want to capitalise on potential leads from a trade show environment then it is important that you give those who take the time to stop by a reminder of your business and brand. Order branded items well in advance of shows and make up goody bags to take with you on the day. Depending on your budget you may wish to consider such items as pens, notepads, key rings, or even logoed USB exhibition sticks, which can also be pre-loaded with information about your company should the recipient want to find out more about what you do.
On the Day
If your preparation is up to scratch then the day of the event should not throw up too many problems. Some things to consider on the day itself include:
- Image – make sure everyone working the stand understands clearly the image that needs to be presented on the day, advise staff whether they should dress in a uniform, business suit or trendy casual clothes depending on the message you wish to convey.
- Lead Retention – if people take the time to stop at your stand make the most of it. Ensure you have practices in place to take details from potential customers, whether through a newsletter registration, competition or simple feedback form – once you have contact details you can follow up the leads in the future.
September 21, 2011
Filed under: Marketing — Alan @ 8:41 am
Sheryl Sandberg seems determined to do for Facebook the same as she did so successfully for Google. When she was at Google Sandberg was the VP of global online sales and operations, and was in a role that helped to build the company’s money spinning search and advertising business. Now that she is the Chief Operating Officer for the largest social network in the world she wants to do the same at Facebook.
She has a vision that the small businesses who joined the Google advertising program will spend big bucks advertising on the social network giant. The charge on advertising from Sandberg who is listed in the ‘Fortune 50’ as a D.C Powerbroker comes at a time when Facebook’s numbers have swelled to a mind blowing 750m, which represents an advertising bonanza.
Speaking in an interview at the Facebook headquarters where she is seated beside a graffiti style rendering of the co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, the 42 year old says that she believes that every small business should take advantage of the exposure they can get on Facebook. She added that she was not going to stop until they were all using to help their businesses grow.
Facebook will next week be unveiling a plan aimed at getting all small businesses hooked. The company are planning to offer free advertising credits of $50 to 200,000 small businesses. Facebook advertising works on a click system where a set rate is predetermined for each click, for example 5 or 25 cents. Everytime a person clicks on an ad the advertiser is charged the set amount.
Facebook will be picking up the tab for the first $50 worth of clicks on the ads who are part of its offer. While these may seem at first glance like small potatoes, it’s actually the core of a great advertising revenue strategy and could justify an enormous IPO.
March 25, 2011
Filed under: Marketing — admin @ 5:20 pm
Watch a special, longer version of the newest Aviva Motor insurance advert here with Paul Whitehouse and his Cuban dancing.
October 4, 2010
Filed under: Business Software,Business Tools,Marketing — admin @ 11:22 am
For businesses that want to connect with their clientele through clever media usage, social networking websites are a fantastic way to enhance the efficiency of content; with print advertising and direct mail nowhere near as popular or efficient as they once were, turning to the Internet is a great way of targeting new and existing customers. As browsing habits can be determined by age, gender and interests –plus plenty more besides – social networks are incredibly useful tools for business.
So how do you make a social network work for you? Well, if you do have social media pages running, you need to make sure people know about them and that they are updated frequently. You will generate hype about your Facebook and Twitter pages (as well as any additional networks you are joining soon) in the monthly newsletter you email to customers. This will result in stronger connections with your most loyal customers, and an online buzz that will attract new interest. So, when highlighting social media in your newsletter, what should you be doing?
For starters, you should dedicate a section to allow subscribers to have their say: a place for their messages to be heard and published. The amount of space in your newsletter you dedicate to this is up to you. Just publishing a few messages from Twitter, or re-tweeting something you received from one of your followers, will give your media efforts that extra dimension of interactivity. If someone knows that they are able to make contributions and that they will be heard, it is likelier they’ll be inspired to get in touch.
Social network software is also a fantastic investment of your time if you want to run a promotion or another marketing scheme. Notifying your readers through your periodical or an auto-responder message will raise your business’s profile in their public awareness. Also, if the promotion offers something in demand among your client base, the traffic to your website and subsequent conversion rates you experience will hopefully be very promising.
The facilities on websites like Facebook encourage communication through different approaches. In some respects, social networking is doubling up as an additional arm to the public relations and customer service divisions you may already have in your business.
Discussion boards and forums will allow members of your pages to ask and answer questions that surround your products or services. An even better idea could be to get a social media representative to monitor the activity on your pages for you. This ensures any prominent issues raised on your social networking website will be resolved swiftly by someone in your workforce.
A great way to establish a bond with your customers, as well as a brand, is to use social networking to show clients what goes on behind the scenes. The understanding of how your operation works also shows how the product or service they buy is brought to retail. In more cases than not, this will allow users of a page to appreciate how hard you work to help them, which in turn will raise your credibility.
Business opportunities are never far away when a social network is involved. Even though some services are intended for personal use, another entrepreneur or executive in a company who sees your pages might be inspired to get in touch. After that, further discussions could result in that lucrative deal that you and your team had been striving for.
Creating your own social network website also means that boundaries and limits set by existing pages will be removed. Sometimes, branding is far stronger when all of the websites across your output have the same design and colour scheme. A social media presence is adaptable to your specifications because it results in a person’s association of a certain look and feel with your business: the perfect outcome.
Dependent on which sector you are in, the social network you establish could be the service you offer instead of something ancillary. In these cases, you need to try and plan how sustainable income streams will be gained from the website created. Thinking about the different approaches and their flexibility is worthwhile. For example: could you establish a membership service where users have to pay a set fee in order to gain access? Is advertising a viable option and if so, which online methods would be the most profitable and feasible to use?
When deciding how a social network will be able to enhance the accessibility of your product to customers, planning is essential. These days, it is all about unique selling points and standing out from the crowd. This new form of media is becoming an essential addition to the marketing strategies of businesses in every industry, so you want careful thought to go into your service so it is popular and more resourceful than alternatives from your rivals.
Of course, businesses aren’t the only entities which benefit from social media. Charitable organisations and voluntary establishments also need a place to compile their ideas, discussions and communities. It is too easy for meetings by charities to be intermittent because of the difficulties in getting everyone together at once. However, getting all of the members in a committee to bring ideas to a website means that productivity is at the convenience of the volunteer, and this is the great advantage of the humble social network. If a website should need to be the hub for progress, it needs to be accessible.
Whatever the purpose, social media is a revolution which is making businesses and charities do far more for their customers.
We live in a 24-hour society where we are hungry for information at a times that suit us. Creating a network for your customers will boost their knowledge of who you are, making them familiar with products they didn’t know you offered. In consequence, they will come to you for such goods in the future, while recommending you to friends in the process. If this doesn’t make social media important and worthwhile, then what does?
June 21, 2010
Filed under: Business equipment,Business Tools,Marketing — admin @ 11:53 am
Exhibitions have a long standing history of bringing together buyers and sellers, both at B2B and B2C level. Their expansion throughout the decades is obvious as today more and more businesses from a wide amount of industries, spanning from aviation to weddings get popup gazebo to use in order to use the event as an effective promotional tool and generate brand awareness for their business. Trade shows present businesses with the opportunity to create brand recognition with their potential customers that they may not otherwise be able to reach.
Trade Shows by nature are specific to every market, for which means that the visitors who are attracted to the specific events will mostly be the businesses target audience. This gives them the opportunity to be recognised by potential customers and promote what they have to offer. In addition trade shows are a way for companies to strengthen and reinforce current customer relations as not only do they give customers the platform to express positive criticism, they also obtain the assurance that the company that they’ve bought from previously are continuing to promote their commodities and are seeking to enhance brand awareness. For some industries, trade shows can be on a local, national or international level. This gives companies the chance to specifically pinpoint niches based upon geographic positioning or the mass-markets. The benefit of this is that the marketing message expressed to its customer base can be modified appropriately in order to it generates the highest possible interest.
Exhibitions are just one of the very few marketing methods that allow for two-way communication between current or potential customer with the businesses that they may consider buying from. This makes it an exclusive and popular marketing tool as client grievances or enquiries can be dealt with face to face whilst presenting companies the chance to obtain valuable feedback from previous and present customers. Trade shows are also a great way for businesses to showcase their current and forthcoming product lines which works well because they can either increases of a product that is in the final stages of the product life cycle or whet the appetite of those at the show with what is coming soon in the future and draw up a list of potential customers.
In relation to demonstrating the products and services, it gives business executives the chance to walk around the show themselves and check up on what competitors are doing and provide ideas on how their business can improve what they’re selling.
But with so many companies exhibiting, how can businesses distinguish themselves from the competition? There’s a number of means that can be used in order to lure the masses, which is the first step to generating leads. Visibility is crucial and having a stand adjacent to the entrance, near the refreshments or toilets can all be influential positions to be located in. The down side is that these premium spots are sold at… a premium and are normally the first to be taken. In the event that this transpires, there is an abundance of display stands and popup gazebos easily available to acquire and many are able to be personalised with a company name, logo or motto which can be identified straight away and draw interest.
Complimentary or heavily reduced promotional gifts are additional way to create awareness to a company’s stand. If this is not feasible, visitors often expect brochures as a minimum. If budgets permit, free branded gifts such as pens and key rings can retain an individual’s knowledge of a company and often they can be sourced at low cost. Imagination can often be key here.
Trade Shows can be an emphatic way for businesses to generate business whilst reinforcing existing relationships with consumers which makes them a serious contender as one of the best marketing mediums to generate a high ROI.
April 9, 2010
Filed under: Business Tools,Marketing — admin @ 7:16 am
The growth of social networking on the internet has been rapid and is only likely to continue into the future as social networks grow in number and size. Businesses are increasingly looking to expand their presence online and provide a medium for their customers through which they can interact. Equally the market of social networking software has become a fairly lucrative one that many businesses are looking to move into and provide social networks for their clients. Thus the interest in people looking to develop and create social networks is growing all the time as they become an important tool of the present and the future. Internet security however is an additional factor that users need to consider when building a social network. There is a good availability of free antivirus software available to help ensure that your computer and internet activities are better protected.
The availability of white label social networks is ideal for both social network developers and businesses that are looking to integrate a social network into their site. The white label functionality means that all branding can be removed from the network, allowing developers to upload their clients’ logos so that the software can be seamlessly integrated as a bespoke social network. Similarly, businesses can apply their own domain and remove all links and image references so that the network can be branded as their own and members will not know what platform it is running on.
The extensive level of customisation that you can undertake allows developers and businesses alike to create a completely unique social network. In creating a social network for business the design and layout can be radically adjusted from the admin centre in order to create a network that you are completely happy with. The point and click tools makes it simple to make changes and the layout manager allows you to drag and drop every element of the network. Developers can go a step further and make advanced developments through the API, CSS style sheets and custom HTML, or just overhaul the look and feel of the network with a few clicks of the mouse.
The features that can be utilised as part of your social network are vast and soon members will be interacting on a variety of different levels. Members that sign up can set up their own personal profile and, in turn, get chatting with fellow members, whether that is through the easy messaging services, the forums or text and video chat. These features come as standard and they can further share content such as photos and videos, write their own blogs and create and organise events within their own groups. For further accessibility the social network can be integrated with their Facebook and Twitter accounts, so that they are logged in with the click of a button.
A social network can be created in minutes and all that is required is for you to pick the features, monetisation option and support package that you require. Developers can make a considerable mark up by selling on the network that they create, whilst businesses can recoup money by charging for membership or premium services, and hosting advertisements and classified listings. Businesses can also select the level of help they require that is available on demand, from getting assistance with the design and setup to personal support every step of the way.
March 4, 2010
Filed under: Business Advice,Business Tools,Marketing,Small business — admin @ 11:27 am
Daryl Willcox Publishing, has released a useful free guide to help small businesses and startups with DIY marketing and PR.
The guide is aimed at businesses who promote themselves in the press. It defines why PR is beneficial, provides a step by step ‘how to’ guide to writing a press release and details how small businesses should go about contacting members of the media with their news.
Additionally, the guide describes how companies can apply social media strategies and use other PR tools such as blogging to connect with customers. It also shows how to use audio and visual formats to present messages in different ways.
The free PR for Small Businesses Guide is available here.
