Times are changing and they are changing fast. We cannot all
carry on marketing our businesses in the same way and expect the same results. Covid-19
has made a real difference to how we communicate our messages. Those businesses
that have continued to share social media posts, send email communications,
engage in PR and direct mail campaigns will find it easiest to maintain and
grow their client base.
One contributing factor for this change is loyalty. We live in a 24/7 world where we all want
things at the click of a button and there is often very little loyalty if the
same product/service is available faster & quicker elsewhere. Keeping your
customer base updated and bringing them along with you on the journey will
enhance loyalty and create brand ambassadors.
How we communicate is crucial going forward. Social media is getting busier, email inboxes
are bursting at the seams and more traditional forms of marketing such as direct
mail campaigns are proving popular. Be
aware though, that there are obstacles especially in the B2B sector as a large
amount of businesses are embracing home working so not always in the office to
receive the post.
Our top tips for effective communication
would be:
1: Be Clear
Now more than ever businesses need to be clear about what
they are communicating. With many businesses now either working from home or
changing their offering, it is important that all messages are communicated
clearly by:
Knowing your purpose – brand recognition, sales
& share information etc.
Knowing how you are going to communicate –
social media, email etc.
Being clear on what you want to achieve
2 Know Your Audience
With any marketing communication channel, it is vital that
you understand your audience as this will help determine your tone of voice,
length of communication and graphics required. By knowing your audience, you
can easily segment and send targeted messages to different audiences at the
same time.
People are busy, by being direct you can ensure that your
marketing messages are received by the right person at the right time and
written for the right audience. Remember, the best communication piece talks to
your customer and about them – it is not about you.
Marketing communication is no longer about throwing out lots
of content and hoping something sticks. Be clear on:
Who are you sending the messages to?
How they digest information
Where do they get their information from to make
buying decision – social media, Press etc.
Do they prefer detailed content or short-form
content?
3: Be Human & Authentic
Human and authentic communications will always get a better
response. People buy from people and when social media posts, emails etc are
written so you can visualise the speaker, buy-in is increased.
Over the past six months communication channels have really
become more human as we are helping and supporting each-other and this is vital
when sending marketing communications out.
Other things to consider:
Don’t use jargon
Write as if you are speaking to the reader
Be helpful & supportive
Can you personalise communications?
4: Communication Channels
It is essential businesses look at each channel in a
joined-up manner. Integrated communications will have a better response to
stand alone pieces. Customers will digest information better from a number of
combined sources. Whilst the way communication is delivered varies per channel,
the messaging needs to be-consistent. Have a clear plan of what you are going
to use each channel for and regularly assess if it continues to be right for
your business
5: Be Consistent
The best advice I can pass on is to be consistent. If you
are going to create a communication plan for your business, make sure that you
are sending out messages in a timely and consistent manner. Your customers want
to hear from you and by being consistent, you stay front of mind. If you write
a monthly newsletter, make it land in inboxes at the same time each month.
Consider:
Frequency
Delivery times
Time required to produce the content
Content formats – text, images, videos
5: Monitoring the ROI
Over the next month, take time to actually monitor the
return on investment with social media, email marketing, PR and direct Mail
campaigns etc. You can do this relatively easily by monitoring the engagement
that you get on social media, the open rates that you receive with email
marketing and any results and inquiries from direct Mail & PR. By taking
the time, you can actively see what is working and what isn’t.
It is important to monitor:
How many communications are you sending out?
How many responses / engagements are you getting?
What is your current open rate percentages and
clicks
What sales are generated?
How many enquiries are made?
Finally, now is the perfect time to enhance your marketing communications and try new ways to reach your audience. By being present and keeping in front of your clients, it will be easier to build and develop new audiences. Review your communications today and see how you can adapt and adjust as your business finds in new path.
We are often asked by clients, should we be on Instagram? Or how
can we use it properly for our business?
You first need to establish your target market and whether they
will be on Instagram. Don’t be a marketing magpie and go on Instagram because
everyone else is! It needs to suit you and your business.
We are going to run you through a few tips on how to make the most
out of Instagram:
Hashtags
Hashtags are the perfect way to help grow and be found in a specific area of expertise. On Instagram you can use up to 30 hashtags, this is great as you can pick a variety that will help you reach your target audience.
Make sure you don’t bombard with
lots of hashtags and ensure they are relevant!!
You should aim to make the
hashtags are specific and try not to use popular hashtags as your post is less
likely to be seen.
Examples of hashtags to use:
Location
Business industry
Relevant to subject
post
Create your own
brand hashtags
Product or service
Niche hashtags
Seasonal
Awareness days
Stories
Instagram stories only last 24 hours then they disappear. This is the perfect way to post as much as you want without feeling like you are bombarding your followers with too much content. It is an ideal way to engage with your followers and give them an insight into some behind the scenes of your business.
Top Tip! Make sure you use stickers on Instagram stories for more engagement! We recommend using: Polls, Questions, Countdown, and Quiz. These will all help you interact with your customers and give you an idea of what they like, which you can base your posts around!
Examples of stories to make:
Behind the scenes
Questions
Motivational quotes
Tell a story
Ask for opinions
Before and after
Testimonials
Review products
Instagram Highlights
Instagram highlights are Instagram stories that you can feature on your profile, this is so that they can stay permanently. You can add highlight covers to make it look aesthetically pleasing, this will make a good impression for new followers who are looking at your profile.
You can categorise your highlights, for example naming one as
“Questions” and you can add all the stories you have previously posted on
questions your followers have asked and you have answered. This is really
useful as it is like FAQs, and you are not having to repeat questions.
IGTV
Instagram IGTV’s allows you to create
long videos, this is great as you can go into detail about a particular subject
you are talking about. This is an ideal way of building engagement, as people
tend to like videos more as they give a better insight rather than a
stand-alone picture. You can also go live on Instagram which you can then save
the whole live video onto your IGTV for people to watch at a later date.
Examples of videos you can create:
Question and answer sessions
Give tips and ideas
Behind the scenes
Tutorials
Tell a story
Explainer videos of products etc
Engagement
It is important to engage with your
followers as much as you can. This will not only help others engage with you,
but the Instagram algorithm also detects that you are active on the App and
will then make your posts visible to more people.
Make sure you are liking, commenting, and sharing other content, this will help build your engagement and interaction.
Get in contact with us and we can take a look at your Instagram to find ways to improve – 0115 8 376 260
Does your business use Email Marketing? If not, should it? The
answer is probably yes, as email marketing is regularly cited as one of, if not
the best marketing channel for consistently delivering the highest ROI.
More than half of the world’s population use email worldwide, with
this number set to rise up to more than 4.3 billion people by 2023 (Radicati
Group) – Before we get into how to get the
most out of email marketing, it is important to understand why it is such a
beneficial marketing tool. Email Marketing Is an old yet extremely reliable and
effective form of marketing, it’s a cost-effective solution to reach customers
where they visit every day — their inbox.
Benefits of Email
Marketing
Unrivaled return on investment: In the world of business, results are arguably the only thing that matters. With this being said, the reason Email marketing is highly invested in is because of the fantastic ROI. According to DMA in 2017, the return on investment for every £1 spent was £32.28 (DMA, 2017).
Low costs: The most obvious advantage of using email marketing is the fact it’s one of the lowest costing marketing channels in relation to the ROI. It is worth investing in specialist software that allows you to automate, track, and evaluate the emails that have been sent – other than this subscription fee there are very little costs.
Targeted and Personalized: Many marketers spend large
amounts of expenditure on trying to reach an audience who are interested in
their brand. Email Marketing allows you to go a step further, and only target
subscribers who meet a specific criterion.
Email Marketing tips
Good email marketing means that
you are sending emails to people who want to hear from you – However, often
your emails end up getting lost in an overcrowded inbox or even a customer’s
spam.
Perfect your subject line: Writing an effective subject line is key in ensuring your audience
engage with your email – This can be the difference recipients opening your
email or deleting it. People open emails if they feel there is some form of
benefit in doing so – so make this benefit clear in the title.
Get personal: Personalisation is key in the success of an email campaign – Using
people’s names catches their attention. However, there is more to
personalisation than this. Segmentation is a great way of engaging with a
specific audience, allowing you to send emails depending on someone’s age,
gender, location etc.
Call to action: Aside from an effective subject line, The CTA is the most important part
of the email as this what will get your subscribers to convert. Make the CTA’s
simple and easy to locate.
Growing
your email list
Now you understand how to put together an effective email – You need to understand how to grow your audience and reach a wider population. This is not a simple task and can often be frustrating for a business owner. In order to do this, you need to regularly promote your Newsletter, including all the benefits of being a subscribed member. You need to give individuals a reason to sign up to your newsletter else it will become stale – This can be done by promoting your email sub subscription down a number of different channels on a regular basis.
Once you begin to build your subscription list it is crucial to keep a database with all of your client’s contact information. We have heard a number of horror stories of businesses losing thousands of customers contact details that they have built up over a period of years – This can leave a business in a very difficult position and almost feels like they are starting from scratch.
Conclusion
During these difficult times, it is important for businesses to look for new ways of generating leads – I hope this article sheds some light on the effects email marketing can have. Whilst all the advantages and tips mentioned are well documented and realistically achievable, it’s important to remember to have a clear execution plan in place for your email marketing. Having patience is key – this is not something that will happen overnight!
If you need any help and support during this difficult period, then please get in touch – 0115 8 376 260
As the Covid-19 pandemic
continuous to evolve – it has become apparent that it has affected all
businesses in some way. Start-ups and small businesses, which often run on a
reduced budget, have experienced supply disruption and reduced demand for
products/services as a result of the outbreak.
If you are an SME who is
feeling the effects of the global pandemic, think about ramping up your
blogging efforts to get your business moving during these troubled times. Before
you start writing, make a list of all the questions your clients normally ask
you – could these be made into blogs?
Within this article, I will
discuss the various reasons as to why your business should continue to write
blogs during today’s current climate.
A Blog
Will Increase Traffic To Your Website
Businesses that blog on a regular basis have a 55% increase in website traffic compared to that of a business that doesn’t (Websolution). A large proportion of your blog readers will come from your current customer base; however, a blog is a great way of attracting new visitors to your website. With this increased traffic to your site, you can act accordingly and target this new reader with relevant marketing, with the end goal of converting this reader into a customer.
This is where you need to think about your blog title – 5
Ways, How To and Benefits of are all great ways to start your blog.
It Will
Improve Your Websites SEO
Covid-19 has speeded up the shift to the digital world.
Customer’s behaviour has changed, and they are no longer visiting stores to buy
products without conducting prior research about the products/services. Due to
this, when customers are looking for a specific product/service, your company
needs to rank on the top of search results.
Publishing blogs on a regular basis will dramatically improve your website’s search engine optimisation, keeping your site current and fresh. Think about the keywords your clients use, they may be different from what you think, and make sure you use them all in the correct way – don’t over spam!
Helps To
Grow Your Email List
Email marketing is an old yet reliable and effective way of reaching your target audience. Nearly 70% of people between the age of 18-34 prefer companies to communicate with them through email (MarketingSherpa research). However, in order for an email campaign to be effective there is a need for a long list of subscribers. Blogging is a fantastic way of growing this list. If you are able to ensure your blogs are interesting and insightful your readers are likely to subscribe and as a result, provide their email.
Make sure you give your readers an opportunity to sign up to
your mailing list or download a free guide on every blog.
Blogs
Demonstrate Leadership Within an Industry
A well-structured, insightful and regularly updated blog
that addresses the issues that affect the industry is a great way of gaining
trust from your customers. When you share useful content on a regular basis,
people are going to begin to notice you. If you are able to continue producing
this content and stay a reliable source of information, you are going to be
perceived as an expert in your particular field. During these troubling times
there are a vast number of opportunities to produce intriguing content to win
the trust of your audience.
A Blog
Will Keep Your Current Audience Engaged
A blog is a great way of keeping your current customer base
engaged with your brand. Once an individual has made a purchase it is important
to try and retain this customer and ensure you make them feel valued. A blog is
a great way of doing this by sharing value, it can be used as a tool to keep
them interested by offering content including offerings, helpful tips and
company news to give them an insight into the brand.
An extra Tip
– Blogs Make Great Social Media Content
Your latest blog post is an ideal piece of content to share
on social media. Most people will share their blog once on social media – think
about sharing it at different times & different days of the week on
different platforms and don’t forget Pinterest (that’s another blog)
In conclusion, when supply becomes expensive and demand
becomes uncertain, it is important to look for new methods of generating leads
to ensure your business stays afloat. With these uncertain times, blogging can
be a cost-free method of ensuring your business stays current and in the mind
of the consumer.
Take 30 minutes today and see what topics you could write about for your business.
Please get in touch if we can help you on 0115 8376 260 or email info@creationzmarketing.co.uk
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Every social media platform has different image dimensions, whether this is a profile picture, cover photo, or an image you are wanting to upload. Therefore it is always important to make sure your images fit to scale, this is especially important for businesses as you want to have a professional look to your social media platforms.
When scrolling on Facebook, we have recently found a lot of business’s logos do not fit to scale of their profile picture, and this doesn’t give a good impression, as half of it is missing.
We have put together a FREE guide for you to download your copy of all the dimensions of various images on different social platforms. This simple to use guide will help you with the correct sizing for your social platforms, from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Youtube.
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