Last week I spoke at two different events on 5 ways to market your business on a budget as we often find that businesses concentrate on the big-ticket marketing items such as new websites, Google Ads etc and often forget about the simple things they can do to help their marketing efforts.
At each event, the point that resonated the most was using our email footers more effectively.
Be honest – when was the last time you updated your email footer?
Most of us have an email footer that contains our name, address and links to our website and possibly our social media accounts but our footer can do so much more:
Promote your latest Blog,
Share an event you are hosting/speaking at,
Share your LinkedIn profile,
Share a different product/service of your website,
Encourage sign-ups for your newsletter
Share your latest offer,
Share a recent testimonial
The key to utilising your email footer is to change it often and to make the change really stand out. Give people a reason to find out more about you or to invest in what you are offering.
As you can see from the image above, we use p.s below as a signpost for different aspects of the business – this will change in colour, style and content every few weeks. At the minute we are promoting our new FREE Facebook Group but have promoted our articles, new staff members, services and offers.
Join our FREE Facebook Group for regular practical tips & advice
We will also use a number of links if there is a lot going on – changing your email footer is relatively simple to do, will not cost the earth and can help get your marketing messages out to the right audience.
Please get in touch if you would like to know more about how email footers can work for you – claire@creationzmarketing.co.uk.
Hope you are enjoying the summer and getting to grips with your marketing efforts!
We wanted to take 5 minutes and share our 5 mistakes to avoid when using social media. We are passionate about helping businesses of all sizes to supercharge their marketing efforts without breaking the budget. With this in mind, there is an abundance of articles on how to be successful but not many articles look at actually what you need to be mindful of to avoid making mistakes.
So here goes…
Mistake 1 – Partially Filled Profiles
There is nothing worse than following a social media page but not being able to find out more about the business because the account has been set up with limited information. Just like a printed advert, remember to make sure you have all of your business information easy to find.
Make sure that whatever social media platform you are on, you have a full, detailed profile/bio that covers:
What you do,
How you can help,
Contact details
Website link
Also, make sure that you check the details regularly and update where necessary.
Mistake 2 – No Strategy
You have taken the time to set up profiles on social media – so what now? We have spoken to a number of businesses recently and asked – “what function do you want social media to do as part of your marketing strategy” – so many businesses have really struggled to answer. You need to be clear about what you want to use social media for. Is it to:
Raise profile of the business,
Increase website traffic,
Generate enquiries,
Share business news,
Provide a customer services function.
If you don’t know what social media is going to help you with, how can you know if it is a success or not? Also by being clear on the goal, you can create engaging content to meet those needs.
Are you updating your social media accounts frequently enough? Nothing shines a bad light on the business like a social media account that is not updated regularly. How regularly is up to you but you need to be consistent!
We are often asked how often should you post on social media and there are varying responses online suggesting 2-3 times per day for Facebook, 5 times a day for Twitter etc. I always start by asking about what content a business has as to how often to post. It is much better to put out quality posts instead of posting 5 times because that is what you have been told to do.
Remember if you have gone to the trouble of setting up the accounts – make sure you use them.
Mistake 4 – Lack of Images / Video Content
A number of businesses we have spoken to recently say the biggest bugbear they have with social media is a lack of images. It is certainly true that posts with images are more likely to receive engagement than posts without, so what can you do about it?
Well, for a start there are a number of image creation websites out there that don’t require any graphic design skills. Our favourite is Canva because it comes with a number of free templates already sized to suit social media platforms and can be easily be adapted to suit your branding.
Alternatively, remember that people still buy from people so how about sharing behind the scenes images of your business and staff? Other image ideas could be location shots, motivational quotes, photos used on your website & so much more. You can create a wealth of images – your only limitation is time!
You need to also considered Video Content – people engage more with video content as it catches their eye when scrolling on social media. Do you have a plan in place to create video posts?
Join our FREE Facebook Group for regular practical tips & advice
Mistake 5 – Not Engaging
If you are honest with yourself, how much time do you actually spend on social media engaging with others? We are not talking about posting your own content, we are talking about liking, commenting and sharing other posts.
The whole idea of social media is to be SOCIAL – make sure you make time to engage with others as it will help your account get seen by a wider audience and other people are more likely to engage with you. Ideally, you want to create an online community and as the saying goes – it takes two to tango! Go on, join in a conversation today and see how far you can go.
If you can avoid making any of the mistakes above then you are on your way to social media success. We can easily pinpoint another 5 mistakes to avoid but would like you to take the time to get the foundations right first.
We would also love to hear your tips on what mistakes to avoid with social media – please send your comments to claire@creationzmarketing.co.uk
Claire
p.s Looking for an audit of your social media activity, contact us today for FREE no-nonesense advice – Contact Us P.P.S – Join our FREE Facebook Group – Marketing for Success Club – Free advice & tips to enhance your marketing working
We are looking for a creative and motivated Marketing Assistant to join our small, growing team in Beeston – is this you?
Do you love helping to create Social Media campaigns that get noticed? Do you have a creative flair to help marketing campaigns stand out?
If so, we want to hear from you. To see the full job information then please visit our careers page – Careers
Further Information – contact Creationz Marketing
If you would like to talk through this role in more detail, Chris and I are on hand to answer any questions you may have – call us on 0115 8376 260 or email us info@creationzmarketing.co.ukwith your phone number and we will give you a call.
The Summer holidays are just around the corner! Just think, blue skies, the beach, sitting by the pool relaxing. Sounds like heaven.
But what about your social media accounts. July and August are notorious for businesses to switch off marketing whilst they and their staff are on holidays. But actually, this time is perfect for you to stand out in a less crowded space.
Ask yourself, whilst you’re enjoying yourself on a sunny beach, who’s going to keep things ticking away back in the office? It may not be on the top of your priority list, but social media is such a fast pace environment and if you don’t keep your pages active you may just find yourself being left behind…
Time to stop stressing – there are things that we (and you) can do to help keep your page, staying sunny & fresh.
These include:
Social Media Management – Here at Creationz Marketing we offer support for your break of sun, sea, and sand. This service allows you to switch off your work brain whilst your messages are being answered and comments responded to. Our service makes sure to take away the hassles of your everyday work life. Givng you peace of mind about your business. Leaving you able to enjoy your holiday. To find out more please contact Claire on claire@creationzmarketing.co.ukor call us on 0115 8376 260 – See more – Social Media Management
Consider scheduling – scheduling software is freely available and whilst some people think it may not be the best choice to keep your social media up and running, we think it will provide a solution to keep up posts on social media and get you through the holiday season. This software will schedule your posts, but you will need to check for comments and messages. This wouldn’t be ideal for those who want to switch off completely and just enjoy some family time (or some business free time). Could you get someone back in the offices to monitor the replies etc?
Reduce your posts – have a look at your social media presence. Is it necessary for you to post 2-3 times per day while your away? Can you cut down posts on your site for the week/s and just have one every couple of days or even once a week. This way you don’t have to worry about your social media pages too much and you can still have some time to relax. This may be a great short time solution for you
Whatever you choose to do this summer, it is vital that you take some time to switch off and relax.
You don’t have to be going to a fancy resort in Bora Bora, you can be sat on your sofa at home with a glass of wine. Rest and relaxation is vital to get clear and give yourself time to recharge those batteries.
Have fun this summer and don’t stress!
Further Information – contact Creationz Marketing
There are things you can do to give you a helping hand whilst keeping your marketing ticking over. If you would like to talk through your options in more detail, Chris and I are on hand to guide you through all options and make a plan that is right for your business – email us on claire@creationzmarketing.co.uk with your phone number and we will give you a call.
Send us a postcard – we would love to see where your travels take you this Summer
Claire
p.s Looking for an audit of your social media activity, contact us today for FREE no-nonesense advice – Contact Us
Hands up… do you get swayed by the latest marketing tool, platform or fad? We all want to try the latest shiny gadget and gismo to stand out from the crowd.
Don’t worry, you are not alone!
We are truly experiencing a fun and interesting time to be involved in marketing with lots of new tools on the market to help us promote our businesses. From lead magnets, click funnels, Facebook bots, online advertising, email automation and new social media platforms through to sales pages & lumpy mail – there are just so many ways to help us promote our businesses. But where do you start?
The simple answer is writing a Marketing Plan – get clear on what you actually want marketing to do. With the launch of our new website, we thought we would take the opportunity to re-write this article as it is still valid today – 2 years after the previous article.
We are working with a number of new of clients to help them remove the magpie syndrome – stopping them from wanting every new shiny tool going – helping them to get clarity on what they actually need. So, we thought we would put together our top 5 tips to help you stay focused:
1: Get Clear – Be You!
Look into the new tools you want to implement – look at the pro’s and con’s but ultimately it comes down to how they can be implemented into your existing Marketing Plan. If you don’t have a plan, then now is the time to start! Remember, tools are launched to help but will not suit every business. The more authentic you are and true to your beliefs, the better the success.
A couple of months ago, after hearing how other businesses had been successful with Facebook bots – I had my own magpie moment!!! I could clearly see how this could work and thought how I could implement it into my business. I spent the afternoon learning the details to make it work, setting up graphics and got it working on my account. It was only at this point that I sat back and thought – my clients (both existing and potential) are not there – there is limited scope for my business. This resulted in a wasted afternoon that I could have been concentrating on my email marketing campaign. We all want to be the best but you really do need to be clear and ensure everything you do promotes the business in the best light.
2: Know Your Audience
If you know where your clients / customers are then you can easily work out if a tool is going to help you reach them. Can you describe your ideal client by answering:
Where are they located, Where do they hang out – online, offline What is the age range / demographics What marketing do they respond to What marketing efforts speak to the customer.
If you would like help on identifying your ideal customer then we can help as our next blog post will be talking about the importance to really knowing who you are targeting.
3: Speak Up – Seek Advice
If you are looking to try new marketing tools but unsure if they are for you then it is time to ask a few questions. At Creationz Marketing we are happy to answer any questions you may have but also think to ask peers, forums, Facebook groups etc. Don’t feel you have to work on marketing on your own. Learning from others can help us save time and help you question if it is right for the business. Contact Creationz Marketing
4: Be Consistent
It is vital for marketing success that you don’t spread yourself too thinly. Concentrate on what works for the business. I have seen many businesses over the last few years who are trying to do too much and if they are honest, are not achieving what they want to achieve because their efforts are not focused.
A good example of this is not rushing in to set up profiles on every social media platform on the market – if you are clear on your business goals (No: 1) and know your audience (No: 2) and where they hang out, you can spend valuable resources on concentrating on the platforms that really matter for the business.
5: Understand Your Numbers
Before you try and launch a new marketing activity – do you know your numbers? By this I mean are you clear on what is currently working for your business, what is generating enquiries and more importantly the costs involved?
If you understand your numbers, you are better placed to see if the new tool will add value to your marketing efforts. There is nothing worse that spending time and money on marketing that does not work.
Make sure you know:
What you are spending on your marketing efforts,What level of traffic is being generated by each activity,What resources are going to be needed – time, money, equipment, software etc. If there is budget and scope to try new tools,How you are going to monitor new tools.
So, what next?
I am not saying that you must stick to what you know and not try new tools – just be clear that any new tools are aimed at your customer and will generate new business. Give yourself the time and space needed to be clear, don’t be swayed – look into all possibilities.
Remember, what works for one business, may not work for everyone.
There are plenty of new tools on the market and I am sure there are a lot more just on the horizon – embrace them but ensure they are the right fit for your business.
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