Online Marketing Trends for 2011

As consumers continue to turn to email, the mobile web, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter more than ever before, it's imperative that marketers are prepared to adapt their approach in order to successfully engage with customers and get their message across. With the steady growth of web enabled mobile devices and consumers' increasing appetite for content the opportunities – and with it the competition – have never been greater.

So what should marketers be focussing on for 2011? Will it be the ‘year of mobile'? What will give you the edge and make you stand out in 2011? What follows are some trends and techniques that might help you direct next year's online marketing budget.

5 Online Marketing Trends To Respond To
If you are planning your online marketing goals for 2011 – and if not, perhaps you should be – consider the following marketing activities and initiatives that can help you get a head start in the new year.

1. Collect Data Then Use It Well
Are you collecting and organising customer data? As the web becomes more personal, it will become increasingly important to put data to good use by refining your customer correspondence. Paying attention to purchase history and buying patterns for example, enabling you to successfully address your customers' needs and appeal to their interests.

2. Engage Customers Across Social Networks
With 600 Tweets and 700 Facebook posts every second, consumers' appetite for socialising online is stronger than ever – and will continue to grow. Like it or not, it's time you joined the conversation. If you haven't already, sign up with social networks to broaden your online reach and enable you to engage with customers on a new, more personable level.

3. Regularly Publish Fresh Content
Be creative, interesting, funny (if appropriate), controversial even – but have something to say. Search marketing opportunities abound for those who can produce a steady stream of fresh content to fulfil consumers' hunger for information, reviews, video content, reports and more.

4. Embrace The Mobile Web
As consumers begin to move from "regular" phones to smartphones, their expectation increases that everything (especially information) should be portable. Is your content easily accessed and readable from web enabled mobile devices? A well executed mobile marketing strategy can be an extremely effective tool – especially for localised businesses.

5. Go The Extra Electronic Mile
Okay, so it's not specifically an online trend – but the message is key; offer an online service that will make you stand out from the ever increasing internet crowd. Use automated messages, for example, to keep shoppers in the loop regarding order fulfilment. By going out of your way to provide an outstanding online buying experience you will be able to turn new shoppers into loyal repeat customers.

As the marketplace becomes more saturated and the web gets ever more populated, it's critical to stay ahead of the competition. If you need any help in implementing any of the above ideas for 2011, call 01454 261111.

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10 Essential Ingredients For Social Media Success

Like it or not, social media is here to stay. Much more than just a way to stay in touch with friends and family – it's changing the way we do business too. Despite the undeniable presence of the social networking phenomenon, many small business owners remain in denial about the need to adopt a social media strategy as part of their marketing plan.

Taking Facebook as an example – according to the latest statistics, there are some 500 million active Facebook pages (Source: Facebook) – a number that is growing at an exponential rate. Out of that 500 million, around half log in on a daily basis, with more than 1.5 million representing local businesses. Now consider that the average user on Facebook has at least 130 friends – the marketing potential rapidly becomes clear.

Getting Social Media Marketing Right From the Start
If you're considering delving into the world of social media, here's a few tips to help you get started.

1. Plan ahead – well, it's what this article is about, after all. A little research and planning will help convert short-term gain into long-term success.
2. It's good to talk – creating an open dialogue with your followers is essential. It helps to build trust and a sense of transparency, lending your brand integrity in the process.
3. Be open – don't be afraid to inject a little identity into your activities. 90% of consumers believe that social media is an appropriate channel for brands, provided the company is transparent about who is talking (Alterian Brands At Risk Report, 2010).
4. Give a little – promotions are a great way to give a little something back to your loyal (or new) customers. It should never just be about what you can get out of your clients.
5. Language – choose your words carefully. Avoid corporate speak in favour of simple language and a casual tone.
6. Don't be too aggressive – have confidence that people will find you. Appearing desperate or chasing new business too aggressively is a sure fire way to turn people off.
7. Allow others to do the talking – creating an open, forum-style environment provides a great opportunity for others to sing your praises. What better recommendation is there?
8. Don't give up – if at first you don't succeed, try and try again. Review your approach, do a little research and try things a little differently. Remember, there's no right or wrong way, but you may have to tailor your approach according to your service/audience.
9. The bigger picture – it's not just about short term gain and quick sales. Social media by definition is all about establishing meaningful relationships. Conversation should always come before conversion.
10. Measurables – milestones are a great way of measuring success. For example, how many fans would you like to have before the end of this month? Set a target, and angle your communication accordingly.

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Content Marketing Key for 2011

With the World Wide Web increasingly accessible via a myriad of devices – many of which are mobile – the rate at which internet users consume their chosen content grows at a pace. Global time on social media sites is soaring; up 82% (Nielsen). News consumption is a socially-engaging and socially-driven activity, especially online, and participation is through sharing rather than contributing news (Pew Centre).

There is little doubt these trends will continue into 2011 as consumers read, share and publish content online with friends, family, local businesses and even global brands. With so much choice of content to consume, your marketing messages can easily get missed, or worse, ignored completely as consumers divide their increasingly limited time among their trusted online content outlets.

Content Marketing: Think Pull Not Push
Push marketing techniques, such as flashy banner ads and obtrusive pop-up ads will increasingly get ignored as consumer's online behaviour becomes more sophisticated. So rather than relying solely on traditional push marketing methods, think pull. Pull marketing relies on creating ‘magnetic content' that will naturally attract – and win over – consumers.

How Can Content Marketing Help You?
Producing a steady stream of fresh, interesting content that appeals to your target audience will benefit your business in the following ways:

• Help generate inbound links and attract qualified traffic to your website.
• Create a two-way dialogue over multiple platforms which consumers feel comfortable with.
• Identify genuine customers from tyre kickers to prioritise high quality, sales-ready leads.
• Build sales momentum that moves prospects toward making a purchase.

Where To Publish Your Content
Content marketing is about increasing engagement with your target audience on a more personable level. While your website and ideally your business blog should be the hub for your content sharing activities, it is key to publish it in a number of formats over multiple platforms.

Consider hosting a webinar to share your expertise, or join the conversation using social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or LinkedIn to name a few. Engage with customers by publishing product reviews, how-to articles, demonstrations and more. Be creative and deliver content that fills a need.

Creating Content That Gets Followed
If you're not a confident writer you may wish to collaborate with a copy writer. If you intend to produce the content yourself, consider the following questions.

• Is my content unique?
• Is my content useful – would I share it?
• Does my content get the message across?
• Does my content convey the right personality?
• Does my content make good use of the channel in which it appears (e.g., social, mobile, video)?

Finally, in order to maintain a well executed content marketing campaign, develop a content plan to help focus your activities. Key to the plan will be to follow a content editorial calendar which will enable you to produce a steady stream of ‘magnetic' content. If you would like help with your online marketing in 2011, call us on 01454 261111.

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Google Places – A New Way To Be Found

As if the ever-changing world of search engine optimisation (SEO) wasn't difficult enough to keep track of, the world's largest search engine – Google – recently announced key changes to the way local search results are displayed. Not to be confused with Facebook Places app, or the similar service from Foursquare, Google has called it's new baby Place Search.

What does this mean for local businesses then? To start with, let's turn to Google themselves for an explanation: "...a new kind of local search result that organises the world's information around places. We've clustered search results around specific locations so you can more easily make comparisons and decide where to go." (source: Google).

"A faster, easier way to find local information"
Instead of the traditional search box users are accustomed to, the new approach uses a combination of local and organic results to provide a more refined search experience. How? Ask Google and they'll simply tell you they have developed "technology to better understand places".

Basically, this involves collecting websites that refer to physical locations in the ‘real world' (over 50 million to be precise) and connecting them. Google claim this will make it easier to create a comprehensive picture of any given location, including a greater volume of links relevant to that particular place. They also claim this will save users on average two seconds per local search.

Adapt to Survive
The word on the street is that, unfortunately, businesses are going to have to actively manage their local placing(s). That means it's no longer a case of simply entering your business details via Google Maps and leaving them to do the rest; now users are required to actively participate in the process. In other words, you get out what you put in.

Thankfully though, this is a relatively simple process. Here are a few tips for making the most of your entry:

• Refine your listing by ensuring you're listed in the correct categories. Add media such as images and video support your listing, and don't forget to use custom fields.
• Use second-tier directories – there are plenty of sites offering universal listings across all major search engines and directories. The service is not free of course, but it will strengthen your brand immeasurably.
• Solicit reviews from past/present clients. Website testimonials are one thing, but reviews on your Google Places page and other key sites will boost your local ranking as well as adding credibility to your business.
• Use the Places Posting feature to update your entry with fresh content – a tried-and-tested SEO method.
• It's worth checking out Google Tags as a supplementary tool to back up your efforts. This is free at the moment, but for a limited time only according to Google.

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