Marketing Forum Sally Smith
Chris Goodman
Marketing Director at Cross Productions
Managing Director at Soar Valley Press
WHERE’S THE SAFEST PLACE TO HIDE A BODY? The second page of Google. Yes, it is true. None of us ever go as far as looking at page two results on Google. So the question really is what can you do to get yourself on page one? Our answer is blogging! Of course, you can also use PPC and SEO, but for us blogging is one of the best ways to market your business for free! Here are our top 5 tips for writing a blog: 1: Check your word count Have you noticed when you now search a question Google tells you if it’s a twominute read or a five-minute read? If you are writing for the first stage in a customer journey then, 300 words is ideal, but if it’s later on they will be wanting some more detailed information so the recommended word count jumps to over 500. 2: Try and stay neutral You are educating the audience, not selling to them. This helps to set you apart as the experts. Provide them with information, advice, or a story. 3: Be consistent Don’t just write one blog and wait to see what happens. Write a series that you can tease out over a month or two. Start thinking about what other topics and roads you can take clients down to help them with a purchasing decision. 4: Keywords Did you know key words are not actually words but phrases and sentences. If you were your own customer, what would you type in a search engine to find you? These are your keywords. 5: It’s all in the title Use a headline that’s catchy and to the point. Don’t make your reader confused or have to guess what your post is about – they simply won’t click on to it. Don’t forget to share your blogs on other social media channels such as LinkedIn for maximum exposure! 78 | NICHE
CHRISTMAS MARKETING: MISTAKES TO AVOID Are you making one of the most common Christmas marketing mistakes? Christmas is one of the busiest times for businesses. But, with so much to do, it’s easy to make costly errors with your marketing. Here are a few mistakes to avoid: 1: Forgetting to retarget your previous customers Retargeting your previous customers is eight times cheaper than attracting new ones. So forgetting to retarget the leads you’ve been working hard to generate all year is a huge mistake. Retargeting your previous customers
Remy Clarke Director at Cymer Marketing Solutions
SITTING ON A GOLDMINE So much money is spent on gaining new leads, when sometimes it is useful to look at reworking the existing databases. Customers’ needs change and your business offerings have probably developed and improved over time. Many studies have suggested that it costs five times more to acquire a new customer compared to retaining an existing customer. The success rate of selling to an existing client is 6070%, while that reduces to 5-20% for new clients! Many businesses invest large
with a direct mail postcard, sending them a branded Christmas card or promotional gift, or sending them a printed gift guide in the post are great ways to get your brand in front of them in the run-up to the festive season. 2: Using the same strategy every year Your festive social media advent calendar may have been fun the first time, but do people want to see it for the second, third or even fourth time? Whilst it’s a great idea to look back at your past campaigns and draw from their successes, you should always look to improve upon your marketing campaigns every year. Taking into account new trends and the latest developments in marketing will ensure your Christmas campaign is engaging and relevant. 3: Only focusing on a single marketing channel With many businesses on only one touchpoint, using print and digital marketing is a great way to reach more potential customers during the festive period. Sending branded advent calendars, promotional gifts, or Christmas cards to your top clients, alongside promoting your products and services via your online channels, will ensure your marketing messages can’t be ignored. amounts to acquire huge amounts of lead, prospect and client data collected from a variety of sources – networking, exhibitions, campaigns, referrals and social media. If these are sat in a spreadsheet, database or an unused platform, what use is it? Here are some ideas to consider when reworking a legacy database: Cleanse and validate Depending on the volume, you may want to use a third party to help you carry this task out. Segment Have a variety of campaigns to match each audience segmentation (eg one for existing clients and one for past prospects). Follow up Develop marketing messages to stay in touch with your audience across different channels so that your business remains in their mind. It’s time to dust off those legacy systems and get in touch with this potential goldmine of contacts and start up some profitable conversations! If this resonates with you then we can help you find your goldmine. Contact me on solutions@cymermarketing.co.uk.