No matter what business you are in, making the most of your marketing efforts is something all businesses need to do!
Email marketing remains a powerful marketing tool which can bring in new customers and keep old customers returning time and time again.
In order to make the most of your email marketing, you need to use the right tools and software to take your marketing to the next level.
Check out your email inbox right now, how many emails do you have? Now, how many are you actually going to open? You have to compete with everything else in your recipient’s inbox so your email needs to STAND OUT!
Finding the right email marketing tool for your business will not only allow you to send and track some top-notch emails, but it will also allow you to control your audience, segment your marketing campaigns and grow your business.
Mailerlite
Mailerliteis the easiest email marketing software due to its drag-and-drop editor interface.
This means that no matter your previous email marketing knowledge, you can create fun and exciting designs. The clean and streamlined appearance also stops confusion and won’t get in your way.
Below we have created a comprehensive pros and cons table for Mailerlite so you can decide if it is the right email marketing software for you!
Let’s have a look at some of these pros and cons in more detail…
A large pro in favour of Mailerlite are the email statistics which you can view easily. These statistics include:
Open rate
Click rate
Unsubscribed
Hard bounce
Soft bounce
Which links have been clicked and how many times
You can also use these statistics to work out other important numbers such as the click-to-open rate. This combines the measures of opens and clicks to give you a better idea of your campaign’s overall performance.
These statistics are also available on the free plan for up to 1,000 contacts. The free plan is a great option if you are just starting out with email marketing or if you are a small business with a small amount of contacts.
However, if you are a larger business or need any of the pro features, you will need to get a paid plan. This can be a con if you are budget conscious or if you just want to test out email marketing for the first time.
We believe that Mailerlite is the best email marketing tool for businesses and the pros outweigh the cons significantly.
Hubspot
Hubspot is next on our list of the best tools for email marketing. It is a great all in one marketing tool as it has tools and reporting for marketing campaigns across many channels including social media and email marketing.
Lets check out our pros and cons table for Hubspot…
One of the main benefits of using Hubspot is the ability to control all of your marketing from one account. This is great if your business is looking to streamline your marketing accounts into one place especially if you are a business owner doing your marketing on your own.
Due to the fact that there are no free or low cost plans, using it solely for email marketing is not cost effective, to make the most of your money and the benefits you need to use it as an all-in-one tool.
If you are unsure whether Hubspot is the right choice for you then you can try their 14-day free trial, this is a good way to test out some of their main features before spending money.
If you do decide to use Hubspot, great! Just remember that once you have agreed to a contract, like 6 or 12 months, you are locked in and will be billed for that time even if you wish to stop.
If you are looking for an all-in-one marketing hub then Hubspot is the way to go!
Mailchimp
If you have dipped your toe into the world of email marketing then I can bet you have heard of Mailchimp. Arguably the most well known email marketing software, it is popular with all kinds of businesses and with good reason!
Mailchimp has most of the features which any business will need without overcomplications or pricy extras.
You know the drill, let’s check out the trusty pros and cons table…
Mailchimp is a great email marketing software for beginners who are simply looking for a way to send emails to their customers without complicated steps. With a free plan for up to 2,000 contacts, 10,000 monthly email sends and a simple drag-and-drop editor, it is a great contender.
This simple approach can make it less desirable for advanced marketing needs due to the design, limited premade templates and price of paid plans.
Mailchimp also provides users with great customer support, email automation and great reporting on your sent email campaigns. Reporting is an important factor on any email marketing software to understand how your contacts are perceiving your emails. This allows you to optimise your future campaigns to excite and intrigue your contacts.
Whether you like the sound of Mailerlite,Hubspot or Mailchimp, we can assure you that these 3 platforms are top notch in the world of email marketing.
If you would like to start performing email marketing for your business but aren’t sure what is effective and how to market to your ideal audience then that’s where we come in!
We have the passion and expertise to take your current and potential email client lists and use professional email mailing tools to engage, build your brand awareness, create regular touchpoints, and let you know who is really connecting with your content.
Click here to get in touch with CREATIVE in TiME now.
Digital marketing. It’s one of those phrases which gets said often but most people don’t really know what it means. Is it the latest viral Stranger Things meme or is it those helpful online guides telling you everything from cooking to cats?
Well, I can tell you this…it can be both! Now, not every business will need guides and not all businesses fancy a spicy meme but what does your business want?
Digital marketing which can also be called online marketing is a phrase referring to all marketing efforts that take place on the internet.
It can cover many forms such as social media (yes, that can include a good meme) to email marketing, website SEO and strategy. In practice, any marketing which uses electronic devices is digital marketing.
Digital marketing is usually compared to ‘tradition marketing’ methods which are not found on the internet, this could include billboards and flyers. There are differences between digital marketing and traditional marketing, other than the obvious which we will cover later.
Read on to find out about the different types of digital marketing, what the difference is between digital marketing and traditional marketing, and how digital marketing can benefit your business…
Types of Digital Marketing
As previously mentioned, there are many different forms of digital marketing to ensure that you can reach all audiences depending on your marketing needs. Many people will use multiple, if not all, of these types of digital marketing on their business journey, so let’s take a closer look:
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Search engine optimisation, also known as SEO, is the way in which you can get your website found online. By improving and optimising your SEO you can drive more traffic to your website and therefore generate more sales (no one’s going to be complaining about that!).
SEO includes many factors which you need to consider including:
Mobile-friendliness
Keywords
Backlinks
Meta descriptions
Headings
The main reason is to rank higher on Google, the algorithm is like a living organism which is always changing which makes it important to monitor the success of your website and make SEO changes accordingly.Click here if you want to find out your SEO ranking now.
Content Marketing
We love creating articles (blogs), posts, quotes, and top-notch content to deliver to your audience through your website, email campaigns, and social media.
Did you know that 90% of digital marketers who used content marketing in 2021 have continued to invest the same amount in 2022?
Content marketing and SEO go hand in hand, with SEO perfectly complementing your content. Using these forms of digital marketing in sync will ensure that your content reaches the right people and your ideal clients.
Email Marketing
Email has been with us for some time, but do not underestimate the power and reach of regular email marketing campaigns.
With current digital technology, you can make your email marketing campaigns completely unique to your business and reach your clients in their own inboxes.
Small business? Try including your customers’ names in the subject line to make it personable.
Quirky brand? Don’t be afraid of emojis and puns!
When in doubt, play on current events! Here in the UK, we have just dealt with a heatwave turning sunbathing into sun-baking! Use current affairs in your email and subject line to intrigue your customers.
One of our last email campaigns which got our HIGHEST open rate was titled “DO YOU HAVE TOO MANY POINTS OF ENTRY? 😉”
Email marketing software allows you to create personalised marketing campaigns which then can automatically be sent to your mailing list/s and then will collect analytics such as the open rate. Many websites, such as Mailerlite, are drag-and-drop editors which means you can create interesting emails without having technical knowledge!
Social Media Marketing
Today, social media is used by the majority of the population and most businesses for good reason. Social media marketing is the way in which you can drive traffic and build brand awareness by engaging your audience online.
The main social media platforms which businesses should utilise, depending on your specific audience, are:
Social media marketing is becoming more popular every day with it being the most popular form of B2C marketing at 96%! Social media marketing involves audience participation and is therefore a great way to connect with your audience through posts, videos and even MEMES. Depending on your targeted platform, many have built-in engagement metrics which allow you to track how well your business is performing.
Your main goal of social media marketing may not to create a direct impulse purchase. If your target audience is older or if your product/service is not appropriate for impulse purchases then you may focus on building a community, starting the dialogue and being informative.
Pay-per-click Marketing (PPC)
PPC marketing is when you post an ad on a platform (such as social media) and pay every time someone clicks on it.
The complicated part is how and when people see your ad. On Google, for example, the algorithm will prioritise ad slots based on many factors such as ad quality, keyword relevance and page quality.
PPC campaigns are built towards goal conversions such as signing up for a newsletter or making a call. You can choose your target goal conversions which you can then track to see how well your campaign is performing.
What is the Difference between Digital Marketing and Traditional Marketing?
Digital marketing and traditional marketing are both valid forms of marketing, but they serve different purposes.
Traditional marketing focuses on media such as magazines and newspapers whereas digital marketing looks at websites and social media. Some businesses utilise both forms of marketing, but it often depends on your business.
Digital marketing has overtaken traditional marketing in effectiveness and cost so let’s take a deeper dive into the benefits of digital marketing…
Benefits of Digital Marketing
It is no secret that digital marketing is becoming more and more popular in this technological age. People are using the internet more and more often so it only makes sense that your marketing should take place there too.
Making the switch to digital marketing over traditional methods can be scary, especially if you have a tried and tested method which is no longer working the same so let us tell you a few of the many benefits of digital marketing:
Broad reach. Think of posting a flyer through a door, that piece of information is only able to be viewed by the people in that house. Now imagine posting an ad on Facebook using the same information, which is going to be seen by more people? Marketing your business digitally also enables your customers to share your business with others with ease. If you know your business relies on referrals, then digital is the way to go.
Measurable results. One way in which digital marketing excels over traditional marketing is that you can measure digital marketing. You can view how many people open your email campaign, how many people purchased your product on any given day, where people have landed on your website and more. This allows you to change your marketing strategy as and when you need to so that you get maximum results.
Personalisation. You can’t personalise a billboard but you can personalise an email campaign! No matter the size of your business, you want your customers to feel important and valued and the best way to do this is through personalisation. Simply including your customer’s name in an email campaign shows that thought has gone into that content to tailor it to that audience.
Who are CREATIVE in TiME?
We are a digital marketing and business advice agency. We audit, advise, mentor and manage your marketing requirements underpinned with business advice and support capabilities. CREATIVE in TiMEspecialise in SEO (search engine optimisation) and expert business advice.
We specialise in being your partner on your business journey, and our customers appreciate having access to director level, manager at level and team level expertise in business and marketing without the need to employ all levels at great cost to your company.
If you would like to find out more about the individuals at CREATIVE in TiME then click here to see what our team is all about and put some faces to this work!
Do you sell a product online? If you do, then this one’s for you. Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year, and with the aftermath of a global pandemic, more and more shoppers are queuing in virtual stores instead of in brick-and-mortar shops.
With potential Black Friday shoppers browsing the internet, you want to ensure you are prepared for the craziness and that you can maximise your traffic!
The expected total spending over Black Friday weekend in the UK is 9.42 BILLION pounds. Crazy right?!
We’ve put together a few simple marketing strategies you could consider in order to maximise your 2023 sales this Black Friday.
1. Create your Black Friday Email List
Our first tip is to create a Black Friday email list. Have you noticed an influx of Black Friday emails in your inbox? We bet you have. Create an email marketing list SPECIFICALLY for people who would be interested in your Black Friday deals.
Did you know that 25.1% of sales during the Black Friday promotion season has originated from email marketing? If you aren’t utilising email marketing this Black Friday then what’s even the point!?!
Tip: Create a pop-up on your website asking people to sign up for your newsletter and use an incentive such as early access to the sale. Use a punchy call-to-action to draw people in!
Once you have created your marketing list, you need to create an enticing email campaign. Use a catchy subject line to intrigue people, include clear CTA’s (call to actions), and try to send out more than one email to remind people about your sale. Don’t worry you’ve still got time!
Need some inspiration? Check out our EXAMPLE email campaign below!
2. Get creative with timing
Black Friday is capitalised by businesses big and small; this can get overwhelming for consumers who are receiving the same marketing messages constantly. Try to offset this and grab your customers attention by changing your timing.
Tip: Try starting your sale early, have you noticed anyone doing ‘Black Thursday’?
Typically, you will have less business competition for your consumers attention and a head start on sales. Many people use Black Friday to buy Christmas presents at a good value, catching people early ensures they haven’t bought anything yet therefore more chance for you to make a sale.
3. Extra offers
Pop-ups draw in consumers attention and even better if they offer an extra discount. Virtual ‘scratch cards’, spin the wheel games (see image below!) and other interactive pop-ups are sure to be an attention grabber.
Keeping customers on your site longer can help to prevent an abandoned cart and help push sales for people on the fence.
Tip: Bonus offers do NOT need to be extreme. For example, offer an extra 10% off or next day delivery for £2.
4.Loyalty programme
Do you have a loyalty programme or a VIP club for loyal customers? These people are already happy customers and have familiarity with your brand.
Target existing customers by offering an exclusive discount, existing customers are more likely to buy from your brand than new customers. This also builds a good reputation and encourages customers to continue to purchase from your business. People like to feel appreciated!
Tip: Create a campaign dedicated to loyal customers. A common offer is early access to Black Friday deals. This can also encourage users to tell their friends about your AMAZING deals!
5. Social media promotion
Don’t underestimate the power of social media! Utilise all your social media platforms to get the word out about your involvement in Black Friday. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are firm favourites but don’t fear branching out into TikTok. TikTok was the fastest growing app of 2020 and is no doubt the place to be in 2023!
Tip: Different social media platforms appeal to different demographics. TikTok and Instagram will appeal to a younger demographic whereas Facebook can appeal to an older audience. Who will your product appeal to? Who do you want to target? We recommend you finding this out in order to get the most from your marketing strategy.
We hope this information has helped you and that our tips will help make this Black Friday the most successful for your business!
Black Friday is one day a year, but you need effective marketing all year long…that’s where we come in! Get in touch with CREATIVE in TiME to get a free audit!
Bad news first, chilly weather is here to stay for a bit, the good news is that the season of festivities is beginning. Yay! Before you don your fancy dress, we’ve got a roundup of the best marketing news and straight off-the-shelf marketing updates for you!
Not a week goes by without a change to social media or Google, it’s exhausting, we know! It is vital for your business to stay up to date though on all the latest shenanigans so that you and your business can thrive – not just survive.
First up;
Instagram Merges IGTV and Feed Videos
In early October, the Instagram account @creators announced Instagram is merging IGTV and Feed videos into a single format: Instagram Video.
Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, has been hinting at a more “simplified video experience” on the platform for a while. By merging IGTV with Feed videos, Instagram has a single destination for longer form video content – providing a clearer distinction between Instagram Reels. To support this change, Instagram is introducing several new features for Instagram Video:
A new Video tab on Profile
Trimming
Ability to upload video captions
People and location tagging
60-second Feed Previews
You’ve probably already seen it by now, but the new Video tab will replace the old IGTV tab on users’ profiles, with a new “play button” icon.
CREATIVE in TiME say: Don’t know about you, but we likey the sound of this one!
Goodbye Facebook?Facebook changes name to ‘Meta’
Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has announced that Facebook is changing its name to ‘Meta’. The parent company will now be known as “Meta”, he said. It will also get a new logo, with a blue “M”.
In a presentation at the company’s annual Connect conference, Zuckerberg detailed how his company aims to build a new version of the internet, he said, “We believe the metaverse will be the successor to the mobile internet, we’ll be able to feel present – like we’re right there with people no matter how far apart we actually are”.
On Twitter, Meta announced, “The metaverse is the next evolution of social connection. It’s a collective project that will be created by people all over the world, and open to everyone. You’ll be able to socialize, learn, collaborate and play in ways that go beyond what’s possible today.”
The move comes after a tumultuous time for the social media giant. They’ve been battling criticisms from lawmakers and regulators over its market power, algorithmic decisions and the policing of abuses on its services. Not only this, but we cannot forget about the six-hour outage, on October 4th affecting all its platforms. What a crazy month for Facebook. Wait…we mean Meta?
CREATIVE in TiME say: Things must be bad when you change one of the biggest company names in the World!
More than Half of Marketing Emails are Threatened by iOS 15
Apple’s popularity as an email service, and the company’s push into data privacy, means that advertiser’s ability to understand the performance of their email marketing campaigns is being challenged. This is according to data from email marketing company Litmus.
Apple recently launched iOS 15 and as part of this Apple says the Mail Privacy Protection feature “hides your IP address, so senders can’t link it to your other online activity or determine your location. And it prevents senders from seeing if and when you’ve opened their email”.
More than half of all emails opened are at risk – the iPhone Mail app is the market leader and is responsible for 40.3% of all email opens, with the Apple Mail app on Mac devices third (11.3%) and the iPad Mail app seventh (1.4%).
This comes at a time when email marketing has grown in importance for many brands – it can be a cost-efficient way of enhancing first-party data and can allow personalised messaging in the absence of third-party data.
CREATIVE in TiME say: Although e-mail still one of the most effective direct marketing tools out there, do we really need more challenges to getting them past the gatekeeper!? Sigh!
Facebook tests option for Cross-posting Facebook posts to Instagram
Users are currently able to cross-post their Instagram stories and posts to Facebook but in this new feature, cross-posting can flow the other way. The feature is yet to be formally announced by has begun to roll out this month to a small group of people.
Facebook has begun to interlink their multitude of apps in recent months. Allowing cross-communication between Instagram and Messenger users is one of the ways Facebook is connecting apps. By interlinking apps, they make it more difficult to fully leave Facebook.
With this new feature, users will be able to cross-post:
Up to 10 photos
Single photos
Single videos
Currently other imaging formats such as GIFs and text-only posts are not able to be cross shared. This may be in a bid to keep Instagram relevant and popular amongst young users in response to growing popularity of other social media platforms like TikTok and Snapchat.
CREATIVE in TiME say: Meh. Not sure this is the best rollout idea ever. We will reserve judgment though.
Potential Google Search Algorithm Ranking Update between October 15th – October 18th
Google is known for updating its search algorithm ranking frequently and October was no exception.
A flurry of chatter in the SEO community revealed that within this timeframe, many people noticed changes in their rankings, and most were not positive. Huge ranking changes were experienced with some people revealing 20%, 30% and higher drops in their traffic and ranking for their keywords!
Did you experience a drop in your SEO within this period? Due to quiet changes in the algorithm, many businesses will feel the negative repercussions. If your SEO rankings and your traffic dropped, this may be why!
Do you even know where you can find your analytics? Have you got them but don’t know what they mean? Fear not, we are here to help. Get in touch to discuss your analytics with the experts.
CREATIVE in TiME say: Yup, some of our customers definitely felt this in the gut, some were absolutely fine. Either way we always knew what was happening because we monitor results weekly. #brushesshoulder
Bonus: Instagram Stories Link Stickers Are Now Available to Everyone!
News just in, every Instagram account will now have access to Instagram Stories Link Stickers. Yes, even those with less than 10K followers!
Instagram Stories link stickers were first introduced last month for accounts with 10K followers, replacing the “swipe up” link.
According to Instagram, “We made this decision based on feedback we heard from the community about how impactful it would be for creators and businesses of all sizes to benefit from link sharing to grow in the same way larger accounts do.”
So how do you add it?
Head to the Instagram Stories sticker tray and select the link sticker (if you don’t have access yet, sit tight. It’s coming don’t worry!)
Paste your link into the link field.
Switch the text and color by tapping on the sticker.
And hey presto! You’ve just added your first story link! You’re welcome.
CREATIVE in TiME say: We’ve been waiting on this one for a looooong time. If you’re a business, you NEED to utilise this feature!
We hope you enjoyed our monthly roundup, check back in next month for our November roundup! You can even have it delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter! Just send your email over to andrea@creativeintime.com(subject to iOS 15 🙈 of course).
Whilst you wait, does your business need a hand staying up to date? Maybe you’re struggling to keep on track with all of the new marketing changes? We’ve got your back!
Book in now for a discovery call and our marketing business can help you with all the latest strategies and changes.
When running your own business, having marketing tools to help with your business can save you lots of precious time and often are free or inexpensive!
As a small business owner, your time is valuable and time spent on your marketing needs to produce results. We understand this and have created a comprehensive list of our top 10 marketing tools for your business to streamline and improve your marketing strategy. Trust us, we’re a marketing business, this is what we do!
Later
Social media has come to the forefront of most businesses marketing. Whether you focus on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or something else, using a social media scheduling tool like Later will make posting to social media easier.
I’m sure you know that keeping on top of your social media posting is vital to promote your business and gain new customers, but it can be time consuming and tedious to post individually on multiple platforms.
Later allows you to create posts for multiple social media accounts at once and schedule them to come out when you need them. This means instead of posting every day, you can bulk schedule your social media posts which frees up your time to do more important things.
Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest is a free to use tool which assists in keyword idea generation and aids in search engine optimisation (SEO). You can also pay for it which unlocks more useful analytics and allows you to search for keywords without a limit.
You can use ubersuggest to analyse your competitors and see what keywords they rank for. This allows you to see what is working for them so that you can adopt your strategy accordingly.
A useful feature of ubersuggest is the ability to analyse your websites SEO as it can tell you any SEO issues which need fixing such as headings and meta descriptions.
AnswerThePublic
Do you ever want to create a blog post but don’t know what to write about? Or not know what questions people REALLY want the answers to?
AnswerThePublic is a free online tool where you input a keyword and it will tell you the most common questions searched in relation to this keyword.
This is useful to understand your audience and create content that will appeal to them, no one wants to waste time creating a blog that no one wants to see.
Canva
Images can make or break your social media. Customers are automatically drawn to eye catching and visually appealing posts.
Canva is a tool which allows you to create stunning posts simply and quickly, even if you don’t have a creative eye!
By using their premade templates all you need to do is add in your own text and images. Consider picking a select few colours to tie your marketing together and use these in your images.
Get creative and try new fonts, make your own templates and enjoy the new cohesive look on your feed. Canva is free to use but can be paid for to unlock ‘pro’ templates and other upgrades.
Trello
If you have a small business, organising tasks may feel overwhelming and can often leave people sat twiddling their thumbs if they don’t know what to do next.
Trello allows you to make “boards” and add lists to them. In these lists you can include projects and tasks and ‘add’ people so that everyone knows who is assigned to a task. You can also set due dates, attach files and set reminders for tasks.
Using an organisational tool like Trello will boost productivity, streamline your work schedule and avoid confusion between colleagues over what needs doing.
Grammarly
If you haven’t seen adverts for Grammarly I’ll be shocked.
Grammarly is (you guessed it) a grammar tool which can help you with emails, blogs, social media posts, and more by checking your spelling and grammar. It is a free tool which can be installed in your browser to automatically scan your writing and show suggestions to make it better.
This is a great tool for people who struggle with writing as it can provide them with confidence and allow for independence when creating work whilst giving you peace of mind that all work is up to scratch.
Google Analytics
We couldn’t write this list without mentioning good old Google.
Google Analytics can give you a deep insight into your business and your website. You can use it to see how many people have visited your website, what pages they are looking at, and how long they are spending on each page amongst several other things.
You can even see it in real time! See how many people are on your page at this exact moment.
Google analytics is useful to see how well you marketing is working, if you record and keep track of your analytics you should be able to see a trend and hopefully notice it rise. If you notice your analytics going down, then you may need to investigate why that is.
Mailerlite
Email marketing is still alive and kicking, don’t underestimate the reach of an email campaign.
Mailerlite is an easy email marketing tool which features drag and drop email editing and is very simple to use so don’t be scared! You can upload contact information from your computer and even separate it into groups for different campaigns. This is useful if your business is trying to market to demographics and doesn’t want to include everyone in the same campaign.
Textmagic
If your business is wanting to make the most out of texts then Textmagic is the tool for you.
Textmagic is a messaging tool which allows you to send messages from your computer to your customers. It is useful if you are intending on sending reminder messages, promotional texts or for ease of contact with your customers.
Messaging customers can benefit and your customers as it allows for conversation from both parties with ease.
Toggl
Whether you have a team or you are working alone, keeping track of your time is vital to understand what you are spending the most time on, it might shock you!
Toggl is a time tracking tool which allows you to track your activities and record them. This is useful for you to see what aspects of your business is taking the most of your time, and it is also interesting to have your employees record their daily activities.
Seeing what your employees spend their time on can allow you to pick up on any issues and streamline long processes. Recording activities is simple on Toggl and does not eat into your working day.
These are our top 10 marketing tools for your business that can be added to your marketing strategy and improve your business.
If you like the sound of these tools but are unsure of how to use them and want someone else to help with your marketing, book a discovery call with us now to see how our marketing business can help you.
