When running your business, your main focus is often how to get people in the door, whether literally or metaphorically if you are an online business.
Just like the old faithful dress which you have had since you were 17, many people will turn to the failsafe traditional forms of marketing such as posters, newspaper adverts and flyers.
Others may believe in their product/service so much that it is just a matter of time before customers fall at their feet, lucky for some!
Now, people who follow these strategies will find some customers and gain a trickle of business, but this is totally unsustainable! So, “Is digital marketing right for me?” I hear you ask…
No matter how old or new your business is, digital marketing is a great way to generate leads and turn these leads into loyal customers.
Are you ready to be out with the old and in with the new? We’ve got a sneaky feeling that you are!
Though you might need to know the answers to these questions first: what is digital marketing? How can digital marketing benefit me? And how you can start your digital marketing journey today!
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is referring to all marketing efforts which take place on the internet.
We’re talking:
Social Media
Email Marketing
SEO
Blogging
PPC
Website Development
Your digital marketing could involve all of these or just a couple. There is no right or wrong way to do digital marketing, every business is unique and will have a different goal.
Digital marketing doesn’t just have to bring in customers, it can be used to achieve various goals such as building brand authority in your industry, keeping customers returning and rebranding your business.
You may be thinking, “brand authority, what’s that?” but it’s more common than you think!
Let me guess, if you think of trainers, do you think of Nike? They have made their Swoosh (yes, that is the technical name for that tick) a renowned icon and their business is one of the most well known in their industry. THAT is building brand authority.
Did you know that 72% of marketing budgets in the UK wen on digital marketing?
There’s actually more to digital marketing than you may think! Wayyyy too much to cover in here, if only there was somewhere else you could check it out… (pssst! Here!)
How Can Digital Marketing Benefit Me?
Digital marketing can benefit you and your business in many ways. First of all, the number of potential customers you can attract online is a much larger number than any you could attract using local (traditional) marketing.
Let’s look at an example:
If you run a business selling shoes, you may put out a poster on a street advertising your brand. This poster will only be seen by people who walk down that specific street and consciously look at the poster. There is no guarantee that on any given day a person who is intending on buying shoes will see your poster.
Now, imagine you are the same company, but instead you decide to set up a website. You can make that website SEO-friendly (more on this here) and immediately your brand is more likely to be found by the right audience.
By having marketing that is directed toward your ideal demographic, you are ensuring that none of your marketing efforts is wasted on people who would never buy your product in the first place!
Now that you have read our example, let’s take a look at some of the other benefits of digital marketing which you could achieve:
Remove geographical boundaries: Traditional marketing techniques are often focused on a small geographical area whereas digital marketing can target anywhere in the world.
Personalisation: You cannot personalise a flyer or poster for every single potential customer however, you can personalise an email campaign to include the recipient’s name, fancy!
Tracking: One key benefit of digital marketing is the ability to see your marketing analytics. You can track how many people visit your website, how much engagement your social media posts receive and even where someone clicks on your email campaigns! This allows you to edit your marketing strategy in real-time to maximise these statistics. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be a nerd to appreciate a good graph every now and again.
Here’s a statistic for you right now!
75% of agency marketers rated email marketing as the most effective means of digital marketing in terms of return on investment (ROI)
How To Get Started
Now that we have shown you the magic of digital marketing, we bet you are rearing to get started but where should you begin?
Well, this truly depends on the amount of time you are able to commit to digital marketing. Whether you can spend 1 hour a month, 1 hour a week or 1 hour a day, any time spent doing digital marketing will be worthwhile!
Most of us already are familiar with social media, this is a great place to start when it comes to digital marketing. Of course, any business can use any social media, however below are our top recommendations for social media platforms.
For B2B businesses (business-to-business) we would recommend using:
LinkedIn
Instagram
For B2C businesses (business-to-customer) we would recommend using:
Instagram
Facebook
Pinterest
In 2022, social media marketing is more important than ever and giving your business a stellar online presence could give you an edge on your competition. Do you want to find out more about social media strategies to use in 2022?
Most businesses will also benefit from using a video-based platform such as TikTok. You may think that TikTok is only for young people doing dances in skimpy outfits (technically, they are there, but that’s not all of TikTok, we swear!) but, trust me, you can find any and all business types on there; even CREATIVE in TiME!
Is Digital Marketing Right For Me?
So, after all this, let us answer “Is digital marketing right for me?”
We think that digital marketing is for EVERYBODY!
The brilliant thing about digital marketing is that it is not one-size-fits-all, when you use a digital marketing agency such as CREATIVE in TiME you will get a bespoke marketing strategy to suit you and your business.
If digital marketing just isn’t your style, it is definitely ours!
“Andrea, Fred and the team are not only experts in the marketing field, but approach businesses with the enthusiasm and drive that you would expect from a leader within your own team. They truly care about their clients and you can really feel that in all that they do.”
It’s no secret that Marketing Agencies don’t have a great name. The common complaint is that they just don’t return value. We believe that the missing link time and time again is understanding.
Understanding your business and your goals, understanding your customers and understanding your expectations. Because we spend the time in the beginning asking the ‘right’ questions, we can provide you value and achieve deliverables in record TiME.
Get in touch now to find out how we can help get your business up and running in the world of marketing.
We all know that the internet is big right? Right?! So, what if I told you that the number of people who go on the internet every day is STILL increasing?
That’s right, “constant” internet usage among adults has increased by 5% in the past 3 years. This has also meant that people are shopping and purchasing more online than ever!
You need to market to where your customers are looking, which means if you aren’t already, it’s time to go DIGITAL with your MARKETING.
Digital marketing is important for a variety of reasons because it connects your business to your online presence and your ever-growing digital customer base.
Digital marketing is effective in all industries and all businesses should utilise it as such, if you aren’t using digital marketing then it is time to jump onto the bandwagon and get rolling!
If you want bang for your buck, then digital marketing is for you. It is considerably less expensive than more traditional forms of marketing, however, this is dependent on what you are doing, but generally, overall spending tends to be lower with a higher impact.
It is also more affordable as you can narrow down where your money needs to go by selecting the correct platforms. If your followers are most active on Instagram, then you should focus your efforts there and not on Twitter. If you are looking to advertise to other businesses, then try LinkedIn rather than Facebook.
Digital marketing can save you time and money by excluding people who would never buy from you and digital marketing agencies can often be more affordable than hiring a marketing team for your business.
2. Mobile-Friendly
Did you know that over 48 million people in the UK use their mobile phones to go about their business such as mobile shopping and social networking? If you are looking to reach this large audience, then you will need to hone in on this mobile market.
When someone is interested in your niche, business or product, the first thing they will do is take to the internet to research you. In the age of mobile phones, this can be done with just a few taps on a screen making it even more important to take care of your online presence.
If your customer can’t find you online or finds you have a subpar online presence then they may assume your business is illegitimate, inactive or just not worth buying from.
You need to make sure that your website is mobile-friendly so that visitors can experience your content easily. You do not want large blank areas or cut off text boxes, no one likes having to scroll to see full images or menus. This may involve creating a different page structure for desktop vs mobile.
Look at your website from a user perspective, what would you change?
3. Flexibility
When you market yourself digitally, you open a wide range of possibilities for strategies, and with your marketing strategy at your fingertips, you can make real-time changes such as stopping poorly performing campaigns.
You can make tweaks and changes depending on the interest you receive; this is something you would not be able to do if you used a different form of marketing such as using paper leaflets.
Flexibility also means that you do not have to wait to produce leaflets, flyers and posters. You can create content and post it immediately, perfect for keeping up with special dates, doing flash offers and even amending typos.
4. Creativity
If you are looking for creativity, then digital marketing will steal your heart! You have the opportunity to create banners, email campaigns, social media posts, blogs, and the list goes on and on! With digital marketing, you have the creative freedom to bring your visions to life using your brand colours and style.
Your creativity should flow across all of your digital marketing streams to create a cohesive brand image. When a user views your social media or a blog post, they should instantly know it is your business. If you are interested in creating a social media strategy, then click here to find out the best strategies for social media marketing in 2022.
Top Tip: Avoid using different names, colour schemes and writing styles as this can give the impression of different businesses which have the same/similar names.
5. Tracking
As well as connecting and communicating with customers, digital marketing allows you to track their activities. You can see how many people open your email campaigns, how many people engage with your social media platforms, where people spend time on your website and how they get to your website amongst other things.
This is valuable information to hone in on your target audience and find out what is or isn’t working and adjust your strategies accordingly.
When dealing with an audience, a marketing strategy which you think will do amazing could flop or vice versa so it is vital to keep track of how each part of your strategy is performing.
Digital marketing is a valuable asset to any business and is important in all the previously mentioned ways, it can however be time-consuming to get right especially since you will need to research and implement an effective digital marketing strategy to get the full potential out of your marketing.
Yes, unfortunately, digital marketing isn’t a one-hit-wonder and needs constant work!
If you are a business owner who wants to improve their digital marketing but doesn’t have the time or expertise, that is where digital marketing agencies such as CREATIVE in TiME come in.
We understand the people, the resources, the processes, and the tools that go into making your business run smoothly and we get the struggles which businesses experience in the world of digital marketing.
Do you need help with your digital marketing? Get in touch now to find out how we can help you.
Picture this, you have a business (old or new), and you are ready to smash your target market but have you considered your content marketing strategy?
Your strategy, which worked in 2020, may have been successful then, but the likelihood is that it will not be successful in 2023. Traditional marketing methods of the past are becoming less desirable, irrelevant paid ads are a great example of this.
People want to search for solutions as and when they need to. This is where content marketing is king, and creating an effective strategy can leave you victorious.
So, what is content marketing and why does your business need an effective strategy?
What is Content Marketing?
Content marketing is a form of marketing that involves creating and sharing online content such as blogs. The objective of content marketing is not to explicitly promote your brand but to pique interest in your services/products and build your authority on the topic.
When people consistently notice your content being informative and worthwhile, your business will be at the top of their minds when they need to buy what you sell.
Now, you may be thinking, “Great!” but still be wondering what content marketing actually entails.
Different Types of Content Marketing
There are many forms of content marketing but that does not mean your business needs to utilise every single one to be effective. You need to know which forms of content marketing are appropriate for your business, audience and products.
To help you along this journey, let’s look at the most common and effective forms of content marketing which you may wish to implement for your business.
Blogging
When you think of content marketing, I’m sure the first thing that came to mind was blogging, and for good reason, blog posts are the most popular form of content marketing and the easiest to start with.
All you need to create blog posts is a website and content.
Blogging is an ever-growing market and the need for information from the internet is constantly increasing. There are currently over 600 million blogs in the world!
Well-written blogs are key for both your business and your users. For you, they provide more traffic to your website, increased lead generation and build site authority. For your users, they provide useful information, create trust and become a source of information in the future.
Video content is the up-and-coming new kid on the block in terms of content marketing. It has swiftly become one of the most popular forms of content marketing, and that is down to one platform, YouTube.
Where blog posts can often lack creativity and engagement, videos soar and thrive on their interactivity and ease of distributing information.
Some of the best ways to use video in content marketing are:
Behind-the-scenes videos: people love seeing the people behind the brand. It allows for a human connection and shows authenticity. Customers get to experience your brand and may view it in a new light, especially if you are a small business.
Demonstrations: whether your product is simple or complicated, has two steps or 20, you can bet someone out there needs help using it for the first time! These should be descriptive, informative and clear- imagine you are explaining it to your mum. Would she understand it?
Customer Testimonials: never underestimate the power of a review. Videos of customers are high-quality pieces of content marketing that you can use on all platforms.
Podcasts
Following the use of video, another form of content marketing is podcasts.
Podcasts have the opposite pull than videos as they are solely focused on audio instead of visible information.
A podcast is the most convenient form of content marketing, all you need to do is press play and listen! This allows your listeners to multi-task whilst listening especially since 69% of podcast listeners use a mobile device to listen. This can be especially important if you are marketing your product to another business, busy people need accessible information otherwise they won’t listen.
Podcasts are also a vital way in which you can become a thought leader in your industry and build credibility in your business. If you are providing valuable content which helps or educates your listeners, then they will begin to think of you and your business as an expert in the field.
Try answering customer questions, problem-solving, discussing how the product is made, any industry news which could be relevant, having guests on your podcast to bring in new listeners, and making sure your podcast is engaging and entertaining.
Infographics
Infographics are another engaging form of content marketing due to their eye-catching and fun nature.
This makes them great to use in all forms of content such as the previously mentioned blogs and videos. Being able to repurpose your content is key to success, spreading it to all platforms is vital to reaching the widest audience.
Infographics have another benefit…they make you look smart! Sharing content that is both colourful, valuable and informative is a sure-fire way to gain interest from other people in your industry, especially on social media platforms such as LinkedIn.
They are also a great way to show tangible data in a digestible way that people can understand without technical knowledge. Similarly, they can be a game-changer in niches that could be called “boring” as they capture and retain user attention.
Why is Content Marketing Important?
We have just explained to you the most prominent forms of content marketing to begin your journey, but why is it important?
Content marketing is a vital form of marketing, did you know that 70% of marketers actively invest in content marketing? This is because, in comparison to other forms of digital marketing, it has a greater return on investment (ROI) in the long run, exactly what you want to hear!
Content marketing has many benefits for you and your customers, let us tell you some now:
Improve ranking in search engine results (SEO)
Builds a community
Builds customer relationships
Helps with lead conversion
Raises brand awareness
So, does content marketing sound like it could benefit your business? Depending on your business, you may wish to implement one of these forms of content marketing or all of them! There is no right or wrong amount as long as they are relevant to your business.
If you want to start but need some expert help to get you off on the right foot, get in touch now!
I’ve been there, directing or managing a sales and marketing operation and needing marketing support to deliver. You don’t have dedicated marketing resources for what you need, or you do have marketing resources but there are aspects that you need more support with.
Then you get a warm referral from someone you know, you start talking needs and prices, and then you sign up with a marketing agency for support of some kind.
Maybe it’s putting articles out, or looking after your social media. Maybe it’s keeping your website updated with case studies. Or maybe it’s PR, or just maybe you go as far as wanting creative support and ideas.
Then, gradually, after several months, you find yourself wondering…
Is it all WORTH it?
You might find yourself feeling like marketing agencies are a waste of time if your experience is like many others! Feeling like you are either being pestered to provide all the content and ideas that you thought you were paying them for, or that you are chasing them to deliver what they said they were going to deliver!
You don’t have TIME to check up on these folks all the time to see if they are delivering what they promised. If you find you are being let down, you can find it is a bitter pill to swallow and it leaves you heavily biased against marketing agencies in the future!
What I Tell People Who Ask “Is a marketing agency worth it?”
Marketing is a widely misunderstood subject with a great many subcategories that are often even MORE misunderstood.
Marketing agencies are worth it if you find the right people to work with who understand your business AND have the skills to make a difference, PLUS have the time to do what they say.
If I tell people we focus on HELPING people with content marketing and organic SEO through blogs and web page updates, they mostly look at me as though I am talking in a foreign language.
When I tell people we are a marketing agency, they will often assume we make flyers and posters, or we do PR campaigns.
“If I have learnt anything through 20 years in Technology and Engineering companies, outsourcing is never easy.”
Whether that’s getting hundreds of engineers set up in a faraway country with an aim to save time and money on a multi-million-pound development (which is hit and miss), or trying to get people to understand you and your business so that they can market you, without you having to spoon-feed them constantly, it can be a thorny road.
I also know that employing people directly, trying to get as many competencies and skills in as few people as possible for the best price can be just as frustrating and challenging, not to mention how many people get comfy and a little lazy in their jobs past their probation period.
Determined to Be DIFFERENT…
So, having been down the road where so many companies find themselves, when my partner and I decided that we were going to launch a marketing agency and focus on helping people get found, I knew we were going to be DIFFERENT.
We were determined to be different.
With my background in industries like F1, Aerospace, H2 Fuel Cells, Rail, Electronics, IoT and Software through a career climbing from a project engineer to director overseeing sales & marketing operations, we knew what was MISSING from those I want to help.
How many marketing agencies have a chartered engineer and engineering fellow on hand to translate for you?
Add to that my partner, Andrea, who has 20 years of being a successful marketeer for her own business start-ups, running networking organisations, and has amazing communication skills which help her get over the line with businesses and allows her to easily translate technical terms in a simplistic way.
Let’s not forget about our marketing team who are highly motivated, always on top of the trends and full to the brim of innovative and inspiring ideas.
How many agencies have this kind of SUPPORT on hand?
Imagine a world where a techy oriented company can talk to a marketing agency, and for those marketing folks to GET what they do, really UNDERSTAND them, have TECHNICAL competence, and a passionate and motivated team focussed on getting you found?
Well, that’s what we’ve done with CREATIVE in TIME!
Working With Us
Does it sound too good to be true?
That’s because there aren’t many agencies like us. It works perfectly. Once you’ve explained your business and how you help your customers, we can delve into the technical depths of what you do. This ensures we can translate it into simple language for your customers to understand HOW you can help THEM, and WHY they would choose YOU!
I hate to say it but WHAT you do is of mostly no interest to your potential clients.
With over 20 years working around techy oriented companies, I always found myself being the bridge between the proper techies and the more financial and business’ type folks. I could understand both sides without being an expert in either.
I could explain the benefits of developing a bit of tech in a way a techie couldn’t, they will tell you all about what they need to do, I will tell you the benefits of what they need to do, and how much it will all cost.
So, we realised we would be the bridge for complex or techy companies that need marketing support, we have built a team of amazing marketing execs that get trained by us in what our customers do, how they help people and why they should work with them.
One Way We Are Different
There’s one more ingredient in our mix other than our techy know-how. Whilst we are extremely familiar with CORPORATE environments including CxO level folks, we are persuading those same types to allow a little more fun to be injected into their messaging and put a little less “corporate” out there.
People engage with FUN content, rather than the same old boring corporate messaging saying how amazing they are and how people should just buy their products over and over again.
So, if you want to engage with people in a fun (and not quite so corporate way), if you do techy things that are often hard to explain to people outside of your business, then you could do with some help from some honest, decent and hardworking marketing folks just like us! You’ll be glad you did!
Marketing is changing faster than ever. I mean, there are ALWAYS new algorithm and Google updates, which means sometimes it can be hard to keep track of all the new marketing trends.
As we head into the New Year, we thought it would be only fitting to share some of the most important marketing trends that will continue in 2023 to aid you in your long-term marketing planning.
1. Chatbots can Increase Engagement
Many websites have handy chatbots that can answer user queries. Chatbot usage has doubled since 2020 and we can only predict this trend will continue. Chatbot technology is proving to be very successful for many reasons;
Automates customer service
Keeps customers on your webpage for longer
Improves overall website efficiency for users
Creates a better user experience.
Online shopping is one trend that will continue to prevail and grow in 2023 therefore increasing customer engagement is vital.
If you DON’T have an active chatbot on your website, we recommend adding one. If you DO have a chatbot on your website, we recommend optimising your automated messages and ensuring that actual people are available to chat as well.
2. Video is Vital
Video has always been a part of digital marketing, but in this past year, it has come to the forefront and is now one of the most effective forms of marketing.
With TikTok reaching 1 BILLION active users (to put that into perspective, the population of India is 1.3 billion!), it is a hotspot for small businesses to reach new customers, generate engagement and make sales.
Do not underestimate the power of video, video exclusive platforms such as TikTok are ideal for promoting your business via video, however, don’t forget about your trusty favourite social platforms.
For example, reels on Instagram can go viral and produce an extraordinary number of views and engagements. Customers like video content as it is often more personal, informative and shows the real person behind the business.
Want to see this in practice? Click here to visit our Instagram page and see how we use reels in our marketing strategies.
3. Mobile Site Speed can NEVER be too Fast!
Website traffic is overwhelmingly mobile; however, most websites still don’t have fully mobile-optimized experiences.
How often do you surf the web on your phone vs a computer? If you are like the majority, you will search on your phone more than a computer, 50.47% of the time to be exact.
When undertaking website optimisation, you should make sure the user experience is excellent for all devices. To get you started, these are a few things to watch out for:
Check all images fit on a phone screen without needing to scroll
Ensure titles fit fully on the screen
When using moving graphics/text make sure that it does not harm your load speed. Too many movements can harm your speed and visually impact user experience.
4. Step it Up with Social Media Shopping
For most, online shopping has become a staple way to purchase items from the comfort of your own home (whether that is due to the pandemic or just enjoying browsing Amazon from your bed! No judgement here), but how about making purchases through your social media platforms?
With the likes of TikTok and Instagram launching their own shopping features this year, this new way to buy is likely to grow in popularity during 2023.
81% of consumers currently research potential product purchases using social media, and with these features cutting out the process of going to an external website, social media shops should be included in your marketing strategy.
Keep an eye out for any updates, changes or new features available on these shopping sections to make the most out of your consumers. Each additional step your customer has to take is an opportunity for you to lose their custom.
5. Will the Metaverse be Mighty?
When Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook would become ‘Meta’, it caused speculation as to how this would affect the world of social media marketing. With some marketing strategies revolving solely around Facebook, the name change alone was confusing but the unveiling of his plans for a virtual reality world was even more mind-blowing.
This Zuckerbergian digital universe isn’t quite ready yet but we can only imagine how virtual reality worlds could change the face of marketing.
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.”
Marketing may not directly be affected, however, new products and services will be on the horizon which could produce a need for more creative marketing styles.
Summary for marketing in 2023
There are many trends and new developments to the world of digital marketing that we should all watch out for. If you are involved in digital marketing, it is vital that you stay up to date to make the most out of your marketing strategy.
Think about what you want your marketing strategy to achieve, do you want more traffic to your website? More engagement? Do you want sales on other platforms? Use the latest trends and news to reach your goals as hopping on every marketing trend will not help if it is not relevant.
Lastly, don’t forget the basics. Customers still like to read reviews, customer photos will continue to build trust and a sense of personality from your business can go a long way.
Marketing shouldn’t be scary, it should work FOR your business and not AGAINST it. If you find yourself overwhelmed or confused about what marketing strategy is right for you then look no further.
We understand the people, the resources, the processes and tools that go into making your business run smoothly and we get the struggles companies like yours experience with the heady world of marketing.
If you want help with your marketing strategy in 2023 from a marketing agency who will understand you then get in touch now to see if a New Year can mean a new start for your marketing.
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