marketing strategy Archives - Page 10 of 13

Top 5 Marketing Trends to Watch in 2023

by Fred Warner | Dec 30, 2021 | Digital Marketing

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.

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.

Our TOP Blogging Tips: With Examples!

by Fred Warner | Dec 23, 2021 | Digital Marketing

Are you looking to get into blogging? Or perhaps you are an experienced blogger looking to refresh your memory, we’ve got you either way!

Blogging is a sure-fire way to keep your website fresh and inviting, it keeps your website active and keeps people on your website for longer. A quality blog gives other sites a reason to link back to your site which can build trust.

Keep reading all about HOW to make your blog the best it can be, and some of our personal favourite tools (shhh…it’s just between us!)

Write About Topics People are Searching For

Once you have decided blogging is for you, you will need to find your blog’s topic. You can write blogs about ANYTHING! If someone is searching for it, you can blog about it. Technically you can blog about something no one is searching for, but no one will see it so…what’s the point?

What do you enjoy? What are you passionate about? Your topic should reflect this. If you are not passionate or even interested in your topic then it will show through in your writing.

Blogging tips:

Use short paragraphs – Short paragraphs invite readers in whereas long paragraphs are daunting.
Include multimedia – Images, GIFs and videos can illustrate your point without more text and can provide relief from reading.

Use short sentences – Most people read in their mind’s voice and using short sentences can be easier to follow.
Read your work out loud – This helps point out areas that your content is boring or doesn’t flow right. Don’t worry, you don’t have to read to anyone else, just yourself!

One of CiT’s favourite blog writers is Neil Patel. With a mass of blogs, his website is a goldmine for seeing how a blog SHOULD look. Click here to check out his blog about improving your blogs now.

Use Engaging and Catchy Titles

Your blog title is so important! A brilliant blog title will improve the click-through rate of your blog. What is a click-through rate, I hear you ask. It is the ratio of users who click on a specific link versus the number of total users who view the page.

Here’s an easy way to get the best blog title. First, decide on your topic, then decide what sort of title you are looking for… Is it a guide? An answer to a question? A list of things? Then you can create a basic working title for your blog and develop it into the BEST title.

Check out our examples below!

Example blog titles – Guides

“A Start-To-Finish Guide…”
“…: A Step-By-Step Guide”

“An Experts Guide to…”

Topic: Using WordPress

Okay Title: A Guide to Using WordPress

Great Title: A Simple Guide to Using WordPress

Best Title: An In-Depth Guide to Using WordPress Efficiently

Example blog titles – Listicles

“5 Myths About…”
“10 Reasons Why…”
“The 8 Best Tools For…”

Topic: Writing a Blog

Okay Title: 5 Blogging Tips

Great Title: 5 Blogging Tips Everyone Should Know

Best Title: 5 Amazing Blogging Tips That You Might Not Know

Example blog titles – Questions

“…? Here’s How…”
“What Is… And How Should You…?”
“…? These Tips Will…”

Topic: Social Media

Okay Title: What Social Media Should You Use?

Great Title: What Social Media Should You Use? 10 Questions.

Best Title: What Social Media Should You Use? 10 Questions to Help You Decide

This is not an exhaustive list of titles, there are hundreds of phrases to choose from, the key is to make it catchy yet to the point. Your readers want to know WHAT they are going to read before they even click.

Check Out Our Favourite Tools

Now that you know your topic, it is time to start researching your blog! Before you start writing your blog, you should find out what people are SEARCHING for and what people WANT to know.

If you want your blog to be found, you need to know what people are searching for. Using a tool such as Ubersuggest will allow you to find keywords to use in your blog.

Keywords are what people enter in a search engine to find a website. Using relevant keywords throughout your blog can improve your ranking on Google and increase the chances of your blog being found.

Want to find out more about how blogs help you get found? Click here to check out our content on how blogging helps SEO.

Another blog writing tool is AnswerThePublic. This tool is used to research what people are searching for on search engines. When you know your blog topic, this tool is useful for deciding what information to include and can be useful for writing subheadings.

Another amazing tool for your blogs, to ensure your grammar and spelling are up to scratch, is Grammarly. If your blogs have spelling errors or grammatical mistakes, people may not trust what you say or can even leave your website all together! Harsh but true.

Now, Go Forth and BLOG!

With your new found knowledge you should be all set to venture into the world of blogging!

We have lots of our own blogs on our website to help with all things blogging, SEO, social media and digital marketing. Click here to visit our website now or click here to have a chat with us!

Christmas Marketing Ideas

by Fred Warner | Dec 17, 2021 | Digital Marketing

It’s almost Christmas! We don’t blame you if you munch on a mince pie whilst you read. If you are running a business this Christmas, you will know that it is a peak time for consumers to make large purchases.

Not sure how to make the most of the holiday season? We’ve got you covered. 🎄 Here’s 4 Christmas Marketing Ideas to start now that can help you make more sales and increase customer loyalty. Read to the end to check out one Christmas tip for next year! ⬇️

1. Create gift bundles

Does your business sell a product? If so, you can create gift bundles for your customers to get a selection of products at a discounted rate.

Commonly you will see gift bundles consisting of bath products, self-care items, and food and drink products, however, you can create a bundle of almost anything!

Top Tip: Try coupling a few new products with customer favourites and older stock to get it moving. Offer bundles with different price ranges to try and allow all your customer base to make a purchase.

2. Offer free shipping and returns

There is nothing worse than having to pay for shipping AND potentially paying for a return. Offering both for free is an incentive for your customers to make a purchase as they know they can return it at no expense.

Top Tip: Spread the word! Promote it using website banners and social media so that people know. Don’t wait for customers to see it at the checkout!

3. Create a holiday theme for your website

Give your website that extra sparkle this Christmas. Think Christmas banners, festive colours, and fun backgrounds.

While promotional discounts and special offers are the core of your holiday sales, it’s the look of your site that creates the emotional desire to buy. Updating your website to be up to date with the holiday period shows that your business is active, and fresh.

So rather than having a straightforward theme all year round, seasonal design elements help you to resonate with your audience on a personal level.

Want to learn how to make your branding effective all year round? Click here to read how important branding REALLY is.

Top Tip: If your website has specific branding in place, e.g. a colour scheme, try adding small decorations to banners and images such as snowflakes.

4. Spruce up your email subject lines

At this time of the year, email inboxes are being flooded with emails, I’m sure you will have noticed your own following this trend too.

When you are trying to compete with other businesses for attention, you need to ensure that you email subject lines are catchy and entice people to want to know more.

Think Christmas themed and short. We are partial to a good Christmas pun ourselves! Here’s some general Christmas themed email subject lines you could use in your marketing:

There’s still time…🎁🎅🎄
Christmas Deals Hot Enough to Warm Up Jack Frost
Have you been naughty or nice this year? 😈😇
Spoil yourself with our 2-for-1 deal this Christmas
Free Shipping Until December 25th!

Open to receive your Christmas gift from us 🎁🎄
Last Chance for Guaranteed Delivery Before Christmas!
The Ultimate Last-Minute Guide to Holiday Shopping
You Can Still Get It in Time for Christmas!
🚚 Free Delivery for Christmas

Top Tip: USE CHRISTMAS THEMED EMOJIS. Using emojis in your email subject lines can be an effective and attention-generating technique to increase your email open rates and get more people engaging with your campaigns.

5. Run a “12 Days of Christmas” promotion

It’s never too early to start thinking about next year! Whilst it’s too late to implement this now, running this promotion is a sure-fire way to reel in the customers.

Large businesses are usually the most likely to implement this however any size business can make it their own.

A “12 Days of Christmas” promotion is when a business promotes a different offer on each day for 12 days. This could be a sitewide discount, a specific item on offer, 3 for 2 on selected lines or even a free small gift on orders over a certain amount.

These offers do not have to be ground-breaking or cause detriment to your business. These promotions should be used to entice customers to check back for the next offer.

Promoting it on social media can also cause your follower count to rise and improve engagement as people want to stay up to date for the next deal. Don’t underestimate the power of referral marketing. People will tell their friends and family about good deals and therefore spread word of your business without you doing anything!

Top Tip: It’s never too early to start a PLAN for next year’s Christmas Marketing. Planning early can ensure your marketing is in tip top shape.

Spread some CHEER this Christmas…

This year has been difficult for us all but has hit some people harder than others. Donating to a food bank or charity this Christmas can help someone have a magical Christmas! One of our wonderful clients, National Safety Inspections, has been collecting food to donate to food banks across Leeds.

We would encourage everyone who can to donate to a food bank this year, however big or small, by dropping off food or donating online! Click here to donate online.

If you are unable to donate, there are lots of other ways to give back this Christmas. Small acts of kindness can have just as big an impact on someone’s life, tell someone that corny joke you’ve been holding in! Go on, we give you permission.

We hope these tips help. If you’re planning on running any promotions or getting creative with your marketing this Christmas, let us know down in the comments section. We’d also love to hear if you are giving back in any way this festive season!

If you need any help with your marketing, we available all year round! A marketing agency isn’t just for Christmas! Click here to book a discovery call now.

How Blogging makes Money

by Fred Warner | Dec 9, 2021 | Digital Marketing

Is blogging in your marketing strategy? If it is, perfect! Keep reading to find out some nifty tips and tricks to give your blogs an extra edge and find out how blogging makes money. If blogging isn’t in your marketing strategy, let me show you why it should be!

Did you know that 77% of people regularly read blogs online?

In 2020, the number of blogs on the internet grew to over 600 million. With such a large amount of blogs available, it may seem overwhelming to break in and succeed but trust us, it is definitely possible!

What is blogging?

Blogging is the act of posting content on a website. They are informal articles written for the purpose of showing thought leadership and expertise on a topic.

Often people will be reading a blog and they don’t even know it! Maybe you search for dinner recipes or help with your tech, more often than not the webpage you end up on will be a blog.

I’ll let you in on a secret…this is a blog! Shhh keep it quiet. Want to check out one of our other blogs on how to make your marketing cost effective? We bet you do.

Setting up your blog

Before you start making money, making a blog should be the first thing on your agenda.

Your blog needs a niche to grow, it doesn’t need to be radical, it just needs to give you a unique voice. Pick something that you enjoy, I mean why would you blog about something you don’t care about. If you aren’t passionate about your blog, then it can show in your writing and people will notice.

Once you have decided on a niche, you need to find out whether it can bring in readers, a blog can’t make you money if no one wants to read it. A quick Google search can show if people are searching for your topic or not.

Then…pick a name! Think catchy, short and memorable.

Once you have decided on your blog topic and name, you need to sign up to a web hosting service, we recommend blogging with WordPress, and choose your domain name. Once this is all set up, you have your blog!

Now, your blog will not look inviting to begin with, so you need to customise it to suit your style. If you are using WordPress as we suggested, you can click on ‘appearance’ in the sidebar and select ‘themes’. Click ‘add new’ and then select one of the many WordPress themes to add!

Optimise your blogs for SEO

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is vital for making money from your blog. SEO is the way in which you optimise your website to rank higher in search engines through keywords and phrases.

If you are blogging with WordPress, you can install a plugin called Yoast SEO which gives you tips and suggestions to improve your SEO.

Improving your blogging SEO will make your blog more visible so it is imperative to pay attention to it.

If SEO confuses you or you would like to learn more then you click here for our beginner’s guide to SEO. Alternatively, we can do this for you too! Book a call now to find out how we can help with your SEO.

How blogging makes money

Using ads is one of the best ways to monetise your blog. When incorporating ads onto your blog, you should try to use targeted ads that will appeal to your readers instead of bombarding your readers with unnecessary and unrelated ads.

Keep track of your analytics and monitor if your bounce rate changes when you add ads, if you notice a higher bounce rate then you may need to consider repositioning your ads or reducing the amount.

If you have a product or service to sell, using your blog to do this is a great way to make money through your blog and direct traffic towards your business.

How else does blogging benefit your business?

Blogging has other benefits for your business other than making money such as helping your websites SEO.

Click here to read about how blogging helps your business and how blogging helps your SEO.

Do you need help setting up a blog? Get in touch by booking a discovery call with CREATIVE in TiME now to see how we can help you.

CiT Monthly Roundup of Marketing News/Updates

by Fred Warner | Dec 2, 2021 | Digital Marketing

Do you want the good news or the bad news? Bad news…you now need 3 layers to go outside without feeling like Frosty the Snowman. Good news…festivities are in full swing!

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, the world of marketing might pause long enough for you to scoff a mince pie but make sure to check out our latest monthly roundup of marketing news and updates whilst they’re hot and fresh. If you missed out our October monthly roundup of marketing news and want to catch up just click here.

There is always something changing, whether it is social media or Google, and you need to stay on top of it! When you’re trying to feel festive you may not want to keep up to date with news but if you are offering a product or service, Christmas is your time to shine!

Let’s get started;

Fendi’s Time Square Takeover: Is Creativity Dead?

Last week famous fashion brand Fendi took over New York’s Times Square by covering it in their signature yellow.

Venturini Fendi said: “Times Square is something futuristic, something so different from Rome and peculiar of New York. It’s a landmark of the city – the lights, projection. It’s a window to the future.”

In a futuristic environment, was their takeover too lacklustre with a lack of imagination? Most brand ‘city attacks’ have heaps of creative flair and make use of the magnitude of the area and displays.

Fendi’s display was not well received with little to no traction in the fashion industry leaving many people wondering who the target audience was and what reaction was intended. A mass of bright yellow with their logo would likely be memorable, however with people attributing the work to ‘Fenty’, ‘Fenti’ and ‘Fendi’ it is unclear if people even remembered the brand name!

CREATIVE in TiME say: Marketing is essential for all businesses and creative marketing is ideal. What are your competitors doing? What do your customers want to see? Don’t be afraid to change.

Are you struggling with your marketing? If you are looking through this post and want to up your game, then click here to read about our services and what we can do for you.

Google Maps adds 3 NEW Features for Local Shopping

In the midst of the pandemic, more and more people are wanting to support local businesses and Google are introducing 3 NEW Google Maps features worldwide to help. Local businesses, it’s your time to shine! “Busyness” (yes, that is how you spell it) is one of the new features, who else didn’t know this was a word?

Area Busyess: When using Google Maps you can see how busy an area or business is currently and the estimation of busyness throughout the day.

Directory Tab: The Directory tab is most useful in shopping centres as it will display a list of all businesses, whether they are open, what floor they are on and what their star rating is.

Restaurant Information: Google Maps is now able to display more information when customers look up local restaurants. Information such as price ranges, delivery and other amenities will now be visible to customers if provided.

Is your information on Google up to date? If not, make sure that your information is detailed, succinct and useful. Including information such as disabled access, catering for dietary requirements, and COVID-19 measures can encourage customers and bring in people who otherwise may not come in.

Google Maps isn’t the only thing to keep up to date with, want to know how to use Google My Business to grow? Check it out here.

CREATIVE in TiME say: Google is KING! Whether you are a brick-and-mortar business or an online business, keeping up to date with all of Google’s updates is vital!

O2 creates Snapchat AR store for Black Friday Samsung deals

Black Friday is the biggest shopping event in the early calendar with total spending in the UK expected to have hit 9.42 BILLION pounds!

O2 has got involved with Black Friday and adopted the use of Snapchat’s augmented reality (AR) feature to create an “AR store of the future” to promote Samsung Black Friday deals.

This inventive sales idea allows prospective customers to save money without leaving their home or putting down their current phone! It transforms the four walls around them into a virtual sales area used to present 3 Samsung products and a “buy now” button.

The 3 products shown are the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3, and Samsung Galaxy Watch4.

This is a unique and engaging shopping experience for customers and may point to a new way to shop. It is unlikely to become common place but, would you use an AR shop on your phone?

CREATIVE in TiME say: This is very unique, but is Snapchat a dying platform? We’re not sure on this one but one thing is for sure – AR is not going away anytime soon.

Instagram Launches Live Test of Longer Videos in Stories

Instagram has launched a live test of 60-second videos in stories, this was first spotted in testing last month. This change means that longer videos in stories will not be split into 15 second segments and will reduce interruptions in stories.

The feature is currently being tested by a small user group in hopes it will improve creative freedom and streamline video uploads.

This test is likely influenced by TikTok, who have risen in popularity as the best place to be for video, and do not limit the length of your videos.

CREATIVE in TiME say: We likey this one! We were expecting this feature sooner or later. After all, they do like to copy EVERYTHING TikTok does.

Google Review Snippets will not show if the reviews are republished from another source!

Customers love reviews and therefore businesses want them to be as visible as possible but for Google to display a review as a snippet, the review must be directly submitted to the website.

For most businesses, you likely take reviews for your business from other places on the internet, such as Facebook, and then publish them on your website. This is effective at having reviews seen on your website but it will disqualify the page from being eligible for rich results.

Google defines reviews from other sources as “testimonials” instead of reviews. Here is what Google’s John Mueller had to say about it:

“We probably wouldn’t show that as reviews in the search results because it’s more like a testimonial. Reviews would essentially need to be something which is based on a specific product on that page and the reviews need to be things that users leave directly on that page.

So if you’re kind of like archiving reviews from other sources and you’re posting them then we wouldn’t pick those up as reviews for the structured data side. You can keep them on the page we just wouldn’t use the review markup for that.”

If you currently don’t accept reviews on your website but want to start, the easiest way to do so is to add a review submission form on every product/service page on your site.

CREATIVE in TiME say: Reviews are so important for your business! Customers love them, Google loves them, everyone loves them!

Roundup Complete!

We hope you enjoyed our monthly roundup of marketing news, check back in next month for our December monthly roundup of marketing news! You can even have it delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter! Just send your email over to [email protected].

Whilst you do that, 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? There’s a lot after all!

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.