Membership Newsletter JUNE 2016

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1 Membership Newsletter JUNE 2016

2 TESTIMONIALS Some people like print some people like online, so I think it s important to be reactive and develop and grow. Theresa Henderson Smith and Pinching We launched a new website 18 months ago, so the more times people see our logo, the more times we are going to get that impact. James Havers KL Nuts & Bolts Having the online and newspaper presence is very important to us. It keeps the brand awareness in people s minds. Louise Hillman Lynford Hall We get to run different time scales, completely different campaigns, far more targeted and far more focused, that s a big benefit. Hollie Gould Ben Burgess

3 WELCOME to Brand Impact Your local cost effective way to advertise with Archant Welcome to the latest Brand Impact Newsletter; full of interesting hints, tips and advice on how to give your business an edge over the competition. In this edition we focus on how you can boost your digital brand impact. Have you thought about video marketing? Our Trade Marketing Director, Tom Kay, helps to explain the benefits. And what about the speed of your website? Does it really matter? Find out more on page 7. Your Brand Impact Newsletter offering free advice to help your business grow. We would like to thank you for your continued support and we trust the Brand Impact Membership has been beneficial to you and your business. To request help with your digital marketing, or with any other advertising needs, please contact your account manager today.

4 THE FLOORLESS APPROACH TO MARKETING Why Archant s Trade Marketing Director Tom Kay keeps an I-Pad at the top of his toolbox When I was a kid I used to bunk off woodwork lessons I just couldn t get the hang of nailing bits of bolser together and mastering the art of the glue gun. After a memorable accident with a desk vice and my teacher s hand we both agreed I was never meant to be a carpenter Now, thirty odd years later, I thought it was time to right some wrongs and have a go at laying new flooring in my newly extended kitchen And that s where the internet became my saviour. I ve acquired some DIY books over the years but not understanding a washer from a widget they just didn t work for me but the web did. A quick search on Google found a local flooring company who d pieced together a whole series of How To videos on their website. I was hooked. Each was about two minutes long and gave genuinely good advice. The guy had recorded them on his Smartphone so the sound and vision was a bit rough but enough to get the gist and before long I was laying out my laminate. DIY is one popular subject when it comes to video tutorials but there are many more From the basics of bookkeeping to changing a car tyre. From make-up hints to how to cook the perfect curry. From what to plant in the garden to the latest health and safety advice (I wonder if they cover off what to do if you accidently cut through your woodwork teacher s thumb?) there s a video covering every subject. Interestingly though, most are American or Australian - far fewer are from local businesses here in Blighty Which is a missed opportunity for so many local SMEs because the power of local has never been greater Google has seen a 35 fold increase in searches ending near me over the past year and with the internet increasingly mobile, the Google bods are all over the importance of localness and actively promote websites close to home. Another key measure when it comes to search rankings is content. Google loves websites that offer fresh, unique, sharable articles and video. Writing a quick blog, adding photos and of course putting a video together are all key weapons in the search battle, getting you found ahead of your competitors. It s something that national brands are finding hard to replicate because they are just that national and don t have the uniqueness of local businesses.

5 So now s a great time to produce your own how to video to boost your SEO and get you connected with potential customers. Talking of which, with my new found DIY skills gleaming, I decided to laminate my dining room, Where did I go for the supplies? My new mate at the flooring company of course! I felt a real bond to him and amongst all the businesses out there, his was the brand that stayed front of mind. Going back to his website I found his number and gave him a call: Be delighted to provide the supplies he said but afraid I can t fit the floor myself. We re booked up for the next six months. Our web traffic s gone crazy! It sure had he d received over 250,000 hits to just one of his tutorial videos. I guess I wasn t the only one bunking off woodwork SPECIAL OFFER Let us help you make videos for your business We have 3 different packages available depending on your budget Gold 978 Up to 3 minute live action video 4 x 10 second videos for social media Silver 770 Up to 3 minute live action video Bronze minute graphic video

6 KEY VIDEO TIPS: Get to the point quickly and keep your video short and concise. A general rule of thumb is two minutes or under. Put your video on YouTube, Vimeo and other video networking sites, but ensure it s on your website too else you miss out on web traffic. Link back to your URL within the description on YouTube to bring users back to your site. 4 5 Share your video on social media Facebook, Twitter etc to create a bigger buzz. Remember to link to your site to gain the web traffic. Your smartphone is a great place to start but ensure your video matches your brand. We can advise on various options and even produce a video for you. It s more cost effective than you think. Just get in touch! You can view our How to videos and get hints and tips on getting a bigger bite of digital advertising by clicking: KEY FIGURES: The average user spends 88% longer on websites containing video* 64% of consumers say they are more likely to buy a product after watching a video about it** 92% of people who watch videos on their mobile share them with others*** *Mist Media **Comcast ***Invodo

7 IMPROVE YOUR USER EXPERIENCE You asked for more hints and tips to expand your digital offering so here you go! Make your website Responsive A responsive website is one that recognises the device being used and optimises the page view accordingly. Take the EDP24 website - our web developers have worked hard to make it responsive so that everything fits on every screen size. Whether it s a laptop, or a Smartphone, the website should be easy to read and easy to navigate without the need to zoom in or out. Responsive Easy to navigate Did you know that only 6% of small businesses in the UK are mobile optimised? But 74% of people say they won t come back to a website if it isn t. The best way to ensure you stay relevant and in the consumer s good books is to talk to your developer and make your website responsive. Get your website up to Speed People don t hang around 40% of web users will leave a website after only 3 seconds if the page hasn t loaded. Free web tools like Google Analytics produce site speed reports for your website. They give you scores out of one hundred and give you suggestions to help speed up your site; you can also compare your Nonresponsive Difficult to navigate site speed with other local and national competitors. Speak to your web developer today to help increase your site speed. Source: Search Engine Watch, Akamai

8 We appreciate your Brand Impact Membership and trust you are getting a great response to your advertising. We are here to help and we appreciate feedback on our services; so keep an eye out for further hints and tips to maximise your business reach, and feel free to call your account manager for further advice.