Have you got an event coming up, but are unsure where to start when it comes to promoting it?

As marketing experts, we’ve put together the ultimate checklist to help you successfully promote your event. If you get stuck, we’re always happy to help:

 

1) Target the right marketing channels

Before you start promoting your event, think about your target audience, who they are, what their interests are and what would engage them most.

Don’t waste your efforts promoting your event on channels that your target audience doesn’t use. Push your event where it will be seen most, this could be on social media, through email marketing, website promotion, print media, radio, TV, or collaborations with influencers and partners. We find taking a multi-channel approach is great for reaching a wider audience.

 

2) Compelling messaging

Now you’ve got your audience’s attention, make sure your message is clear and includes all the relevant event information, highlighting what makes your event stand out.

You’ll be surprised how many people forget to include essential information like the date, time or location!

 

3) Timing

Make sure you plan ahead and give people enough time to add your event to their calendars.

To boost attendance, create a schedule to regularly communicate with your audience, to keep your event at the forefront of their minds.

4) Create a buzz

Generate excitement around your event by offering incentives, exclusive offers, or early booking discounts.

Sharing testimonials and reviews can also boost credibility and attract more attendees. Giveaways or incentivising people to share and spread the word about your event also works well in B2C.

 

5) The right collateral

Invest in visually appealing promotional materials that aligns with your event’s branding, whether that’s printed banners, flyers or promo videos.

Don’t forget to use high-quality images, graphics (and videos) that capture attention and convey the atmosphere and experience attendees can expect.

 

6) Visible online presence

It’s important to get your event visible online. Create a dedicated event landing page with detailed information and an easy user-friendly registration process.

Spend some time on SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) as it’s vital for your event to rank highly in web searches. Also make sure your Google My Business and social media pages are up to date.

7) Thank sponsors

Remember to thank any sponsors, collaborations or partners you had for your event. This can help to build strong relationships, which could lead to continued support for future events.

Tagging them on social media will acknowledge their contribution and also widen your reach, as your posts will appear in their feeds, reaching their followers too. Sharing their content will also help to boost your profile and help to maintain long-term connections.

 

8) Get feedback

It’s always a good idea to get feedback following your event, so you can continue to grow your event’s popularity and success.

Useful things to look at are ticket sales, web traffic, social media engagement, as well as open rate for email campaigns.

 

If you need support ahead of your next event, contact our event marketing experts on 01962 600 147 or email info@tlc-business.co.uk

Don’t leave finding the right CMS (Content Management System) platform for your website down to chance.

It’s an important decision that will impact your website’s performance, plus how easy it is to use and scale up in the future!

 

What is a CMS platform?

CMS (Content Management System) is software that helps people create and manage websites, without requiring extensive coding knowledge.

CMS platforms have tools for creating and organising content, customising templates and design, managing users and SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).

Popular platforms include WordPress, Wix and HubSpot. But, there are over 800 CMS platforms available in 2023, so you are spoilt for choice! It doesn’t make it easy to narrow down which is right for your business though – so we’ve put together the ultimate checklist to consider, before leaping into anything!

 

What to think about when choosing the right CMS platform for your business

 

Define your requirements

The best place to start is by taking some time to think about your specific requirements for your website.

Consider factors such as the type of content you’ll be managing, how much customisation you’ll need, how scalable it needs to be and the technical expertise of your team.

Easy to use

Having a user-friendly CMS platform is essential, especially if you will have non-technical users managing the content.

Look for platforms with intuitive interfaces, drag-and-drop functionality and visual editors that make content creation and editing straightforward.

 

Scalability

It’s one thing finding a CMS matches your needs now, but what about the future?

Finding a flexible CMS platform that can handle increasing traffic, content volume and changing content without impacting performance, will make sure it can adapt and grow with your business.

 

Content management features

Take a close look at the CMS’s core content management features, such as content creation and editing.

Will the CMS support the specific content types you’ll be using, for instance text, images and videos? Does it provide collaboration tools for multiple content contributors? If not and this is important to your business, keep looking for a CMS platform that does!

Customisation

Another biggie is finding a CMS that makes customisation easy. Having a CMS that aligns with your branding and design requirements will save you time.

CMS platforms that allow you to easily modify the website’s design and layout, customise templates and extend functionality through plugins, themes or modules, work really well.

 

SEO capabilities

Choose a CMS that prioritises SEO, so you’ll have all the tools to enhance your website’s search engine ranking and attract more traffic.

Consider the CMS’s built-in SEO features or its ability to integrate with popular SEO plugins. Look for features such as customisable meta tags, SEO-friendly URLs, XML sitemap generation and easy content optimisation options to improve your site’s search engine visibility.

 

Security

Security is one of the biggest factors in choosing a CMS, with so much sensitive information contained on your website, it has to be secure.

Pay attention to the CMS’s security features, including user roles and permissions, data encryption and password protection.

 

Integration options

If you plan to use other e-commerce platforms, such as CRM systems and analytics tools, make sure the CMS is able to integrate with them!

Seamless integration can enhance your website’s functionality and make your life easier!

 

Cost

Make sure you find a CMS platform that fits with your budget! Beware of any hidden costs, consider the CMS’s licensing fees, hosting costs and any additional expenses related to themes, plugins or professional support.

Our team is experienced in handling CMS platforms and are happy to create and manage your content, on a CMS platform that best suits your business.

 

For a free virtual marketing ideas session with CMS experts, call us on 01962 600 147 or email info@tlc-business.co.uk

First impressions count, so getting design and print work that makes an impact is important. 

To help get it right, we’ve put together the top 5 things to keep in mind when it comes to design and print work, so you can promote your business successfully: 

 

1) Target Audience 

One of the most important things to consider before you create print and design work is your target audience.  

Think about their demographics, interests and needs so you can tailor your design to make sure they engage with your brand.  

 

2) Consistent Branding 

It’s worth setting up clear brand guidelines to enhance your design and help customers instantly recognise your brand. That way anyone creating design and print work on your behalf will be able to deliver something that looks and feels the same.  

Choose colours and fonts that are easy to read and work well with the tone and purpose of your design. We recommend sticking to the same colour palette, typography and logos for a cohesive brand. 

3) Layout 

Creating design work with a clear layout is essential, so you can deliver your message effectively. 

It works well to position text, images and other design elements in a balanced way, to clearly promote your business. 

For print work, it is vital to work to the exact print size and specifications, to make sure the design fits well. 

 

4) Image Selection 

Be careful to select relevant quality images with a high resolution, to make sure they look good when printed. 

Remember to pay close attention to any copyright restrictions to avoid any hefty fines. 

5) Proofreading 

Making errors in print work can be costly, so it’s worth asking someone else to double check everything for any typos or mistakes that may have crept in.   

 

Whatever your design needs, our experienced graphic designers Caroline and Shadie are always here to help!  

 

For inspiring design work that speaks to your customers, call us on 01962 600 147 or email info@tlc-business.co.uk 

Thinking about running an email campaign, but not sure if it’s worth it?

To help you decide, we’ve put together some of the top ways email campaigns help businesses like yours.

If the thought of email campaigns seem overwhelming and like a big task, don’t worry, our team of email marketing experts are always here to help.

 

How can an email campaign boost my business?

 

Increase your reach

Email campaigns will help you to instantly reach a large audience at the click of a button.

The costs of email marketing is generally much lower than other types of marketing, such as advertising and print, so it makes it possible to reach a larger audience without a significant expense.

It’s easy to scale up using a large mailing list, as well connect with specific individuals using a targeted and segmented email list.

 

Reach your audience (more effectively than via social media channels!)

Email campaigns typically have a low bounce rate (emails that fail to reach the recipient), the expected industry standard is 2% but often it is much lower. So if you send 10,000 emails you should expect to reach at least 9800 people. That’s impressive!

Emails have a much greater reach than similar posts on social media, which due to complex algorithms are not guaranteed to be seen by your audience. For instance, if you post an update to your 10,000 followers on Facebook, only about 200 of them will even have a chance of seeing it in their News Feed. This means your message is over 45 times more likely to be seen using email than Facebook!
Increase sales

Well-designed email campaigns can help drive sales, including compelling special offers, discounts, or exclusive content that will encourage your reader to click and make a purchase.

 

Lead generation

Email campaigns are a great way to sound out prospects and develop strong leads.

Sending promotions, incentives or insightful content, is a proven way to gain new clients.#

 

Generate traffic

Email marketing is a fantastic way to share your latest news, events and product launches and drive traffic to your website or social media channels.

 

Build brand awareness & brand authority

Be seen as a trusted industry expert by sharing relevant blogs, top tips and advice to build your reputation and credibility.

The more people learn about your business, the more they hear about your business, the more they will trust your business.

 

Understand your audience

Sending emails is a great way to collect feedback and find out what your customers want.

Using information from customer satisfaction surveys will make it possible to tailor future marketing campaigns and stay relevant.

 

Engage with your audience

Email campaigns give you the perfect opportunity to personalise your messages based on customer preferences, demographics or previous interactions.

By tailoring your content to each recipient, you can provide a more relevant and personalised experience, increasing the chances of engagement and sales.

 

Customer retention & loyalty

If a customer has opted in to receive emails from you, then you shouldn’t be shy about actually sending out emails and making contact with them. Your subscribers want to hear from you – so keep them updated with your latest product launches, events you are attending and any other newsworthy activities.

Regularly communicating with your existing customers through email campaigns helps build stronger relationships, keep them engaged, enhance customer loyalty and encourage repeat business.

 

Easy to share

Emails are easy for people to forward and share your content, building your reputation by word-of-mouth to reach even more people. So why not give it a try!

 

For a free virtual marketing ideas session with our email marketing campaign experts, call us on 01962 600 147 or email info@tlc-business.co.uk

The world of marketing is constantly evolving with innovative ways to engage with customers.

So we’ve put this blog together, so you can keep on top of the latest marketing trends, to build your business’ reputation and customer loyalty, as well as generate additional revenue:

 

1) Personalisation

 

A customised experience is becoming a big factor in customer spending, with 48% of millennials expecting personalisation. So businesses are adapting to offer a personalised service through customer profiling and targeting individuals directly.

Getting the marketing right helps to increase engagement and brand loyalty, resulting in happy customers who are proven to spend more.

 

2) Interactive content

 

Interactive content is a popular trend for 2022 and 93% of marketers have confirmed that video content is a vital part of their marketing strategy.

Many businesses are investing more in short videos as they are successful at capturing an audience’s attention and have the highest ROI (return on investment) of any social media strategy.

Sharing live content allows real-time engagement with your posts and is a really positive way to interact with your target audience. 80% of people like to engage with live videos instead of pre-recorded ones.

The open dialogue also encourages audiences to share information that can be used to create customer profiles and a more personalised service.

Other interactive content like quizzes, calculators and competitions all help to boost customer engagement and brand loyalty.

 

3) Influencer marketing

 

Influencers are industry experts with a great reputation. They create engaging content, which their followers will be highly influenced by.

Collaborating with influencers and creating shareable content helps businesses build brand awareness and reach a wider audience.

 

4) User-generated content

 

Great customer feedback will sell your service for you, so make sure you shout about it.

Aim to share customer feedback regularly and use case studies to help boost your business’ credibility and sales.

 

5) Voice search tactics

 

The rising popularity of virtual assistants like Siri, Alexa and Google, has created a new opportunity in SEO (search engine optimisation).

Writing your content so it answers popular questions will help virtual assistants pick up your content and share it with users.

41% of marketers plan to increase their investment in voice search tactics in 2022.

Check out our recent blog for more top trends in SEO.

 

6) Promote brand values

 

What your business stands for is becoming increasingly important to customers and this will continue throughout 2022. Research shows the customers are willing to switch to a brand that shares their values.

So the right brand messaging and content is key. Sustainability is high on the agenda, as is inclusivity.

In 2022, many businesses are including an ‘Accessibility Help’ button that activates alt text descriptions and sign language content, so content is more accessible to everyone.

Showing your business to be ethical and eco-conscious will help you connect with your target audience.

 

7) Social e-commerce

 

Social e-commerce is the winning combination of using social media to generate online sales.

Social e-commerce is already high on businesses’ agenda, with 73% of businesses including social e-commerce in their marketing strategy and even more looking to sell on social media in the next 3 years.

Social e-commerce is most successful when there is a clear call to action and users can easily click on photos, videos or in the copy itself to purchase services. Showcasing positive customer feedback and endorsements from influencers will help to generate sales.

To keep up to date with the latest marketing trends, join us for a free virtual marketing ideas session. Call our friendly team today on 01962 600 147 or email info@tlc-business.co.uk