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#MarketingTitbits – Facebook secrets, B&Q, startups

facebook-b&q-startups-smaller-11. Shh… three Facebook marketing secrets
You may have read some of our Facebook advertising news stories over the past few weeks, but this week even more has been revealed. Some of the most experienced Facebook marketers may be surprised to hear about some of the hidden features that they keep behind closed doors.

Now, Facebook can tell you all you need to know about your audience. For example, you can find out whether they’re using desktop or mobile, their age, and whether they’ve graduated or not. However, if you have an American audience of above 1000, then your ‘spying skills’ can gain much more depth, as you’re able to identify income brackets and even the cars they drive (although, this may be bordering on stalker tendencies).

To check out other insights, click here.

2. B&Q’s new £60m responsive website reviewed

What could you buy for £60m? Fifty Bugatti Veyrons? Possibly a chunk of Buckingham Palace? The list could be never-ending, yet did it cross your mind that you could also invest in a new website for yourself or your business? Maybe not, but that’s exactly what B&Q have done. Will their new web design blow you away?

Econsultancy undertakes a comparison between new and old, so you can make your judgements on whether the more contemporary design works for B&Q. They have now followed in many brands footsteps by introducing the ‘click and collect’ feature, although the products available to take advantage of this are unfortunately limited. An important point is has the company already lost customers by removing the option for a guest checkout, resulting in more shoppers ditching their virtual baskets?

To take a look at the review for yourself, click here.

3. 8 of the most first-world startups on the planet

Why are start-ups aimed at the world’s wealthiest people becoming increasingly popular? Well, it seems that 24% of your average app developers make nothing from their creations, so maybe attracting the millionaires of the world is the way to go. However, if you would like to indulge yourself in the high-life rather than create it for others,  these apps could be perfectly suited to you.

The apps consist of the seemingly normal and of course, the weird. For example, Priv is an app that allows users to pay rather steep amounts for professional beauty and wellness services sent straight to them. Whereas Hangover Club was created to send buyers specialised IV drips to cure the after-effects of the night before, for prices ranging from $175 to $250.

If these apps have interested you, then click here to see the remaining six

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#MarketingTitbits – Facebook, uni blunders, real-time marketing

facebook-uniblunders-realtimemarketing-smaller1. Facebook just changed mobile advertising. Here’s how…
Facebook has set itself on a new mission – to combat ‘the mobile problem’. In the UK alone, Econsultancy believes that there is £1.9 billion+ of opportunity that isn’t being grasped for brands to buy more mobile ad space and reap the rewards of the ever-increasing use of mobile platforms.

Fear not, as Facebook has now introduced Atlas, a new ad buying service that will use Facebook’s user data to target audiences across other websites on multiple platforms. Buyers will be able to track the journey of a user, from the first sighting of an advert, to the possible click-through and potential conversion. The idea is that marketers will now be able to see if their mobile ads work and consequently whether they should buy more of them.

Will it increase mobile advertising? We’ll have to see.

Click here to read more.

2. Five toe-curling blunders from university marketing teams

The university market has become increasingly competitive through the rise of tuition fees, meaning most are constantly developing their marketing strategies to embrace and engage with the younger generations. But sometimes even the biggest universities get it wrong.

Check out The Guardian’s article showing some of the worst mistakes made, including unfortunate acronyms created by Newcastle University when they attempted to trademark various names, and The University of California’s backlash after creating a new logo that some students believed resembled a flushing toilet.

Take 5 minutes and amuse yourself by clicking here.

3. Five lessons learned from leading brands’ real-time marketing efforts

Today, more and more brands are attempting to enter the pool of real-time marketing, or quite simply engaging audiences with content that is happening now.

By taking a look at The Guardian’s compilation of some recent examples, you can learn some valuable lessons. For example, it is useful to check your messages before they are sent out, as made.com found after the Scottish Referendum when they sent out the wrong verdict, and faced handing out discounts to those who had seen the blunder. One brand that succeeded with its real-time marketing is Samsung, who enjoyed picking at Apple’s launch of the iPhone 6 as part of their ‘it doesn’t take a genius campaign’.

To see other brands’ attempts and learn some lessons, click here.

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#MarketingTitbits – infographics, thrilling branded videos, eco apps

econsultancy-thrillingvids-ecoapps-smaller1. Five of Econsultancy’s best infographics from 2014
Econsultancy has compiled a round-up of their favourite infographics from this year, all addressing the subject of marketing. Many of the surveys carried out during the year have discovered that there exists a continuous shift from traditional to digital marketing, with marketers top three priorities this year all being digital. Furthermore, the opportunities associated with mobile marketing are made stark, alongside the fact that 71% of businesses surveyed are looking to increase their digital marketing budget, reinforces the importance of digital marketing to today’s businesses. Discover the skills that make up the ‘modern’ marketer.

To see all 5 of the infographics, click here.

2. 25 most thrilling branded Vines and Instagram videos of all time

If you’ve got a few minutes to spare, take a look at these 25 thrilling viral videos from social media favourites, Vine and Instagram.

You may find comfort in the safety of your front row seat as you watch some of the daredevil stunts that could either inspire you to release your inner adrenaline junky, or force you to shy away from any extreme ventures for life.

Many familiar brands such as GoPro, Red Bull, Nike and Ford feature, giving us an insight into their weird yet exciting minds.

Sit down, relax and click here to watch all 25.

3. 7 apps to make you more environmentally friendly

Around the world today, more and more people are becoming increasingly aware of their impact on the environment. Many are keen to take measures to reduce this impact. Are you one of them?

If the answer is yes, then you might benefit from taking a look at this list of apps to help make you more environmentally friendly. View your carbon footprint, download NASA’s images of change app, where you can see the shocking changes place to our environment, there are 5 more. So whether you’re a business or an individual, if you are looking to reduce your impact on the environment, one of these apps should help you along the way.

To see the full list of the apps, click here.

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#MarketingTitbits – Facebook ads, Jack Daniel’s stories, Google structured snippets

facebookads-jackdaniels-google-smaller1. Nine best practice tips for Facebook advertising

E-Consultancy has compiled a list of the best marketing practices to use with Facebook. The tips include engaging with a vast audience in order to facilitate the opportunity for more clicks on your links, to separating mobile and desktop campaigns due to the behaviour changes in users depending on which platform they are using. Surprisingly, according to previous research, mobile users are more likely to click on links.

To read the other tips on optimising your Facebook ads, click here.

2. How Jack Daniel’s uses storytelling to personalise the brand

Many brands across the world employ focusing on the tradition and heritage of their existence; Jack Daniel’s is one of them.  On their website, the brand describes their timeline as a story of ‘independence and craftsmanship using years as chapters’. For brands such as Jack Daniel’s, the importance of history is clear and September happens to be the month of ‘Mr Jack’s birthday’, although no one knows the actual date. Much of the time, the stories that are told fail to mention the brand in any way, creating a more authentic and engaging atmosphere around ‘Jack’. On the Jack Daniels website you can rewind back to the early 1900’s by scrolling through the timeline of events that have followed the brand throughout its history.

To read the story of Jack for yourself, click here.

3. Google introduces ‘structured snippets’ into search results

Google is starting to test out ways to improve CTRs (click-through rate). The introduction of ‘structured snippets’ is one of the initiatives they are testing. You can see exactly what this means for yourself by Googling ‘Nikon D7100’ or ‘Superman’. You’ll see that extra detail is added to directly to the search listing on the result page itself, informing us of the camera specifications or Superman’s origins without the need to click through to the webpage the search result is directing you to. Structured snippets certainly help a result to stand out more but will this improve CTRs or will it have the opposite effect?

To see more, click here.

 

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#MarketingTitbits – Coke Life, social media demographics, productivity

cokelife-socialdemographics-productivity-smaller1. Coke Life is the harbinger of death for Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola’s attempt to launch their new brand, Coca-Cola Life, has had the question raised byMarketingWeek, about whether their latest product a dud? Filled with 89 calories per can, Coca Cola Life has been described as a ‘half-way house’ between the regular 139 calorie can, and the zero calories of Diet Coke and Coke Zero.

Although Coca Cola have made a good attempt with their 50 calorie reduction, the drink still contains a high amount of sugar that could result in consumers shying away from the new introduction as the world’s population strives to be healthier.

The new flavour is stated to be extracted from natural sources, but take one look at the listed ingredients on the new green can and you’ll see that the soft drink contains a number of less than ‘natural’ substances and is certainly no more ‘natural’ than its ‘full-fat’ sister drink. So, maybe Coca Cola aren’t being 100% truthful in their claims.

It begs the question, is Coke following in the footsteps of rival Pepsi’s previous attempts at bringing healthier options into the market?

To read more, click here.

2. The social media demographics report

Social media networks’ population profiles are constantly changing – some are cultivating millions of younger users, whilst others are reaching more mature audiences. But how are the demographics changing?

In a new Business Insider report, we see that Facebook is still the most popular among teens in the USA, whilst 6 out of 10 Snapchat users are in the 18 to 34 age group, making it the youngest social network of all. Another interesting revelation is the growth in male users on Twitter, whereas previously, the site had always typically been gender-neutral.

Is this a signal of further changing times in the world of social media?

To find out how other social networks are faring, click here.

3. Get it done: 35 habits of the most productive people

We all only have 24 hours in a day and sometimes all of us go through times where this just doesn’t feel like enough for us to accomplish everything we set out to do. But Anna Vital, co-founder of Funders and Founders, has now compiled a number of tips on how to become more productive.

The infographic she has created consists of a number of actions you can adopt to improve your productivity. Not wasting time on wondering what to wear, eating healthily, assuming you’re always right and limiting your email replies to one per minute are just a few.

To see the full list, click here.

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#MarketingTitbits – personalities, authentic brands, social media

personalities-authenticity-socialmedia-smaller1. The best jobs for every personality type
Ever wondered what job you are best suited for? If you don’t, taking the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality test could be a start. You may not have come across it before, but this test has been an established tool within business for decades. Simply answer the questions and the results will outline what 5 job types you are most suited for, easy!

Let us know if you get anything surprising.

To take the test and find out what your top five are,click here.

2. How to be an authentic brand

Firefish has recently conducted a survey into the ‘authenticity’ of brands from the views of 1000 consumers. Many of the world’s most well-known brands hit the top 20, but there were also a few surprises. Heinz fought off competition from Apple, who came in 6th, and Coca Cola, who hit unlucky 13th, to come out in pole position. To be authentic, a brand needs to be culturally relevant to the target consumer, but how is this determined?

According to the study, there are particular values that can boost your ability to thrive as an authentic brand, including originality, expertise and passion. But, as recommended by Heinz’s vice-principal of marketing, Giles Jepson, your key to being authentic is to be clear about what you stand for. But is it always that simple?

To read more about the rankings, click here.

3. 5 Social Media mistakes to avoid

If you or your business is looking to master the world of social media, then there are certain things you need to steer clear of, as reported by Entrepreneur. Incomplete profiles mean an incomplete brand in the social media world. How is a potential customer supposed to gain all the relevant information about a business when the details aren’t placed in front of them?

Constant bombardments of sales pitches will also divert customers away from your profiles, so try to break up your feed by adding personal touches rather than violating Terms of Service agreements by spamming users. It is highly important to see you profiles through the eyes of potential customers, in order to achieve the best results from social media. If you succeed in this, then you are ideally positioned to reap the rewards that social media mastery offers.

Click here to find out what else you should aim to avoid when creating your profiles.

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#MarketingTitbits – Keep Calm.., World Cup, speaking

slogan-videos-speaking-smaller1. Keep Calm and Carry On – the unlikely success of a failed slogan
“Keep Calm and Carry On” is now one of the most iconic British slogans. The slogan itself, as well as various interpretations, is used all over the world on a wide range of merchandise.

Despite being produced in 1939, the original poster was not seen by the public until 2001 when a second-hand book shop owner found a copy in a box of books bought at an auction. The poster was displayed in the bookshop and they began selling reproductions later that year.

To read more about this slogan and its place in today’s society, click here.

 

2. 20 best branded Vines and Instagram videos from World Cup 2014

As you probably already know, the World Cup has finally come to a close with Germany taking the trophy. This is a great time to look back on the last four weeks and the many brands that have cashed in on the football tournament.

We’ve seen tropical, ‘Brazil’ inspired flavours of vodka, sweets and even fried chicken. Have a look at this article from Econsultancy that highlights the best branded Vine and Instagram videos of the last 4 weeks. To read more, click here. 

 

3. 7 bad speaking habits that turn people off

Last year, author Julian Treasure gave a TED talk showing that anyone can speak effectively and exactly how to do it. As well as giving tips of what you can do, he outlines exactly what not to do and explained about bad speaking habits that you should eliminate.

To find out what the main bad habits most of us are guilty of are, click here.

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#MarketingTitbits – Google, app, social media

google-scent-socialmedia-smaller1. 10 Google Doodle is celebrating the World Cup in style

For those of you who use Google, you are probably now used to the company celebrating historic moments through their Google doodles. The animations, interactive games and imaginative cartoons have been used in the past to celebrate things such as Valentine’s Day and the birthday of the Rubik’s Cube.

However, this month Google have been brightening up the search engine with a new Google doodle for every day of the World Cup. If you have missed these ingenious doodles then click here to see all of them. 

 

2. This app can send scented text messages

Last week, a Harvard University professor unveiled a brand new app for the iPhone. oSnap has been developed by him and his students and allows the user to send text messages accompanied by a photo and a scent to one another.

The app lets you take a photo and then asks you to tag scent notes that go along with it, up to 8 in total. The message is then sent and the user on the other end can use the oPhone to receive the photo and accompanying smell. Despite the fact that the phone is currently only available at the Natural History Museum in New York and Le Laboratoire in Paris, the team are currently raising support hoping to make the phone available in homes.

To read more, click here. 

 

3. 19 social media fails of this year so far

Especially for those who are new to it, it can be hard to find the right content to use on your social media channels. Our first piece of advice is to find content that is relevant to your followers and post as regularly as possible.

Our second piece of advice is to not do what these people have done. Have a look at this article from Econsultancy that highlights some of the most cringe worthy and horrific social media fails of the year so far, enjoy!

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#MarketingTitbits – Coca-Cola, World Cup, inventions

coke-inventions-worldcup-smaller1. Coke launches free fitness classes as part of £20m anti-obesity drive
Coca-Cola Great Britain is in the process of launching a new anti-obesity drive. The programme, Coca-Cola Zero ParkLives, will bring free sports activities to parks all over the country including badminton, Pilates and Zumba.

The company are spending £20million on Coca-Cola Zero ParkLives and they aim to get 1 million people active by 2020. The success of ParkLives will be measured by a panel put together by UKactive. 

 

2. World Cup 2014: what should we expect from brands?

Every time a major international sporting event takes place, brands of all shapes and sizes take the opportunity to jump on the band wagon and launch themed marketing campaigns.

This year’s World Cup in Brazil is no exception and brands such as Coca-Cola, Cadbury, Adidas, Google and Continental have already released their World Cup themed advertising. To have a look at what we should expect from them and other brands over the coming month, click here. 

 

3. Accidental inventions that changed the world

The majority of the products we use today were invented for a specific purpose with time, money, effort poured into them for the specific goal of realising them. For example, the first iPod or Mac Computer didn’t happen by chance.

However, despite this, there are a large number of inventions that we have come to rely on today that were invented by accident or by someone trying to invent something else entirely. Coca-Cola, penicillin and Post-it notes are to name but a few. To have a look at a full list, click here.

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Growth Vouchers – up to £2000 match funding!

e-shot-image-may14
Growth Vouchers were first announced by the Chancellor in the 2013 budget. The drive behind them is designed to help SMEs access the advice they need to help them grow. The businesses that participate will be allocated a voucher up to the value of £2,000, matched with their own funds, to spend on advice and guidance from industry experts. The advice areas include ‘Marketing, attracting and keeping customers’.

If you think you could benefit from strategic marketing advice to grow your business, you may be eligible for match funding of up to £2,000.

If you meet the criteria you will be taken through a diagnostic that assesses your business needs. If you are successful, you will receive a voucher. Once you have your voucher, you are free to choose your supplier; all suppliers are members of Founding Trade & Professional Bodies, to ensure the advice you receive is coming from experienced professionals.

TLC Business are delighted to have been accredited as Growth Advisors for this £30million government funded scheme, in the field of marketing.

We have already started working with businesses awarded Growth Vouchers to help get their marketing on track in 2014. With the extension of the scheme until March 2015, there is still time for your business to apply for a Growth Voucher and benefit from the funding to put towards expanding your business.

To find out if you are eligible for a voucher click here or give us a call for any additional information, on 01962 600 147.

 

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