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The Ultimate Guide to Marketing for SMEs

Are you a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) looking to make a bigger impact in your industry? Then you’ve come to the right place! Marketing is the key to reaching new customers, building brand awareness, and driving growth.

In this ultimate guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know—from social media to email marketing, SEO, and beyond—to help take your business to the next level!

Building a Strong Foundation

Brand identity

Brand identity is what sets your business apart from competitors. It reflects your values, mission, and how customers perceive you. Here are tips and tricks for building a strong brand identity:

Website Design

Your website is often the first impression potential customers have of your business. A well-designed site is crucial to success. Check out these top tips for creating an effective website:

Content Marketing

Content is king. Whether through blogs, videos, or infographics, quality content can drive traffic and boost engagement. Every page on your site should have essential content that adds value. Start here:

Reaching Your Audience

Social Media Marketing

Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn offer fantastic opportunities to connect with potential customers.

If you’re looking for tips to improve your social media marketing, check out these insightful articles:

Email Marketing

Email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to communicate with customers, nurture leads and drive sales. If you’re looking to master email marketing, this guide will help you succeed in 2024:

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

SEO is essential to get right. Ranking higher on search engines can bring in more organic traffic, increasing visibility and lead generation. Implement these top SEO tips to get started:

Lead Generation

Generating high-quality leads is the key to growing your business. Whether you’re using social media, content marketing, or paid advertising, it’s important to be strategic. Learn more in this article:

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising

PPC can drive targeted traffic to your website, but it comes with pros and cons. If you’re wondering whether PPC is right for your business, check out this guide:

Expanding Your Reach

Event Promotion

Hosting events, whether online or in-person, can help engage customers and attract new leads. Learn how to master event promotion with these effective strategies:

Design & Print Work

Don’t underestimate the power of traditional marketing materials like brochures and flyers. Consider these top tips when planning your design and print work:

Black girl in denim sitting at the table with stationery and touching computer screen. Indoor portrait of pretty young woman in headphones with tablet spending time in office.

Staying Ahead of the Curve: Top marketing trends

The marketing world is constantly evolving, so to stay ahead of the game, it’s important to keep an eye on emerging trends and adapt your strategies as needed:

Voice Search

Voice search is rapidly changing how consumers find information online. Optimising for voice search can help your business stay ahead of the curve. Learn more about this emerging trend:

Sustainability Marketing

Consumers are increasingly drawn to brands that prioritise sustainability. Incorporate eco-friendly practices into your marketing strategy to appeal to a growing audience that values responsibility:

Personalised Marketing

Customers respond better to personalised marketing experiences that cater to their individual preferences. Tap into this trend and see how it can benefit your business:

Interactive Content

Interactive content like quizzes, polls, and surveys can engage your audience on a deeper level. Find out how to use interactive content to your advantage:

Key Marketing Dates

Keeping track of key dates and events throughout the year can give your marketing campaigns a significant boost. Here’s a list of unmissable dates to generate buzz:

We hope that our ultimate guide has given you plenty of useful tips to help take your business to the next level. If you would like more expert advice or support, our friendly team is always here and happy to help.

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

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Essential Content for Your Website: What Every Page Needs

Is your current website struggling to get the clicks your business deserves, or are you looking to create a new website?

We’ve put together a guide on the essential content your website should have, to make sure it is engaging, drives business and leaves a positive lasting impression on your visitors:

1) Homepage

Your homepage is usually the first impression visitors have of your website. It should clearly communicate who you are, what you offer, and why visitors should choose you.

Key elements to include:

– A brief overview of your business.

– Highlight the benefits of your products or services.

– Direct links or calls to action (CTAs) guiding visitors to important sections and encouraging visitors to take the next step. Whether it’s exploring your products, signing up for a newsletter, or contacting you.

2) About Us

The About Us page tells your story and explains what sets you apart from the competition. Here you can delve deeper into your history, core values, and any unique aspects of your approach or team. Things to include:

– Your company or personal backstory: Highlight what makes you stand out.

– Team bios: Introduce key team members to humanise your brand and build trust.

– Your achievements and credentials: To establish your brand authority.

3) Products or services

This page is where you showcase your offerings in detail. Make sure to include:

– Product/service descriptions: Provide clear, concise descriptions of each offering, highlighting key features and benefits.

– High-quality images or videos: Visuals help potential customers better understand your products or services.

– Pricing information: If applicable, include pricing details or a call-to-action to request a quote.

4) Testimonials and case studies

Testimonials and case studies are powerful ways to build trust and demonstrate the value of your products or services. They show potential customers that others have been satisfied with what you offer. Be sure to feature:

– Customer testimonials: Showcase positive reviews and feedback from satisfied customers.

– Case studies: Highlight success stories or examples of how your products or services have benefited clients.

5) Contact us 

Make it easy for visitors to get in touch with you. A dedicated contact page with various ways to get in touch can improve user experience and credibility. Include:

– Contact information: Provide multiple ways for visitors to reach you, such as phone, email, links to social media profiles and a contact form.

– Business hours: Specify when you’re available to assist customers.

– Location: If you have a physical presence, include your address or an embedded map for directions.

6) Blogs or news

A blog or news section can help you establish yourself as an industry leader, improve your search engine optimisation (SEO) and drive traffic to your site. Include:

– Informative articles: Share valuable content related to your industry, products or services.

– How-to guides: Provide practical tips and advice that demonstrate your expertise.

– Latest updates: Keep visitors informed about company news, product launches, or industry developments.

It’s vital to regularly update your content, to keep it relevant and engaging.

7) FAQs

Anticipate and address common questions and concerns visitors may have with a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page. Include:

– Frequently Asked Questions: Compile a list of questions and provide clear, concise answers.

– Search functionality: Make it easy for visitors to find the information they’re looking for.

We hope you’ve found this guide useful, if you need any support, our team is always happy to help.

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

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What is content marketing and how does it benefit lead generation?

A formal definition of content marketing might go something like this – a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing catchy, relevant and consistent content to attract and retain a defined target audience and help generate profitable leads. Put simply, it is creating and distributing fun, engaging, powerful and moving content that captures your audience’s attention and compels them to do something. Content marketing should be an ongoing process within your overall marketing strategy; however in the B2B market, very few businesses are executing it to its full potential and are missing a cost-effective marketing trick!

 

What is the ‘content’ in content marketing?

Content marketing revolves around the production of original or curated mixed-media, then distributing it through your different marketing channels, such as website, email or social media. Some typical examples of the type of content you could produce are:

• Blogs
• Case studies
• Video
• Social media posts
• Podcasts
• Webinars
• Infographics
• GIFs
• Quizzes/Surveys
• Competitions
• White Papers
• Resources, for example glossary of terms, calculators, price lists, generators etc
• Apps

 

Content marketing benefits for lead generation
Other than SEO, PPC and other online advertising methods, blogging is considered the most effective tool for B2C and B2B marketers for generating leads through online channels. Did you know that according to statistics by WebDAM, B2B marketers who blog consistently generate 67% more leads than marketers who don’t? So if you don’t have a blog or news page, you might want to consider getting one! However, the content you are putting out needs to be relevant and engaging for your specific audience in order to see results. Different types of content will generate different outcomes based on their purpose. You might create content to increase brand exposure or your social media following. Perhaps you are looking to inform your audience or existing customers about new projects or industry insights. Your choice of content should be specific to your goals and distributed through carefully selected channels tailored towards your audience.

 

Create a content plan
In order to produce consistent and good quality content, we suggest creating a content plan as part of your marketing strategy. A content plan will highlight any activities in relation to your content and give you a schedule to work towards to help keep on top of things! We’ve got some helpful tips to create your plan.

1. Whether you’re new to content marketing, or are looking to improve your existing content, firstly we’d recommend looking at your competitors to see what types of content they are producing, if any, and if it is effective or not, to get some ideas for your own. Useful things to look out for are use of links to their website or to external articles, use of hash-tags, and the engagement they receive including likes, comments and shares. Just remember that whilst It is helpful to get inspiration from your competitors, it can be difficult to come up with original ideas that have never been done before, so make sure you avoid copying content and that yours is unique, your own and reflective of your business.

2. Firstly, you need to choose the types of content you wish to create and your goals, for example, social media posts can be great for brand exposure and increasing your audience reach, whereas case studies and white papers can be used to target industry or solution-specific prospects through a lead-gen email campaign.

3. Establish how much content you can create and how often, given your resources and time. A social media post can be created in several minutes, whereas a white paper can take hours to produce.

4. Lastly, you will need to decide how you will be distributing the content. The majority of content will be hosted on your website, but you can then decide if you will share it on social media, include a feature and a link in your e-newsletter or create a targeted email campaign to prospects or for existing clients.

5. Implement all of the above into a content calendar and schedule posts where applicable using social media managing software such as Hootsuite or Sprout, so that you remain consistent, avoid duplication and can plan weekly or monthly themes and topics that fall in-line with your business model.

 

Content marketing benefits for SEO
The more up-to-date your website is, the more beneficial it is for your user and SEO; therefore, adding new content to your website, such as regular blogs, video, resources, graphics, case studies or white papers can help improve your search engine rankings. Video is increasingly relevant and in demand by users; therefore, having embedded video on your site is a big plus. Content is also a good medium through which to target new keywords, expanding your presence in the search engines, so your audience can find you more readily.

 

How can we help?
At TLC Business, we can take care of all of your content marketing requirements. Need help with social media management, creating engaging blogs and white papers or producing infographics or resources for your audience? Get in touch today by emailing us on info@tlc-business.co.uk or calling 01962 600 147.

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#MarketingTitbits – Photoshop, WordPress, Facebook

photoshop-wordpress-facebook-smaller1. The 12 best free Photoshop plugins for designers
 Photoshop is one of the most popular pieces of software for editing images out there. Used by both designers and photo enthusiasts, the software doesn’t come cheap but once you have it the possibilities are endless.

Despite this, many plugins have been created that extend its already huge capabilities. Using plugins can help to perform tedious or complex tasks much easier. This week we found a great article from Mashable that highlights the 12 best free plugins for Photoshop. From Social Kit to CSS3Ps have a look at them here.

 

2. A blogger’s guide to setting up a WordPress site

 If your business isn’t already updating your site with regular content, then you should be. Not only is this great for SEO but it’s a way to get your audience engaged and remind them that you’re experts in your field.

One really easy way to get this content out there is to set up a blog. Today, more than 6.7million people worldwide are blogging about everything from fashion to new technology and everything in between.  Despite this, starting a blog can be daunting and seem like a task too big for some, this is why we want to share with you a blogger’s guide to setting up a WordPress site.

To have a look at all the hints and tips, click here.

 

3. 7 things you didn’t know you could do on Facebook that make it better

Facebook now has 1,310,000,000 active users monthly. This figure ensures that it is the number one social networking site in the world. As much as some of us love Facebook, they have created some hidden features that can enhance the user’s experience.

From making your Facebook pirate language to changing all baby pictures on your newsfeed to pictures of kittens, if you love Facebook then click here.

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#MarketingTitbits – news sites, images, clickbait

news-images-clickbait-smaller1. BBC is the most shared UK news outlet on Twitter, Mail Online is filth
A new study from PeerIndex shows the most popular news outlets in the UK compared to the number of shares they have on Twitter. Perhaps unsurprisingly, The BBC is the most shared news website, with just over 4.2 million articles shared on Twitter in January 2014. In second place was the Guardian with more than 2.4 million articles. The Telegraph and the Independent came in 3rd and 4th place respectively, with 913,000 and 616,000 shares respectively, but the most interesting figure of all is number 5 on the list.

The world’s most popular news website, which had almost 190 million unique visitors, worldwide, in January alone is none other than the Mail Online. However, whilst many people are looking at it, it seems not as many are willing to admit that they spend their lunch breaks perusing the website, with far fewer visitors sharing its content than on their less popular rival news sites. Their content may be interesting and eye-catching but is it really sharable? Only 453,000 people shared content from the Mail Online with their Twitter followers in January 2014. It suggests the Mail Online may be many people’s guilty pleasure! 

 

2. Eight free image resources for your website or blog

For all you bloggers and website owners out there, we have found a great article that highlights some of the best free image resources for you. We understand how tempting it can be to use Google images rather than searching for the perfect picture from pages of cheesy stock images. However, it is important not to breach copyright, which if challenged can come with a hefty price tag.

Changing your settings on Google images to filter out any that you can’t reuse is one way to find images, but in addition to this there are a number of free sites you can use. To read more, click here. 

 

3. The dirty secrets of clickbait

It might be that you have never heard of “clickbait” before; however the chances are you’ve probably experienced it. The term refers to an eye-catching link on a website which aims to make people read on, no matter how ridiculous, pointless or far-fetched the title seems.

To read more about the dirty secrets of clickbait, why people seem to have a love/hate relationship with it and what marketers can learn from it, click here.

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#MarketingTitbits – YouTube, LinkedIn, billboard campaigns

youtube-linkedin-billboards-smaller1. YouTube tops the list as favourite digital brand among children
Childwise, a market research company, has published a report highlighting that YouTube was the most popular site for 5 – 16 year olds over a 7-day period following a survey of the age group.

YouTube visits outnumbered the likes of Facebook, Snapchat and Google, and children / teenagers rate the video streaming platform as their favourite website (23%) and favourite app (8%). Amongst the children surveyed, 11-16 year olds were more likely to put video sites and vloggers at the tops of their favourite brand lists, whereas 5-10 year olds preferred social gaming brands.

It was notable that the popularity of Facebook amongst younger audiences continues to deteriorate. Do these findings indicate a changing of the social media guard?

To read more about the survey, click here.

2. How to use LinkedIn’s publishing tool to increase your social reach

Last year, LinkedIn released its publishing tool which allowed users in the US to create and post blogs on the platform. It has now granted publishing power to those outside of the US too, which means LinkedIners in the UK can now benefit from the function. You can add a headline, insert images to support  the blog and header, and copy and paste directly into the text box, which will preserve any links you have. How can you use this to your advantage?

One way of doing this is explained by Matt Owen from Econsultancy. The concept involves multiple people posting different blogs to their own LinkedIn pages, covering a wide range of connections.

For a thorough explanation on how you can make the most of LinkedIn’s publishing tool, just click here.

3. Bruised woman on London billboard heals as people pay attention to her

Canary Wharf in London saw the first in a short series of billboard campaigns surrounding the issue of domestic violence last week. Using facial recognition technology, the ad is designed to catch the eyes of busy passers-by.

The poster promotes a simple message, informing people to look at the bruised face of a woman and watch as the bruises heal when more people pay attention. The campaign was brought together by ad agency WCRS, charity Women’s Aid and the photographer Rankin.

To take a look at the striking adverts, head to Mashable.

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#MarketingTitbits – emoji campaigns, psychology principles, stock images

emoji-psychology-images-smaller1. From McDonald’s to Ikea – 7 of the best emoji marketing campaignsEmojis have become the world’s fastest growing digital language and a number of brands are beginning to incorporate them into their marketing campaigns. But whose will catch your eye?

As outlined by Marketing Magazine, a variety of brands are adopting the language, ranging from WWF’s #EndangeredEmoji campaign to Domino’s ‘Easy Order’ emoji tweets. However, this seemingly simple campaign is not without its own risks as fast food giant, McDonalds, discovered.

Find out what went wrong for McDonalds and how other brands are using emojis by clicking here.

2. Six psychology principles that can help your content marketing

Most businesses will use content marketing as a tool to help drive traffic to their site, boost engagement levels and convert leads into sales. But how can a business encourage a consumer to take these actions? Take a look at these top psychological theories from Econsultancy to find out.

From theories proposing that people are automatically drawn to something others already like, to those that suggest everyone has a ‘fear or missing out’, you can easily find tips to help with generating content for your business.

Click here to find out more.

3. 7 sources of free high quality stock images

As the internet has grown ever dominant in our digitally-centred lives, it’s no surprise that there is an overwhelming number of free stock image websites, but which should you be using?

Sites such as Pixabay, Unsplash and StockSnap are perfect for the searcher looking for unlimited downloads to add a great, high quality touch to blogs and promotional material, making them a popular choice amongst many. But that’s not all. If you’re looking to remove all the hassle when it comes to finding images, Death to the Stock Photo and Snapwire will deliver them straight to your inbox.

For the full list, click here.

 

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Are you tweeting?

Twitter now has 10 million active users in the UK – Is your business one of them?
The once personally focused micro-blogging tool, Twitter, has developed in popularity with individuals but equally amongst businesses in the UK. Twitter may have been a source for celebrity status updates in the past, however, the times are changing and more and organisations are realising the potential behind the social networking site. According to research published this week, over one-in-six businesses now use Twitter to scout and engage with new customers.

So how are small businesses achieving success through Twitter?

  • The London Studio

Theo Paphitis of Dragons’ Den launched a Twitter competition called Small Business Sunday. Once a week, Theo started asking entrepreneurs to tweet him about their business, choosing his six favourite, which he then flagged up to his 240,000 followers and on his website.

One of the companies that tried to attract the attention of the successful dragon was a multidisciplinary design studio called The London Studio.

“I tweeted Theo hoping to tempt him to look at The London Studio website and see the products I’d designed,” says the MD.

“He did — and his single tweet saw my website’s traffic more than double on its weekly average. I thought the server might break. Sales jumped too — gift shops and other independent retailers got in touch and asked me to be a stockist, and existing ones put in larger orders. I sold an extra 13,000 cards in the month after Theo’s tweet. Twitter has been great for business.”

  • Big Green Bookshop

The Big Green Bookshop in Wood Green tweeted on the 24th of February 2011 that without help they would have to close the doors to the book shop in nine months due to an unpaid bank loan. Shortly after the tweet was sent, the topic started to trend on the social media platform, growing in popularity, spreading throughout the social media realm. Due to Twitter the shop sold enough books to cover its bank repayments for two months and is now trading healthy.
Is your business one of the 10 million active UK users on Twitter? If so, has you ‘tweeted’ or ‘followed’ in the last two weeks?  Take a look at the top tips below to get your business on the path to social media success.


Tips to get your Twitter activity up and running:

  • Follow other relevant small businesses – Quality rather than quantity
  • Share tips related to your industry
  • Post links to original thought pieces
  • Give referrals via Twitter
  • Communicate with potential customers, strategic alliances and suppliers
  • Engage with industry magazines, editors and journalists – you never know who might read your latest news or blog feature.
  • Ask your audience questions

Twitter is more than just a status update, the opportunities are endless….Get tweeting today!

For more social media tools and tips, click here.

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Blog your way to the top

Image: Social Ninja

In today’s digital society, blogging is not confined to personal use alone. The medium is a powerful communication channel for many different sized organisations and to some, it represents an integral component of their marketing and social media strategy.
Why is this the case and more importantly, why should my business blog? Well the answer is simple. Every business, from finance to catering, has a voice and more and more consumers are interested in hearing what your organisation has to say. A business blog helps add a personality to your brand, enabling you to engage with your market on a more human and ultimately, more meaningful level.

Topic is key. Think about how your blog could help your customer. What questions do you get asked? We regularly tell our clients to write a blog, with many stating ‘Who would want to read something I have written’…Well you would be surprised.  Regular blogs are an excellent way to communicate with your potential customers, introducing them to your organisation, whilst sharing your thoughts on the latest industry trends and news; all helping towards strengthening your position as an expert within the industry.

A well-established blog can help influence an audience. When clients start conversations, the chances are these days many are doing it online, using social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or their own blog. Social media serves as an important mode of interaction and provides you with an ideal channel to your target audience.  Consumer habits are dramatically changing, with many using social media to source companies, recommend services and start conversations with like-minded individuals and businesses.  Posting blogs on social media sites can help inform and spark debate with your target audience and more importantly, drive traffic back to your website.

Google loves content.  Getting to the first page of the search engines is always a priority for website owners. Providing good quality, unique content, such as blog articles, is a good starting point to achieving this. Blogging provides you with the opportunity to be present, be found, and get your business noticed by your target market. Search engines favour sites that are both active and also adding new content on a regular basis. A blog accomplishes both of these features. By having a blog you are demonstrating that your site is not static and that the information on the site is not only current and up-to-date but also increasing. Simple steps such as utilising keywords and internal and external linking to relevant and complimentary sites are all factors which can not only develop your blog, but also improve your SEO.

Blogging not only shares your expertise and improves website visibility; it also opens doors to many opportunities. Successful bloggers are often asked to expand their blog for industry magazine articles and columns, or attend the latest product launches and conferences, as their voice is seen as influential in their industry. A prime example of a simple blog working its way to the top is Mashable. Mashable was once a one man blog that soon turned into a popular news site, tackling social media and the digital culture. Bored by schoolwork, Scotsman Peter Cashmore skipped college and began writing about how people were using technology and the new world of social networking. From March 2012 Mashable was worth a staggering £127 million with over 2,775,000 Twitter followers and over 838,400 fans on Facebook.

Producing a blog that attracts a following like Mashable’s doesn’t happen every day, but a well maintained and regularly updated blog is an effective marketing tool. The only thing it will cost you is your time.

Start your blog today!

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Drill-down into your social activity

Following on from our July marketing seminar, last month we provided you with a blog dedicated to the importance of Google Analytics and what your business should be measuring. As promised, in this blog we delve deeper into the world of social analytics to provide you with additional tools to help you make sense of your social media presence.
Identifying social media ROI is a difficult task for any business.  We have seen a dramatic rise in the number of businesses using social media within their marketing mix over the last few years; however, many have jumped on the bandwagon with little consideration for the actual benefits to their business. Identifying ROI has been, for the most part, fairly elusive for marketers and business owners; provoking questions such as, ‘How do I know if social media activity will generate business?  Is this really an effective way to spend my time?’

In the past, a measurement of social media success was determined by the number of followers or ‘Likes’ generated through Facebook and Twitter. Many businesses struggled to see the bigger picture, often basing their decisions on assumptions, because defining a meaningful ROI was difficult. However, recent changes to Google Analytics have helped ensure marketers and businesses owners are now better informed about the impact of their social media activities on their website traffic, helping them establish how to spend their social media time and budget most effectively.

Google Analytics have taken their social analytics tools a step further with the intention of delivering the following information:

  • The full value of traffic to your website coming from social networking sites and the ability to measure how they lead to direct conversions or assist in future conversions.
  • What social activities are happening both on and off of your site to help you optimise user engagement and increase social key performance indicators (KPIs).
  • Make better, more efficient data-driven decisions in your social media marketing programs.

So how will the latest Google Analytics developments help businesses achieve the above?

New data is now available under the “Social” tab in Google Analytics, which includes:

Overview:

The overview report provides data from all the other social reports and contains a Social Value visualisation of how social networks contribute to website conversions.

Sources:

The Sources report shows the source activity based on social referrers. Google unifies different URLs that can be used to send traffic from one social network. For example, Twitter can send traffic from both twitter.com and t.co. Traffic from both sources are combined under the category of Twitter.

Pages:

This report highlights social activity per page, what happened on and off the site.

Conversions:

The Conversions data provides a quick view of which social sources drove conversions on the site.

Social Plugins:

Social Plugins is a summary of pages and the social activity that happened, such as clicking on a like, tweet or +1 button.

Social Visitors Flow:

Social Visitors Flow is a visual presentation of how visitors from social properties are navigating your website. Assuming the goal of your social media campaign is to get more traffic to your website, this report gives you insight into which social platforms are sending the most traffic to your site and what your social visitors are doing once they get there.

The reports available have the ability to drill-down further into data and reflect things like comments, shares or likes to help you identify successful social media campaigns and what works for your business.

At TLC Business, we believe measuring the ROI of any marketing activity is essential, the new tools from Google Analytics will help you perfect, tailor and manage your social media campaigns, helping you make the most your time.

Install, sign in and start measuring your Google Analytics today.

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