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#MarketingTitbits – Obama, Growth Vouchers, DHL

ferns-vouchers-DHL-smaller1. Obama goes between two ferns with Zach Galifiankis
‘Between Two Ferns’, with Zach Galifiankis, is a series of videos shown on the Funny or Die website. In each episode he conducts an interview with a celebrity between two potted ferns. His typical interview style consists of normal interview questions, random non sequiturs and some inappropriate comments and questions.

Celebrities such as Justin Bieber, Jennifer Anniston and Bradley Cooper have gone between two ferns in the past but the most recent celebrity to do so was Barack Obama. Some of the topics the pair cover include Dennis Rodman, same-sex divorce and the Affordable Care Act. To watch the video, click here. 

 

2. Growth Vouchers: month one results

This time last year, George Osborne first announced Growth Vouchers. The drive behind them is to help SMEs access the advice they need to help them grow. The businesses that participate are 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 vouchers were launched at the end of January and so far, nearly 1,500 businesses have applied, with nearly 600 vouchers allocated (over £1 million). Nearly 50% of the vouchers issued so far have been for advice in marketing, attracting and keeping customers. If you have not applied yet, it is still not too late. To read more, click here.

3. DHL’s brilliant ad

DHL claim that in many countries the company has more offices, more vehicles and more employees than there competition, which is why they are faster. To illustrate this, they came up with a brilliantly conceived guerrilla marketing campaign to get their competitors advertise for them.

To do this, large DHL packages were covered in thermo-active foil and cooled down below the freezing point, allowing the plastic wrappers to turn black. They then asked for the competitors to deliver the packages to hard-to-get-to addresses in big cities. As the plastic warmed up the message from DHL became clear… to watch for yourself, click here.

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Fuel Your Marketing Performance

With the dust now settled on the courts of Wimbledon, we’ve had the chance to reflect on what business can take from the sport.
We believe that when it comes to performance, businesses can learn a lot from the tennis industry.

Clear vision of success
Like business, sport is outcome orientated; it’s about securing clearly defined results in a competitive environment. A tennis player doesn’t enter Wimbledon with the thought of losing and if they do, it is highly likely that is exactly what will happen. Winning the competition must be at the front of their mind.  In the world of business, becoming number one is tough, but having a positive goal to work towards is the key to success. Andy Murray adopts just such this attitude: “I will go to Wimbledon with the feeling that I will win, you cannot come up with another attitude.”

Practice makes perfect

The techniques used by sports stars to maximise their performance can also be applied in the world of business. Much like a business needs to do with its products and services, a tennis player will spend years perfecting their game, putting in hours of hard training sessions to help build up stamina and technique.  They will build on their strengths and overcome their weaknesses to become the best that they can be.

Expert advice
Like a business, a tennis player constructs a team of experts to help them realise their vision. A player doesn’t enter a tournament alone, behind them sits an extensive support team of physios, coaches, nutritionists and family members, helping guide them through their career and towards their end goals.

Fully informed
Having the ability to respond to your competition effectively is vital for any business. A business should always know who their competition is and what they are up to.  A tennis player will analyse their opponent before a game, finding their weaknesses and identifying their strengths. In the same way, a business must undertake rigorous and regular analysis of its competition and ensure it has a robust marketing strategy to attract its target audience.

Evaluation
Whether a tennis player wins or loses they always review their performance.  A player will access their stats, watch video play backs and pick out aspects of their performance, what worked and what didn’t. Any successful business will undertake the same process and review its performance at regular intervals. It is through evaluation that a business can know what works, what doesn’t and stopping wasting money on ineffective activities.

Reputation
Finally, a top player and their team will spend time carefully nurturing their brand and how they are perceived in the public domain. They will be mindful of the benefits on offer from sponsorship and endorsements but careful that they choose appropriate partners to meet their end goals. Businesses need to manage their relationships in the same way and present their brand in a clear, consistent and appropriate manner to achieve business success.

In order to help your business perform like a top tennis pro and add fuel to your performance, follow our simple marketing formula.

formula
The objectives of any business, much like a professional tennis player, is to see return on our investment. We believe that by:

1.      investing time in planning your strategy

2.      finding a USP to help you stand out from your competition

3.      analysing your competitors weakness and strengths

4.      reviewing your performance on a regular basis

your business will be fully prepared and ready to win your ‘Wimbledon’.

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Top Marketing Tips For July

  1. Free Online Photo Editor – Photo editing applications often require you to have the image stored on your computer.  Free Online Photo Editor lets you edit images stored on your computer and it also accepts direct URLs of images stored online. Once you provide the image to the editor you can perform numerous editing tasks that include resizing, rotating, adjusting the brightness, sharpening, enhancing, adding text to images, and much more.
  2. Tweet Topic Explorer  is a tool that lets you quickly check what a Twitter user has been tweeting about. The normal way to check would be going through the user’s Twitter timeline which can be time consuming. This tool helps you avoid that by showing the main topics in a tag cloud format. Check out the TLC Biz twitter topic image below, I have no idea why the word dog is in there…..Josh?
  3. The Big Book of Graphic Design is the independent, international, and indispensable collection of graphic design from around the world. The work is grouped into seven categories: Corporate, arts, music, education, editorial design, self promotion and unpublished. A great book to help you with some graphic designs ideas for your business.
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The Rise in Digital Media – Continued

The nights are drawing in and winter is on its way, so what better time for companies looking to boost their marketing by getting online and involved in social media on the dark and dreary afternoons that we have been experiencing lately. Following on from Joshua Spencer’s presentation on digital marketing in July, we examine some more benefits to digital media and what it can do for your business.
Digital marketing is hugely effective for connecting with consumers in an interactive and engaging way. An increasing number of people are interacting and communicating within the social media sphere, and therefore investing in an online presence for your business is very important. Effective use of social media is no longer an option for companies, it‘s now a requirement.

Last week the luxury fashion brand Burberry told the Financial Times that they were investing more of their marketing budget into the digital arena, a total of 60%, more than three times the average.  In the past, Burberry relied heavily on traditional methods of marketing, such as print advertising; however they now feel that they need to be totally connected with whomever touches their brand and engaging with their audience via social media is a means of achieving this. The shift to digital marketing highlights how quickly industries are moving away from traditional methods of marketing in order to interact with consumers globally. Reaching out to consumers on multiple channels makes it more important than ever for a business to make sense of this new ‘marketing mix’

Create a two way conversation

As we have mentioned in the past, digital media can be a valuable asset not just for larger B2C organisations but also for your everyday SME. Twitter is currently dominating the marketing landscape, used by 82% of the B2B social mix. When it comes to expanding a business, “tweeting” has real value, enabling a two way conversation with customers, as well as promotion for any organisation. It is used by small businesses, as well as global companies, facilitating customer feedback, free marketing, improved brand recognition and a stronger connection with customers. Starbucks use of social media is a brilliant example of this.  The coffeehouse giant posts new offers and participates in interactive discussions with their customers about the offers on twitter daily. Computer company ComCast also offers a friendly Twitter customer support, including a photograph of the member of staff you are talking to.

Audience participation

Video is another personal yet dynamic way to engage with consumers, allowing them to participate and interact with a brand in order to obtain more information. Google recently reported that 35% of B2B marketers already using online video will increase their video budgets in the future.   A tool which is mainstream and accessible to all, video enables businesses to accumulate larger audiences quickly and effectively. The value of video is reflected in HSBC’s recent campaign. The bank held a competition for a £15,000 student bursary last year, and the decision to keep the media interactive was integral to the success of campaign. Students uploaded a 90 second video to Facebook stating why the money would help them change the world. Response to the campaign was outstanding: there were 50,000 interactions in one month and more than 2 million impressions. Check out Sprites Zero Skate ‘n’ Splash video below and HSBC’S winning entry.

This interactive YouTube video lets you instantly skip from one segment to the next, deciding exactly what you’ll see and when you’ll see it. Using keyboard keys 4 to 9, you can replay the skateboard tricks, skip others, and create your own rhythmic masterpieces.The promotional YouTube video, dreamed up by Coca-Cola Germany for Sprite Zero, minimizes branding because it’s creators “wanted the focus to be on the content and the interactivity.” They added, “This sort of video is quite different from what we at Coca-Cola usually do, in terms of ‘edginess’ and branding.”

 ‘Likes’ are not the be all and end all

Facebook is used by 67% of B2B marketers and 200 million people access Facebook via a mobile device each day.  It is guaranteed to expand your business presence on the web. However, it is also important to be careful with the type of interaction your social media attracts.  A recent study has shown that the more “likes” a brand has on Facebook, the less participation there was to a page by consumers.  A study by L2, an organisation for digital innovation, has found that the quality and not the quantity of consumers is extremely important.  Therefore, in the fast changing social media landscape, it is important for businesses to keep their pages up to date and interactive.

Another huge advantage of social media is that it is a free or low cost marketing strategy.  It brings a new dimension to an organisation’s communication – forecasts indicate traditional marketing will represent only 30% of SMB marketing budgets by 2015.  The objective of social media marketing is to draw the customer closer to your brand. Once engaged, maintaining an effective dialogue must be a priority. It is no good collecting likes, connections and followers. The real power of social media is only realised through regular communication and relationship building. Only then can your start turning followers into customers.

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Top Marketing Tips For September

PageFlip-Flap 
Transform your document and pdf to an interactive flipbook. Upload your file and you will receive an email with the url to your creation. You can share this with your friend, family… by email, on your blog, on facebook or twitter.

AudioTweet

A status update usually is only a line of text. But if you want to update your status in a different way, you can start using AudioTweet to add audio to your status updates. It’s an online text-to-speech tool that works for numerous languages.

Design and Marketing (Graphic Designer’s Library)

This manual explains how the overall character and style of the design concept determines its success or failure in the marketplace. It explores how to understand, analyze and anticipate market and client needs, offering various design options that can be used, with guidelines and examples to demonstrate their effects.

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Conquering the business landscape

In the aftermath of the recent financial crisis, the Hampshire economy is holding up well. Starting a successful business and sustaining it is a difficult task, but recent surveys have shown that local organisations have continued to perform strongly and successfully. SMEs are making the most of opportunities and growing their businesses. The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 league table ranks UK firms by sales growth.  The average sales growth amongst this year’s firms was 85%, and the group contained a substantial number of Hampshire-based businesses.

Introducing the new wave of Technology

 Portsmouth-based company Vadition source security, networking and data-storage technology from America’s Silicon Valley, which it then sells to banks, television production companies and life-sciences groups via resellers. It was the third fastest growing private UK company in 2010 and this year, the company announced its acquisition of Exclusive Network group. The deal will add important drive to the business and the collaboration means that the breadth of offering is preeminent in the UK and gives them a significant advantage within the marketplace.


Looking after the MAMILS

Portsmouth company Wiggle, sells sports products online to more than 70 countries. The business launched in 1999 in humble surroundings, selling a range of cycle accessories from the back of a cycle shop in the city.  The rise in the popularity of cycling, especially among “MAMILS” (middle aged men in lycra!) added significant momentum to the business. By 2006, Wiggle was offered a deal with equity investor ISIS and HSBC had invested in an £11.5 million “cash out” deal. Through negotiation, company founders were able to maintain a controlling stake in the business and they continue to manage the company today. The company attribute their success to the breadth of their product offering,  promoting a range of about 15,000 products, including bikes and cycling accessories, as well as running and swimming gear. Wiggle has now achieved sales of £55m across 70 different countries in 2009 – 2010.


Water with added Intelligence

Southampton-based i20 Water is an example of a successful ‘green company’ that last year won the Bond Pearce award for Technology and Innovation. Their success is founded on their ability to identify a serious environmental problem and successfully develop a solution that will make a valuable contribution to the problem.  i20 responded to claims by the UN that by 2025, two thirds of the world’s population will have insufficient water. In response, i20 created a solution to the world’s big leakage problem – an integrated system that minimises leakage and burst frequency by remotely, automatically and intelligently optimising pressures in the distribution network. i2O has now installed technology for water companies all over the world, achieving impressive leakage savings and helping to save money. In 2011, i20 water was also named joint winner in the Innovation and Technology category at the 2011 Test Valley Business Awards.

So what’s next for Hampshire business?

Recently Hampshire-based entrepreneur Jenna Rayner and business partner Sam Charles won a competition run by Duncan Bannatyne’s creative agency, Bannatyne Digital, which encouraged young entrepreneurs to pitch their inventions via online video website YouTube.  The pair sent in a video to promote their company,”Freckles and Gilbert”, which sells quirky and colourful cases for laptops, iPads and Kindles. The pair demonstrated the importance of strongbranding for SMEs. Bannatyne Digital rewarded the pair with a prize of £10,000 design and the creation of a company website.

 

 

There is no better time to start your business or expand your current one in Hampshire. Currently, there is plenty of support for businesses in the Hampshire area. Schemes, such as ‘Brand New Forest’, are also successfully improving local trade. This programme is designed to help local businesses become smarter, greener, more efficient and better able to access the support available to them. The Hampshire Ambassadors scheme, run by Hampshire County Council and now in its fifteenth year, also aims to stimulate investment and encourage business development in the county. In addition, despite the recent financial crisis, results from a recent survey show that 98% of private equity investors believe now is the right time to take risks and invest.  Over the coming years, Hampshire businesses will play a key role in delivering the growth and momentum to help drive Britain’s economy  forward.

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Marketing Trends 2012

2012 has arrived and we are very excited! It is time to look at the challenges and opportunities ahead and start planning your marketing strategy for 2012, if you haven’t done so already.
Relationships are key

According to numerous marketing sources and we’d agree, the future of marketing lies in customer relationships. This is supported by the rise of social media, where consumers can engage with your brand at anytime. Gone are the days when companies could control external communications concerning their organisation. The power now resides with the consumer or client. Listening and responding to their needs is vital.

Traditional advertising is over

Your customer’s ability to identify whether what’s being promoted is something useful to them or just “advertising” has become infinitely more acute. According to Andrew Baird at Amazing Business, ignoring ads is at an all time high, so successful marketing relies on being shared online. Customers can then “like”, recommend and share their opinions through this medium.

Word of mouth marketing

Now more than ever, a consistent online presence is crucial to business success. Through conducting regular client surveys on behalf of our clients, TLC Business has persistently found that referrals, whether on or offline, are still a vital tool for sourcing a new service. The rise in social media activity has made it much easier for consumers to recommend or advise against a service and have their message shared far beyond their own social circles. This is further verified by the Buyersphere 2011 report on changing B2B buyer behavior, which identifies referrals as one of the most influential channels when appointing and sourcing a supplier.

Integrated on and offline

Alongside active consumer engagement, TLC Business emphasises the importance of  on and offline marketing convergence.  With all the noise about digital marketing, it is easy to forget that more traditional marketing methods can still be incredibly effective. Using both mediums together can result in greater returns on your marketing investment. Integral to successfully implementing this strategy is ensuring all your marketing efforts support each other, working in unison, rather than each independently in its own bubble. For successful integration, make sure online and offline business campaigns are consistent, coherent and in sync with each other.

QR codes

TLC Business’ Director, Josh Spencer, believes that 2012 will be the year QR codes finally realise their potential and become more widely used. For those that haven’t heard, QR is short for Quick Response. These barcodes are used to take a piece of information from an advertisement or product and transfer it to a mobile device. For small businesses, this code can be added to a wide variety of marketing material, including: stationery, adverts, promotional items, posters, stands etc. and direct users to a specific landing page. Using this tool means that information about your business can be accessed instantaneously and at any time. Crucially, it also gives businesses a fantastic way of measuring the effectiveness of a variety of marketing tools that previously would have proved difficult.

Don’t get lazy

Don’t rest on your laurels. What has worked in the past will not necessarily prove effective today. Make sure you adopt strategies that are up-to-date with today’s “switched on” consumers and exploit the latest improvements in marketing tools and technology. For businesses looking to grow their client base and improve customer relations, developing a well rounded and relevant marketing plan is essential. In today’s fast moving society, marketing strategies should be constantly evolving and changing; tools that were successful in 2011, may not be as effective in 2012.

Do your homework

The beginning of a new year also allows business owners the opportunity to diversify their marketing. Research shows that 57% of entrepreneurs interviewed said that marketing was their top priority this year. SMEs that want to continue to build their reputation in the marketplace in 2012 must be aware of consumer needs. Experimenting with different channels will enhance your opportunities, so what better time to try new approaches. Determine those channels that are most profitable and those that aren’t. The New Year marks a time for change, and small businesses are no exception. By refreshing your marketing strategy, you can breathe new life into your business and make 2012 a great your for your business.

We are looking forward to joining you on your journey!

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Top Marketing Tips For January

  1. E-myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael Gerber. You may have heard us mention this great book in the past. E-Myth Revisited should be required reading for anyone thinking about starting a business or for those who have already taken that risky step.
  2. Having multiple social networking accounts online means having to individually update your profile picture on each network. Avatar Harmony helps you synchronise your profile pictures between Facebook and Twitter.
  3. Create your own QR code online. QR codes are a square matrix type barcode that hold encrypted information. They are widely used in marketing to provide an extremely easy way for end users to be directed to web content, initiate an SMS, and receive contact information as a Vcard and more.

 

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Pinteresting…

Recently we mentioned Pinterest in our March marketing top tips and we thought it would be a good idea to share a little more about the latest social media trend and how your business can get involved.
Pinterest recently hit our social media world with an almighty bang, receiving more than 103 million visits in February. If you have not yet joined the millions of other social media enthusiasts on Pinterest, it may be hard to understand the fascination. At first glance, the Pinterest home page may appear to be a wall of fashion trends, cupcakes and food thumbnails. However, once you start searching your own interests, you may find yourself quickly addicted to the new world of pinning.


How Pinterest works:

Pinterest invites visitors to set up their own  virtual “pinboards”, incorporating interesting images, designs and styles into different categories that the user invents.  From kitchen designs to jewellery collections, there is an array of ‘interests’ to suit everyone’s needs. So how is Pinterest a social networking site? Well, Pinterest allows members to comment on each other’s images and follow their pinboards. If a photo strikes a user’s fancy, then they can simply repin it.

Who’s involved? 

 Google Ad Planner recently showed that nearly 1.5 million unique users are visiting Pinterest daily, and spending an impressive 14+ minutes on the site. Pinterest is very much tailored towards the US market at present but it is rapidly growing in the UK. According to Andrew Lipsman, ComScore’s Vice President of Industry Analysis, females account for 68% of the site’s visitors worldwide and a whopping 85% of the activity. However, in the UK, the demographic is different, with a mostly male audience, interested in more than just re-pinning and showcasing photographs. Instead, they are focusing on the web statistics and analysis associated with this new social networking phenomenon.

How can my business get involved?

So, can a business benefit from yet another social networking site?

SMEs who currently promote their brand on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google+ should start thinking about adding Pinterest to their mix. Pinterest HQ suggests that businesses first spotlight “aspects of your brand that may not come to mind at first,” such as charitable activity and coporate social responsibility schemes. They also suggest incorporating other aspects of social media, creating a communication hub to new and potential consumers.

Currently, Pinterest works best for brands that can display their service or product in thought provoking, attractive and sometimes funny images. Photographs are a great way of engaging users and encouraging them to follow and interact with your brand. Businesses can also make sure that a Pinterest user who clicks on their photos will be taken directly back to their website, where the product or service is displayed. According to top marketing researchers, last month, Pinterest delivered more referral traffic then Twitter.

However, like any social networking site, Pinterest comes with a warning. There have been recent headlines claiming there are copy right issues regarding Pinterest. Our advice would be, as always, be careful what you upload online, if you ‘re pin’ an image, check that the link goes back to the original website, thereby providing referral links & traffic to the copyright owner. Inform your employees of your social media best practice and finally use this as an excuse to upload original and creative content that reflects your brand and engages your consumer.

See below for a couple of brands using Pinterest, one you may expect and the second one you may not.

Unicef:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GE:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more advice on safe social media for your business, click here.

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Top Marketing Tips April 2012

  1. Total Send is the latest email marketing web service that is easy to use and represents a viable alternative to established platforms, Campaign Monitor and Mail Chimp. It manages subscribers, sends campaigns and tracks results. Total Send includes all the features you need for running a successful email marketing campaign for your business and is extremely cost effective. Click here for more information.
  2. If you find yourself taking a long time converting your meeting notes into a digital format, take a look at Dragon Naturally Speaking. After initial scepticism, we have found it incredibly effective at reducing the time we spend typing up our notes. For more information click here.
  3. Keen to monitor your social media activity’s effectiveness? TwentyFeet is tool that pulls in data from Facebook and Twitter and presents it in graph form. TwentyFeet’s stats include friends and followers, retweets, mentions and Facebook status comments. To find out more click here.
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