|
Seven Essential Tips for Better Web Traffic
Planning for Social Media Marketing Success
Preparing Powerful Christmas Promotions
Creating an Exceptional Web Experience
1 Seven Essential Tips for Better Web Traffic
With an impressive 83% of UK internet users saying they go online to find information about goods and services (eMarketer 2009), it is clear that search marketing remains a significant method of promoting your business online. Ranking well in search results for the right keywords will attract new customers.
The major search engines prioritise their search results based on a legion of different parameters but one of the most important is the number and quality of inbound links. Inbound links are links placed on other websites that lead a visitor to your site. So what can you do to attract more inbound links?
Increase the Volume and Quality of Your Website Traffic
Growing the number of inbound links to your website not only improves your standing with the search engines, it will also win you new traffic from the referring website and, as the word spreads, will help build your reputation.
However, it's not purely a numbers game, not all inbound links are created equal. One link from an authoritative website can be worth hundreds of links from less respected sites. But before you can attract genuine inbound links from interested webmasters, your website needs to be ready.
Here are 7 essential tips for making your website more likeable... and linkable.
1. Look the Part
Investing in a professionally designed website is money well spent. No one wants to link to an ugly site, even if the content is good.
2. Be Creative with Your Content
Give some thought as to what type of content attracts your attention and what gets you to read further, the same will likely be true with your customers. Here are some ideas:
* Illustrate your message by sharing a case study or a personal experience
* Be controversial
* Create lists that recommend best practice techniques or expose myths
* Identify hot topics to write about by checking sites like Digg or StumbleUpon
* Publish tutorials
* Stay abreast of industry and mainstream news for opportunities to demonstrate your expertise
* Publish reviews on new products
Some content clearly attracts attention more than others – give some thought to how you can stand out from the crowd.
3. Keep it Fresh
Search engines, like human viewers, will only come back to your website on a regular basis if there is something new to see, and link to.
4. Engage the Senses
The web is no longer a static format – so vary your content delivery. Consider using animation, online presentations, webinars, videos or podcasts (to name a few) in order to make your content more dynamic, memorable and linkable.
5. Be Helpful
Everyone likes to recommend a helpful resource – especially if it is free. Offer a complimentary white paper, podcast or video tutorial that is designed to meet your customers' needs and resolve their biggest challenges.
6. Everyone Needs a Reminder
Not everyone will be able to review your new articles as soon as they are published, a regular email newsletter gives your subscribers additional opportunities to check out, and link to your latest content.
7. Extend Your Web Presence
Consider setting up a Facebook Page or engaging with customers via Twitter. Expanding your web presence with social networking websites will help demonstrate your expertise and extend additional opportunities for increasing your link popularity.
In conclusion, inbound links are an important part of creating traffic to your website, sites with good inbound links are deemed popular and recommended by the search engines, having made an obvious impact on the web community. If you would like help with your search marketing activities, call us on 0207 183 7111.
^ Top
2 Planning for Social Media Marketing Success
Social Media Marketing is one of the latest online promotional techniques and is quickly growing in popularity as a way to gain a competitive edge. It involves creating content and publishing it via blogs and social networking sites such as Facebook, Digg, Twitter, YouTube and many more.
Social networking websites provide easy to use tools that make it simple to get set up and immediately 'join in'. To be done well, however, social media marketing is like any other promotional campaign, it must have an objective and a strategy to achieve your desired results. Here are some ideas for planning to stand out from the (ever increasing) social networking crowd.
Social Media Marketing for Business
Social media marketing is about enabling interaction as sustained interaction creates relationships, which in turn opens up the opportunities to share information about products and services.
A well thought out, sustainable social media marketing strategy can fulfil many objectives and benefit a business in the following ways:
* Increasing brand awareness
* Providing customer research opportunities
* Opening up an additional direct marketing channel
* Improving public relations and customer service
* Helping strengthen a Search Engine Optimisation campaign
While temporary success may be gained by simply 'getting stuck in', the best way social media marketing will help grow your business is if it becomes part of your overall marketing plan.
Establish Your Objectives
Before venturing unprepared into the social media scene, take some time to consider what you hope to achieve – and how you might measure how effective your efforts will be over time.
Keeping your objectives in mind as you proceed will enable you to be more focussed and prevent getting unnecessarily sidetracked. This easily by-passed step can help convert social media marketing efforts from simply being time consuming to being time well spent.
Listen & Understand
Spend some time finding and monitoring what activity is already taking place amongst your intended audience. If you identify where your customers 'hang out' and understand their community, you will be able to interact with them more effectively from day one.
Choose Your Tools & Engage
Now a good foundation has been set, the next step is to 'join the conversation'. Some of the most popular social media marketing activities for business include:
* Publishing a business blog – as an appendage to your corporate website
* Microblogging, via social networking sites such as Twitter and FriendFeed
* Participating on social media networks, such as Facebook, Linkedin and more
* Running ad campaigns on social networking sites
* Monitoring social media sites in order to follow and participate in the 'conversation'.
While it may be tempting to have a presence in all the available channels (it is free to set up after all), be realistic with your available resources.
Be prepared to share your expertise without asking for anything in return – focusing your efforts on being genuinely helpful is a great way to engage your audience and is a sure way to increase your reputation and social media influence.
Monitor Your Progress and Make Improvements
Participation in social media is not always convenient or directly beneficial, so measuring the activity created by your social networking efforts is key to identifying your progress – and vital for identifying where to focus future resources.
If you would like help creating a workable social media marketing plan for your business, call us today on 0207 183 7111.
^ Top
3 Preparing Powerful Christmas Promotions.
If you are an online retailer, now is the time to start planning and implementing your marketing promotions to encourage sales in the run-up to Christmas. Even in the present economic climate, eMarketer predicts that UK business to consumer online sales will be worth £68.4 billion in 2009, a 14% increase from 2008.
With so many companies vying for consumers' attention in the run up to Christmas, putting your plans in place now will enable you to execute well prepared campaigns that will help you stand out from the crowd, and secure a generous portion of the lucrative seasonal spend.
Powering Up Your Christmas Promotions
When UK online shoppers were questioned why they prefer to shop over the web, they said they prefer shopping online because:
* It offers immediate access to a wide range of products and services
* It saves time and hassle associated with high street Christmas shopping
* It offers greater savings on purchases.
Your online store already offers these advantages so you simply need to let shoppers know what great offers you have. Your Christmas marketing activities are a continuation of the best business practices you should already have in place.
Plan Ahead
If you haven't already started, start planning now. Begin by reviewing what worked well for you last year, and consider how you might repeat this or even build upon your success this year.
Prepare a schedule for updating your website and sending dedicated email broadcasts which reflect the season's promotional messages.
Be Creative
Whether it's a countdown of available shopping days, or perhaps incorporating the twelve days of Christmas into your campaigns, be creative. Take some time to think outside the box and get your creative juices flowing.
Consider adopting a charity, to which you will donate a percentage of your Christmas sales. This can attract new customers and will share a feel-good factor.
Decorate Your Website
Add some Christmas cheer to your website – even if it's only the home page. It doesn't need to be a big costly re-design, instead, a few strategically positioned seasonal images may suffice.
Give Prominence to Your Promotions
Once you have established what your promotional offers will consist of, give them priority on your home page, email campaigns and social media sites.
When preparing the copy for special offers, be clear what the deal includes and focus on benefits, benefits, benefits. If your products make a great Christmas gift, tell shoppers why.
Offer a Little Extra
Online shoppers are shrewd buyers, with the luxury of effortlessly comparing products from the comfort of their seat. It's the stores that offer a little extra, such as gift wrapping, direct deliveries, two for one and three for two deals, electronic vouchers, gift lists and more will stand out from the crowd.
Good Housekeeping
Receiving goods before Christmas is crucial to the Yuletide shopper – make sure to clearly state your last day of posting, and consider offering express deliveries for last minute shoppers.
Finally, remember it is the season to be jolly, reflect this in your correspondence. Being genuine and sharing some good will ensure you are remembered for a long time. If you would like help preparing your Christmas promotions, call us on 0807 183 7111.
^ Top
4 Creating an Exceptional Web Experience
You only get one chance to make a good first impression. For most web surfers, your web design will be their first impression of your business and will go a long way to establishing your credibility. The top priority should be to provide a positive user experience by using the best mixture of graphics and content to convey your most important messages.
However, creating a great website experience for your visitors is not limited to creating a visually pleasing site. Consideration should also be given to keeping your content simple, accessible and informative.
Producing a Memorable Website Experience
Your web design should be a fundamental component of your web development strategy, and should incorporate subtle persuasive techniques to:
1. Make it easy for visitors to learn what you offer.
2. Steer customers towards completing your primary call to action.
The following are some simple but effective tips to help you get your message across while at the same time giving your website visitors a rich web experience.
Make Sure to KISS
First things first, keep it simple; surfers are not looking to be dazzled. They want an experience – but that doesn't mean they want to be bombarded with over-the-top animation or unnecessary audio. Here are a few pointers which will help give the right impression.
* Review how your content is organised – does it help address your customer's needs?
* Think through your website navigation – is getting around your site child's play?
* Are there clear Calls to Action? Is it obvious how to progress a purchase?
* Consider using breadcrumbs to help surfers easily locate where they are
* Provide a site search function on all pages
* Include a 'most popular' or 'recently published' feature
Remember, surfers want an easy to use site which will make finding information they are looking for a breeze.
Make it All About Your Content
Content is king, whether it's text, video, or audio (or all of the above), the key is to present your content in an easy to digest format.
* Surfers like to scan content – use headings and sub headings to make this easy
* Review the length of your paragraphs – try to keep them around 3 – 5 lines long
* Limit your paragraph width and include a generous margin either side
* Consider using lists to give more focus to your product benefits
* Don't be afraid to share some personality – it's what is unique to you after all
* If you refer to other services you offer – include the link within your copy
* Use subtle animation to help draw attention to your best offers – not simply to dazzle
Research carried out by Nielson identified that surfers view content in a F pattern. Use this to your advantage by placing key content in these key focal areas.
Make it Easy to Stay in Touch
If surfers wish to sign up to your newsletter in order to keep in contact, don't make them hunt for your sign up form. Make it easy to locate and a quick, painless process to subscribe.
Other great ways to make it easy to stay in touch include making RSS feeds available and buttons which go directly to your social media pages.
Techie Note: Check for Cross Browser Compatibility
Finally, a little bit of a technical – but important – information. While Internet Explorer is still the most popular web browser, it's worth noting that different versions may render the same content slightly differently.
If you add to this the increasing popularity of other web browsers such as Mozilla Firefox, Apple's Safari, Opera and Google Chrome then you can see how a website needs to be coded correctly in order to give a consistent experience across each platform.
If you would like help updating your website in order to give your visitors a surfing experience they will appreciate, call us today on 0207 183 7111.
^ Top
|
