Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.
Posted: October 30th, 2009 | Author: Fiona | Filed under: Social Media, WEBWISE: Building Business on the Web | Tags: Business Matters, Cadia, Digital communications, marketing, search engine optimisation, SEO, Social Media, web design, West Sussex County Times | 1 Comment »
Fiona Mulliner is Managing Director of Jumpstart Design Ltd, a specialist digital design and communications agency based in Horsham.
Fiona’s previous international positions as Vice President, Marketing for media multinational News Corporation, and General Manager, Joint Ventures for BBC Worldwide has given her a wealth of commercial, marketing and communications experience. She sits on the Executive Council of Cadia, the Gatwick Diamond Business Association, has a professional qualification in Marketing, and is active in a number of creative and digital industry organisations.
Welcome to a new column that aims to help businesses become more effective online – whether that’s in terms of increased sales, better promotion, enhanced marketing or improved productivity. Over the next few months we’ll be exploring different areas of digital communications, including using the web to support and extend your overall brand and marketing strategy, designing a website that works for your business, making sure your business can be found easily on search engines (Search Engine Optimisation), how to use social media to reach new audiences, and how to track and measure your online success.
As we all know, the web is big business. A recent study by Uswitch reveals that UK broadband users spend on average 30 hours per week online. On a typical working day, around 67% of people use the internet to find deals, discounts and vouchers. 93% of broadband subscribers use the internet to shop online, with 79% spending two hours a week shopping online. Internet advertising spend has now overtaken TV advertising. According to the latest Internet Advertising Bureau report, online advertising spend in first two quarters of 2009 reached £1.75 billion. Reuters’ analysis shows that paid-for search on sites such as Google grew 6.8% from the first half of 2008 to 2009, accounting for £1.05 billion, or 60% of all online advertising expenditure.
What does this mean for businesses promoting their products and services online? Simply that it is now essential to understand the strategies and tools that can deliver more effective digital communications in order to stand out from the crowd, reach your target audience and build your business online. As a starting point, it is useful to consider two key questions: “What is my business really about – its “brand promise”? And “Does everything we do on the web truly reflect that promise?” The answers to those questions should enable you to begin to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of your digital communications.
Posted: October 27th, 2009 | Author: Fiona | Filed under: Social Media | Tags: Cadia, Digital communications, Gatwick Diamond, Social Media, twitter | 3 Comments »
Twitter is the most talked-about addition to the social media phenomenon of MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo Pulse et al. Launched in 2007 with over 30 million users worldwide, Twitter enables individuals and companies to update their friends, clients and contacts (“followers”) about their activities, ideas and opinions with real-time 140 character entries through their computer or mobile device.
Although Twitter started as a consumer service, it is rapidly being adopted by businesses to exploit its sales and marketing potential. Through its real-time communication “tweets”, Twitter enables businesses to carry out customer research, gather information and advice, respond to customer queries, promote special offers and recruit employees. Its ability to offer measurable and instantaneous results is unique.
A striking example of its commercial success is computer multinational Dell, which has made more than $3m through Twitter ($2m in direct sales through Twitter-exclusive promotions, and a further $1m indirectly through increased traffic to the dell.com website), but there are many other examples to consider as potential models for commercial development. Whole Foods, the American organic food supermarket chain, has over 650,000 “followers” on its main Twitter account, and a further 40 accounts tailored to specific consumer subgroups such as people seeking recipe ideas.
If you’re not already “tweeting”, consider testing Twitter to reach current and potential clients, share information and build your brand. Consider your offering, your audience and tailor your tweets appropriately – it has the potential to become a powerful addition to your marketing programme.
Posted: October 27th, 2009 | Author: Fiona | Filed under: Social Media | Tags: Business Edge, Digital communications, marketing, Social Media, Sussex Enterprise, twitter | 2 Comments »
I have been reading about businesses using social media networks like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc. Are these really a suitable way for me to promote my business?
Social media is a catch-all term that refers to online networking and communication tools and content such as blogs, communities and forums. Online communities like MySpace, Facebook and Bebo were launched as consumer services targeted at students and teenagers to enable them to keep in touch with each other online, and share information, photos and so on. The launch of business to business networking and communication services such as LinkedIn and Plaxo Pulse soon followed. Over time, Facebook (now 150 million members) has begun to attract an older (30+), more business-orientated demographic.
The most talked-about addition to the social media phenomenon is Twitter, which launched in 2007 and has some 32 million users worldwide. Twitter enables individuals and companies to update their friends, clients and contacts (“followers”) about their activities with real-time 140 character entries through their computer or mobile device. While many of these entries are of limited interest, companies are beginning to exploit the service as a sales and marketing tool. Twitter is being used to carry out customer research, gather information and advice, respond to customer queries, promote special offers, recruit employees and much more.
So are social media networks appropriate for your business? Like any marketing activity, you need to consider who you are trying to reach and what you are trying to achieve. Are your potential or current customers online? If so, who are they and where are they? What content would be of interest to them? Do you want to develop a business to business network, encourage more visitors to your website, shop or restaurant, or gather feedback on ideas and new products? Social media communication can be a powerful tool, providing it is well-directed, appropriate and meaningful, so take the time to consider your objectives and plan your campaign wisely.