Category Archives: E-Marketing

E-Marketing

Create an embedded form within Mailchimp

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To get an embedded mailchimp sign up form for your website, you need to do the following:

  1. Log into your mailchimp account
  2. Navigate to the Lists page (top left menu) 
  3. Click the drop down menu of your list and choose ‘Sign up forms’ 
  4. Scroll down to the ‘Embedded Forms’ option and click the ‘select button’ to the right. 
  5. From the options, choose the form type ‘Naked’ (which allows us to style it to match your website) and highlight all the code in the ‘Copy/paste onto your site‘ field, copy it and paste it in an email to us. 
E-Marketing, SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), Website Tactics

Cheap SEO deals: the potential risks

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Why you shouldn’t use these cheap services

Often, certain SEO deals and companies promising the earth for an apparent low cost, don’t often look too bad and it might be tempting to use them.   These may include cold callers, someone you know who is apparently ‘great with computers’ and that cheap offshore company that can deliver the earth for a few pounds.  But, here’s the facts:

When it comes to search engine optimization, it does not make sense to cut costs at the expense of lost sales and revenue. All of the services above have in common that it can be risky to use them. For example:

  • The fully automated solutions offered by many hosting companies and CMS vendors are usually outdated methods that worked ok in the early 2000’s. Nowadays, these methods don’t work anymore. Some automated methods are considered spam and your website might get penalized if you use them. SEO isn’t point-and-click anymore.
  • Your nephew might know how to code an HTML web page but that doesn’t mean the he has any SEO knowledge. If your nephew is good with numbers, it still doesn’t make sense to let him do your accounting (if you don’t want to get in trouble with the tax office).
  • Many of the offshore companies use automated spam tools to ‘promote’ your website. Hiring these companies is often a sure way to get your website banned from Google in the long run. Some of these services even tweak the meta keywords tag of your web pages, which is a sure sign that they do not know what they’re doing.

 

Search engine optimization is more than point-and-click

SEO is more than building a few links, adding a few keywords to your web pages. There’s nothing that you can ‘install’ on your website and that’s it.

The right visitors from search engines are crucial to the success of any website. It’s important to understand that search engine optimiation is not a one-off project. If you focus on short-lived optimization tactics, you will get short-lived results.  It’s much better to develop a long-term search engine optimization strategy based upon your industry, products and services and making your website content interesting, engaging and up to date.  Get this right and you’re a winner, try using short cuts and you will find yourself climbing a long road back if penalized.

Domain Names, E-Marketing, News

Shorter .UK domain names are coming!

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Nominet, the UK domain governing body, have just announced plans to launch the new shorter “.UK” domain extension to run alongside the existing “.CO.UK” extension type.

This is a significant change within the domain industry that existing domain owners need to be aware of.

When will .UK domains launch?
Nominet have said the new domains are to launch in “summer 2014” and are due to confirm a more specific date by February next year. As soon as we know when, we’ll let you know!

How much will .UK domains cost?
The new domains will be priced very similarly to the current .CO.UK, .ORG.UK and .ME.UK domain names. So expect a price of around £6.00 plus VAT for two years.

What happens to my existing .CO.UK domain?
Any existing .CO.UK, .ORG.UK and .ME.UK domain extensions will remain unaffected and continue to operate as normal.

I already own a .CO.UK domain. Do I have first option on .UK?
Yes! Existing UK domain owners will be offered the “.UK” version of their existing domain name before anybody else. Nominet will ensure you have first option on your .UK domain for a whole 5 years!
This is an opportunity to replace your existing domain, or use the new .UK extension in addition to it.

That’s all we know for now, but stay tuned for further news on the new .UK domain extension as we get it

E-Marketing, Spam and Phishing

Fake Emails, how to spot the signs

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Its great having your email address published on your website so all of your potential customers have direct access to contact you 24/7. Unfortunately, the downside is that it is also available to less scrupulous people and can become a target for spammers and phishers.

Criminals often use fake emails and fake websites, purposefully set up with the sole intention to spread spam and to deceive people into giving away private information such as passwords, date of birth, address and bank details. The technical word for this is ‘phishing.’

For example, they might send you an email that looks official, even containing link to an official website. However, when you try to log on, they can steal your password and any other details you enter.  They may ask you to make a phone call or reply by email or ask you to open an attachment which will often contain a virus.   Criminals are good at making their emails and websites look realistic, however, you can often spot the fake ones.

Look out for:

  • Emails that don’t address you by name eg. dear customer
  • Dodgy looking email or web addresses.
  • Poor design, typos or bad spelling
  • Click through Links that don’t match up to the senders domain

 

If the email is asking you to directly click a link, you can get a good indication of whether it is dodgy simply by hovering over it (BUT DO NOT CLICK).  Your web browser will show the destination address at the bottom left corner of your screen.   If the address does not match the senders company name, you can, with almost certainty decide it is fake.

If in doubt and you are concerned if it is genuine and it is something you really should be dealing with, contact the company who it claims to be from i.e. Lloyds Bank/Paypal/British Gas etc  via their own website or by using a telephone number from any written documentation you may have.  They may tell you outright if it is fake and  may even ask you to forward it onto their fraud department where they will do their best to ensure these people are officially reported.   If it is fake, block the sender using your webmail or email client so they can’t contact you again.

 

Better to be safe than sorry!

 

 

E-Marketing, eCommerce, Website Tactics

Back-to-School Shopping – Online v Traditional

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According to a recent infographic from AdRoll, 44 percent of parents start their ‘back-to-school’ shopping in August with many of these parents looking toward online shopping. The infographic also reveals that online school shopping is expected to increase by 10 percent this year – meaning that 79 percent of ‘back-to-school’ shoppers are buying supplies online.

The most popular reasons why parents are turning to the Web is because it offers an easier way to shop, avoiding all the queues, the stress and the added expense of hauling their children around town – after all, theres the parking fees, the lunch, the snacks and drinks, the impulse buying and the boredom not to mention a whole day taken up running around (if not more). Parents shopping online avoid all this hassel and save money too. They are able to find discounts by quickly shopping around as well as researching products and pricing.

In order to grab some of the ‘back-to-school’ traffic, merchants must be prepared to entice customers to not only visit their online shopping destinations, but also provide them with incentives to make purchases.

So get your thinking caps on and entice those shoppers in!

E-Marketing, Social Media

Pinterest Free EBook

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Pinterest is a pinboard-style social photo sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, hobbies, and more. Users can browse other pinboards for inspiration, ‘re-pin’ images to their own collections or ‘like’ photos. Pinterest’s mission is to “connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting”

Click to viewa really great Pinterest ebook (written by HubSpot) which gives you all the info you need from the basics to advance know how.

E-Marketing, News, Website Tactics

Sites To Register Your Business With

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As far as I know, these sites are all free to register your business with a choice of premium listings for a fee. Be prepared for some cold calling as reps will try to bait you into spending on paid for listings however, I have personally never found these necessary so a firm NO is all you need.  Is it worth the hassle then? Yes, I do believe so, as the free advertising and free SEO benefits far outweigh this minor inconvenience.

You don’t have to register with them all and certainly not all in one go, but I would recommend if anything, get your business listed with the top 5.

There are many more good business directories/social networking sites to register yourself with when you have the time. Remember though, always register your business with sites that require a manual registration, don’t be tempted to register yourself with directories that promise automatic listings/submission to 1000’s of search engines who often use SEO methods that could do your site a lot more harm than good.

TOP TIP!…. Make a list of all the sites you do register with and keep them up to date.

Over time, your business may experience many changes, including location, email addresses, phone number, opening times etc.  This can lead to inconsistencies and repercussions with search engines and can be detrimental to customer care.  So make a list somewhere, keep it safe and call upon it from time to time to check everything is up to date.

1. Google My Business 
2. Yelp.co.uk
3. Yell.com
4. Cylex
5. Freeindex
6. Scoot
7. Touch Local
8. Yahoo Local
9. UK Business Directory
10. UK SMALL Business Directory
11. Applegate
12. Exactseek
13. Thomson Local
14. Linkedin Company Directory
15. Bing

Of course don’t forget social media, facebook, twitter, instagram etc.

E-Marketing, Social Media

Social Media Marketing – FAQ’s Explored

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On the surface, social media may represent a bunch of people shouting back and forth at each other all day long, however, if you know what you’re doing, social media can be very effective and profitable.  Great content, articles or videos on your website that have educational and/or entertainment value shared with others on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, have the potential of becoming viral and can give you the kind of exposure money just can’t buy.

So heres the answers to the most common questions;

Do I have to subscribe to them all?

It’s not the number of social networks you’re on that matters, it’s how effectively you use them that’s important.  Unless you’re an experienced and skilled marketeer, focus on one social network at a time. Maximize the potential of each network, before moving onto the next one.
Remember, creating a profile is only the first step.  You have to promote your page and actively participate in the social networks you belong to. Just like your website,  if you simply abandon it, absolutely nothing will happen. If you do nothing, people will not simply magically appear at your doorstep – credít cards in hand – it just doesn’t work that way.

Isn’t face to face networking better?

Some people have and always will prefer face-to-face communication over all other forms of communication. It’s down to personal choice.  Networking online has its advantages – convenience being the most obvious, but it won’t ever replace the need for human interaction and good old face-to-face networking.

Should Social Media replace my website?

Absolutely not! Websites aren’t a luxury, they’re a necessity. And I am absolutely amazed at how many people there are on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the other social networks who don’t have a website – not even a blog. I think this is a mistake for a number of reasons. First of all, search engines are content driven vehicles. And while you may have a nice profile on the various social networks, it’s not the same as having unique content on your website.  In addition, you have complete control over the content on your website, as opposed to social network profiles which are limited and have user guidelines. Also, it’s much easier to build your brand if you have a website. Think about it.

What about a Blog?  Do I need one?

Blogging works, but just like any marketing tool, it has to be properly executed.  That means you have to post often and refresh your content regularly to keep visitors coming back. It also means you have to figure out an effective way to monetise your website so that it’s profitable.  Rely on clever posting and linking rather than using Adsense, affiliate programs or banners, reducing your advertising costs – that way you get to keep all the profits.

Can I measure a return on investment with social media?

Yes, you can track and measure your social media ROI by using free analytic software like Google Analytics. For example, GA will allow you to track visitors coming from social networks and the actions they took. You can do this by setting up “Goals” in Google Analytics to see which links you are tracking generate the most activity.  You’d be surprised at the number of sophisticated actions GA can perform. All you have to do is take some time to study the tutorials to see what’s possible with GA. After all, that’s what being a professional is all about.

Im so busy, would Social media just be too time consuming?

Well, that depends on the individual and how disciplined he or she is. I use social media very effectively, and spend around 30 minutes a day combined on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and my Blog – but I’m disciplined. I know these sites are all made from virtual superglue!  During work hours, do what you need to do on those sites and then get out of there!  If youre short of time, dont mix business with pleasure.

But is Social Media right for my type of business?

If your business need to generate new leads, more traffic? If  you need to build your brand? Strengthen your SEO efforts? Provide customer support? Give your customers a platform to give feedback and suggestions in real-time?
If you answered yes to one or more of those questions, social media is right for your business.

What are you waiting for?