by Kerry Ferguson | May 11, 2023 | Digital Marketing, Websites
In today’s digital age, having a strong online presence is no longer a luxury but a necessity for small businesses. With the majority of consumers turning to the internet to research and make purchasing decisions, a well-designed website has become a vital tool for success. In this blog post, I’ll explore why website design is important for small businesses.
- First Impressions Matter:
Just like a shop front, your website is often the first interaction potential customers have with your business. A professionally designed website creates a positive and lasting first impression. It establishes credibility, trust and professionalism. A well-structured and visually appealing website can instantly capture the attention of visitors, encouraging them to explore further and engage with your business.
- Branding and Differentiation:
A website offers a platform to showcase your brand identity and communicate your unique value proposition. A thoughtfully designed website allows you to incorporate your brand colors, fonts and visual elements consistently throughout the site, reinforcing brand recognition and recall. Effective branding sets you apart from competitors, helping customers remember and choose your business over others.
- Improved User Experience:
A well-designed website focuses on providing a seamless and intuitive user experience. Visitors should be able to navigate effortlessly through your site, find the information they need, and complete desired actions such as making a purchase or contacting your business. A user-friendly website with clear navigation, optimised page speed and responsive design ensures that visitors stay engaged and have a positive experience, increasing the chances of conversion.
- Enhanced Visibility and Reach:
A website acts as a digital shop front that is accessible 24/7. It enables your business to be found by potential customers who are searching for products or services online. By incorporating search engine optimisation (SEO) techniques into your website design, you can improve your visibility in search engine results, driving organic traffic to your site.
- Showcasing Products and Services:
For small businesses, a website serves as a platform to showcase products or services in a visually compelling and informative manner. High-quality product images, detailed descriptions, and customer testimonials help build trust and provide potential customers with the necessary information to make informed decisions. An engaging website can act as a powerful sales tool, attracting and converting visitors into paying customers.
- Building Customer Relationships:
Website design also plays a role in building and nurturing customer relationships. Incorporating contact forms, live chat features and email subscription options allows you to capture visitor information and stay connected with your audience. By regularly updating your website with valuable content, blog posts, or promotions, you can keep customers engaged, encourage repeat visits, and foster long-term relationships.
by Kerry Ferguson | Mar 30, 2023 | Digital Marketing, Social Media
In today’s competitive business landscape, small businesses must utilise every opportunity to stay ahead of the curve. One of the most effective ways to do this is by engaging with customers and prospects on social media. However, managing your social media presence can be a time-consuming and challenging task, especially for small business owners who are often juggling numerous responsibilities. Enter the social media manager – a professional who can elevate your business’s online presence, save you time, and ultimately help you achieve your goals. In this blog, I’ll delve into the top reasons why a small business should hire a social media manager.
- Expertise and experience
Social media is a constantly evolving landscape, with new platforms and trends emerging regularly. Navigating this complex world requires a deep understanding of each platform, their algorithms, and best practices for content creation and engagement. Social media managers possess the necessary expertise and experience to leverage these platforms effectively, ensuring that your business’s online presence is optimised for maximum reach, engagement, and conversions.
- Time-saving
As a small business owner, time is your most valuable resource. Managing your social media accounts can be a full-time job in itself, especially if you want to maintain a consistent and engaging presence across multiple platforms. Hiring a social media manager allows you to delegate this responsibility, freeing up your time to focus on core business functions such as product development, customer service, and sales. By outsourcing social media management, you can rest assured that your online presence is in capable hands, while you concentrate on growing your business.
- Consistency and brand voice
A strong and consistent brand voice is essential for building brand recognition and trust among your target audience. A social media manager can help you maintain a cohesive brand voice across all platforms, ensuring that your content resonates with your audience and reinforces your brand identity. They can also develop a content calendar, outlining when and what to post, to ensure a consistent flow of engaging and relevant content that keeps your followers interested and engaged.
- Increased engagement and customer service
A key aspect of social media management is engaging with your followers and responding to their comments, questions, and concerns. This not only strengthens the relationship between your brand and its customers but also serves as a valuable source of customer feedback and insights. A social media manager can monitor your accounts for mentions, respond to comments and messages, and address any issues or concerns, providing top-notch customer service that sets your business apart from the competition.
- Analytics and data-driven decision making
Understanding how your social media efforts are performing is crucial for making data-driven decisions that drive growth. Social media managers are skilled in analysing data from various platforms, using it to inform content strategies, improve engagement, and optimise your online presence. By continually monitoring performance metrics, they can make adjustments in real-time, ensuring that your social media marketing efforts remain effective and produce the desired results.
- Cost-effective marketing solution
Hiring a social media manager can be a cost-effective solution for small businesses looking to boost their online presence without breaking the bank. In comparison to traditional advertising methods such as print or TV, social media marketing can be considerably more affordable and targeted, allowing you to reach your desired audience with ease. By investing in a social media manager, you’re investing in a marketing strategy that is both budget-friendly and highly effective.
In conclusion, hiring a social media manager is an investment in your small business’s long-term success. Their expertise, experience, and ability to save you time and resources will ultimately help your business thrive in the competitive online landscape. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to connect with your audience, build trust, and grow your brand – consider hiring a social media manager today.
by Kerry Ferguson | Nov 16, 2022 | Digital Marketing, News
TikTok is a social media platform that has exploded in popularity in recent years, particularly among young people. While it started as a platform for sharing short-form lip-sync videos, it has since evolved to include a variety of content and has become a valuable tool for businesses to reach younger audiences. In this blog, we’ll explore the pros and cons of TikTok for business.
Pros:
- Large and Engaged Audience
TikTok has over 1 billion active users worldwide, with a significant portion of those users being between the ages of 16 and 24. This makes it an excellent platform for businesses looking to target younger audiences. Additionally, TikTok’s algorithm is designed to promote engaging and entertaining content, which means businesses that create fun and engaging content have the potential to go viral.
- Low Barrier to Entry
TikTok’s user-friendly interface and simple editing tools make it easy for businesses to create high-quality content without investing a lot of time or resources. This low barrier to entry means that small businesses and startups can compete with larger, more established brands.
- Increased Brand Awareness
By using TikTok, businesses can increase their brand awareness and reach new audiences. TikTok’s algorithm promotes content to users who are likely to engage with it, which means that businesses can gain exposure to new users who may not have heard of their brand before.
Cons:
- Limited Ad Capabilities
TikTok’s advertising capabilities are still relatively limited compared to other social media platforms. While the platform offers advertising options, such as in-feed ads and sponsored content, they are not as advanced as those on Facebook or Instagram.
- Short Attention Span
TikTok’s short-form content means that users have a short attention span. This can be challenging for businesses trying to convey complex messages or promote more in-depth content.
- Limited Targeting Options
TikTok’s targeting options are limited compared to other social media platforms. While the platform does offer some basic targeting options based on age, gender, and location, businesses may find it challenging to reach more specific audiences.
In conclusion, TikTok can be a valuable tool for businesses looking to reach younger audiences and increase brand awareness. However, you should be aware of the platform’s limitations and potential risks before investing time and resources into a TikTok marketing strategy. My advice? If you think your audience is there, give it a shot!
by Kerry Ferguson | Oct 7, 2022 | Digital Marketing, News
Today, we’re going to talk about creating a successful marketing campaign. Whether you’re a small business owner, a marketer, or just someone looking to promote a product or service, a well-planned marketing campaign is essential to success. Here are some tips to get started:
- Define your goal
Before you begin, it’s important to define your goal for the marketing campaign. This will help you determine the audience you want to target, the messaging you want to use, and the channels you will use to reach them. Be specific and measurable with your goal. Do you want to increase sales? Boost brand awareness? Drive traffic to your website? Whatever it is, make sure it’s clear and achievable.
- Understand your audience
Knowing your target audience is key to creating an effective marketing campaign. Start by identifying your ideal customer. What are their needs, desires and pain points? What motivates them to make a purchase? Conduct market research, analyze customer data and use social media analytics to get a better understanding of your audience. Once you know who they are, you can tailor your messaging and tactics to better resonate with them.
- Develop your messaging
Your messaging should be compelling, clear and consistent across all channels. It should resonate with your target audience. Use strong headlines, concise copy and eye-catching visuals to capture their attention. Make sure your messaging is aligned with your brand and reflects your unique value proposition.
- Choose your channels
Decide which channels you will use to reach your target audience. This could include social media, email marketing, paid advertising, influencer marketing or other channels. Consider the demographics of your audience and which channels they are most active on. Develop a content strategy for each channel, taking into account the type of content that performs best on each platform.
- Create a budget and timeline
Determine your budget and timeline for the campaign. Consider the cost of creating content, running ads, hiring influencers and any other expenses. Create a timeline that includes the launch date, content creation, and distribution schedule. Make sure you have enough time to prepare and test your campaign before launch.
- Measure and adjust
Track the success of your campaign and adjust your strategy as needed. Use analytics to measure your key performance indicators (KPIs) such as website traffic, engagement rates and conversions. Identify what worked and what didn’t, and use this information to improve your next campaign.
Creating a successful marketing campaign takes planning, research and creativity. By defining your goal, understanding your audience, developing your messaging, choosing your channels, creating a budget and timeline, and measuring and adjusting, you can create a campaign that resonates with your target audience and achieves your goals. Good luck!
by Kerry Ferguson | Aug 8, 2022 | Digital Marketing
One of the most powerful features of Facebook is its ability to create and maintain online communities. Facebook communities are groups of people who share common interests, beliefs, or hobbies and come together to discuss and share content related to their common interests.
Facebook communities come in all shapes and sizes. Some are focused on specific topics, such as cooking, gardening, or fitness, while others are centered around specific groups of people, such as parents, students, or entrepreneurs. These communities can be public or private, depending on the group’s preferences.
Creating a Facebook community is simple. All you need to do is create a group, choose a name and description, and invite people to join. Once people have joined, they can start sharing content and interacting with other members.
One of the benefits of Facebook communities is the sense of belonging they can provide. This can be particularly helpful for people who feel isolated or alone in their interests or hobbies.
Another benefit of Facebook communities is the opportunity to learn and grow. Members can share tips, advice, and resources with one another, helping each other to develop their skills or achieve their goals. This can be particularly helpful for people who are just starting out in a particular hobby or field.
Overall, Facebook communities can be a valuable resource for anyone looking to connect with like-minded people and expand their knowledge and skills. By joining a Facebook community, you can tap into a wealth of knowledge and experience, make new friends, and find support and encouragement in pursuing your passions.
by Kerry Ferguson | Jan 18, 2022 | Digital Marketing, Social Media
Earlier in the month, we remained closed to clients but spent the week working on our company goals and the business. When you’re so busy week to week with clients, it’s often your own business that doesn’t get the attention, so we really were keen to spend the time chatting, sharing ideas, brainstorming and making sure everything is in place for a great 2022.
During one of our brainstorming sessions, we were putting down a list of social media top tips. The ideas were mainly for Reels on Instagram, but the discussion soon led into whether we should use TikTok, should we branch into Clubhouse, or use Spaces on Twitter.
It did get me thinking – we are, as a company, quite used to the same platforms we’ve always used: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. We definitely embrace any new updates and changes, and make sure we make full use of the functionality. However, when new platforms come about, how do you decide if you should spread some more energy into them?
For example, we use the four platforms above on a regular basis, and we also blog. That’s a lot of work for a small business, but given our field of expertise we want to lead by example, and be present online.
A few people have said to me over the past 12 months how we should definitely get onto the other platforms. We’re looking at TikTok, Clubhouse, Reddit – and there are surely more. How do you choose which platform to use then? While also recognising the fact that there are only a certain amount of hours in the day, and you do need to actually work to bring money in to pay the bills.
My trail of thought then went onto analytics (naturally). However how much can you trust those? I know that a lot of our enquiries for the business come via Facebook and word of mouth. Yet our analytics would suggest we do very well on Instagram and Twitter. Of course, we know to take analytics with a pinch of salt, they don’t give you the full picture – but that makes it harder for me to decide if we do put more time into a new platform or not, and do we do that in addition to the efforts we already have in place.
The next thought then is the target audience – for us it’s a fairly wide audience. We target small businesses and organisations, and staff of those businesses and organisations who may be interested in websites, WordPress training, social media and digital marketing. It’s quite broad, which is why typically, we’ve felt the 4 platforms we currently use work well. For example on LinkedIn we focus on business to business posting, perhaps on Twitter it’s more focussed towards organisations than small businesses. Each platform has its own merits, and it’s own strategy from us.
Of course, I suspect the answer is: we won’t know until we try, which is very true. Do we put in some extra time for trialling a new platform to see how it works for us, while trying to repurpose content?
What would you do?
