Kelly McCarthy, former SVP at LVMH shares her learnings on digitally translating a brand to grow business.
We took a look at the Spark Lab Digital Workshop in Rotorua, at the day’s biggest outtakes, and explored how these workshops are helping Kiwi SMEs face an ever-changing digital landscape.
Your social media presence depends on curating your content. Follow these tips to determine the best message to represent your brand.
Facebook changed its News Feed algorithm in 2018. Here are a few ideas for making your Facebook posts do more work for your business.
Many successful businesses use email newsletters to connect with their customers. Here's a list of dos and don'ts for creating effective email newsletters.
It’s never been easier to create your own website, but making a good website is the challenge. Here are five must-haves for building your business website.
To manage content changes on your website, consider using a content management system (CMS).
A content management system is a software that provides a user-friendly interface that allows you to create, edit and publish content on your website.
These days, a good CMS will automatically adjust your content to work well on a mobile device, or give you the ability to do so. This is important as more and more people use their mobile phone or tablet as their primary way of connecting to the internet.
Why should I update my content?
People visiting your website expect it to be responsive, engaging and easy to navigate. They want to see all the information they're looking for. Gone are the days when websites could be static like a sales brochure, only designed to be viewed on a desktop screen.
Make sure you keep all information on your products/services updated. Write accurate descriptions of any new products or services. Using a CMS makes it easier to create relevant blog entries and upload news articles. New content provides a reason for visitors to return to your site. You can use it for marketing campaigns via email and social media.
Updating your own website using a CMS can save you time and money as you won't need to engage a web designer or developer to do it for you. You can also do it when you want, not according to an agency's work schedule.
Where do I start?
Not all content management systems are created equal. Before deciding on a CMS, it’s a good idea to review a few options so you can choose one that best fits your website goals, and your technical and design ability. Some examples include:
Content marketing delivers value to potential customers in a way that traditional marketing doesn't.
Traditional marketing channels are no longer very effective. We fast-forward through TV advertisements. We surf the web in such a way we absorb the information we're interested in, while filtering the ads on web pages.
That’s why many businesses are turning to content marketing.
What is content marketing?
It's about providing relevant and useful information to customers. This builds trust, relationships, sales and loyalty. Content marketing can position a business as a market leader or authority.
Social media is now the most common channel for content marketing. It's flexible and immediate.
Create a plan
Improve your chances of success by developing a content marketing plan and schedule. This would support an overarching marketing strategy.
Content marketing and social media planning often go hand-in-hand. So you'll find different names for the plan, such as:
Regardless, a good plan should include the following:
When thinking of a plan, do you think of lengthy documents that take months to create? (And then sit on a shelf gathering dust?) The memory alone is enough to put you off. But you don’t need an extensive, formal plan. Just think through your objectives and write them down.
Video is a great way to inform and entertain customers – and to promote your business.
Why have video content on your website?
Online video is becoming a key way for people to satisfy their need for information and entertainment. If small businesses don’t include it as part of their content marketing plans then they risk losing business.
Consider how popular video is already. YouTube has over 1 billion unique visitors each month. When done well, video is engaging, provides information in an easily digestible way.
Video content can be created to suit a range of budgets. Some options include engaging a video production company to produce content for you, or using an online tool to produce your own.
With the progress of technology, and the ability to record video is common to almost all smart phones, production costs can now be created to suit a range of budgets, making it an accessible medium for the smallest business.
Incorporating multimedia elements into your content enriches the quality of your website. Besides, including video increases the amount of time visitors spend on web pages and social sharing.
Ideas for video content
When planning video content you need to consider your audience and ensure your video will be relevant to them. Here are some examples of video content that might be useful for businesses:
Ask why
Market it
Don’t make it too much like an ad
Don’t stop at just one
Consider your content marketing plan
Read more about content marketing plans
Make it shareable
Optimise it for search engines
Getting started
The thought of creating a video for your business may seem daunting. Some examples of online tools that assist with video content creation include:
Top-level domains include .co, .com and .org. Second level domains include .nz and .au and often show the location of an organisation. There are also domain names that relate to specific industry sectors such as .photo or .movie.
Registering a domain name works on a first-come, first-served basis, so you may not always be able to get your first choice. Most domain registration organisations make the process quick and easy.
Why use a domain name across both website and email?
It creates a professional impression, which customers look for and trust.
While there are many domain options available, a good place to start is to consider what your customers look for. If they see you as a New Zealand business then consider getting a .nz domain name. If you want to be seen as an international business then consider .com.
Research indicates that customers trust businesses more if they're using a registered domain name in their email addresses.
Registering more than one domain
To target customers in different countries, you can register multiple domain names for a website. For example, you could register .com, .nz, .au and .uk all at once. But be aware that domain registration isn't free. You'll need to pay a fee for each domain name you register. Fees are normally charged annually. Some domain names also require a verified local contact address in a specific country for registration, such as .org.uk.
To hear why Survive-it use their domain name for both website and email, watch this video
We've all heard of email marketing. Chances are, your inbox is filled with it! Here's how to use email marketing to strengthen customer relationships.
Email marketing is when a business sends an email to a group of people using email. Email marketing can take many forms:
Done well, email marketing can be a great way of staying in contact with your customers and promoting your business.
Why do I need email marketing?
Email marketing has become popular because it allows a business to reach their target markets in a more focused and less expensive way than traditional print, radio and TV marketing. It's also more effective at conversions than social media.
It can help you to stay in contact with customers who have bought from you. It can also introduce them to new products or services. Email marketing can help you strengthen your relationship with your customers, leading to loyal followers.
How do I start email marketing?
There are some pretty smart tools to help businesses with their email marketing. Some tools even allow businesses to group their customers based on information such as:
The business can then send out emails to specific groups. Customers will get personalised emails that are likely to be of interest to them.
Most email marketing tools will store email addresses in a database and provide campaign management capabilities. More sophisticated software includes customer relationship management tools like Salesforce.
The great thing for small businesses is that many of the email marketing software providers offer a free version. But before choosing the first email marketing software you come across, do your research. Consider what your business wants to achieve. Talk to friends, colleagues and other businesses about the tools they're using.
Tips for getting started
1. Grow your database
Include a sign-up form on your website and social media channels, and encourage customers to sign up to receive updates, specials and promotions. Consider running competitions or promotions to encourage your customers to sign up to your mailing list.
2. Don't overdo it
Make sure you stay in contact with your potential customers – but don't flood their inbox. If you contact them too often, they'll delete your emails without reading them. Or worse, they'll ask you to remove them from your mailing list. Once or twice a month is enough for an email.
3. Plan your approach
Create a content plan. This is a schedule of your planned online activity. It identifies the following:
Having a content plan can take the stress out of email marketing.
A responsive website adapts to fit the screen size of any device. Responsive web design gives users a customised viewing experience for different browser platforms such as computers, tablets, smart phones.
Why is responsive web design important?
As smartphone use increases, it's important to accommodate the needs of your customer. Whether they're looking at your website on their phone or computer, it should work.
Recognise that mobile browsing is expected to outpace desktop browsing, consequently you should consider implementing responsive web design to remain competitive.
Here are some steps to making sure your website is responsive:
SEO covers a range of strategies and techniques to get higher rankings in search results. Search engines like Google analyse websites to determine search ranking.
Why use SEO?
SEO is like sending out invitations to view your website. Without the invitation, no one will know to come to your site. Users searching for a business online will often only look through the first few links on the results page. Aim to have your business pages appear in search results with relevant keywords.
How to improve your SEO
The writing on your website can either send visitors away or invite them to explore.
Poorly written content can detract from your message. Consider the following when writing for your website:
Keep it short and concise
Grab the attention of your readers by focusing on a single message. Using short sentences also helps, since long sentences can be hard to follow. Your text should be direct and useful. Avoid using technical jargon where possible.
Make it easy to skim
The majority of readers will scan your web page or article. That is, they won't read every word. To help them, you need to make your pages easy to scan by breaking the information into chunks. Here are some ways to do this:
Start with the most important bit
Readers may not make it all the way to the bottom of the page. So make sure you get your point across on the first screen.
Think about titles
Capture the reader's interest by using short, but exciting titles. Consider including the main benefit or solution to pique their interest. For inspiration, take a look at the type of short front page headlines used on weekly magazines and on newspapers.
Target your audience
Avoid generalising. Instead, think about who your audience is. Write just for them. Make your text personable and friendly. Appeal to emotions, especially if you are trying to sell a product or service.
Be professional
Typos, errors and run-on sentences will turn people away. One proofreading tip is to print your text and read it out loud to yourself. This can help you spot mistakes and areas for improvement.
Do your research
Make sure your content is factual and accurate. Misleading or inaccurate information on your website can undermine your credibility and reputation.
Want to know more?
A Google search on the topic will provide a range of resources, tips and tricks. Look for e-books about digital marketing and online training courses.
Social media
Businesses can use social media to increase engagement and help build an online following.
Is social media useful for business?
Social media platforms include tools for businesses to boost engagement. Some of the most popular platforms include:
Why use social media?
Create social profiles for your business to increase your online presence. This will give customers a choice of channels to stay in touch. Customers will appreciate having different methods with which to contact you. This can even increase sales.
Here are some points to consider: