PART II

Resolutions 6-10

As the year draws to a close, we thought it might be helpful to offer some suggestions on how you could improve your business prospects in 2016. Last week saw the publication of the first five, here now are resolutions 6-10. Please call us (020 8117 8543) if you would like to know more about any of the items listed below.

1. 1. RESOLUTION Nº6:
      Make a video for your website

If the holy grail of a website is to get people to linger a while, then having a big fat play button on the home page is a sure-fire way of guaranteeing that browsers will stay at least long enough to watch it. The longer they stay the more likely they are to do what you want them to do – buy, call, sign up etc.

There’s really no better way to engage your audience. Reading is brain active, watching is brain passive. Written text means they do the work, video means you’ve done it for them. And don’t forget, when linked to youTube (owned by Google), videos are a powerful way of improving your search engine rankings.

1. 1. RESOLUTION Nº7:
      Get marketing on social media and start blogging

For most businesses Social Media Marketing (SMM) is a bit like after school homework – universally despised but necessary for good results. Like it or not, leveraging the power of at least one of the major social networks can significantly improve your business’s online profile. Happily we can do the spadework for you – the bit most people hate – which is posting regularly and building up the ‘likes’, ‘follows’ and ‘links’ that are so essential to your search engine rankings.

However, at the heart of an effective social media campaign is really good, engaging content. So resolution Nº7 is not so much about the campaign, but about setting yourself a target of writing 250 to 500 words a month on anything about your business that highlights its features and benefits, informs the reader and positions your as an authoritative voice in your market. Then leave it up to us to tell the world. For more details on social media marketing check out this blog post.

1. 1. RESOLUTION Nº8:
      Take a look at your corporate Identity

As so little of our communication is in print these days, businesses have tended to forget the importance of a good corporate identity. When we wrote letters, sent out cheques with compliment slips, billed on three part NCR invoices and had 5000 company brochures printed each year, there was a strong emphasis on not only looking right, but being consistent.

Going online has tended to shift our attention away from this, which is not only a shame but it could actually be adversely affecting the way people perceive your business. So Resolution Nº8 is to check the styling of your website, your email marketing, your email signature, your business cards – in fact all your communications – to see that they look great, that they all match up and really make your business stand out from the crowd.

1. 1. RESOLUTION Nº9:
      Get some structure into your marketing

We’re all guilty of it – marketing when we’re quiet and doing nothing to promote the business when we’re busy. Which, of course, accounts for those quiet times when we decided to do some marketing again. Resolution Nº9, therefore, is to make 2016 the year that you create a plan.

You may not know that, apart from building websites, we have spent the last twenty years helping businesses do just this. So why not set aside half a day to get us in to discuss the such essentials as, who am I targeting? What am I targeting them with and when and how should I be communicating with them? Once you have a really coherent plan it’s remarkable how much of your marketing you can then automate using your website, email and social media.

1. 1. RESOLUTION Nº10:
      Regularly check your Google Analytics

Hands up, how many of you have checked your google analytics in the last month? … Last six months? …. Last year? …. Ever? Now hands up all of you who either don’t know if you actually have google analytics on your website or, if you do, don’t know how to access them?

Google may be one of those corporate behemoths that we all love to hate but their analytics are both free and extraordinary. For years business owners have craved to know the kind of answers that are now available with a few clicks or taps on your google account (provided your webmaster has installed the code).

For starters; questions such as how many people visited my site, when did they visit, how long did they stay, what were they looking for, where did they go, how did they leave? Then burrow deeper; how old were they, what gender, what device did they use to view the site, what country do they live in? It’s all there and more. I guarantee that if you look only once you will discover a nugget that will change the way you think about your website and its audience. Look regularly and you will begin to see patterns and trends that could revolutionise the way you market your business.

If you don’t have analytics set up or are not sure how to check them give us a call and we will be happy to sort it out for you.

So – there you have it; ten ideas to galvanise you into action for 2016. Our very best wishes for your future business success.

If you have read anything here that you think we can help you with then please call us on 020 8117 8543| Email us on enquiries@carrdale.com