Why All Businesses, Wherever You are, Need to be Utilising Digital Marketing

Customer behaviour has changed considerably over the last 10 years. When we begin our purchasing journey we inevitably start our research online, and businesses who fail to recognise this trend are losing out.

Think about it? Your phone is broken. You’re considering getting a new one. What do you do? You go online of course, Google the latest models, check the spec and then compare prices and deals. And it doesn’t just go for phones, it can be applied to almost any area of retail or the service sector; from plumbers in your area to a new coat; if we need something we Google it first. The buyer journey essentially, begins and ends on the internet, and the smarter companies are the ones who are facilitating the consumer’s journey before they ever reach their site.

Remember how it used to be?

Many companies, especially in rural areas, believe that this rule only applies to the bigger cities. But, it’s really not the case. I was born and raised in a small village in Lincolnshire, called Heckington. It’s famous for a windmill and an annual agricultural show. When I was growing up I thought it was the backend of beyond where nothing ever happened. Our school had one computer (an Archimedes) and we would fight over it to play James Pond. After a few years here and there, moving to Sheffield, then Bath, I am now living back in that very village, I thought I would never go back to. Why? Well because it has changed and so have I.

Heckington is a small village in a county most people haven’t heard of, but even it has moved with the times. We now have fibre optic broadband. The windmill has its own website and brewery who regularly market online. The local school even has 50 computers. What’s more is that, in marketing terms, if you do a Google search for a Hairdresser in the nearby town of Sleaford, you will find 110 people on average searching for this information each month. 

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Facebook Marketing through Videos

This week Facebook made yet another big announcement regarding changes to its logarithm. I know right? They just can’t leave it alone! But, rather than something which, is going to make marketing that bit more strenuous they've decided to install a feature that will jazz up your profile.

You will all probably have your Facebook picture profile set-up on your page, (you know, the one of yourself looking a bit worse for wear), but now did you know that you can upload an actual video instead? Whilst those of you, thinking about your personal profiles may think, ‘why on earth would I do this?’ those of you with business pages should think about it in a different way; a marketing way.

I have been harping on for weeks now about the importance of video and mobile optimisation and here you can kill two birds with one stone. By 2017, video will account for 69% of all consumer internet traffic, according to Cisco and 64% of marketers expect video to dominate their strategies in the near future. Video is the future and now you can add it to your Facebook Business Profile too.

Video is not as complicated as it sounds, and you don’t have to be Ridley Scott to make one. Sometimes all you need is a Camera or even an iPhone (other phones are available...) then prepare yourself a script, sit in front of the camera and present your business to the world. People buy people, so seeing a face and hearing your voice really works. It also helps to retain attention which would otherwise be lost in a long text article. (Maybe I’ll vlog next week). A few tips to remember though whilst doing your presentation.

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