Archive for the Marketing Category

Which marketing method is working for you?

The time and effort you put in to your marketing is time well spent. However, are you sure that you are reaching your target audience? Are Facebook fans coming to your site and making pre-sales inquiries? You update Twitter as often as you can but are they site visitors and asking questions?

Your analytic’s will give you important information about your site visitors. Where they came from and what they typed in to search engines. However there is one thing you can do that is easy, direct and should answer the important question.

All you have to do is ask.

On the contact form, you need on extra question – How did you hear about us?

If they make contact by phone then ask - How did you hear about us?

Why not record the answers and try to work out the most popular method of discovery, which marketing method is driving customers to your site.

 

Register your website with 100 directories, special offer from Leigh Quantrill

Leigh Quantrill

Leigh Quantrill has a great offer on the go at the moment…

It’s the start of a new year and the perfect time to start getting noticed, generating traffic to your website and making sure all those potential future clients know what your business does and can find your website, email address and telephone number if and when they need to.

Why not let us register your website with 100 directories for just £40!

Gaining valuable links and making sure your website can be found online in a variety of places, directory submissions are a great way to build your profile!

If you are starting a new site then this offer is certainly worth checking out. Find out more on Leigh’s site.

QR code usage data from comScore, are those 3D bar codes here to stay?

According to blog post, 20 Million Americans Scanned a QR Code in October, on the comScore Data Mine website…

20.1 million mobile phone owners in the U.S. used their device to scan a QR code in the three-month average period ending October 2011.

The case for using QR/Flash codes seems to be pretty solid…

Previous coverage…

QR/Flash code readers for your Android mobile

 

QR Flash codeThanks to a Google+ post by +Frank Warwick, here is a useful blog post from Mashable about QR/Flash readers for Android phones…

QR codes are used to reveal more information about a product, service, event or person. Generally, they direct the scanning device to a special URL, video, coupon, event page, email address, or other digital signpost with more details and content.

To scan the codes, all you need is a mobile device with a camera and an app to interpret the data in the code

Read more on 7 Free QR Code Reader Apps for Android [PICS]

As the online retailers battle, do eReaders and eBooks matter to you?

If you have not already noticed, there is a bit of a battle going on between online book retailers. Amazon with their Kindle range of eReaders, Barnes and Noble with their Nook and many more battling to make money (such as Kobo).

Will you be buying a device this year? Will someone be putting one under the Christmas tree and writing your name on it? I bet some of your customers will be getting one.

If you are not thinking of using eBooks in your marketing mix then you should be. From a simple product or technical guide through to complex how-to’s, eBooks looks to be  great addition.

So what are your plans for eBooks and eReaders? Planning to join the digital reading revolution or going to give it a miss?

When should I start planning for Christmas?

Yes, Christmas is coming and the superstores are getting ready. Towns are getting their lights strung above the streets and most people are thinking it’s all happening too soon. Is it too soon for your business?

When should you start to plan your marketing and online strategies?

Lots of things you do in business has ‘lead-times’.

  • products need to be ordered and delivered
  • leaflets and other promotional material needs to be printed
  • blog posts need to be written and polished for publication
  • shops will need appropriate Christmas decorations

It’s your business and you know how long it can take to get things decided upon, ordered and delivered.

Supermarkets spend untold amounts of money on research. They know when their customers are ready. When the shelves near the door gets small amounts of Christmas decorations, you know they are just getting started. Another good giveaway is when the small selection of kids toys gets bigger and bigger.

Supermarkets are great indicators. Once they start to put out Christmas products the rest will follow.

What it comes down to is your own products and customers. You should know what it takes to be prepared. Factor in lead times and when you think it is appropriate.

For those who ship products, don’t forget the last day that the post office can guarantee deliveries. That’s about a week before the big day.

If you are blogging for your business, getting your posts written and seen by search engines now will help. More Christmas blog posts you have, the better the chance they will be found by searchers.

So when you take it all in consideration, perhaps now is to late?

Win a years advertising with France Online

France Online is offering a prize of one years advertising in their competition.

Win an opportunity to showcase your business on all, or any of our 7 websites for 1 year.

You will also have the opportunity to feature in one of our Blogs Free of Charge with your own publication showcasing your business or services throughout the year.

All you have to do to enter is answer 3 questions and subscribe to their weekly newsletter.

How are you getting on with Flash codes?

Since I last wrote about Flash and QR codes, I have noticed something rather strange, they are starting to appear on web pages. If a visitor is already on the page then the flash code is redundant.

Flash codes were meant for printed media such as magazines, posters and leaflets. Ideal for printing on packages, invoices and business cards.

Are you using Flash codes? Does it work for you?

Are your photo’s an after thought?

You most likely spent lots of money on your business site – gite, holiday rental, online shop, whatever…

But how much did you spend on photography? Online shops often use pictures from their suppliers. Not very inspiring as many of them are bland and not very exciting. Gite and holiday rental owners take 5 pictures of the drive way and 1 picture for each room. Even then the room photo’s are often dark.

There is so much competition for holiday rental owners, you really can’t afford to rely on your mobile phone for real quality pictures.

So if you could be shown how to take a better picture, would you pay for a course?

Free advertising opportunity for holiday rental owners

A brand new site that connects holiday rental owners with future guests is offering free listings…

We’ve been busy creating Holiday Let Exchange this year. It’s designed to allow you, the gîte owners, to chat with loads of holiday makers and really show off your beautiful properties.

The site’s nothing, however, without all your lovely properties. So, we’ve created a really good offer for the first 100 gîtes to be listed…no payment, no commitment, lots of publicity.

Have a look at the site. If it’s for you simply follow the simple steps and we’ll put the Champagne on ice!

For more check out Holiday Let Exchange.