Building the right strategy now will help your business through the year. It’s particularly important to plan and allocate budgets to the right place- creating a marketing plan can help you to do this. The main points to consider when creating a marketing strategy are:
You could also consider hiring a marketing team- they will be able to advise you on the right strategy for your business and come up with creative solutions for your business marketing. Read our blog ‘Digital Marketing - Why you need a Marketing Team’ to find out more. If you need any help or advice Creative Remedy are here to support you, so please get in touch if you have any questions.
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We’ve avoided saying it for as long as we could, but it can’t be denied any longer - get ready, Christmas is coming! It comes around so fast every year, I won’t even tell you how many shopping days you have left. But don’t panic, you still have plenty of time to get your business ready for the festivities, but you need to act now! Christmas is a great time to make meaningful connections with your customers and clients as well as a fantastic opportunity to show off your amazing brand with some top-notch Christmas inspired marketing. We’ve done some of the hard work for you (we can’t help with the Christmas shopping, sadly) and put together a festive filled guide to get your business in the Christmas spirit!
Christmas 2023 Marketing Strategy If you haven't already reviewed your marketing strategy for Christmas then you need to act now:
Dec the Halls... If your business has a physical premises where customers visit then you need to be thinking about festive marketing materials such as boards, banners, posters and decals for the windows. Don’t forget twinkly lights, Christmas tree and, if appropriate, music inside. …and the Virtual Halls Don’t forget the online window dressing:
Get Personal To say thank you to your customers and to wish them well for the new year, why not send a branded calendar, stationary or Christmas card? Handwritten for that extra personal touch. As always Creative Remedy are on hand to help with any of your branded printing materials including calendars and cards as well as your Christmas digital marketing. Don’t forget the more notice the better, we can’t change print lead times unfortunately! Has your once vibrant, welcoming website turned into a zombie apocalypse horror? A badly designed and/or maintained website can cause your business terrifying nightmares and have your customers running for the hills! But don’t despair, we can help you create a spellbinding site that has customers flocking to your homepage - and send the ghosts and goblins back underground where they belong! Death by Design
When did you last have a website redesign? If your website is ageing and tired your customers will notice- from out of date images to unreadable typefaces that are too small - if you haven’t had a refresh in the last 3 years then there is every possibility that your website could do with an overhaul. Research tells us that visitors make a decision on the visual appeal of your website within 50 milliseconds of visiting, so you need to make sure your design is top-notch! Content that gives you the Creeps Is your content engaging? Can your visitors find what they’re looking for quickly and easily? Make sure your content is up to date, relevant and informative but take care not to overload each page with mountains of written text- visitors will be put off if they have to scroll through reams of information. Torturous Loading Times Slow loading web pages are a sure fire way to lose your visitors. Check the loading speed as 40% of visitors will leave your site if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load. Slow websites can be caused by a number of issues including images and videos that haven’t been optimised or an outdated content management system (CMS). Chills at the Checkout If you have an ecommerce website you might be losing customers if your checkout system is awkward, overcomplicated or unnecessarily lengthy. Try your checkout for yourself- is it easy and quick to go from basket to completed purchase? If not, why not? Offer a number of payment options- there’s nothing more annoying than completing all your details only to find out you can’t pay with your preferred payment option. Loathsome Links Bad links will drive your visitors loopy! Not only will it make you look unprofessional it will undoubtedly cost you your customers. Check all your links are working and taking your visitor to the correct pages- if they’re broken get them fixed! Do you need help bringing your website back from the dead? Contact us for a FREE website audit. Creating a brand identity takes a lot of hard work and perseverance. Designing a great logo and website are important first steps but how do you establish your brand to make it recognisable, trusted and credible? There are a number of steps you need to take when building your brand from researching your competitors to communicating your story, message and values to your target audience and then applying these to your marketing strategy. Be Seen - Grow Your Sales - Build Your Brand
Business directories make your business easier to find online with a direct link to your unique search engine optimised business profile. Your business profile featured on online directories allows you to target your audience and build brand awareness. It is an affordable alternative to improve your online presence and digital footprint. Quite often Google Ads campaign or other paid for ads are unattainable to small businesses. Just think your brand is being promoted on all social platforms, on a regular basis and it is something you don’t have to directly manage yourself. Local Online Business Directories Our heart is with two local online business directories that have a support local ethos. If you understand back links and the impact of linking to credible websites to your own website, then you will appreciate the value of driving traffic to your website to again more enquiries, more leads and in turn more sales. A great way to find prospective customers is to sign up to a local online directory, such as The Local View and Peterborough Business Directory. Our online directories give you access to potential new suppliers, advertise your business across a number of social media channels and allow you to promote your products, services, courses and events to a wider audience through, online articles, banner advertising, our own email marketing and paid for ads. Here are just some of the benefits;
So you have got a website, what else can you do to promote your business and get your brand out there? Did you know The Local View provides design and printing services? We can design and print marketing materials such as brochures, compliment slips, banners (great for local expos), business cards and more. We also offer a leaflet design, print and distribution service- perfect for your next marketing campaign! Articles & Spotlight Articles If you have some exciting news or developments to share, a spotlight article includes Search Engine Optimisation, chosen key phrases, an advert and video to promote your product, service, course or event. Articles are a great way to spread the word about what’s happening in your business, create a buzz and engage with your audience. Do you have a story to tell?
Please request a copy of our article submission guide. Contact us > Being part of a local online business directory is more than advertising, it’s also about supporting local and your local business community. The Local View and Peterborough Business Directory fully support the shop local ethos with a focus on small independent businesses and focused business owners like you. We understand the challenges SME’s face out there but within our local directories you become more visible, supported and learn about what is happening locally in terms of grants, funding, business support courses, local news and events, share knowledge and network with other like minded businesses. All of this will help strengthen your brand and improve your online presence. If you’re a small business owner you will already be well aware of the need for a strong digital marketing strategy. You might be handling your own digital marketing, carrying out day to day tasks such as social media management. But are you truly getting the best out of our digital marketing while trying to run your business? It isn’t easy to split your time between marketing and the day-to-day running of your business. This is where hiring a team to handle your digital marketing could actually save you time and money, as well as ensuring your marketing is top notch, on brand and working hard for your business.
Reasons for Outsourcing your Marketing; Delegate You might have been managing perfectly well when you first started out but as your business grows it becomes much more difficult to keep juggling all those plates. The money you think you’re saving by handling your own digital marketing is actually not a saving at all, YOUR time IS money and your time needs to be spent where it's most needed- on running your business. Allowing a professional team to manage your digital marketing will not only free up your time but the team will also be much quicker and more efficient too - they already understand all the software, apps and technology required to make your business digital marketing successful. Objectivity It’s not easy to think objectively when it’s your own business that you’ve nurtured from scratch but a digital marketing team will be able to look at it from an outsiders point of view, allowing them to find effective communication strategies. Expertise When you hire a professional marketing team you have access to all their combined knowledge and expertise. They will be able to advise you on all aspects of your marketing strategy, help you establish your target audience and create the perfect plan. You only have one chance to do a launch- make sure you do it the right way! Creative Unique Ideas and Thinking Outside the Box A digital marketing team can look at your business with fresh eyes, spot potential avenues for targeting your audience and they’ll have the expertise to try out new ideas. Your expertise is in your products or services, their expertise is in digital marketing. As with everything, the marketing sector is constantly evolving but luckily for you it’s in their job description to make sure they’re up-to-date with all the latest advancements. They’ll be able to help identify and track key performance indicators (KPIs) and see ways to improve them. Strategy and Communication A digital marketing team will be able to help devise an effective digital marketing strategy - they might do a SWOT analysis (strength, weakness, opportunities, threats) or set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound) and make sure these align with your overall business goals. Most importantly, your marketing team will know what needs doing and when- less reactive and more proactive thinking. Hiring a digital marketing team could be the best decision you make for your business. From creating the perfect strategy, trying out new tech or finding exciting and innovative ways to engage your audience. Do you need support with your digital marketing? Get in touch and book your FREE consultation. |
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