If you are promoting or selling your products/services online you are probably looking for an edge. Your competitors are just a click away, so here are some ideas to help you stand out from the crowd.
Social Media channels (Facebook / Twitter etc.) are still an excellent method for bringing traffic to your website. But what about those people who have come directly to your website? You need to ensure you are sharing all of your unique content and engaging with your clients similar to the way you already do on Facebook or Pinterest.
Mobile optimization means converting your current desktop website into a format that can be read on any mobile device. The reason behind this is to eliminate the need for zooming and it gives ease of access to the information. By optimizing your website for mobile you’re making it easy to navigate with minimum user frustration from hitting the wrong link.
You should know that Mobile users prefer mobile-optimised sites when browsing on the phone.
People use mobile browsers for entertainment and shopping while apps are used for social networking and games. These are differences that need to be taken into consideration when deciding to build an app or optimize a website. You should also consider that a mobile-optimised website is easier to manage, significantly cheaper to develop than an app, and allows syncing between your website and mobile-optimized site.
What does this mean in practice? Some people adopt a one size fits all approach to communicating with their audiences via social media. Post to Facebook, use the same post on Twitter. Lots of people have it set up so that a tweet posted automatically gets posted to their Facebook page. This may be handy, but don’t forget that your Twitter followers may be a different group to your Facebook fans. Twitter followers tend to be more business-oriented – Facebook fans tend to be browsers, and are more likely to be in relaxation mode when logged in to Facebook. You need to know what each group expects from you, and how to segment the two audiences in terms of messaging.
Customisation is key.
Do you have any tips to share on customising your message to fit your various social media audiences?
– these can easily be embedded onto your website or Facebook page.
In a recent study by Rich Relevance, Pinterest now accounts for 25% of all social shopping sessions, and shoppers, on average, spend significantly more per purchase ($194) than Facebook shoppers ($84).
Pinterest boards can be used to showcase your products in a lifestyle format and take images to give your customers ideas on how to use your products and this will give them more reasons to buy.
Be sure to add the “Pin it” button, a simple way to help drive engagement. It may get a few shoppers pinning, but it won’t allow you to showcase all of the cool things you’re doing on Pinterest so be sure to add your boards to your website.
If you have a client about to make a purchase online what happens if they have some doubts or questions which could potentially influence them to change their mind about buying your product? By simply providing a live online chat for them to use in the process of their online purchase you can help them by providing those clients with the assurance needed to help make their final decision. More than likely you will get the sale!
Everybody seems focused on running competitions on their Facebook page – but consider those people who are coming directly to your website – why not have something for those visitors too?
There are plenty of tools to deliver competition on your website.
Entice clients to earn a reward in exchange for referring their friends to sign up with you.
According to a recent Forrester Research report:
Yes, blogs are great for both SEO and providing unique content but don’t forget to add something to keep your viewers entertained.
Here are some simple things to look for on your website that might be costing you conversions:
That is a quote from Leonardo Da Vinci who ( as far as we know ) was never introduced to the concept of the internet, never mind search engines, impressions, click-through rates etc. Many of today’s modern-day inventive minds are increasingly returning to the concept of simplicity after many years of facing the opposite direction, Google also seems to be moving that way.
The Matrix Internet team is just back from a breakfast morning session with the Google Search team who outlined their vision of how businesses can make themselves more visible to potential customers. There were no surprises there, no “Road to Damascus” enlightenment. What we did get was an insight from one of the leading minds within the Google Search team: Giacomo Gnecchi Rusconi, who outlined some of the upcoming changes and tools available to businesses to enhance the promotion of their products and services. We were lucky enough to have an in-depth discussion with Giacomo after the presentation and he answered all of our team’s questions about google search, google plus, google places, AdWords, etc. Google is really making big strides in engaging with Digital Agencies like ourselves and realizing that we are partners with similar goals ( albeit on different scales 🙂 ).
The message is clear from Google, don’t overthink strategy and try to be too clever. If you generate engaging, natural, stimulating content then the audience will come and Google will help you along that road. They didn’t say what would happen if you strayed off the path of “best practices” but invisibility was one of the implied repercussions !!!!
Above are the official takeaway points and here below are the 2 things that really sunk into my grey matter, I think Leonardo would have approved.
The digital world moves quickly, but the EU recently warned some social media platforms they aren’t moving fast enough to get into compliance with European law. Social media is an increasingly commercial platform, and the EU’s stance is that it must operate in line with European consumer protection laws. Is your company fully aware of the implications? Are you confident your social media use is not violating any national or EU laws?
Digital marketing professionals know the importance of ongoing training. Staying up to date by attending seminars, reading industry news sources and organizing custom, in-house training helps you keep your digital marketing effective and legal. Most of us find the marketing side of it less intimidating than the legal side, so we’re quicker to study that. The Law Society of Ireland recently announced their annual diploma course aimed at both solicitors and non-solicitors about digital law. The course covers social media law including defamation, intellectual property and copyright infringement, data protection and more. While few digital marketing professionals will take a course at this level, the fact that one exists is a good reminder of the importance of being informed about your company’s legal responsibilities.
The internet can feel like the wild west at times. But ultimately, companies have responsibilities for how their internet presence is used. It’s not that different really from the rest of the world. Ensure your offers and competitions comply with the law. Don’t post libellous material or allow others to post libellous comments on your social media pages or as comments on your blog. When you share things, ensure the source is properly credited. Matrix Internet can’t give you legal advice, but we will tell you to talk to a solicitor with expertise in digital law if you have any concerns.
What we can tell you is to use good sense and vigilance to monitor your digital presence. Some basic good practices can also keep you out of legal trouble. Monitor comments on your social media and blog, and delete any that are libellous, incite hate or disclose personal information about a third party. Provide all staff working with your social media, website and blog with clear, written policies and encourage them to report to a supervisor anytime they are unsure if something poses a legal issue or not. Following good practices and ensuring your social media, blog and website are respectful places means you are not likely to face any legal issues with your digital marketing. A diploma in digital law might be more than your company needs. But it is important to stay up to date in all aspects of digital marketing, and that’s why Matrix Internet offers customized training sessions.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our society in countless ways. With thousands of events cancelled worldwide, we now rely on technology to share knowledge, teach, learn and stay in touch with people — all from a distance. Webinars, an already popular platform for launching events and courses to audiences remotely, started dominating the business world.
Below we have selected some of our favourite webinars that will help boost your online presence and kickstart brand growth.
1 – Selling Online Made Easy: This webinar, organised by Dublin Chamber, features insightful tips for trading online, shared by four specialists: Marian O’Gorman, CEO of the Kilkenny Shop, Diana Valentine, Press and Communications Manager of the European Consumer Centre Ireland, Noel Davidson, Director of Training at the Entrepreneur’s Academy and our very own Jeff Sheridan, founder of Matrix Internet. In the one-hour webinar, they share the retailer’s point of view and the responsibilities of selling online, highlight some COVID-19 Government funding, and offer tips on how to set up your eCommerce.
2 – Leveraging and Managing the Potential of your new Remote Workforce: No matter the size of your company, management and remote working can be difficult areas to master during these unprecedented times. Rachel and Russell Moore from Cork-based consulting and enterprise IT company Aspira lead the webinar, that’s teeming with tips. They’ll teach you how to motivate your team, set targets, keep people safe and informed about your company, and much more.
This is just one of the helpful webinars they released between April and June, and they cover other topics in the series, from tools to use to facilitate online working, to leadership skills. Click here to watch the full content and visit their website to follow the series.
3 – Nailing Your Colours to the eCommerce Mast: Part of the DCCI series of webinars for design and crafts, this hour-long programme introduces the reasons why bricks and mortar retail and eCommerce is a marriage made in heaven. Jeff Sheridan presents valuable tips to help retailers of all specialities to boost their strategies and open up omnichannel possibilities. Click here to watch the content.
4 – Amazon Web Services (AWS) Partner webinars: We tried to ask our Development team to list one or two of their favourite webinars — a difficult mission as they’re always exploring something new.
This is where the AWS Partner Webinars come in handy. The platform features live demonstrations, customer use cases and real-time Q&A sessions with AWS experts, among other features. Covering topics from data and analytics to the internet of things (IoT), the platform always offers something new. If you’re a developer, this is the place for you.
5 – Demonstrating Marketing Impact in Newer Times: If you are in the marketing and communications industry, you know that in tough times, industry leaders hit these areas first when they want to reduce budgets and justify spending. Here, APAC Senior Online Sales Director Ashutosh Gupta and Refinitiv Global Director Social Media Kelvin Lee discuss the ways that marketers are measuring success. They also share insights on how to show the importance of marketing investments and provide valuable tips to help businesses of all sizes. You can watch it here.
6 – How to Win at Social Media for Business: Here, our Social Media Specialist Rakky Curvelo breaks down the secrets of social media for people who are launching their business pages. She discusses the best uses of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest, navigates critical trends for 2020, advises on the best tools for maintaining an active presence on the channels and talks about the impact of COVID-19 on business. The webinar is hosted by the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland, and it’s available on their YouTube channel. Click here to view it.
7 – Brand Building and Social Communication in a Time of Crisis: This pandemic has changed everything about our lives, from the way we work to the way we communicate and connect with people. Hootsuite Content Strategist James Mulvey and Social Engagement Specialist Nick Martin share advice on how to build brand awareness and the value of social marketing in these challenging circumstances. They also talk about practical ways to run social ads, deal with hostile customers, adjust social strategy for the months ahead and practice to prove your value to leadership. See more here.
8 – How to develop a powerful website content strategy: in times like these, it’s vital to create engaging and relevant content for any website. Digital Culture Network’s Tech Champion for websites, Roberta Beattie presents insights and tips on how to do precisely that. In this one-hour webinar, you’ll learn how to audit, reuse and repurpose content you already have, how to create content that speaks to your visitors and how to get the most out of your website. Our founder Jeff Sheridan and our Social Media and Content Specialist Rakky Curvelo join Roberta in the second part of the webinar, sharing some tools, tricks and tips for teams who wish to breathe life into their content. Click here to watch it.
If like us, you enjoy learning new skills, online resources such as webinars are great resources. Our team is always looking for the most innovative ways to offer a bespoke service, in web development, design and digital marketing. If you could use a few extra eyes on a project or the experience of specialists to guide you through a challenging time, give us a shout! We’ll be happy to help.
By Iñaki Castellet Hernández
By Jeff Sheridan