Category: Blog / Updates

Launching a new business can be difficult. Startups face a number of challenges, with everything from brand awareness to market share having an impact on a new business’ fortunes. As a result, companies need to ensure they get off to the best possible start. The more complete their corporate identity, their image and their USP, the easier it will be for them to convince customers they’re worth doing business with.

One way that startups can present a confident, ambitious face to the public is by investing in good design. A cohesive aesthetic will help to inspire confidence in customers, create a strong identity and help the startup begin as it means to go on.

First impressions

If a customer doesn’t know much about a new business, the only thing they have to go on when forming a first impression is the design of the website, the logo and the promotional materials. The look of these products will give the startup its identity, with bright, bold colours and a playful font giving a start up a light hearted image, muted, minimalistic design helping a business create a serious aesthetic and strong, neutral colours making a company appear grown up and trustworthy.

Other businesses will also judge a company by the quality of its design. They’ll use it to assess the new business’ intent and its position in the marketplace. The more eye-catching the design, the more likely businesses and customers will be to take notice of a new company and use the start up in the future.

Showing they mean business

Investing time and money into good quality design shows customers and rival companies that a startup means business. It shows that the people behind the new venture are confident in their ideas and their business plan and gives the impression that the company is here to stay.

Whether they put thought into it or not, most customers and competitors will make these assumptions and judgements as soon as they see the design of the startup’s online and physical premises.

Building an identity

Good design can help to build a strong corporate identity. It can inform everything from the personality of the startup to its position in the marketplace and even its ethos. As the startup goes forward and develops into an established brand, it will carry this initial design with it, building on its identity as it goes.

One of the most important aspects of starting a new business, design can have a significant impact on the success of a startup. To find out more, explore our site today.

If you work in web design or are interested in the industry, you’ll know just how fast trends can change. With designers constantly looking for ways to push the boundaries and create new and exciting user experiences, web design doesn’t stay still for long.

In 2016, we’ve seen many current trends develop, and new trends emerge. With new technologies and innovations hitting the web all the time, these evolving ideas are set to go to the next level. So let’s look at what to expect in the New Year with our predicted web design trends of 2017.

 

Unique grid use 

Grids have long been used in web design to give a site structure. Done well, a grid can make a page easier to navigate and can help to give the site a cleaner aesthetic. In 2017, it’s likely we’ll see a unique grid use. So, instead of using standard squares and right angles, designers will begin to play around with the concept of the grid. We already see more sites layer up their grids and use less linear design, so it’s probable that 2017 will see even more fluid ideas come to the fore.

 

360? videos

You may already have noticed a new of these videos appear on your Facebook feed in the last few months and the chances are, you’re only going to see more as the year goes on. These innovative videos let the viewer to look into the screen, allowing them to look around the space as if they were there.

As well as being fun and novel, these immersive videos have an enormous potential in a range of industries. With an enhanced view of interior design, holiday destinations or even a restaurant layout, these 360? videos could change the way we see things through the web. And with VR hotting up, this area is going to explode.

 

Lazy loading

Lazy loading allows the viewer to see elements of a site without having to wait for the whole page to load. This is ideal for sites that are content rich as it keeps visitors interested until the full page has appeared. Concepts like lazy loading are becoming more important as more of us use our smartphones to access the web and as our attention spans continue to shrink.

 

Parallax

Though parallax has been around for a few years now, we’re predicting it will jump in popularity in 2017. A fantastic way to tell a story, engage viewers, and present content, parallax design is versatile, flexible and very useful.

 

If you want to ensure your site stands up against other contemporary designs, get in touch with us, and we’ll bring your web page right up to date.

Social media marketing has gone from strength to strength in recent years, and 2016 saw the medium achieve even more impressive goals. According to Statista, 97% of the global share of companies now uses social media marketing…

 

 

while 92% of marketers say social media is important for their business.

By taking a look at how social media marketing evolved in 2016, we can see the trends that are developing within the platform. This should give us a clue as to how social media marketing will grow in the coming year and how we can make the most of the opportunities it offers.

 

Going mobile 

In 2016 the internet went mobile in a big way. New algorithms introduced by Google began to favour mobile sites over desktop versions, and the number of Brits with smartphones reached an all-time high, with four out of five now owning their device.

As a result, businesses using social media as a marketing tool have had to adapt their approach, taking mobile users into account when designing their campaigns. Though this may throw up some challenges, it also gives marketers a range of opportunities and could help to revolutionise the way social media campaigns are conducted.

 

Keeping it local 

Though the Internet is a truly global phenomenon, geography is still critical when it comes to social media marketing. A lot of the time when users are searching for a business or service in their local area, they’ll turn to social media for recommendations. According to research by Google, local searches lead a massive 50% of mobile users to visit stores within just one day.

 

By encouraging customers to ‘check in’ to premises on Facebook, tag it on Instagram or enable geotags on Snapchat, businesses can raise their profile in the local area and boost SEO. This has become increasingly important in 2016, and it’s likely the trend will continue actively in the coming year.

 

Facebook still dominates the social media landscape

 

 

Despite the growing influence of platforms like Snapchat, Facebook remains the most dominant force in social media. The network has more users than any other, and the people who sign up to the platform log on more regularly than those of any other social network. What’s more, people using Facebook are more engaged when they’re on the platform than they are when using any other social media network. As a result, Facebook has been the number one target for many social media marketing campaigns in 2016 and is set to remain top of the pile in the coming year.

With social media continuing to grow in prevalence and influence, the trend towards social media marketing is set to become even stronger in 2017. How exactly marketing trends develop will depend on customer habits and technological innovation, but we’re likely to see some fascinating trends evolve in 2017.

 

Article Data Resourced from the following websites:

https://www.greengeeks.com/blog/2016/02/02/heres-why-social-media-marketing-is-critical-in-2016/

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/welcome/?toURL=http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2014/08/11/the-top-10-benefits-of-social-media-marketing/&refURL=&referrer=#7c763fb22a4d

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-37468560

http://searchengineland.com/6-local-seo-stats-every-online-marketer-needs-know-226562

http://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-strategy/new-global-social-media-research/

 

With Google cutting the number of organic results it displays per page from 10 to 8.5, SEO has never been more important. Companies hoping to grow their business and increase their online presence need to ensure they’re on top of their SEO and getting the very best out of their website, blog and social media. To help you keep your SEO up to date and stay ahead of the competition, we’ve put together some of the most compelling SEO stats for 2017.

 

 

A name says a lot

Research has shown that businesses which have a strong keyword in their name rank an average of one and a half places higher than those which don’t. This demonstrates the value of putting serious thought and consideration into your business name, and even rebranding if your current title isn’t relevant enough to your industry.

 

 

Google rules the roost

Though it’s a good idea to keep all of the search engines in mind when planning your SEO strategy, it’s clear from the statistics that Google very much rules the roost. According to Webspand, 66% to 70% of all searches performed online are Google searches. In some countries, the percentage is even higher.

 

 

Keep blogging

Though Google likes to keep the web design community on its toes with its ever changing algorithms, one thing has become apparent: blogs matter. Regularly updated, high-quality content can do wonders for your SEO, with research showing that blogs generate up to 97% more links. What’s more, a recent study revealed that 72% of marketers worldwide said relevant content – like blogs – was the most effective SEO tactic.

 

 

Keep it local

With increasing numbers of mobile users using searches to find nearby businesses, ensuring you have great local SEO is essential. A whopping 72% of people who performed a local search last year visited a shop within five minutes. Businesses hoping to cash in on this local footfall need to ensure they’re online and that their SEO is top notch.

 

Getting social

Social media continues to be a valuable SEO tool. Though Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest all help to drive traffic to websites, it’s Facebook that produces the best results with 61% of site visits generated by social media coming from the networking giant.

 

 

By staying up to date with the latest SEO trends, and by keeping a keen eye on the statistics, you can help to ensure your business achieves its online potential.

 

Data Sources:

Search Studies

local-seo-ranking-factors

SEO Ranking Analysis

Blogging SEO Stats

Digital Marketing Report

Though often there’s no substitute for professional experience and hard-won expertise, occasionally free online tools can help you to boost your branding and improve your business’ design, SEO and aesthetics. To help you get the most out of the hundreds of free tools available on the web, we’ve selected some of the best online apps around.

Design

Whether you’re creating a web page, a flyer or a promotional product, getting the aesthetics right can be hard. If you want to improve the standard of design on your site without splashing out on a professional every time, or you simply just need some inspiration, these apps could help.

1. Infogr.am / Create / Share Infographics
2. Dribbble / Awesome Design Inspiration
3. Easel.ly / No Design Experience Req
4. Placeit / Mockup Templates
5. Kraken / Image Optimisation
6. Freebbble / High Quality Freebies
7. Fotor / Photo Editor with Filters
8. Fribble / FREE PSD Downloads
9. Freepik / Million + Image Resources
10.Pixden / FREE Web Resources

 

Web design

Unless you’re an experienced web designer, it’s unlikely you’re going to break down any barriers with your self-made site. However, with the help of these online tools – and a bit of practice – there’s a good chance you’ll be able to come up with a web presence that does your organisation justice.

11. Weebly / Create Website / Blog
12. WordPress / Website Framework
13. Moonfruit / Free Website Creator
14. Wix / Website Builder
15. Logster / Manage Logs in the Cloud
16. uCraft / Another Web Builder
17. Quickpages / Publish and Analyse Landing Pages
18. Site Builder / 1000’s of Templates available
19. Webnode
20. Jimdo

 

 

Name generators

The name you choose for your business is incredibly important. As well as being one of the main elements of your brand identity, it will help to determine the success of your business’ SEO. Choose well, and your company name could go down in corporate history, choose poorly, and it could end up holding your business back and causing you serious branding embarrassment.

21. Hipster Business / Trendy Domains
22. Namefresh / For the Perfect Domain
23. Impossibility / Find Incredible Domain Names
24. Wordoid / Find Short and Snappy Names
25. The Name App / Find a Unique Name
26. Short domain search / Short Domain Lists
27. Dominr / Great Dynamic Domain Availability Search
28. Lean domain search / Name Inspiration

 

 

Stock images 

Images are essential to any design, and unless you’re going to pop out with your camera and take some snaps yourself, you’ll probably end up on a stock image site at some point. To ensure you don’t waste your time looking through poor quality pictures. Here are the best stock image sites out there.

29. UnSplash / Hi Res and Free
30. Pexels / Free for Commercial Use
31. Splash Base / Hi Res and Free
32. Designer Spics / Personal and COmmercial Use
33. Foodies Feed / 1000+ Food Pictures
34. Jeshoots / Royalty Free Images
35. Free Photobank / Mega Hi Res Images Available
36. RGB Stock / 100,000+ Images
37. Dreamstime / Millions of Vectors and Photos
38. Stock Vault / 90k + Resources
39. Public Domain Pictures / Some Public Domain Archives
40. ISO Republic / Creative Pictures

 

 

Icons

Though the style of your icon may not be the first thing you think of when designing a new website or a new app. It’s pretty significant in the long term. Make sure your icon design doesn’t let you down by using one of these excellent online tools.

41. Flat Icon / 16,000+ Vectors
42. Ico Moon / Icon Generator and Free Vectors
43. Fontello / Font Generator
44. Endless Icons / Free Flat Icons
45. Glyphsearch / Icon Search Engine
46. Icon Finder / Great Resources
47. The Noun Project / 1000’s of Icons
48. Perfect Icons / Social Icon Generator
49. Material Design Icons / Open Source Icons
50. MakeAppIcon / Generate App Icons

 

 

E-commerce

E-commerce is now an essential part of many companies’ business plans. Helping to boost potential income and bring in vital revenue, e-commerce is a must have capability for most of today’s websites.

51. Magento / E-Com Development Framework
52. Woo Commerce / WordPress Plugin
53. OpenCart / Cart Creation
54. OS Commerce / Self Hosted Service
55. Prestashop / Free Online Store
56. Web Scraper / Scrape Dynamic Web Pages
57. M2EPro / Inventory for eBay and Amazon
58. Google Merchant Centre / Google Merchant Tools

 

 

Payment gateways 

If you’re you going to have an eCommerce element built into your site, you’ll also need a reliable and secure payment gateway. Though fees do apply to most payment gateways, without them, your online shop is unlikely to turn a profit.

59. Paypal / Easy Integration
60. Stripe / Established and Trustworthy
61. Go Cardless / Collect Direct Debits and more

 

 

Storage

Online storage is a versatile and powerful tool that can help you to access work remotely, collaborate with other businesses and keep your precious files out of harm’s way. If you’re looking to expand your online storage capabilities, here are the sites to choose.

62. Dropbox / The Big Boy
63. Box / Simple File Sharing
64. Google Drive / More Free Storage Facility
65. Onedrive / For the Microsoft Lovers 😉
66. Drp.io / Fast, Private and Free

 

 

Security 

Keeping your site safe is essential if you want to retain customer trust, protect your business and thrive online. Though no security is foolproof, these will give you the best chance of keeping your online presence safe and secure.

67. Lastpass / Trustworthy, Powerful Share Feature
68. Enpass / Create Strong Passwords and more
69. Dashlane / Form Filler and Password Manager
70. Chrome Password Manager / For Chrome
71. Firefox Password Manager / Guess what… For Firefox 😉

 

File sharing

Like online storage, file sharing is an essential tool in most contemporary working environments. Making it easier to collaborate with other companies and with clients, file sharing can make your life easier, less stressful and more productive – and let’s face it, who doesn’t want that?

72. Dropbox / Of Course The Big Boy Again
73. Wetransfer / Simply Awesome for Large Files, and its FREE
74. WeSendIt / Safe and Easy up to 20GB … WOW!
75. Seshi / Easy File Exchange
76. Hightail / Sharing for Creatives

 

 

Communications 

As well as being able to share and access files, you need to be able to communicate over the web if you’re going to work remotely successfully. Luckily, there’s an excellent choice of communications tools around at the moment, with voice and video capabilities getting better all the time.

77. Skype / Unless you’ve been living in a dark cupboard… Skype
78. Yammer / Alternative Comm Tool
79. Hipchat / Good Group Chat
80. Slack / Great with Massive Integration Capabilities

 

 

Analytics 

If you want to know exactly how your website is performing, you’ll need to sign up for one of the many analytics tools available online. Able to tell you everything from how many people accessed your site to where these people came from and what they were searching for, analytics tools can revolutionise your approach to SEO.

81. Google Analytics / This is ESSENTIAL
82. Piwik / Open Source with Extras
83. Similar Web / Competitor Analysis
84. Stat Counter / Simplicity is sometimes overlooked
85. Open Web Analytics / Understand how people use your website
86. SEM Rush / Online Marketing Intelligence for SEO
87. Applyzer / App Rankings
88. Heap Analytics / Analytics Automation
89. Hotjar / Collect User Feedback
90. Facebook Insights / Social Engagement Metrics

 

 

Marketing

Last but definitely not least, if you want the right audience to see your site, contact your company and buy your products, you need to market it correctly. If you’re new to marketing or need to brush up on your B2B or B2C skills, these tools might be just what you’re looking for.

91. Notify / Startup Mentions
92. Hello Bar / Convert Site Visitors into Customers
93. Sumo Me / Grow Website Traffic with Free Tools
94. Google Trends / Essential Understanding
95. Mautic / Open Source Marketing Automation
96. Sumo Me Scroll Box / Grow Email Lists
97. Sumo Me List Builder / Grow Email Lists Further 😉
98. Visual Ping / Website Checker
99. Marketing Grader / Free Online Tool

 

By using a combination of these tools, you should be able to transform the look, feel and effectiveness of your website and give your online business a whole new lease of life. Get started now and make 2017 a year to remember.

And if all else fails you could always contact us at Papersky and we’ll guide you through and deliver ANYTHING you might require. https://www.papersky.co.uk/affordable-web-design/

Some say that being an Outie is an ugly business, and once an Outie there is no going back Innie. However being an Innie can leave you wondering what it feels like to be an Outie.. Whatever the decision, lets hope it’s a good one.

 

There is a difference between knowing and understanding

For the first 10 years after the appearance of the Internet, those smart enough to immerse themselves in the world of website creation and design were, to a degree, looked upon almost as though they were supernatural beings. They worked in a world that the man in the street had little comprehension of, while also working in what was not a particularly competitive environment. If the reply to being asked what you did for a living was website designer, the conversation would usually be very short.

In the simplest and bluntest of terms the industry almost worked on the basis of “if you can’t beat them with brains, baffle them with bull****!” However, the development of the Internet has created a bit of a paradox as it has grown to the extent that whereas before, most people who wanted a website had next to no idea what was involved, today that scenario is totally different. The majority of people today who want a website know and understand why. In fact, if you haven’t got a website, you could almost say you haven’t got a business. That in itself has produced its own problems as it has created an incredibly competitive environment on the Internet with websites of businesses offering and selling similar products all vying for coveted space on page 1 of search engine results. Effective website design has now become critical.

So now we find ourselves in a situation where our clients need a website, they know why they need a website and many of them have a good understanding of what is and is not good to see on a website. However, for the majority of people who may know and understand what they want, they don’t actually know how to create it. Obviously with our help here at Papersky, an agency offering web design services in London, we can create any type of website you would like and for it to achieve what you want, but that doesn’t all come simply from design.

Unless you actually work in IT, and in particular on websites, it is extremely difficult to keep totally up-to-date with trends and processes, plus search engines frequently change their algorithms to the point where key elements of a website to boost search engine rankings need to change. For us here at Papersky not only do we have to know what the most effective elements of a website are, but we need to understand clearly why any changes should be made to websites requested by new clients or indeed for existing ones. Here we don’t just turn our back on you the day we have finished designing your website but instead prefer to keep you in the loop with regard to necessary and effective updates.

Of course we are not solely about website design, but having created your website we are also able to offer you a comprehensive SEO package in order to get your business to appear higher up in the rankings for search engine results. So even if you both know and understand why you need a website, we feel we could be of great benefit to you and would welcome the opportunity to talk to you, so please do get in touch.

 

Guest Blogging Is Not Dead, It’s Done Differently

The next time I hear somebody say guest blogging is dead, I am going to have to chew and swallow my tongue, not just bite it. Really, these people make guest blogging sound as appealing as leprosy.

The thing is, guest posting was once an effective strategy. Writers could embed inbound links which greatly aid a websites ranking in search engines. It used to be a good strategy.

Until web hosts started charging for links that is; then streams – no, an ocean – of low quality content flooded the internet. Which upset Google!

The Big Guy, and quite rightly so, put an end to this ugly inbound content nonsense with the introduction of the Penguin algorithm. Now the search engine giant stamps out any guest blogging malpractice.

Please note, I state the “malpractice” of guest blogging. It is still possible to contribute to third party sites without cheating. All you need is a skill for writing and knowledge of your industry.

Perhaps this is why some digital marketing agencies are saying guest blogging is dead!

Contributing to third party sites

The past practice of scavenging for inbound links has unfortunately damaged the reputation of contributing to third party sites.

What’s worse is, top writers contributing to industry magazines do not get credited with kudos links back to their own website.

Industry magazines and third party influencers are not allowed to include linked anchor text in the body of their content anymore. Authors are now given a bio with a no=follow link back to their website.

But despite the disadvantage of losing the inbound link, publishing content on a reputable third party site such as an industry magazine is still worth the effort. Why? It raises your brand profile and positions you as an expert in your field.

And these two factors speak volumes when building an online profile.

Trust and authority scores

Contributing to industry magazines earns you respect. Not only do hundreds more eyes have access to your content and brand name, you are credited as a trustworthy source and established as an authority in your field.

When building an online reputation, trust and authority is vitally important!

This is certainly the case with online consumers. When anybody is dealing with faceless online businesses for the first time, they need assurance they will get value for money and a quality end product.

Whether author reputation will carry any weight with search engines is undecided at the moment. Google et al have not acknowledged expert contributors will be given credit in search engines. And maybe they never will.

However, what we do know is that trust and authority scores carry a fair amount of weight as a ranking factor. In my world, that suggests there is scope for author ranking factors to be used in the future – if they are not already!

The need to build an online profile to gain visibility and trust with search engines and end users cannot be underestimated.

Now that paid advertising is hogging screen space in search results, online business owners need to find alternative solutions – and the practice formerly known as guest posting is the way to do it.

Oh yes, guest blogging is alive and kicking!

How To Set Up Local SEO Signals On Your Website

Some years ago, Google hinted at a shift towards geo-targeted search. In other words, the search engine giant will favour local businesses in search results when end-users include a city, town or neighbourhood in their search terms.

The Big G has stayed true to their promise. In fact, they lurrrve local businesses! Now the semantic algorithm is starting to take hold, there is even more scope for local firms to obtain visibility in local searches.

Pimping your website with local search signals is vital. And not only your website, you need to include you contact details across as many reputable platforms as possible.

Here’s what to do.

Consistent NAPs

The Name, Address and Phone number (NAP) you use in directories and review sites should be consistent with the NAP’s on your website.

When search engines identify a business using different addresses and phone numbers, they flag it up as a potentially fraudulent outfit. How are they to know any better?

It is therefore essential that your NAP’s are consistent on every third party site you use. And you should use as many reputable sites as possible.

I know it sounds painful, and it is, but spreading your NAPs across the net gives you more visibility and builds trust with search engines and consumers.

On-Page keywords

So what about on-page local SEO indicators? These are essentially keywords in your H1 headers, title tags and body content.

Keywords have to be naturally sounding, and now search engine crawlers can understand the context of page content, forcing keywords is not an issue. 

It is beneficial to use keywords often – not all on the same page, but spreading them widely across relevant pages. What you have to consider are the search terms consumers will use to find your products.

It is not always possible to include naturally sounding keywords on all product pages, especially when you have a large number of products.

But there is nothing wrong writing about your products in blog posts. And that gives you more scope to use local SEO signals and describe the benefits of your products in more detail. Just avoid making the content salesy.

Schema markup

Schema markup is the latest strategy search engines have modified to give companies more visibility in search results. There purpose is to offer end-users more information about your business or a product at-a-glance.

There are several types of schema markup. You may have noticed knowledge graphs on many searches which give an overview of address, contact and opening hours.

This is just one example, and it depends on the nature of your business which will work best for you. For example, if you offer several services, you can flag up each service individually with the relevant contact number for each department.

In order to rank higher in local searches, you need to communicate to search engines. This involves priming your website with quality local SEO signals for all your products and services.

Why Building An Online Profile Is A Must in Digital Marketing

As the SEO landscape changes, online marketers are challenged to evolve their strategy and prepare for the future.

One of the principle changes lurking just left of centre is the requirement to build an online profile. Seriously, this is a window you should have already jumped through.

Listen, consumers are buying merchandise online more than ever and they use the net to research everything. But they need trusted sources to buy and listen to. So let that be you!

The future of SEO is predominantly going to revolve around trust and authority. And who do people trust? Experts, correct. So position yourself as an expert in your field!

How to build an online profile

To build an online profile, start native; a blog is a given, as are several social media accounts. Be creative, publish great content on your blog and feed it through social media networks.

Then be active on social media. Join a group with shared interests in your industry, post content, make statements to engage the community, join in with discussions, make comments and answer questions.

All this takes time of course, but half an hour a day just to poke your virtual head in through the digital door and say a cyber hello is worth the ground work in the long-run.

Contribute to industry magazines

If you have a flair for writing and a debonair turn of phrase, use your gift to bring your academic/business knowledge to the attention of an editor.

If your ideas are unique, offer value to readers and is of publishable quality, having a by-line in an industry magazine carries a lot of weight in terms of trust and authority.

This is especially true if you offer personal services that require specialist knowledge such as accountancy, legal, fitness training etc.

Consumers will probably Google your name and will have more peace of mind using your services when they find you grinning at them from the pages of a professional magazine.

Approach influencers

Influencers are famous people, high-level networkers or specialist magazines that offer reviews.

Reaching out to influencers is obviously not going to work for every industry or small business, but for the savvy researcher, there are surprisingly more opportunities than you might imagine.

Okay, the first option is a little trickier for your average small business, but you never know, you might meet the mate of a home grown celebrity down the pub. Maybe they could swing it.

Or you could try bagging your own home grown celebrity on social media. You should be scouring social anyway to find high-level networkers (HLN) that are blogging about your industry and have a strong following.

HLN’s are actually a good option for an online bump, especially if you have a product you can send them to review.

If you have your own product, sending a free gift to industry magazines for review is a must – providing you are likely to get a good review.

The purpose of building an online profile is to be more visible across multiple online channels. If your only internet presence is a website and social media networks, you need to branch out or risk losing out to your competitors.

Contact us today to see how we can help you elevate your online profile.

The rise of profitable bricks and clicks businesses is a strong indication you need to be online to boost your profits. But before you can get clicks, you need to learn a few tricks.

Having a great web design does not earn you money online – although it does help! The only way to be successful on the web is to be visible. And that means one of three things:

1. Ranking in search engines through organic SEO

2. Paid search (i.e AdWords)

3. Paid advertising on social media

 

What is the difference between organic search and paid advertising?

Organic search is the term used to describe how a website is ranked in search engine results. If you are appearing on page one, maybe two of Google, Bing, Yahoo or any other search engine, you will attract visitors.

When a search engine user visits your site directly from search results, you do not pay a penny.

With paid ads on the other hand, search engines and social media networks charge you every time somebody follows your link. This is like paying somebody to come into your shop!

And paid advertising online can be costly. However, it does get you quicker results, which for new businesses or low ranking firms, is essential for visibility.

And here is the quandary – do you spend your advertising budget on paid search or do you invest in a content marketing strategy and hold out for organic results. Ouch, it’s a tough one!

 

How to make money online

In an ideal world, you have enough budget to invest in both paid search and a content marketing strategy. But sadly, not every company has that flexibility.

In order to improve visibility, your best option is to go down the paid advertising route. But this path is an expensive avenue to tread – and you will always be paying. This is how Google makes their money.

Paid advertising on social media is the same game. Organic results have been confiscated like a toy from a naughty child. Social networks also make more money by tempting companies into paying for ads.

But remember, with paid ads you pay every time somebody clicks on your ad. You are always paying.

 

How about content marketing?

Making profits online is something of a Catch-22. You also have to pay for content, unless you have a way with words and an eye for design – then you can curate your own content and cut down costs.

Otherwise, you have to pay content writers to write your ad copy and load your blog with amazing content. And good content writers are expensive. But it is better to pay more for a good writer than less to a bad one.

Quality content will ensure you rank higher in search results whereby you will attract organic results sooner and improve your profits without being charged for visitors.

Furthermore, once you are ranking in search engines, you can reduce the amount of content you are loading up to your site, therefore reducing costs whilst earning more profit. So clearly, SEO is more sustainable, although takes longer.

Like I said, it’s a quandary. For companies that are new to the online game, you should start with paid advertising first then add content marketing once you are turning a profit.

The ability to tell an engaging story can pay dividends for your marketing strategy. We’re not talking about spinning a yarn here, that’s yesteryears advertising strategy. We’re talking about creating content with a beginning, middle and end.

Story-telling is an ancient art that is used to build a picture. If you have a way with words you can create a vision in imaginative minds. And if you don’t have a way with words, use images. This is the beauty of digital marketing.

And it’s about to become the next big trend in content marketing. Why? Because it works! And it works because this is how the brain works.

When we read content which is information packed, the language part of our brain decodes the meaning. But it doesn’t retain all the information afterwards.

When we read a story on the other hand, the cognitive wheels kick into overdrive and our neural systems relate it to our understanding of the world. When we can relate to a story we are charged with emotion and remember more details later.

So good story-telling in your marketing content generates emotion and allows the reader to recall information. It’s a match made in cyberspace.

Story-telling ideas

Telling a story in your marketing set-up is of course, quite difficult. It helps if you have a story you can draw inspiration from. But you do – everybody has a story to tell.

You can write about personal experiences; things that happened in the office or even in your personal life. Providing you can relate your story back to the point of your business message, it should work.

There is of course your brand message; how your company was formed. You don’t have to take the reader on the rollercoaster all in one piece of content, but you can flag up the significant turning points.

Content marketing tools

If you think you might struggle to project your marketing message in a story, check out Twitter’s publishing and storytelling tools.

In October, the social media network only introduced a new eco-system of tools that help you turn content into great stories.

Known as Collections API, the tools enable content curators to organise tweets that tell a story. This is much more effective that single, one-line tweets that slip of the screen within a minute.

Not only do the API tools make your content more interesting, it gives you more visibility in what is a pretty saturated social platform.

So there you go, storytelling is the way forward when developing your online marketing strategy and creating great content that engages and retains readers.

Digital marketing is not a one trick pony; you will not win with SEO alone. In the modern age of online shopping there are two other babies to take care of.

To boost your online success, you need to incorporate conversion rate optimisation (CRO) and user-experience (UX) in your marketing strategy.

We expect you already know this already, but will explain again for the sake of clarity – and newbie’s – search engine optimisation (SEO) is the process of building signals into your website so you rank in search engines like Google and Bing etc.

The internet works by using a series of keywords that enable search engines to identify what information, services and products end-users can find on any given website.

Keywords enable search engines to index your website – a bit like a digital filing system. When somebody types in search terms like ‘where can I find a good web designer’ your website will appear in search results.

The purpose and function of SEO strategies is to get your site appearing high in search engine rankings – preferably page one of Google. This attracts the most visitors, thus more customers and, hopefully, more ching, ching.

But even websites that rank well do not always make the profits they should be. The reason for that is because poor UX is turning visitors away or your content is weak. So you need to employ CRO tactics.

What makes good CRO? (Conversion Rate Optimization)

The goal of CRO is to identify customers that are not converting and find solutions to make your site more appealing or user-friendly. To improve sales there is a huge focus on user-experience.

You can determine whether your site is converting or not by checking out Google analytics and comparing the number of visitors with the number of conversions.

If you have high bounce rates, exit rates and low average times and pages spent on your site, you need to address your content and the functionality of your website – is it easy to navigate and find information?

This is where user-experience is so important. If visitors cannot find what they are looking for on your site, or the content is not engaging, they find no reason to hang around.

Improving CRO can involve various tactics and it takes careful analysis to determine which hurdles visitors are shying away from. You may want to invest in a heat map to track user-use. This will help to identify why people are bailing out.

It could be something as simple as having to fill out their details to sign up for an account. In which case, you need to consider whether there is any need for users to sign up for an account before they pay for anything.

If you find a high volume of visitors are not progressing past your landing page, you may want to think about changing your copy or your offer. Or both. If an offer is not attractive, do you pay?! Neither does anybody else.

CRO and UX cannot be undervalued. Seriously, it is the difference between a sale and no sale, so ignore them at your peril!

Let’s have a chat about how we can help your business with this!

Every year, digital marketers poise their pens to scribble down marketing trends they think website owners should engage in for the following year.

Most suggestions are predictable, others verging on ridiculous and the rest copied from other sources.

These lists can offer valuable insights – so please check out our marketing predictions for 2016 here – the crystal ball of online marketing! Oh come on, we got in early, it counts.

We also thought it might be amusing to take a look back over this year’s predictions. And we were right – it was amusing! Check these out!

Misunderstanding semantic search

Semantic text is supposed to understand the context of search terms and improve search results. Google spokesman, Matt Cutts said the Hummingbird algorithm will affect 90% of all searches. It does, but not always in a good way.

When you type search terms into Google, Hummingbird considers user interests and throw up results based on their previous search history. And some results look like they have literally been thrown up. They’re a right mess!

You could argue that search engines have made a Googley by inventing an “intuitive” search system in the first place. But then again, marketers have not worked out they need to tweak their content so it matches broader search terms.

The problem is, marketers are still focusing on keywords – and that strategy went out with flared jeans.

The new expression for keywords is “co-occurring” words so if you have a product that has the same name as an animal let’s say, there is an opportunity to feed on searches for said animal.

Outreach

When Google smashed link building with the deadly Penguin algorithm and disallowed back links from third party sites, everyone and their grandma declared guest blogging was dead.

As a consequence, there are a lot of SEO agencies wearing mourning black and missing out on great opportunities for their clients. More fool them.

Outreach still presents the opportunity for brands to build an online profile and position themselves as an authority in their industry.

Online success requires trust, and there are few SEO techniques online that scream “trustworthy” more than brands strutting their stuff in industry magazines.

Low quality blog content

Search engines demand quality content. So do readers. Yet there is still an awful amount of poor quality content being published across the web.

The main reason for this is because online businesses are making one of two mistakes.

Firstly, they are publishing content too often, but do not have the budget to pay good writers. So they pay low for cheap writers to produce poor quality content. And a lot of it! This is a strategy that will get you nowhere.

So they produce content themselves – but all too often it’s by someone who’s been working for the company since they left school. And it has been so long since they went to school; they have forgotten the correct use of spelling and grammar.

Misplaced messaging

Personalised marketing was supposed to be all the rage this year and it would have worked if it wasn’t for those pesky emails – the misplaced ones anyway.

When a consumer takes the time to fill out your forms and divulge information about their interests and preferences, they expect to receive special offers relating to their interest and preferences.

Yet most don’t. And the modern consumer does not have time to waste on marketing messages that do not interest them so unsubscribe from email lists.

Brands know they rely on customer loyalty, yet most chase them away by not being loyal to their customers.

No mobile-friendly website

The number of people using their mobile devices to search online is the fastest growing industry ever. Google and web designers, (us included!) harping on about making web design responsive to mobile screens.

When a bundle of web owners failed to listen, the Big G took action and launched ‘mobilegeddon’ an algorithm that downgraded all websites that did not fit snugly into a 5-inch screen.

Webmasters had enough warnings, but Google still had to take action and force the issue with a bombshell. The fallout would have been hard for those that got hit.

It will be interesting to see what other digital marketers advise for 2016 – but even more intriguing to see how many actually walk the talk!

SEO Managers Have Good Work Life Balance… Apparently!

Browsing through the latest SEO news the other day, I came across a hilarious headline in Today. It read – The Best Jobs For Work Life Balance: Data Scientists, SEO Managers And More.

I wish I’d not had a mouthful of coffee at the time! That took 30 minutes to clean up and afterwards my sticky keyboard didn’t type properly. For the rest of the day, I was the EO anager of Paper ky.

Anyway, according the careers website, Glassdoor, SEO managers fall into the top five jobs that offer the best work-life balance. In actual fact, we’re in at number two.

The top five best jobs for work-life balance

So you’re probably wondering what other careers offer the best work life balance. Data Scientists top the list, with SEO managers just 0.1 points behind.

Third is Talent Acquisition Specialists, followed by Social Media Managers and – you’ll never believe this – substitute teachers!

Substitute teachers – really? They only work part-time! I love what I do but I’m not sure how many SEO managers would agree that they have a better work-life balance than part-timers! Incredible.

The article got me thinking which SEO managers actually participated in this survey. I can only imagine they work for agencies that do not have “overtime” or, erm, “clients”.

Not that I can complain. We have great clients at Papersky and I am blessed to work with a great team of specialists that make my job and my life easier. You could say, they are my work-life balance.

A day in the life of an SEO manager

We can’t speak for all SEO managers of course, but we’ve taken an educated guess at a day in the life of an SEO Manager:

Typically wake up at six, grab a quick breakfast then make the hour’s drive to work to be in the office for 8 am to be able to set their stall out for the day before the crew arrive.

Drink at least three coffees in a morning to get the motor going! The morning shifts usually require the most concentration and mental energy and caffeine is an SEO Manager’s friend and fuel.

Work out the best possible strategy for each client that week and orchestrate the work amongst the team of technical specialists like a conductor leading an SEO symphony.

And things in SEO can change quickly. The entire team has to be adaptable and flexible. Bruce Lee once said, “Be like water my friend.”

SEO flow and overtime

After lunch, and oftentimes during lunch, catch up with the latest SEO news. The early afternoon sessions can be the most pressurising – depending what the news throws up. If there is something significant like a search engine algorithm change or new survey offering marketing insights, client strategies may need tweaking.

Afternoons are also the best times to call team meetings. By this time, the mental engines are fully heated and brain storming sessions are like a mini electrical storm. Then it’s back to planning, planning and more planning, reports and more reports.

More often than not, a strong SEO Manager is in overdrive and in overtime, and their team too working harder than a Michelin tyre on race day.

Where’s the work-life balance there Glassdoor? But we love what we do at Papersky and more than make up for it at weekends! Ha, as if. We work at least one day on the weekends too and most evenings… but we love it!

Building a brand on a budget?

Customers sometimes come to us with unrealistic expectations about cost and delivery. The perception that a website built in WordPress is easier and cheaper to deliver. Or if delivery expectation is two days, then that’s how long it should take. There is sometimes a gasp of “how much?”. Usually this will be a startup company with this mentality. But there are larger organisation’s that adopt this mindset too.

I have a lot of patience and I welcome communication even if it doesn’t always result in a solid lead. We will always be honest and up-front about costs and timescales. Never shying away from 20 hour days to get things done. And because of this honesty, we are always, 24-7 super busy! There are a lot of design companies that will ‘bullshit’ to get their foot in the door. I just think, ‘why would you do that?’. The client will soon get pi**ed off with excuses.

My advice, of course have a budget but plan your strategy, don’t cut corners! Focus and prioritise.

There are always going to be agencies out there who try and over charge the value they are likely to add. So look around, talk to 3 or 4 agencies before investing your cash. You will soon realise that building a successful brand takes time, energy and money.

Below is a Top 10 List of things to consider when you are beginning a project.

Understand your goals and have a clear priority list

Research companies that may be a good fit for specific tasks

When opening discussions with a company, don’t make it all about cost, you might get what you pay for… Nothing much at all!

It’s a lot to do with personality, if you click and the company really understands you and your business. Then put a tick in the box

Don’t rush your decision

Get a clear outline of deliverables in a contract (it doesn’t need to be complicated). This should be supplied by the company. So everyone knows where they stand

Start the process and demand on-going communication. Monitor milestones if required

Re: Design – Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t like that”

Everything has gone great and you are ready to roll out the elements of your project

Don’t leave it until this point to start thinking about how you are going to approach your marketing. This needs to have been done in point 1

Ok, so good luck. If you have found this advice useful then please share. You’d be amazed how many times we see the same mistakes.

Thanks for your time.

Web Design London Papersky

So you’ve decided to trek down the digital marketing trail and are looking for an online presence. All you need to do now is find an agency that can build a website that will convert.

That’s easy enough right?

Wrong.

With such fierce competition in the web design/digital marketing arena, you want to be assured you choose a company that understands your business and can develop a strategy that guarantees you ROI.

They understand the digital market

Web design is not just about creating a pretty website. Sure, you want an online store that is aesthetically pleasing and reflects the quality of your business, but it is also has to function and achieve your end goals.

The digital market is an ever-evolving and highly complex arena. Understandably for many of our customers it’s downright confusing – even daunting. Your web design agency should therefore be able to explain how it works and tell you how they will make it work for you.

So ask questions. If you get fobbed off with answers like, “Oh, you don’t need to worry about that, we know what we’re doing,” they probably don’t. If they use technical words that make no sense, they are using the ‘if you can’t convince, confuse’ approach.

Unless a web agency convinces you they understand the digital arena close the door on that particular line of enquiry and move on to your next choice otherwise you will be left disappointed.

They understand strategy

If you are investing in a web presence, you need a strategy that will ensure you are visible in search engines. This doesn’t happen overnight after the launch of your website, hence why you need a strategy.

Let’s put it this way. You wouldn’t buy a car blindfold. You wouldn’t drive it blindfold either (I hope).

A good web design agency will offer a concise web strategy that goes beyond the design of your website. What you are looking for is a design that is relevant to your business, a presence that gives you trust and authority and a brand that catches the eye and warms the heart.

They think about content

This point is a direct step from the previous two. Content comes first, before design, before strategy, before branding. If a web design agency does not ask you about content they do not understand the digital market and do not have a strategy.

Before an effective web design can be put in place, you need to know how you intend to communicate to your audience. How will your customers interact with your site to find information they are looking for? How many services do you have and how much copy you need to sell your products?

You communicate to your audience through content and your customers interact with your content within the framework of your web design. If the design cannot house your content, there is a communication breakdown. See how important this step is?

When you’re in talks with a web design agency, if they don’t ask questions about your goals for the website, who your audience is and how you intend to communicate with them, you are likely to get a Kim Kardashian website – it looks great, but no one is really sure what it actually does.

When choosing a web design agency, make sure you ask questions. Even moreso, make sure you get answers.

Want to know more? Talk to us.

Sam says "SEO is like Dippy Eggs"

Sam and I were chatting today about how hard it can be, to perfect the soft boiled egg. Sometimes it is 'bang on', those soldiers are marching with big smiles on their faces. Other times is feels like you have nailed it, but actually you've missed it by a mile.

Sam, my business and life partner loves to simplify everything! She said today ..

"SEO is a bit like like dippy eggs".

I sat and thought about it, and actually there are similarities. It is difficult to know the exact technique to use. That you can do everything by the book, but still just can't get it 100% right.

Whichever way you look at it… SEO and making dippy eggs is pretty difficult and annoying! 

So what is the answer? To which? You ask. Well seeing as I'm not managing a kitchen, I guess SEO should be my area of expertise.

My advice is:

Stop worrying about it, stop forcing it. It's not rocket science. Papersky can manipulate it, manufacture it and get results. But it's not the SEO answer 'Long Term'.

That's the thing, Google is like a grouchy customer services rep. The more you are nice to them, the better treatment you will get. Google is like life, not like dippy eggs at all. Google has logic…

and don't you think that is the best way for them to be?

Now more than ever you need to keep abreast of internet marketing trends

This is going to shock you, but hopefully it will also help you understand why sometimes you can’t do everything yourself when it comes to running a business, whether an eCommerce business or a local business with a website.

Let us split the last 70 years into two periods of 35 years. The first period will cover 1945 – 1980 and the second from 1981 – 2015 (today).

Now in the first period, 1945 – 1980 what do you think were the most revolutionary aspects of retailing and marketing? Well it is not too difficult to come up with answers if you are of a certain age. Where retailing was concerned, the barcode was the most revolutionary change, making stock control and checkout procedures infinitely easier and quicker.

Of course for those of you who think that barcodes should have been invented years earlier, remember what is used to read them – yes, a laser, which was only developed in the 1950s and could only be reproduced on an affordable basis many years later.

Curiously, mail order has been with us since the latter years of the nineteenth century, though the actual expression has now changed to online purchasing. No longer do we wait for a catalogue to arrive, mark off what we want to buy, complete an order form, post it off, and then wait 14 days for the items to arrive.

Today we just type www. Click on a few menu options and then hit ‘order now’, and if the item we ordered is not delivered to our doorstep within 48 hours, we feel hard done by.

Mail order is a perfect example of how our lives are becoming revolutionised and today it is all happening so rapidly. For 100 years mail order sufficed, until in 1995 Amazon.com was founded, the online store that revolutionised the way we buy goods today.

In 20 years we have gone from the first online order to paying for goods with smartphones. Who would have believed it if you had told them when mobile phones first hit the streets that we would be using them to shop with within a generation?

Business is changing and the way we do business is also changing, which means you need to change too. While 5 years ago we might have been telling you how important it was that your website was designed to be more eye-catching and have lots of content, today we still want your web design to be as eye catching, but content reduced to a bare minimum for the benefit of the ‘mobile’ browser.

That means reorganising content, eliminating ‘fluff’ and accentuating calls to action with inviting buttons to click on.

Websites are becoming more and more interactive, and here at papersky we know the way trends are heading and want to help you stay one step ahead of changes, giving you a head-start on your competitors.

This doesn’t mean you have to revamp your whole website every couple of years, but it is certainly worth considering giving it an annual MOT just to make sure you are adapting to changing trends. Why not give us a call and have a chat with us, we don’t bite and we genuinely are here to help you? 

With just 12 weeks before the New Year, where we all join hands and pretend to know more than just the first verse to Auld Lang's Syne, marketers are tasked with tinkering their online marketing strategies for 2016. So what changes in digital can we expect for the year ahead?

Mobile will bridge online and offline purchasing

We are already starting to see developers utilising mobile functionality such as GPS and SMS to target customers – at times to the chagrin of mobile customers.

Nevertheless, it is a logical step for marketers to use mobile ads as a way of bridging online and offline sales.

In-store marketing will have a major role to play with mobile customers, especially now that tech companies have cracked NFC (Near-field-communication).

Digital wallets are certainly likely to be favoured by consumers purely for the convenience. It’s hardly a conundrum but the challenge is what you can offer customers your competitors don’t.

Will we see a major shift in the web design service industry?

Social media will improve s-commerce

Social advertising is still in its infancy in marketing terms, but 2016 is likely to be the year when S-Commerce reaches a maturity and starts to run faster than Forrest Gump.

Free advertising faded last year and even though you might feel like throwing rotten tomatoes at Facebook et al, the major players will take the next step towards fully-fledged S-Commerce platforms.

The buy button is a coup for starters. Paid advertising is the only way to go but could pay off if you can persuade consumers into impulse purchasing.

Video content will become the most popular advertising format

The budget for video advertising is growing year on year. Companies are forecast to splurge $5m in on video marketing in 2016 a huge chunk of which will target mobile users.

It shouldn’t really come as any surprise that video is such a popular marketing tool. The stumbling block up until now has been high costs and low-quality software. It even made Windows 8 look like a bargain.

But in these real-life sci-fi times of high-spec mobiles and cheap video recorders, it is possible for marketers with big ideas to produce video ads on a small budget. Now you have the chance to show the bargain-bin Hollywood directors what it takes to be creative.

Clean your data

The influx of data-driven tools and advertising platforms in the last half-decade has created more clutter databases than a car boot sale. And the jumble could adversely affect your marketing.

When data is stored across various tools, it can have a negative impact on your targeting, ad messaging, bidding, local SEO and a whole bunch of other stuff.

If your data is in a mess, your marketing campaign will be scruffy round the edges as well! Don’t wait for April to do a spring clean.

Story-telling content

Marketing content has always been designed to evoke emotion. And now it is taking another leap into the way writers present online content.

Just as TV is prizing huge budgets from the soapy palms of Hollywood, corporate giants such as Google and Coca-Cola have picked up on fact people want cliff-hangers not conclusions.

Incorporating story-telling techniques in marketing campaigns to create suspense keeps the audience tuned in to find out what happens next. And can makes salivating writers ask questions that snowball into online debates.

Marketing opportunities for 2016 are already in place. Companies that have been following the game and making tactical switches as and when needed will be ready. Everybody else will have to take a punt.

Here’s why we spend so much time talking about mobile-friendly websites

Yes, you may have noticed that we seem to be referring a great deal to mobile phones and how important it is that your website is designed to be mobile-friendly. Now if you are sat in your office you are probably reading this on a laptop or monitor, and the emphasis on mobile phones may seem a little skewed.

After all, when you engage with your website, it is usually with a large-screen device as opposed to a tablet or Smartphone – this is your business gateway we are talking about and usually accessed when you are at work.

As a result much of your design and content will perhaps be more suited to devices with large screens.

Do we think more about how visually attractive a website is and do we sacrifice content positioning as a consequence? Surprisingly a good number of website owners have never tried to navigate the whole way through their website with a Smartphone. If they did, they would soon get the message, loud and clear.

However are we pandering to a big enough market? Well if you need proof that making your website as mobile-friendly as possible would be a smart move (excuse the pun) then read and inwardly digest the following figures which have been supplied by eMarketer.

On a country-by-country basis, here are year-by-year milestones eMarketer expects to be met during a forecast period:

2014: China will top 500 million Smartphone users for the first time.

2015: Russia will surpass Japan as the fourth-largest Smartphone user population.

2016: India will exceed 200 million Smartphone users, topping the US as the world’s second-largest smartphone market.

2017: The US will surpass 200 million Smartphone users, or nearly 65% of the country’s total population.

2018: Indonesia will pass 100 million Smartphone users, firmly established as the fourth-largest Smartphone user population.

Now these are staggering figures, yet if you have a business that caters purely for a local market, such as a window cleaner or cake decorator, you may wonder how they are relevant to you. Well the simple answer is that whether a local, national or international business, you have to react to market trends. To further back up what we are referring to, there are over 40 million people in the UK who use a Smartphone, and you can bet a good number of them live near you!

As a consequence your business website design has to adapt to each and every trend in order for you to stay one step ahead of your competition and maximize conversions of browsers who discover your website to customers. It does your business no harm whatsoever to be tuned to the way your customers or clients want their information delivered to them.

That is why here at Papersky we don’t just concentrate on providing you with the most up-to-date form of website layout, but we stay fully abreast of all market trends to make sure that you reach your consumers in the most effective and appropriate manner.

To find out more and if you would like us to look at your present website to see what effective improvements could be made, we are only a phone call away.

Here at papersky, a busy website design agency in London, we sometimes forget that when it comes to websites and marketing, we speak a different language to many. We talk about SEO, ROI, PPC, URLs, backlinks spiders and bots, all of which mean very little to the clients who come to us and who entrust us with the challenge of both creating an effective and efficient website design, and also getting people to find the website when searching on the Internet. Then, just as you think you are beginning to understand what is required, it all changes thanks to what is now becoming a mobile revolution. By that we are not referring to a band of thugs in cars and pickup trucks, we are talking about the influence mobile phones, or rather smartphones, are having on the way websites operate.

A couple of years ago there was a lovely, but also shocking article in the Daily Telegraph about the 40th birthday of the mobile phone. Not only was it a shock to realise that the mobile phone had been around that long, but it was also quite ironic that the company which introduced the world to mobile phones, Motorola, is now owned by Google. So what happens if we step back forty years and look at how marketing and businesses operated then, and maybe you will see similarities between then and now.

For a start, let’s look at web design as, after all we are a web design agency in London. A good web design is no different to a good high street shop back then. Walk into a shop and be met with a smile, a ‘Hello. How can I help you?’ and you will warm to the place and be more likely to spend money than if you are ignored when you walked in the door. Then there comes the ease of finding what you are looking for. If there are no labels on the shelves, if there are no banners or markings on the aisles, if the coffee is next to the tins of meat which are next to the apricot jam, then there is every likelihood you’ll find somewhere else to shop. If, when you get to the till and find they only accept cash or cheques, and you’ve only got a credit card, then the whole experience becomes memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Now, we are sure you have come across similar websites that are not welcoming from the onset, whose menus are unclear, where products are difficult to locate and who have restricted payment forms they accept, so maybe you can see that little has changed as far as the customers’ needs are concerned, it is just the words and technology that have changed.

Mobile technology is demanding that we change again, but still satisfying the consumer’s needs 100%. Whether it is effective website design, mobile marketing, email messenger, online marketing, email marketing or SMS marketing, make sure you call us first at papersky and we’ll gladly show you exactly how we can optimise your website and marketing strategies, all in a language you will understand, and in ways that will keep you one step ahead of your competitors.

It’s been a pretty quiet time for Google – said no one ever. After all we are talking about one of the most prominent and versatile companies on the planet, and yet again they’ve managed to make plenty of noise without actually saying all that much.

Driverless cars and improving health aside, the California-based company has made in-roads into making life easier online as well – for users at least. Not all online companies would agree!

But for every stamp of the foot and innovative idea, there is a lesson for the digital marketing community and online business owners to learn. Let’s take look…

Mobile-friendly websites

The major online shake-up in 2015 was the so-called mobilegeddon. Where web design and SEO agencies failed through gentle persuasion, Google forced the issue with a destructive algorithm change.

The warning signs were there over a year ago, and content advising web owners to upgrade to responsive web design was consistently plastered all over the web. Some listened, others didn’t. Those that didn’t got kicked in the Googles.

The search engine giant does not mess about. Algorithm changes are damaging to companies that do not toe-the-line and they do not hold back when dishing out punishment.

Lessons to learn:

1. don’t mess with Google

2. listen to industry professionals

3. don’t mess with Google

Umbrella companies

Earlier this year Google announced it will be reshuffling its pack and working under an Umbrella company called Alphabet.

Listening to Larry (Page), the re-organisation sounds complicated, but the concept is (supposedly) designed to make the companies string of projects identifiable under specific brands.

The Google search engine for which the colourful brand is best known will retain its name, but with a sole focus on search. Other brands will be given special names related to whatever specific project.

Nobody knows how these other projects will be funded as they don’t have an income – other than through Google.

So we guess they will be funded by Google which is now a subsidiary of Alphabet which has no money, but owns Google. Errrm, thanks for that Larry.

Lessons to learn:

1. Expanding your company and products is newsworthy

2. If you can’t convince, confuse. Create intrigue in your brand story, like a TV series or soap opera, and raise enough questions that readers will stay tuned to see what happens next.

Logo change

A change of company face also saw Google adopt a change of typeface – which led to much more discussion and conspiracy theories that it probably should have done; but that’s why they did it. Or they just wanted a change.

So-called design experts used a number of fancy superlatives to describe the change; “simple, uncluttered, colourful and friendly.” Others claimed it creates a better “balance.” Most search engine users didn’t even notice.

Lesson to learn:

1. Making minor design changes can give your marketing a major boost – but only if anybody cares, or notices.

2. Sometimes even Google shouldn’t even try to mess with Google

Online business can learn a lot from large companies and digital leaders do not come any bigger than Google – or is it Alphabet? I’m confused! I’m sure it will all turn about beautifully. In fact, I’m convinced it will and if maybe we’ll drop Larry a line.

SEO (Search engine optimisation) is, without a doubt, one of the most effective online marketing techniques. Google handles an estimated 3.5 billion searches every 24 hours. That’s right – 110 billion per month or 1.3 trillion queries a year! Furthermore, a 2014 study revealed that over 50% of all traffic driven to business websites (both B2B and B2C) comes directly from search engine results. So we don’t need to tell you that learning and implementing effective SEO practices should be a top priority for your online marketing campaign. As with most things in life, understanding the fundamentals is the best place to start on SEO.

Why Do Search Engines Rank Web Pages?
Google has a clear goal – to instantly provide the most fitting result for every search prompt. Although this goal seems practically impossible to achieve, the search giant is getting closer to it each year. Updates are released more often, content quality is being measured more accurately and user experiences are affecting website ranking more than ever. Search engines are relentlessly working to deliver increasingly relevant, accessible and high-quality results. Which is why Google ranks sites according to their definition of these qualities.

What Influences Search Engine Ranking?
Over 10,000 signals influence a web page’s Google ranking, though a few of them outweigh the rest. Here are some of the deciding factors:

• Quality
  High-quality web content provides value to visitors. You need to offer information that isn’t available elsewhere and present it in a concise, easy-to-read format. Quality is measured by session length (how long visitors stay on your page) and bounce rate (percentage of users who go back to the search results after viewing your content), among a few other signals.

• Research
  Using well-researched keywords is the key to targeting the right audience. For example, if you use “antique cowhide sofas” as your keyword, someone searching for “vintage leather couches” will not find your website. You can use one of the many available online research tools to find keywords that are likely to be used to search for your content.

• Freshness
  Google prefers recent information. Updating pages or creating many new ones, without adding new content, doesn’t qualify.
  However, when there is a very sudden increase of a certain search prompt, Google applies ‘Query Deserved Freshness’ and the freshest results top the rest, though only for that specific query.

• Engagement
  Pages that have social ‘shares’, comments and reviews are ranked higher by both Google and Bing. Likewise, negative testimonies are detrimental.

• Identity
  This is where social media marketing meets content marketing. Search engines trust information submitted by people with online authority. Social media accounts are simply the best way for them to identify content authors. Adding your websites to your Google Search Console account or linking them with Google+ is the best way to start building “authority”.

Of course, there are many other aspects to consider and techniques to learn before starting a content marketing campaign. Here at Papersky, we implement all of them, while constantly adjusting to Google’s ever-changing algorithms. Our professional team of SEO specialists is part of what makes us the best online marketing and web design agency London has to offer. If you want to find out how we can increase your site’s page rank or if you’d like to learn more about content marketing, feel free to contact us anytime.

When it comes to having a business that depends on the successful conversion of traffic to your website, there is a great deal to contend with today, and no, we are not just talking about your direct competitors, we are talking about how to get marketing and messaging strategies through to your potential and existing customers in as effective a way as possible. However what you also have to contend with is the way that consumers now source and devour information available to them on the Internet. Up until a couple of years ago it was all pretty safe and straightforward as most people who did their online shopping or research did so from the comfort of a seat using either their PC ( usually while at work!) or their laptop if at home.

That seems like a very distant past as the mobile revolution takes over and, as the Daily Telegraph put it, the “Google search overhaul could spark 'Mobilegeddon'”. The overhaul they are referring to took place at the beginning of June and the effects have been widespread, affecting the websites of many big names, including Versace, Next, the monarchy and David Beckham, in no particular order of importance! Clearly some of those running web design agencies in London took their eye off the ball for just a little too long.

Now here at papersky, a web design agency London who didn’t take their eye off the ball, we have been working with our clients for months on dealing with this mobile revolution and Google’s pandering panda algorithm updates which make having a mobile-friendly website which is also SEO optimised about as essential as oxygen and nitrogen are in the earth’s atmosphere. Without either you’re in big trouble and won’t be able to survive. So what’s the solution?

Well here at Papersky we understand the role and need for the Internet, together with mobile marketing, online marketing in general and the effective use of email messenger. However that doesn’t help us help you unless you understand what we are trying to do and why. Yes, we may work hard to ensure you find our website, but when it comes to selling our services, we actually prefer to do that in an old-fashioned way – face to face. To us it is important you not only know what we are doing, but understand why we are doing it as well, so why not call us and we can meet to discuss your needs – we will be only too happy to show you exactly how we can help you and why it will be so effective.

Papersky – Mobile marketing London and email messenger

Changes and innovations in the world of online marketing are happening at an accelerating rate. For many businesses, keeping up with them may be challenging and staying ahead near impossible. At Papersky, we work hard to make sure all of our clients are on track with the latest digital marketing trends and that their websites are designed to be future-proof for years to come. We analyse huge amounts of data to determine what will change in the field each year. In 2015, we see 3 fundamental shifts taking place.

1. Priority Mobile Marketing
Last year it was already vital to have responsive mobile websites and mobile apps. In 2015, however, a business’s mobile marketing strategy has to become much more involved to stay “on par” with the competition. Content has to be formatted for smartphones and tablets, in addition to social media ads that are designed for these devices. This isn’t much of a surprise after Google stated that mobile responsiveness of a web page is already “relevant for optimal search results.”

2. Accent on Content
As search engines make their rank algorithms more and more complex, companies are seeing the benefits of genuine, high-quality content. With competition increasing each day, it’s becoming vital to offer content optimised not just for Google, but also for real people. Short-hand texts and infographics are becoming dominant because they can be quickly assessed by readers, particularly mobile users.

3. Dominant Email Marketing
With SEO and social media trends becoming more unpredictable, companies feel the need to establish solid campaigns within the only marketing media they can control fully – email. To stay relative in 2015, businesses need to maximise their reach and customise ads to their specific customer base. To stay on track, successful businesses powerful analytics and management tools, namely a highly functional email messenger.

If you want to find out about the many other important 2015 digital marketing trends, you can contact us anytime for a free consultation. You can try one of our mobile marketing tools for free and learn about everything you need to keep your online business competitive.

Today, no business can afford to neglect developing its online presence. Worldwide, a whopping £1.1 trillion was spent online in 2014. As for the UK, Last year’s consumer survey showed that 95% of all British consumers have made a purchase from ecommerce retailers, while 25% shopped online at least once each week. As such, choosing a truly professional web design firm is the best step you can take to grow your business.

Does Location Matter?
Nowadays, many small companies and start-ups are tempted to outsource their IT needs. At first, this may seem like a good idea – physical interaction isn’t required to develop a site, online tools make it easy to communicate and foreign companies tend to be more affordable. Yet, in most cases, using foreign web design services produces nothing but setbacks for the business and frustration for its owner. These are the most common problems associated with such firms:

• Communication issues cause delays and cost increases;
• A lack of understanding the targeted audience results in low-quality outcomes;
• Customer support is miniscule, turning website design into an extended headache.

What Are the Advantages of Hiring Locally?
Here at Papersky, we hear the same horror story told all the time. The process takes forever and leads nowhere, while costs pile up and business is at a standstill – all because of choosing a foreign web design agency. London-based companies prefer local service providers because of the countless benefits they provide. Here are just a few:

Peace of Mind
Web design is a totally digital task, so knowing you can stop by anytime to see how it is being accomplished is the only way to be sure you stay on schedule.

Effective Brand Creation & Development
From logo design to online marketing, a brand must aim at a specific user base. Being a local website design agency, London’s average consumer is our primary target audience. We have successfully tailored dozens of UK-based business websites to engage and attract prospective customers.

Real Communication
Sure, it’s possible to communicate over the phone or online but nothing is quite as efficient as face-to-face conversation. It is the only way to assure mutual understanding.

The Human Factor
Website content and online marketing material should both be designed for real people. Something what is visually attractive in certain parts of the world might be off-putting to local consumers. Moreover, you shouldn’t expect a foreign company to create high-quality British marketing content. Meanwhile, our staff members are all locals – we’re proud to be a web design agency London-based residents can truly relate to.

It should be noted that besides the countless other advantages you can reap from choosing a local firm, you would also be supporting the economy by encouraging small business. If you want to learn more about how to improve your online capabilities, don’t hesitate to contact us. We’ll answer all of your questions and help determine the best possible web design and marketing strategies for your business.

Papersky – Mobile Marketing London and email messenger

With mobile as the most common way consumers access the Internet, no business can remain successful without catering to smartphone and tablet users. If you think having an effective emailing strategy is enough to reach your company’s audience, you may want to reconsider your overall marketing plan. Here are six strong reasons why:

1. The Smartphone is the New Decision-Making Tool
   Over half of all UK residents use their smartphone when shopping. It’s more convenient to read about products and compare brands on-the-go and most people like to save time on shopping whenever possible.

2. Mobile Ads Convert More
   According to a 2015 PRNewswire report, 64% of email ad responders made follow-up actions on mobile devices, while only 38% did so on their desktop.

3. Innovation Breeds Success
   The best-performing marketers in history have all been among the first to dominate a new media. When the Internet became popularized, companies who were quick to change their ad campaign’s focus (from TV to online) became the new industry leaders in the following years. Today, it’s become obvious that the next step is switching to mobile.

4. Mobile Marketing is Personal
   Contacting customers on their Smartphone is the closest you can get to speaking with them face-to-face. People subconsciously trust what they read on their phone more than on any other device.

5. Ads Have Never Been More Targeted
   With mobile marketing, you can not only target the right person, but do so at the right time and, sometimes, in the right place. Since consumers carry their smartphones everywhere, they will see emails right when they receive them and, thanks to GPS, they can receive ads that are specific to their location.

6. More Platforms than Before
   You’ll see increased business when your application and browser ads become compatible with mobile devices, yet there are other steps to take. Emailing apps are almost universally used and notification-enabled, which makes email an even more powerful marketing tool. The Papersky Email Messenger combines everything you need to develop a successful email ad campaign: mailshot creation, newsletter management, list building and much more. If you want to find out how to get our email messenger at a low cost and with no monthly fees, contact us here.

Papersky – Web design agency London

Having an effective internal team is a significant advantage. Yet, some things can be done more efficiently with the benefit of outside professional help and managing website design is definitely among those things. For a business, it may seem like having an employee take care of your company’s “online presence” is cost-efficient but, the truth is, you would be much better off hiring a web design agency. London’s best specialists – Papersky web design – can be on your team, managing your site faster and more effectively than anyone else, while costing you less than an internal employee’s time.

Here are just a few ways we can help you decrease spending:

Lowering Costs of Operation
We can accomplish tasks faster, thereby incurring less costs. Sure, you can have an employee design your logo or update your social pages – you can even do that yourself. However, unless you’ve been doing those things for years, we can get them done exponentially quicker.

Delivering Cheaper Online Marketing
Hiring an agency doesn’t automatically imply huge fees for web design. London-based small businesses prefers us because we present a range of marketing solutions at all price levels. As a matter of fact, we offer platforms with no monthly fees for email marketing and SMS marketing tools you can try for free!

Delivering Exactly What You Ask for
Your time is valuable and your employees’ time costs you money. They won’t work for free if they can’t accomplish everything you ask them to do in time. Meanwhile, we’ll work until your goals are reached – no matter how long it takes. There’s no need to worry about how much a task will cost because you receive a quote before hiring us. Just contact us today and you can compare the exact costs of managing your own site against the costs of our web design and online marketing services. We’ll provide a free, detailed consultation – no obligation needed.

Papersky fits in perfectly with Google’s new SEM and SEO algorithms

You can tell a business has its finger on the pulse of current trends if the way they promote marketing and website design turns out to be one step ahead of recent changes made to Google’s search engine marketing and optimisation algorithms. The good news is that the quality of website content will improve dramatically, while the even better news is that one key feature of Googles page ranking system relates directly to the mobile friendliness of websites. In other words if you have a website which is designed to be as easy to use and navigate from a smartphone as it is from a PC, then Google will love your website and reward you accordingly. Now this is a great incentive for genuine website designers who rely on quality graphics, great ‘kerb appeal’ and faultless written content produced by someone who knows what perfect English is.

Here at Papersky we are a web design agency, London – based but nationally and internationally known. Here we specialise in mobile marketing, email messenger, online marketing, email marketing and SMS marketing. Now the important aspects of our work are the mobile marketing and SMS marketing, as they are perfect for those who have mobile-friendly websites. Google are already rubbing their hands and here at Papersky we are chomping at the bit to get going to create and adjust websites that will both optimise search engine page ranking, but maximize customer and client interaction and response. Now marketing is a bit like a moveable feast these days and just as you think you’ve got your head round what is ‘vogue’ the tide changes and you have to rethink your strategies. Well you can pull your hair out trying to keep pace with changing tides, or you can leave everything in the safe hands of Papersky. So to find out more about us, and how Google has woken up to what real people want from a search engine, why not contact us.

Recent figures released from the USA, and which are as appropriate in Europe, have revealed that over 50% of website traffic is being generated from mobile technology, and over 30% of online sales are mobile-generated, predominantly from smartphones, followed by tablets. Now for us here at Papersky this has not come as a surprise as for some time now we have been gearing ourselves and our clients up for this sea change in internet use. We have already recognised the power of mobile marketing and SMS marketing campaigns and the results we are achieving for our clients are speaking for themselves. What we have found and which our clients appreciate is that we can be more target-specific with online marketing, whether it is through an email marketing campaign or an SMS marketing campaign. It is fair to say that the more direct marketing that is targeted at mobile devices, the more critical it is going to become that the marketing is accurate. For marketing campaigns directed at PC users, that opportunity was ruined through spam, to the point where the majority of email marketing campaigns ended up directly in a spam folder.

Now as a web design agency, London and New York being our two principal hubs, we have also been aware that websites now have to work differently so that they are smartphone friendly. If you are going to carry out an SMS marketing campaign, there isn’t much point in having a website that won’t work seamlessly on a smartphone, so when you come to Papersky, we don’t just carry out online marketing, but we will look at your website and if needed, design one that will be far more effective when combined with online marketing campaigns. To find out more, just contact us at Papersky and we’ll be more than happy to discuss the changing face of internet use with you.

Lots of companies and brands have profiles on social media platforms but nowadays it’s not enough just being on them, you have to really BE on them. By this we mean interacting with your followers and getting involved in conversations with your potential and existing customers. This should be about things that they are talking about and things that they care about and not just bombarding them with information about your product or service.

We don’t really need to spend much time convincing you of the power of social media; Facebook is constantly in the press and made founder Mark Zuckerberg one of the youngest billionaires in the world. Plus Oscar’s host Ellen DeGeneres’s record breaking selfie, made up of some of the most famous faces on the planet, was retweeted a mind blowing 3.4 million times.

Managing your social media, if done correctly can be a full time job in itself. We’ve also seen the rise in the suite of ‘social’ software out there to help us manage the day to day running of our social media.

The premise of social media means that anyone and everyone can get involved but this doesn’t mean that anyone and everyone can execute an effective social media strategy. It can be an unbelievably powerful tool but lots of companies will turn to the experts to help them either put them on the right path or help them maintain their social presence.

The key to tapping into the power of social media marketing is to create compelling, engaging content that your followers and target audience care about and are going to be interested in. This may sound simple but it can be difficult to do this on a regular basis and many fall into the trap of constantly promoting themselves and lose people’s interest this way. Just like most marketing methods you need to consider the ‘What’s in it for me’ rule. When you’re posting on your social networks stop and consider what your post will mean for your audience and if it’s giving them anything in return for their follow/like or support.

One social media campaign can reach more people than a bunch of traditional newspaper ads put together if executed properly. If your campaign goes viral the skies the limit for the amount of publicity your brand will receive and this has a proven direct link to an increase in traffic to your brand’s website and in turn, revenue. Putting together a campaign that is likely to go viral is like finding a diamond in the rough and if it was easy to do then they wouldn’t be as powerful as they are. Platforms like Facebook have strict terms of service that your business has to adhere to when promoting themselves and this is why many business turn to us to help navigate their way through the pitfalls. At Papersky we have extensive experience in creating custom apps that integrate with these channels and help drive traffic in the correct way. So if you’re considering a social campaign and want to tap into the power of social media then talk to us and we’ll help you avoid the common mistakes and make sure your campaign has the best chance of achieving what it set out to do and give you a slice of the powerful social media pie.

Gone are the days when we have time to sit back and enjoy the changes in modern technology before the next ‘great idea’ or advancement appears. Too many of you will be too young to remember that there was a good ten years plus between black and white televisions becoming a household item, and the arrival of colour television. Some of you may be old enough to remember ‘the brick’ – the first mobile telephone where you had to walk around with a huge battery pack in a bag strapped to your shoulder and the handset was no smaller, or lighter than a brick. A few years later and the first ‘pocket’ friendly mobile phone arrived, and then the snowball started rolling. So why are we relating this tale? Because times have changed to the point where technology is changing so fast, you haven’t got time to keep abreast of what the latest marketing trend is and run your own business. That’s where the services of our finger-on-the-pulse web design agency, London, Papersky, can revolutionise the way you do business.

As a web design agency in London, mobile marketing and online marketing are our fortés

Web design isn’t just about making a website look attractive, though that helps tremendously. Nor is it all about user-friendliness, though again that is important. However having a web design which incorporates all the aspects of state-of-the art mobile marketing and online marketing techniques is imperative. Gone are the days when you simply needed a website and waited for customers to find you. Today, you not only have to find the customers, but you then have to keep hold of them and make buying as easy a process as possible, and successful too. Learn how to accurately target the right customers for the right products and create a great relationship through the use of our web design agency. London provides us with all the inspiration we need to be creative, and our blog page will give you a great insight into the way we tick. Once you’ve learned a bit more about us, why not get in contact and let’s have a chat about how we can help you meet the demanding challenges of today’s effective marketing.

Understanding about effective online marketing and mobile marketing

Seldom does it appear that those involved in online marketing and mobile marketing understand the difference between reaching a specific and relevant target market, and annoying the hell out of half a million people with marketing messages with inappropriate content. By that we don’t mean content of a sexual nature, we mean something far worse than that. Irrelevant content. Think about it for a moment. You carry out a good SEO campaign and drive a good amount of genuine traffic to your website. You’ve spent a few quid on creating a good design with engaging content, maybe from a good web design agency, London’s Papersky being the marginally biased obvious choice in our opinion!….. And bingo! Everyone’s signing up to your newsletter and they want to be kept up to date with offers on products that might interest them. That’s easy if you specialise in one or two products, but not if you stock a whole range of items that have individual appeal to a broad range of customers.

Use a web design agency like Papersky to effectively target your market, not alienate it

So you’ve got a stack of customers all signed up to your website, and then you set about annoying each and every one of them by emailing them or sending SMS messages about special offers for products they aren’t going to be remotely interested in. The next thing you know, all those people who signed up for updates on special offers have signed off in frustration. It’s akin to writing website copy that reads well for search engines and gets you a high page ranking, yet the content is so poor for humans to read that they immediately move on as soon as they have found your website. Using a progressive and proactive web design agency in London can let you pass over the baton of effective mobile marketing and email message campaigns that get the results you want and get customers sharing content you send them, not deleting it before it has even been read. A successful business relationship with a good web design agency like Papersky is one where the increased revenue we generate for you means our fees pale into consideration by comparison, so why not give us a call and let us explain how we can create that mutually beneficial relationship.

With the long-awaited Penguin update hitting the web, SEO experts around the world are busy working out exactly what the changes mean for them. To help ensure your site’s SEO stays on the right side of Google’s exacting algorithms, here are the top 10 things you need to know about the update.

1. It’s in real time
The most important aspect of Google’s new Penguin update is that it operates in real time, so sites that have improved their content following penalties from the algorithm will see their efforts rewarded much more quickly, with webmasters no longer having to wait for an update to see their site reassessed.  

2. There won’t be any more updates
As Penguin is now operating in real time, it means the algorithm will no longer be updated, so there’s no need to keep your eyes peeled for announcements. 

3. It will be harder to spot
As the algorithm will run in real time, it will be harder to see its influence on the web. Even experts may struggle to see if a site’s ranking is being affected by the algorithm as the changes will probably be slow and incremental. 

4. It’s granular
Though web experts aren’t exactly sure what this means, it seems that Penguin will now penalise specific pages rather than entire sites. This will allow site owners to adjust their content more quickly, helping them to get their web page rehabilitated as fast as possible. 

5. Penguin’s come in from the cold
Previously, Penguin was its own entity. However, the latest update has brought Penguin into the fold, including it in Google’s core algorithm.

6. It’s global 
Penguin monitors websites in all languages, this means that the algorithm will analyse every single site on the web. 

7. Links need to be more natural 
Penguin is responsible for identifying the spammy sites that Google’s other algorithms might miss. One of the most important aspects of this is link building. Sites will need to have natural link building patterns, with seasonal differences reflected in the number and type of links listed. 

8. It will take a while to kick in
Though Penguin will start working its magic on the web imminently, it’s unlikely we’ll see dramatic changes anytime soon. 

9. Good SEO techniques are still valid
Despite the update, Google says that has not changed its SEO guidelines. Good SEO practices will still help improve a site’s ranking and ensure it places well on the results page. 

10. It’s quality that counts
Above all, Google wants to see good quality sites on the web. Filling a site with trustworthy, well-written content is still the best way to get a site the results it deserves. 

Want to find out more about the update, see Google's official documentation about Penguin 4.0

DMA Report – Return on Investment

The Direct Marketing Association, the DMA have just released their latest report on email marketing’s ROI and there were some really positive findings. So positive in fact that we've taken the time to summarise them in this short article. So, if you were thinking about making email marketing part of your campaign then rest assured, you're not alone!

The DMA's report said "More than half of UK client-side email marketers anticipate increasing their 2014 email expenditure after ROI for the channel reached 2,500% in 2013". These figures are pretty impressive by anyone's standards. What this percentage means in real terms is that for every pound spent on email marketing in 2013, the average ROI was £24.93. For B2C campaigns this figure is even more impressive at an average £30.52 for every pound spent. It's usually our job to try to convince customers of the benefits of email marketing’s ROI but with results and figures like this it makes it a far easier task and will nudge some email fence sitters into action!

More Focus and Target

This increase in email marketing’s ROI, according to the report, is down to a more focused approach to targeted campaigns. This focused approach is achieved through an emphasis on list segmentation with more and more marketers segmenting audiences into 6 or more segments. These segmented emails accounted for over half off all revenue last year from email marketing according to the report and what's more "the percentage of revenue marketers attribute to targeted email has also risen from 30% of total revenue in 2012 to 39% in 2013".

Plus, social media platforms are being used, with impressive results, in a bid to acquire new email addresses. Once the email addresses are acquired, brands are able to engage with their consumers more than ever before.

The motivation behind email marketing campaigns is said to have shifted from a primary focus on retention to one on brand engagement. We're no longer just using emails to remind previous customers we're still here but to constantly engage with new ones.

Email Automation

The report also hints that automated campaigns, the likes of happy birthday and abandoned shopping cart emails, are becoming more effective as a marketing touch point. Combine this with your segmented lists and behaviours and habits you've deemed from social media activity and it's a three pronged attack on the consumers attention.

The report showed the most common types of email messages were, regular newsletters with nearly 60%, followed by welcome messages at 40% and thank you messages at 33% with no contact receiving any more than three emails per month.

On the UP

So, we can see that email marketing’s ROI is on the up, and we know what you're thinking – of course we're always going to try and tempt you to leave it to the experts but if you're going to do something you might as well do it right! Plus the DMA's report actually suggests that more and more brands will be looking outside of their in-house teams to outsource their email marketing in a bid to tap into its huge potential. Check out our email messenger to see how you can be sending mail shots, newsletter and email campaigns to existing and prospective customers in just a few easy steps. 

Solid stats don't lie

We've previously told you how consumers are opening emails from their mobile devices more than ever before. Well now the proof is in the pudding with Experian's latest mobile data. It showed that "half of all unique email opens occur on a mobile device, with the majority of unique clicks – 39 percent – also happening on mobile." However it also found that almost a quarter of the brands included in the study were missing a trick but not optimizing their marketing emails for mobile. 

It also showed that while over 70% of brands market via mobile channels, most of these aren't harnessing the potential to connect and engage with consumers through the toolbox of mobile marketing methods available. 

How do you use your phone?

We're also using our mobile devices for their geo-location features a staggering amount for location based mobile marketing. Nearly three quarters of adults with smartphones are using their phones either to get directions or other information that's based on their location and the facilities and businesses around them. It's become a part of our routine, when was the last time you got out your map to find out how to get to a particular nearby location? 

Marketing Opportuunities and Usage

Location based mobile marketing is an awesome opportunity for marketeers as geo-location searches are directly related to our consumer behaviour. From choosing which restaurant to eat at, what to watch at the nearest cinema or where the nearest Primark might be we've come to rely on our phones for more than texts and calls and as such give marketers an invaluable insight into how consumers are choosing to spend their time and money. 

Some of the most effective geo-location based mobile marketing campaigns centre around discounts and promotions. If a shopper receives a 10% discount for their nearest coffee shop while they're on the main high street then it’s no surprise they're more likely to choose this coffee shop over another. 

Lots of marketers operating within the food industry have caught on to the power of geo-location marketing with some fairly hard-hitting campaigns. By aggressively targeting consumers in what may be considered a competitor’s location then they're not losing out on their own share of the huge mobile savvy market. It might sound a bit dog-eat-dog but a solid location based mobile marketing strategy can really help brands penetrate a particular location and introduce their brand into what could be otherwise considered a monopolised market.  

Consumers want this

Consumers are choosing to have personalised content ‘pushed’ to their devices in real time too. This is why, for example, Foursquare’s latest updated version relies more heavily on push alerts than the older school check-in services. The ads need to add genuine value to the consumer but marketers now know so much about consumers that this is becoming easier.

A US based advertising agency, MDG Advertising have found that “a whopping 72% of consumers say they will respond to calls-to-action in marketing messages they receive within sight of the retailer.” But it goes on to reveal that “With only 23% of retail marketers using some type of geo-targeted data in their mobile marketing, there is a huge opportunity to give customers what they want when they want it.”

So we can see how powerful location based mobile marketing can be and with the mobile device market growing at an amazing rate, make sure you throw your hat into the ring and get your market share of the growing numbers of mobile savvy consumers. How can you do this? … contact us now.

Unless you’ve made a deliberate effort to ignore social media and everything that comes with it, there’s no denying that fact that websites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn have fundamentally changed the way that we communicate on a daily basis.

But what exactly are these changes and are they all going to beneficial to individuals and wider society in the long run?

Short, casual interaction

Once upon a time, when the only way to find out how your cousin, school friend or ex-colleague was doing, was to find their phone number and call them up, our interactions were generally less frequent, but more in depth.

These days however, social media and social media marketing gives us the chance to send short, informal messages on a regular basis, allowing us to keep in touch with old friends and acquaintances, or even old or new customers, without actually having to pick up the phone and speak to them.

Ambient intimacy

A lot of social media websites, especially those like Facebook and Instagram, allow us to find out a lot of information about our friends and acquaintances without actually having to call, email or contact them in anyway at all.

Events like births, engagements, holidays, family get-togethers and new jobs are all shared on social media on a regular basis, allowing us to keep up to date with all the latest goings on without lifting a finger.

Though this makes it easy to keep in touch with a large group of people, this ambient intimacy gives a lot of people the impression that they are closer to people than may really be and presents a huge oppoturnity for social media marketing.

Marketing

By opening up an entirely new platform for advertisers and companies to contact their customers on, social media has created a completely new form of marketing communication.

No longer are we sold things from a far, today targeted and well thought through campaigns are delivered straight into the heart of our social lives, making them very persuasive and very hard to ignore.

By using social media marketing, the way we communicate with existing and potential customers has become more causal, more regular and, in some ways, a lot easier.

Opening us up to advertisers, viral campaigns and regular contact from old friends, colleagues and acquaintances, the way that social media effects how we communicate will keep developing alongside the medium itself and become an ever increasingly powerful tool for marketers and businesses and as ol’ Willie Sutton said you have to “go where the money is and go there often”.

 Web design – we’ve done the do’s now here’s the don’ts!

As with most things it’s really important to know the best way to do something, what works and general best practice for the field you’re in. We believe it’s also important to know what not to do as well as. As you know when visitors land on your website you’ve got about 5-10 seconds to capture their attention and make a good first impression. The appearance and ability to navigate around your site are fundamental to whether a visitor stays or clicks straight off. The effect the design of your website can have on your overall business shouldn’t be underestimated so we’ve taken a brief look at just a few of the most common web design mistakes to avoid so you’ve got an even broader picture of some of the website design do’s and don’ts.

Bad Nav

If you were to visit a supermarket and there didn’t seem to be any order or system to where you could find certain items, you’re probably going to go to their competitor down the road that make it as easy as possible for you to find what you’re looking for. It’s then harder to entice you back once you’ve had an initial bad experience. You want to keep visitors on your site for as long as possible, this shouldn’t be because they have to spend ages finding what they’re looking for but because it engages and entices visitors to read on and this will inevitably lead to more sales or leads. Top tips are to use icons to aid with navigation as they’re eye catching and help easily sign post areas of content. Make sure your top level navigation makes sense with relevant links and pages grouped logically together. Encourage them to go to another page once they’ve read the one they’re on with breadcrumb navigation.

Hidden call to actions

Don’t bog people down with reams of text, be upfront and start leading them to whatever it is you want them to do as soon as they land on your site. If you don’t lead them you’ll lose them. Don’t have too many different call to actions on the same page though, pick a primary one and make it obvious what a visitor can and should do next.

Running on and on and on…

People feel first, read second. So, don’t overload visitors with lengthy paragraphs after paragraphs of text as it’ll send visitors running and screaming. But, remember without any content how are you going to sell your brand to visitors? So, be precise, use white space to focus the eye on certain sections, break up blocks of text with bulleted lists, subheadings and do not, under any circumstances underestimate the importance of flawless spelling and grammar in your copy.

Colour Calamities

Sounds silly but you need to make sure visitors can actually read your content by using sufficient colour contrasts. Colour can be used to help organise a page and steer the users’ journey in a particular direction so use one of the many free colour contrast tools to check how your design measures up. Plus, don’t be afraid to use different sized elements if you have a fairly minimal colour scheme.

Untidy House Untidy Mind

Replace house with website and you get what we mean! Your copy should do all the hard work for you so you don’t have to throw every single bit of info you can think of at a page and clutter it up. Cluttered pages look unprofessional, distracting and put visitors off reading on and leads to high bounce rates. This applies to images and other graphics too, remember less is more. Ask yourself if each element on your page really needs to be there and is it actually doing anything?

Here at Papersky we know how important your website design is to the success or failure of your online presence and are fluent in all the latest and greatest website design do’s and don’ts. When it comes to websites, we believe that the companies that focus on design are emerging as the most successful. So, whether you need a simple site or an all-singing, all-dancing eCommerce site get in touch with the Papersky team today.

 

According to research from Econsultancy, a leading source of independent advice and insight on digital marketing and ecommerce, “Apps, email and search are among top mobile priorities for businesses” We’ve taken a closer look at their report to see how to use mobile marketing.

The report

Based on survey of more than 500 companies and agencies, carried out in July and August 2013. It showed that “when asked which mobile channels they plan on using during the next 12 months just over half (55%) of marketers said apps, followed by mobile advertising (51%), optimised emails (50%) and tablet-specific sites (50%).

The report also confirmed the rise in mobile marketing, “The results show that there is appetite among client-side businesses to get more involved with mobile, as two-thirds (67%) say mobile will become a fundamental part of their marketing and commerce strategy during the next 12 months” as more and more businesses learn to how to use mobile marketing.

The report did show however that only 39% of organisations actually have a mobile strategy in place but did go on to say “Main Street tends to be cautious about changing the way it markets, but local business owners are now embracing mobile marketing at a remarkable rate, including SMS (text messaging), mobile banners, email, paid search, mobile video, proximity campaigns, sponsorships, coupons, loyalty programs and deals.”

The rise in mobile marketing also presents a further challenge for marketers, how to grow their mobile marketing and their social media at the same time. The reason the two are so inextricably linked is because social media marketing is a real-time experience and something consumers do via mobile devices.

Benefits and Tips

We’ve put together the benefits and a few top tips on joining your mobile marketing with social media.

It widens your horizon and expands your options. Adding mobile capabilities means you can monitor and manage your social media marketing anytime, anywhere and makes it a lot easier to immediately react to comments or questions from your audience.

Remember to tweak your content for your mobile audience. Make it short and sweet and to the point. You don’t have to start from scratch though as you can make use of all the most popular and successful social media networks and platforms out there like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare.

If you’re ready to enter the world of mobile marketing and take your slice of highly lucrative mobile market then Papersky can be your perfect partner and show you concisely, confidently and in plain English how to use mobile marketing to it’s full potential. We’re growing fast in this area and not only can we provide an intuitive, stable platform from which to manage your campaigns, but because we’re an established design and online development agency we can integrate them into your website and other marketing activities.

Nothing seems to stand still for very long in the world of modern technology. And the same can certainly be said for modern web design technologies. New acronyms are constantly popping up all over the place so we've taken a closer look at some of the latest Web 2.0 technologies and update on web codes so you know not only what they mean but why you need them.

HTML5

Kicking off with HTML5, it's the 5th revision off HTML hyper text mark up language, basically the code behind a web page. It's been designed to allow web designers to do almost anything they want without having to use plugins or extra software. From animation to music it can create quite complex applications to run in your browser. What's great about HTML5 is it's cross-platform so works on tablets, smart phones and any type of computer plus Smart TVs. You also don't have to pay royalties to use it as it isn't proprietary. HTML5 is actually made up of three types of code, HTML, CSS (cascading style sheets) and JavaScript. Basically the structure, the look and the thing that makes it all happen.

CSS

So moving on to CSS, CSS3 is the third generation and offers some really great features. Without CSS your website would look pretty plain and boring, not to mention messy. CSS3 let's developers to customise a site's layout based on limited or expanded screen sizes. So in more simple terms, it means your website design becomes responsive and will changed depending on whether your site is being viewed on a tablet, smartphone and computers.

JQuery

Once you've nailed the above you can move on to controlling the web pages behaviour through jQuery, a cross browser library of JavaScript. It makes light work of loads of common tasks that use lines of JavaScript and bundles them into methods you can use with just a single line of code.

Content Management

Last but by no means least the last update on web codes we're giving you is on WordPress. It's the most popular content management system (CMS), used by more than 60 million websites around the world and by nearly a fifth of the top 10 million sites. This state-of-the-art platform focuses on usability, the way your site looks and making sure it adheres to web standards all at the same time. WordPress was originally used to create blogs but has now evolved into one of the most sophisticated CMS' around. It's based on MySQL, and PHP and runs on a web hosting service. WordPress is so accessible and can be used by people of all levels from those with the most basic of skills all the way up to the web wizards. It's so easy to pick up and almost anyone can manage the day to day use of a WordPress CMS.

So, as you can see even from our selection of update on web codes’ almost anything is possible on the web thanks to the ever evolving technologies of web design. If you want a competitive, modern and intuitive website then get in touch with us today or check out our range of solutions online.

Logo design and why DIY can be disastrous for your brand

Printed at the top every of letter, emblazoned on your business card and boldly placed on each webpage, your company logo is one of the most important aspects of your brand identity.

The colours, the layout, the use of text and the style of a logo can all speak volumes about your business, and badly designed or badly executed DIY logo design won’t say anything good.

So if you’re currently playing around on Photoshop or even more catastrophic.. Microsoft Word, trying to create a new DIY logo design for your business, take a little break and read through the rest of this post before you send anything to the printers.

How can a good logo help your business?

However much we try to keep an open mind, first impressions are important. And as potential customers browse the web, walk along the high street or scour the local directory, it’s your logo that’s going to make the difference.

By putting a bit of thought into your design, layout and colour scheme, not only can you create an eye-catching logo, you can also show your customers that your company is professional, reliable, dynamic and approachable.

Why is a DIY logo design a bad idea?

A poorly designed, poorly executed or out dated logo won’t catch any eyes or inspire much confidence in your company.

Even if you have some design experience, most potential customers will be able to spot a DIY logo design from a mile off, giving them the impression that your business isn’t willing to invest in itself, that it lacks confidence and that it has an unprofessional approach to marketing.

How can you make sure that your logo is up to scratch?

Just like you’d take your car to the mechanic, your dog to the vet and your empty pint glass to the barman, the best place to take your fledging logo ideas is to a professional designer.

Experienced, creative and professional companies like Papersky can build you a great looking logo quickly and affordably, taking the strain off of your artistic shoulders and ensuring a high quality result.

With attention to detail, a deep understanding of colour and design as well as years of first hand experience, a professional company will be able to create a logo both you and your customers will love.

What’s more, the eye-catching and timeless logo that they create for your business will make you proud every time you send an invoice, give out a business card or log on to your website.

 

Everyone should be Social

Anyone can be social. It’s not just the big brands that are taking social media by storm, setting trends and engaging their target customers on a more personal level than ever before.

But, social media is just as, if not even more, effective in local markets. It’s a well-known fact that we’re more likely to respond to brands that our friends and social circles favour. Local companies can tackle social media just as well as brand giants, they just need to make sure they have clear goals and have and stick to a good social media strategy.

Control and Consistency

Make sure you have control over your own profiles on the various local business social sites and directories out there to make sure your information is up to date and sending out the message that you want. Featuring on local business listings and business type social media sites is also great for your website’s SEO, as you're more likely to come up in searches in your geographical area when the place name is used alongside the product or service you provide. Other than your local business listings you should make sure you have an accurate profile on the likes of Google Places, Foursquare, Yelp and Yahoo! Local. A well as Google Places check out Google + and set up a page for your business linking it to Google Maps.

A presence on at least a few of the major social networking sites is an absolute must nowadays for any kind of social media marketing. Whether its Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn depending on the type of sectors you cater for and whether your targeting B2C or B2B customers, you should be on at least a few of the main platforms.

B2B

If you’re targeting other businesses LinkedIn is an amazing tool for finding and contacting potential clients. And what’s more it’s still free for a basic profile. If you want to step things up a notch you can subscribe to a professional profile for a monthly fee which means you can see loads more people’s details and have an overall better chance of getting your profile noticed. Even on the free, basic profile LinkedIn has proved a vital lifeline for many businesses from freelancers all the way through to companies with annual turnovers in their millions. LinkedIn is an essential part of a business’s B2B social media marketing and just because you’re not on there doesn’t mean you’re competition isn’t! You should not only encourage your individual employees to sign up for a free LinkedIn account but also have your own company page where you should fill out as many details as possible to increase your chances of being found.

Social promoting especially for local business

Social networking platforms are the perfect place to promote any events, promotions or competitions you’re running. Once you’ve got the attention of your target market, even if they don’t buy or win on a particular occasion if they’ve ‘Liked’ your page then they’ll be thrown into the mix for your future marketing and posts.

Local marketing is by the very nature supposed to be more personal than any other approach. So, that means make sure you’re talking about things your community care about and not just constantly promoting yourself and your business. Plus if people do comment or mention you in any way make sure you interact with them, simply scheduling posts isn’t enough and will come across as robotic and undermines the personal touch behind social media in the first place.

It's tough but there are rewards

Social media marketing can be a full time job in itself and like with most things if it’s worth doing, then it’s worth doing properly. Papersky can help you set up your Facebook and other social pages to look slick and professional, and show you how to use them to get the most out of your networking. We’ll help you work out which platforms are best for your business and get you up and running.

Blinded by Science

Choosing the right web design agency, that will get the feel for your business, needn’t be overwhelming.

You’ll want to choose an agency that takes the time to talk to you, asks you questions and can show you their portfolio. Don’t let them blind you with science, get them to explain what they can do in a language you understand.

Expect lots of questions

Asking you questions means that they are interested in the product or service you want to provide and they won’t just give you a generic web design that doesn’t really go to the heart of what you want to demonstrate.

A great way to help you choose the right web design company is to look at their portfolio and ask about their feedback. If previous clients are willing to talk about the work that’s been done, then that’s a good sign. People won’t give a glowing reference unless they really are satisfied. We’ve got a long list of clients that would happily recommend us and they’ve been where you are.

Understand what you need

Make sure whoever you choose has experience in the areas that you need. If you want animation, database reports, super slick design or client log-in areas, your web design company need to know how to add these to your website. Here at Papersky we like to keep our finger on the pulse and can create everything from one page websites to complex and bespoke solutions.

Watch out for cowboys

Make sure you use a company that are good at design and development, remember your site needs to attract customers and generate business. There are a lot of very expensive design companies waiting to take your hard earned cash, paying over the top doesn’t mean you will get a better website but remember, on the flip side you get what you pay for so watch out for package prices that sound too good to be true.

Satisfaction

We put customer satisfaction at the top of our list and that means we listen to what you want, we ask you questions about your business and we make suggestions to ensure that you get exactly the website you’re looking for. We won’t confuse you with technical terms or jargon, we speak to you in plain English. There might be things you can’t get your head around, we know not everyone is tech savvy, but we will work with you throughout the whole design process so that you play a part in your website creation.

Price

Before we take on your project we find out exactly what you want, so that we can provide a realistic estimate for the work we will do. We want you to be clear about what you’re spending, so there’s no nasty surprises along the way. If you do make additions such as adding a blog, newsletter, logo design, membership site, email address setup or a shopping cart, then we will tell you what the costs will be, before we carry out the work.

Relationships

We are proud to say that our team have developed a good working relationship with so many of our customers and work hard to keep our reputation as a friendly and approachable web design company. After all, we might be working with you for some time and always hope our relationships can grow with your business. Let’s be honest it’s in our best interests too for your website to do well so we put every effort into making this a reality.

SEO isn’t rocket science

A company that knows the ins and out of SEO is far better than one that seems to have all the gear but really no idea. Check out our SEO article for further advice. As well as providing an attractive and functional website, we also integrate basic and advanced SEO techniques and advise you about keeping your content optimised, so that when your website is up and running, you won’t fall behind your competitors. We will also provide support for the first couple of months, just to make sure that you are doing what’s necessary to get to the top spot.

We are a low cost web design company with a high end attitude and this is reflected in the designs we have created for both start-ups and established brands. We’re proud of our portfolio, which reflects our commitment to providing high quality outputs and building successful relationships. If you want to know how to choose the right web design company just check out a snippet of work on our portfolio page and it should tell you everything you need to know!

We all know by now that mobile advertising is on the up and with that comes the stratospheric rise of mobile advertising. The overall global mobile advertising market in the US alone was worth $18 billion last year, this is twice that of its 2012 worth. What’s more, industry predictions say that this is set to grow by at least another 75% in 2014.

So who are the major players in the mobile advertising market? Surprise surprise Google are the dominant force in the market with just under half of the market. The next big mobile mogul isn’t too much of a surprise either, Mark Zuckerberg and his guys at Facebook enjoy about a quarter of the mobile ad market which means together Google and Facebook, just two companies now control over 65% of the entire mobile ad market in the United States.

What might surprise you is that whilst Twitter has taken the social world by storm and has increase its share in the mobile ad market, it still only has a fraction of its social networking colleague at just 2.4%.

So we can see how much the mobile advertising market is worth and who has a dominate stake of this almost inconceivable figure but why is it so lucrative in the first place? Well research and economic theory in general show that having a growing share in a growing market can be a really smart decision for a company and Facebook, with over half their 2013 4th quarter earnings coming from mobile ad revenue, would certainly agree. But did you also know that up until 2011 none of Facebook’s revenue came from mobile ad revenue, zilch. So in just a few years they’ve gone from nothing to the second largest player in the field.

You don’t have to delve very deeply into Google’s marketing strategy to see why they’ve got the biggest bite of the mobile ad pie. With the launch of its mobile Playbook it aimed to make mobile marketing more effective for other brands and of course this only solidified their position as a mobile marketing mogul.

Some marketers have concerns that the sheer size of screen space mobiles provide are a hindrance for effective mobile advertising campaigns, but as with most things, when done correctly this doesn’t matter. Google are fully aware of some companies reluctance to move in mobile marketing and Google’s Head of Global Mobile Sales and Strategy, Jason Spero has said ”Mobile is a great canvas for brand-building,”. “It’s going to produce some of the greatest campaigns in digital. But it’s shocking how far behind the [consumer] consensus the broad base of companies are.”

As we’ve previously discussed there are brands out there that have been able to channel the power of mobile marketing as see in our ‘Mobile Marketing success Stories’ post. There is also a growing confidence in how specifically we’re able to measure the impact of mobile campaigns beyond the initial click. Adidas, for example proved that by using store data they could determine the real value of a consumer clicking on a store locator button and found a correlation between the amount of clicks and the corresponding store’s sales.

Mobile advertising has huge potential if channeled and executed in the right way. If you want to get in on the action and see how it can catapult your business into the lucrative mobile market, get in touch with our mobile team at Papersky for expert advice.

References

http://mashable.com/2014/03/19/google-facebook-dominate-mobile-ads/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthof/2012/10/09/google-heres-how-well-mobile-ads-can-really-work/

Do you display and promote your products online but are yet to take the plunge and sell online? Well now could be the time and once you read our list of top ten reasons why an ecommerce website is the way go we’re sure you’ll agree!

• With ecommerce websites the world is your oyster. It might sound a bit cliché but if you have a physical store then you’re restricted to those in a certain geographical and are constantly reliant on footfall. If you sell online then you can serve anyone, anywhere.

• Tap into the world of search engines and throw your hat into the search ring to be included in the billions of searches that happen online every day. With a physical store and marketing you’re restricted to the right people being at the right place at the right time. On the high street we tend to stick to the brands we know but online its commonplace for searchers to follow a search engine result onto a website that they may not be familiar with but still result in a purchase.

• You could have much lower overheads. You don’t have to have a shop on the high street or pay business rents as you can operate your business from anywhere. Online marketing techniques such as social media and organic search engine traffic can be more cost effective than some traditional methods. Plus if you have an automated checkout and payment system you don’t need to pay for staff to man a till or sort out invoices as it’s all done for you. These lower overall business costs mean that you could pass these savings partly on to your customers and offer a much more competitive price.

• Ecommerce websites can be far more convenient for shoppers. They don’t have to trawl up and down the aisles looking for what they want, they can just search for a particular product, add it to their online basket and be in and out in a matter of minutes if they want and they didn’t even have to leave the comfort of their own sofa.

• Its far easier to compare products online so if you’re particularly competitively priced or offer something a bit different it’s easier to lure shoppers away from a competitors website.

• Online shopping means we can go to different providers for different items. We’re unlikely to go to Tesco’s for our milk then Asda for our fruit and veg then swing by Sainsbury’s for our bread on the way home. Online, it’s much easier to go from shop to shop depending on what we’re looking for and it doesn’t always mean the biggest brand wins.

• You can provide as much information in as much detail as you like. In an electrical retailers high street shop you’ll have a certain level of product information but space is limited and staff will need to constantly update their knowledge as product ranges change. Online you can include detailed product specifications, PDF’s and links straight to manufacturers for more information.

• Once you’ve got a customer’s details through them purchasing a product, signing up to your newsletter and so on, you have so many more touch points available to market to them and can build relationships with customers over time. We’ve all seen on the likes of Amazon, ecommerce websites that remember customer preferences and can recommend similar products and encourage repeat purchases.

• 24/7, 7 days a week. You don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn and open up your online shop and your customers don’t have to worry about your opening times either and the orders could be coming in while you’re peacefully sleeping at home!

• Ecommerce websites are fantastic for brands selling niche products and helping bring rare or specific products to people anywhere in the world.

So, if you’ve realised that ecommerce websites are the future of retail and are ready to open your business up to the online world and the sales opportunities this brings with it, then get in touch with us today. With a tailored ecommerce solution from Papersky we can tailor your online shop to suit your business from stock management to product variations and delivery methods and much more. 

New Business? Exciting Times!

Going into business for yourself is an exciting time, but it is also difficult to get everything you need done when you’re on a tight budget.

Marketing your new business is one of the most important things to start organising once your new enterprise is up and running. New start-ups are springing up fast. In London’s Tech City there were only 200 start-ups in 2008 and now there are over 1,300, which means competition is fierce and having a good marketing strategy is paramount.

Marketing Expense

What you won’t need however, is a big pot of money to get your business out there. There are affordable options that will meet your needs and get your marketing plans off the ground running and show you that there is a way to achieve some great marketing on a budget. All you need is the help of an experienced, affordable marketing team.

Some Tips

Here at Papersky we with many established brands but also work with new businesses in various stages of their launch. One of the first things we would recommend is that connect with your initial leads and contacts an send an email Marketing Campaign. It’s one of the most cost effective and well, effective marketing mediums out there.

Sending your customers an email isn’t just about giving them information about your products and services. Nobody will read your emails if they look like spam. A good email is engaging and makes the target audience want to read what you have to say.

Send out your emails on a regular basis, but don’t bombard people with them, otherwise this will make them stop reading and reduce the effect of your marketing campaign. Make the emails interesting, tell your customers about up and coming events or contests that you are hosting. Ask your readers to comment and build up a community of loyal followers.

Newsletters, mail shots and auto-responders are all excellent marketing tools and our team here at Papersky can help you create a valuable email platform that will encourage your customers to keep reading and generate valuable business and mean that you can go on and on marketing on a budget.

Always spend time being Social

Other low cost marketing ideas include the use of social media. In today’s business world a presence on one or more of the many social media sites will spread the word about your start-up much faster than traditional methods. You will get your business noticed if you’re able to post comments, tweet and upload photographs to your social media page. The more you become involved, the wider your circle of followers will become.

Marketing your start-up effectively means posting regularly, answering questions, replying to comments and acknowledging tweets, but a lot of business owners don’t understand social media or how to use it. But don’t worry, we can will set up your business profiles and teach you how to make the most of the publicity that you can generate through platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Pinterest. It’s one of the most efficient and cost effective ways for marketing on a budget and to connect and communicate with people who are interested in your business.

We can design and create attractive and professional business profiles pages, teach you how to keep them updated and put the jargon into plain English! If you want to develop custom apps that help drive traffic to your pages, we can do that for too.

Create the Buzz

Our experienced team will advise you about how best to market your start-up with the budget you’ve got. You might just be surprised at how much you can get done, without having to spend a fortune. Ask the experts. Papersky are a friendly, approachable team, who relish a challenge and enjoy helping you to create a marketing buzz, without breaking the bank.

 

If people never made mistakes then how would we ever be able to learn from them? To save you from making any we’ve researched the 10 most common email marketing mistakes. Sometimes it’s just as important to know what not to do as it is to know what to do.

Underestimating the power of the subject line

Too many people bung in a subject line at the last minute in an effort to meet a deadline and underestimate just how vital it is. The subject line can make an email campaign sink or swim and is THE most important part of a campaign, if this doesn’t draw recipients in then it doesn’t matter how good the body copy is – they’ll never get to find out!

Using spam triggers in the subject line

Seeing as the subject line is so important don’t use spam keywords and risk getting your email filtered into spam folders. This might sound obvious but ‘spam keywords’ are changing all the time and if you’re selling something for example avoid using words like ‘Clearance’ and ‘Buy direct’.

Missing clear call to actions

Some emails get so bogged down in detail that they forget to actually ask for what it is you want your audience to do. If you want them to go to your website, call you or email you then ask upfront and don’t bury it in the body copy. If a recipient just skims your email and only reads the first paragraph, if your call to action is in the third or fourth then they’ll miss it.

Sending from generic email addresses

Who is donotreply anyway? Avoid sending emails from donotreply@, info@, sales@ addresses. It’s impersonal and doesn’t go any way in building the trust you are trying to establish with your audience by sending the email in the first place. If it is from the sales team just pick a dedicated person from the sales team to handle each campaign.

Relying on images to upload

So many inboxes block images initially until we click to download them. Images are still great in emails we’re just saying make sure there’s enough copy for the email to make sense without them.

Ignoring the WIIFM rule

That’s the ‘what’s in it for me’ rule. Unless it’s some really great news or you’re donating millions to charity then recipients don’t want to hear you talk about you or your company. They want to know what something means for them. So, use ‘you’ instead of ‘I’ or ‘we’ Instead of ‘We’re offering…’ use ‘You can have…’

Not testing your email 

You wouldn’t eat your food before its finished cooking so doesn’t send your email before it’s finished. If you haven’t sent a tester email out it’s not finished. Sending emails with mistakes, typos or links/images etc. that don’t load can be embarrassing and costly to the business. Check it works on different platforms like Outlook and Gmail.

Ignoring A/B testing

You should, at the very least, test things like subject lines to see which worked best to use this as a guide for future campaigns. You can get a sense of what worked and what didn’t and of course focus your efforts into what did.

Not setting up analytics

You’d be surprised how many businesses send off an email into the abyss and just hope they get a few bites. Make sure you’re looking at your analytics and learning from it. If particular features are popular carry on, if people are ignoring certain sections look into why this might be. You can even see who’s clicked through to your site and email them with a follow up nudge.

DIY

We’re not saying that all DIY email marketing is bad but you wouldn’t try to fix your own car, you’d take it to a professional mechanic. So, turn to the experts for your email marketing too. Expert and trusted providers like us have a track record of creating and sending effective email marketing campaigns that are most likely to result in a good return on your investment. Get in touch today for more information.

 

Why you should be blogging for better SEO, and why you should do it properly.

For many people unfamiliar with the world of SEO, the word blogger will probably conjure up images of a tech, celebrity or self-obsessed geek, holed up in their bedroom, writing updates that no one will ever read.

Well, think again. Today blogs and bloggers are some of the most influential things on the web and more and more companies are harnessing the power of the blog to promote their business, develop their identity and you categorically can use blogging for better SEO across your website and social media platforms.

So if your company or organisation still hasn’t embraced the blog, now is the perfect time to get online and get publishing. 

Why are blogs so important?

Though blogs are a great way to give your company or organisation a personality and let customers know about upcoming events, the main reason that blogs are now so important is that it has hands down been proven that companies should be blogging for better SEO.

This is largely because search engines are becoming cleverer, and where once stuffing your homepage with keywords, link building and paying for AdWords where enough to improve your rankings, today’s search engine algorithms are more likely to rate a site highly if it has a well maintained, well written and active blog. 

Why the search engines love blogs

Since search engines first hit the web they have been constantly innovating in order to bring web users the most relevant results for their query.

These days, that means websites that have a lot of relevant keywords, sites that are well written and those that are regularly updated.

If your blog is written by a professional, features keywords related to your business and is updated on a weekly or monthly basis, you’re killing a lot of birds with one stone and giving the search engines exactly what they want. 

Using blogs to improve your SEO 

If this has convinced you to revive your own neglected blog or start up a brand new one, try to optimise it from the beginning in order to get the best possible results.

Use at least four or five keywords associated with your site in each post, emphasising their importance by linking them to relevant parts of your website.

If your organisation has a social media presence, post your blog updates on your profile and encourage followers to ‘Like’, share and comment on them. The search engines generally see social media as a good indication of trust so will rate your website positively as a result.

You have probably gathered by now that if you’re to do one thing differently or add to your marketing in some way this should be blogging for better SEO. By adding a blog to your site and by using it properly, you can have a big impact on your SEO, increase online traffic and give your business the boost it needs.

It’s May already and we’ve been keeping our ears to the ground to see what the likely web design trends for 2014 are going to be. There are loads of different suggestions as to what 2014 may bring in the world of web design and development but we’ve done a quick round up of just a few of the predictions.

Several sources across the net are suggesting that web design trends for 2014 will see a rise is the number of fonts available with a bit of personality. As more and more designers experiment with typography and are no longer afraid of using anything other than the core fonts like sans serif, we’ll begin to see some really creative fonts bringing web pages to life and adding an element of personality and uniqueness.

By now we all know that if a website isn’t mobile friendly or responsive you risk alienating and missing out on a massive mobile market. So, one of the biggest web design trends for 2014 is responsive web design which is becoming more common and increasingly offered as standard by designers and developers. This also means that those working behind the scenes are really considering the user journey when using a mobile phone to browse the web and tailoring functionality to really excel on mobile devices, rather than just re-sizing or re-shaping the desktop view. This functionality includes things like social media integration, long scrolling sites that we’ve come to expect on mobile devices and fast loading sites to help make the web a better experience via mobiles.

Hero images are set to become a focal point for many home pages and this is going one step further with developers embedding videos into them. Videos are much easier to produce than in years gone by and social media is rife with videos and clips as they’re a great way to explain something when words just don’t cut the mustard. Video platforms like YouTube mean you can track analytics in the same way you can page views on your site etc. so you can use this information to better plan for the rest of your site.

What’s in and what’s out in terms of colour is constantly changing, grey is the new black, navy’s the new grey and some are saying that now black is now the new, well black. It’s thought that this year will see more websites using a much simpler colour palette of only one colour, two at the most. This will include different hues of a colour and some are using just black and white with one other colour to add a bit of drama.

Integrating social media feeds into a homepage will become more common, offering short bursts of content like on a Twitter feed. This is down to our attention span’s getting shorter and we expect to be able to consume information faster than ever before so designers will have to compensate for this.

Images are said to expect a bit of a makeover too, getting overlays and effects you might expect to see on the likes of Instagram. HTML5 is also set to animate different and more parts of a site. Websites looking for the personal touch are likely to lean towards the trend of personal portraits as a hero image, again perhaps with overlays and effects.

The use of flat UI elements are becoming more widespread with CSS3 allowing designers to create flatter looking buttons using things like shadows and rounder corners. This could even extend to form inputs and navigation menus.

We always like to keep our finger on the pulse so will be keeping a close eye on web design trends for 2014. Our designers and developers combine their years of experience with knowledge of up-to-the-minute trends to make sure we create future proof and effective websites.

Billions of people around the world use mobile phones everyday, most of us as a complete life line that we’d feel lost without. As such mobile marketing should be a no-brainer for marketers and once you do embrace it you’ll wonder what took you so long! It’s easy, cost effective and most importantly profitable and can help you gain the attention of new and existing customers anywhere, anytime.

We’ve taken a quick look at just a few of the thousands of mobile marketing success stories out there to illustrate that mobile marketing does really work.

Starbucks

First up we’ve all heard of Starbucks, there’s one on nearly every city centre street and they’re a hugely successful brand. With such a broad target audience you might think they struggle to get their marketing right every time when different people want different things. Well actually they don’t, and what’s more they heavily rely on SMS marketing to help build personal relationships with their customers. They even won the title of “Mobile Marketer of the Year” in 2012. How’d they do it? By asking customers to join their loyalty program and texting them incentives, offers and discounts in return. They’ve even been known to give away drinks completely free to customers to reward them and ultimately strengthening their brand loyalty.

Dunkin’ Donuts

The American donut chain that have achieved phenomenal success not to mention pretty irresistible donuts and are a must for any visitor or resident to the US. Thanks to SMS marketing Dunkin’ Donuts enjoyed a 21% increase in their in-store traffic. In a bid to attract Boston high school and college students to try their 99cent hot lattes, they sent out thousands of targeted opt-in SMS messages to customers alongside radio and mobile internet adverts. The campaign was a resounding success as sales increased, 17% of those who received the text showed or forwarded it to a friend, so basically doing Dunkin Donuts marketing for them, and 35% said they were more likely to buy from the brand now.

Wiley publishers ‘Dummies’ series

Whether on the high street or online book retailers like Amazon you’ll surely have come across Wiley publishers ‘Dummies’ series. The reference books cover a whole range of topics from computers to puppies. Wiley’s SMS campaign involved sending out a $5 off For Dummies offer if the recipient replied with the word ‘dummies’ to instantly receive another text message which included the coupon. This coupon could be used online or in store or even kept for the future. This not only increased sales but helped the publishers dramatically grow its database of opt-in subscribers who could then continue to be marketed to in the future.

These are just 3 examples of how major brands and retailers have used SMS mobile marketing to not only increase and promote brand loyalty but to see a direct positive effect on sales and ultimately their bottom line. It’s not just the big guns that SMS marketing works great for, businesses of any size can benefit from the cost effective and increasingly popular marketing medium. But the main point is, the proof is in the pudding, or the donuts for some!

References

Marketing Profs

Text Republic

Mobile Marketing and Technology

kfswj.gov

Email marketing is one of the most direct lines of communication for conversion to sales and an essential component of any savvy marketing strategy. This high success rate doesn’t come with a high price tag though, it’s cost effective compared to more traditional print media and can often pay for itself many times over. If you sell a product worth the same cost as sending out your mail shot for example, then you only need to sell one to get your money back and with the Direct Marketing Association reporting that email marketing can have a ROI of around 4,300% then it’s a wise move.

Convert Customers

A good email marketing campaign will help grow your relationships with your customers and ultimately help convert potential customers into existing ones. Through a sophisticated email marketing messenger like ours they can easily be personalised to deliver quality, specific content to your target audience based on a range of metrics.

Where email marketing is concerned its important you look like you’ve gone to the effort of finding out who you’re actually talking to. Emails not only need to be personalised but targeted to the recipients needs to really be effective and convert into a sale.

Effective Communications

Any basic HTML software can help you bung the recipients first name into the opening line, but real personalisation comes from using a messenger service like ours and we know email marketing inside out, so let us take the guesswork out of it for you and make sure you send out meaningful and effective email communications.

Seek a professional

There’s more to a mail shot than you might think. There are services out there where you can design your own mail shots free but just because we can open the bonnet of our cars ourselves, tinker around and hope for the best it doesn’t mean that we’ll actually fix the engine and be left with a smooth running car. Leave it to the experts and free up your own time to concentrate on what you do best. We can design and build a mail shot that actually does what it sets out to do, with clear goals and call to actions and we know how to gear every element from the design, layout, links and copy to maximise the likelihood of the recipient performing the desired action.

But there’s little point in spending hours designing a mail shot if you’ve not got anyone to send it to. So many business fall into the trap of thinking its quantity not quality and buy databases with lists of hundreds or thousands of prospective email addresses. This then becomes a complete lottery as to how many of these contacts your product or service will be relevant to and your return on investment will be dramatically skewed by ignored and irrelevant recipients. So, we say instead of buying 1000 email addresses of completely random contacts with no real idea of their level of interest, if at all, in your brand, let us help you build up a list of say 100 customers that have actually shown an interest in hearing from you. This makes them much warmer leads and they’re far more likely to open, read and respond to your mail shot. We can help you build up an opt-in database from scratch so that you’re only concentrating your efforts on those that are likely to convert. We do this in a number of ways, through social networking applications, clever design and by using our years of experience as to what works and what doesn’t.

Analytics

Another important factor of email marketing is your analytics after the campaign has been sent out. Don’t fall at the final hurdle. You’ve spent time and money putting together your mail shots or newsletters, built a list of loyal and interested subscribers but don’t bother to look at what they liked the best, looked at, when, where and from what device. Well, it’s these factors that will help you further refine your email communications and cater for different audiences, geographic areas, device users and demographics to really deliver a personalised experience. You can use the analysis to inform and shape your next campaign and improve results even further. But don’t be overwhelmed by all the different statistics, graphs and bounce/open rates etc, email reporting is all part of the Papersky package so we’ll wade through the results and tell you what you want to know and how to use his information going forward. Get in touch to find out how we can help your business and grow your database of potential and existing customers.

We've been talking a lot recently mobile marketing, how it works, who's doing it and did it work for them. Well now we've down a round up of some of the advantages of mobile marketing that you might not have previously considered.

Papersky Marketing Platform for Mobile

Mobile marketing platforms used to involve hefty development costs to create designated short code and build smart phone applications but now services like our Papersky SMS marketing platform mean that the previous initial costs are already covered and therefore bypassed. This means there are far fewer barriers to entry and mobile marketing becomes accessible to more and more companies all the time.

Lots of people think users will mistake SMS marketing texts as spam but industry regulations and best practices mean that features like anti-spam filters and opt in/opt out choices are having a real positive impact on the perception of SMS marketing.

SMS marketing can reach people anywhere at anytime. The recipient doesn't have to be logged in to their email account, picking up the piece of direct mail from the doormat or paying attention to the adverts and billboards as they're driving along. We all know how important mobile phones have become in our everyday lives and most of us would feel lost without them, as such by using SMS mobile marketing this means you've got a better chance of your touch point with consumers actually being noticed rather than ignored.

It's a proven fact that marketing that is customised and tailored to potential customers' individual needs and desires is more likely to be effective than generic mass messages. That said just how far can we go in the quest to personalise communication? The answer is pretty impressive, Yahoo! for example have recently started sending mobile smart ads that are not only customised based on purchasing behaviours and demographics but impressively even down to local weather conditions. Imagine it being freezing cold pouring with rain outside whilst your shopping and receiving a SMS marketing message with a money-off voucher for your local coffee shop offering you the chance to get out of the rain for a well deserved hot drink. This would be far harder to resist than a banner advert online when you're sat inside in the warm watching the soaps.

Measure Performance

Just like email marketing, mobile marketing is really easy to measure the results of. This is a fundamental stage of any marketing campaign, as you'll probably have heard the industry's most famous line,“I know 50% of my advertising works. I just don’t know which 50%”. With the Papersky mobile marketing platform you can track open rates, click through rates plus get all this data in real time so marketers can react quickly to peaks in response rates.

Like all good marketing campaigns yours should be an integrated marketing strategy using the best of print and digital combined. Mobile marketing can be used to make the most of your efforts in other areas and help make other mediums more measurable too. It's hard to know how many sales or enquiries are as a direct result from a specific advert placed in a specific publication or on a website, with mobile marketing you can combine a 'text-in' promotion to be able to track how successful other marketing efforts really are. This means you can funnel your marketing budget into the mediums that yield the best results.

mobile Marketing is cost effective

Mobile marketing is also said to be on of the most effective ways of reaching those hard to reach customers. Because so many of us own mobile phones, and people have the ability to opt out of marketing if they do not want to be marketed to therefore it doesn't come with the same ethical considerations of buying data, marketers can reach the previously elusive customers and what's more, on their own terms.

So, other than it being a really cost effective, tried and tested way of targeting those people most likely to be receptive to your product or service, we can see that there are lots of other advantages to mobile marketing when you delve below the surface.

Search engine results are like your wardrobe, you're not going to trawl through the piles of clothes at the back when you've got perfectly good outfits to choose from at the front. So, if you're not on page one of search results, you might as well be on page a million. SEO is such an essential part of a marketing and online strategy these days but like many new technologies, best practice tips and techniques are constantly evolving. We know how busy you are running your business so to help you keep ahead of the competition and up-to-date with the most recent techniques out there, we've put together a few top tips for some good SEO strategy.

They say home is where the heart is and search engine giant Google seems to agree as local searches are taking over. So many searches display Google Place listings and if your customers are local or even regional then you should make sure you're on Google Places and this will mean you'll rank higher on SERPS (search engine result pages).

SEO is like Ant and Dec

Search and social are like the Ant and Dec of the online world, you can't have one without the other. Your ranking on SERPs is influenced by social cues from social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and other social bookmarking. Results are personalised to the person searching so with the right SEO campaign you can engineer it to encourage social media sharing. Back to Google, being on Google+ is said to do wonders for your web SEO ranking as there's a direct link between Google+ posts and your search engine results.

Google likes questions to be answered

Remember we often type questions into search engines rather than just keywords so a good SEO strategy will anticipate these questions and of course their subsequent answers. That's not to say keyword research isn't fundamental to SEO because it is, but remember you need to cater for the types of questions that real people will enter rather than robots trawling through to find keywords.

Google likes quality content

Google is always one step ahead of the game and can tell the difference between quality content and links and spam links. We've got three words for you, content, content, content. Organic SEO is built from regular quality content such as news items and blogs, both by the company and on behalf of them and can really add credibility to your brand. Dare to be different and blog about, create links to, content that makes you stand out from the crowd and that your competitors haven't thought of.

We could spend all day talking about the various rules and regulations search engines will use to index your website. All you really need to know is the big three, Google, Bing and Yahoo have joint forces and developed schema.org, a set of rules and standards that search engines use. Check your site complies to Schema standards and use rich snippets to tell Google what information you want to include in your preview on the SERP and you'll have more chance of not only being found but being chosen.

The stats for how many of us use our smart phones to access the internet nowadays are staggering. So, for even better web SEO ranking make sure your website is mobile optimised so you're in the mix for mobile search results too.

Papersky SEO Experts

SEO is an ongoing thing and not just a one hit wonder. So stick at it to make sure you reap the rewards of your time and effort. Or course if time is tight then use an expert SEO service like Papersky to manage your SEO for you so you can concentrate on what you do best. Your position on SERPs can make or break a business so don't underestimate the importance of good SEO strategy. Don’t get overwhelmed by all the different techniques out there, let us do the hard work for you.

If you're still on the fence about beginning a mobile marketing campaign, then hopefully we can help move you in the right direction. This year alone, there will be over 10 trillion SMS messages sent worldwide. With such high SMS usage, it is almost impossible to even begin to grasp the potential of mobile marketing. Despite such a small amount of penetration, the mobile messaging market is expected to grow to £189.40 billion in revenue by 2016. Yes, mobile marketing is expanding at an astronomical rate, which is why it is so important to get started with your first campaign today.

How Can Papersky Help Make YOUR Mobile Marketing Strategy Profitable?

It's simple. No other platform is as simplistic, yet effective when starting a new campaign or integrating an old one. If you're an absolute novice, our system will guide you through the step by step process to create you very first SMS campaign from scratch. If you're already an experienced mobile marketer, you have the ability to import existing contacts so that you may contact them from Papersky's user friendly system. If you have a campaign with us already, you can effortlessly integrate contacts with other Papersky campaigns as well.

This makes it incredibly easy for users to utilise their mobile marketing strategy in order to begin generating REAL revenue with as little labor as possible.

What Else?

The full list of features can be found HERE. Though it is important to touch on how seamlessly a profitable campaign can be launched with our system that works instinctively to create the best possible user experience, that isn't the only feature that sets Papersky apart from everyone else.

The advanced reporting system allows for tracking campaign analytics to ensure operations are running smoothly and your mobile marketing strategy is employing every possible advantage. No other provider offers the same insight into the vital statistical data that Papersky does. This information, which also includes trackable URL short links, will allow you to maximise the potential of your campaign so that you can provide the upmost service to your contacts to receive the most click throughs to generate the maximum amount of revenue.

Adding Low Cost Bulk SMS To Your Mobile Marketing Strategy

As advancements in technology progress, marketers will undoubtedly become savvier, utilising new methods for acquiring sales. In the coming years, more and more marketers will have turned to SMS as their go-to marketing method. It's important for you to beat them to the punch. With that said, low cost bulk SMS is often difficult to come by. Providers know that businesses will soon begin looking to SMS marketing as the new "king of marketing" so have no problem with charging an arm and a leg.

Luckily for you, Papersky offers the ability to acquire low cost bulk SMS so that you can efficiently and rapidly overcome your potential competition starting today!

You'll find that no other high quality SMS provider will be able to offer you the same level of quality and support for your SMS campaigns. For those looking to acquire low cost bulk SMS, we offer custom pricing that will be sure to fit your needs.

Think about it. Marketing is about engaging consumers' right? Until recently, email marketing has been the undisputed king of online marketing. How could YOU possibly better engage your target market than email marketing? How about reaching them in a way that you KNOW they will see your offer?

• The average person checks their mobile device approximately 150 times a day.
• 50% of people take their mobile devices with them to the bathroom.
• On average, people check their SMS messages within 5 seconds of being received (the average time for email is 2 days)
• 98% of people read the SMS messages that they receive (the average for emails is just above 20%)

It should be no surprise that SMS for business purposes is quickly gaining popularity. The statistics don't lie. Why send your potential consumers and email when you know that their mobile device is treated like an extra appendage?

Mobile Messaging For Business

We've shown you the statistics. Mobile marketing is expected to generate over £190.37 billion in revenue for businesses by 2016. Undoubtedly, those that have enough insight to use such a thriving marketing method will see the results. Unfortunately for some, this is not enough proof to persuade them that mobile marketing is the real deal. These statistics also don't show whether mobile messaging for business is a viable marketing method for smaller companies. Perhaps some social proof will do.

This past July, a small pizza parlour by the name of Papa Murphy's located in Reno Nevada decided to launch their first SMS campaign.

"We were always a little bit skeptical about anything new…" said Peter McLeod, owner of Papa Murphy's. "We did have a stamp card program that we used, and this was something along the same lines… We've had some great results."

McLeod decided to send a text message, or "broadcast," to their customer database on July 24, 2013. This offer was sent to their database of 878 members, which they compiled in the past four months. The message read something as simple as this, "Papa Murphy's Meal Deal Large DELITE 1 topping only Pizza + 1 Side item & 2 Litre Soda $10! Valid 7/24 & 7/25 only. Moana Lane only. Limit 3".

According to McLeod, this single message boosted business by 174%. McLeod concluded by saying, "If you're looking to target the market and you want to target the people that are in your area, there's no better way I can think of to do it. You can send a direct text to those people who come into your store anyway."

Needless to say, you do not need to be a fortune 500 company in order to profit from the use of mobile messaging for business. If a small "mom and pop" pizza parlour like Papa Murphy's can almost double their business from a single SMS message, just imagine what you can do with the help of Papersky?

Throughout the history of online sales, email marketing has been shown as a proven method in building a larger consumer base. It is difficult to argue the effectiveness of email marketing with such a strong track record over the years. However, there have been some interesting improvements in technology that have significantly shifted how ecommerce marketing is done.

• There is an estimated 6.4 billion mobile device subscriptions worldwide.
• Mobile broadband subscriptions outnumber fixed subscriptions more than 3 to 1.
• Revenue from SMS marketing is expected to increase over 65% between the years of 2011 -2016, showing rapid growth.
• A study conducted by Lightspeed Research of how UK residence responded to mobile advertising, showed that 47% of the people that responded to an ad, went on to make a purchase.

Needless to say, it is clear that SMS marketing is showing signs that it is quickly becoming the dominant force in online marketing. Though mobile and email marketing have been light years apart in usability for many years, it is predicted that mobile marketing has not only caught up to email advertising, but is expected to easily eclipse its use as improvements in technology continue to improve both the usability and the consumer experience.

True entrepreneurs will always looking for the best possible opportunity…

Ecommerce Marketing With Papersky Is Your Opportunity

Ecommerce marketing has evolved. Posting intrusive banner ads on popular websites and paying outrageous fees with Google Adwords for advertising that may or may not actually work is simply not enough. Your business needs something more powerful, something that truly converts to sales. Papersky has the solution.

Believe it or not, statistics have shown that Mobile coupons are 10 times more likely to be redeemed than coupons that are received through email, newspaper, or traditional mail. This means that you will have more people shopping at your ecommerce store with the help of Papersky's SMS Messenger, which equates to more profits than you will even know what to do with.

Papersky's SMS messenger has the ability to change your business forever!

Imagine if you could fully tap into only 1% of the 31 million smartphone users within the UK? Not only would overall revenue increase exponentially, but so would brand awareness, which will help your business continue to expand for years to come. Let Papersky be your mobile marketing outlet to reach the masses.

Further enhance your reach by taking advantage of Papersky's SMS mobile marketing platform. Engage your consumer base like never before by starting your first mobile campaign with only a few clicks. The Papersky team is so confident that our SMS Messenger is the most intuitive and simplistic mobile marketing platform on the web, that we are offering the service to you for FREE (we don't even ask for a credit card).

Let's face it we live online these days. But do you get a bit overwhelmed at the sheer volume of tools and resources out there to help to fulfil your workday and online life and don't know which ones to choose? Well we've put together some of our favourites for inspiration, productivity, learning and more to help make your online life as smooth sailing as possible.

Google Think – Research and Inspiration

You may have heard about the little ol' search engine called Google, well check out Google Think, an online source for insights, trends and research in digital marketing. Anyone can subscribe for the latest research, white papers, case studies and much more. In a nut shell it's a giant data bank that has got online researchers and marketers all excited and is the one stop shop for pretty much anything you want to know about digital marketing.

Google Think

 

Issuu – Digital Publications

Those who love to read should check out issuu.com, the leading digital publishing platform bringing a whole host of magazines, newspapers and catalogues all together on one stunning platform. The great thing about issuu.com is that the publications are uploaded by users and so many people and businesses have published their best publications via the site to create digital editions. What's more issuu.com have got the formatting and search engine issues completely covered. It's completely free and anyone can use it from Individuals to schools and universities and companies to not-for-profit organisations.

Issuu

 

Flow – Project Management

We all know how important is it to keep all our ducks in a row, and online this means using an invaluable work flow management service like getflow.com. Now you can make sure no one gets left out of the discussion, projects actually get finished and you don't spend ages trawling through your email for files as they're all in one place. Plus as ideas can come to you anywhere anytime, it's a good job you can integrate your work management on any of your devices from androids to iOS. It can also be fully integrated with your email and the dashboard is full of really useful features.

Flow

 

Harvest – Finance

Another fantastic service to help you keep on top of your projects and, just as importantly, budgets… is Harvest.com . It gives you powerful reporting and real-time access to make sure you keep an eye on your businesses profitability. You can use it online from your desktop, tablet or mobile to help estimate projects and track your time, billing and invoices. One of our favourite features is the ability to snap photos of your receipts and easily upload them to Harvest.com with their free apps for both android and iOS.

Harvest

 

Wunderlist – Task Lists

It doesn't just have to be in your professional life that you can make the most of tools to help organise yourself. Wunderlist.com helps you plan for anything whether its a dinner party, trip abroad, shopping list or of course, collaborative projects at work.

You can access it anywhere and syncs across a whole range of devices to make sure you really can keep it with you on the go and you can share your tasks with others to make sure you're all on the same page.

Wunderlist

 

Online Marketing

Google Analytics is a must have for any modern business. What's the point investing in a website if you don't know who's viewing it, when, where from and what they're doing once they're on it. Google Analytics gives you a window into your visitor traffic and paints a complete picture of your audience and what they need.

The insights you get from Google Analytics can help you tweak your website to make sure you get the most from it, choose the right benchmarks and campaigns.

Google Analytics

 

Sprout Social – Social Automation and Reporting

Whatever industry you're in and whoever your target audience are social media just can't be ignored. To help you embrace the power of social media check out sproutsocial.com. They totally revel in the fact that social media is an essential part of your marketing strategy and they help their customers engage with audiences, manage responses, monitor results, publish content, the list goes on.

Sprout Social

 

Website Browsing

Maxthon Cloud, an alternative to the main players, super fast load time – we like this!

Maxthon

 

Tech News

Like us you're probably passionate about what you do. So if you want to keep your finger on the pulse check out Shift, a quarterly iPad magazine for the digital generation. The articles are such high quality and focus on everything from the latest must have gadgets and upcoming technology.

Summary

So, if you want to take advantage of the various tools and apps out there that will make your life easier and leave you with more time to concentrate on running your business then check out our recommendations. Once you do, you'll wonder how you ever got by without them!

Potential using SMS Marketing for Business

Since the first text message was sent in 1992, SMS messaging has exploded to nearly 3 billion users worldwide and is used by nearly three quarters of mobile phone users. And lets be honest, how many people do you know without a mobile phone nowadays?!

So, it's no surprise that savvy marketers have cottoned on to the marketing potential of SMS messaging for business. Not only are they simple and cost effective but readership rates of SMS messages is over 90%* and typically the average text is read in just four minutes. Compare this to the 48 hour average time it takes people to read an email and it's a no brainer!

Ways to utilise SMS

You might be thinking how would I use SMS messages for my business? Well, there are loads of ways and for a specific look at your business then you should get in touch with us for more information and advice but we've put together a summary of just a few of the great reasons why SMS messaging for business services could help boost your profits in 2014.

 

• Send your customers and staff a 'Happy New Year' SMS, or any type of event in the calendar. It's much cheaper than printing and postage costs of traditional direct mail.
• As they have such a fast read time, use SMS messaging to notify staff or customers or any urgent or important news. They're a great addition to any business continuity plan.
• If you want to send out an exclusive promotion to existing customers or a particular customer segment then SMS messaging is a great way to quickly inform customers, perhaps for a 24 hour flash sale for example.
• Let clients know about opening and closing hours during holidays and of course let them know that your brand new sale starts tomorrow!
• SMS messaging for business has real time tracking capabilities so you can catch potential clients whilst they're out and about with 'live' information.
• As it's so cost effective its a great way for smaller businesses to make the most of their marketing budgets and get the best return on their investment.

 

The research

Research shows that teenagers between 14 and 18 send an average of 60 SMS messages a day**! So, for any cynics that think SMS messaging as a means of marketing is likely to die out soon, then we can see that with this level of SMS' sent every day it's not likely to happen anytime soon. There has also been a rise is messaging apps like WhatsApp but these only work on devices that also have the app installed and different apps aren't always compatible with each other or are device specific such as BlackBerry Messenger. So, it's safe to say that SMS messaging is here to stay!

The mobile market is growing at amazing speed, so make sure you're on mobile platforms before your competitors are and don't get left behind. It's not just great for younger generations, today so many people are tech savvy or at the very least own a mobile phone.

Our intuitive campaign builder is so easy to use and is accessible online 24/7. For more information check out our Mobile Marketing for business page or get in touch today for advice on how Papersky can help yield a higher ROI on your business marketing efforts.

* http://www.ttgdigital.com/toolkit/marketing-is-there-a-future-in-sms-marketing/4667499.article
** http://www.cbsnews.com/news/teens-are-sending-60-texts-a-day-study-says/

With the countless mobile marketing platforms out there vying for your business, it can get extremely confusing when choosing the correct one for you. So, we are going to see how other mobile marketing platforms hold up against the extensive features in Papersky's advanced campaign format.

We are going to take a look at the features offered from a popular mobile marketing platform known as, SMSP, first. Then we will see how Papersky differs.

Note: These are the actual features provided by the SMSP website and have not been altered at all.

SMSP Mobile Marketing Platform

• Quick and simple Interactive SMS Service setup in two or three simple steps.
• Temporarily Pause services to alter service parameters, limit usage of a service to specific time periods (e.g. radio shows, events, etc) or delay the response messages for a later time. While a service is paused messages are still being received, but will not be processed until the service has been resumed.
• Reconfigure your service parameters (end date, response message, keyword, etc. ) without losing incoming SMS messages, or having to recreate a new service.
• SMS Sessions: Advanced mechanism that recognises returning participants in a service and correctly routes their messages, even if they forget to insert the original service keyword.
• Ad-Sponsored SMS Replies: provide an additional advertising channel to service sponsors, who can now have their brand name inserted at the end of each SMS reply to participants' mobile phones.

In all respects, this is a fairly adequate mobile marketing platform, but is it right for your business? Now, we will take a look at the advanced features that Papersky offers.

Papersky Mobile Marketing Platform

• Ease of Use – First and foremost, Papersky is designed for simplicity of use. The intuitive campaign format walks beginners through the entire process of launching their campaigns successfully from scratch, but also allows the more experienced users to quickly, and concisely, get their campaigns running ASAP.
• Instant Chat – Communicate with your target audience on a one-on-one basis with Papersky's highly developed Chat feature that also stores all correspondences so that you may access them from anywhere at any time.
• Innovative Reporting System – Everyone knows that analytics are key to developing a successful campaign. This feature will allow users to visibly see how their audience responds through advanced statistical data, giving every marketer that uses this platform the edge. No other platform in the industry has the same reporting features as Papersky.
• Personalisation – Create campaign messages that speak directly to the responder by adding personalised info fields such as the recipient's first name to drastically improve click throughs.
• Manage Contacts – Upload contacts from an existing campaign, download the list onto a CSV file, or have the ability to place them into groups.
• Shortcode Keywords – Easily create words or phrases that allow your audience to quickly opt in to your network. Receive FREE text credits when you sign up for a new campaign.
• Merge Contacts With Campaigns – This is a one of a kind feature that no other platform offers. Papersky allows users to take audience members that have clicked through an offer and create a separate group or add them to an already existing group, allowing marketers to specifically target the most responsive audience members for maximum results.
• Trackable URL Short links – There's no need for third party short link providers. With Papersky, we provide the ability to create short links and also track clicks.
• Dedicated Numbers – Each dedicated number has its own individual inbox for messages, replies, and conversations. Numbers are 100% unique and allow for unlimited keywords to be used.
• Scheduling – Easily specify the time and date that you'd like your message to be sent for maximum conversions.

What Is The Verdict?

You be the judge on which is the optimal choice for a mobile marketing platform. However, it should be evidently clear that Papersky has specific features that will greatly enhance an SMS campaign and simplify the user experience.

If you've been around more than a day, you've undoubtedly realised that there are countless methods in which to market your business. As technology continues to improve, even more will begin to arise. However, there is currently only one method that allows users to market to literally thousands of targeted potential customers while maintaining a 98% engagement rate. Obviously, we are talking about SMS marketing.

How Can An SMS Marketing Platform Improve Your Sales?

The most popular method of online marketing is currently via email, but statistics show that the average open rate for an email is only 23%. That means that only 1/5 of an email list will even open the email. Far less will even click through to the actual sales page. On the other hand, as mentioned above, SMS marketing reaches 98% of people that an offer was sent to. With an average click through rate of 19%, it is no surprise as to why businesses are switching to SMS marketing. Not to mention, SMS messages are typically read within 5 seconds of being received on average.

So, it is obvious that SMS marketing could have a profound impact on your marketing campaigns and Papersky would like to help you get started.

What Can Papersky Do For Your Business?

Papersky is the most powerful, yet simplistic mobile marketing platform available online today. No other SMS marketing solution allows such a high degree of analytical reporting, customisation of campaigns, and ease of use for all members, regardless of experience level.

Analytics – If you are familiar with other SMS platforms, then you most likely have not seen anything like what Papersky has to offer. Users have the ability to view the number of messages successfully delivered, the amount links that were clicked on (CTR), and responsiveness of the recipients.

Customisation – Users have the ability to create groups and move contacts from group to group based on their statistical data. If you want to make a group solely of contacts that clicked through your links, you can through Papersky. Users also have the ability to Schedule when messages go out, which allows users to "set it and forget it" with all messages for the day, week, month, or even year. Of course no SMS campaign is ever complete without utilising Papersky's ability to issue unique, dedicated numbers for every SMS marketing campaign that the user has.

Ease of Use – regardless of whether you are creating your very first SMS marketing campaign or are a seasoned professional, Papersky's intuitive formatting will suit your needs. For those that need a little bit of help getting their first campaign up and running, Papersky will literally walk the user through the steps to ensure every campaign is top notch. For seasoned SMS veterans, a campaign can be started with only a few clicks without the need for the step by step process.

SMS marketing is the obvious choice. Join Papersky now, receive FREE credits, and have your first money making campaign running within minutes!

If you haven't looked at the data recently, the UK is an absolute goldmine for SMS marketing. By the end of 2012, there were 83 million mobile subscribers within the UK alone, outnumbering the overall population by a staggering 20 million. With such a vast amount of the people utilising mobile devices, it is rather obvious that mobile usage has become deeply engrained with the everyday culture. For those that are looking for new opportunities to market their products / services, there may be no better location than the UK.

The future for mobile marketing within the UK looks incredibly promising as well. As of this year, Portio Research estimates that 44% of mobile users have smartphones. Since the introduction of smartphone technology, the ability for marketers to engage their target consumers and provide a greater user experience than ever before. Continued improvements in mobile technology are what is driving the entire mobile marketing movement to begin with. 44% may seem like a lot of penetration for smartphones, as it roughly equates to 36.5 million UK resident, but, what is even more interesting, is that Portio Research also estimates that by 2016, the percentage of smartphone users will significantly jump to an astounding 63%.

Why Papersky Is The Premier Mobile Marketing Agency

Since the Papersky team is based within the UK, we have an unmatched understanding of the mobile marketing scene here. If you haven't already, feel free to check out our SMS marketing blog as a brief glimpse of the unparalleled amount of research and data mining we do to ensure that all Papersky users are as informed as possible about the various trends that can lead to potential profits.

While on our relentless journey to improve our knowledge base of mobile marketing, we stumbled across many of the most popular mobile marketing platforms available today. While using these platforms, we noticed a significant gap. Though some of these mobile marketing platforms were sufficient, none of them were optimal. Meaning, they got the job done, but left a lot to be desired. From this gap spawned the birth of Papersky's intuitive SMS campaign manager.

No other mobile marketing platform available offers a campaign manager that is so simplistic, that it basically walks users through the steps to launching their first campaign. Other providers leave it to the user to learn the basics. For those that are already seasoned veterans of mobile marketing (which you will be soon enough), Papersky offers the ability to streamline through the steps in order to launch a campaign literally within minutes.

Every marketer in any other industry worth their weight in salt will tell you that analytics are essential to their endeavours. Then how come most SMS campaign managers only offer the bare minimum in information tracking? Papersky's advanced reporting system goes above and beyond what other providers are capable of, allowing marketers insight into the behaviour patterns of their target consumers.

Mobile Marketing UK and Papersky

The UK mobile market is YOURS for the taking. To prove that we're serious, Papersky is now offering 3 months of FREE service for all new users, which also includes complimentary shortcode keywords. So don't hesitate. Get your first mobile marketing campaign started TODAY!

For generations, television has been a primary source of entertainment for society. It has also been one of the most highly utilised methods for advertising by the largest companies in the world. The cost for a 30 second advert for the 2012 Olympics went for ?930,000 making it one of the most expensive ad spaces in the world. Why on earth would a company spend so much on a 30 second slot? Obviously, the returns seen from a commercial in this time slot is far greater than the actual costs, or else no one would be willing to pay such an outrageous amount. Surprisingly, with new innovations in technology, attention is now being split between television and mobile devices. Although some may see this as bad for business, it is actually extremely beneficial for marketers.

Second Screen Stats

In 2012, Nielsen, a worldwide marketing analytics company, found that 86% of tablet owners use their device while watching tv. 45% of those polled admitted that the use of their mobile device while watching tv is a daily occurrence. 26% noted that this occurs several times a day, every day. This rate is expected to consistently increase over the next several years. For UK device owners alone, it was shown that the usage of tablets (80%) and smartphones (78%) were during times in front of the television. To some, this may seem as if it is a distraction from television advertisements, but for those that truly understand the power of mobile marketing will see this as an outstanding opportunity.

Everyone can always do with new socks 🙂

Let's imagine that really interesting commercial comes on tv for a cool pair of socks (yes socks). The wheels in your head begin to turn and you realise that you may actually need some new socks. Instead of sitting there and possibly forgetting about the commercial all together, you decide to use your convenient mobile device to investigate the company advertising the socks. You reach their website and realise that they have a spectacular array of socks, PLUS they are on sale! Without hesitation, you decide to purchase a pair of socks directly from your mobile phone. Studies suggest that as technology increases and the ability to purchase goods through mobile devices becomes more convenient, the rise of products sold via mobile will continue to skyrocket.

Value for your advertising money

Let's use another scenario: Perhaps the attention of consumers has been fully diverted from the television to the mobile device. Large companies that shell out the money for commercials will be none too pleased. However, for smaller businesses, this allows the ability to further market your services and goods without having to pay ?930,000 for a 30 second time slot. In fact, the cost of mobile marketing is so minuscule, that it would take only a fraction of the amount television ads cost to reach the same number of potential consumers. Plus, research suggests that mobile marketing may be far more engaging than any other method currently available.

Obviously SMS marketing is a very effective revenue generating method and trends suggest that SMS business will continue to grow into the foreseeable future. For the most part, marketers use SMS to target potential consumers in hope of converting them into brand new customers. However, the use of SMS reach much further than just acquiring new business, it is a valuable tool for gaining the loyalty and retention of pre-existing customers as well.

Shiny Button Syndrome

In today’s market, with the integration of new technology and large corporations doling out millions for advertising, businesses need to be wary of where and how they spend their marketing budget. It’s far too easy to get swept away by the competition or to get “shiny button syndrome” and fall for every cool, new method that comes out. More now than ever, customer retention is necessary for businesses to be able to compete and thrive. Those that put all of their effort into gaining new customers instead of retaining pre-existing customers are sure to miss out on some big pay days. But how exactly does one use SMS to retain customers?

There are 3 primary reasons as to how / why businesses should be using SMS to reach out to their previous customers in an effort to build loyalty.

Brand Awareness

Consciously or subconsciously the human mind receives countless messages from adverts every single day. With enough effort, these adverts will stick in our minds and can actually influence consumer shopping habits. For example, every time you think of shoes, companies like Nike, Adidas, Reebok most likely come to mind, or if you mention fast food, Mc Donald’s is always going to be one of the first names that pops into your head. This is no coincidence. These companies work extremely hard to ensure that their names are synonymous with their products. Through SMS, your company can do the same.

Coupons

An advertising firm by the name of RadumOne posted some interesting statistics regarding the use of mobile coupons. Their research shows a growing trend in mobile coupon use. In 2012, 28% of smartphone users redeemed some form of mobile coupon. Despite the growing number of mobile users, the percentage of mobile coupon users is expected to grow to over 33% by 2014. This is a clear indicator that consumers WANT to receive your offers. When polled, 42.3% of mobile users claimed that they would prefer coupons via SMS over other methods such as barcode scanning.

Loyalty

Every day consumers make choices on what businesses they choose to purchase services and goods from. These choices can be influenced through communication with your prior customers. For instance, chances are when you are in need of a haircut you have a specific barber or salon that you will go to. Why? There are countless other places out there that could provide the same exact service; some may even be better or more cost effective. The reason is you’ve most likely built a relationship with this business in some way. Through interacting with customers via SMS, you now have the ability to connect with them and build the same sort of relationship so that every customer may become a repeat customer. Plus, customers will be more inclined to refer their friends as well.

As you can see, there is more to SMS marketing than just messaging ads in hopes of acquiring new clients. There are far more uses for this marketing method. If managed correctly, SMS marketing can drive business in a way that no other method ever could.

More and More Mobile Surfers 'Get Your Site Looking Sweet'

The time of the mobile web is upon us. No longer will people spend their time sitting in front of a cumbersome monitor, but will instead opt to view the internet via their mobile devices. Research suggests that mobile internet traffic will overtake desktop usage worldwide as early as 2016. Within the UK, this may occur even faster. The growing versatility of mobile devices has become so advanced that it only makes sense that smartphone users would opt to do their shopping from their handheld. For instance, the inclusion of mobile tags offer the ability for a more comprehensive comparison shopping, thus enhancing the buyer's experience. This all means that site owners need to begin optimizing their pages for mobile traffic. Without sites being properly optimized, they will undoubtedly miss out on A LOT of web traffic from potential consumers. This is not something that should be done in a year or two, mobile traffic and subsequently, mobile commerce, is rising by the day right NOW.

Get Optimized

On average, residents within the UK spend over 2.7 hours per day socializing on the phone, tablet, or other handheld mobile device. That is over one third the amount of time they spend sleeping and over twice as long as the average person spends eating. This is a serious amount of time that often translates to internet usage. A report posted by a marketing firm known as BiaKelsey, found that as many 91% of small to medium sized businesses are not optimized for mobile users. Imagine missing out on sales to your site day after day because hundreds, if not thousands of users couldn't access your site through their mobile device. How much lost revenue do you think that would account for?

Mobile Web – SEO

One significant factor that is often overlooked when it pertains to the mobile web is SEO. Since so few sites are actually optimized, the competition for rankings within search engines is virtually nonexistent. It was mentioned prior how much traffic the mobile web was receiving. Unless a site is fully optimized, Google will not give them a high mobile ranking. After all, Google is all about increasing the user experience. It wouldn't make sense for them to offer high rankings to sites where the user couldn't easily navigate because they were not set up for mobile use. That means that funneling traffic to your site from mobile sources may actually end up being far more lucrative if efforts were focused on mobile users. All of that traffic must go somewhere, why not to your site?

Profit to be made!

The UK broadband operator Plusnet reported a case study of their experiment with a Responsive (mobile friendly) theme. The new theme was expected to do well, but the senior advisors at Plusnet were not ready for how successful it truly was. With a new, mobile friendly theme, Plusnet's traffic literally DOUBLED. Not just that, but sales from mobile devices and tablets increased by a factor of 10!

It is impossible to say that a business is operating at its maximum potential without being optimized for mobile use. There is money being made by those that have been keen enough to convert to a Responsive theme. There are also small fortunes being left on the table by those that are too stubborn to see the truth. The time of desktop internet usage will soon be at an end. All hail the new king of online surfing, the mobile device.

In previous articles we’ve talked about the astonishing trends that have been occurring through the use of mobile marketing. It has been shown that more people have access to mobile devices than almost any other form of advanced technology today. With over 6 billion activated mobile phones worldwide generating billions in revenue and growing, it is fairly easy to see why mobile marketing is such a lucrative endeavor. In this article however, we are going to look at some of the consumer statistics that have to do with mobile marketing’s most profitable method, SMS marketing. These statistics are tell-tale signs of what the consumers prefer. In order to market to the masses, it is essential to know what is running through their head about a particular product or service.

SMS vs Other Forms of Mobile Promotion

In 2012, Toluna QuickSurveys conducted a research study within the UK. Their findings were interesting to say the least. The study concluded that of the 30.9 million smartphone users within the UK, 38% of them admitted that they would prefer SMS offers over any other type of mobile web offers. This is a staggering statistic considering that there are many other methods of mobile promotion available, yet SMS seems to be by far the most popular within the UK. This may be due to the overwhelming popularity of SMS usage comparatively to other activities that can be done on a mobile device. In April 2013, Emarketer published an article that clearly outlined what UK mobile owners were spending their time doing on their devices. Out of the 18 activities listed, 45 million people admitted that they spend more time using SMS than anything else on their on their mobile, including talking.

Ok, that’s pretty darn impressive. However, that doesn’t mean that people are actually responding to these SMS messages……does it? Perhaps consumers don’t even want to receive and advertisements via their mobile device? Maybe the only people making money are large corporations with massive budgets to burn through?

What Are The People Saying?

Well according to the data compiled, people WANT to receive adverts via SMS messaging. For instance, 83% of people that have received some form of mobile coupon admitted that they would like to receive at least 2 messages each month advertising relevant goods or services. With the massive amount of mobile users available to target, the amount of prospects are virtually limitless, so 2 a month to a single subscriber is miniscule.

Studies have shown that people are 10 times more likely to redeem coupons that were sent via SMS than newspaper or mail coupons. If you are looking for a method to kick start conversions, the use of mobile coupons is highly suggested as 70% of those polled said that they would actually prefer to receive coupons from relevant businesses.

If you look at the data as a whole, it is almost impossible to deny that SMS is a solid avenue for marketers. Not only are we seeing higher rates of consumer engagement through the use of mobile devices, but the people are actually ASKING to be advertised to. There is not a marketer alive that shouldn’t be seeing visions of money signs flying through their head at the thought of the outstanding potential that SMS marketing possesses.

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past several years, you've most likely noticed that the use of mobile marketing has skyrocketed tremendously. Mobile ads have become the newest method for businesses to expose their products and generate attention from their target consumers. After all, who doesn't go everywhere with their mobile phone? This growing trend in mobile advertising is not a random occurrence at all. Incredibly, a number of factors have come together perfectly, to create a 'perfect storm' for marketers to increase revenue to astounding rates by attempting to penetrate the mobile market.

Astronomical Speed

Google reports that they have seen a 400% increase in mobile search queries since 2010. Clearly, the high use of mobile devices and smartphones for online usage must play a role in the ever growing popularity of mobile marketing. Technology is increasing at an astronomical speed. It was only several years ago that mainstream mobile phones gained internet access. Now mobile devices come in all sizes and practically have the same features and capabilities as the average desktop. With the ability to surf the web, send and receive emails, and use SMS to communicate instantly, it is not surprising at all that mobile advertising has taken off as it has. In fact, within the UK, an astounding 41% of all web traffic that went to retail sites originated from a mobile or handheld device this past year.

Optimise your site now!

Now, that accounts for usability of mobile devices which may explain why marketers would see it as a viable outlet to reach consumers, but what about sales? Does mobile traffic actually convert to paying sales? Within the UK, mobile commerce growth outpaces pc retail growth by over 80% and is expected to continue to grow into the foreseeable future. It is fairly safe to say that mobile commerce is only in its infancy and may soon overtake commerce sales on the pc or desktop. As these trends continue, more and more marketers, entrepreneurs and business owners will begin to market to the mobile crowd even more than they do already. As word gets out of these growing figures, it will most likely become an absolute necessity for business owners to properly optimise their sites so they are compatible with mobile devices as well, further pushing mobile advertising to new heights.

Profit to be made

Businesses and companies that have the foresight to see an opportunity when it arises have made great profits (expected to reach over ?194 billion worldwide by 2016) through the use of mobile marketing alone. Fortunately, research suggests that only 25% of online brands have a mobile strategy set in place. With so much money to be made and so little competition, it is no wonder why well informed marketers are flocking to mobile advertising. A famous novelist and playwright the name of Ayn Rand, once said, 'The ladder of success is best climbed by stepping on the rungs of opportunity.' Mobile marketing is an opportunity that few should be willing to pass up.

Whether you love it or hate it, it is impossible to disagree with the fact Marmite has an incredible marketing hookline and when this is mixed with intelligent 'tongue in cheek' concepts, then we are all over it! Great work!

Marmite we do love to hate – and love you!

 

(Advertising produced by DDBUK.com)

Perhaps you've heard the term SMS before? SMS is an acronym that stands for Short Messaging Service (also known as text messaging) and is a feature that is enabled to over 4.5 billion active users worldwide. This makes up approximately 75% of all mobile users. Though this service has been around for over 20 years, only recently has the use of SMS taken a rather interesting turn as more and more marketers are switching to the use of text messaging as a means to promote their service or products. SMS marketing is the overall king of mobile marketing as this form of business is expected to gross over $150 billion USD in 2013, and expected to grow considerably for years to come. Not only are the business people seeing great success, but there are specific market statistics that suggest that SMS business marketing may even eclipse internet marketing some day.

In 2012 there were approximately 8.6 trillion SMS text messages shared among mobile users. This is predicted to increase to over 9.5 trillion by a 2016 timeframe. Obviously, more people are texting. Try going anywhere in public without running into someone that is franticly clicking away on their mobile device, sending and receiving text messages at all hours of the day. Nokia provided data that suggests that mobile phone users look at their phone approximately 150 times a day.
In fact, 57% of all mobile users even bring their phone with them into the bathroom. It is almost as if mobile devices have become an extension of ourselves; perhaps comparative to an extra appendage.

SMS is a clear cut favorite among consumers as emails fall far to second place with much lower engagement rates. Not only are people carrying their devices everywhere, checking them almost impulsively throughout the course of the day, but SMS messages are checked almost immediately upon arrival (about 5 seconds total time) and are read 98% of the time. On average, emails are only opened a miniscule 22% of the time, which pales in comparison.

So why should you choose SMS marketing over more traditional methods to draw business? Yes, all of the numbers clearly draw a conclusion that mobile phones are glued to the hip of their target audience and are checked incessantly throughout the day, but that is no indication that SMS business marketing actually converts to sales. Well, believe it or not, a case study was conducted by Upstream, a prestigious analytics company, that found that 70% of people that were polled within the US admitted that they would like to receive offers via their mobile device. Not only that, but they found that marketing coupons were ten times more likely to be redeemed from SMS than those that arrived direct from mail or the newspaper. This is a clear indication that people WANT to use their mobile devices to purchase goods and SMS is the most convenient source for this option.

Some people may have a hard time believing it, but the age of SMS business marketing is upon us. The potential is almost unfathomable as so few people have ever even received an offer through SMS. If you are a serious business person, it would behoove you to take advantage of SMS marketing as this is a virtually untapped niche that is sure to bring in enormous revenue for years to come.

The Power of Mobile Marketing in Business

In 2012, the Telecom Agency, a small offshoot of the United Nations, released a study that suggests that there are an estimated 6 billion cell phone subscribers worldwide. To put that number into perspective, that is 1.5 billion more than the number of people that own a functioning toilet. Attempt to wrap your head around that statistic for a moment. Only a year prior, the same agency released information stating that only 2.3 billion people had access to the internet via a computer. The statistics clearly show that the possibility of a company generating revenue via mobile marketing is a very viable option. With the ability to reach a broader audience than ever thought possible, utilizing mobile phones to create business opportunities is certainly going to become the future mainstream for marketing.

Though internet marketing is still as profitable as ever; the popularity of mobile marketing is expected to grow exponentially. In 2013 alone, mobile ad revenue is expected to reach an astounding $16.65 billion dollars worldwide which only accounts for 14.2% of all digital media spending (up from 8.5% only a year ago). This shows that not only is mobile media incredibly profitable, but it is also extremely underutilized as well, allowing for less competition and a lot of room for growth. Marketers are quickly beginning to see the potential opportunities that mobile marketing offers as Gartner Inc. a prolific technology research advisory company, suggests that the potential for profit has taken hold of many marketers as they have begun switching to mobile marketing over the traditional methods. Gartner predicts that the revenue derived from mobile marketing will literally double by the year 2016.

Why is mobile marketing working so well?

How could it possibly beat the consumer shopping experience of surfing the internet from a computer? Clearly, the audience is much broader which allows companies to reach more potential customers through the use of mobile phones, but that alone doesn't prove that people are willing to purchase goods from their phone. Another digital analytic company by the name of Comscore actually produced a study that concluded that 4 out of every 5 people that own some sort of smartphone, do in fact, use it for shopping purposes, and sales of smartphones are expected to reach over 1 billion by the end of this year. This shows that people ARE willing to make purchases from their phone, and the number of people that own these phones is growing rapidly every single day.

The key to a successful business is to predict consumer trends in the coming future. There is no more obvious increasing trend within the consumer world than the use of mobile devices. It has been shown that the vast majority of people that own these phones are going to do so with the intent to purchase goods online. There is no bigger opportunity than that of mobile marketing. For any business owner or marketer, the potential for untold success is right in front of them, all they have to do is reach out and grab it!

How Mobile Speeds Increase Revenue

Undoubtedly, mobile usage has changed the way we receive information in the modern day. Now, all of the information compiled on the world wide web can be instantaneously accessed from the palm of the hand. By the end of 2012, there were 2.1 billion mobile web users in the world. Mobile broadband subscriptions have increased by 40% annually each of the past 3 years. Not only has mobile online usage increased, but the demand for improved performance has become an absolute necessity for most. In Japan, 84% of mobile users have broadband subscriptions that allow users access to the internet. Of these 84%, 99% (almost 103 million people) have some sort of 3g or 4g smartphone. People WANT mobile devices that can process information quickly, allowing them to surf the internet with ease. Needless to say, as technology improves, and newer, faster phones are introduced to the market, the amount of mobile broadband users will surely increase as well. This bodes well for mobile marketing as it ensures continuous growth and seemingly limitless profit.

What Are People Spending And Why?

Increased mobile speeds have led to some intriguing trends worldwide. It's no secret that mobile commerce has increased dramatically over the past few years alone. A research and analysis company known as Yankee Group, found that global mobile transactions were approximately $241 billion USD (?151.17 billion) in 2011. This same group estimates the global mobile transactions to increase to over $1 trillion USD (?.63 trillion) by 2015. This drastic increase in mobile payments being processed can be attributed to numerous factors such as websites optimizing for mobile use or payment processors becoming more secure, but the key component in all of this is that the increased speed and performance of phones now rival standard desktops and laptops. Why would a consumer wait to use their desktop when they can surf the web in a more efficient manner from any destination that they choose? This has HUGE implications for marketers as it is quite evident that targeting mobile users will become increasingly profitable as the years pass.

 

 

 

 

 

Is There A War That Is Actually Advantageous To Mobile Marketing?

Believe it or not, there is an epic corporate struggle taking place that will continue to benefit mobile marketers. The mobile giants are all vying for first place to become the most profitable mobile provider in the world. Samsung currently overtook the number one spot from perennial champion, Apple, with Nokia, Sony, and HTC, nipping at their heels. This multi-trillion dollar battle being waged has forced these companies to evolve at the speed of light, continuously pressing to create a newer model with improved performance. For marketers, this is outstanding as it propels consumers to purchase these newer versions (as seen in Japan) as the older ones quickly become obsolete and out-dated. With the new purchase of the higher performance phones, comes the higher likelihood of spending money through their mobile device instead of through the use of a desktop.

What It All Means

The increase of mobile broadband speed boils down to increased profit for mobile marketers. As technology improves, so does the marketability of services and goods via a mobile device. No other market in the world is expected to grow with the speed and vigor that mobile sales are. Marketers everywhere should be salivating at the overwhelming potential that awaits the mobile world. Get in while it's hot. Don't be the one that shows up late to the party and misses out on untold possibilities.

Bitcasa

A File storage option boasting itself as an 'infinite drive' is very brave… surely they must be at risk of huge losses. The competition is obviously fierce, with the likes of Dropbox, Sky Drive already with their own storage solutions and Amazon shortly to release a consumer end storage option of their own.

But to be honest, I have been trialing Bitcasa now for a few months, and I must say it is great value for your money. It has been a bit clunky at times but definitely lived up to its promise. It streams movies very well and integrates well across devices.

Bitcasa 'Full Review'

There are countless platforms for storing information online, but when newly launched Bitcasa arrived, promising 'infinite storage space' for only $10 a month, you better believe it made a few heads turn. Could it be true? Can Bitcasa actually be more efficient than every other cloud storage app on the web?

This may sound entirely too good to be true as it is common sense that in order to house so much information, a company would need an infinite amount of servers (which would cost more than $100 per year per account). After all, the data has to go somewhere right? It would only make sense that such a business model is severely flawed could potentially lead to Bitcasa going out of business and everyone losing their saved data.

So how does Bitcasa work?

Bitcasa uses a revolutionary file storage technique that allows for an exponential amount of data to be saved in a minimal amount of space. Their platform only saves one instance of every file, discarding any duplicates. For instance, if you were to upload the song, Paint It Black, by the Rolling Stones, but someone else has already uploaded that exact same track, Bitcasa will just use the previously stored data and discard the duplicate. This method could save an infinitesimal amount of space seeing as though the average movie can be between 2-10 gigabytes in size, and there are undoubtedly, countless movies being saved on storage applications every day.

Oh wait'?. it gets even better.

Bitcasa further breaks down files into smaller data blocks and will compare it against every other data block that is previously stored. If 2 blocks of data match up, the duplicate is discarded. We'll refer back to the Rolling Stones song for a moment. Say the track that you have uploaded is slightly different than the rest. Bitcasa will take the data that DOES match up and discard the rest, further freeing up space. In a nutshell, Bitcasa requires far less bandwidth and server space than what other platforms would require for the same amount of data being stored. With the promise of unlimited storage space, it may be a viable option for backing up entire hard drives or upload massive 10 terabyte files (approximately 10,000 gigabytes).

Unfortunately, with every great product, there are a few cons. For instance, Bitcasa is still extremely new (less than 1 year old) and has yet to add some of the more user friendly options that other cloud storage devices offer, such as sharing links to saved data that you've shared or received with friends. Another possibly alarming snafu that Bitcasa has is its claim that all data is 100% secure. Bitcasa says that all files are encrypted before ever reaching their servers. Though this may be true, it is still too early in Bitcasa's lifespan to tell if it truly is secure from hacking.

Overall, Bitcasa's upload speeds are about the same as any other cloud storage app. Although Bitcasa is young and most likely has some growing pains to overcome, it will be interesting to see how this program fairs. After all, how can you beat unlimited storage for $10 a month?

If you have never heard of Mike Stimpson, you will almost certainly be aware of some of his photography.

Recreations of famous photographs

We have chosen a small selection of his work but there is tons of truely smirk-tastic stuff. Its hard to believe that Mike is a computer programmer by day and a part-time photographer by night.

Photos origin:

 

• Recreation of Joe Rosenthal's 1945 photograph 'Raising the flag on Iwo Jima'.
• Reconstruction of the famous 1932 photograph 'Lunch atop a skyscraper' taken by Charles Ebbets.
• Recreation of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's 1969 'Bed-In' in Amsterdam.

 

Amusement

People WANT incentives!

Numbers and statistics are crucial for marketers to help interpret trends within the market to increase conversion rates. Recent research has shown that consumers are far more likely to make a purchase from their mobile phones if they were properly incentivized. The information concludes that the use of discounts, coupons, loyalty programs, and gift cards will help dramatically increase conversion rates among mobile users via SMS. As a mobile marketer, it is essential to offer the potential consumer with an option that will bring potential savings or some sort of intrinsic value in order to persuade people to take action.

A combined study conducted by Sybase 365 and the Mobile marketing Association surveyed over 1,000 mobile users. 62% of those surveyed freely admitted that they would make a purchase via their mobile phone, but ONLY if given proper incentive to do so. The data shows that without any form of incentive, the majority of respondents would still use their mobile device to research the product or service being presented, which is still good news for marketers. However, 27% of survey takers said that they use their mobile to research product reviews, which has multiple implications;

 

• Consumers may still be slightly wary when SMS offers are received.
• Consumers ARE interested in the offers provided as they take the time to do their due diligence about the offer given. This is HUGE for marketers as it shows that consumers ARE willing to buy via SMS, they just need the right incentive to overcome their possible uncertainties.

 

Freebies and other giveaways are not the only incentives that will convince people to act upon an offer. Financial security seems to be a major concern among mobile users when faced with the idea of making a purchase from their mobile device. Within the same study, 25% of survey takers admitted that they would feel more comfortable about making mobile purchases if they were given a payment solution through their bank. 22% admittedly feel safe with Pay Pal as a primary payment option. This means that it is imperative to offer consumers a payment gateway that is convenient and familiar enough to the consumer that it instills trust.

An additional study provided by the Harris Interactive not only surveyed adults, but teens, ages 13-17 as well (future consumers). Each group was asked to rank incentive options. 80% of adults and 70% of teens admitted that they would prefer a cash incentive over any other form. The other possible options are as follows;

What Adults Want
49% of adults preferred free minutes
37% said that they would like coupons
31% would prefer free entertainment
24% want free music downloads

What Teens Want
61% would like entertainment downloads
57% said they would like free music
53% admitted that they would like complimentary minutes.

Clearly, when it pertains to mobile marketing, there are countless options and marketing techniques that could be employed. The one remaining constant is that the use of correct incentives will boost SMS conversion rates like never before.

We thought we would share our favourite 'To Do' app.

We have played with it and have enjoyed using it 🙂

Wunderlist 'Full Review'

We tried this app when we were embarking on releasing a project management tool ourselves (on-hold). Initially this was released with a sister application named: Wunderkit and both tools were extremely well thought out and a lot of fun to use in comparison to what was available at the time. It seems now that every month a few more GTD (Get Things Done) applications pop up, but one thing is for certain Wunderlist is evolving well!

Wunderlist is a simple, yet surprisingly effective to-do list application that is designed specifically for the Android, iOS, Iphone, Nexus, and all web operating systems such as Windows. The app has taken off significantly in recent months, racking up around 4 million active users in total as of this date.

 

One notable feature is that it looks surprisingly similar no matter what device or interface you choose to view it on, which can cut down on confusion for those that would like to use this app on their mobile device and your computer. Visually, the app is aesthetically pleasing and not completely cluttered like many other apps.

Wunderlist allows you the ability to set specific due dates, alarms, and even repeat specific daily tasks if need be. It is relatively simple and extremely user friendly, which adds to its appeal. For most mobile users, simplicity is a must when it comes to apps.

Accounts are easily synchronized with one another seamlessly which is imperative for users that plan to upload this app to multiple devices. The cloud integration is rather impressive as information is almost instantaneously available on other devices once set.

The one feature that separates Wunderlist from any other to-do app on the market today is the ability to download a browser extension and create / utilize tasks from your private gmail account. It even integrates with Amazon.com so that you may add items to your 'wishlist'. For those that frequent Amazon's marketplace, this is incredibly convenient. No other app available has this interesting add on.

Going Pro

Wunderlist Pro was rolled out a short time ago, catering to some of the complaints that regular Wunderlisters had. For instance, it allows the ability to collaborate with friends or coworkers. Through Wunderlist Pro, users now have the ability to share to-do items and lists with one another, which can be extremely convenient for entrepreneurs that work within a team that is separated by long distances. You can even assigns tasks for individual members within your team, quickly and concisely, within seconds. The Pro version isn't a separate entity in itself as it works as an add on for the regular version. At the convenient price of $4.99 (?3.19) per month (or $49.99 (?31.98) per year), Wunderlist Pro may be exactly what you need to support your business and keep on track.

Time to go Mobile

Business owners take note, the mobile age is here! Out of the 7 billion people on earth 85% of them have access to a mobile phone. With new available technology allowing for more consumer engagement, it is no wonder that revenue from mobile marketing is expected to rise to an astounding $16.65 billion dollars (£10.65 billion) this year alone. Mobile marketing may be internet entrepreneurs best kept secret as odd as it may sound; raking in almost $17 billion dollars (£10.87 billion), this form of marketing is virtually untapped. The International Telecommunications Union estimates that there are 7.1 mobile devices in use worldwide, up from 6 billion in 2011. With the sheer volume of people that use mobile devices on a daily basis, and the amount of new subscribers daily, it is virtually impossible to run out of prospects to market services and goods to.

Quick Stats

• Mobile local search volume is expected to surpass desktop local search for the first time in 2015, but advertisers will continue to invest more in desktop local search.
• In 2015, there will be an estimated 85.9 billion internet queries via a mobile device, compared to only 84 billion search queries via desktop.
• Within the United States alone, mobile search revenue brought in $400 million (£255.85 million) in 2011, but is expected to grow to over $3.2 billion (£2.05 billion) by 2016.

The numbers don't lie. More people are using mobile devices to make purchases than ever before, and the industry is expected to grow exponentially, until it fully eclipses desktop users completely.

What Does This Mean For YOUR Business?

Unless you move your business to a mobile friendly platform, you may be missing out on the deal of a lifetime. As word spreads of how effective mobile marketing is, there will be hordes of entrepreneurs scrambling to completely redesign their web presence in order to cash in on such a lucrative change in technological climate. This includes your competitors as well, unless you beat them to the punch!

Opportunity Is Knocking. Do You Have What It Takes To Answer?

Pull out your phone and do a quick search for the top competitors within your niche. Take a look at their websites. If you're lucky, then they will be quite cumbersome to read as they are not optimized for mobile use. This is undoubtedly draining revenue as consumers will NOT purchase services or goods from a site that is not up to standard.

If you're unlucky, then your competitors have already begun to see optimize their sites and may actually be stealing customers from you. Fortunately, this is not the end.

Responsiveness

By now, you're most likely thinking about a redesign of your web presence. If so, then it is worth investing in a responsive layout. A responsive layout allows for one design/code to adapt to whichever device the website is viewed on (mobile or desktop) so that it may be both aesthetically pleasing and fully functional from both platforms. This approach can be a little design restrictive but, but works wonders for capturing mobile traffic.

You will be rolling around with laughter at this series of adverts directed by Nathan Love for Pop Secret Premium Popcorn.

A fantastic concept with lovable characters.

Personally our favorite has to be Caddyshack, probably because of our obsession with Bill Murray…'Cinderella Boy, former greenskeeper, tears in his eyes, I guess…'.

So grab your popcorn, get comfy and check out these adverts.

Caddy Shack

When Harry Met Sally

The Dark Knight