In the traditional marketing communications model, the content, frequency, timing, and medium of communications by the organisation is generally in collaboration with an external agent, i.e. advertising agencies, marketing research firms and public relations firms. However, the growth of social media has impacted the way you can communicate. The internet now provides a set of tools that allow people to build social and business networks, share information and collaborate on projects online.

Social media marketing programs usually centre on efforts to create content that attracts attention and encourages readers to share it with their social networks. A message spreads from user to user and presumably resonates because it is coming from a trusted, third-party source, as opposed to the brand or company itself.

Social media has become a platform that is easily accessible to anyone with internet access either by mobile phone or computer. Increased communication for companies can foster brand awareness and often, improved customer service.

Additionally, social media serves as a relatively inexpensive platform to get there message out very quickly and implement marketing campaigns.

So after all the hype Social Media is the oldest form of advertising “Word of Mouth”

Take a structured approach to search engine marketing with a simple SEM plan.
Your plan should include:

Analysis of the market

• Who are your competitors and how many are there?
• How many searches are conducted for your type of product or service?
• What search phrases are most popular and most competitive?
• How do competitor websites compare to yours in terms of appearance and functionality?

Website usability

Attracting more website traffic is one thing but you need to ensure that your website works well and converts browsers into buyers/customers/enquirers. Check for the following and plan to implement any changes before commencing the SEM activities:

• Visual appearance
• Intuitive navigation
• Functionality
• Consistency
• Errors or dead links
• Current conversion rates to sales or enquiries

Benchmarking

• Where does your website currently appear in the search engines for the search phrases you wish to target?
• How many unique visitors does your website receive per day/week/month?
• How long does a website visitor spend on your site, on average?
• How many enquiries/sales does your website currently generate?

Action plan

Create a detailed action plan including:

• Activity – What activities will you be undertaking?
• Website improvements, Search Engine Optimisation, Paid Placement, Paid Advertising, Link Building, Social Networking
• When – When will you start and conclude each activity?
• Who – Will you be doing the activity yourself or engaging professionals?
• Budget – How much will each activity cost?
• Results/ROI – What results do you expect from each activity and how will success be measured? Increased rankings, increased website traffic, number of inbound links, number of enquiries/sales.

Review and improve

All activities within your Action Plan should be reviewed and improved where possible on a regular basis.

• Which elements are working and which are not?
• Are projected Results from the Action Plan being attained?
• Do you need to revise/enhance any of your activities?
• Can you further improve your website to increase conversion rates through to order/enquiry?

If you would like to find out more about the services Solutions Express provide please contact us

Source http://www.businessitguide.com/guides/tag/marketing/

A big thank you to everyone that stopped and had a chat with us at the Madejski Stadium yesterday.

We found our time there interesting and informative, the winner of our "Guess the Number of Champagne Corks" will be notified in the next few days.

Guess the Number of Champagne Corks

The entries range from 27 - 200, all that is left is for us to count the corks and the lucky winner will receive a Bar Craft Cognoscente Lever Arm Corkscrew Gift Set from WineBase.co.uk