PR and Marketing Articles
Communication is key to your overall marketing campaign
Sending out a regular branded e-newsletter should be part of your overall marketing strategy and is both a cost effective form of communication as well as an excellent way of reaching a wide audience in one hit. It gives you the opportunity to target new customers whilst simultaneously keeping new ones up to date with your news and special offers.
In order to start your campaign you need to have a database of all your customers, contacts made whilst networking and attending events as well as perhaps additional leads collected from a newsletter sign up on your website (just ensure you have their permission first). Then you need to find a template, maybe you will have a branded one designed but there are a number of email marketing solutions on the market such as Mailchimp, Mad Mimi to choose from.
Content is king for any digital marketing campaign and if you get it right you will reap the rewards with enquiries and sales. Ensure your newsletter includes important company news; share your successes; any special offers; advice and tips; photographs or graphics. Where possible add a ‘call to action’ with a click ‘here’ to direct people to your website or encourage people to reply to the newsletter with a special offer for the first ten people to reply. Keep it brief, people are busy so a one pager is ample and grab their attention with an eye-catching headline.
A newsletter should be sent out on a regular basis (bi-monthly, quarterly or maybe even monthly if you have lots to say!) as it keeps your existing customers and potential contacts familiar with your branding and offering in an unobtrusive way. Good luck!
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Why you should use social media to boost your business
Most small businesses understand that social media needs to be part of their overall marketing strategy and they have duly started up a Face
book account and Twitter page but all too often don’t have the time, let alone the inclination to use it to its full advantage. Remember business is all about making connections and social media helps you connect with your customers.
Social media is one aspect of a digital marketing campaign where companies can reap benefits from using social media platforms to generate leads, raise awareness and ultimately close sales. Some businesses make false assumptions about who uses social media, don’t just assume it is for a younger audience, some of the fastest growing new groups on Facebook and Twitter are the over 50s!
From a financial point of view there are many benefits as to why you should use social media in business, the main one being it is FREE! The only cost is time and if you want to have an online presence you need to set aside time to manage your social media as it won’t work if you don’t work it!
So some tips for using social media for your business:-
- Identify your target audience and use the best social platform for them
- “Content is king” – make sure your posts and tweets are positive and interesting
- Make use of customer testimonials
- Everyone likes an offer
- Manage your social media and if you really haven’t got the time or the inclination, outsource it
- Still feel blinded with the” social media science” – get some training
- Evaluate regularly and change your tactics if something isn’t working
We are helping clients with their social media – we can create a monthly social media calendar for you and have various packages to suit your budget. Contact us to find out more!
Time to give your PR and Marketing a spring clean
So when was the last time your reviewed your PR and Marketing strategy? We are all guilty of being busy doing what we do best but sometimes it is good to sit back
and reflect and then put some new ideas into action. Brainstorming is an effective way to kick start your PR and Marketing strategy, it allows you to bounce ideas back and forth and often stimulates new and exciting thought processes and in turn effective solutions to make your business grow.
A successful brainstorming session with an outsider who has a different perspective and brings new ideas about your business is beneficial. Get away from your office, turn all gadgets off and this will be the start of some creative thinking! Consider your own ideas before the brainstorm and identify an area of growth for your business – this may be launch of a new product or service, hosting an event, increasing traffic to your website, being more active on social media – the list is endless. Then let the brainstorming begin! Discuss and consider all ideas of how you are going to achieve your goal regardless how ridiculous they may seem. Stay focussed and don’t stray away from your initial idea and listen to all suggestions made. Keep track of everyone’s thoughts on a flip board or a large piece of paper will do!
At the end of the session you will have a list of ideas, identify the best ones and then plan how you are going to go about achieving your goals. Believe in yourself and your business and trust your judgement. Invest in the process, plan for success and watch your business grow!
Miles PR & Marketing will brainstorm your PR and Marketing strategy with a one hour consultation and provide you with a summary plan to energise your business. Please contact us to find out more.