So we’ve hopefully all had a chance to hit refresh – and just like that we’re well into 2023! We’ve pulled together some of the key areas we will be focusing in on to help assist our clients this year that you may find useful or simply thought-provoking.
The new year is a great time to reassess things so if you would like to find out more about how we could help your business please feel free to get in touch.
What value do you put on Brand?
As we’ve said before, your brand is much more than just a logo. A strong brand with a loyal following is one that builds a consistently positive customer experience. In a fast moving world where service is key, brand value is ever-increasing, however large or small your business may be. Make sure you keep your brand at the forefront of customers and prospects minds, whichever industry you are in.
Ask yourself:
How well do you know your customers?
Why do they return to you year after year? Is it the people? Is it the product or service?
Is it the overall experience?
Is there more you could sell them?
Are you communicating with them throughout the year? If you’re not – someone else probably is!
The power of newsletters and working a targeted database
We strongly believe in timely relevant messages as opposed to creating content for content’s sake.
Giving your content relevancy and personality also ensures that your messaging is timely and relevant, and is in line with your overall brand. You want to be seen as the go-to expert in your field.
Social media audiences
It goes without saying that the distribution of communications has changed forever.
More than three quarters of the UK’s population are active on social media. People are scrolling, posting and engaging, more than ever – which is great for brands pushing messages out digitally and regularly. In a world where we are constantly bombarded with information, it’s key that your organisation stands out and doesn’t get lost in the crowd.
Good design pays off
Visual content can in many cases get your message across without writing paragraph after paragraph. We’ve found design-led communications have been much more impactful when sharing key messages and also generated more enquiries for our clients. It is also worth considering that visual search is a growing trend, with images returning 19% of search queries on Google.
Search engines are still king of the castle
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) remains key in order to be found online. The way we approach SEO ambitions with clients is to ensure that their business is found either locally or within determined key phrases for their particular field. Does your content answer a users search query? The aim for key search terms should be that your business appears on page 1 of a search engine. Ask yourself, do you ever scroll past page 1 of Google? Today page 1 must surely be your target goal for all key search queries – and it’s achievable, whatever size of business.
But don’t forget some PR coverage can go a long way…
Aside from helping to raise your profile, coverage in specialist and local titles can really enhance your brand and the awareness of your business. Publications are always looking for interesting and relevant content so invest some time in building relationships with titles that could be interested in what you do.
Video content
Video content has grown in popularity because it offers the potential to showcase a real-life view of your business. You may have seen a rise in video content from all types of businesses, across various sectors – short form video, Instagram reels and just very well put together content.
Think about how a video could work for your business, what you could create and share yourself behind the scenes of your business, whether that be an insight into people, products or services.
Reap the reward from reviews
Positive Google reviews, and those posted on other review portals, encourage other users to feel that if they approached your business they would get a good service. Asking for reviews shows your client that you are interested in them and their experience but can also build a trusted brand. Have you done a really good job for someone this year? Ask them if they would kindly write you a review. Even better ask them to recommend your services to others!
Prioritising social responsibility
Many of our clients are acknowledging and indeed highlighting the larger social and environmental impacts of their products and services. We are seeing more and more people prioritising the emphasis on social responsibility and we’re currently working on some very interesting projects to highlight these efforts in a graphical way. The efforts invested in such tasks is not only good practice and the right thing to do but can increase loyalty, enquiries and also make your organisation an attractive place to work – increasing your overall brand value.
And finally…
Don’t try and do it all yourself! Marketing is now much more aligned to every part of a business. We believe that working closely with businesses creates the fastest progress and delivers the most value. Our flexibility allows us to respond quickly to client needs – the core USP behind our service proposition, and where our model offers a genuine alternative for businesses looking for managed marketing, communications and design support.
Please do get in touch if we could potentially support your marketing efforts in 2023.