How to use social listening to benefit your business
What is social listening?
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Do let us know how you get on in the comments section.
Establish Digital Presence
As marketing manager of both an over-the-counter baby medication brand and an international nutritional supplement brand, I have used Concise Digital to establish the digital presence of both ranges for nearly 2 years. Concise have created a variety of content, including websites, social media posts, as well as on and offline adverts. They quickly understood the different audiences, composed compelling messaging, and created high quality graphics to our specification. I would not hesitate to recommend Concise to others looking for a digital marketing partner.
Penny Curtis
Brilliant Basics
Professional Person with Integrity
I want to thank you for all you help and support throughout the last year – you can’t imagine how important it was to know that I had a professional person with integrity to work with when I was going it alone for the first time.
Val King
BFG Associates
5-Star Treatment
Since being put in touch with Mary at “Concise Digital” for all our Social Platform requirements, we have noticed a marked improvement in local brand awareness. Lead generation has increased which is encouraging and we now have the platforms for continued improvement in these areas.
To keep the marketing themes both current and fluid across all our advertising needs, we have also handed over the running of our website to Concise Digital. Once completed we know we’ll have a whole package that is updated regularly in a highly professional manner.
We have also asked Mary to provide similar services to our ‘sister’ company, The Lavender Bathroom Company and we are looking forward to receiving the same 5-star treatment.
Susan Paterson
The Purple Plumbing People
Exceptional Results
In the months we have been working with Concise Digital, they have supported us in growing our online presence and site users through their SEO, Social media campaigns. We’ve also seen promising month-on-month growth and Mary and her team have provided great analysis, insights, and feedback in regards to our marketing strategy.
The results so far have been exceptional, and I feel like we are only just getting started.
Darren
We Fix Feet
Spotlight on Success – We Fix Feet
Digital Marketing Success Story
Our team of experts are passionate about what we do and work hard to make a difference to our clients. Our mission is to get people talking about our clients’ brands and get their businesses noticed, so how effective are we?
As with most businesses we’re so busy doing, we rarely take time to reflect on our digital marketing success, so we thought it would be great to take a moment….
In this blog, we wanted to share how our team member Jonathan supports our client – We Fix Feet, so we interviewed him!
Here’s some background
We Fix Feet are award-winning professional foot healthcare service clinics. They provide a range of personalised high-quality care in the management of a range of disorders associated with the foot for adults and children. Treatments range from foot healthcare including verruca treatments, gait analysis to sports injuries.
We Fix Feet clinics are based in Beeston and Ilkeston in the East Midlands.
History – how did we get involved?
One of the We Fix Feet team, Steve, successfully completed our City & Guilds Diploma in Social Media For Business Qualification through our sister company Concise Training, he now knew what needed to happen, but didn’t have time to implement so turned to us for help.
The Challenge
Seek first to understand. As a result of several client discussions and reviews of the digital presence of We Fix Feet, the following needs were established and agreed upon.
1. Overall Aims
a. Establish a continual flow of new customers as well as repeat customers.
2. Website
a. Build a new website with the aim to improve the integrity and speed of the original website.
b. Increase site security with fewer plug-ins.
c. Improve the customer journey, making the website more user-friendly and more focused on treatments.
d. Improve how the pages are ranked in search for key treatments and conditions.
e. Regular reporting
3. Social Media
a. Establish an organic social media presence for We Fix Feet
b. Change how We Fix Feet is positioned, from continually offering discounts to promoting quality service and being keen to help.
4. Newsletter
a. Change the regular newsletters from being discount focused to ‘added value’ focused reinforcing the values of quality and how helpful the service can be.
The Solution – What we Did
Website
o Created a mobile-friendly website with a modern look, using our client’s branding throughout designed to draw the visitor in.
o Restructured the website based on how people will search on Google either by treatment or condition.
o Added testimonials throughout the site.
o Changed the text of each page to improve SEO and to improve the customer experience.
o Updated images.
o Included call to actions of ‘Book Now’
o A monthly website performance report with suggestions for improvement
Our service provision has evolved!
Since building the initial website we now provide the following services:
● Website maintenance including publishing 2-3 blog posts each month
● Keep the website up to date – develop and add services, maintain plugins, and ensure security and the integrity of the website is maintained. We also add new pages and content as and when required.
● Website Hosting services
● SEO – manage SEO on the site. Optimise SEO on new and existing pages, blog posts, content. This includes keyword research.
● Compile an SEO report each month.
● Social Media Management (since April 2021)
o Regular posts with bespoke imagery to reinforce the brand and values
o Sharing helpful posts into local groups to improve brand awareness and knowledge of services offered.
● Digital Advertising
o Google ads / Facebook ads run on a monthly basis focusing on certain services to increase awareness of services, drive traffic to the website and increase bookings.
What factors do you believe are important to delivering great results for We Fix Feet?
1. We have a strong partnership with our client and have developed a close understanding of their culture, business goals, services, and customer base.
2. We work to a clearly defined Marketing plan – which outlines themes and aims for the year. This allows us and the client to organise and plan effectively.
3. Our dedicated in-house team of experts means:
o We can bring a variety of skills to the project including strategic digital marketing, technical, customer journey, branding / graphic design, and social media.
o We are agile and able to act quickly make changes as needed.
o We have the ability and skill to move with the business as it evolves.
o We have a talented graphic designer to create visually impactful bespoke images for the website and social.
Why do you enjoy your partnership with We Fix Feet?
I have a good working relationship with Steve and Darren. They are open to new ideas and suggestions and contribute their own ideas based on how they see their business evolving. We keep in regular contact via email and aim to have a Zoom call every 6 – 8 weeks.
How do you manage to stay current?
I am in regular contact with Steve and Darren and have access to their 12-month marketing calendar so I can see what is being promoted in-store and this is reflected in the social media marketing. If anything changes or something important needs relaying, then they will contact me via email.
What results have been achieved to date – this is the good bit!
As with all businesses – increasing customer reach, driving revenue, and maximising Return On Investment is vital. We are so proud to represent We Fix Feet – here’s a summary of the results we have achieved so far.
| Website | Change from 2020 to 2021 | |
| Average Session Duration | +33.48% increase | |
| Sessions | +83.97% increase | |
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Bounce Rate The bounce rate measures the stickiness, i.e., how long your visitors spend time on your website. It helps you determine the effectiveness or performance of your website |
+66.42% Bounce rate reduced significantly resulting in more relevant traffic |
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Customer Users Nottingham Beeston Ilkeston Derby Long Eaton |
+93.86% change +138.56% change +194.98% change +119% change +82.95% change |
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| Social Media | Increase during 2021 | |
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Page likes Engagement |
+15.16% increase +99.36% increase |
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Profile likes Engagement |
+10.20% increase +120.51% increase |
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Jonathan, what are you most proud of?
The SEO on their website is a continual job and it was fantastic to see the website traffic grow over the past 12 months or so.
Client Testimonial – Darren, We Fix Feet
In the months we have been working with Concise Digital, they have supported us in growing our online presence and site users through their SEO, Social media campaigns. We’ve also seen promising month-on-month growth and Mary and her team have provided great analysis, insights, and feedback in regards to our marketing strategy. The results so far have been exceptional, and I feel like we are only just getting started.
Digital Marketing Success – Summary
We are so proud of the partnership we have developed with We Fix Feet particularly to see how the journey has evolved and the digital marketing success achieved. We look forward to supporting the next part of their journey.
Key to our success has been understanding our client’s DNA, brand values, customer base, and talk their language are vital components to helping achieve their business goals and objectives as well as bringing the knowledge from our entire team to help the client.
We understand that all business changes and the need for flexibility, ability, and open communication have never been so important.
Our values of Flexible ~ Quality ~ Knowledgeable ~ Helpful ~ Value for Money continue to underpin our approach.
Here to help you win new fans!
If you want to have a digital marketing presence to grow your business and want to achieve results like We Fix Feet – let us manage it for you.
Alternatively, you might want to take advantage of our full website development services. We work with you to plan your site around relevant keyword phrases and your customer journey and will create a beautiful website that works.
For more information, do get in touch with us here.
Alternatively, please telephone 01865 522658 or email: mary@concisetraining.net.
Keep a lookout for more of our client studies as we celebrate our digital marketing success stories.
How and Why Should a Small Business Conduct a Competitor Analysis?
Starting a Competitor Analysis – Do I Have Any Competitors?
Do you know how to conduct a competitor analysis? As a small business, you are likely to be in competition with other businesses to attract customers. You may think that the product or service you offer is so unique that no other business offers the same – but is that what your potential customers think?
If your product/service is that unique, you may have a problem finding customers who don’t know the product/service exists – but that is a whole different blog post.
Why Should I Conduct a Competitor Analysis?
I wouldn’t suggest getting too hung up on what your competitors are doing on a (say) weekly basis, but I would suggest undertaking a competitor analysis every 6 – 12 months and certainly when starting out in business. If you can understand your main competitors – from the point of view of your audience – and how they are promoting their products/services, you will be able to identify:
- The ways you can make your offering different – price point, customer service, added value, etc.
- Different content you can produce to attract your ideal audience. (Identifying your ideal audience is covered in a separate blog post).
- What marketing content seems to have worked for your competitors (and not worked) so you can put your own spin on it. Don’t copy ideas directly as that doesn’t do anything for your reputation, but take a concept and add your own branding/ideas and viewpoint.
- What social media channels they are using and which are resulting in engagement. Make sure comments/likes or not just from the same people/staff.
- Successful engagement will come from the audience of the business.
- The keyword phrases they are using on their website, hashtags, and social profiles. You might find new phrases you haven’t thought of or see they are not making use of optimisation across websites and social.
- The customer journey on the competitor’s websites. What ideas can you use to improve the customer journey on your own site?
- The language used on all their marketing content. Do you need to change the language you use?
- Any reviews the competitor has received – both positive and negative
Who Are Your Competitors?
From the point of view of your audience, you need to consider both direct and obvious competitors and indirect competitors.
For Example:
An independent coffee shop (Cathy’s Coffee) has just opened in my nearest town. There are direct competitors – other independent coffee shops and tea rooms as well as a global brand.
There is also indirect competition such as a book shop, delicatessen, a bakery and pubs that offer coffee and an antique shop. Even the curry house sells takeaway coffee during the day.
In addition, there is competition from substitute products. Particularly post Covid, drinking high-quality coffee at home is an alternative to getting your coffee from a coffee shop.
The owner of Cathy’s Coffee needs to consider each of the competitors and note down:
- How the experience offered by Cathy’s Coffee is different.
- What products and services are offered by Cathy’s Coffee compared to the competitors.
- Opportunities for promotion include channels, keywords/hashtags/competitions based on what the competitors are doing/are not doing.
- The strengths/weaknesses of the competitors compared to Cathy’s Coffee.
- The changes that need to be implemented by Cathy’s Coffee to compete with the competition.
How Many Competitors Should Be Reviewed?
You need to be realistic about who your competitors are. If you are a local business, you can easily identify the competitors within your location. As a business offering products or services nationally you may find it harder. In my opinion, you need to identify the main competitors who will be found by the audience who will realistically also find you.
For example, Concise Digital offers web design services (amongst other things) – as do many businesses in the UK. We can look at our competitors locally – in the Faringdon / Oxfordshire area. However, since much of our business comes from personal referrals based on business networks I belong to, it would make sense to also consider website designers who also attend the same business networks.
This may still give me a long list so I would tend to select 4 – 6 competitors to identify how we can position ourselves to look different.
This Seems Like a Lot of Work
Competitor analysis can be very informative and give you lots of ideas for content and how you can position yourself for the next year. It can make a real difference to your business’s success. However, it is only worth doing if you are going to make an action list, prioritise actions based on quick wins/ most impact, and set a timeline to implement each action.
HubSpot has a competitor analysis template that you can download for free if you subscribe to their mailing list. It contains all the information for you to look for in your competitors and your own business.
Let us know if you have any questions or would like any help conducting your competitor analysis.
4 Things To Remember When Planning A Website.
Perhaps you have recently started a new business (congratulations) and need a website or perhaps it is time for a refresh of your current website. In either case, it is important to carry out some basic planning before you get going. Even if you have a trusted website designer, you know your business best and we would recommend you get involved in the planning.
How do you choose the right domain name when planning a website? (if a new website).
When choosing a domain name for your website – and if appropriate, the name for your business – we would recommend you:
- Keep the name as short as possible and ensure it is easy to pronounce/spell.
- Avoid hyphens – It can be difficult for customers to remember to add hyphens to your domain name and they can be associated with spam.
- Check whether the .co.uk version is available? Unless you are an international business, .co.uk is going to be the easiest for people to remember. You might also want to buy any associated domains (.com, .net, .uk) to protect your brand.
- Use keywords in your domain name if possible.
- Search for the name to see what else is out there. You don’t want to end up competing against an established business.
- Do a trademark search to make sure you won’t get into trouble with other brands.
- Check on Companies’ House to see if the name has already been registered.
- Check on social media channels to see if the name is available. It can confuse your audience to use a different social media username than your domain name.
How do you know which keywords/keyword phrases to use?
We cover this whole subject in much more detail in our Introduction to Search Engine Optimisation course but here are some starting points:
- As you know, a keyword is a word that is entered into search engines to find your product or service. Ideally, you want your product/service to appear on page 1 of the results.
- We would recommend creating a list of keyword/keyword phrases and then design your website pages around the most important keyword phrases rather than designing the website first.
- Your keyword research should:
- Include words your audience will use to find you – this might not be the same words your team use internally.
- Look at what keywords your competitors are using. We use the Mozbar Chrome extension to make this easier.
- Use tools like Uber Suggest, Google Keyword planner, or Keywords Everywhere to help you research keywords to include on your website.
- Identify the main phrases that will form the structure of your website and make a list of phrases to use in future blog posts.
- Each page on your website should focus on a different keyword phrase and the phrase should be added to the places on your site search engines would expect to find them. You may find you need more pages than you first thought.
- Decide whether to include a location in your keyword phrase to make it easier to find the website in your local area.
What functionality should I include on my website?
- Be clear about what functionality you require on your website. Do you need a simple brochure site or do you need to have an e-commerce element?
- Are you wanting to create links to newsletter sign-up forms, landing pages with downloads, membership functionality? What can be included in a ‘phase 1’ and what can be included later?
- Experience has shown, it is often better to get the basic elements working and live and then add to it rather than trying to get all the functionality working immediately.
- The beauty of content management systems, like WordPress, is that you can bolt on additional functionality using plugins relatively simply so you don’t need to develop all aspects of the site at once. However, I would plan the full functionality required to ensure the customer journey remains correct.
What is the customer journey?
A customer journey describes each of the types of audience you want to attract (personas) and identifies all the touchpoints they have with your business. You can plot the journey and make sure the journey they are taking is achieving the overall objectives for the business.
When you are planning a website, you need to consider how people will enter the individual website pages and what you want them to do next. You only have a few seconds to tell people what the next step is so you need to make it clear.
Don’t forget about the journey on a mobile device. When looking at a website on a mobile device, most people won’t use the menu. You need to have clear buttons or a call to action to tell people what to do next.
If you want to create a website yourself, Concise would suggest our WordPress for Websites bundle. This bundle includes our SEO, images, and WordPress courses together with a free development area to create your website before you need to purchase hosting to make it live.
Alternatively, you might want to take advantage of our full website development services. We work with you to plan your site around relevant keyword phrases and your customer journey and will create a beautiful website that works.
Are you planning a website? Do let us know how you get on in the comments section below.
Are You Making The Best Use Of Your Social Media Profiles?
How many of you have social media profiles for your business? Have you spent any time reviewing them recently? How do they reflect on the brand of your business?
Do you know that there are still many businesses out there who set up social media profiles a long time ago but haven’t really looked at them since?
Ever since we started Concise way back in 2008, we have always had the same mantra – use a few channels well rather than loads of channels badly.
In our qualification City & Guilds Diploma in Digital Marketing, we have a scenario in which a business does a search for a potential supplier. This supplier has empty or very old content in their social media profiles. The question we pose is “What does this say about the supplier – how trustworthy are they?” Our suggested answer is that more research would be needed before starting work with the supplier – they might not be in business anymore – or they may just not have the time and skills to keep their profiles up to date. It isn’t helpful to make your potential customers have to do more work before contacting you though – it probably isn’t the best first introduction.
How do you ensure your business profiles appear trustworthy? I would suggest at a minimum:
- The social media profile picture should be a logo or professional photo of an individual (depending on the business/profile under discussion).
- The bio should be complete and explain the products and services offered.
- Accurate contact information or link to website included where possible.
- Ideally, the cover photo (that big image behind the profile picture) if one exists should be a branded image. This is a marketing space and you can change it regularly depending on the time of the year, products/services you are promoting, or offers you want to shout about.
- The social media profile should be active – not only post regularly but also reply to any comments. If you just post without replying, you can look like you are just a robot 😊
- Connections – you should be building up your follower numbers. A profile not followed by anybody is unlikely to appear trustworthy!
Want to take your social media profile one step further? I would encourage you to:
- Add branding elements to the images you post. This might be as simple as adding a logo or could take the form of creating posts around elements of your branding.
- Focus on sharing information that is useful or added value rather than information about you and your business.
- Use hashtags – where appropriate for the channel. This may involve posting separately to different channels. Instagram for example, can take up to 30 hashtags, this does not look right on Facebook posts.
- Identify and develop your brand voice to ensure consistency across posts and channels to ensure you identify with your target audience and correctly represent your brand.
- Your social media profile is how you appear to somebody when you are not in the room – don’t ignore the impression you can make.
If you need help with your online profiles, do get in touch or call on 07799 634835 or explore our social media content management packages.
Building Your Brand Online
It is easier than ever before to raise awareness with brand building in today’s digital era. Branding tools have changed so much in recent years. Brand building strategy today requires a whole new approach. Classic methods like TV spots and print advertisements are not enough. But the main goal remains the same — to be in demand.
What Is Brand Building?
The definition of brand building is to generate awareness about your business using strategies and campaigns with the goal of creating a unique and lasting image in the marketplace.
- Creating a unique memorable identity.
- Promise of value.
- Emotional connection between your company and its consumers.
We all know the Nike tagline: Just Do It. But do you know their mission statement?
Nike’s mission is: “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world“. The company has built up such a reputation and brand following, that it’s able to increase the target to accommodate every “body”.
7 Tips to get you started
How can your brand stand out in the ocean of companies, logos, social media pages, websites, infographics? Being unique and sincere is a great place to start. Here are some tips to help you build your brand.
- Logo Development
A logo is one of the most important visual details of a brand. A good logo should not be affected by short-lived trends. It should represent your mission and values. If you feel that your logo does not match these principles, it might be time to rebrand it.
Once you are happy with the logo design, it’s time to apply it to your website, social media and apps. Good design will make your website memorable and perhaps gain a place in the customer’s bookmark panels.
- Mobile Apps
A strong online platform where you can connect with your customers is a must-have tool for business. It could be a mobile app or a web-based platform. Recently mobile apps have become essential for businesses requiring contactless services. Business has had to adapt fast to keep up with the ever-changing environment. Mobile app usage has increased 50% in 2020 and is a valuable tool in your marketing toolbox.
- Social Media Channels and Messaging Apps
To be on top, brands have to present a consistent message over all available platforms. Optimise your profiles on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and other top social channels. There are social media management tools to make this task a lot easier. 10 million messages are sent between companies and potential customers on Facebook Messenger every month, it’s not just for emojis!
- Effective Feedback
Social media can connect people to you instantly. Being real and showing who you are, earning trust, and forming relationships with the audience. People prefer interacting with people, even online.
- Make It Visual
Content that contains one or more images has an engagement level that is 2.3x higher than content without visuals. Leverage the poser of images and videos for generating more visibility in articles, blogs, media posts.
- Video Marketing
Video marketing is one of the most essential trends today. These stats demonstrate the need to include video; 70% of customers say that they have shared a brand’s video, 52% answer that watching brand videos makes them more confident to make online purchase decisions.
- Team Up With an Influencer
Influencer marketing is a kind of word-of-mouth marketing. An Influencer is a personality with a huge following who helps spread the word about your company through their social channels. It is someone who suits your brand. Look for the off-beat influencers whose activity is tangential to your business. This practice remains the top one among branding trends in 2020.
Summing Up
Doubtless, the main importance of brand building is maintaining authentic relationships with customers rather than just only trying to sell. Leveraging digital trends in 2020 in the context of well crafted visual strategy will maximise all opportunities of your business growing.
Let us know if Concise Digital can help you during this time. We are happy to have a free call with you to give you some creative ideas, we can manage your brand on your behalf or we have a full range of short social media courses if you have time on your hands and want to learn how to market your business better yourself.
Looking to the future – The next normal
How do you communicate with your customers as your operations start to re-open?
As restrictions are gradually lifted how do we change our ways of working to accommodate the new normal? Getting customer communications right is critical to your business’s success in the gradual re-opening of services, as consumers are looking for businesses that make them feel safe and secure.
Communicating a re-opening message tailored to each channel
What strategies can you use to make your message resonate with your customers? You can’t just send an email with the facts. You must communicate with empathy to connect with your customers. For example, instead of an email from the Managing Director, film a short video speaking directly to customers and then this can be to embedded into an email or newsletter to connect directly with them.
Stay Aware – Stay Safe!
We need to be able to empathise with what our customers are going through. If your business involves contact with customers re-assure them that you have measures put into place to protect them and you.
Email & Newsletters
Why this works? Facebook might have over 1.5 billion daily users, but email has over 3.8 billion daily active users. So, your audience will also be checking their Inbox. Every single day!
You probably check your email over a dozen times a day… and people do this in all sorts of weird places.
- 69% check while watching television
- 54% check while in bed
- 43% check on the toilet!
- 34% check while they’re walking
- 32% check while eating dinner
- 32% check on their work commute
- 18% check during the middle of conversations
- 14% check while they’re driving
- 6% check at formal events
People like getting emails. Stay in touch but, not too much, so that people don’t disengage and your messages become just spam!
Social Media – What do you post on social media?
- Ask questions! Not only do questions create great engagement opportunities, they also create moments for meaningful connection with your followers.
- Thank your customers for their continued support, for their understanding during this difficult time.
- Tell your followers how you’re doing business now … if you’re closed, let them know. If you’re online, let them know. If you’re open. Let them know!
- Tell the story of what’s going on … for the majority of us, we’ve all had to pivot. The way we do business has flipped itself upside down. SHARE what’s going on for you. Be visual and be vocal. Share behind-the-scenes insights at what your day looks like at the moment, do a FB or an IG live
Wrapping Up!
Be positive, supportive and helpful and offer messages for the future. There is so much circulating and you don’t want to add to the negativity, so try and post the upbeat stuff. Share news articles, blog posts, video clips, or tips. Let us know if Concise can help you during this time. We are happy to like your page or posts or have a free call with you to give you some creative ideas. We also have a full range of short social media courses if you have time on your hands and want to learn how to market your business better.
