Blue Eyed Sun

Blue Eyed Sun - gorgeous greetings cards

Digital Marketing

  • How to get started with digital marketing

    Digital MarketingWe’ve been using various types of digital marketing with both our businesss, Blue Eyed Sun and Ivy Ellen, for several years now with some success. I have also written on digital marketing in several magazines, on blogs and given talks at major trade shows. Here’s how you can get started with some key digital marketing tools along with some practical case studies:

     

    Strategy

    Check that your customer base or target customer base use social media. The easiest way is to ask which platforms they like to use. If you have an email list of your customers, many of the social networks have ways of using this to connect straight to them.

     

    Before you dismiss it as fad, you should be aware that 72% of all internet users are active on social media and it’s not just the young; 60% of 50-60 year olds use these tools to connect with others.    

     

    It’s worth having a website (even if it’s basic) and adding a snippet of code to it from Google Analytics, which will provide you with statistical data. Knowing who comes to your site, where from and how they use it will help you to manage your digital marketing effectively.

     

    Finally, social media is not like marketing in the traditional sense. Do not simply shout out your wares. Try to be useful, fun, informative and most importantly engaging. Ask questions, be friendly and be as useful as possible online. 

     

    Facebook

    Facebook has 1.39 billion users and is a free social networking site that allows users to create profiles, upload photos and video, send messages and keep in touch with people. You will need to set up a profile as an individual as well as a page for your business. Start by connecting with friends to grow the number of people following your page. Those pages that are most successful share images relevant to their followers. Remember to include your Facebook details on your till slips and carrier bags, etc.

     

    One of our retailers, Bijou in Elgin, uses Facebook very well to engage locally with customers. With a population of 22,980 their page has 4,462 likes and people actively comment on the pictures Bijou post of the delicious looking food (aka #foodporn) in their cafe and new products just in. They also engage with groups that discuss products they sell (like collectible teddy bears) in helpful, non-selling ways. 

     

    Twitter

    Twitter is an online social networking service, with 280 million active users, that enables users to send and read short 140 character messages called “tweets.” It’s popular with celebrities,  journalists and PR folk so is great for promoting your business and engaging with fans. Tweeters are more active web store visitors and buy more from tweeting retailers. Watch and listen before tweeting. Engage and interact in helpful ways and don’t be pushy. Never drink and tweet. Grow your followers by following those with shared interests.

     

    With a local population of 19,274, Gift in Lindley has almost 400 followers on Twitter which the shop uses to engage with suppliers and locals. They share or retweet local stories and show lovely pictures of exciting new products that have arrived in their shop without pushing them in a hard sell kind of way. They’ve also been able to boost their PR, grow their brand locally and win awards through using  Twitter.

     

    Pinterest

    Pinterest is an online visual discovery tool that you can use to find ideas for all your projects and interests. With 70 million users worldwide it is the social network that is most likely to drive spontaneous purchasing. Referrals from Pinterest are more likely to buy and tend to spend more than those from Facebook. Pin products you sell on to your Pinterest page and link back to your website. Make your pins fun and visually stimulating to share your company’s personality.

     

    The John Lewis Pinterest page focuses on timely, relevant and useful content for their followers. For example, in January John Lewis created a page that included tips on nutrition and fitness as well as useful products that would help customers achieve their New Year Resolutions.

     

    Instagram

    Instagram is a fun, quirky application used to share your life with your community through a series of images. You have to download the app to your phone or mobile device and then take and upload images from it to your profile. Use it to tell the visual story of your brand. High quality images drive higher engagement. Try posting images of new product arrivals to your shop and aim to create compelling content. Use the # symbol before keywords relating to your images when posting. 

     

    The Dressing Room in St Albans uses Instagram to tell the visual story of their fashion boutique brand and share exciting new arrivals of products in store. They drive high engagement and offer compelling content that their fans love.

     

    LinkedIn

    LinkedIn is a professional, business orientated social network that strengthens and extends your existing network of trusted contacts. It’s great for controlling your online presence as a professional and is used by 50% of companies when hiring. It’s also a brilliant way of rising to the top of Google searches for anyone looking to connect with you or your business online.

     

    With over 15 million UK users I am amazed that more sales agents, suppliers and retailers don’t use LinkedIn. It’s the fastest and easiest way to create a professional, credible website for attracting new business to yourself. I also use it as a live address book to keep track of my professional relationships as well as to share company news and gain knowledge in relevant groups. Click to see: Blue Eyed Sun's linkedIn company page.

     

    Google

    Google’s social network is Google+, which is worth using if online search is important to your business. Registering for free with Google Business is an absolute must for retailers so that their shops show up on Google and map searches. Another service you can pay for is Google Maps Business View, which allows people online to walk off ‘Google Street View’ straight into your shop and wander around it in cyber space. If you do have an ecommerce site it’s also worth using Google Adwords for searches that are made locally to you for products you sell.

     

    If you look up Le Bizz in West Kirby on Google Maps you can wander around the shop via street view, which they paid to have done by Google Approved photographer, David Firth, at a cost of around £500. There is also software available that can connect this tool to ecommerce websites so that customers can click and buy online! Business View is great if your town has day-trippers who like to plan their day in advance and can check you out before they visit.

     

    Online Marketplaces

    Ecommerce is a fast moving, competitive environment and small retailers will struggle to compete for the top spots on Google searches against bigger retailers and online marketplaces. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is incredibly involved and time consuming to take on. I believe the race to to the top spots has been won by the big marketplaces like Ebay, Amazon, Not on the High Street and Etsy. It’s easier to set up an account on them than to run your own site.  They have pre-established customer bases with millions of visitors each month. They’re powerful on SEO and are cheap and easy to list products on. 

     

    Emailing Lists

    A really powerful way of connecting with your customers is to send them an email which offers them deals they want or information they’ll find useful. We use software called MailChimp to contact our customers before trade shows or when we have clearance sales. The software helps our emails to look good, monitors click throughs and avoids emails getting blocked in SPAM filters. They are always packed with useful bits and pieces and are not all about selling our cards. Try not to bombard your customers with these or they will unsubscribe.

     

    Summary

    Be aware that digital marketing is a beast that needs feeding on a regular ongoing basis. It’s good to have a strategy for your content and a plan for how you will deliver it. People love good images and helpful, funny or interesting insights more than hard sales tactics (although they also like a good special offer too). Make sure you plan a system that allows you to keep up with digital marketing and be patient as social media networks take time to grow. 

     

    10 Business basics to get right before using social media

     

    Read more social media tips on our blog here

     

    Discover our top ten business tools

1 Item(s)