Google+ best for Google, but best for your brand?

In its most recent update on the number of active Google+ users, Google now claims that on a monthly basis 540 million users are actively interacting with Google+ across Google. Perhaps more significantly, 300 million users are active interacting with the Google+ "in-stream" in some way, and not just logging into using the unified platform to check email or watch a video on YouTube. This data from on social media network platform active usage from Global Web Index also suggests Google+ is now more significant than Twitter or LinkedIn measured in this way. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="485"] Network growth Q4 2013[/caption] This best the questions for marketers, that with 540 million active users in total, can Google+ finally lose the 'ghost town' label? Overall it seems wrong to characterise it as a…

What can we learn from brands who were early social media adopters?

As many of the savvier global brands have found, being an early adopter of a new social media site can be an unprecedented opportunity for branding, visibility and platform building. In fact, doing so is a key strategy for staying relevant in an ever-changing business and marketing environment. In essence, being early means getting to be a real leader, determining just how companies will use that new space; it also means getting to connect directly with key influencers before the platform gets too crowded with competitors. But with that leap of faith comes real risk, and there's always the chance you could fail at a very public level. That, after all, is why many staid brands hesitate to join in, clinging to advertising models that are fast becoming irrelevant. The irony of being a successful early adopter is that you…

5 key insights to create the best experience for your smartphone and tablet audience

You'll know that usage of smartphones and tablets, and the revenue and engagement delivered by them, is skyrocketing. In Q3 of 2014, 25% of global traffic to e-commerce sites came from mobile devices (10% smartphones, 15% tablets) according to Monetate.

That’s up 3% in a single quarter. Meanwhile, eMarketer predicts that the value of UK m-commerce in 2013 will have reached £6.61 billion.

Understanding and optimising the customer journey and experience for these active mobile audiences has become an imperative for mainstream multichannel brands, as well as pure-play digital brands. Happily, there are simple ways to do this. Here are five steps I would start with ...

Insight 1. Define 'mobile'

Organisations, analytics reports and the media use this term inconsistently. Be clear whether it just refers to smartphones or whether it's an umbrella term for all handheld…

Practical ideas to test in the often neglected preheader

The small kid with glasses that gets picked last for the football team? That was me. And that's the email preheader, too... At least that's what it often feels like: it's there to tick the box on the "what goes in an email?" checklist, but it doesn't get much copywriting love. In case you're wondering, the preheader is the line or two of text, usually in a smaller font, right up the top of an email. Here's the preheader at the top of a National Express mail: It's one of the elements I cover in the email module of the Smart Insights online copywriting course, and its potential value stems from two plausible marketing roles. First, while an inbox display typically focuses on the from name and subject line of each email, it may also include the first…

6 practical tips to improve response from emails read on mobile devices

With the current growth in use of mobile devices, from smartphones to iPads and a variety of tablets, mobile email design has become a vital consideration for 2014 if you want people to be able to read and respond to your email marketing campaigns

In fact, according to these Litmus mobile open statistics, 51% of email opens are on a mobile device, and some brands see upwards of 70% of their emails opened on a mobile, while 80% of people will delete an email if it doesn’t look good on their phone. Yet even with all this growth in mobile email, 58% of email marketers are still not designing for it, and MarketingSherpa reports that 31% of marketers don’t even know their mobile email open rate.

Design your email marketing for a mobile device

So…

Examples of 3 Facebook Applications that every B2B organisation needs on its brand page

You will know that on every brand’s Facebook Page there are four app thumbnails, three of which are customizable and whose positions can be moved. I've marked them 1 through 3 below. Some companies choose to use this space only to feature their Page’s Like count or Facebook’s 'Notes' and 'Map' apps. These companies are not making the most of their precious Facebook real estate! In this article I'll show examples of 3 better alternatives.

Essential apps for your Facebook page

Much like the cover photo, apps are a feature of the Page that capture the attention of Page visitors first. For B2B companies that want to squeeze the most value out of their Facebook Page, there are three essential apps that should live on the Page at all times: Newsletter app Resources app Testimonials app.

1.…

5 content governance tips to keep your web experience relevant

When discussing website relaunches and redesigns, a common refrain I hear among the reasons for the relaunches is: 'our old website had grown organically over the years'.

Usually this is a euphemism for navigation becoming more confusing as it is amended and 'content creep'. To tackle these issues in preparation for relaunch, often some customer research is done, some content culled, card sorting exercises undertaken. The new website launches with a cutting-edge design; slimmed down, well written content and a breezy navigation. Big success!

Yet after a while content creep sets in again - the navigation is getting inconsistent and complaints come in about information being inaccurate or hard to find. Sound familiar? What lies behind it, and what can be done to stem the re-emergence of content creep and messy navigation?

Web maintenance, just like…