Which digital marketing activities you should keep in-house or outsource?
The companies that continue to move to a more integrated digital model while managing their Digital Transformation process, may be left wondering which activities are best to be outsourced and which are preferable to keep in-house. It is very common for companies to outsource at least part of their digital capability, but this is likely to affect how well they can move to an integrated model. But what are the particular disciplines most suited to outsourcing and what is preferable to keep in-house?
The ‘Slow Burners’ vs. Campaign Based
When we think of digital marketing activities, there are many that need to be managed, but let’s consider the following eight key disciplines covering paid-owned and earned media and managing the customer experience should sit within an organisation:
1. Email marketing
2. Social Media
3. Paid Search
4. SEO
5. Display advertising and retargeting
6.…
The key things to remember when developing a mobile app
In a world where 80% of Internet users choose their smartphone as their primary means of connection, there’s a need for creative and innovative app ideas.
The best news about this rising number comes when you break it apart. Smartphone use is breaking the age barriers as well. In fact, 27% of the 65+ population has begun using smartphones as a means of staying connected.
What that means to you as a creative entrepreneur is that there is no limit in the type of app you can create. So, if you have an innovative idea that can service the needs and solve the problems of any generation, there’s no limit.
You just need to commit the steps of getting your app from your mind to the shelves. Here are 12 easy steps to follow in order to do so.
1. Set an Attainable…
3rd party sites can give your content marketing a boost
The industry buzz that greets Content Marketing continues at pace as the tactic that can help brands redefine their proposition and differentiate their position from the competition. Indeed it’s very definition has changed, been re-purposed and continues to be re-interpreted but it’s safe to say Content Marketing provides a foundation for your digital marketing tactics to be used in a more joined up, strategic way to help drive the company objectives and in turn it’s digital strategy.
But what about maximising the reach and engagement of your content and how do you continue to justify budget spent on your content marketing through analytics measures? Distribution of your content efforts is crucial and your branded digital marketing communications channels will be the natural route for engagement to customers and prospects. However, if your own branded channels lack the digital footprint to drive incremental…
Tricks are useful only if they actually work
As such, there are dozens of tips and trick out there on how to use social network platforms effectively.
Many of these tips just don’t work. Some of these tactics might have worked a few years ago. But as users change over time, so does social media. And some of these tricks never worked in the first place, even though they made sense. As new data starts coming in, we’re likely going to have to readjust the ways in which we use social media as a marketing tool.
1. More Hashtags Don’t Help
Most social media experts point out that using hashtags in your posts is going to drive your share rate up. And while that may be true, often times they leave out one very important fact. While one or two hashtags can have a positive impact, overusing them can actually drive followers away.…
Overcoming natural shyness on social media to encourage action
Today, inbound marketing is seen as THE approach to generate sales, particularly in B2B marketing. Directory listings, newspaper and magazine advertising, cold calling, all the 'in your face' marketing methods are dying a death - apparently. Content-based, relationship marketing is what we should all be doing now.
I agree with the benefits of the inbound marketing approach, but we should ask what happens if we move too far the other way? I have a real concern that salesmanship (or salespersonship if you prefer), in the B2B sector is a dying art and social media is becoming a crutch, for those less confident in their ability to sell. I want to make a stand right here and now and suggest that we mustn't lose this important skill and that social media can be used to support it.
Many articles advising on social media will suggest that social…
Certifications that will tell you if App designers are worth their salt
Finding a mobile application developer has never been easier. All it takes is a quick search on a freelance website to find hundreds of app designers who are ready to take on your project at a budget-friendly price. Oh, – if only life was that easy.
Out of those hundreds of potential candidates, only a handful actually have the qualifications and experience to build a fluid app that works well across multiple operating systems.
Don’t trust your project to a low-cost amateur; you’ll almost certainly wind up wasting your time and money. Instead, look for a developer who has the certifications that match your needs. Let’s take a look at some of the most sought-after certs, and why they’re so important:
App Certifications That Convey Talent, Experience and Reliability
Information technology is…
We collected some of the best social media campaigns from 2015 and 2016 and analyzed how they could have been improved with personalization tactics.
We’ve seen some cool ones, but let’s dig deeper!
Social media sites like Facebook personalize their visitor’s experience in almost every possible way. They try to understand who their visitors are and what type of content would delight them in order to provide a better experience.
In contrast, social media campaigns often fail to use personalization to their advantage. Below you can find five of our favorite social media ads from 2015 or 2016, and a short description of how we would make them more personal.
The Last Selfie
Photos sent on Snapchat disappear after 10 seconds, with no chance of being seen again. World Wildlife Fund used this mechanism to illustrate what could happen to endangered species around the word. The organization posted pictures of tigers,…
eCommerce can go hand in hand with bricks and mortar, and a bed shop in the Cotswold's proves it!
According to Eurostat, retail footfall in the UK has been down month on month for twenty-three of the past twenty-four months. Bad news. Opening new stores in this climate may seem an odd thing to do, but it is all part of the omnichannel mix.
Beds in the Market Place? Madness.
Back in January, the Sun newspaper published an article about residents of a Cotswold town being up in arms about a branch of Bensons for Beds being opened in their historic market place. The report, culled from reader comments on a local newspaper site and social media, implied that the townspeople thought it was not “upmarket” enough for them.
Had the reporter scratched more than just the surface, he would have discovered the real query was about the practicality of this type of retailer…
An interview with Dave Chaffey with Grant LeBoff
Affiliate marketing presents win-win opportunities, but can also fail to boost revenue if not executed strategically. In this latest talk, Grant LeBoff of the Sticky Marketing Club talks to Dr Dave Chaffey about his thoughts on how businesses can benefit from affiliate or 'partner' marketing. Watch the video below to find out how Smart Insights has used partner marketing to achieve some great results.
Transcript
In a noisy office or on a train but have no headphones? - No worries, you can always read the transcript below!
Grant Leboff: Dave, one of the things that I think, a lot of people have heard the term, but are a bit confused by it, is affiliate marketing. How can that be effective for businesses?
Dave Chaffey: I'd say affiliate marketing is not actually relevant for most business if you go for the tight definition of it which, for me,…
Cart recovery emails are a powerful tool for converting. Make sure yours are having the maximum possible impact.
If you run an online store, you already know that cart abandonment is one of the biggest conversion killers; causing millions in lost revenue worlwide due to the many reasons for retail basket abandonment. And the chances are high that you must be sending a cart recovery email campaign to recover this lost revenue. But sending a cart recovery mailer doesn't guarantee conversion. You need to execute your cart recovery email program the right way to convince the lost shoppers to come back and complete their purchase.
A successful recovery campaign is optimized for everything from design to copy, send time and the right sequence. And, if you are not taking all of these things into consideration you will not get the results that you are hoping for from these email campaigns.
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