Changes in the way we advertise seem to happen far more regularly these days and finding effective methods of advertising to the right audience can seem like a tall task. If you are marketing on a digital platform then one of the first considerations should be electronic branding, your website, SEO and PPC campaigns.

Personally I find face-to-face marketing has an important role too and having the opportunity to present people with your branded tools such as paperwork and promotional products, rather than doing it remotely.

If you are taking part in an exhibition or event then items such as promotional pens, mugs and clothing are all essentials. The stand, stand equipment, banners, posters, products, uniforms and all other items should match each other perfectly, giving a clear message to visitors and potential customers.

Branded Conference Folder

For client meetings or sales visits promotional gifts such as conference folders and bags with brochures and leaflets are often popular. Again make sure you are thinking ‘BRAND, BRAND, BRAND’ does the message come across in what you are giving? Do the brichures and leaflets answer the questions these customers might have? Are there clear product images and a call to action to ensure you have the best shot at the sale?

Of course, when it comes to marketing tools such as your website, you have no choice than to allow visitors to look without your interaction, so making sure the branding and messages are pitch perfect on these too is absolutely vital and something I will touch on in future posts.

We have been talking for years about the positive effect the internet has had on businesses. With many companies now using the World Wide Web as one on their main sources for obtaining new customers and promoting new products and services. In fact, it is hard to imagine a way that such a massive audience could be reached just 20 years ago.

Of course the technology for managing such campaigns seems to change regularly, with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Pay Per Click (PPC) companies dedicated solely to the task of increasing traffic to your website by managing them effectively.

It is through this process we have discovered the huge increase in the number of people using the internet through mobile phones and tablets (collectively known as mobiles). This is nothing new, I hear you say. Well certainly the availability of the internet through mobile phones has been possible for some time. Even WAP services were offering a basic look at the internet for mobile users some 10 years ago. But I am not talking about searching, or checking social media, I am talking about an increase in the number of people making purchases with mobile devices – in some cases I have seen 25% of sales are made in this way.

Looking at the range of new mobile technology available and the speed at which it sells (I notice the new Apple iPad has sold faster than any of its other tablet products in the last week alone) it seems this is likely to continue and as a result, it has never been more important to ensure your site is mobile friendly.

Specifically, for sites that use e-commerce, this also means trustworthy. Viewing a website through a mobile device can be a chore, so choosing a design wisely is vital. Consideration should be given to mobile navigation, various browser types and (most importantly) page size, which will directly effect download time and therefore visitor numbers and bounce rate.

It might sound like a painful task, but a mobile site often runs parallel to your standard site. Browsers are able to detect the device being used to view the site and provide the appropriate copy of the site (mobile or desktop) based on this. Any good website designer will be able to provide details of the best mobile options available for the online section of your business.

And it seems whichever industry you are in, there is an opportunity to exploit such events. Many shows are reporting higher than usual exhibitor bookings and visitor numbers seem to be up in many cases too. And this is a statistic reflected in both Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Consumer (B2C) events.

Exhibitions and Events

Notably, several annual events have been reporting uprising in these figures, including;

Gadget Show Live 2012 – B2C event

This annual show is popular with those looking to see the latest in technology. In preperation for the large number of visitors organisers have recently announced they expect around 120,000 visitors this year – more that 15,000 more than last year, which had grown a massive 50% on the year before. As a result show at the NEC in Birmingham in April is expected to be it’s biggest ever!

Pure London – B2C Event

Organisers of the Pure London fashion show have arranged for additional exhibitor space following the sucess of their first event of the year in February. More than 1000 exhibitors took part, far more than was previously expected.

Travel Technology Europe – B2B Event

Organisers at the 9th Travel Technology Europe expo at the beginning of February have reported that visitor numbers for the show were up by nearly a quarter on previous years. As a result exhibitors are already booking up next years space in preperation for funther growth.

These are just a few of the shows that are reporting growth in their sector during February. I have also read reports over the past 2 or 3 months from other organisers claiming numbers are up. Although this is probably not always the case so careful consideration should be given to attending the right show, especially if you are doing something like this for the first time.

B2B marketing has often seemed very static and although new ideas come and go, it can sometimes be difficult to find the right solution for your businesses products. However, there are several B2B Marketing solutions that are steadily becoming more popular, including:

Exhibitions

It seems that more businesses have been taking part in exhibitions over the last year, and I hope this is a trend that will continue.

New and innovative ideas within the promotional market make it more cost effective for companies to take part in events like these by using low cost exhibition stands, branded promotional products and printed stationary. With visitor numbers up for many events in 2011 it is likely companies will want to take advantage of the potential client base available.

Mobile Marketing

I think one of the biggest up rises this year will be in mobile marketing – the ability to target new customers that are on the move and potentially looking for a business locally is likely to increase the need for quality local search results and mobile friendly websites.

Changes in website design coding are starting to make it far easier to create a mobile friendly site and I believe that as a result mobile search engines are beginning to favour sites that are “mobile ready” and locality specific.

Online presence

There are many things you can do in order to take advantage of the internet and having a quality website that contains what your customers want to see is top of the list. I believe smaller businesses are likely to start looking at optimising their sites in more detail as well as paying more attention to what aspects of the business can be promoted online with more vigour by using some of the many tools becoming available.

In the first 6 months of the year there are several marketing specific events I will be looking at attending, they include:

• Technology for Online Marketing & Affiliate Advertising – Earls Court – Feb 2012
• Travel Technology – Earls Court – Feb 2012
• International Confex – Excel Centre – March 2012
• Marketing Week live – London Olympia – June 2012

However I have to admit, with Marketing budgets lower than usual for next year I will certainly be considering some alternative ideas for promotional products in order to save on costs.

I regularly see Printed Pencils and Promotional Pens being given out by exhibitors at events and can see why they are chosen.

In many cases a smaller quantity (and therefore lower budget) is required for the goods. Pencils and pens themselves can also be purchased as a 2-piece gift, making them more desirable to the end user.

Vista Promotional Pen & Pencil

Vista Promotional Propelling Pencil

These pens seem to be popular and I like the finish available because they look to be of higher quality than many of the standard biros I see given out. The pencil is propelling, meaning the lead can be changed when it runs out and matches the roller ball pen beautifully. Extra touches like the rubber comfort grip and a variety of colour finishes also make them an attractive option.

Costs do seem to vary, but after looking at a few options I have found some pens that I like and I think would be used by others.

Of course, I have a batch of stationary, brochures and leaflets that are used regularly, but having an additional product to give away sometimes (I believe) gives you an additional “Wow” factor!

As I mentioned in a previous post, having an online presence in the form of a website is important and where many people put their money first and foremost. But it seems more businesses are looking at other factors such as Search Engine Optimisation, Pay Per Click Campaigns, Social Media and even App Development in their search for more new and loyal customers.

I recently read in a popular marketing publication that a well known vegetarian food brand are looking at developing their social media activity for exactly this purpose.

Using social media applications such as Facebook and Twitter is a popular way of engaging the end user and as a result companies that need to build on their brand recognition have been known to use them to great effect.

For some smaller businesses however it can be difficult to choose where your money is best placed and although some ventures might be free to set up, I believe it is important to ask yourself the question “will this campaign drive sales?”.

The vegetarian food brand mentioned above has a Marketing budget in 2012 of £7 million, far more than the average SME!

If you are unsure how to spend your Marketing budget, there are many choices to consider, such as:

• Online keyword research & website optimisation
• Social media campaigns
• Exhibitions & conference attendance
• Promotional products and stationary
• Pay per click campaigns
• Sales training

This list is not exhaustive, but does include most of the considerations our own clients go through once a year and if something has proved to be unsucessful, it is probably time to try something new.

Of course, researching which campaign to use costs nothing more than time and as businesses start to wind down for the festive season, this is a good opportunity to get to grips with a campaign that will assist you next year.

Some people alter the design of their site on a regular basis, but I have recently seen an increase in older websites that are being updated or renewed.

If you were savvy enough to have a website design created back in the 90’s the chances are you reaped the benefits of being there first, but the site will be past its sell-by-date now.

Website building methods are highly dynamic and different designers will work in different ways and with different products. However, there are a few hints I pass on to people who are contracting the design of their site to an external company.

Plan well in advance of designing your website

Leave plenty of time for choosing the key elements of your site and have a plan before meeting with the prospective designers. The plan should include the number of pages you need, details of any e-commerce required, forms for contact, specialist animation and links to be included. It is also useful to put together a disc with images, logos and any content you want to use as this will assist the designer in creating something in keeping with your requirements.

Proof your website design

Before finalising a designer for the site you should check now many proofs you will be allowed to amend. The proofing stage is crucial and the more times you can re-proof, the more you can alter.

Pick up references for your website designer

References are a great way of checking the effectiveness and quality of work your designer has previously created. Speak to the customers directly and look at the finished result of their site. Ask them if the site has worked as well as expected and if the design was what they were looking for.

Consider any design issues you want to avoid

If you want the site to run quickly this might limit the designers ability for adding large images or animations so be sure to tell them.

Design a holding page

If you take your existing website down make sure a holding page is installed straight away. It would be a shame to lose sales because potential customers couldn’t contact you. Holding pages should be in place for as short a time as possible as they are unlikely to provide visitors with all the information they need could affect enquiries received.

A4 Conference Folder

I recently attended an event where I was given an A4 conference folder (similar to the one pictured), which has been a very useful and well received freebie.

I (like many others) enjoy receiving the personalised gifts that are often handed out at exhibitions, conferences and other events. However, receiving this folder is one of the first times I have thought about purchasing and personalising something I have been given.

Unlike the usual pens, mugs, umbrellas and similar items we all seem to get, the folder has some useful storage and functional design ideas within it and has made carrying around my marketing paperwork much easier. I have even started noticing that other professionals seems to use them on the train and in meetings I have attended.

It just goes to show how effective marketing works well, and although I have not purchased anything from the company that gave me the product, the product itself certainly lead me to speak to the supplier!

The picture shows a conference folder similar to mine, but I am looking at purchasing something that has a few more of the optional extras such as ring binders and a pad pre-installed. There are even several options when it comes to the folder type you want to purchase:

• Zipped Folders
• Embroidered Personalisation on the Folders
• Embossed Conference Folders
• A5 Conference Folders

It seems some businesses hand them out as a “promotional pack” with a printed pen, printed A4 pad and brochures and leaflets enclosed – what an excellent way of promoting your products in a professional way (if you have the budget of course!).

Interestingly I have noticed that advertisers are even making use of empty shop space by renting windows and placing posters in them.

Outdoor Banner Frame

But as you travel the high street and navigate online, I can’t help but notice the number of people and businesses that are now putting far more time, money and energy into promoting their services online, digitally and through alternative media. This even includes digital advertising that I have seen installed at bus stops in reception areas, restaurants and much more.

So is there still a place for traditional marketing methods. Will the Banner Stand stand the test of time (so to speak)?

Having looked closely at the reasons for purchasing these types of products I am certain that SME’s are still looking for cost-effective ways of advertising and promoting without having to waste too much valuable time on creating the product. Those businesses are the ones who will (in my opinion) continue to require traditional marketing products for many years to come. Here is some information and my opinion on just some of those traditional marketing methods.

Banners & Posters

Possibly one of the cheapest prints you can have for your money and design for a standard size poster can often be completed in-house or at little cost. However, posters are really only suited to single use and banners can be difficult to use if you don’t have a suitable structure to hang them from and as a result, some people prefer other styles.

Banner Stands

These are one of my personal favourites because they are so cost effective, easy to install, easy to transport and (depending on the materials you use for printing) can really stand the test of time. Like the banners and posters they can be used in many different place, but the beauty of a banner stand is it is freestanding and therefore less hassle to find a home for.

Billboards

Often hired out by some of the largest marketing and advertising companies in the world, billboards are everywhere but poster design, installation and hire of the premium spaces available is high cost and therefore better suited to larger companies.

Of course having a digital presence is practically an essential element of business these days and ensuring that your company is being seen is essential. I am sure that the costs involved with digital advertising and media will reduce as new technologies are introduced and time ticks on, but in the meantime it is good to know some of the old ideas are still the best.

Fleets of Vehicles are useful as a Marketing tool as there is so much room to print a message on to. Most company vehicles are now covered in information and for many blue chip and large businesses this is a big part of building their brand awareness.

As a result of this trend many professional printing companies now offer a sign writing service for vehicles and I have even seen small vans completed “while you wait”! Information currently being designed and printed on vehicles includes:

• Large images on Vehicle Sides
• Logo and Strap Line all over the Vehicle
• Company Contact information (including a website)

And in some cases companies even add an overview or elevator pitch so other travellers can see what they are all about.

In fairness, although sign writing your vehicles might seem costly, they are likely to be viewed by tens of thousands of people in their lifetime and getting the printing right can even lead to additional business and new customers as well as helping the business to look like a professional and quality outfit.

Many companies also opt to have their drivers in printed or embroidered uniforms to tie in the brand awareness with clients and add to their professional image.

If you are considering having this type of work done to your fleet of cars, vans or lorries then I would recommend considering a few extra things before you go ahead, such as:

Size of Image and writing on Vehicle – will it be seen from a distance and is the text easy on the eye?

Quality of image on the Vehicle – does the image represent your company and its services well, does it encapsulate what you do and who for in a nutshell?

Colours to be printed on the vehicle – before you go ahead make sure you have a colour scheme in mind that will work well with the uniforms you have in place as well as your company logo and brand colours.

Colours to be printed on the vehicle – before you go ahead make sure you have a colour scheme in mind that will work well with the uniforms you have in place as well as your company logo and brand colours.