Ellison Marketing

Repeat business marketing to SMEs: guaranteed solutions

Mike — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:47:20 +0000

Internet marketing is a phenomenon. First it changed the way we communicated, then it enhanced our ability to seek information instantly, and finally it was used by businesses to do the once impossible: market to SMEs all over the world using a range of tactics which were fast, smooth and often even enjoyable to deploy.
As much as all this sounds like a simple solution to marketing, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to get wrong. Here are 3 things you can do to make sure you get it right first time (and remember, in business you often only have that one chance).

1) Make sure your website is fully-functional, easy to navigate and a direct line to the services you offer: this may sound alarmingly obvious, but if you’ve ever searched through dozens of sites you’ll have noticed that often the links don’t work, and even more worryingly, sometimes the Contact e-mail form won’t send. If your customers can’t reach you, they’re not going to spend 10 minutes searching for the tiny written email address in the bottom right- hand corner, so make sure that all your products and services can be fully explored with the touch of a button. Support is another issue which too many companies fail to look after – remember that many interactions between users and websites happen outside work hours or on weekends. The aim is to make things as efficient and easy as possible, and if you can get customers to sign up to your monthly newsletter then make sure you do (and no, you don’t have to do it monthly. Repetition and keeping things constant are the idea here, so if it’s every 6 months then that’s fine, as long as it’s regular).

2) You need quality article, blogs and snippets to draw in and keep potential customers engaged: OK, so you can get your SEO content in India for less than the price of even the smallest coffee in London, but is that really the best option? While many companies still believe so, always consider what the consequences could be, and how mistakes can soon turn into future headaches. If you run a technical company and can find a cheaper writer to produce quality content – and they are proficient – then it really doesn’t matter where they live, that much is certain. But one point shines above all: if the content isn’t as good as it can be, your reader will not be impressed…and isn’t that the point of your business? We like impressed. We find it means better sales, more traffic and longer-lasting connections. Now there’s something to get excited about!

3) Social networking is bigger than it ever has been, and with the success of Facebook, it’s obvious that the next 10 years are going to see a rapid increase in social network usage – which probably means more of these sites to come. So, are you using this wonderful new medium to its fullest potential? The statistics tell us not everyone is! Create buttons on your web-site so that your site is connected to all the major players and you’ll definitely be on the right track.

TO DISCUSS FURTHER CONTACT ONE OF OUR MARKETING EXECUTIVES TODAY ON 01978 265807

Sales and Marketing Executive Wanted

Chelsea — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:40:02 +0000

Job Description: Sales and Marketing Executive

Location: Home / Office Based

Salary: Excellent Bonus Incentives

Description: Based in Shropshire you will target SME businesses to sell both online and offline marketing solutions. Joining a team of sales professionals your role will be primarily telephone based for the first few months. Once established, you will be required to visit your clients on a regular basis and have a good understanding of local businesses within the region. Initially the role will be 100% new business generation and when you have won the business you will then account manage your own client base. The ideal candidate will come from an outbound sales environment and ideally have business to business experience with a proven track record in achieving targets. Those from a marketing, advertising, web or recruitment background would be preferred.

How to apply: You can apply for this job by sending a CV/written application to Justine at Ellison Marketing, justine@ellisonmarketing.co.uk or telephone and ask for Justine.

IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN THIS POSITION PLEASE SEND YOUR CV TO justine@ellisonmarketing.co.uk OR CALL US TODAY ON 01978 265807

Do I really need Google Adwords?

Chelsea — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:55:57 +0000

For those of you who don’t know, Google Adwords are the small adverts you see at the top and right of Google when you have performed a search, otherwise called sponsored links. They’re an affordable way of getting click-throughs to your website if your site isn’t listed well in the natural listings.

As an overview, Google Adwords works on a system of bidding for search terms. The more popular the search term and the more advertisers there are for that search term, the more money you will have to spend. However if you find a search term which isn’t that popular with advertisers, but is still very relevant to you then this would be your best bet.

So why use Google Adwords??

They’ll be times when your business will need results fast. Times when you want an immediate response from your potential customers – maybe you’ve got a seasonal promotion or a one-time offer, or maybe you’re just in a hurry to get some visibility for your business and some traffic to your website. It’s times like this that you need a Google AdWords campaign.

AdWords can deliver targeted ads to users who are already out there looking for what you’ve got – and the beauty of it is, you literally only pay for what you get. When you set up your campaign as pay-per-click (PPC), you’ll only ever pay when your ad has successfully drawn a new visitor to your website.

Like all Google tools, AdWords has quite a user friendly interface and from inside your account, you can track all kinds of information that is gathered over the duration of your campaign. Never before has any business, advertising company or marketing firm had access to such accurate, specific and real time information about user response and ad success rates.

CONTACT US TODAY IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN SETTING UP GOOGLE ADWORDS FOR YOUR COMPANY. CALL ON 01978 265807

Marketing an essential expense for SME’s

Chelsea — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 10:50:44 +0000

So what do you spend your budget on…

Advertising? Newspaper adverts? Billboards? SEO? PR? Direct Mail? e-mail marketing?

It’s a tricky question for many SME’s. Exactly which of the above shall I spend my hard-earned money on to grow my business and bring in more sales?

It’s not a problem faced by many of the bigger businesses who can spend a healthy marketing budget on every part of the marketing mix. But for a small business owner, they need to make sure that every pound spend brings in a good return on investment.

And one thing is for sure. Over the last few years, especially in tough economic conditions, marketing is the one area where money has to be spent.

So where is this money best spent?

So, as an SME, where should i be spending my marketing money?

In one word – online. As more of the consumer market heads towards the internet, it is vital that SME’s have some sort of website presence.

CALL ELLISON MARKETING TODAY TO DISCUSS YOUR DIGITAL MARKETING NEEDS 01978265807

BOOST SALES AT CHRISTMAS WITH EFFECTIVE MARKETING CAMPAIGNS

Chelsea — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 10:41:38 +0000

Christmas is a vitally important period for retailers across the country. Indeed, many firms make the overwhelming bulk of their revenue during the festive season. As a retailer it is therefore important that you capitalise on the vastly increased spending that happens at this time of year.

Here are our five top tips for increasing your Christmas sales.

Boost your marketing spend

The Christmas period inevitably causes a scrum amongst retailers keen to attract custom. You need to be visible if you are to get customers through the door – and this means boosting your marketing efforts.

Many small firms neglect marketing at the best of times, considering it to be the preserve of large corporations. But study after study has shown the importance of marketing for SMEs – and this is particularly true at Christmas.

Consider expanding your marketing efforts, either by increasing your existing activities or by investigating new methods. High-impact, short-term campaigns are likely to be particularly effective over the Christmas period, so you may wish to consider direct mail or similar techniques to increase consumer awareness of your business.

Up-sell and cross sell

Once you have attracted a customer it is important that you try to maximise their spending. Up-selling and cross-selling are simple but very effective techniques that can be neglected by smaller businesses during busy periods.

The potential benefits of up selling and cross selling can be easily illustrated by considering a transaction in a big-name coffee shop. The server will begin by asking if you would like a medium or large sized coffee (never a small), and will more than likely suggest a food item to go with your drink. The average customer spend is increased significantly, simply by using the power of suggestion.

You can increase the use of up-selling and cross-selling by providing a loose script to your staff members, encouraging them to suggest other, related items to customers. You should also think carefully about the placement of products if you are running a shop; for example, if you are selling nuts, make sure there are nutcrackers nearby.

Differentiate yourself

Every retailer worth its salt will be making some extra effort around Christmas and, while this is sensible for each individual business, the collective result can be overwhelming for consumers.

Think about your local High Street at Christmas; the tinsel is out, everything is red and there is a fat Father Christmas in every window. The shops just merge into one.To stand out from the crowd you must think about ways that you can effectively differentiate your business. If you can concentrate on unique aspects of your business, or introduce new marketing or presentation ideas that set you apart from your immediate competitors, you will attract more custom.

Consider what makes your firm unique in normal trading circumstances – whether that is a particular product offering or especially good customer service – and stress this aspect of your business.

This year compete on price

Given the continuing financial worries facing many consumers, price is likely to be a deal-breaker for shoppers this year. Consider running high-visibility pricing offers; you might choose, for example, to undercut your competitors on certain loss-leading items, or offer a discount on a second purchase.

Combine this with the increased marketing efforts discussed earlier; for example, if you are running a direct mail campaign make sure that any festive special offers are prominently featured.

Remember, however, that low prices don’t compensate for great customer service. Studies have shown that being treated as a valued customer is equally as important as low prices.

Concentrate on online

According to some reports, 2009 will be the first year that consumers do more Christmas shopping online than on the High Street. It is therefore vital that you concentrate on your online offering.If you do not already have a website with e-commerce facilities it is highly unlikely that you will be able to build one in time for the Christmas rush. However, in this case you should make sure your shop is visible on as many online directories as possible.

This is where many people are searching for products and services these days and appearing on these sites will help you to be found in search engines.

If you do have an online store you should ensure that it is as visible as possible. You might wish to consider increasing your spend on online advertising services like Google Adwords, in order to ensure that your site catches the eye of customers searching for products that you offer.

Similarly, you should make sure that your web address is highlighted on all of your marketing material. You may also wish to consider offering time-limited deals, like free shipping over the Christmas period. Offers of this sort are likely to bring in much more than they cost and, if nothing else, they will increase customer awareness of your business.

Christmas is a stressful time for retailers, many of whom have to deal with stressed customers and long hours. However, the festive period can also be particularly profitable. If you put some thought into your marketing efforts, and consider your sales tactics, you can make the most of increased customer spending this Christmas.

CALL ELLISON MARKETING TODAY TO KICK START YOUR CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN 01978265807

Online Marketing Shows Greatest ROI

Chelsea — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 09:46:12 +0000

According to a new research study, conducted by GFK - a leading organization in market research, online advertising now outperforms other advertising channels such as television and press media in terms of the ROI achieved. The report concluded that online advertising offers a short term ROI of 75p, outperforming press media, outdoor and television advertising which provided 66p, 53p and 43p respectively.

It has also been found that digital marketing can offer a higher sales lift that other mediums with Google search being the most significant driver of sales. Interestingly, online even performed well in terms of reach with online adverts reaching 33% of the online population whilst press reaches 40% and outdoor 30%.

These are encouraging signs for the digital industry and particularly for search engine marketers who are likely to see greater investment in their channel as a result of such statistics as media planners and marketers re-evaluate their annual budgets.

Call Ellison Marketing today to discuss your Digital Marketing Strategy, 01978 265807.

We Are Hiring! PHP Web Developer Required…

Chelsea — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:28:09 +0000

Job description: PHP Web Developer

Location: Wrexham, UK

Permanent or Contract: Permanent/Contract

Salary: Excellent Salary + bonus incentives
A PHP Web Developer is required to join Ellison Marketing Ltd, a full service Marketing Agency with a client list that ranges across various sectors. You must have strong PHP development experience and be a dynamic and flexible individual who is comfortable working under your own initiative as part of a small integrated team in a customer focused environment. This is a great role for a developer to join somewhere exciting and creative. You will be reporting to the Director and Project Manager, regularly liaising with our Designers and on some occasions with clients. Your focus must be the end user and client, this means functionality, usability, scalability and quality must be paramount in your work.

We are seeking a mid-career professional with 3-4 years commercial experience.

Skills / Attributes Required

PHP Background
MS SQL SERVER / TSQL
XML, XSLT, XPath etc.
CMS Experience
Good knowledge of W3C web standards
Strong interest in the future of web application development
Ability to work within small multi-skilled teams and to communicate technical aspects in a clear manner
Willingness to implement projects on time and to budget
Ability to empathise with clients
Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects

If you are interested in this position please click here to upload your CV or email chelsea@ellisonmarketing.co.uk

New Study shows SMEs lack Marketing Knowledge

Chelsea — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:05:56 +0000

Sales and marketing are currently the top business issues facing small engineering companies in the UK, a new survey has discovered.

Research carried out by the Forum of Private Business found sales and marketing strategy is a priority for over one in five (26.1%) smaller firms in the engineering industry.

Forum Chief Executive Phil Orford said: “Getting sales and marketing right is crucial for small engineering companies – especially as they are acknowledged as one of the main sectors to lead the country to a sustainable private sector recovery.

However, marketing often falls outside the skill-set of many small business owners in the industry, leaving them unsure about how best to increase sales and grow. Similarly, owners of engineering companies can’t be expected to be experts in the ins and outs of the latest Digital Marketing techniques, so it’s perhaps not surprising that these emerged as concerns.

Ellison Marketing have helped many SMEs by providing expert support with generating sales and developing marketing strategies. Call us today on 01978 265807 to find out how we can help you.

The Power of Email Marketing

Chelsea — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:13:12 +0000

Email Marketing affords Companies the tool to inform, communicate, promote, and sell its products to a vast database.

Too often email marketing is undervalued because people think it may backfire, making customers angry and be lost in spam and junk filters. However, you can make email work for you…There is a way to communicate with people and gain customers, without infringing on their time or harassing them.

Email marketing helps curtail marketing and sales Costs while enhancing existing customer relationships thereby enabling you to communicate and manage your customers with ease. In addition, it is an Effective mode of communication, which can be carried out between you and your prospective customer efficiently.

Sales and customer loyalty come only after you have formed a relationship with your prospect, earned their trust, and made them want to listen to you – this is where Email Marketing comes in.

Ellison Marketing offer state of art Email Marketing solutions. We provide full service solutions for clients and send email campaigns for them, and help our clients achieve better business results through email marketing.

Benefits of Email Marketing

The most effective email marketing strategies are those that merge a number of marketing disciplines to deliver maximum impact through an integrated solution.

Email Campaigns may include:

• Getting a list of email databases through in-house research.

• Design and build Email template including copy for the email Campaign.

• Sending Emails at a particular date and for a duration of time.

• Monitoring the Traffic increase and Campaign Performance.

• Analyzing the success of Campaign.

Implement the power of Email Marketing into your business and generate sales today! Contact Ellison Marketing on 01978 265807 to find out how.

Design… An Essential Element of your Marketing Strategy

Chelsea — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:50:56 +0000

Visual communication is an exceptionally complex field. Certain colors, shapes, and fonts are more likely to draw the eye and it can take time and experimentation to develop an aesthetically pleasing, rememberable design. A skilled graphic designer understands the complexities of the visual medium, and knows how to help increase visual stimulation and communication. You can’t AFFORD to be like everyone else. Your customers need a good reason to buy from you and not from your competitors.

Your business and brand needs to be different so that your product or service stands out from the competition. At Ellison Marketing we employ Graphic Designers with the expertise to help you develop a successful brand.

Good Graphic Design can benefit your business in many ways. It:

• Increases sales of your products or services
• Improves market position relative to your competitors
• Builds greater customer loyalty
• Motivates staff
• Establishes a stronger identity for your business
• Reduces the time needed to market new products and services