A fantastic digital marketing seminar hosted by our MD, David

David Mitchell hosting a seminar to regional business owners about digital marketing

On behalf of the Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Growth Hub, our MD David Mitchell, hosted an insightful and informative seminar on digital marketing last week.

Presenting to local and regional business owners and managing directors, David led attendees through the process of developing, planning, implementing, and assessing an effective digital marketing strategy.

David presenting to regional business owners & MDs

Delving into the processes and disciplines involved in digital marketing, this gave the attendees the knowledge and understanding they require to make impactful decisions, enabling them to efficiently create, implement, and continuously improve their digital marketing strategies.

A big thank you to all who attended last week, David is very grateful that the seminar received great feedback and obtained an average satisfaction score of 9.4. Some positive comments on what attendees liked most about the training were; “the credibility of the trainer” and that the training session “covered the essence and trends of digital marketing and its relationship with branding, so we have the right mindset to build strategies- rather than focussing too closely on tactics and details”.

Due to the fantastic response to the event and after receiving great feedback from the first group of attendees, there may be another seminar hosted by David on behalf of the Growth Hub in the future. As the Growth Hub independently organise these free events, we will share the details as and when they are confirmed.

Creating & applying a fantastic new brand to reflect our client’s business growth & development

high pressure die casting and finishing company new website, displayed on mobile, tablet and desktop

We have supported BSC Die Casting & Finishing with an important rebrand to help them understand who they are, the needs of their customers, and the unique benefits BSC offer. BSC are experts in producing high-quality zinc and aluminium high-pressure castings, plastic injection moulding, and finishing. Since BSC’s change in ownership six years ago, the business has made continued investment, development, and growth in their industry which was not being reflected in their old branding nor website. We worked with BSC to rebrand them, provide a strapline and strong positioning in the market, designed and built an informative and user-friendly website, created videos, and retouched in-page and header images. Please read on for full details of our latest project.

Rebranding to reflect the positive business changes

BSC Die Casting & Finishing & new logo, strapline and branding
BSC Die Casting & Finishing’s new brand ID and strapline

The rebranding process was a reflection of the many positive changes that have happened over recent years, aligning with BSC’s ownership & leadership team’s goals and objectives for the business. By considering their company values and objectives we could create a suitable brand ID and strapline for BSC to reflect their newly improved position in the die casting and finishing industry.

Easy-to-use & modern web design

Graphic design services creating detailed diagrams of high pressure die casting and injection moulding processes
Process diagrams created by our in-house graphic design team

Building an informative and easy-to-navigate website was important for BSC, enabling them to provide existing and potential clients with detailed information about the core and added-value services they offer, plus important information about the quality standards adhered to across the business. We built a fully responsive website to clearly showcase the full capabilities BSC has to offer both existing and new clients.

Within the web development project, we wrote compelling and engaging copy for page content and call-to-actions. Detail and technical accuracy are of the utmost importance on BSC’s website, so we worked in collaboration with our client to ensure the correctness of the information. We also created the video headers, designed detailed high-pressure die casting and injection moulding process diagrams, and retouched and re-coloured images in line with the brand styles to be implemented across the website.

Take a look at our BSC’s new website here: https://www.bscdiecasting.co.uk/

Brand application across digital & tactile touchpoints

We have additionally supported BSC with the rollout of their new branding across a variety of digital and tactile touchpoints including designing the artwork for and producing stationery and personal business cards, plus creating graphics for, and updating information across their social media profiles.

Branded stationery created for BSC
Branded social media graphics for BSC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A successful day of business 1-2-1 support clinics

The first face-to-face 1-2-1 business support clinics since lockdown were a great success!

Today was a great success as the Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Growth Hub hosted their first face-to-face business support clinics since lockdown in collaboration with Jonathan Percival of Lichfield District Council and Maxine Darrock of Cannock Chase Chamber of Commerce. Hosted at our Burntwood offices, the event brought together a range of local business owners seeking support and advice, and the 1-2-1 support clinics aided attendees to leave this afternoon with ideas and strategies for future growth and development.

Part of our job at the marketing people is helping clients with more than just their marketing requirements, and to help them from an overall business perspective. It was great to see two of our clients attend the support clinics today, and both left this afternoon finding the 1-2-1 session very useful. Not only did our two clients take great benefit from the support clinics, but they have both joined as new members of the Cannock Chase Chamber of Commerce. As a vice president of the Chamber, David is pleased to see the Chamber growing and have the chance to give our clients more opportunities and connections in the local region through the Chamber of Commerce network.

 

The next FREE business support clinics

If you missed today’s event, don’t worry! The Growth Hub will be continuing their FREE 1-2-1 business support clinics and returning to the marketing people’s head offices in Burntwood on Tuesday 30th November 2021. Book your place early directly with the Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Growth Hub here: https://stokestaffsgrowthhub.co.uk/event/free-business-1-2-1-support-clinics-face-to-face-appointments/

Wondering if you should attend the next event? The FREE support clinics can help you with a huge variety of topics including: growing your business, finance and funding support, developing your marketing strategy, improving productivity and profitability, exporting and international trade, recruitment, regulations, environmental efficiency, rural business issues, and premises/land issues.

The Growth Hub advisors understand the day-to-day pressures of running a business. They work with you to overcome barriers, solve problems, and develop a strategy for growth. With specific knowledge of Staffordshire and close connections with local authorities, the advisors can signpost you to ensure you receive the best business support.

The details:

Location – The Marketing People, 3 Newlands Court, Attwood Road, Burntwood, WS7 1FG

Date – Tuesday 30th November 2021

Time – 09:30 – 14:00

 

We look forward to seeing you at this fantastic FREE event.

The Marketing People’s MD features in regional Chamber of Commerce Magazine

The marketing people feature in Chamberlink magazine

Our MD David Mitchell was recently asked by the Chamberlink Magazine to write a feature article in their May edition. As a well-known magazine read by hundreds of Chamber members each month, this was a fantastic opportunity for David to share his deep knowledge and experience of marketing and communications with the Chamber of Commerce community.

With changing times, and more noise out there than ever before it was important to take a step back and ponder the question: how can we help businesses get the most out of their marketing?

In light of the May edition including various spotlight features on marketing and communications (Marcoms), David’s article discusses how getting the Marcoms strategies just right is key for both B2B and B2C businesses when communicating with customers. Often, communicating with potential customers is not a one size fits all process, but having the tools in place to begin with is key. For many businesses out there, they are doing a lot of work towards marketing, sometimes without even realising. Having a website, blog, chat facility, social pages, Facebook and Google paid ads – it’s all marketing but is the effect being measured and cutting through the noise?

The article draws attention to vanity metrics, the metrics that seem to be most sought after by managers- likes, comments, impressions, time on site. But truthfully, can we say that these metrics always have a direct impact upon return on investment? Sometimes they don’t correlate. Of course, these vanity metrics help with brand awareness and building your brand’s personality online but what you need is to connect with customers that will actually buy from you, and refer you to friends, family, and colleagues.

Chamberlink magazine front cover - May edition
To read the full Chamberlink article, click the image

This takes us to our well-established process at the marketing people, by taking a step back from all the marketing activity that is currently going on and refer to the pre-marketing stage. Putting yourself in your customer’s shoes gives a better understanding of the messages they need to hear and via what communications channel. There is little point in implementing marketing strategies if the pre-marketing stage has not had sufficient time spent in planning, researching, and understanding target customers. Considering what your ideal customers need to see and hear to make them choose your brand is so important when you are trying to cut through the noise.

The truth is, what matters the most is a return on investment, increased sales, and connecting with the right customers. Every business and their target customers will require different messaging, at different times, on different channels – but it’s up to you to take things back a step and work on the pre-marketing stage. The article written by David sums this up well; “turnover is vanity – or in this case, views, likes is vanity, cash is sanity, period.”
To read the full article, click here.

The marketing people feature in Chamberlink magazine

How we transformed a global manufacturing business, based in Burton Upon Trent, to thrive in an online market

Ginho new and responsive website. Mobile and tablet ready, built by The Marketing People

We are pleased to share another happy client to add to our ever-growing list of satisfied customers. It has been a rewarding challenge for our team to work with Ginho to build a modern, professional, and easy-to-navigate website.

Ginho’s branding and website were outdated and not fit-for-purpose in the modern industry. They needed reviving and updating, to give their brand a much better position in a competitive global landscape.

Improving Ginho’s existing website was an important change as for many of their customers, the website is often the first point of contact. We ensured customers could clearly and easily find the information they needed from the Ginho website by organising the navigation into clear categories. Showcasing Ginho’s specialisms, technological advancements, and capabilities on their website shows Ginho’s confidence, knowledge, and experience in what they do.

Is your website not quite showcasing all the amazing things you can do? Why not give us a call on 01543 387 047 and let's discuss how to fix that!

Graphic design and advertisements created by The Marketing People

Graphic design by The Marketing People

Being an international and family-run business, a strong brand that resonated with customers from all over the world was important. We created a new brand ID and positioning statement to support Ginho in a competitive market. After establishing Ginho’s core values we created the strapline “Value in Everything” which encompassed everything Ginho stood for and provided to their customers daily.

Please head over to our case studies page to read an in-depth account of how we helped Ginho and provided them with a responsive, mobile ready, and professional website.

If this sounds like the kind of improvement your business needs, why not get in touch with us, call 01543 387 047.

How We Turned a Frustrated Business Owner’s e-Commerce Website Nightmare into a Dream

The Cartridge Shop new e-Commerce website

Our Latest Client

We love sharing great news, and today we are happy to announce the launch of our latest client’s brand-new e-Commerce website. We have been working with The Cartridge Shop over the last few months, building them a solid brand to thrive in the online market and a fully functional e-Commerce website that allows customers to purchase items online.

Frustrated by Developers that Cannot Fulfil your Potential?

Our client reached out to the marketing people because their previous web developer could not fulfil their requests when it came to the capabilities of an e-Commerce website. We could give The Cartridge Shop the tools they needed to make the most out of their investment and maximise sales capacities.

After recently changing their business model, The Cartridge Shop sold their previous shop in Walsall, West Midlands. They are pursuing the path to be a predominantly online retailer and supplier but needed support in order to strive. This is where we stepped in and turned our client's e-Commerce nightmare into a dream.

How We Brought The Cartridge Shop to Life

Initial Consultations

From day one, we talk business. Our approach is to get to the root of business problems and work from the centre outwards at the marketing people. We discussed their goals, frustrations, and requirements with The Cartridge Shop, not just what they wanted on their website, but about their business objectives and their plans for developing that business.

This was our client's feedback after their initial consultations with us.

Branding

We agreed it was important for The Cartridge Shop's branding to radiate their values, ethos, and expertise during our business and marketing consultations. In-depth analysis of our client's and their competitor's market space aided us when designing and developing their new Brand ID (logo) and creating a strapline.

Positioning them as a provider of more than just ink cartridges, as a service-driven and understanding business that would stand out from its competitors while creating a brand that would show the transition from only a brick and mortar business to bricks and mortar and online e-commerce provider.

Before and after logos designed by The Marketing People

Web Design

Creating a website that was appropriate for the marketplace, but mostly, easy for customers to find the exact product they were looking for fast was key in this web development.

We implemented a smart search bar that automatically changes the result as you continue to type the product you desire, which was great for customer usability. Working with over 3,400 products our team created a well structured e-Commerce element to The Cartridge Shop’s website that allows customers from across the UK to purchase online.

If this sounds like something that would work well on your website, get in touch and we can talk about how we can bring your e-Commerce website to life.

Category sort for new website, organising over 3400 products

Graphic Design

To keep branding consistent across all touchpoints of the business we created digital stationery for our client featuring the new logo, brand colours, and theme. We produced digital letterheads, compliment slips, business cards, and email signatures for The Cartridge Shop.

Summary

Overall we had helped a business with more than just a shop-online facility. Before our meetings, The Cartridge Shop were frustrated and caught in a battle to get completed based on the specific requirements they had, as not an out of the box site could not provide. A clear brand strategy and position, a meaningful strapline, and all the tools to start marketing are now in place. We are about to undertake a digital ad campaign on behalf of the client to market and promote sales, although organically, online sales are already happening.

Want to See More?

To read more about our client's success stories, head over to our Case Study section of the website to see in detail how we supported The Cartridge Shop and many other brands to thrive and grow.

Why not get in touch to see how we can save you from a business & marketing nightmare. Give us a call on 01543 387 047.

The Marketing People celebrate #StaffordshireDay

The Marketing People and many businesses across Cannock Chase and the surrounding areas will celebrate the 6th annual Staffordshire Day on 1st May 2021. Our MD David Mitchell, also vice president of the Cannock Chase Chamber of Commerce, was honoured to be asked by the Chamber to produce a short video exclaiming his love of our county in light of the Staffordshire Day celebrations.

Staffordshire has really got it all from castles to theme parks, museums to universities all seated in a fabulous landscape; just a few great parts of Staffordshire that make it a wonderful place to live, work, and explore. But what makes Staffordshire special is the people, the everyday hardworking, friendly, and welcoming people that make this such a fantastic county. Kind people that say “hello” to strangers and make everyone feel at home, that’s what makes Staffordshire.

This annual event recognises Staffordshire’s community pride and for the 2021 celebrations there is a focus on the resilience of Staffordshire-based businesses. Take a look at enjoy Staffordshire's website to see the events that are happening throughout the day.

As proud members of the Cannock Chase Chamber of Commerce, we are delighted to be celebrating with fellow local & regional businesses. Check out the Chamber of Commerce’s social media pages for updates from across the region: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Want to know how you can get involved too? The event is being held on social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter on Saturday 1st May. All you need to do is use the hashtag #StaffordshireDay to be a part of the conversation.

How to Win with Google Ads

Win With Google Ads

Google dominates the search engine market with over 83% of users worldwide, making it the most used search engine on the market. If you want more customers/clients contacting your business, then you need to be advertising on a platform that reaches the maximum amount of people possible - you need to be using Google Ads.

What are Google Ads?

With 3.5 billion daily searches every day, Google is the obvious search engine of choice. So, it’s more than likely that you have already come across Google Ads whilst looking for a gift, restaurant, the latest gadget or simply looking for the meaning of a phrase.

Nowadays we use Google like we used to use Yellow pages; we use it in moments of information gathering or wanting to buy something. We call this ‘the moment of intent’ and there are 3.5 billion moments every day on the Google network.

Google Ads (previously known as Google Adwords) is Google’s online advertising platform that enables you to get your message in front of someone in their moment of intent. It runs on pay-per-click advertising, also known as PPC, which simply means that you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. To find out more about PPC, read our ‘What is Pay Per Click’ blog here. What you pay can also vary massively, so speak to a team member today to see how we can help you get the best out of the platform.

How can you benefit from using Google Ads?

There are many benefits of using Google Ads. Here are just a few:

  • Google has a massive audience as it is the most used search engine; this means that more people will see your adverts!
  • The ability to advertise to both a global and local audience.
  • Adverts can be personalised to ensure you reach your target audience at the right time.
  • Google gives you the ability to advertise to people who are specifically looking to purchase your product/service.
  • You don't need a big budget to get started with Google Ads.
  • Any business of any size can start a Google Ads campaign. You can even create daily budgets so you can be sure that you’re never spending more than you want to.

The different types of Google Ads

There are multiple different ways that you can advertise with Google Ads, here are a few of the most popular ways:

Call Ads

Call Ads do exactly what you would expect; they encourage people to call your business. These types of adverts only appear on devices that can make phone calls. This eliminates any barriers that could stop the user from phoning your business.

For more information about how to get more phone calls, watch our YouTube video.

Using Google Call Ads to create more inbound sales for your business

Display Ads

In order to understand Display Ads, you first need to understand what the Google Display Network is.

The Google Display Network is a group of over 2.5 million websites, apps, and videos that display adverts. It has a lot of advanced targeting options, enabling you to strategically advertise to potential customers who are currently looking for your product/service. This allows you to find your perfect audience.

So, Display Ads are shown all over the Google Display Network in front of the right audience at the right time.

Using display ads to target customers when they are not expecting to see your brand

Google Shopping Network

If you are selling products, Google Shopping is essential. You can put your product right in front of someone that is actively looking to buy it.

For Google Shopping Ads to be successful, you will need a more advanced setup. Once you have the product feed set up with the correct back-end tracking, it can explode your business very quickly indeed. If you need help setting this up then get in touch with a team member today.

Google shopping ads used to promote your product at the moment a consumer is searching for something similar

Search Ads

Search Ads appear in the search results pages on Google, above organic listings. As you can see below, three ads are displayed above any other search results. These three companies are appearing at the top of the page, and the best part is, they only pay when someone clicks on the link.
Appearing at the top of the organic search results can take a lot of time and dedication using many different SEO techniques. Once you’re at the top it can provide many benefits, however, it still doesn’t guarantee that you will be the first website that users see as multiple ads could be displayed before your site. This shows how important Search Ads are if you are a company that has a lot of competition.

YouTube Ads

YouTube Ads can provide a massive opportunity for business owners. By using cookies, you can target customers based upon what they are already searching for, showing your YouTube Ads to interested and potential buyers. Your content can be shown to those customers that have already visited yours or a competitor's website giving you the chance to strike while the iron's hot. Sounds like a winner, right? Check out our video to discover how YouTube Ads can get you more sales.

The best part about YouTube Ads, you only get charged if and when customers watch the full video so make those first 5 seconds before 'Skip Ads' count!

 

YouTube ads are great for targeting customers that have already been searching for your service / product

How to get the most out of your Google Ads

If you are looking for advice on how to get the most out of your Ads, you may benefit from talking to our PPC expert. We can provide you with specific advice, based on your personal business goals.

In addition to booking an appointment, you may benefit from reading our blog post all about the top 4 tools for Google Ads.

Google Ads and remarketing

Google Ads are great for remarketing, or as some call it, retargeting. This is the practice of bringing past visitors back to your site if they have been a visitor in the last 10 days, for instance, giving you the second bite of the cherry, so to speak.

On average it takes a customer around 21 days to go from thinking about your product/service to actually purchasing. Therefore, without remarketing, you are losing sales. Your business needs to keep in contact with that potential customer over a period of 21-days. Google Display Image Ads are a fantastic way of doing this to increase brand uplift and direct sales.

For more information about the average customer journey and how to optimise it, watch our short 90-second video:

If you have any questions or need any help with your Google Ads, then give the marketing people a call on 01543 495752.

Let Us Get Round to the Marketing For You

How many times have you tried to tackle your own marketing and ended up giving up after 10 minutes because something else in your business required your attention more? Don’t worry, you’re not alone.

Sometimes it can feel impossible to find the time to start an email campaign, or send off those leaflets that are now covered in an inch of dust on your desk, or even check on those ads you’ve had running in the background for months on end…

The point is, you’re good at running your business but we're good at marketing… so let’s join forces.

Don’t forget to plan time for marketing

In light of February being National Time Management Month, we thought this is the ideal opportunity for you to assess what’s going on in your business and plan in some time for marketing. As we do this all day every day, we know how much time this can take up, time you may not have yourself.

We know after years in the business that rushed marketing is very unlikely to be successful. Successful marketing that gets results takes time, experience and knowledge- luckily, that’s something we have plenty of! Don’t let your marketing take a back seat in 2021, why not let us take care of it whilst you focus on the things your business requires from you.

The Marketing People, three stage process to marketing. Step 1, pre-marketing

Our strategy

Over the years, we have developed a strategy to help clients identify the best way to use their marketing and budget. This comes as a part of our three-stage process. One fundamental step, but often the most forgotten step, is pre-marketing. If you don’t already know about our three marketing stages, check out this video from our Managing Director, David Mitchell (FCIM), where he simply explains how pre-marketing can stop you from wasting money on marketing that doesn’t work.

So, before you print those thousands of leaflets, or hit publish on your Google Ads, just take a second and think; “Why am I saying this message? Am I directing my customers to the right place to convert? And, is this what my target audience need or want to see in order to convert?” They can be hard questions to answer, we know.

A positive change for your business

There is a lot of change going on in the world right now, so why not turn this change into a positive one for you and your business. We can help you take a step back and look at your business goals and direction to ensure your branding and positioning is appropriate for the market you’re in. This will help you to utilise your budget effectively and engage in marketing that works.

We know marketing may not be your top priority, but it should be one of your business’s priorities. Let us take the job off your hands and see what growth we could make for your business.

Working with you to improve your business

If this sounds like something of value to you, get in touch and we can organise a free, no-obligation meeting to discuss how we can help you.

What is Pay Per Click?

What is Pay Per Click?

Pay Per Click, also frequently known as PPC, simply refers to when advertisers will only pay for an ad when a user physically clicks on its content. These ads are usually displayed across platforms such as Google, Bing, Facebook, etc.

Unlike the organic method, (the slower route to more customers) these platforms generate revenue by offering pay per click services. This is essentially an auction for businesses to advertise in prime space on their websites, for example, at the top of Google search or in the newsfeed in social media.

Pay Per Click enables you to jump the queue, avoiding months of getting your content out organically, to get in front of people who are actively looking for your product or service.  You can pay platforms like Google, Bing, Facebook and Instagram to push your content to users who are likely to be interested in what you are promoting and you only pay when customers click. (Please note: depending on your campaign objectives, Facebook charge by impressions too, so be careful).

 

Pros of Pay Per Click (PPC).

  • Very fast to market, on the same day in most cases.
  • As a business, you get to control what prospects see.
  • PPC gives you scale, providing your profitable ads, rather than you simply giving the platform more money.
  • You get in front of someone in their moment of search, increasing the chance of getting that sale enquiry or appointment.
  • You can remarket your website visitors to bring that person back to the website to enquire. This is a massively powerful tool, as in Google you can show your ads and you only pay when a person clicks on the ad.

Cons of Pay Per Click (PPC).

  • Requires a regular budget for optimum results.
  • You need a solid sales process already in place and to work on your customers’ digital journey to ensure those clicks are producing sales, enquiries, or bookings (whatever your goal might be).
  • PPC requires commitment and patience to continuously test different ads over time to refine the ideal ad content.
  • PPC is not a “set and forget” process, it requires continuous support and attention, so it may be worth investing in an agency (such as ourselves) as they have the expertise and dedicated time to keep on top of your ads.

 

Now, if you’re still reading this, then why not check out a case study from one our pay per click campaigns, where we took a client who was running their own pay per click campaign and cut their costs by 90% in 3 months. Click here to watch the video and if you think you would benefit from a quote on your pay per click campaign, then you can get a quote on that page too or give us a call on 01543 241247.

However, if you are not at the stage of publishing ads just yet, no worries, check out this YouTube video on 4 ways to grow your business here.

We hope this quick blog has been insightful into the world of pay per click (PPC) and if you want to learn more about digital marketing head over to our YouTube channel.