Social media design: is your business brand missing out? Part 1

You’ve probably thought carefully about the design for your business website. You may have commissioned a logo, or at least spent time choosing the look and feel of your company’s stationery and other products.

But have you thought about your business branding and design on social media platforms?

Your customers are spending more and more time on social media sites. The appearance of your Facebook fan page, Twitter account and even your YouTube page will have an impact on whether they choose to do business with you.

Good design is just as important social media platforms as it is on your main website.

Social media pages are a spotlight towards the best and most important content of your website.  They show the personality of your company. Your presence on social media  shows your clients more about you than a standalone website ever could do. The increasing demands for social media design show that a consistent approach across all channels is becoming increasingly important.

The design of a site can influence the “like-decision” of a user in a positive or negative way. Designers and marketers know that the appearance of a website is as much important as the content and the headlines.

Users know whether a Facebook Fanpage is an official page or just a group of interest created outside the company. And as much as you want  clients to dig into your website, you also have to make sure that they will stay on your page as long as possible, either through great content, a magnetic call to action, or some other attractive content like games, polls or contests.

As you can see, there’s a lot of scope to improve your business with social media. If you have any questions, just get in touch!

Social media tips for small businesses

Small businesses looking to take advantage of social media have been given some valuable advice by an online marketing expert.

Research by payment provider Sage Pay has found that customers visiting an online store through a social media site are ten times more likely to buy something than other users, once again highlighting the importance of services such as Facebook and Twitter.

According to Tania Jackson, managing director at Red Idea, small businesses are at an advantage when turning to social media and she had some advice for them.

She said: "You have to come across as informative, knowledgeable and full of expertise but also show a little bit of your personality, by talking about an office party for example, otherwise it’s just like another website full of information and no one wants that.

"You really have to look at the brand strategy as a whole, but if you get it right it will bring customers through the door."

A survey by Econsultancy and digital agency Guava recently demonstrated that 81 per cent of businesses now market themselves on Twitter, while 78 per cent use Facebook.

Social media tone 'crucial for marketers'

The tone of voice adopted by companies using social media helps determine how successful their marketing is through this channel, one expert has claimed.

Tania Jackson, managing director at Red Idea, said that small businesses must portray themselves as being specialists in their field if they wish to attract new custom online.

She commented: "You have to come across as informative, knowledgeable and full of expertise but also show a little bit of your personality.

"Otherwise it's just like another website full of information, and no one wants that."

Ms Jackson said the control exercised by small business marketers in particular should enable them to keep the tone of social media consistent, something larger organisations may struggle with.

"You really have to look at the brand strategy as a whole, but if you get it right it will bring customers through the door," she said.

Earlier this year, marketing industry expert Jon Maddison claimed that social media and email marketing benefit each other, and help create integrated advertising campaigns.

Written by Mark Hainsby
Link: http://ow.ly/27NCH

What is Digital Marketing?

What is Digital Marketing?

Wherever I go, people ask me: What is Digital Marketing?

My answer is simple and clear: Digital Marketing is a new and essential marketing tool for today's businesses. It is not about the hard sell, it is about engaging with your customers, understanding their needs and building relationships with them.

Why so much talk about social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, Linked IN and others? Because these are part of the digital marketing mix.

In order to understand your customers, it is advantageous to listen and engage and in the digital age, there is no better way than through Social Media interaction. By doing so provides a key new opportunity for business to research their target market, through both personalised engagement, and to enable the measurement of success of this interaction through quantification techniques, for example through real time numeric data on who has read and/or visited your site.

So why doesn't every business seek to utilise such a useful tool? Is it too complex? Too time consuming?

No. That is where we, at Red Idea, can help you.

But what to do?

Should I blog? Should I send a newsletter? Should I set RSS?

Yes, you should if you have something to say, and want your message to be out there. If you know your market and know your clientele, you will add value to your customer community by sharing knowledge and becoming recognised as THE specialist in your business sector.

How should I go about embedding this in my marketing strategy?

This is only a brief introduction to digital marketing. In developing a digital marketing strategy, full utilisation of the range of digital media should be considered, including the internet, television, radio and mobile platforms. Commentators agree that these technological developments and opportunities are key in driving business growth in today's marketplace.

Save both time and money by employing us to advise, guide, and set up the necessary tools for you to fully benefit from our expertise in designing and implementing digital marketing strategy.

If you have more questions, we are here at Red idea to help you.