Sales and marketing

Business-to-business marketing

llandi — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 13:54:35 +0000

Business-to-business marketing llandi Tue, 04/02/2025 - 13:54

Business-to-business marketing

Marketing our business on a tight budget - Share Discovery Village

llandi — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 11:06:58 +0000

Marketing our business on a tight budget - Share Discovery Village llandi Fri, 10/01/2025 - 11:06

Marketing on a tight budget

In this guide:

Review and evaluate your current marketing spend

Factors you should consider when analysing your marketing budget such as last year’s customer spend figures and changes in the market.
To gain maximum benefit from your marketing budget, it's important to review and evaluate it regularly. Any time and money you spend on marketing is an investment in your business. So you need to make sure it's time and money well spent.

Last year's figures

Examine your marketing spend against sales and revenue. Consider the campaigns you were running during periods of high and low sales.

Some kinds of marketing activities are easier to measure than others. For example, a pay-per-click ad can show you how much you spent against the value of a sale. Activities like public relations may influence consumers' attitudes, but it's hard to put a monetary value on this and it's difficult to measure.

You should consider:

the cost of each of your marketing activities, eg public relations, advertising, social media

the influence of each activity on your customers' attitudes and behaviours

whether sales can be directly attributed to particular marketing activities

the return-on-investment for each marketing activity

Changes in the market

Consider any changes that may have happened in your industry. Have there been any fundamental changes in innovation, technology or conditions - eg a recession or growth spurt? There may be a change that affects:

your products or services

your products' packaging

the distribution channels you use

You should also look into any new and potential market trends and assess whether these could affect your marketing efforts.
Also on this site

Create your marketing strategy

Sales channels to reach your customers

Understand your customers' needs

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How to stick to your marketing budget

Ideas for marketing objectives you could set for your business, and advice on keeping your aims on track to stay within your budget.
Setting clear marketing goals will help keep your business focused on what you want to achieve from your marketing budget and can be a 'roadmap' if things go off-course.

Marketing aims

The sorts of objectives you might want to consider setting for your business could include:

increasing your customer base through direct marketing, see direct marketing

developing your brand identity, see branding for your business

finding out more about your customers, market or competitors through market research and market reports

using greener packaging, see design packaging to reduce environmental impacts

distributing your goods through e-commerce, see planning for e-commerce

using different marketing channels and mixes to reach your customers

SMART objectives

Once you have decided on your general aims, you should set SMART objectives. SMART objectives are; specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound. Some examples include:

generate 40 new sales leads per month through pay-per-click advertising

increase brand recognition among 18-30-year-old males by 10% within six months

See your marketing objectives.

Stay within budget

By gaining insight into your industry and market, and developing specific objectives, you can help your business grow and stay on track throughout the year.

You can continually monitor your targets and ensure that budgets are being allocated to the right campaigns.

See measure performance and set targets.
Also on this site

Market research and market reports

Sales channels to reach your customers

How to write a marketing plan

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How to attract, win and keep your customers

Advice on getting more business from your existing customers and on finding new customers to reach the most profitable groups.
To maximise your marketing spend, you need to focus on satisfying your current customers, encouraging past customers and attracting new customers to your business. Identify your unique selling point (USP) and use it to make you stand out from the crowd. See what is your unique selling point?

Get more from your customer base

Your regular customer base is critical to your business' survival and growth, so you need to seize chances to build and maintain your relationship with them on each interaction or sale.

There are many ways to do this when on a tight budget. Think about how you communicate - for example, you should:

talk to your customers and focus on their needs and wants

be specific, honest and clear about what you can offer

keep in touch - send email updates or a newsletter

get to know your competitors and what they are offering

Think creatively about your selling techniques. For example, you could:

encourage people to 'buy now' by offering lower prices for immediate/bulk purchases or bookings

use coupons or e-vouchers that are easy and cheap to design and distribute

offer gifts, free trials and tasters

reward your customers with loyalty schemes

Make sure your staff are fully aware of your customer base, products, and services and are inspired by your business. Read more about how to lead and motivate your staff.

Encourage referrals from existing clients

Referrals from satisfied customers endorsing your business are the best way of getting new customers. So if a client tells you they're happy with some work you have done for them, ask them to recommend you to other potential customers.

Consider offering incentives - such as a discount off their next order - for every new customer an existing client points in your direction.

Find new customers

You should always be thinking about how to attract new customers. You need to:

let potential customers know who you are and what you offer

aim to provide an exceptional experience on the first sale

offer options and solutions to increase convenience

position yourself as a leader next to your competition - give a reason for customers to buy from you

Try to price your products or services according to their quality - you want to avoid under-pricing them.

Team-up with related businesses

You could attract new customers through a 'partnership' with a business related to, but not in direct competition with, your own - eg - a plastering company and local decorators.

But make sure you choose a reputable business to team up with this way. Otherwise you could end up with their mistakes tarnishing your reputation.
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Increase your market share

Understand your customers' needs

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Public relations on a budget

Advice on how to get the best out of public relations (PR) with limited funds by making your business stand out, networking and press releases.
You don't need to blow your budget to keep your business in the public eye. Even a cash-strapped business can use public relations (PR) effectively and reap the benefits.

When promoting your business, it's important to be clear about what you want to achieve. For example:

increased sales

increased visits to your website

more awareness of your product or service

Promote your business

Some of the more cost-effective ways to promote your business can be to:

make your business stand out - eg by offering a unique product or service, or by offering savings

join relevant professional or social groups so you can network with other people

tell people or write a press release if your business wins an award or a contract

specialise - you will be more attractive to customers if you are an expert in what you do

promote yourself as an expert to local media, write an article or start a blog

lead a trend or solve a problem that you have spotted

volunteer to speak at meetings or seminars related to your field

PR ideas

If your budget allows, you could try these PR methods:

relaunch your website, shop or product/service

if you have a car or van, use vehicle branding or magnetic signs to advertise your business phone number or website

get involved in charity - offer to host an event on your premises and invite the media

get involved with the community - try fundraising or offer your product or service as a competition prize

use corporate social responsibility (CSR) to set your business apart from competitors

survey your customers - get to know their needs and future wants

With time and creativity, you can quickly and cheaply create effective PR campaigns.
Also on this site

Understand your customers' needs

Find new business opportunities

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Digital marketing on a budget

Cost-effective ways to promote your business using email, social networking or a blog to reach your target audience with marketing messages.

Digital marketing tactics work even with a limited budget. Digital marketing can be highly targeted, meaning you won't waste budget by reaching people not interested in your offering.

Email marketing

Email marketing can be a more cost effective alternative to direct mail. E-newsletters are cheap - or free - to produce.

It's useful to include buying behaviour or demographic information in your email database. This means you can accurately target your messages to specific and relevant groups.

Social media

You can promote your business using social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok. You can use these channels to interact with your existing customers. They can also be used to advertise and attract new business.

While there are paid advertising options, publishing great content can help you reach your audience without investing money. See content marketing.

Blogging

If you're an expert in your field, think about sharing that expertise online. Offering advice or opinions on your own internet blog can be a fantastic way of promoting yourself and your business.

Blogs also tend to get high rankings from internet search engines. Having one can make it easier for potential customers to find your business. See search engine optimisation (SEO).

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What is affiliate marketing?

What affiliate marketing is and how your business can set it up and benefit from the potential boost to website traffic and brand reach.
Affiliate marketing is a powerful internet marketing tool that offers partners or affiliates a commission on any customers they bring to your site. This is usually done on a cost-per-click basis, as paying pennies per click can be cheap.

Other options include:

pay-per-lead - which can result in higher quality leads for contacting the customer yourself and making your own sales

pay-per-sale - where affiliates and your website make the sales for you (useful if you have a product that sells quickly through your website)

Affiliate marketing can be a powerful way of:

boosting your online sales

improving your online brand reach

finding customers in a new country, as visitors who arrive from a similar site are much more likely to be interested in your products

Affiliate programs are becoming more and more competitive. Affiliates will constantly measure you and your program against other affiliate programs, so it is essential to research the competition.

How to set up an affiliate marketing program

Your site needs an effective design and interesting content to attract people who may stop at a website for only a few seconds. Adding fresh content is the way to do this - ideally every day, or at least once or twice a week.

Building links is also important. You can do this by putting a link to someone else's site on yours, and they doing the same, or by posting to other sites with useful information, as either a guest content provider or a blog commenter. The challenge is to post links to affiliates who offer a product connected to your site.

Then you can add advertisers - these partnerships are how you make your money as an affiliate marketer, so choose them wisely.

You also need to create a call to action - content on your site that gets your visitors to do what you want, ie click on your advertiser's links. Examples of calls to action include:

clicking on a banner ad

ordering a project

filling out a lead generation form to get information

There are several benefits to affiliate marketing, for example:

its cost-effectiveness

it can be a long-term investment

it is less risky, as there are no up-front costs for advertising on your affiliate websites

you don't need extra marketing staff

you never lose money - you only pay when an advertisement succeeds

you can track where your customers come from and how much they spend

you can determine the most successful locations for your advertising
Also on this site

Online contracts: formation and terms

Pay-per-click and paid search advertising

Search engine optimisation: keyword strategy

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Marketing on a tight budget

Marketing our business on a tight budget - Share Discovery Village

Darragh Collins, CEO of Share Discovery Village, shares how effective marketing on a budget 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶs the organisation’s success.

Established in 1977, Share Discovery Village, a social enterprise based in County Fermanagh, was founded to provide families with disabled loved ones a much-needed opportunity for a shared holiday experience. Today, Share welcomes up to 70,000 visitors annually, with approximately half coming from marginalised communities.

Darragh Collins, CEO of Share Discovery Village, shares insights into the venue’s successful marketing strategies, which are implemented on a limited budget.

Responding to seasonal change

"We're mindful of seasonal fluctuations and tailor our offerings to different target audiences. From February to June, we primarily host school groups on residential trips. During the peak summer months of July and August, we welcome self-catering families, campers, and glamping enthusiasts. Throughout the year, we also cater to groups like Scouts, youth organisations and church groups."

"By understanding seasonal trends and tailoring offerings, Share Discovery Village maximises visitor numbers throughout the year. This strategy ensures consistent revenue and brand visibility."

"Our introduction of glamping pods wasn’t just about following trends; it's about evolving to meet the changing desires of our visitors. We work hard to understand what our visitors want and create new ways for them to enjoy their time here."

"The winter ice rink is a great success. When we launched it, we leveraged various platforms to reach a wide audience - the results were phenomenal. Events like these not only attract visitors but also showcase the diverse range of experiences we offer throughout the year."

Reaching and listening to customers

"Social media, particularly Facebook, is crucial in reaching our target audiences. However, word-of-mouth remains equally important when working within a limited budget. We actively listen to feedback from all our guests to continuously adapt and improve our offerings. This valuable insight helps us grow and better understand our visitors' needs."

"We moved to a booking system that has customer relationship management (CRM) functionality. This allows us to communicate with previous and current customers about deals, special offers, and upcoming events."

Building loyal customers

"We strive to make Share more than just a destination; we aim to create unforgettable memories. For over four decades, we've provided recreational activities and learning opportunities for people of all backgrounds and abilities. What truly matters is forging lasting connections with our guests and creating memories that will stay with them long after they leave."

"While we face financial challenges and are at the mercy of the weather, we focus on what we can control: delivering memorable experiences. This commitment keeps our guests returning year after year."

Building networks to reach new customers

"Networks and connections lie at the heart of our marketing strategy. Approximately 25% of my time is dedicated to building relationships, whether it's through trade shows, conventions, or partnerships with organisations."

"These connections with industry professionals, organisations, and potential partners are vital for expanding our reach and attracting new business. The more people who know us, the greater our chance of growing our organisation."

Winning awards and recognition

"Our award wins, such as the Fermanagh Herald Business Awards and the Social Enterprise Northern Ireland Awards 2024 , have not only boosted our organisation's visibility but have also brought numerous benefits. By publicising these achievements across various media platforms, we've connected with a diverse audience."

Case Study
Darragh Collins

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Accurate descriptions: Used vehicle sales

mmcgroarty — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 11:20:27 +0000

Accurate descriptions: Used vehicle sales mmcgroarty Tue, 31/10/2023 - 11:20

Fair trading, accurate descriptions and Trading Standards

In this guide:

Fair trading for businesses selling goods or services

An overview of the law relating to fair trading and how this may affect your business - including areas such as pricing and product description.
When you sell products and services, you must comply with fair trading laws - covering areas such as:

pricing

weights and measures

descriptions of products and services

the contract between a buyer and seller

competition between businesses

intellectual property and counterfeiting

What are the rules around fair trade?

The law sets out practices that are illegal when selling goods or services. These unfair practices include misleading customers and using aggressive selling practices.

Misleading customers

You must not mislead customers about the goods or services you sell. For example, it is against the law to give customers wrong information, such as advertising something as being reduced when it never costs a higher price. It is also illegal to keep important information hidden. You must be open and honest with your customers.

Aggressive selling

You must not use aggressive selling techniques. It is illegal to pressure a customer to buy goods or services. For example, this might be refusing to leave their home until they make a purchase or constantly contacting them.

Other unfair practices include taking away a customer's statutory rights by displaying signs such as 'sold as seen' or 'no refunds' - a customer is entitled to redress if goods or services are faulty or misdescribed under the rules of the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Pricing and other fair trading rules

If your business sells goods or services, you must provide the price to customers. This rule applies whether you are selling to individuals or other businesses.

If the price for a good or service is not pre-determined by your business, you must supply, if asked:

the price of the good or service

the method for calculating the price - if you can't give an exact price - so the customer can check the price

a sufficiently detailed estimate

Read more on the rules of pricing goods and services.

You must also give customers:

the general terms and conditions that you use, if any

information on any contract terms governed by the law of a particular country

the existence of an after-sales guarantee, if any, not imposed by law

the main features of the service, if not already apparent from the context

the name of the regulating institution if you work in a regulated profession

information about your insurance cover, the contact details of the insurer and territorial coverage - if you are required to hold professional liability insurance or a guarantee

contact details where any complaint can be made

your legal status and form (for example, whether you are a sole trader or a limited company)

Your business address and contact details where you can be reached directly

Note that this list is not exhaustive and not all service providers are covered by these rules. There may also be further information that you must provide to a customer if they ask for it.

Fair trading law for certain goods and services

There are trading laws covering businesses that deal in specific goods and services, such as:

property

holidays

Understanding the laws that affect you is required for running a successful business. If you don't comply, you could face legal penalties. It could also damage your business reputation.
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Trading Standards Service Northern Ireland

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Accurate descriptions: Rules for describing your products and services

How to describe your products and services in a lawful way in line with consumer protection legislation.
Any description of a product, including goods, services and digital content, a trader (either yourself or another trader) or any other matter connected to a consumer’s transactional decision must not mislead them or contain false or untruthful information.

You must also not omit details about products, including goods, services and digital content, or omit any information that is legally required, such as information required from an invitation to purchase or information required in consumer contracts, to ensure your customers are able to make a fully informed decision about whether to buy or not.

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA) makes it an offence to engage in an unfair commercial practice. This includes anything a trader does or fails to do when promoting or supplying a product, including goods, services and digital content, to consumers.

Dishonest practices could include untruthful advertising, omitting important information, or providing deceptive after-sales information. Using these unfair practices, known as a misleading action and a misleading omission, breach the act. and are potentially a criminal offence.

Any business that trades in goods or services must comply with the act. Directors, managers and other employees can also be liable to follow the rules.

Transactional decision

The misleading information given or information not provided to a consumer must cause, or be likely to cause, a consumer to make a different transactional decision.

A transactional decision is any decision a consumer makes in relation to a product. It can be taken before, during or after a purchase is made or a contract is agreed. There doesn’t have to be an actual transaction for there to be a transactional decision.

Examples of transactional decisions include:

decision to visit a shop, click on a website, view a property or attend a sales presentation

decision to buy a product like goods, services, digital content

decision to sell a product (to a trader or another consumer)

decision to sign a contract

decision to exercise their rights, for example use their right to cancel or seek a repair or replacement of faulty goods

decision to pay a debt

What is a misleading action under unfair trading law?

A misleading action occurs when information relating to a product or a practice contains false information or is in some way untruthful, or its overall presentation deceives or is likely to mislead the consumer.

A false or untruthful product description can mislead a customer with information relating to things such as the price or how the price is calculated, or the need for a service, part, replacement or repair. For example, a customer pays £50 for a product, without being told the price does not include VAT. As this was not explained in the advert, the advert is misleading.

For more information on practices that could be misleading actions, see the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA).

What is a misleading omission under unfair trading law?

A misleading omission is when a trader omits or hides material information or provides it in an unclear, unintelligible, ambiguous, or untimely way. For example, to make an informed decision about whether to buy or how much to pay, the consumer buying a car needs to know whether the vehicle has previously been an insurance write-off; you, as the trader, have to disclose this information, whether or not the consumer asks for it.

For a practice to be unfair, the trader's misleading action or omission must be likely to cause a consumer to take a transactional decision that they would not have taken otherwise - as above, this could be, for example, to buy as opposed to not buy, having work done or not, or paying a different amount for goods.

How can a misleading action or omission be given?

When selling, a misleading action or omission can be provided in several ways, including:

verbally

in writing (for example, in an advert, a brochure, or on an invoice or order form)

by illustration (for example, in advertisements or on packaging)

by implication

What does the law require?

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act does not cover insignificant inaccuracies. Only a court can decide whether the actions of a trader would adversely affect a consumer.

You can check which laws apply to the goods and services you trade in by asking your local Trading Standards office.

Avoiding committing an offence

In the first instance, you should ensure that all descriptions are not misleading. This means that not only should they be accurate, but they should be presented in a way that would not mislead - for example, by being understood in the wrong context.

To avoid committing misleading omissions, traders should ensure that they are open and honest with customers, including anything that might make the product or the offer less attractive.

A consumer’s right to redress

If a consumer has been the victim of misleading actions or aggressive selling, there are regulations which give them a right to redress through a civil court order. The customer may be entitled to claim compensation, a price reduction or cancel the contract. These rights do not apply to misleading omissions.

The rights of redress for affected consumers are currently provided for by the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs).
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Accurate descriptions: Used vehicle sales

How to describe used vehicle sales in a lawful way in line with consumer protection legislation.
If you sell used vehicles, you must ensure that the descriptions are listed accurately. This includes the mileage, condition, history and specification. This type of information will likely affect a consumer's decision whether to purchase the vehicle. These descriptions are controlled by the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA).

How to ensure accurate descriptions are applied

To comply with the law, a trader and their employees need to show that they took all reasonable steps to trade fairly and honestly with their customers when selling used vehicles. This practice is known as acting with due diligence. Reasonable steps you would carry out as a trader include:

When buying motor vehicles always ask about their mileage and make sure it is written on the purchase document and not given verbally. Get the seller's signature declaring whether the history is correct, incorrect or unknown.

Do not rely solely on the mileage statement of the previous owner unless they are the original owner. Only offer a vehicle for sale as genuine mileage when the full mileage history is known.

Check the vehicle’s history. For example, whether it is recorded as stolen, is subject to outstanding finance, has been written off as an insurance loss or accident damaged.

Check that you have the right to sell the vehicle. For instance, is the vehicle still subject to a hire purchase agreement. If yes, you do not own it.

When inspecting a vehicle, make sure that the overall condition, both mechanically and physically is consistent with its age. Look at the vehicle's service history and MOT history to determine if there is a consistent increase in mileage over time.

Inspect the vehicle yourself including reading the service history and contacting traders who have previously serviced the vehicle to establish that the service history is correct and keep a record of this inspection.

Ensure that all staff who may meet customers are properly trained and instructed in these matters and have access to all relevant details (for example, purchase invoices and results of any checks made).

What is unlawful – mileage description

The mileage displayed on a vehicle odometer should accurately represent the distance the vehicle has travelled. Displaying an incorrect odometer reading may be a misleading action. To comply with the law, you must tell the consumer the accurate mileage, as failure to do this may be a misleading omission.

There are several practices that are prohibited, including:

Making a misleading statement about a vehicle’s mileage, such as altering the odometer to a lower figure or zero, or making other false claims in writing or verbally.

Failing to provide all the information required when making an invitation to purchase, for example advertising a car with a price that doesn’t include VAT. See what information must not be omitted from invitations to purchase.

Selling a vehicle that has been subject to a prior misleading action or omission. This could include having the vehicle on the forecourt, selling it with an incorrect odometer reading or not informing the consumer of the actual mileage.

Having false mileage in an advertisement, for example, 'low mileage' stickers.

Not telling the consumer the odometer reading or the fact that an odometer unit was faulty and replaced (either with a new or second-hand unit) may be a misleading omission.

If the accuracy of the odometer reading is in doubt, you must make this clear to prospective customers. This is usually done using disclaimers (which obscure the entire odometer reading). It is always advisable to use disclaimers to avoid the potential false mileage description being read by consumers.

It is not sufficient to disclaim all mileage without carrying out checks to confirm their accuracy. Even if a trader wasn't aware that the mileage was wrong, their actions could still be against the law.

You should be able to show that you have checks in place to verify the mileage on the odometer and show that these checks are carried out. However, despite having these checks in place, verifying the mileage recorded may still be impossible, and you should state this to customers.

What is unlawful – description of used vehicle sales

Examples of unlawful trading practices include:

Having false information in an advertisement. For example, ‘in excellent condition’ or ‘drives like new’ when you have knowledge of an existing fault with the vehicle.

Making incorrect statements or not informing consumers of the correct service history, previous accident damage, number of previous owners, technical specification (e.g. engine size, miles per gallon), insurance grouping or environmental performance.

Misleading consumers by making them believe they have no right to redress under the Consumer Rights Act, using statements such as 'sold as seen' or 'trade sale'.

Hiding additional costs. For example, administration fees, delivery or other non-optional charges.

Not disclosing that a vehicle was previously used for business purposes, such as rental or taxi.

The DMCCA lists banned trading practices which are considered unfair and provide a defence to any criminal charges. For example, a banned practice includes claiming or creating the impression that you are a private seller when you are a trader.
A full list of the 32 banned practices can be found in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA).

All unlawful practices can be made verbally, in writing, visually or by association. They can be made by anyone in your business, including staff members. Businesses, business owners and staff members can all be held accountable for their actions.

Used vehicle warranties

Any warranty or guarantee you supply free of charge or sell separately with a vehicle is in addition to a consumer's legal rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. You cannot refuse to deal with a complaint because it is excluded from a warranty, or the warranty period has expired. Any warranty you give is legally binding.
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Working with Northern Ireland Trading Standards Service

How Trading Standards can help your business comply with the law when a customer has lodged a complaint about your business or you need general advice.
The Northern Ireland Trading Standards Service (TSS) enforces the laws on goods and services within Northern Ireland.

Customer complaints

The TSS receives complaints from customers about a wide range of consumer issues, including:

misleading descriptions or prices

inaccurate weights and measures

consumer credit

unfair commercial practices

The TSS can investigate customers' complaints and take appropriate enforcement action where necessary. This ranges from advice to warnings to criminal prosecutions. In some cases the business may want to seek independent legal advice.

Find out more

If you'd like general advice regarding any consumer legislation - you should contact TSS. It can provide free and impartial guidance.

It may be that by seeking their advice on your trading policies, you can prevent any complaints arising.
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Trading Standards Service Northern Ireland

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Northern Ireland Trading Standards Service 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ for business

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Hiring an advertising agency or an in-house employee

mmcgroarty — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 10:28:15 +0000

Hiring an advertising agency or an in-house employee mmcgroarty Tue, 05/09/2023 - 11:28

Work with an advertising agency

In this guide:

Choose an advertising agency

Choose an advertising agency that suits your business and that will help you achieve your goals.
When picking an advertising agency, it is important to consider multiple factors to find an agency that fits well with your marketing goals..

The best agency for you will understand your business, what you want to achieve and cares about what you do.

What to consider before choosing an advertising agency

Understand your business goals and objectives

Before choosing a potential advertising agency to work with, be clear about what are your marketing goals and objectives. This will also help you decide if the campaign is successful and guide future decisions.

For example, do you want to increase brand awareness, generate leads, boost sales or drive more traffic to your website? Setting specific, measurable, achievable realistic and time-bound (SMART) objectives for your marketing will help you achieve your business goals.

Create a shortlist

Research different advertising agencies online and ask contacts in your industry for recommendations. Arrange meetings with the agencies on your shortlist and ask them to pitch their ideas. You should consider if they have:

experience in your sector

expertise in either business-to-business or consumer advertising, if you have a preference for either

a track record in the advertising platforms you want to explore

experience in other marketing services, such as PR

The final selection

You should arrange to meet some of the agencies and ask them to pitch their ideas to you. You can do this by providing the agencies with a brief and budget so they can present a plan tailored to your needs.
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Create your marketing strategy

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Choosing a PPC agency

When to use a pay-per-click agency and how to find one including a list of the qualities and skills a good agency should have.
A pay-per-click (PPC) agency or full service digital marketing agency can help you start your PPC campaign. This can help you attract new customers and secure online sales. They can also make sure that your search marketing is integrated - improving your visibility across both paid and organic search.

PPC agency checklist

For managing your PPC activity a PPC agency should be able to show:

certification and partnership with the advertising platforms you are interested in

an understanding of your goals for your paid media campaign such as clicks, impressions or brand awareness

data to back up their decisions on how they will run your campaign

proven experience and the necessary technology to set up, manage, track and analyse PPC campaigns

a creative approach to PPC essentials - keyword research, bid management, daily budget management, website optimisation and advert writing

how they intend to maximise and measure your return on investment

how they intend to charge you (eg a flat fee, a percentage of the campaign expenditure or on the basis of campaign performance)
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Setting an advertising budget

How to set the right budget for your advertising campaign, and how to measure its effectiveness as a part of your overall marketing spend.
Your advertising budget will usually be a proportion of your total marketing budget. From the point you consider using an advertising agency, you should have a clear idea of how much it is.

The type and volume of advertising you want will determine how high your budget should be set. Remember to allow for your other marketing needs, such as PR or promotions.

Consider whether you want:

a one-off advertisement or an ongoing campaign

business-to-business or consumer advertising

traditional advertising like press, outdoor, TV and radio

local or national advertising

online advertising like search, social media and display

An agency should advise you on which types of media best suit your objectives. Once you know what you can afford to spend, what you want to spend it on and over what period, any agency you engage should work toward this.

Measuring advertising effectiveness

You need to consider, together with your agency, how you will measure the effectiveness of your advertising. Only then will you be able to determine whether you are getting value for money. Having clear goals at the outset will be key to measuring the success of your advertising.

Key metrics

Key metrics or key performance indicators (KPIs) to consider are:

return on investment (ROI) - measures overall campaign’s effectiveness and whether it has performed against its goals

return on ad spend (ROAS) - measures the revenue earned for each pound spent on ads. It helps check the campaign's performance before it ends

Different agencies may use varying methods to calculate ROI and ROAS. Choose an agency that matches your measurement preferences. It will help you accurately evaluate your campaign's success.

See measure your online marketing.
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Negotiate a contract with an advertising agency

What to include in your advertising agency contract: including contract length, campaign details objectives and payment terms.
When you have chosen an advertising agency, it's good business practice to negotiate and sign a detailed contract with them. Before you do this you should be clear about what you want from the deal. Many agencies have their own pro-forma agreements that you can adapt to your needs.

Length of contract

Ask yourself whether you want a contract for a short period, allowing for a one-off campaign. It might be better to prepare for a longer-lasting relationship. You could opt for a year-long contract allowing the agency to create an overall strategy. Consider including a probation period to allow for an early termination if necessary.

Agreeing campaign details and schedules

Your contract should then outline the nature of campaigns to be undertaken, as well as any other work, such as media buying, that the agency is expected to do. It should detail any campaign schedules to which the agency will work. You should also clarify who will own the intellectual property in any work that you commission. This is particularly important where it involves the design of an advertisement or logo, for example.

Setting clear objectives

You should agree objectives and how you will evaluate campaigns - for example by measuring sales or carrying out market research. You might want to set measurable benchmarks. You should also agree a procedure to address any situation where either party is unhappy or wants to end the agreement.

Setting payment terms

You should make sure you know exactly how the agency will calculate its charges. For example, will there be additional expenses and does it include fees for buying media space? Sometimes you can agree a payment-by-results system. Also, check if there will be any extra charges for meetings and brainstorming sessions.

Building in safety measures

Any contract should include confidentiality clauses.

It should also prepare for either side wanting to end the agreement by:

specifying the notice period each party must give and whether the agency will be entitled to notice payment

detailing the obligations on both parties during the notice period

determining who owns copyright in the work created for your business
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Five ways to manage your client-agency relationship

Five steps to manage the relationship with your advertising agency including maintaining regular contact and setting confidentiality agreements.

Building and maintaining a client-agency relationship is central to achieving your marketing objectives. When the client-agency relationship is working well, it makes getting the job done much easier for you and the agency. You and your chosen agency should have mutual trust, confidence and understanding.

1. Have clear communication channels

Create open, clear communication channels. This will ensure your agency knows your project goals, timelines, and expectations. Make sure the preferred communication channels are shared with your whole team.

2. Have clear goals and expectations

By setting clear goals for your campaigns, the agency will know what they are expected to deliver. Developing briefing templates will help keep you and the agency focused on the end goal.

3. Maintain regular contact

Have regular status meetings with your agency. Review live campaign progress, address concerns, and make needed adjustments.
It might be helpful to have occasional brainstorming events or away days to productively get to know each other better.

4. Take a collaborative approach

You will get the most from the agency if you treat them as an extension of your business, not a supplier. You will then build a strong relationship with the agency to achieve a common goal.

5. Trust the agency

For the agency to do the best job for your business, you need to trust them. This trust spans from knowing they will use their expertise to create successful campaigns. It extends to sharing confidential information, trusting they will keep it confidential. You might want to consider signing a confidentiality agreement with your agency.

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Checklist: choosing an advertising agency

Help your business find the best advertising agencies by checking memberships, specialisations, past campaigns and client history.
You can increase your sales by using advertising and promotion as part of your marketing strategy. With so many ad options, getting advice from a reputable agency is wise to ensure your campaigns are effective. This checklist will detail everything you need to find the perfect ad agency for your business.

Before making your choice, you should:

find out the size of the agency

check if they are members of any professional associations

ask what media they specialise in and if they have any creative strategies they prefer to use

examine their past campaigns and find out how successful they were

look at their types of clients, past and present

ask about the main people who will be working on your account and their track record

see if they have any experience of working for your type of business and if they understand the competition in your field

check how they assess a campaign's effectiveness

get an estimate of their fees and what's included - eg whether they would accept a payment-by-results agreement

take up references from their clients if possible
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Hiring an advertising agency or an in-house employee

Understanding the differences between hiring an advertising agency or an in-house employee to deliver on your marketing outputs.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution when choosing between an ad agency and an in-house marketing employee. Both options have their own advantages and disadvantages. It's important to know the differences between hiring an ad agency and an in-house employee. This will help you make an informed decision.

There are many factors to consider such as costs, the needs of your business and the ability to hire the right person, but you should base your decision on your marketing goals.

Cost and resources

Hiring in-house employees means you'll have recruitment, salary, and training costs. Working with an ad agency usually means a fixed contract and budget.

Advertising agencies also have access to cost-efficient tools and resources that you might otherwise have to invest in. They also often have established relationships with media outlets, which can help secure discounts for traditional ads.

Skills and expertise

Having in-house employees can be beneficial. They’ll be more familiar with your brand and will understand what you're trying to achieve in your marketing strategy from the start.

Marketing professionals who work in-house typically have a good understanding of multiple areas of marketing, but an advertising agency will have a team of experts within each field. Advertising agencies have many years of experience in campaign management and industry insights. They’ve worked with different businesses and can bring a fresh approach to your advertising outputs.

Creative control and outputs

Working with an in-house marketing employee gives you greater control over your advertising materials than an advertising agency. The agency may offer you various creative ideas since you’ve paid for their expertise, but these options may not match your brand's image, leading to delays and disappointment.

If you have the budget, you could hire an advertising agency to work with your in-house marketing team. By seeing the agency as part of your business, not a supplier, you can build a strong relationship focused on a common goal.

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Ten questions to ask for a successful advertising campaign

Ten questions to ask to help ensure your advertising campaign is working effectively from understanding objectives to setting clear measures of success.
An advertising campaign can be a successful way to increase sales, as part of your marketing strategy. However, if it is not well run and designed for your needs it may be a waste of money. Here are ten questions you can ask to ensure your advertising campaign is effective:

Does the agency fully understand your marketing objectives?

Is the agency demonstrating a good grasp of your market and competition? See choose an advertising agency.

Is the agency providing regular updates on the campaign’s progress? See manage your relationship with the advertising agency.

Have you established clear measures of effectiveness with the agency? See measure performance and set targets.

Is the campaign meeting its targets, and if not, is the agency proposing solutions to improve it?

Is the agency adhering to the agreed budget for the campaign? See set an advertising budget.

Are you getting the best value for the money spent on this campaign?

Are the ads being placed as scheduled? Is the agency keeping you informed about their placements?

Are you still working with the same contacts at the agency as initially promised?

Is the agency continuing to bring fresh and creative ideas to improve your advertising strategy?
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Social media and search engine optimisation (SEO)

mmcgroarty — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 12:28:18 +0000

Social media and search engine optimisation (SEO) mmcgroarty Thu, 22/06/2023 - 13:28

Social media best practice for business

In this guide:

Advantages and disadvantages of using social media

Understand how social media can benefit your business through increased brand awareness, and the potential pitfalls such as ineffective use.

Social media can be a useful tool for businesses, bringing advantages such as engaging with your audience and boosting website traffic. However there can also be disadvantages, including the resources required and negative feedback. Considering these pros and cons can help you decide the best approach to social media for your business.

Advantages of social media

The business benefits of effective social media use include:

Brand awareness

Compelling and relevant content will grab the attention of potential customers and increase brand visibility. See Branding for your business.

Brand reputation

You can respond instantly to industry developments and be seen as a 'thought leader' or expert in your field. This can improve how your business is seen by your audience.

See public relations (PR).

Cost effective

It can be much cheaper than traditional advertising and promotional activities. The costs of maintaining a social media presence are minimal. If you choose to invest in paid advertising, you can spend as much or as little as your budget allows.

Website traffic

Social content can boost traffic to your website. This can lead to increased online conversions such as sales and leads.

Evaluation

It is easy to measure how much website traffic you receive from social media. You can set up tracking to determine how many sales are generated by paid social advertising.

Customer interaction

You can deliver improved customer service and respond effectively to feedback. Positive feedback is public and can be persuasive to other potential customers. Negative feedback highlights areas where you can improve.

Target audience

Customers can find you through the social media platforms they use most. You can choose to maintain a presence on particular platforms that are in line with your target audience. For example, if you are targeting young people you could reach them through Snapchat. If you are seeking business customers, LinkedIn may be the best channel.

Brand loyalty

You can build relationships with your customers through social media. This can help increase loyalty and advocacy.

Disadvantages of social media

Some of the downsides of using social media include:

Resources

You will need to commit resources to managing your social media presence, responding to feedback and producing new content. This can include hiring and training staff, investing in paid advertising and paying for the costs of creating video or image content.

Evaluation

While it is easy to quantify the return-on-investment in terms of online sales generated by social media advertising - there are some less tangible benefits. It can be hard to measure and place a monetary value on the brand awareness and reputation that social media can bring. It's difficult to know how social media affects sales in-store.

Ineffective use

Social media can be used ineffectively. For example, using social media to push for sales without engaging with customers, or failing to respond to negative feedback - may damage your reputation.

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Social media business opportunities and challenges

Some of the opportunities and challenges you should consider when using social media for business in order to make the most of it and avoid common pitfalls.
Effective use of social media can bring great opportunities for your business, but will require some thought and planning. Moving with fast-paced developments in online technology can help to enhance your brand, boost your profile and perhaps even win new business. However you need a healthy perspective on what your business is able to put into social media, and what's realistic to expect in return.

Social media opportunities for business

Home computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and even internet enabled televisions mean people can easily access the web from anywhere at any time. Faster connections, new devices and new online applications have all helped to change the way people work, socialise and shop.

It is now easier than ever for businesses to:

directly target customers with marketing campaigns

promote new products or services

build brand awareness

personally interact with existing and potential customers

measure referrals from your social media activity to sales

Social media can be a cheap and effective way of starting a marketing campaign, with a big impact possible from minimal investment. Your social media strategy should contain a smart mix of engaging content and a friendly and responsive 'persona' that can grow a focused community which is interested in your product/service/brand and can recommend your business to others.

Social media should be incorporated into your public relations (PR) strategy. PR means getting people to talk and think about your business in a positive way. Social media provides a platform for your customers to talk with each other. How you manage that platform and engage with what your customers are saying is an important part of your PR strategy.

Social media challenges for business

There are so many social media tools and platforms it can be hard to know where to begin. For small businesses the key issue is resource - if you don't have someone able to manage a social media campaign, it can be a drain on your time and a potential distraction from your core business. Some of the main challenges to consider are:

What do you hope to achieve by using social media?

How much time you can devote to social media?

What are the most effective platforms to use?

What are you trying to achieve for your business?

While social media gives you the chance to build brand awareness and customer loyalty, there are also dangers in participating in a public conversation forum. You need to have a clear idea of how to handle negative feedback about your business. You need to ensure that what you post and how you interact with people presents a professional image to the world. Writing down a set of rules for how you will manage social media can help you to steer through the challenges - see how to develop a social media strategy.

It's important to consider the legal implications and best practice using social media in order to avoid problems.

Business use of social media has also raised customer expectations. They now expect immediacy in their online interactions - where content is regularly updated and any comments they make are quickly replied to. You should consider how these expectations will be managed.
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Social media and search engine optimisation (SEO)

Understand how to get started with social media search engine optimisation (SEO) and how it can benefit your business.

Consumers use social media search functions as their go-to source for finding information on local businesses, including recommendations and reviews, instead of using traditional search engines like Google or Bing.

The growth in social media search presents new opportunities for businesses and the need to develop their social media search engine optimisation (SEO) tactics.

You should start optimising your social media profile and content to be discovered in social media search functions.

What is social SEO?

The practice of social SEO follows the same idea as traditional SEO - it helps get your content seen, grow your following and reach new customers. Understanding how traditional SEO works will help you develop your social SEO strategy.

Get started with social SEO

Optimise your social media profile

Include keywords in your social media bio, about section and description to help optimise your profile. Adding your business address to your profile and tagging your location will help boost your visibility on search results pages.

Customise your URL

When you create a Facebook or LinkedIn page for your business it will be given a generic URL. You should customise this URL to reflect your business’s name or include keywords relevant to your business area.

Include keywords in your content

Adding relevant keywords to your social media content and hashtags including captions on videos will help content appear on social media search results pages.

See developing an SEO keyword strategy.

Make visual content accessible

Adding alt text and subtitles with keywords to visual content is not only good practice for accessibility, but it also helps social media platforms understand the content topic. This will also make it easier for people browsing social media platforms to find your content.

Engage with your audience

Social media channels allow two-way communication between businesses and their customers. Engaging with your community will help increase your social media profiles' visibility.

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Develop a social media strategy

Social media can help your business reach customers, sell products and manage customer enquiries, to make the most of it you should take a strategic approach.
Social media can help some businesses achieve their objectives, eg marketing their services, driving sales and interacting with customers. Planning ahead can help you make the most of this opportunity. Before you start using social media, you should think strategically about what you hope to achieve and if you have the resources to manage it properly.

Your social media strategy should be in line with your overall marketing strategy and plan. See the following guides:

create your marketing strategy

write a marketing plan

develop a digital marketing plan

Social media goals

If you can devote the time to managing a social media channel, you need to define your goals. Examples of goals include:

driving sales

product promotion

recruitment

brand awareness

customer service

building your industry reputation

forming relationships and networks

managing enquiries

Ensure your social media goals are related to the overall aims of the business and wider marketing strategy.

Once you have decided what your main goals are, you should set measurable objectives. Your objectives should be SMART - specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timed. For example, if your main goal is to drive new sales, you might set an objective to generate 20 new sales leads per month.

Plan your social media activity

Once your objectives have been set, it is time to plan the activities that will help you achieve them. Your plan should include:

Social media channels: You don't need to be on every platform - decide which are best suited to your business and goals. For example, if you run a local consumer business like a shop or restaurant, Facebook may help you reach your audience. A larger company interested in using social media for recruitment could consider LinkedIn. See social media platforms.

Content: Build a plan for the content you will post. This could include a mix images, links to blog articles, videos or infographics. Think about what will interest, entertain or be useful to your audience. Use a mix of this engaging content alongside more sale-focused content about products or deals. see content marketing.

Resources: Decide who will manage your social media channels - including creating content and reacting to comments. Ensure the team or individual has the right skills and enough time. Consider if training is needed. If you decide to use paid promotion, allocate a realistic budget.

Measure your impact

Once you are up and running, it's important to monitor how effective your time on social media is. There are lots of free and paid tools available to track your social media activity and measure its impact.

If your goal is driving sales then monitoring referrals from social media channels is important. Brand awareness and promotion might be measured through the level of interactions, or traffic driven to your website.

Monitoring the engagement and reactions on your social media posts will help you plan future content based on what is successful.

See measuring social media campaigns.
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Crowdsourcing on social media

Benefit from using your social media presence to contribute innovative ideas and solutions to your company's problems through crowdsourcing and open innovation.
Social media can be an excellent way to reach out to both existing and potential customers and take advantage of their creativity. There are two ways to involve your network in developing new products and services:

Crowdsourcing - asking your network to share solutions to a particular problem your company is experiencing, either on their own or in groups. The community collects, develops and ranks the contributions to reveal the strongest performers.

Open innovation - allowing people to submit their own competitive ideas and inventions for your company to harness.

Advantages of using social media for innovation

With so many minds able to network together, crowdsourcing and open innovation allow people to work together on a massive scale. By involving your online contact network, you can benefit from:

the wisdom and creativity of people outside your own workforce

the increased likelihood of people picking up on and developing innovative ideas that might otherwise go unrecognised

the outside perspective of customers - and potential customers - who may see issues and opportunities you're unaware of

increased customer loyalty and brand advocacy that comes from having a say in your company's offer

lower costs when developing new products or enhancements, and more certain market success for them

Disadvantages of using social media for innovation

Some potential drawbacks include:

a lack of long-term motivation from participants

a lack of written contracts, non-disclosure agreements or employee agreements

difficulties managing a large-scale project and maintaining a working relationship with crowdsourced workers

For crowdsourcing to be truly effective, you will need to reward the people who make a difference to your profitability - for example, by giving prizes or simply crediting work. Beware of causing discontent by failing to recognise the efforts of contributors.
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Ten tips for using social media

Some tips to help make your social network work for you, including choosing the right platform, planning and measuring performance.
More and more businesses are turning to social media channels, including Twitter and Facebook, to attract sales, engage with customers and build brand awareness. You will need time and effort, in addition to a strategy and a plan, to successfully achieve your end goal.

Here are some tips to help make your social media work for you.

1. Choose your platform wisely

Before setting up a profile you should research the platform. Spend time finding out: who is using it; why they are using it; and how they are using it. You don't need to use every social media platform. choose platforms that are in-line with your marketing goals and target audience.

See the following guides:

social media platforms

facebook for business

twitter for business

2. Plan, plan, plan

Develop a plan for how you intend to use social media. This should include who will be responsible for managing the platform. Will this be one person or a team of people? Think about how often you will post content and what type of information you will share.

3. Measure performance

As with any business activity it's important to evaluate your performance to know how you can improve. How social media success is measured can vary from business to business and depends on the target you set, but could include:

increased sales

improved customer service - eg reduced waiting times for assistance, complaints, or reasons customers have complained

increased website traffic

customer engagement with your account - eg on Twitter you could measure how many retweets and interactions you receive

See measuring social media campaigns.

4. Let others know

You can raise awareness of your social media presence by including links to your account in email signatures, on business cards, on invoices and your company website. Many businesses also highlight their social media presence on printed literature and marketing materials.

5. Look professional

Most social media platforms allow you to personalise your business profile. This may include the addition of a picture and company details. Your profile on social media is a good way to communicate your brand. Give thought to any images you use, and if necessary get help from a graphic designer. Ensure your company details are error-free. Write a description that effectively communicates your business message.

6. Add value for your customers

Added value will grow your following no matter what channel you choose. This could include things like running competitions exclusive to social media, offering discounts or sharing specialist advice or information relating to your industry. See content marketing.

7. Be consistent

If you commit to having a social media presence be consistent with your use of it. In most cases it's not good enough to post content one day and follow this up with a long period of inactivity. Social media is a communications platform and should be regularly updated in keeping with the etiquette for the particular platform.

8. Find out what works for you

When you use social media you will notice trends in what works in terms of engaging with your community. It could be types of posts, times of posts, tone of posts or all of the above. Identify what works best for you or for those in your industry. Develop your own strategy for using your social media.

Social media is continually evolving, new networks are appearing and new functionality is being introduced to networks. Adapt to changes and experiment with them to see how they can benefit your business.

9. Different platforms need different content

It might save time to update all your chosen platforms with the same content but remember that people could be engaged with you across all of your social media platforms. Some customers could get frustrated at seeing the same message repeatedly. Each social medias platform is different, so the message you send out through each should vary (even if only ever so slightly).

10. Communicate with staff

Make your staff aware of your social media presence and communicate with them on how each platform is intended to be used to benefit the business.

Your employees are brand ambassadors and are often the people dealing with customers. It's important that such staff are aware of what social media platforms you are on. You should also highlight what customers may expect from their engagement with your business through social media.

See use social media safely and manage employee use of social media.
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Social media best practice for business

Managing social media in our business - The MAC (video)

Find out how arts venue The MAC (Metropolitan Arts Centre) manages their social media – Media and Communications Officer Ciaran Corr shares his experiences

The MAC (Metropolitan Arts Centre) is Belfast's newest arts venue. Ciaran Corr, Media and Communications Officer from The MAC, talks about how social media is managed in their business.

The MAC has four social media channels, which they use to communicate with different audience groups. Ciaran explains how they do this. He also highlights how the MAC recruits staff through social media, and discusses how they developed social media policy/guidelines to match their brand.

Case Study
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How to ensure your online sales promotions are compliant

mmcgroarty — Wed, 03 May 2023 08:27:54 +0000

How to ensure your online sales promotions are compliant mmcgroarty Wed, 03/05/2023 - 09:27

The law and selling online

In this guide:

The different online selling regulations

The legal position and the relevant legislation to consider when selling online, including data protection, consumer protection and electronic commerce
If you are selling online, there is legislation you need to be familiar with. These are designed to ensure customers' personal data is kept secure, goods and services meet quality and suitability standards and online contracts are legally binding.

The Data Protection Act 2018 regulates how you use and protect personal information about living people, eg in customer records. The Act affects the information that you have on computer as well as any paper-based records. To comply with the rules you need to comply with the entirety of the Act, particularly with the following six data protection principles. These require that:

the processing of personal data must be lawful and fair

the purpose for which personal data is collected must be specified, explicit and legitimate, and not be processed in a manner that is incompatible with the purpose for which it was collected

personal data processed must be adequate, relevant and not excessive

personal data processed must be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date

personal data processed must be kept for no longer than is necessary for the purpose for which it is being processed

personal data must be processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security of the personal data, using appropriate technical or organisational measures

In order to comply with the Act and the GDPR, you must ensure that you provide customers with certain information. This could be contained in a 'privacy notice'. See privacy notices under the GDPR. This privacy notice information should be provided to your customers at the point in time when they provide you with their personal information. It makes sense to do this when they make an online order or account.

The Consumer Contracts Regulations require you to give your customers specified information before they place an order. You are also required to send the buyer an order confirmation and give them a 'cooling-off period' in which they can cancel their purchase if they wish.

The E-commerce Regulations ensure that online contracts are legally binding. They specify what information about your business and contract you must share with online customers and set out guidelines for advertising and promotions.

If your business is a limited company or limited liability partnership (LLP), under the terms of the Companies Act 2006, your website must show:

the full name of the company or LLP

the registered office address of the company or LLP

the registered number of the company or LLP

the place of registration of the company or LLP

if the company is being wound up

the VAT number (if VAT registered)

membership details of any trade or professional association
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How to ensure your online sales promotions are compliant

How you can make sure your online sales promotions are compliant and do not mislead consumers.
If you sell goods, services or digital content online to consumers in the UK, you must ensure that your online sales promotions do not mislead consumers or give a false sense of a deadline. Such sales promotions are known as price reduction claims and urgency claims.

What is a price reduction claim?

A price reduction claim uses comparison pricing to highlight a deal, such as "now £80, was £150." However, if the higher price doesn’t reflect the actual, usual price, it can mislead consumers about the savings.

Another common example is a claim like "50% off everything" displayed on your homepage. If there are hidden conditions (e.g., requiring a minimum spend) that aren’t clearly stated, this can also be deceptive.

What is an urgency claim?

An urgency claim implies that a consumer must act quickly to take advantage of an offer. Examples include:

countdown timers - for instance, “offer ends in 2 hours 10 minutes,” but the promotion continues after the timer expires

low stock alerts - for example, “only 5 left in stock,” when there is no actual stock shortage or when more items will soon be available

How to make your online sales promotions compliant

You should review your online practices to ensure they meet the requirements of consumer protection law and make changes if needed. As part of your review, you should:

look at all online activities including advertising, website and apps

ensure anyone working on the claims for your online activity understands the legal requirements

keep records as evidence to verify the claims you make

ensure price promotions are verified, special offer prices end when the promotion ends, and online advertising is correct

If you sell products or services on an online marketplace, ensure the information you get from third party sellers is correct.

Businesses that trade with individual consumers should also be aware of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations.

Review examples and read the Competition and Markets Authority guidance on urgency and price reduction claims.
Also on this site

Developing your digital marketing plan

Sales promotion examples

Content category

Sales and marketing
Source URL
/content/how-ensure-your-online-sales-promotions-are-compliant

Links

The law and selling online

mmcgroarty — Wed, 03 May 2023 08:24:15 +0000

The law and selling online mmcgroarty Wed, 03/05/2023 - 09:24

Introduction

How to set up and run a podcast series

mmcgroarty — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 10:46:21 +0000

How to set up and run a podcast series mmcgroarty Thu, 23/03/2023 - 10:46

Podcast for business

In this guide:

What to consider before launching a podcast

Identifying your podcast target audience, choosing a podcast name and how often you should release new episodes.

Before you begin to plan your business podcast series, you need to find your ‘niche’, which includes choosing an overall theme. Think about whether you know enough about this theme so you can produce more than one episode that will focus on a topic within that theme.

For example, your theme might be about digital marketing. Each episode will deep-dive into a topic in this area, such as search engine optimisation, social media or email marketing.

Podcasting offers the opportunity to try different formats including solo, co-host, panel and storytelling. You should pick a format that will work best for your business.

You need to consider what kind of content you think your audience and customer base will respond to and listen to.

Who is your podcast target audience?

It’s best practice to identify a particular group as your target audience instead of aiming to reach everyone. Good quality content targeted to a specific group of people will help you find your ‘voice’ and start growing your audience.

Choosing a name for your podcast

Your podcast name should be instantly recognisable to listeners searching for your theme. You can have a descriptive title or something clever and catchy, but ensure it captures your product or service.

How often should I release new episodes?

However, it’s best practice to ensure your episodes are released regularly and at a particular time. Consider how much time and effort it will take to record each podcast episode. Also, consider how resource intensive it will be. Think about this before picking a release schedule.

For example, you might record a podcast theme with ten episodes at once and release one weekly or monthly. Planning your podcast this way will allow you to stick to a schedule and build a loyal audience.

When considering a podcast for your business, think about “why” you are choosing this channel. Also, consider “what” actions you want listeners to take and “how” you will measure success.

In addition, think about how using a podcast for communications will fit into your digital marketing strategy.

How long should a podcast episode be?

There is no ideal length - you should make each episode the length it needs to be. Making a structure or rough script will help you see the length. It will show if you need to cut some parts.

Once your podcast is running and gaining momentum, you could poll your listeners. Ask them what they want in the future.

Each episode should also show how much time and resources you can invest in recording and production.

Video podcast

You can also consider recording a video podcast. Do this if you think it's right for your business and have products to highlight. The video can be as complex or as simple as you want. You could record it live or add static images over the audio.

Creating a video podcast will give you social media content and can increase your online engagement.

Also on this site

Developing your digital marketing plan

Retain and grow your customer base

Create your marketing strategy

Growth through technology

Primary parent

Digital marketing

Content category

Sales and marketing

Source URL
/content/what-consider-launching-podcast

Links
Advantages and disadvantages of having a podcast

Understand the pros of having a podcast for your business such as digital reach and the cons such as time and resources.

Developing a podcast series for your business can help you reach and connect with current and potential customers. There are benefits to launching a podcast, as well as some challenges.

Benefits of having a podcast

Some of the advantages of creating a podcast series for your business include:

Expanding communications channels

A podcast offers a new and engaging way to expand business communication channels and get your message out there. Using a podcast as a new communications method can show that your business is forward-thinking and modern.

Mastering your message

Creating a podcast can give you complete control over your content. This is especially true when you handle the recording and editing in-house. This ensures your message stays true to your vision.

Engaging customers with on-demand content

On-demand podcasts engage customers. They are accessible to anyone, anywhere, at their convenience, without relying on social media algorithms or news channels to reach customers.

Building stakeholder relationships

Building stakeholder relationships through your podcast can take many forms. Using various formats for each episode, such as featuring a co-host or stakeholder panel, fosters collaboration and strengthens relationships. This approach can deepen existing connections and attract new customers.

Challenges of having a podcast

Launching a business podcast offers many advantages. But, it's important to understand and prepare for the challenges. These include:

Assessing time and resource commitment

It is important to carefully consider the time and resources needed for podcasting. Consider if a podcast will bring long-term or short-term benefits to your business. Additionally, consider the need to train existing staff or hire new people with technical skills for editing and uploading content to streaming platforms.

Managing podcasting cost

Setting up a podcast costs include buying recording equipment and editing software. It also includes paying monthly fees to host your podcast. Make sure you have an adequate budget before committing to a podcast.

Crafting a unique selling point for your podcast

Crafting a "unique selling point" for your podcast is important to stand out. Before you start a podcast, consider your target audience. Also, think about what sets your content apart.

Making your podcast inclusive

It's important to make your podcast inclusive. You should consider the needs of all potential listeners, including those with hearing impairments. One way to ensure accessibility for this audience is by providing a podcast transcript. When transcripts aren't an option, explore alternative ways to share the message.

Also on this site

Retain and grow your customer base

Social media

Developing your digital marketing plan

Primary parent

Digital marketing

Content category

Sales and marketing

Source URL
/content/advantages-and-disadvantages-having-podcast

Links
How to set up and run a podcast series

What you need to consider before setting up and running a podcast for your business including buying the recording equipment.

If you’ve decided that a podcast is right for your business and your digital marketing strategy, it’s time to get it to your listeners.

Getting started with your podcast

There are some steps you have to take to get started, including:

Buying your podcast recording equipment

Your equipment can be as expensive as your budget allows. Not all popular podcasts have the most high-level setup.

Choosing your editing software

The software you buy will help you edit your episode before publishing it. Podcast software ranges in price, and there are free options on the market.

Creating artwork

The cover photo is what sits with your podcast on streaming platforms. It's what users see. A good brand image can help you get more listeners.

Choosing a hosting service

Your podcast needs hosting somewhere so potential listeners can access it. You will find many hosting services to store your files. You can then put your podcast on platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

When you launch your podcast, you should keep marketing it on your other platforms. Utilising these platforms you’ve already got a community on will help grow your podcast audience.

Also on this site

Social media

Retain and grow your customer base

Diversify your customer base to increase sales

Primary parent

Digital marketing

Content category

Sales and marketing

Source URL
/content/how-set-and-run-podcast-series

Links

Advantages and disadvantages of having a podcast

mmcgroarty — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 10:35:43 +0000

Advantages and disadvantages of having a podcast mmcgroarty Thu, 23/03/2023 - 10:35

Podcast for business

In this guide:

What to consider before launching a podcast

Identifying your podcast target audience, choosing a podcast name and how often you should release new episodes.

Before you begin to plan your business podcast series, you need to find your ‘niche’, which includes choosing an overall theme. Think about whether you know enough about this theme so you can produce more than one episode that will focus on a topic within that theme.

For example, your theme might be about digital marketing. Each episode will deep-dive into a topic in this area, such as search engine optimisation, social media or email marketing.

Podcasting offers the opportunity to try different formats including solo, co-host, panel and storytelling. You should pick a format that will work best for your business.

You need to consider what kind of content you think your audience and customer base will respond to and listen to.

Who is your podcast target audience?

It’s best practice to identify a particular group as your target audience instead of aiming to reach everyone. Good quality content targeted to a specific group of people will help you find your ‘voice’ and start growing your audience.

Choosing a name for your podcast

Your podcast name should be instantly recognisable to listeners searching for your theme. You can have a descriptive title or something clever and catchy, but ensure it captures your product or service.

How often should I release new episodes?

However, it’s best practice to ensure your episodes are released regularly and at a particular time. Consider how much time and effort it will take to record each podcast episode. Also, consider how resource intensive it will be. Think about this before picking a release schedule.

For example, you might record a podcast theme with ten episodes at once and release one weekly or monthly. Planning your podcast this way will allow you to stick to a schedule and build a loyal audience.

When considering a podcast for your business, think about “why” you are choosing this channel. Also, consider “what” actions you want listeners to take and “how” you will measure success.

In addition, think about how using a podcast for communications will fit into your digital marketing strategy.

How long should a podcast episode be?

There is no ideal length - you should make each episode the length it needs to be. Making a structure or rough script will help you see the length. It will show if you need to cut some parts.

Once your podcast is running and gaining momentum, you could poll your listeners. Ask them what they want in the future.

Each episode should also show how much time and resources you can invest in recording and production.

Video podcast

You can also consider recording a video podcast. Do this if you think it's right for your business and have products to highlight. The video can be as complex or as simple as you want. You could record it live or add static images over the audio.

Creating a video podcast will give you social media content and can increase your online engagement.

Also on this site

Developing your digital marketing plan

Retain and grow your customer base

Create your marketing strategy

Growth through technology

Primary parent

Digital marketing

Content category

Sales and marketing

Source URL
/content/what-consider-launching-podcast

Links
Advantages and disadvantages of having a podcast

Understand the pros of having a podcast for your business such as digital reach and the cons such as time and resources.

Developing a podcast series for your business can help you reach and connect with current and potential customers. There are benefits to launching a podcast, as well as some challenges.

Benefits of having a podcast

Some of the advantages of creating a podcast series for your business include:

Expanding communications channels

A podcast offers a new and engaging way to expand business communication channels and get your message out there. Using a podcast as a new communications method can show that your business is forward-thinking and modern.

Mastering your message

Creating a podcast can give you complete control over your content. This is especially true when you handle the recording and editing in-house. This ensures your message stays true to your vision.

Engaging customers with on-demand content

On-demand podcasts engage customers. They are accessible to anyone, anywhere, at their convenience, without relying on social media algorithms or news channels to reach customers.

Building stakeholder relationships

Building stakeholder relationships through your podcast can take many forms. Using various formats for each episode, such as featuring a co-host or stakeholder panel, fosters collaboration and strengthens relationships. This approach can deepen existing connections and attract new customers.

Challenges of having a podcast

Launching a business podcast offers many advantages. But, it's important to understand and prepare for the challenges. These include:

Assessing time and resource commitment

It is important to carefully consider the time and resources needed for podcasting. Consider if a podcast will bring long-term or short-term benefits to your business. Additionally, consider the need to train existing staff or hire new people with technical skills for editing and uploading content to streaming platforms.

Managing podcasting cost

Setting up a podcast costs include buying recording equipment and editing software. It also includes paying monthly fees to host your podcast. Make sure you have an adequate budget before committing to a podcast.

Crafting a unique selling point for your podcast

Crafting a "unique selling point" for your podcast is important to stand out. Before you start a podcast, consider your target audience. Also, think about what sets your content apart.

Making your podcast inclusive

It's important to make your podcast inclusive. You should consider the needs of all potential listeners, including those with hearing impairments. One way to ensure accessibility for this audience is by providing a podcast transcript. When transcripts aren't an option, explore alternative ways to share the message.

Also on this site

Retain and grow your customer base

Social media

Developing your digital marketing plan

Primary parent

Digital marketing

Content category

Sales and marketing

Source URL
/content/advantages-and-disadvantages-having-podcast

Links
How to set up and run a podcast series

What you need to consider before setting up and running a podcast for your business including buying the recording equipment.

If you’ve decided that a podcast is right for your business and your digital marketing strategy, it’s time to get it to your listeners.

Getting started with your podcast

There are some steps you have to take to get started, including:

Buying your podcast recording equipment

Your equipment can be as expensive as your budget allows. Not all popular podcasts have the most high-level setup.

Choosing your editing software

The software you buy will help you edit your episode before publishing it. Podcast software ranges in price, and there are free options on the market.

Creating artwork

The cover photo is what sits with your podcast on streaming platforms. It's what users see. A good brand image can help you get more listeners.

Choosing a hosting service

Your podcast needs hosting somewhere so potential listeners can access it. You will find many hosting services to store your files. You can then put your podcast on platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

When you launch your podcast, you should keep marketing it on your other platforms. Utilising these platforms you’ve already got a community on will help grow your podcast audience.

Also on this site

Social media

Retain and grow your customer base

Diversify your customer base to increase sales

Primary parent

Digital marketing

Content category

Sales and marketing

Source URL
/content/how-set-and-run-podcast-series

Links

What to consider before launching a podcast

mmcgroarty — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 10:27:24 +0000

What to consider before launching a podcast mmcgroarty Thu, 23/03/2023 - 10:27

Podcast for business

In this guide:

What to consider before launching a podcast

Identifying your podcast target audience, choosing a podcast name and how often you should release new episodes.

Before you begin to plan your business podcast series, you need to find your ‘niche’, which includes choosing an overall theme. Think about whether you know enough about this theme so you can produce more than one episode that will focus on a topic within that theme.

For example, your theme might be about digital marketing. Each episode will deep-dive into a topic in this area, such as search engine optimisation, social media or email marketing.

Podcasting offers the opportunity to try different formats including solo, co-host, panel and storytelling. You should pick a format that will work best for your business.

You need to consider what kind of content you think your audience and customer base will respond to and listen to.

Who is your podcast target audience?

It’s best practice to identify a particular group as your target audience instead of aiming to reach everyone. Good quality content targeted to a specific group of people will help you find your ‘voice’ and start growing your audience.

Choosing a name for your podcast

Your podcast name should be instantly recognisable to listeners searching for your theme. You can have a descriptive title or something clever and catchy, but ensure it captures your product or service.

How often should I release new episodes?

However, it’s best practice to ensure your episodes are released regularly and at a particular time. Consider how much time and effort it will take to record each podcast episode. Also, consider how resource intensive it will be. Think about this before picking a release schedule.

For example, you might record a podcast theme with ten episodes at once and release one weekly or monthly. Planning your podcast this way will allow you to stick to a schedule and build a loyal audience.

When considering a podcast for your business, think about “why” you are choosing this channel. Also, consider “what” actions you want listeners to take and “how” you will measure success.

In addition, think about how using a podcast for communications will fit into your digital marketing strategy.

How long should a podcast episode be?

There is no ideal length - you should make each episode the length it needs to be. Making a structure or rough script will help you see the length. It will show if you need to cut some parts.

Once your podcast is running and gaining momentum, you could poll your listeners. Ask them what they want in the future.

Each episode should also show how much time and resources you can invest in recording and production.

Video podcast

You can also consider recording a video podcast. Do this if you think it's right for your business and have products to highlight. The video can be as complex or as simple as you want. You could record it live or add static images over the audio.

Creating a video podcast will give you social media content and can increase your online engagement.

Also on this site

Developing your digital marketing plan

Retain and grow your customer base

Create your marketing strategy

Growth through technology

Primary parent

Digital marketing

Content category

Sales and marketing

Source URL
/content/what-consider-launching-podcast

Links
Advantages and disadvantages of having a podcast

Understand the pros of having a podcast for your business such as digital reach and the cons such as time and resources.

Developing a podcast series for your business can help you reach and connect with current and potential customers. There are benefits to launching a podcast, as well as some challenges.

Benefits of having a podcast

Some of the advantages of creating a podcast series for your business include:

Expanding communications channels

A podcast offers a new and engaging way to expand business communication channels and get your message out there. Using a podcast as a new communications method can show that your business is forward-thinking and modern.

Mastering your message

Creating a podcast can give you complete control over your content. This is especially true when you handle the recording and editing in-house. This ensures your message stays true to your vision.

Engaging customers with on-demand content

On-demand podcasts engage customers. They are accessible to anyone, anywhere, at their convenience, without relying on social media algorithms or news channels to reach customers.

Building stakeholder relationships

Building stakeholder relationships through your podcast can take many forms. Using various formats for each episode, such as featuring a co-host or stakeholder panel, fosters collaboration and strengthens relationships. This approach can deepen existing connections and attract new customers.

Challenges of having a podcast

Launching a business podcast offers many advantages. But, it's important to understand and prepare for the challenges. These include:

Assessing time and resource commitment

It is important to carefully consider the time and resources needed for podcasting. Consider if a podcast will bring long-term or short-term benefits to your business. Additionally, consider the need to train existing staff or hire new people with technical skills for editing and uploading content to streaming platforms.

Managing podcasting cost

Setting up a podcast costs include buying recording equipment and editing software. It also includes paying monthly fees to host your podcast. Make sure you have an adequate budget before committing to a podcast.

Crafting a unique selling point for your podcast

Crafting a "unique selling point" for your podcast is important to stand out. Before you start a podcast, consider your target audience. Also, think about what sets your content apart.

Making your podcast inclusive

It's important to make your podcast inclusive. You should consider the needs of all potential listeners, including those with hearing impairments. One way to ensure accessibility for this audience is by providing a podcast transcript. When transcripts aren't an option, explore alternative ways to share the message.

Also on this site

Retain and grow your customer base

Social media

Developing your digital marketing plan

Primary parent

Digital marketing

Content category

Sales and marketing

Source URL
/content/advantages-and-disadvantages-having-podcast

Links
How to set up and run a podcast series

What you need to consider before setting up and running a podcast for your business including buying the recording equipment.

If you’ve decided that a podcast is right for your business and your digital marketing strategy, it’s time to get it to your listeners.

Getting started with your podcast

There are some steps you have to take to get started, including:

Buying your podcast recording equipment

Your equipment can be as expensive as your budget allows. Not all popular podcasts have the most high-level setup.

Choosing your editing software

The software you buy will help you edit your episode before publishing it. Podcast software ranges in price, and there are free options on the market.

Creating artwork

The cover photo is what sits with your podcast on streaming platforms. It's what users see. A good brand image can help you get more listeners.

Choosing a hosting service

Your podcast needs hosting somewhere so potential listeners can access it. You will find many hosting services to store your files. You can then put your podcast on platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

When you launch your podcast, you should keep marketing it on your other platforms. Utilising these platforms you’ve already got a community on will help grow your podcast audience.

Also on this site

Social media

Retain and grow your customer base

Diversify your customer base to increase sales

Primary parent

Digital marketing

Content category

Sales and marketing

Source URL
/content/how-set-and-run-podcast-series

Links

Sales and marketing

Business-to-business marketing

Business-to-business marketing

Marketing our business on a tight budget - Share Discovery Village

Marketing on a tight budget

Review and evaluate your current marketing spend

Last year's figures

Changes in the market

Source URL

Links

How to stick to your marketing budget

Marketing aims

SMART objectives

Stay within budget

Source URL

Links

How to attract, win and keep your customers

Get more from your customer base

Encourage referrals from existing clients

Find new customers

Team-up with related businesses

Source URL

Links

Public relations on a budget

Promote your business

PR ideas

Source URL

Links

Digital marketing on a budget

Email marketing

Social media

Blogging

Source URL

Links

What is affiliate marketing?

How to set up an affiliate marketing program

Source URL

Links

Marketing on a tight budget

Marketing our business on a tight budget - Share Discovery Village

Responding to seasonal change

Reaching and listening to customers

Building loyal customers

Building networks to reach new customers

Winning awards and recognition

Source URL

Links

Accurate descriptions: Used vehicle sales

Fair trading, accurate descriptions and Trading Standards

Fair trading for businesses selling goods or services

What are the rules around fair trade?

Misleading customers

Aggressive selling

Pricing and other fair trading rules

Fair trading law for certain goods and services

Source URL

Links

Accurate descriptions: Rules for describing your products and services

Transactional decision

What is a misleading action under unfair trading law?

What is a misleading omission under unfair trading law?

How can a misleading action or omission be given?

What does the law require?

Avoiding committing an offence

A consumer’s right to redress

Source URL

Links

Accurate descriptions: Used vehicle sales

How to ensure accurate descriptions are applied

What is unlawful – mileage description

What is unlawful – description of used vehicle sales

Used vehicle warranties

Source URL

Links

Working with Northern Ireland Trading Standards Service

Customer complaints

Find out more

Source URL

Links

Hiring an advertising agency or an in-house employee