All posts by Natalie Giddings

Need more sales? Organise your customer Database

By On May 10, 2013 In CRM, Customer Relationship Software, email marketing With No Comments Permanent Link to Need more sales? Organise your customer DatabasePermalink

You may have heard that acquiring a new customer can cost you up to 10 times more than the cost of retaining an existing one, but an unorganized customer database can lead to poorly allocated advertising dollars. I know databases aren’t the sexy end of marketing, but I’m a second-generation database marketing geek — and all the strategic decision making and analytics that comes out these babies gets me excited.

An accurate, detailed database, or customer relationship management software (CRM), allows businesses to target advertisements to a specific demographic within their existing customer base. The more details that are captured, the more specifically targeted and relevant the offers will be, increasing the chance of people opening and actually reading an advertisement!

Collecting emails, phone numbers and addresses of all current and potential customers will keep an active and well-researched line of communication available for marketing initiatives.

Possibly my favourite part about of being a strategist, though, is examining the traits shared by loyal customers and instructing sales teams, adjusting services, and planning email campaigns to meet their specific needs. I told you I was a geek!

Finding all of the customers who purchased a certain product is as simple as a few clicks, and ensures that a marketing campaign for a new version or accessory is reaching pre-motivated buyers. Searching for specific customer traits before committing to a certain tone or highlighted sale will ultimately make campaigns more personalised and relevant.

 

See full article – Natalie Giddings (MYOB)

Feeling Overwhelmed with the amount of Online Marketing Technology?

By On May 9, 2013 In Digital Marketing With No Comments Permanent Link to Feeling Overwhelmed with the amount of Online Marketing Technology?Permalink

You are not alone…

A solid online marketing strategy requires regularly interacting with various online platforms to increase website enquiries and sales ready traffic.

it can be hard to get your head around all of this…

4 great sites to start networking

By On May 8, 2013 In Business Strategy, Networking With No Comments Permanent Link to 4 great sites to start networkingPermalink

Networking is an integral part of our professional lives. It’s really important to build strategic alliances for your business. Doing this used to have awkward connotations for me.

But soon I learned that the opportunity to meet like-minded people and peers on a similar career path as myself was a prized gift. If it brings in additional referral business, then that is just a bonus! Just replace the word ‘networking’ with ‘relationship building’ if it makes you feel better.

Networking can also introduce us to new ideas and help us appreciate unique thinking processes different from our own. My networking circles have also helped me in times of need, especially when beginning a new venture. Maybe it’s just me, but when I was a bit younger (and perhaps because I am a woman), trying to float a strategic project before a board of directors used to be quite frightening. Some of my fondest networking pals often came to the rescue with powerful encouragement. There are multiple ways in which we can build our network, but here are four of my favourite:

1. Meetup.com

The simplest and easiest way to build your network is to find similar-minded people and mingle. Sign up to the website meetup.com. You can find groups or ‘meet-ups’ based around a certain activity or passion. There may even be a think-tank around best practices in your industry. If there isn’t already something applicable to you, then start something!

See full article – Natalie Giddings (MYOB)

If marketing isn’t working, you’re asking the wrong questions

By On May 7, 2013 In Marketing, Marketing Consulting, Marketing Services, Marketing Tips, Target Market With No Comments Permanent Link to If marketing isn’t working, you’re asking the wrong questionsPermalink

Often I get asked, how do I know who and where to market to for the biggest bang for my buck?

Firstly, you need to understand the characteristics of the people who are most suitable for your product or service. They are typically referred to as your target market. Coming to appreciate them and their uniqueness produces a number of advantages, including higher response rates for advertising, as well as a lower marketing budget.

Knowing who is buying or who would benefit most from using your product or service also helps you decide how and where to promote your business. Traditionally, organisations overlook this part of the marketing plan or, at minimum, barely scratch the surface of its potential. Here are some important points to consider if you want to avoid this pitfall.

Who Are Your Target Market…and What Matters Most to Them?

Define who your target customers are and how they behave. You can include age, gender, social status, education, and attitudes. Consider their lifestyles, activities, values, needs, interests or opinions.  But if you really want to make this work, you have to find out the thoughts that consume their time. You can start by finding out what gives them pain or distress or what they aspire to be.

See full article – Natalie Giddings (MYOB)

 

30 Reasons to Use a Digital Marketing Agency

By On April 29, 2013 In Digital Marketing With No Comments Permanent Link to 30 Reasons to Use a Digital Marketing AgencyPermalink

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Turning to a digital marketing agency that understands your business for support is a great option because suddenly you have access to a host of marketing expertise in the one place. The dollars you spend on marketing go further and reap greater results. Digital marketing agencies are also continually adapting and evolving our practice based on the latest findings from testing and measuring the results on our live campaigns.

So I thought I would write you a list of benefits why I think using a digital marketing agency can benefit your business. I’m not sure I have covered them all. Don’t overlook number 27 & 28. I see these two ALL the time and they might be something you haven’t addressed in your business yet.

  1. You struggle to bring a consistent number of new sales enquiries to your business.
  2. You are not converting your enough perspective clients to new business.
  3. The sales leads you do generate are not the right ones for you.
  4. Not enough people are coming to your website or calling you
  5. People are coming to your website, but not getting in touch.
  6. You have no idea what marketing is working and you are unable to track ROI.
  7. Your sales are SOLELY dependent on a direct sales team – BIG ONE!!!
  8. You know you need a number of programs to not only capture new clients but also retain or reinvigorate your current client database – you just dont have the time or know exactly where to start.
  9. You get overwhelmed with the fast pace of online marketing and it takes you four times as long to put a campaign together as anyone else.
  10. Your previous efforts haven’t had the outcome you were expecting.
  11. Your business has grown quickly and you aren’t able to maintain the level of marketing activity you need to keep growing because other parts of the business now take more of your time.
  12. Marketing projects keep running over time and budget!
  13. Access to specialist marketing skills as needed on each project, rather than just what is available in-house eg. persuasive writing, offer orchestration, new web pages or sign up forms.
  14. The cost of having an entire marketing department is too high BUT you need access to varied range of skills.
  15. You my not need full scale marketing programs every month of the year, so want to avoid hiring a marketing person in-house yet.
  16. You struggle to differentiate your business from your competitors and therefore you are always competing solely on price and it is killing your business.
  17. You’re not reaching your target market effectively or you dont know how to find them.
  18. Prospects are seeing the value in your services and but they always seem to go with somebody else.
  19. Your marketing team have general marketing skills or are specialists in only a couple of styles of marketing and you need to bolster their skills.
  20. You know you want to publish regular news about your business or develop case studies, but it never seems to actually get done.
  21. Because of the complexity, you have no idea if your online advertising and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) providers have set your campaigns correctly or if they correctly reflects your business objectives. (PS You could be bleeding big money).
  22. You have never done an audit on your website, email marketing and search engine to see if they can convert better.
  23. Getting fresh information live on your website is an ongoing nightmare!!
  24. You have started using social media, but not sure you are actually achieving a thing.
  25. You have a CRM, but nobody really knows how to use it, or if its set up correctly for your business.
  26. Creating media releases, email marketing campaigns or a new item is inconsistent.
  27. Your in-house marketing person is at a junior/entry level and just need strategy and direction.
  28. Your in-house marketing person doesn’t also have a business development background and needs strategy an direction.
  29. You don’t have a lead follow up procedure in place.
  30. You are not sure how to make your website a valuable sales tool.

Which social media can’t you ignore in 2013?

By On January 23, 2013 In Blogging, Branding, Facebook, Social Media With No Comments Permanent Link to Which social media can’t you ignore in 2013?Permalink

With the announcement of Microsoft’s Socl social network, you might be getting a little overwhelmed with social media. You could be wondering how to keep up with all of these different platforms, especially if you are already drowning in social media. Indeed, many people are wondering if any of them are worth the investment and time.

I often hear people talk online about how social media is not just about clicks, but about brand equity as well. Well, I am in the camp that believes if you are measuring your social media activity by either of those two metrics alone, you are missing the point.

For the past 12 months, we have been monitoring 1300 numbers on websites to see where their visitors are coming from. They could be from Twitter, pay-per-click, keywords, Facebook and others. And the result might shock you.

See full article – Natalie Giddings (MYOB)

Innovating your Business Model

By On January 14, 2013 In Business Strategy With No Comments Permanent Link to Innovating your Business ModelPermalink

I’ve recently stumbled upon a great and imaginative business model. Naked Wines  helps winemakers sell their products online. But they’re not just retailers, Naked Wines also invests in independent winemakers to make exclusive wines for their customers.

Now is the perfect time to re-think your business model. You can innovate your business model simply by tweaking how you provide your product or services.

Think about your customers. What are their pain points? If you manage to solve these for them, then it’s really just about execution and keeping your costs low to succeed.

See full article – Natalie Giddings (MYOB)

5 Tips to Overcome the Social Media Overload

By On December 16, 2012 In Blogging, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Digital Marketing, Facebook, Google Plus, Marketing Tips, Social Media, Target Market With No Comments Permanent Link to 5 Tips to Overcome the Social Media OverloadPermalink

Social media is everywhere these days, from personal pages on Facebook, to professional contacts on LinkedIn, to managing business pages on Google+, and all sorts of Twitter accounts. Add to that a blog, and anyone can see how businesses can quickly become overloaded and overwhelmed.

Is there such a thing as managing social media time in this social media-saturated world? Like anything in life, moderation is key. Follow these 5 simple tips to overcome the oversharing, and balance social media with the needs of your business and your life.

See full article – Natalie Giddings (MYOB)

6 Different Ways to Use Email Marketing

By On December 7, 2012 In Digital Marketing, E marketing, email marketing, Email Marketing Facts, Marketing Tips With No Comments Permanent Link to 6 Different Ways to Use Email MarketingPermalink

You may have heard of Life Cycle Email Marketing. It is built on the notion that all customers are in a different part of the purchasing journey with your business.

For prospects that are not ready to buy right now, great email automation can get them further along the buying cycle and automate your sales without engaging your business development team. You can even set up trigger emails to attract the customer’s interest, educate the buyer and nurture the lead.

As for new email subscriber, you can send them anything you like, such as a welcoming email, bonus offer if they share your news, free webinar, or a list of your frequently asked questions. These messages can be set up to deploy automatically, also called ‘auto responders’. You can even space the emails out as a series over an extended period of time.

Here are a few ideas for trigger emails to your prospects and clients.

See full article – MYOB

How Top Sport Stadiums Do Social Media

By On September 27, 2012 In Digital Marketing, Facebook, Marketing Tips, Social Media With No Comments Permanent Link to How Top Sport Stadiums Do Social MediaPermalink

Social media is immensely important in sport across the world. Four stadiums recently have got social media “right.” These cases show how this is the wave of the future.

My husband won his workplace Footy Tips this week. But this isn’t much of a surprise since he is mad keen on AFL and immerses himself in the sport all year long, including trading camp. By about this time every year I’ve heard enough. BUT the truth is fans can’t get enough and are constantly talking about their beloved teams. In this increasingly social-savvy world, this chatter is extended to match day, spilling onto social media like never before. As a result, stadiums across the globe are jumping into social media in new and exciting ways. Let’s take a look at four great cases:

CASE 1: Barcelona FC – Camp Nou

The world’s largest football club (Barcelona) announced on their website that they had teamed up with telecommunications giant Telefonica to overcome the issue of network overload often encountered at games. 

A football match is often the only time I experience this type of disconnection. A situation which also restricts the type of apps you build around sporting clubs, trying to avoid user exasperation when the app crashes due to high demand all at once. For example, at the final at Wembley, more than 6,000 Twitter messages were sent a second and Barça received more than a million mentions around the world.

CASE 2: Manchester City – Etihad Stadium UK

Sport is about passion and has strong links to community and heritage. Manchester City’s official website has been enhanced to represent a community hub with a breaking news service. This facilitates Man City becoming more of an entertainment brand, rather than a football club.

But by far my favourite addition is how Man City launched a partnership with Foursquare to allow people to check in at the stadium during a game and ask [City captain] Vincent Kompany questions as it was broadcast live across all social networks. Also a top hit is the Tunnel Webcam broadcast on YouTube. 

CASE 3: Arizona Cardinals – University of Phoenix Stadium

Love this one too.: A social media “lounge” was set up at the University of Phoenix stadium in Arizona allowing fans to check-in and update their Facebook statuses, log into their Twitter accounts, take pictures with Cardinals cheerleaders and learn about ways to stay connected to the team using social media platforms. Fans have access to laptop computers at the lounge.

The Social Media Lounge is presented by the University of Phoenix, and is free to the public.

CASE 4: US Open – Billie Jean King National Tennis Center

Are you an Instagram user who loves tennis? Three of Instagram’s top users – @bridif, @takinyerphoto and @newyorkcity were given unprecedented access to photograph and Instagram the U.S. Open alongside traditional media outlets.

Evian, a sponsor of the event, brought the three photographers to the Open as part of a social media campaign dubbed Evian Day. 

In the true spirit of social media, the photographers didn’t have to explicitly shoot the brand. Their goal was to connect Evian with the audience attending the matches and not forget the people watching the event abroad. Photographs they took were shared by the @evianwater account and the #EvianDay hashtag.

Some Final Thoughts

Stadiums are in a privileged position of being able to exploit the events they host, creating and monetising a vibrant online community is the use of social networks such as Twitter. Social media allows a multifaceted conversation between fans (& Clubs).

Sport is innately communal (my theory on why it is so popular in the first place). It is a coming together around a game which is epitomized at a stadium. Social Media provides a way of allowing fans to share that experience.

The bottom line is this: Stadiums need to go further to embed social media as part of the match day experience. Fans want to connect, want to share and want to get involved.

Can’t find time for the digital marketing programs you know are impacting your bottom line? Brief Us and tell us about your business goals..

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