Archive for the ‘Customer Journey’ Category

SEO-PR: the Love Affair

Friday, May 14th, 2010

Hercules and love affair2010 is my 8th year in PR and this June will not only see in the World Cup (Come on England!) but it will also be my 18th month in SEO-PR and what a whirlwind those 18 months have been! In those first few hazy months of arriving at Propellernet towers, never did I think that a) mixing the worlds of search and PR would be so exciting and b) that a year and a half down the line the excitement, learning and innovation would still be going strong.

Walking into a search agency was a whole new world to me. I was used to crazy PR offices, being surrounded by products and it being quite normal for people to be shouting over banging music, over ringing phones and at each other. So, when I was welcomed in by the cool, calm and collected Propellernet team I knew it was going to be quite a different experience. There was a firm handshake and we were straight to work on sharing, learning, a little heated debating and on to creating what we now know as the real SEO-PR partnership; forming what one of our clients referred to last week as ‘Propellernet Power’.

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Search Marketing for Brand: 5 Tactics you’ve probably never thought of…

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Google Search Results

“…Brands now have a need to consider every online touch-point and how they can influence purchase decisions beyond the virtual front door of their corporate website”
Quote from the “The Search and Social Media Report” from the IAB and Microsoft Advertising

In a social media obsessed industry the cold hard fact remains that search engines are still the most influential gatekeepers of links (that you can directly influence!) between your brand and consumers.

The brilliance of search engine marketing is that behind every search query is a person that fits into a well defined segment based on their motivation to search at that time.

As a refresher it’s good to think about the concept of the “intent” behind a search query.

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The holidays are coming: online marketing tips for Christmas

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

santaLet’s face it, we all love Christmas. It’s a great time of year where we reflect on the year just gone, eat mince pies, watch the Queen’s speech, listen to The Pogues on the wireless (oops DAB Digital Radio) and laugh at Grandad as he drops his false teeth in the dog’s food bowl and farts as he bends over to pick them up.

However, the build up to this festive event (Christmas, not Grandad’s farting), is a frenzy of activity for retailers as they fight for customers both on and off the high street.

Christmas shopping online is becoming a growing trend. I for one plan on buying most of my presents online from the comfort of my own warm home, away from the crazed masses on the wet and blustery high street. But with so much choice online, how am I supposed to choose one e-tailer over another?

Here’s a few tips to help online retailers stand out from the crowd and get those all important extra sales.

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Advocacy – Brand Nirvana

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

happy_crowdDuring a recession, ROI is obviously more important than ever. But are you also taking the time to focus on existing customers and on how they can be harnessed as brand advocates?

With marketing spends under tremendous scrutiny in the economic downturn, companies are raising their game and working even harder to secure the best return possible for their investment. Although generating brand awareness and creating interest is indeed crucial, it is also often the most expensive form of marketing. As a result, more time is being invested in market research to ensure the messages are hitting the sweet spots. A strong understanding of who your customers are, staying close to them and building customer loyalty are all imperative within marketing - and brand advocacy is without doubt brand nirvana.

Brand advocates play a tremendous role in influencing others to move along the customer journey and turning loyal customers into brand advocates is one of the most effective forms of marketing you could possibly wish for. However, this doesn’t mean you can just put your feet up once you have achieved this stage in the customer journey, as your customers will only keep saying good things about you if you keep them happy.

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