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I have been involved in providing sound for websites and emails for over 5 years.
Initially, sound on websites was seen as something of a gimmick. Some sites had looped music that could drive visitors quickly mad; some had the odd sound effect that startled visitors into early submission.
The advent of the Disability Discrimination Act, with particular reference to website accessibility, brought a certain credibility to the use of sound files on websites. Stand-alone sound files are recommended as an alternative to text-only content.
In addition, the way in which people started to use the internet began to change dramatically. The internet was no longer a novelty. Broadband arrived and made the chore of browsing much faster, and with it came an increasing degree of user impatience. Website visitors expected and required speed. They no longer wanted to trawl throught pages of search engine results; they wanted to find information quickly.
If they found a site that looked as though it met their requirements, they expected to click on that site and be helped - immediately. However, although they require information, the website user doesn't want to have to work hard to find it.
These rapid changes in consumer behaviour resulted in a whole new set of problems for anyone wanting to market their business effectively on the internet. There are so many constraints, not least a "shop window" that typically only measures 1024 x 768 pixels - hardly the spread of frontage that Harrods has on Knightsbridge!
Sound suddenly had a part to play, and not just a walk-on part.
- Sound, particularly a professionally recorded voice-over, can be employed to take the place of text that visitors no longer want to read;
- Sound can help to grab the visitor's attention when they first enter your site. Bearing in mind that, on average, you only have about 8 seconds in which to grab a visitor's attention, anything that helps is of value.
- Visual elements have become a vital part of the mix - catching the eye with stunning graphics and moving images all help to draw the visitor in. Couple this with a voice-over and you can start to TELL your story. As I am sure you have noticed, video is becoming an incrreasingly important consideration for businesses marketing themselves effectively via their website and across social media.
- Sound is also being used increasingly to enhance brand. In the same way that a business can be identified by its logo or strap-line, sound is being used more and more on the internet to create brand identity and project brand personality.
So, there are already some very valid reasons to think about using sound as part of your internet marketing.
Now, there are yet more changes afoot that begin to raise the question "Is sound on your website now becoming essential?"
The latest change that could have a major impact on the way in which sound is used comes with the launch of Google Audio Indexing (GAudi):
"After mastering the indexing of texts, images, news, blogs and videos, Google has made another important step forward; the search engine can now index audio files. This new service, at the moment still in its beta version, is called Gaudi, short for Google Audio Indexing.
For the time being, it only works on YouTube and gives you the possibility of finding keywords in YouTube videos.
The future of search is multimedia: audio, video and images. So, be careful what you say… Google is listening!"
Legitiname
"With the manifold increase that audio and video have recently gained on the Internet, it is becoming extremely difficult for users to find exactly whatever it is that they are looking for. In order to make the task simpler, Google has launched a speech recognition tool that enables searching within audio and video files.
Google Audio Indexing works in conjunction with YouTube. The tool will catalogue all the words that are spoken in a particular audio or video clip. This data will then be entered into a database, which users can then search for the audio or video content they require, in much the same manner as they use search engines for text based material. GAudi will provide a whole list of results, based on the keyword entered."
Accuracast
Blended Search already exists - the technology where search results come from a range of digital media - video and images included.
There seems to be little doubt now that the future of blended search will also include results taken from transcripts of the spoken word.
Think about it. Sound can already make a difference to marketing effectiveness of your website. Audio-visual elements are rapidly taking over the way in which you tell your story. In the very near future, sound could also play a vital part in your search engine ranking.
If you would like to discuss sound for your website or email marketing, please contact Ian Rutter at Argent Ram Media - sound@argentrammedia.com
Argent Ram Media can also help with:
Video production;
Digital Screen marketing and advertising;
Website Design and Development;
Email marketing and micro-site marketing
I know I am banging on about Twitter a great deal at the moment, but it is a fairly hot topic:
I went to an event in London last week to join a convivial group of articulate and entertaining people and share stories about the emergence of social media from a research and analysis point of view.
I had a lengthy conversation today with a passionate Kent marketing trainer (amongst her many other talents), and although she is a recent convert to social media, she has already seen the massive potential of this area of marketing.
Even yesterday evening, I saw debates on-line regarding whether or not social media is just the latest buzz that will get hyped up and then deflate like a souffle.
There is no doubt that Twitter and Facebook have certainly got the business world in a whirl, as well as divided over their validity as marketing tools.
In past posts, I have tried to calm the hubbub down and put these social media into perspective. Someone wrote in one of the debates that I have been following, "At the very least, companies should take a passive role of monitoring what is being said about their brand, their competition, and their service or product offerings."
How I have suggested that businesses begin using social media is just to start listening, and see what is being said - I have equated this to eavesdropping at a party, picking up snippets that interest you before you join in.
You will find that results, in some shape or form, will start to follow.
I will give you a very basic example:
For a couple of weeks, I have noticed a pub in the Kent village of Great Chart being very active on Twitter. The tweets are conversational, personable and welcoming. As a result, I chose to "follow" them.
On Twitter, there is a custom every Friday where you can post tweets suggesting people that other people might like to follow. Amongst those I mentioned this week was the Great Chart pub.
As polite people do, he thanked me for the mention and we talked weather and weekend....mundane stuff, BUT..
This registered with me; a simple dialogue, but in the shortest of moments, politeness, etiquette and the giving of time made me determined to give this pub my custom. I have been introduced to the pub's owner and already feel welcome; already feel like a customer.
Now I believe that anything that has that sort of power deserves to be treated as a hot topic. Every business I know is on the hunt for that one extra customer.
My new friend, the marketing trainer (see above!), pointed out today that so many businesses try so hard to find their USP. As she so rightly points out, the one unique thing about your business is you. Unlike any other marketing medium, Twitter and Facebook allow you to project your personality, and get across your uniqueness.
Listen, join in, react, be yourself and you will get social media working for you. The pub in Great Chart got a new customer today; your business could get one tomorrow.
By the way, if you'd like to follow the pub on Twitter, the handle is @HoodenersHorse!
There is a lot of talk at the moment about the need to assess the ROI of Social Media for businesses. Generally, although there seems to be a concensus that businesses are warming to the idea of using Social Media as a marketiung tool, there is still a degree of scepticism as there is no tangible proof that Facebook, Twitter et al produce revenue.
In this race to keep up with latest technologies, I think it is easy to miss the point here.
What is Social Media all about?
In essence, it is about building relationships, and I have likened Social Media to attending a party: an opportunity to catch up with the latest gossip, find new friends, share news - generally chat and be sociable!
Now, let's look at Sales and Marketing in a nutshell:
The best sales consultants who generate results based on the building of long-lasting relationships with their clients, built on trust and understanding. Marketing is about creating "need"; demonstrating to your potential clients that they can't do without your products or services.
So, how do Social Media and Sales and Marketing mix to your advantage?
1. Firstly, people who join in on Twitter and Facebook chat. They chat about anything and everything. If you listen, you will pick up on snippets about your industry sector, what your competitors might be doing, what products people like and what they don't like, and what is happening in your geographical area. In fact, you will hear all sorts of things that you would never hear anywhere else. This is grass-roots information; an opportunity to eaves-drop on a massive range of conversations.
2. You have listened, and if you hear anything that is relevant to you, join in! This is what you do at a party - you listen in and contribute in order to start a chat and build a new friendship. Hardly rocket science.
3. Once you have dipped your toe in the conversation, you will find that other people come over to listen to you, as you have ignited their interest. At that point, you can start to really work the room - sharing information, comparing notes, keepi up to date with your new-found friends. Relationship-building.
4. Using these relationship, you can drive traffic to your website. This is not hard sell; it is responding to requests from people who want to know more about you. You can expand on your snippets by letting people read your blogs or article. You can show people that you have a finger on the pulse by sharing stories you have read elsewhere. Don't forget - you will achieve so much more by instilling trust and confidence.
So, where is the ROI?
Does it really matter? How many companies pay for advertising in the newspapers, magazines and on-line and don't really monitor the response and conversion levels? I know a large business directory who banks on their clients' ignorance. They ask the client "can you be certain that your enquiries did not come from our directory?" Of course, the fact that the client doesn't really know for sure makes it easier for the sales consultant to close the contract renewal deal.
Social Media is free, and used well it can drive traffic to your website, and isn't that what any business wants? Increased traffic on their website, then allow the website to do the business.
Social Media will drive people to read whatever you post in blogs and in articles, and they will read what you have to say about your business, or your products and services; indeed, anything that you want to use to promote your business.
Social Media, most importantly, allows you to LISTEN IN to what people are saying and that could be vital to the way you market your business.
Don't think just about the ROI. Thnk about the relationships that you can build, and think about business that you can pick up simply by starting to listen.
Every day, a third of all internet users are sharing opinions on-line.
Your county, your town, your village, maybe even your business could be the subject of discussion, praise, criticism, even photography and then shared and talked about between millions of other people around the world.
Businesses are beginning to realise that there is a huge advantage to be gained by tapping into this dialogue. As Oscar Wilde said "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about."
Generally, as a nation, we are not keen on complaining. Statistics already show that 98% of visitors to your website will leave without bothering to contact you. If a customer has a bad experience of dealing with your business, they may take the time to complain, but more often than not, they will simply leave without a word and then bad-mouth you to everyone they know. You won't have a chance to defend yourself, appease the customer, show them that this was a one-off mistake and demonstrate that they are valued.
Economic times are tough, and now is not the time to lose customers. Surely you want to do everything in your power to ensure every customer you have stays with you. You want to show potential customers that you will look after them, and listen to them and offer real customer service.
Social Media allows you to do just that.
It allows you to engage with customers, join in their conversations, share experiences and project the personality of your business. It is a customer service department, marketing department, PR department, complaints department, and research and development department all rolled into one.
If you are not already joining this world-wide conversation, I would urge you to start now.
Show you care; show you listen and show that you react. Dare I say that "the customer is always right!"
To give you an example, below are some of the chats that mentioned my county on Twitter over the space of a few hours (yes, hours; time waits for no man!):
"last night's sunset from the lawn at Otford Manor in Otford, Kent ... the view this morning is just as lovely http://post.ly/4jED"
www.uk-parties.co.uk visitor viewed details reviews pictures of Bilsington Priory Ashford Kent
www.uk-parties.co.uk visitor viewed details reviews pictures of Boys Hall Ashford Kent
"Moat at The Clocktower, Ashford, Kent - open day on 10 Sept, 2 to 6pm. Call Mark for info about HomeBuy or click: http://tinyurl.com/ma57rw"
"Sep 13 -8:00 pm- Tommy Peoples - Fiddle Concert - Fiddlers Various 2009. at Littlebourne Thatched Barn in Canterbury.. http://bit.ly/3RZmbU"
"New travel post: Margate memories: Kent's Isle of Thanet is perfect for a golden weekend http://bit.ly/kMLRx #Margate"
"spittingcat Spitfire now. Ahh... Shepherd Neame."
"A Christmas market in the Heart of Kent - At the Hop Farm - http://bit.ly/17i8WP"
"Drinking Marston's Pomp and Circumstance bitter in the White Lion, Tenterden"
"Tours of the Whitstable Playhouse: Open Day: Sat 12 September. http://tinyurl.com/n6rw4b #whatson"
"Family bike ride Tonbridge to Penshurst Place - then back of course"
"Hever Castle was absolutely amazing. So beautiful. And the maze beats Hampton Court's hands down."
"Hawkhurst near Cranbrook. About 20 mins east of Tunbridge Wells. It's really nice round there. I've been looking at moving down.."
"Have blogged a photo montage for my next wedding ... at the Bell Hotel in Sandwich... http://bit.ly/3UvOp2"
"Having a beer in the Hotel Continental in Whitstable."
But.....these have all been one-sided conversations. These poor people have been talking to themselves.
Imagine what could happen if you started to chat to these people, as you would at a party? Agree that Hever Castle is beautiful and recommend Leeds Castle perhaps, but start a dialogue. Believe me, people will start to take an interest in what you say.
Once you have their attention, then you can start to work the room!
"Right I'm offline for a few hours have some serious work to do but Hoodeners Horse for mexican food call 01233 625583 to book a table"
"Have you voted? The Kent Restaurant Awards - my vote firmly for Hoodeners Horse in Great Chart. http://ow.ly/oSkk"
"Sunny day get out and have a glass of pinot + fajitas at Hoodeners Horse Great Chart call 01233 625583 + leave the cares of the world behind"
At the end of the day, what business wouldn't want to know if they were being talked about?
For an initial free consultation on any aspect of multi-media marketing, please contact Argent Ram Media on 01233 611200. www.argentrammedia.com
Just seen a really compelling presentation for Social Media. Concise, dynamic, factual and full of mind-boggling statistics.
If this doesn't persuade businesses to start getting involved in Social Media right now, then nothing will!
http://bit.ly/qteSQ
Make your on-line social activity tangible and generate money for Macmillan Cancer Support.
The World's Biggest Coffee Morning in aid of Macmillan takes place on Friday 25th September 2009.
Please join in:
http://bit.ly/e3kG6
Just been doing a bit of research for an article on Twitter, and it is becoming clear that an increasing number of Kent businesses are being invited to join the party, but seem to be declining the invitation!
In the space of 5 minutes, I managed to find that the following businesses or enterprises had all been talked about on Twitter:
Leeds Castle
Hever Castle
Shepherd Neame
Dover Castle
Biddenden Cider
Chapel Down Wine
Romney, Hythe & Dimchurch Light Railway
Bell Hotel, Sandwich
Theatre Royal, Margate
Apicius Restaurant, Cranbrook
White Lion Hotel, Tenterden
Hotel Contintal, Whitstable
Whitstable Oyster Company
Unfortunately, these are all one-sided conversations.
People are talking about you! What an opportunity this presents for you, as businesses across Kent, to start to engage with these people who are freely discussing you, your county, town or village.
It will not be long before being seen to converse with your customers on Twitter becomes just as important as having a good ranking in Google.
Don't miss the party!
Further to my last post, just seen the latest Tweet from ASOS:
ASOS: You wanted free returns, we've listened & guess what? There's now FREE RETURNS for UK customers http://bit.ly/YDgT1 Who's happy?!! xx
All achieved in a day!
You can debate the whys and wherefores of Twitter, Facebook et al until the cows come home. I am sure there are lots of businesses out there who fail to see any of the benefits of what they consider to be yet another internet "here-today-gone-tomorrow" fad.
Who knows, the same thoughts may have prevailed when Alexander Graham Bell first patented the telephone. And I know I wasn't the only sceptic when the World Wide Web first hit the public consciousness.
As with all new things, there can be a huge amount of over-analysis, and what works for one person doesn't always work for another. Let's just step back a bit and have a look at what Social Media can do for any business - it provides EVERYONE with an opportunity to engage with other people. It is the great big party where you can chat round the room finding people you hit it off with immediately, or who bore you instantly. It allows you to huddle in the kitchen with those people with whom you feel most at ease and share every bit of gossip you need to impart since the last time you met.
But this is not the party with just the people from your immediate vicinity. This a party of potential customers, clients, friends, influencers, celebrities, wannabes etc from all around the world. Some will bore you (no offence!), some will entertain you, some will provide you with information that educates you, some will give feedback to suggestions or ideas you might make. A melting pot with no bottom...
OK, so what?
Yesterday, I just did a quick snapshot of the way in which two companies are engaging with people on Twitter. How many of you have ever bothered to write to the likes of the large multi-nationals just to say that you weren't that keen on a new product? Would you really bother? And if you did, what would you get in return?
Below, I have picked out a couple of sets of Tweets between company and customer:
ASOS
ASOS: How's everyone's afternoon going? Loving the sunshine? x
CUSTOMER: @ASOS the sunshine is lovely, but the fact you wont respond to any of my tweets or my email- not so.
ASOS: @Julzy_Ramone Sorry to hear that! Where do you live? x
CUSTOMER: @ASOS Israel.lately the delivery is over 10gbp for *all* parcels.really expensive+my friend @Shelly_peleg was promised it will be fixed.
ASOS: Would you like us to do FREE Returns? Vote now, by commenting ‘YES’ on this post! http://bit.ly/freereturns xxx
INNOCENT DRINKS
CUSTOMER: @innocentdrinks Innocent smoothies have got worse. Why is this?
INNOCENT DRINKS: @Tim_Haig How have they got worse?
CUSTOMER: @innocentdrinks Well they don't taste as nice anymore and they are more watery with more bits which is the worst of all worlds.
INNOCENT DRINKS: @Tim_Haig Nothing's change in terms of the way we make them. Which recipe isn't working? Let us know and we'll get to the bottom of it
-----------
CUSTOMER: @innocentdrinks Oh. YES. Would you do anything with pears? Or have you already done that?
INNOCENT DRINKS: @cosmicgirlie We're a bit weak in the pear department. Don't really know why. The secret thing that I tasted it didn't have pears in.
CUSTOMER: @innocentdrinks Thank you thank you THANK YOU for the banana free smoothie. Please tell me another is on the way...
INNOCENT DRINKS: @cosmicgirlie Another banana-free smoothie might be on the way - tested one the other day...
To me, this is extremely powerful stuff. A large company, talking about the weather, and sparking off a chat about one customer's dissatisfaction over the cost of delivery. Would this grumble ever have reached ASOS without Twitter?
Gauging the trends, ASOS then asks for its customers to vote on free returns - instant results and feedback that costs nothing and comes direct from their buying customers.
Would Twitterer Tim_Haig really have taken the time to write to Innocent Drinks to complain about the taste of his drink? Maybe, but probably not. He would have been more likely to have thrown the drink away and tried another brand, because that is easier.
How many customers really have the chance to chat to the decision makers in big companies to push for new flavours/styles/designs or air their individual grievances?
Despite Twitter being a technological creation, it is giving a human face to a business. A chatty, approachable human face with ears, as the above snippets demonstrate. These conversations show real engagement.
That is what Twitter is all about, as has been said time and time again. It is about ENGAGEMENT. As a business, you have this fantastic opportunity to engage with potential customers in a way that has never been available before. What you do with it is ultimately down to you. You can either stand in the corner on your own at the party, drink in hand, waiting for someone to take pity on you, or you can circulate the room, turn on the charm and win over a whole new group of friends.
Whenever I go to see a client for the first time, and start to discuss their business, one of the key questions I ask is "Why would a potential client come to you as opposed to one of your competitors?"
If I received £1 every time I was given the following list as a reply, I would be a rich man indeed:
- Professional;
- Efficient;
- Provide good service;
- Good on Price
I also ask every client I meet to list their Unique Selling Points, and the list is pretty similar. What is UNIQUE? Your personality, and the personality of your business, is probably the one thing that is genuinely unique, and so many people ignore this when they consider the ways in which to market their business.
Let's face it, every business is fighting for their share of the spoils in a rapidly changing marketplace, and new marketing techniques are being thrown at you left, right and centre. No wonder so many companies struggle to keep up with the pace, but keep up you must.
That said, take a step back and have a look at trends in marketing. I have said it often enough, but one of the main threads that runs through all the new marketing methods that have burst onto the scene is that of "engagement".
Engagement is nothing new. A market-stall holder is an expert at engagement - tempting passers-by to buy a bunch of bananas with a twinkle in his eye. The old-style corner shop would be nothing without the personal touch that was always so valued - knowing the items that his regular customers had week after week.
These principles of good old fashioned customer service are as important today as they ever were, if not more so. It's just that transactions take place in a much larger arena and at a much faster pace.
The key to success then is to embrace the latest technologies and use them to engage with your customers.
Here are our 5 suggestions for the best ways to engage:
1. Get your website working properly for your business. Allow your website to reflect the personality of your business: consider video, movement and audio to share your story. Know your target market and ensure thay can identify with you.
2. Encourage website visitors to leave their calling card (email address at the very least), and then use this to start to build a relationship with those people. Don't grab hold of the first piece of data you can find and then ram hard sales messages down their throat - not the best way to market your business.
3. Chat about your business. Don't dictate or tell, but show your personality and give potential customers the time of day. Start using Social Media such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to share that personality and really demonstrate the ways in which you are unique.
4. Write about your business. Write?? It's a shame that the art of writing seems to have disappeared with the advent of texting, but writing compelling information is such an important part of business marketing these days. Concise and relevant text is paramount if your website is to promote your business successfully. A well-written story can get you powerful publicity in the press. An engaging and interesting blog can get your business talked about and remembered by prospective clients, and demonstrate that there is more to you than just "professional; efficient; provide good service; good on price."
5. Think carefully about what makes you unique. If necessary, ask your existing customers why they do business with you. Be different, think differently, look at doing something innovative and stick your head above the parapet. Ask existing customers to share their reasons for thinking you special and unique. There is so much marketing "noise" out there at the moment, you have got to make a slightly different sound just to be heard.
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