Argent Ram Media

Preying on the Older Generation

2011-11-29T15:00:00.001Z

My mother is 83. She doesn't look it, and she is still fiercely independent.

It disturbs me, though, that now my mother has reached a venerable age, she appears to be increasingly vulnerable to cold-callers.

In the summer, she had a very persuasive sales person call, and after some time, she was persuaded to sign an order for new soffit boards around her house. If my mother has a fault, she finds is very hard to say "no", particularly when the sales person comes across as being so charming.

I managed to get the order cancelled, and we had her soffit boards striipped and re-painted by a reputable builder for a fraction of the signed order price.

Yesterday, my mother was called again, on the telephone, by a company offering to come and survey her security at home. Again, finding it hard to say "no", mother tentatively agreed to make an appointment. Fortunately, I was with her when the company called back to confirm the appointment. With mother on the phone, I told her to inform the company that she wasn't interested, and this message was passed on.

The reply from the company representative?

"Oh, he's a mind reader is he?", and with that the representative hung up!

I appreciate that economic times are tough, but I would urge companies to deal with the ageing population with a modicum of respect and compassion. It must be relatively easy for the unethical sales person to get their foot in the door of someone of a certain age, and then charm them into signing a piece of paper that they barely have time to peruse. I would question whether that was selling at all, or just insidious bullying.

In the past couple of years, my mother has lost her husband, broken her arm in a fall, had an attempted burglary at her home while she was in bed and had a suspected heart attack (she is fine!). She loves her home and her independence, and doesn't need to be badgered by sales people looking for the quickest and easiest route to commission.

A contentious perspective?

2011-11-25T10:06:00.001Z

BBC Breakfast ran a report this morning on Nick Clegg's scheme to boost employment for the 1m out-of-work 16 - 24 year olds.

Unfortunately, the two guests they had on the sofa, representing youth unemployment, were not, on the face of it, wholly marketable. I know that may sound disparaging as the young man being interviewed has had learning difficulties, by his own admission, so is at a disadvantage. What I couldn't understand was the angle at which the BBC was trying to approach this story.

There is no doubt that something has to be done to improve the employment prospects in this country for the 16 - 24 year old population. One of the fundamantal issues that needs to be addressed before anything else is the commercial viability of such employees.

No amount of government incentive, or schemes to encourage apprenticeships, means a thing if the individuals who are employed are not educated to a standard that gives them a chance to offer the employer some hope of recouping their investment. The employment, training and ongoing development of any employee is a heavy investment! Any employer will want to see a return on that investment at some stage.

It has got to be remembered that the commercial sector is not a charity, and if any decision is taken to employ someone, there is a cost involved. I applaud any scheme that encourages business to employ young people, and if there is a financial incentive, then even better. BUT, at the end of the day, the employee still has to prove their worth to the employer.

Of the 1m young people who are unemployed, I know that there is a vast percentage who could be extremely commercially viable with the right training, encouragement and opportunity. Business needs to see these people, and they need to be encouraged to give these people a chance. It is a hard fact that business will not want to invest in young people who do not represent value for money or increased productivity, and no scheme will change that point of view.

Concentrate on getting the employable 16 - 24 year olds into work now, and then look at ways to help the more disadvantaged to get the right work placements that will be of benefit to both them and their employers.

Client Testimonial

2011-10-17T10:44:00.003+01:00

In this post, I am not going to drivel on for a change. I am going to let the words of a satisfied client do that for me. I hope that doesn't sound too smug, but it is always gratifying to know that you have done a job well.

Dear Ian,

We have now had our new website for three months and it has been a resounding success.

Not only has our business increased considerably as a result of our new site, we also receive regular compliments on the professionalism and detail that our website offers.

We are finding we are getting a far broader range of clients which can only be good when it comes to growing the business.

Once again, many thanks for all your creative work, it has proven to be money very well spent.

Best regards

Philip Morris.

The website in question: www.tudorcottagebiddenden.co.uk

Missed Opportunities

2011-09-12T12:47:00.000+01:00

The economy is doing very little to help small businesses in the UK, and certainly, over the past few months, it has become evident that every one of us is having to watch our budgets very carefully.

By the same token, it has always been said that businesses should market their way out of a recession, which is often easier said than done when you consider that every penny counts.

Marketing does not have to cost a lot, and carefully considered marketing will help your business generate more income, and grow.

Let me give you a recent example:

Last week, we organised one of our regular monthly business Tweet-Ups at a local hotel.

The networking meeting receives a good deal of publicity - local press coverage, local business radio, business websites and emails to Chamber of Commerce members, plus lots of social media chat. Word of mouth is also important when it comes to these events, and we rely on attendees to bring along colleagues or spread the word aboout the events.

When I arrived at the venue - a function room adjacent to the main hotel - I noticed immediately that there was absolutely nothing in the room to publicise the hotel. Whilst the hotel had very kindly let us have the room free of charge (they made money from the sale of refreshments), they were missing a great opportunity!

The people who attend these networking events are all local business people. They have clients, suppliers and other contacts, and this was the ideal time for the hotel to advertise their Christmas menus or functions to a local, captive market. I mentioned this to the hotel staff and we got some of their Christmas menus to spread out on tables. They may not receive any bookings as direct result, but marketing is not always about generating immediate direct sales. It is far more than that. It is about knowing and understanding your target market, making sure that your name is in front of those people and that they identify with both your brand and your marketing message.

So, there are opportunities out there. Find out where your target market is, and make sure you are visible there. Make the most of every opportunity; don't take it for granted that potential customers will simply come knocking at your door, because the likelihood is that they won't. You need to be there when they look for a service or product that you provide.

London Riots - a comment

2011-08-09T10:53:00.000+01:00

"The family of Mark Duggan has condemned the riot that broke out in Tottenham last night as eyewitness reports emerge that trouble erupted after a 16-year-old girl threw a rock at police.

Mr Duggan was shot dead by marksmen on Thursday and his fiancee, Semone Wilson, has said that she wanted answers, not trouble, while his brother, Shaun Hall, called for the community to remain calm."

Daily Mail, 8th August

The shooting of Mark Duggan had been used as the reason behind the initial riots in Tottenham, and the Metropolitan Police have described the incident as "regrettable". A full investigation is under way.

We have to accept that in today's society, incidents such as the shooting of Mark Duggan are bound to happen, as the police go about their business of trying to protect society. Provided that subsequent investigations are thorough, fair and open, and then appropriate action is taken, then we should be satisfied.

There is no excuse for what has happened since, but I notice that the police have come under attack for not responding quickly enough:

"The police were already facing criticism for allowing rioting to break out in Tottenham after what started as a peaceful protest over the death of Mark Duggan at the hands of police armed response officers, and Sunday night's events will intensify claims that the police response has been inadequate."

The Guardian, 8th August

The police simply cannot win!

During the course of a police operation, a man gets fatally wounded; the circumstances surrounding this incident will become clear in time.

Mindless, anarchic imbeciles ride on the back of the incident to create mass destruction.

The police are accused of a slow response, but had they taken an immediate and forceful approach to quell these riots, then there is every likelihood that someone would have been hurt, or even killed....in the course of police action to protect our society.

It is time for some of these do-gooding commentators to get to grips with the fact that there may be rare times when individuals do get hurt, or even killed, as a result of police activity to safeguard our communities. They also have no right subsequently to criticise the police when they adopt a less-then-bullish approach to quashing the recent disgusting actions of mindless criminals. Such action would surely have resulted in the injury of one of the "poor souls" helping themselves to bags of rice from Tesco or the entire stock from PC World. Would such unabated "police brutality" have sparked yet more protests?

The police are doing their job, in the same way that the armed forces have to do their job. It is a sad fact, today, that in the course of their activities people can get hurt or even killed.

The shooting of Mark Duggan has nothing to do with the most recent riots. If you were to ask 95% of the perpetrators if they had heard of Mark Duggan, they would look at you blankly. They are scum, intent on creating mayhem for some perverse sense of amusement. They are opportunist thieves, out to get what they can with no thought for anyone else, and who couldn't give a jot for the communities in which they live. Do-gooders will undoubtedly try to find excuses for their behaviour, blaming the government cuts, erosion of society etc etc. Don't make excuses for these people. There is NO excuse. We are a democractic society and we have ample opportunity to make our opinions known without resorting to violence and vandalism.

To my mind, it is everyone's duty to report anyone they believe was involved in these riots. Prison is not a punishment for those people who are caught and arrested. They need to be made to pay back society in a genuine way, by rebuilding the communities they have willingly destroyed.

Love it or hate it?

2011-07-29T13:02:00.000+01:00

I love a good debate!

My son passed round the following website this morning: http://www.alittlebitofsomething.co.uk/

It instantly started a healthy discussion about whether or not it was a "good" website. Like Marmite, there didn't seem to be any middle ground; the reaction was either "love it" or "hate it".

The discussion continued on Twitter, with contributions from our followers along these lines:

"I think it goes too far and is in bad taste and I wouldn't use him"

"Yep, good site and makes him stand out from the crowd."

"He will stand out from the crowd as an individual designer but his approach will alienate a lot of clients."

"Exactly! "He will stand out from the crowd as an individual designer". I expect this is his aim, so it works."

So, when is a website in bad taste and when is it effective as a marketing tool?

You will recall that French Connection was considered to be in bad taste when it ran its various campaigns based on the acronym FCUK in the 1990's. However:

"Launched by French Connection in the late ’90′s it was a hugely successful ad campaign which went on to sell millions of clothes emblazoned with the acronym. A hallmark of the ’90′s, the brash, bold and controversial campaign summarised the decade perfectly, an era which brought us Brit pop, ladettes and girl power." Fashionbite.co.uk

That said, the 2001 campaign that extended the FCUK acronym to include the words Kinky Bugger was deemed to have gone too far, and the campaign was banned.

Marketing can, and often does stretch the boundaries of good taste in order to get noticed. A successful campaign is also about increasing brand awareness, and there is no doubting that both the French Connection campaigns were hugely successful as far as brand awareness was concerned.

With the website above that launched this discussion, the designer obviously has very clear ideas about how he works and the clients he wants to attract. Yes, he will very likely alienate some prospective clients, but has he decided that he doesn't want those clients anyway? Who is his target market? This is a question I ask every client I go to see. Understanding your target market, and making sure they identify with your marketing message is of paramount importance. Depending upon what you do, you cannot be all things to all people.

The FCUK campaign of the late 1990's tapped into that decade's zeitgeist; it wasn't intended to attract in customers aged over 40. Did it alienate some sectors of the consumer world? Most definitely, but it hit home where it was meant to hit home.

I ask every client I see to describe what makes them unique. 95% of these clients will use the words "professional", "efficient" or "providing good customer service". This is not uniqueness. These terms should be the basis on which every business is run as standard. What makes YOU unique? What makes Marmite unique? Do you love it or hate it?

This particular website has done the viral rounds, been noticed, and has got people talking. Can you say that your marketing methods have got people really talking about you and your brand?

Digital Signage Coverage

2011-07-28T15:31:00.000+01:00

We have been delighted to see such a positive response to our recent articles and announcements regarding Digital Signage projects for some of our clients. If you haven't seen some of the recent coverage, then click on the links below:

RetailCustomerExperience.com - our White Paper on Unlocking the Potential of Digital Signage in Multi-Department Retail outlets.

DigitalSignageToday.com - our White Paper on Unlocking the Potential of Digital Signage in Multi-Department Retail outlets.

SignageInfo.com - Homebase Totem Trial for Hire Station

DailyDOOH.com - Homebase Totem Trial for Hire Station

DigitalSignageToday.com - Video of Homebase Totem Trial for Hire Station

Hire Station Digital Signage Trial in Homebase - Press Release

2011-06-21T09:41:00.000+01:00

Tenterden-based Digital Marketing Agency, Argent Ram Media, is trialling new digital signage displays for one of their major clients - Hire Station.

Hire Station Virtual Hire provide tool hire facilities for a number of national DIY retailers across the UK. The new digital signage system is being trialled in the recently rebuilt branch of Homebase, in Aylesford near Maidstone.

A 32" LCD screen is set into a purpose-made, branded totem display stand that can be situated anywhere within the Homebase store. The aim behind the display is to increase enquiries for tool hire either by phone, in-store or through the Homebase website. The marketing message on the stand itself is clear - "Pick up a Tool Hire Leaflet". Bespoke video content has been created to be displayed on the screen showing the range of tools and equipment available to hire.

Digital Signage is one of the fastest growing forms of marketing in the UK, with statistics now demonstrating that dynamic and compelling content displayed on visually arresting screens increases customer engagement and, as a result, brand awareness and revenue.

“Digital signage presents a unique and effective way for us to communicate to potential customers. With the correct call to action we hope these trials present new opportunities and increased revenues for us. Working with Argent Ram has been good for our team as they are a modern thinking and flexible team led with a vision, for which this trial is testament to. We hope the trials are effective and look forward to working more closely with Argent Ram.” Mark Moody, Director Climate Hire, Virtual Hire, Lifting Point and Ecommerce at Hire Station.

If the Homebase trial is successful, Hire Station will be looking at adopting Argent Ram Media's digital signage totem displays as one of their main marketing tools for all their virtual hire partners through the UK. The ongoing business relationship would result in significant growth for Argent Ram Media, with commensurate employment opportunities for designers and sales consultants.

To view a very short video of the digital signage system in situ, visit:
http://youtu.be/tvWRIbw6lmg

What a difference design makes

2011-06-20T14:36:00.000+01:00

The owner of a Bed & Breakfast contacted us recently, as she had noticed that the enquiries for her accommodation had decreased. Looking at her existing website, it was clear that there were some fundamental problems.

The dated appearance of the website homepage did little to tempt visitors to get in touch. There was a lot of text and the images were not compelling enough. The website was not optimised to be found in relevant Google search. The owner herself stated that she was only found when a potential client typed in "Bed and Breakfast Biddenden", but as we pointed out, how many customers would be that geographically specific? It would be more likely for a potential customer to search for Bed and Breakfast Kent or South-East, or using one of the better-known towns as a point of reference (Canterbury, Tunbridge Wells, Rye, Tenterden for example).

We were contracted to redesign the website for the client, and the new design can be viewed prior to launch at:

http://tudorcotta.users34.interdns.co.uk/

The use of quality photography to market both the accommodation and the local area draws customers in and tempts them to look further. The textual content is more concise, and there is a clear call-to-action at the top of every page - telephone number and email address.

Of course, the proof of the pudding will be an increase in enquiries for the remainder of this year and beyond. However, there can be no doubt that the new-look website has all the essential ingredients to get the right message in front of the right people.

"The site is looking really good, excellent work. It has a really classy feel to it." Owner, Tudor Cottage Bed & Breakfast.

The website was produced using the Sesome system developed by Argent Ram Media. This feature-rich platform allows you to update the website yourself, and each site is constructed to be search engine friendly and social media-ready. The latter makes it easy for you to start widening your marketing network using Twitter and Facebook to drive potential customers to your website, maximising every opportunity to draw attention to your accommodation. Prices for a Sesome website start at just £299.00 + VAT.

What price a 33% uplift in product sales?

2011-05-31T12:07:00.000+01:00

"According to a new consumer survey by the Nielsen research firm on "Awareness and Effectiveness of Digital Display Screens Installed In Grocery Stores," digital out-of-home media (DOOH) increases sales at the point of sale (POS). Four out of five product brands experienced significant increases of up to 33 percent in additional sales through the use of DOOH media." Digital Signage Today

Argent Ram Media have just submitted a proposal to a chain of retail outlets for a bespoke sales promotion signage system, on a lease agreement, for less than 37% of the cost of an average UK weekly shop!

This is, by any standards, amazing value.

The proposed solution consists of a branded display with fitted 32" LCD screen, manufactured by 10Squared. The branded surround welcomes visitors into the store, ensuring they feel valued as customers, and enhancing the overall brand image of the store.

The screen content is to run on the SignageLive Virtual Player, and each store has the option to have between 1 and 4 screens to fit in with their existing gondola-end displays. The bespoke display would be manufactured to slot into the top of the existing shelf unit, making installation a very straightforward procedure.

At present, the promotional display cards are only changed once every four weeks, but each specific store has a different customer base, who individually have different purchasing patterns, and the flexibility afforded by the digital signage solution will allow the stores to react rapidly to changes in consumer behaviour at store level.

Content will be created to take into account these changes in geographical behaviour in order to maximise sales on every promotion.

The statistics are there now to demonstrate that digital signage systems in retail stores do result in increased sales.

As the price point for successful solutions becomes ever more competitive, and the applications more creative, has there ever been a better time for retailers to embrace digital signage as the most cost-effective way of boosting sales?

"The screens are one of the most effective means of driving footfall and boosting sales that I have ever come across in retail." Independent Budgens-branded retailer, courtesy of Convenience Store.

Argent Ram Media specialise in providing digital signage and marketing screen solutions for any business or organisation. By looking at specific objectives and aims, we work with our clients to ensure that their digital signage system generates the results they expect.

Do you know where your website is?

2011-05-27T12:30:00.000+01:00

We never cease to be amazed by the number of new clients who come to us and have no idea about some of the details connected to their website, or what they are paying for associated services. That said, it is not the clients' fault; too many web-connected companies fail to explain these aspects in layman's terms.

In essence, there are 3 main ingredients you need to have a website visible on the internet:

1. The website itself - all the aesthetically pleasing and attention-grabbing artwork, design and other content;

2. A website address, or domain name, such as www.argentrammedia.com;

3. A server that hosts the website - space where the website physically sits waiting to be found by your customers.

The website is the easy bit, as this is the one aspect that most clients actually see.

The domain name is a little bit like a PO Box address. It is your fixed website name that directs your customers to the server space where your website sits. It doesn't matter where that space is, as long as the web address (or PO Box Number!) points to that space.

Too often, though, the client has no idea who has control over their domain name, or the space where the website sits, and they naively pay any invoice that mentions anything to do with their website, for fear of losing everything!

You do have to pay for these 3 main ingredients, as follows:

1. The website. Depending upon the complexity, your website can cost a couple of hundred pounds or many thousands. Make sure you know what you are getting and that your requirements are met by the designer and developer. If your website does not work for you in the way that you want, all your money will be wasted!

2. Website address, or domain name. You can have as many as you like, all pointing to the same website, but it is not necessary. Most small businesses in the UK are quite content with a .co.uk domain, but may also want a .com as well. The thing to remember is that there are ongoing charges associated with every domain name you have registered. A .co.uk website address is renewed every 2 years, and a .com every year. If you, or your website company, do not renew, you could lose the domain name. These recurring fees are not high. Make sure that, whoever initially buys the domain name, they do so in your name!

3. Hosting. Server space costs money, and there will be some sort of annual charge to allow you to have your website sitting on a server. This annual charge can vary quite considerably, and often depends on the size of the site, and its complexity (does it have a database, for example, or is it expected to attract many 1,000s of visitors?). Make sure you understand the charges up front, and what the ongoing financial commitment will be.

Once you have the above clear in your minds, make sure you keep a note of who manages what on your behalf. Most website design companies can manage the whole package, and this is often the most cost-effective solution. It is also easier to keep all aspects under the same roof.

We had one business contact us this morning because his website had been suspended:

He had no idea where to turn to get it reinstated. The domain name was held by one company, the website was hosted elsewhere, and the poor chap had no record of any of these details - critical for any business. Fortunately, we were able to trace the location of all the disparate components of his website and get it back online, doing what it is supposed to do. Any good web design company will be able to keep you abreast of this information, so make sure your website doesn't get lost!

Digital Signage as Architecture

2011-05-25T10:47:00.000+01:00

I have been involved in the digital signage market for the past 5 years, and the last 18 months has seen some dramatic changes.

As with any new technology, the client will always want to see statistics that demonstrate that the technology is actually going to increase sales or improve marketing impact. As more and more case studies prove that digital signage and screen marketing works, so more and more companies are embracing the technology.

One of the huge strengths of digital signage is the ability to engage with the consumer in a way that no other static signage has been able to do in the past. This comes at a time when other technology is also expanding at an alarming rate - mobile communications, online shopping, the speed with which information is now disseminated via social media networks. Standing still simply is not an option!

Engagement is a key word, and as a former student of architecture, I am beginning to see clearly a bond between consumer engagement and spatial relationships. The advances in the applications of digital signage solutions is becoming architectural. The design of a good building is about form, space and ambience governed by technical, environmental and aesthetic disciplines.

A building has to have a relationship with the people who use it. Successful digital signage is also about creating and building a relationship with the people who see it.

If you need a physical example of what I mean, take a look at the new installation at the London Stock Exchange. 508 Christie Microtiles have been used in the atrium to replace The Source - a moving sculpture that previously occupied the space.

A sculpture.

Digital signage solutions are no longer merely a 42" LCD screen. Installations are sculptural, architectural; they become a part of the space, employed to engage with the people who occupy the building.

Digital Signage solutions in Westfield Shopping Centre, as another example, are statements - sculptural invitations to customers inviting them to interact.

This opens up a massively exciting avenue for everyone involved in digital signage, be they the manufacturer, the installer, the designer, the consumer and the business deploying the technology. With already-present touchscreen and the advent of QR Codes and NFC, the conversation between digital signage and consumer is set to become even more animated. In turn, this enhances the relationship between the customer and architecture generally.

For more information on digital signage and screen marketing solutions, please contact Argent Ram Media on 01580 761000

Digital Signage and QR Codes - instant gratification!

2011-05-20T14:13:00.000+01:00

Hands up all those people who know what a QR Code is?

How many of you are already using QR Codes to interact and engage with your customers?

I am sure a lot of you do know about QR Codes, and some of you may well be considering the technology even as I write; BBC Breakfast was discussing NFC this morning - another technology that is not that far removed and that is gradually being adopted.

QR stands for Quick Response, so nothing too technologically challenging there.

Let me take a step back....

Retailers across all sectors know that understanding their customers is vitally important. Look at the money that has been invested in loyalty cards by the large supermarkets - sophisticated tools to monitor changes in individual consumer behaviour that is then analysed and used to maximise sales and enhance customer experience, hopefully resulting in increased loyalty and much more...

Other retail chains may not have loyalty cards, but look at Crew Clothing, White Stuff, Fat Face et al and they all like to encourage customers to join their mailing list, and they all aim to capture customer data at point of sale.

Even independents aim to try and build up a mailing list so that they can communicate with customers and potential customers on a regular basis.

It has always been a given that data is valuable! It has also never been more important to provide customer service of the highest quality.

So, let us now look at the many people who come in and out of your shops, trade counters, showrooms etc. every day, browse around, see nothing of immediate interest and leave. Completely anonymous - no interaction, no details, nothing. Disappeared, possibly never to be seen again.

Imagine if some of these people came in, saw something that attracted their attention and wanted information, but couldn't be bothered to get involved in a discussion with staff that involved going through their address details and waiting to be "logged onto the system", knowing that they will then be added to a mailing list.

Let me describe a couple of little scenarios:

1. You sell the Fein Multimaster - a fabulous little hand tool that has many functions. On a shelf, the product does little to tempt the purchaser to buy it. Demonstrate it, and it becomes highly desirable.

Imagine being able to show a video demonstration of the tool on a screen; this grabs the attention of the customer and "sells" the product. They want more information. A QR Code is visible on the screen, the customer scans the code with their Smartphone and they are provided with whatever information you would like to provide - a link to a web page where the customer can order the product online; more detailed information, perhaps, including any special offer prices; a call-back request - whatever you want the "call of action" to be.

2. You may be running a promotion in your store - 20% discount vouchers on particular product line. All customers need to do to be eligible is leave their email address or mobile telephone number.

They could fill in a form or you could grab the attention of your customers with a dynamic visual on a screen. If they want the 20% discount voucher, they scan the QR Code and a voucher can be sent as a text to their mobile phone for immediate use, or sent to their email address to use at any time.

In both instances, you have captured data and you have started a relationship with a customer.

The scope for the relationship between digital signage and QR Codes to enhance the customer's relationship with you is endless.

These systems cost a fraction of what you may be spending on print marketing, leaflet production and advertising. These customers are already on your premises, so engage with them and make them feel valued.

Technology, particularly relating to the mobile consumer, is rapidly changing the way retail businesses market themselves and promote their products.

Don't miss this particular boat; it will leave without you!

For details on digital signage systems for retail, and QR Code technology, please contact Argent Ram Media on 01580 761000.

Digital Information Displays are overtaking static displays

2011-05-12T10:58:00.000+01:00

In this changing marketing environment, where consumers do not want to be bombarded with interruptive messages, preferring instead to find their own relevant information when they need it, it is no surprise that digital screens are becoming omni-present.

If you are a customer-facing business, how much do you spend every year on printed marketing material? Think about leaflets that you might have on your premises, catalogue and brochure updates, price change information, special offers, posters, banners, advertisements. Using those traditional methods, how can you measure the effectiveness of each method in terms of Return on Investment? What percentage of sales can you accurately attribute to a leaflet, for example?

The cost of screen systems has fallen dramatically in recent years, and the technology behind them has increased in an equally dramatic way.

Consider the money you could save on traditional print by using a screen to:

Show special offers and promotions to customers when they are physically on your premises.

"The average recall of a brand advertised on in-store television is 66%, compared with 24% for brands advertised on in-home television.“

"Digital [screens] are twice as likely to be viewed as static [advertisements] and are looked at for up to 60% longer, according to research by Kinetic on Outdoor screens at London Bridge."

Media Week.

Update content as and when you like, in real-time, without incurring additional print costs and commensurate turn-around times.
Allow customers to interact, using touch-screen technology to find information that is relevant to them.
Track and monitor consumer reaction and response.
Use High Definition Video and streamed content to maximise every sales and marketing opportunity.

The amount of customer-relevant information that you can hold on a screen would cost a small fortune if it were to be printed with a view to achieving the same end results.

"Compared with static signage that needs to be reprinted every time the store’s layout or inventory changes, retailers may actually end up spending less by investing in a digital signage system."

At the end of the day, most small and medium businesses want tools that will help them increase sales revenue without a massive increase in costs. Digital marketing and signage screens no longer fall just within the realm of the larger retailers. These are affordable for the smallest of outlets, and the benefits speak for themselves:

"We’ve seen sales lift from 10 percent to as much as 50 percent on items and services featured on a digital signage network."

"We have had excellent success basically because the product is promoted via our screens."

"Just to let you know, our store has just received the stock of the new product. We have sold 4 already! Over £700 of extra, welcome sales thanks to it being promoted via the screens."

Argent Ram Media specialise in the design and installation of digital signage and marketing screen systems, from the smallest of Point-of-Sale screens up to video walls. Please contact us on 01580 761000 for further details.

A Million Pound Marketing Look for Pin Money!

2011-05-11T14:00:00.000+01:00

This week, the London Stock Exchange became host to the World's largest installation of Microtiles:

http://www.dailydooh.com/archives/46872

That may mean absolutely nothing to the small business owner, but with an impressive 503 individual screen modules, this installation comes with a heafty price tag.

That said, the client is so impressed with the finished result that it is believed that more Microtiles may be added in time.

Again, what relevance does this have to the small business owner?

Digital Signage and Marketing Screens make up one of the fastest-growing marketing sectors both here and in the US.

Marketing is changing. Although the basic principles remain the same, the way in which businesses market themselves has evolved dramatically over the past couple of years. Traditional forms of marketing - telephone, direct mail, email - are increasingly seen as interruptive and intrusive.

Now, the marketing approach is about providing real customer service, engaging with potential clients, being visible when customers search for your products and services, and making the consumer feel valued.

If your business is customer-facing, then it is now statistically proven that screens can work for you:

"On the first day of playing our content in our waiting room we had four or five new enquiries into private treatments. It is a significant marketing tool for us."

"Our waiting room screen increased our private sales by 20% in just the first six months."

"9 of our branches have sold over £27,000 of the product in the past month, and because this tool needs to be demonstrated, the screens have been a perfect ‘tool’ for promoting and selling this product."

This is a small selection of genuine testimonials from small and medium sized businesses who use screens to sell products and market their companies.

With single-screen systems costing from as little as £18.95 + VAT per week, you don't need to go as overboard as the London Stock Exchange, but you can have the same impressive results, not least in terms of Return on Investment in these straitened times.

If you would be interested in knowing more about Digital Signage and Marketing Screens, please call Argent Ram Media on 01580 761000.

Digital Signage and Screen Marketing for All!

2011-05-04T10:21:00.000+01:00

The advances in digital signage and digital screen marketing technology are proceeding at an alarming rate, with commensurate reductions in cost and shorter term Returns on Investment.

Touch Screen, mobile connectivity, consumer-relevant content, live interaction via video; all this starts to place screen technology at the very forefront of customer service. This, at a time when marketing is all about engagement, customer loyalty and customer choice.

Every business needs to think of their own experiences as a customer, and what entices them to spend, what encourages them to remain loyal to a brand and what makes them feel valued.

Take those experiences and then use them to examine your own approaches to customer care. Are you whiter-than-white? Do you lose customers because they do not feel valued? Are you sure that your customers are, and will remain, loyal to your brand? You think you know what makes you unique as a business, but are you communicating this effectively to your clients?

There is no doubting (the statistics are there to prove it) that the use of digital screens and signage is becoming de rigueur for any business wanting to get their message across to their customer base.

Think back 15 - 20 years when a company website was still considered a novelty. Now, you ignore the effectiveness of your website at your peril.

The use of screen technology as a way of engaging and bringing together all the various strands of your marketing maelstrom in a customer-focused way may be new to you now, but ignore it at your peril.

Screens work for so many business sectors:

Retail, trade counters, dental practices, showrooms, hotels, leisure venues, pubs and clubs, educational establishments, hospitals, restaurants, outdoor and many more such environments.

Argent Ram Media can supply bespoke and off-the-shelf solutions, from 10.4" point-of-sale screens up to huge scale interior and exterior video walls. We lease and hire equipment, design and create content and supply media-player software systems.

Our prices start at just £18.95 + VAT per month for a fully installed system.

A Reminder....

2011-04-27T10:48:00.000+01:00

I feel sure that most businesses in the UK found the last quarter pretty heavy going. With reference to the playwright Jim Cartwright, the first three months of the year was a little like walking through raw meat in high heels.

Today's GDP figures show that the UK's economy grew by 0.5% in the first quarter of 2011, avoiding the so-called double-dip recession. That, in spite of the dreadful December weather and the anticipated dread of financial cut-backs.

The Chancellor is still exercising caution, and warns that "we are not out of the woods yet".

Now seems a good time, therefore, to remind you that we have a few schemes and events aimed at helping the small business to look forward with optimism and make the most of any market activity.

Free Marketing Review

We are offering any small business a free review of their current marketing activity. All you need to do is complete a short questionnaire, and we will provide a report that gives a n objective overview of your current marketing activity and makes suggestions and recommendations for other activities that may wish to try or improve. No catch here; simply a third-party look at what you are doing and what you could improve without wasting money.

The questionnaire can be found at http://www.argentrammedia.com/questionnaire

One-to-One Start-Up Consultation

From a logistical persepctive, we can only provide this free service to Kent-based businesses.

You may have a really good idea for a new business, and be very good at what you do, but very few would-be entrepreneurs have all the experience and confidence they need to get up and running. We have been there, and we know what is expected and what needs to be done.

Whilst there are some very good sources of advice, such as Business Link, sometimes it helps for an individual to sit down and get some personal, impartial advice that takes into account all the skills and shortcomings of each individual. We know that you can't be great at everything, and we aim to guide you through some of the pitfalls.

Simply give us a call, and we will arrange a free 30 minute face-to-face chat that should give you more confidence and some additional knowledge to get you up and running.

Call Lorraine Baker on 01580 761000.

Marketing in a Difficult Economy - Seminar

On Wednesday 18th May, we are holding a seminar in the beautiful surroundings of the Hop Farm, Paddock Wood, Kent.

The seminar runs from 09:00 - 11:00, and is aimed at any small business who wants to ensure that they are getting the best out of their marketing activities. Marketing has changed dramatically in recent months, as the emphasis is very much on in-bound activities rather than the traditional, interruptive methods such as telesales/telemarketing, email blasts and mailshots. Engagement, customer-service and customer loyalty are top of the tree, and you need to explore the many new ways of ensuring that your marketing messages get seen by the right people. Without accepting that marketing strategy is changing forever, you run the risk of having your market share pared down to critical levels.

There is a charge for the seminar of £15.00 + VAT per head, and this includes breakfast. Two speakers will present their insights into cost-effective new marketing methods that could make the difference between your company success or failure.

For booking information, please contact Lorraine on 01580 761000 or email lorraine@argenttrammedia.com

There's nowt so funny as folk

2011-04-19T17:11:00.000+01:00

Some local businesses are funny, and I don't mean that patronisingly.

I have been doing some tele-marketing this afternoon (I know! I apologise to all those people who hate cold-callers). I have been approaching small businesses who do not have websites at all, or whose websites are an abomination (again, with apologies to those affected!).

I am surprised by the numbers of people who seem totally disinterested in the concept of a website. That said, I suppose that I shouldn't be surprised, as the fact that they care so very little about their internet presence tells me a lot already.

I appreciate that there are some businesses who have a very steady level of existing clientele, and feel no need to try to entice in new customers. But no matter how successsful you are, customers do drop off at some time or another (The Leaky Bucket - tell me if I have lost you at this stage). These customers do need to be replaced or you end up with an empty bucket.

Having a good website is such a simple thing, and need not cost the earth. Once there, it is your invitation to new customers. It shouldn't be a financial drain if designed and built properly, but will keep your leaky bucket nicely topped up. A poorly designed website shows a lack of care, and WILL deter prospective customers from contacting you, and I know that in this day and age, very few businesses can afford to be that cavalier.

Even the mighty Tesco admits that "We can do better and we are taking action.....to improve the sharpness of our communication to customers.”

Acknowledgment - Marketing Week:
http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/3025629.article?cmpid=MWE01&cmptype=newsletter&email=true

We only want to be liked!

2011-04-19T12:18:00.000+01:00

As you may now be aware, we have finally launched our new website, and have sub-sites in the pipeline for our Dental Marketing and Estate Agency Property Management Systems.

Argent Ram Media

The design of the new site has been kept simple and to the point, as we endeavour to practice what we preach! Hopefully, the four core areas of our business are made immediately evident:

Website design and development;
Screen Marketing and Digital Signage;
Search Engine Marketing and Promotion;
Branding

Hopefully, the design will grab your attention and there are clear Calls-to-Action.

The importance of a website to any business cannot be emphasised enough, and although we always see our site as a work in progress, we hope it does the trick and you like it!

If you'd like to keep up to date with all our goings-on, do please hook up by any of the following means:

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Or give us a call - 01580 761000.

Think Screens!

2011-04-13T11:27:00.000+01:00

"Digital signage is an unbeatable way to reach an audience. Used by retailers around the world, it reaches customers at the exact moment purchase decisions are made, delivering an attention-grabbing, high-impact message.

Provide information in a format that entertains, informs and engages audiences – and that gets results. Deliver the right message, at exactly the right time, to the right people. And where the costs of updating printed signage can add up, going digital can earn a pleasingly quick return on investment."

So says Hewlett Packard, but it is a message that sums up the power of digital signage.

Screens are now affordable enough for even the smallest business, so if you are spending money on advertising (local press, magazines, posters and leaflets) think about the power of increasing customer spend-per-head at point of sale.

Our prices for a full system - 32" screen, media player, installation - start at just £17.95 + VAT per week.

Call Lorraine on 01580 761000 or email lorraine@argentrammedia.com for further details.

Two invitations...

2011-04-12T13:55:00.000+01:00

Would you like to step back and have a little think about some of the methods you are using to market your business?

We have a couple of schemes that might help you:

1. We are offering a free review of your marketing activities and strategy. Nothing too complex or daunting, but a few suggestions as to additional ingredients that you can throw into the marketing pot to ensure that your profile doesn't fade into obscurity. If you would like to receive this review, all you need to do is fill in a simnple questionnaire:

http://www.argentrammedia.com/questionnaire/

2. If you would like to enjoy breakfast in the beautiful surroundings of the Hop Farm, Paddock Wood, Kent with a seminar on "Marketing in a Difficult Economy", and an opportunity to network with a few other local business people, then let us know!

We are holding a seminar on Wednesday 18th May at the Hop Farm, with breakfast included. Please contact Lorraine on 01580 761000 or email lorraine@argentrammedia.com for further details.

Winds of Change?

2011-04-12T09:56:00.001+01:00

I don't know about you, but for us this last week has seen a marked increase in client enquiries and orders.

From early December, when business was definitely affected by the weather, we arrived at a period of Small Business Gloom. I have no doubt that this was fuelled by a combination of seasonal ennui, general economic inactivity, spending cuts and another budget.

The cuts are now beginning to be felt on a very personal level, and I must admit I did think that this would have a further significant effect on small business confidence and activity. However, as has happened in the past, the thought process appears to have been one of "let's wait and and see and then make a decision."

Small Business waited for the budget to see if this was the last nail in their collective coffin, but have made the decision to come out fighting. We can all sit there fearing the worst, but for how long?

It is now up to the small business to steer itself clear of these troubled waters. I have learnt from the past that very few people are there to help you, and it is up to us to create our own opportunities and our own success.

Spring is here, financial news can hardly get any worse for the small business, so now is the time to pick ourselves up, think positively, fine-tune our sales and marketing strategy and get out there in front of our new, existing and past clients.

Free Review of your Marketing Activities and Strategy

2011-04-08T15:20:00.000+01:00

I am sure that none us needs reminding that the economy is not helping the small and medium-sized business very much at the moment. It is at times like these that we all need to look very hard at our marketing activities and assess what works and what doesn't. We need to generate more revenue for less cost, and this can take a lot of creative thinking.

In this week's Kent Business, PR Guru Max Clifford is quoted as saying "Businesses might be very good at what they do, but they are not good at getting the message across."

We, at Argent Ram Media, would like to offer you some help.

A FREE, no-obligation review of your marketing activities and strategy.

We will look at the following areas of your business, and make recommendations based on current trends and anticipated return-on-investment:

The effectiveness of your website;
Social Media and the ways in which this might help open up new routes to market;
Brand visibility and PR;
Printed collateral;
The ways in which you engage and communicate with your clients and customers.

The next steps:

Complete a very short questionnaire by clicking here.

We will prepare and send you a free report providing you with our suggestions and recommendations for ways to market your business without a prohibitive increase in overhead.

The rest, as they say, is up to you....!

Discretion is the better part of valour

2011-04-05T10:17:00.000+01:00

My esteemed sales manager, Lorraine, went out and about in town yesterday, having a chat to local businesses and handing out some of our promotional leaflets for website design services.

The reception Lorraine received on most premises was friendly and polite, but there were two business owner/managers that were downright rude.

One of these was simply dismissive and disinterested. The other, when presented with one of our leaflets, pushed it back with a curt "You can take that back".

I am the first to concede that it can be a nuisance to be disturbed during the course of a working day. However, this is a small local business community, and it must be in everyone's best interest to try to help one another when financial times are hard. Good manners go a long way, and even if our leaflet was filed in the bin once Lorraine had left, a polite acknowledgment of another local business, and potential customer, might have been politic.

Suffice to say, I shall think twice before buying Bertie any treats from the second of the above traders, nor shall I buy greetings cards from the first.

Getting over the growth hurdle - Technology or Manpower?

2011-04-04T13:50:00.000+01:00

Every small business will eventually reach a stage where they need to invest in order to grow.

They may become so busy that the existing staff are so stretched that errors are beginning to creep into their work. They no longer have the time they used to have to follow up every lead or enquiry, or ensure that their customers feel valued. Slowly but surely, clients are tempted away to the competition, complaints start to appear about poor customer service and a business starts to slip down the drain.

In order to generate more enquiries, the business knows that they need to either increase telesales activity, improve customer service, canvass more, get a better website or advertise, and these pose the difficult question: "what generates the best return without costing the earth"? In a poor economic climate, the small business will always reduce their advertising budget first as that is the easiest thing to cut and the most difficult to gauge in terms of Return on Investment.

The small business will also often fall into the trap of cutting spend on cost-effective solutions that will help them get over this next hurdle.

Technology or Manpower?

Employees represent a very large expense, and for a business that does not have enough hours in the day the first thought is often: "I must take someone on".

Some years ago, a travel business client had reached a hurdle. The bulk of the work was being handled by one member of staff. Their new website was suddenly producing a surge of new enquiries, and due to the increase in overall workload, the employee was beginning to make the occasional mistake. In order to get over this hurdle, the company had a decision to make - either employ another person, or look at ways of improving the efficiency of the systems used to help the existing employee. A member of staff with the skills and experience would have cost around £16,000 per annum in salaries - a sum that could not be sustained.

A Customer Relationship Management system, though, would cost a fraction of that extra salary, and allow the employee to handle the increased number of enquiries, schedule reminders, email in bulk, track bookings and much more.

By investing £5,000 in a GoldMine CRM system, the company improved office efficiency, reduced the actual workload of the employee and resulted in a significant increase in turnover. This, then, did enable the business to invest in another employee shortly thereafter, and the hurdle was crossed successfully, allowing the business to grow.

Another client wanted to increase sales within their retail trade counter. Staff levels were always kept to a minimum as the footfall did not warrant the overhead of superfluous sales staff.

On average, the customer dwell-time within the outlet was 10 - 15 minutes. This can seem an inordinately long time for the customer in a queue, so it made sense to try to encourage that customer to buy more or learn about the products and servcies that were available.

How much would it cost to employ a body to hand out leaflets to every waiting customer, and try to promote products as customers browse (think "perfume-sprayers" in department stores, or "flyer-pushers" on the high street)? Do you honestly think this is the best use of your resources, and would you really generate enough additional sales revenue to cover that person's salary, and more?

The above client installed a marketing screen - an LCD screen that played bespoke content: product demonstrations, special offers, company news, promotions, all aimed at the customer on a soft-sell basis. The £2,000 investment was a fraction of the cost of an additional member of staff. Customers found the in-branch experience to be much better, as they lost perspective of time. Sales increased, spend-per-customer-head increased, and the screens were particulalrly useful for shifting end of line stock items.

Technology as a way of increasing sales for your business does work.

It doesn't need to be at the expense of human resources, but small businesses, particularly, often need to bridge the gap between their existing set-up and the next stage of their growth. Getting over that hurdle in the most cost-effective way, with an eye on Return on Investment, can make all the difference between a company's success or failure.

Argent Ram Media - 01580 761000. ian@argentrammedia.com

Be Positive

2011-03-30T14:09:00.000+01:00

I went to see an estate agent this morning to go through their requirements for a new website.

This company has been specialising in the sale of residential property for 30 years, has an untarnished reputation in the locality and is unlikely ever to have been the subject of one of the increasing number of complaints received by the Property Ombudsman.

I came in to the office this morning to be greeted by a plethora of gloomy news:

"Fall in take-home pay "worst since the '70s" http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/

"A third of Britons to retire in poverty" http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Not the kind of thing one wants to read......but the press, collectively, does tend to like to wallow in the swamps of pessimism.

The agent I went to see this morning mentioned that he had not known the level of new enquiries to have been so low for as long as he can remember. This is not surprising. Whenever individuals start to feel the effects of a country-wide tightening-of-belts, then businesses really start to feel the effects.

However...what is this estate agent doing?

He is investing in a new website.

He knows he cannot afford to fall behind in his marketing efforts. A client can be a fickle beast, and when faced with incentives and discounts forced by a becalmed economy, jumping ship is too easy.

Our estate agent needs to keep his competitive edge; he needs to be seen to be instilling a degree of confidence, and keeping his vendors and applicants abreast of the prevailing market fluctuations. His years of experience and his knowledge of the local market count for a great deal when home owners and prospective buyers are facing ongoing uncertainty.

There is an old saying: "Market your way out of a Recession". Never before has this been so relevant - sitting back and hoping that you will weather the storm is not the answer. Your astute competitors are ensuring that they are tightening up the effectiveness of their marketing activities. This does not necessarily mean spending more money; it does mean thinking outside the box and being creative in your approach.

Above all, be positive and ensure that your clients and customers absorb your optimism.

A Practical Suggestion for Start Up Britain

2011-03-29T14:50:00.000+01:00

As a follow up to my rant of yesterday, I thought I would jot down my own personal thoughts about practical help for start-ups.

Let us first look at a few home-truths:

1. Start-ups need some money. Not always a great deal, as I know from my own experiences, but they will need some. Even if this does not come in the form of direct funding, it might come as a result of the founder not drawing a salary for 18 months, ploughing whatever revenue is generated back into the business.

Banks, despite their rhetoric, are scared of lending money to start-ups with no proven track record. If you have a property, with some spare equity, then you are in with a chance. Again, from my experience, the banks will take notice if they can secure funding against your home, and even then, they still prefer you to stump up half the required capital first.

2. Individuals interested in starting up a business do not have all the skills they need to get it off the gorund, nor do they have the financial wherewithal to contract in external assistance. Yes, they can get business advice from a wide variety of sources, but it is practical help that small businesses need from the outset.

Many small businesses do not have a clue what a business plan is, have no idea how to go through cash flow projections or appreciate just how difficult it can be to get started. These are not just documents that you submit to a bank in the vain hope that they will shower you with cash as a result. They are a detailed overview of what you, as a new business, would like to achieve and how you aim to go about it.

The home-truths out the way, let me outline what would have helped my business when I started it, two years ago, without a penny to my name:

A co-operative of like-minded individuals, who share skills and expertise.

I have a digital marketing company, a tool hire business and a (soon to be launched) internet dating website!

When I started, I was desperate for people to run some telesales campaigns to introduce our products and services, but I couldn't afford to outsource this.

I wanted leaflet distributors.

I was lucky to have my son, a graduate multi-media designer, available to build my website free of charge. Other start-ups don't have this resource. Even fewer have any idea of how to go about actually marketing their new business.

Sales people, interested in getting in front of potential customers, would have been the icing on the cake.

These are practical aspects of my business that I needed in order to grow, but aspects that were all beyond my financial reach. So, where to get that help?

I see the co-operative system working in the following way:

Someone in my area might want to start a commercial cleaning business, but cannot afford to have a website or leaflets designed, but they have the skills and equipment ready to get started.

I provide the design skills free of charge, provided I can advertise my services at the same time (on their website and leaflets), as the cleaning company's clients could well be potential clients for me.

I need some telesales done. A new start-up may be offering business services, and telesales may be one of the services they provide. They offer to run a campaign for me free of charge, and I agree to pay them a commission on any generated business. A risk, but the new start-up has a bona-fide client (my business), and gets their name out in front of other potential clients. I provide testimonials that they can use to help gain other business.

This is not rocket science, more a case of "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours". It is a network of young business owners who all need practical help, not just words. A referral scheme, designed to generate money for the participants on the StartUp Britain website is not the answer. NatWest do something similar - "you are a valued customer, so join our Advantage Gold Scheme. You pay for this monthly, but look at the rewards you get!". I was an Advantage Gold customer and never took advantage of the so-called perks. It is a marketing ploy - pure and simple!

So, is StartUp Britain a marketing scheme dressed scantily as the Start-Up's Saviour, aimed at generating income for its contributors? Start-ups need to get customers, generate sustainable income and keep costs to an absolute minimum. Advocating the spending of money based upon discounts offered is not, in my opinion, helpful.

Start-Ups - don't get sucked in. Find ways to work together, help each other gain customers in order to build up referrals and a reputation. Think hard about what you want to achieve, how much money you have and then share ideas and skills with other start-ups, and let's combine to get our collective businesses off the ground.

StartUp Britain

2011-03-28T14:19:00.001+01:00

I have got to have a rant!

Leaving political affiliations to one side, I am seething at the half-cocked nature of the new StartUp Britain initiative - http://www.startupbritain.org./

There has been a lot of ranting on Twitter this morning, not least from the design industry that, quite rightly, is collectively shocked that there are links to US design companies. At least support UK companies in this initiative, and only UK companies. This country has a rich and enviable culture of cutting-edge design in all disciplines, but advocating that start-ups get their logos from a US company? Insulting.

I can also understand the comments being made from within Northern Ireland - StartUp Britain or StartUp UK?

My second grievance is that most of the information dressed up on the StartUp Britain website has been freely available via BusinessLink for as long as I can remember. I can't see this scheme offering anything new that will really help the new entrepreneur, or am I missing something?

Thirdly, and most importantly, every new business needs MONEY! I started our business up two years ago, and could I get any funding? I drafted an extensive and very detailed Business Plan, had a very realistic cash flow forecast, sought the advice of Business Link and knew the nature of my proposed business like the back of my hand. The banks were not interested unless I put up 50% of the capital. My problem was that there was no equity in my house, due to the recession, and although I was owed money from a former employer, I wouldn't get to see any of that as they had gone into Administration.

It is easy to get funding if you have a property with spare equity. If you don't, you are up the proverbial creek.

There are many organisations that help the younger generation - the Prince's Trust being the most laudable. I was advised of another today who provides awards over the course of the year (http://www.shell-livewire.org/awards/ ), but the upper age limit is 30! I am 48. Interestingly, this recession affected many small business owners, and employees, all aged over 30, whose skills and experience would make them perfect for this latest round of StartUp enthusiasm. Where is the help for these people?

I have spent two years building up my business, and still receive no help whatsoever. I have been fortunate in that I have two work colleagues who have believed in the business enough to work for nothing. I am an employer, pay VAT, corporation tax and Employer PAYE/NIC. I give something back, but can honestly say that I got nothing to help me get here.

Recycling the same old platitudes is not going to help get this country back on its financial feet.

Oh, and please use UK businesses to help you with your StartUp!

Dental Practices are not Recession-proof

2011-03-23T11:41:00.000Z

Contrary to popular belief, Dental Practices are not recession-proof.

With a new Budget out today, and April looming, there is no doubt that individuals are going to start to notice the tightening of the economic grip on a very personal level. This is the time when businesses, including dental practices, notice that the phone starts to ring a little less.

Instead of a 6 monthly check-up, patients will think they can stretch this out to 12 or 24 months. I know myself, as I have now delayed an optician's appointment for nigh on 18 months, as the cost of new contact lens and spectacles is something that I would rather not consider!

However, we all know that these delays are often a false economy. Lawrence Spindel, in his Dental Blog (http://lspindelnycdds.blogspot.com/2008/09/are-dentists-recession-proof.html), identifies that a 6-month check up would identify problems before they escalate. Waiting until you get a chronic toothache, and then consequently need root canal work or an extraction, ends up costing the patient more in the end.

This is where marketing comes in.

Marketing does not need to cost the earth, but informing your patients of the pitfalls of treatment delays in straitened times will be of benefit to both the patient and your practice.

How do you do that?

Emphasise, via your website, the importance and cost-effectiveness of regular check-ups;
Use email to remind patients of the risks involved in delaying check-ups;
If you have screens in your waiting room, show the effects of delaying treatment and prompt the patient to make their next appointment there and then.

Use this opportunity to strengthen the relationship that exists between you and your patients. Other dental practices will be only too keen to welcome patients whose loyalty may be wavering, or who may be tempted to defect by discounted prices and incentives.

Argent Ram Media offers specialist products and services to help dental practices strengthen patient loyalty, inform and educate patients and maximise patient spend-per-head.

Website Design and Development for Dental Practices;
Waiting Room screens;
Dental Treatment Video Animations;
Screen Content;
Design for Print;
Logos and Branding;
Video Production

For further information, please call Lorraine Baker on 01580 761000 or email lorraine@argentrammedia.com

What a way to waste money...

2011-03-18T12:47:00.001Z

We are in the process of running marketing campaigns aimed specifically at dental practitioners, promoting website design, waiting room screens, dental animation software and video production.

During the course of research, I have been astounded by the number of dental surgeries that seems intent on wasting money on Google Adword campaigns. That is not to say that the campaign itself is a great way of getting their website in front of prospective patients, but what happens when that prospective client clicks on the link (and costs the dental practice some money!).

In the course of the past couple of days, I have seen single-page websites for dental practices that are as compelling as a blank wall. I have attempted to contact the practice using the email address on the website to find that the email address link has been mis-spelt. Websites have no clear call-to-action, nor do they give a concise overview of the services and treatments that are available.

This is a salient lesson to any business advertising using Adwords or other sponsored scheme. If your website is not at the top of its game in terms of message, design and construction, and call-to-action, then you might as well take the advertising budget and flush it down the drain.

If only we all had money to waste...

Postscript: If your website is not getting the enquiries you expect from your sponsored links, take a break and consider a contribution to:
http://www.redcross.org.uk/japantsunami

Estate "Agent" or Quick-Sell wide-boy?

2011-03-16T11:34:00.000Z

So, the Property Ombudsman has today announced that complaints against Estate Agents were unacceptably high after dealing with a record number of disputes throughout 2010:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/property/property-complaints-hit-a-record-high-2243311.html

I was an estate agent during the heady days of the mid-80s, and to this day I can't understand why the profession leaves itself so open to criticism and vilification.

It might help if we started being a bit literal and looked at the very title "Estate Agent". An agent is someone who is authorised to act on the behalf of someone else - in the case of an estate agent, they act on behalf of the vendor of the property. They are NOT property sales reps, or retailers, or "stack-em-high, sell-em-cheap" traders. As agents, they owe a significant duty of care to the vendor, whose valuable asset they are entrusted to market effectively and for which they are expected to achieve the best possible market price.

I wouldn't dream of teaching professional estate agents to suck eggs, but I do have my own theories regarding successful estate agency:

1. You needed to get the best instructions on a sole agency basis and at the right price in order to achieve a successful level of sales, and fulfil your duty to the vendor.

How do you get the best instructions? On the whole, a vendor needs to be able to trust you and have confidence in your ability to sell their property. This very often comes down to personality. A property is a very personal asset, and a vendor wants to feel that their agent knows that property, its advantages, the unique aspects and the features that make it a valuable proposition to a prospective purchaser. No-one wants to feel that their property is just another item of stock that, if not sold within 4 weeks, will be reduced in price just to get rid of it.

In one of her recent Secret Shopper programs (Channel 4), Mary Portas demonstrated with great success the difference it makes when an estate agent is fully briefed on a property when they show that property to a potential purchaser (http://www.channel4.com/programmes/mary-portas-secret-shopper/episode-guide/series-1/episode-4)

2. Build relationships. If you consider yourself to be a property professional, you need to immerse yourself in the area in which you operate, and engage with the residents. Someone you sell a house to tomorrow will probably want to sell that house at some stage in the future. If they know you, and remember the great service you offered, the likelihood that they will instruct you to sell that house again is high. If you were perceived as being a fly-by-night wide boy, what are the chances of picking up that house at a later date? It is a short-sighted estate agent who goes for the quick sell without any consideration for the future.

3. Know your clients. That sounds a little glib, but when I was an agent, I had a very good understanding of the requirements of all my "hot" applicants. When I then went to value a property, I was able to mention that I had genuine purchasers who would be interested in that property, and applicants trusted me enough to arrange to view a property on my recommendation alone. That word "trust" counts for so much in this business.

So, although the above is a very brief overview, to my mind there is a common theme running throughout - trust and confidence. Complaints against estate agents can all be channelled down to the prevailing lack of trust and confidence. Agents don't communicate properly, they are inaccurate when it comes to property descriptions, marketing and advertising. All elements that do little to instil trust and confidence.

Not all estate agents are rogues, but there are still too many estate agents who really don't appreciate the term "agent" and all that entails.

Argent Ram Media provide a full range of marketing solutions for estate agents based on a thorough understanding of the profession and the importance of getting core messages across to target markets. We also understand the importance of relationship-building and client engagement. We can help estate agents with the principles of the successful marketing required to instill trust and confidence.

Websites for Estate Agents on subscription;
Marketing screens;
Design for Print and Branding

For further details, please contact Lorraine Baker, Sales Manager, on 01580 761000 or email lorraine@argentrammedia.com

Dental Practice Digital Marketing Solutions

2011-03-11T09:20:00.001Z

We, at Argent Ram Media, are delighted to announce that we have become an authorised reseller for one of the UK's largest suppliers of dental animation software.

Designed for dental practice websites, waiting room screens and surgery client-side demonstrations, these sophisticated animations provide detailed information on treatments, patient information and oral health. In addition to the main dental modules, there are separate modules for orthodontics and facial aesthetics.

We are a one-stop shop for dental practice digital marketing, and can offer a solution to meet the requirements of any practice:

Website design and development;
Waiting room screens;
Surgery screens;
Leaflet design and print;
Screen content and software;
Animations for existing websites and screens

Key benefits to any dental practice practice:

An opportunity to engage with your patients;
Inform and educate your patients;
Market and sell treatments, services and products;
Increase patient loyalty;
Enhance the reputation of your practice

If you would like information on treatment animation, waiting room screens or websites for your dental practice, please contact Lorraine Baker on 01580 761000 or email lorraine@argentrammedia.com

FoneHouse Postscript

2011-02-14T11:35:00.000Z

Further to my last post about Mary Portas and FoneHouse, the following passage can be found on the FoneHouse website:

"At Fonehouse we are always looking to improve ourselves as a business, as a result we recently have been looking into redeveloping our in store customer experience and brand as a whole. That's why when leading consultant and television personality Mary Portas asked if she could work with us on this, we jumped at the opportunity.

Thanks to our combined efforts we have created a superior customer experience that culminates in our newly refurbished store in Angel, London (IsIington). The design incorporates the new brand, the Fonehouse values of a relaxed 'homely' atmosphere with impeccable customer service and even includes TV screens with live interactive content. With the concept due to be rolled out across the Fonehouse retail estate of 50 stores there has never been a better time to join the Partner Programme. If you want to become a Fonehouse Franchise Partner then complete the form below and we will get back to you as soon as possible."

http://www.fonehouse.co.uk/MaryPortasSecretShopper/

It is now becoming increasingly acknowledged that digital signage can and does enhance the retail shopping experience.

Approximately 60% of buying decisions are made in-store. Carefully placed, compelling and engaging sales and marketing messages, delivered in a dynamic way, can have a very strong influence on what shoppers place in their baskets.

An accepted rule of thumb indicates that a minimum 15% boost can be achieved by placing promoted items on a marketing screen.

These statistics show convincingly that the use of strategically positioned screens should be ignored at the retailers' peril. The returns generated by a well-conceived network of sales and marketing screens cancel out the costs and increases revenue.

For further details on the screen systems available through Argent Ram Media, please contact Lorraine Baker on 01580 761000 or email lorraine@argentrammedia.com.

The Proof is in the Pudding...

2011-02-03T10:12:00.001Z

Did any of you watch Mary Portas: Secret Shopper (Channel 4) on Wednesday 2nd February?

In this episode, Mary took on the High Street mobile phone outlets, those typically male bastions that revolve around the hard-sell and the up-sell.

"Secret cameras reveal them to be one of the least user-friendly retail environments on the high street. Staff bombard you with technical information that has little to do with finding the right phone for you - and you can't even try before you buy."

Mary's sights were set on FoneHouse, a largely-franchised business that has some fairly ambitious growth plans, but follows the pack when it comes to the trading style of its stores and the service offered by its staff.

By changing the interiors of stores to make them far more welcoming, encouraging dwell time and a far greater level of helpful customer service, Mary aimed to prove that FoneHouse could lead the way in which mobile phone stores treat their customers. Taking the Angel, Islington branch as the test site, the turnaround in perceived customer satisfaction levels were so great that the CEO of FoneHouse had no hesitation in deciding to roll out the new store designs to all new branches, and then re-design existing branches.

If you saw the program, you will have noticed that one feature that was very evident in the new design was the use of digital signage.

On the walls of the store, instead of racks of accessories in bubble packs, there were screens that displayed product information, deals and special offers. The use of these screens provides subliminal direct response sales opportunities without being perceived as the hard-sell. Staff are on hand to answer queries whilst customers are free to test real products, not replicas attached to the walls by a piece of string.

Old Layout

Redesign, showing the use of digital screens

The whole premise behind the redesign is to make customers feel valued, provide them with information that is relevant to them and allow staff the time to listen to what the customers want and then advise them accordingly - the essence of great customer service.

Digital marketing screens are playing an increasingly important role in this approach, as it allows companies to get their core marketing messages across in a non-techy, user-friendly and informative way, furniching customers with the right information for them to make the right choice.

At FoneHouse, Mary carried out a quick customer survey and when asked if FoneHouse would be their brand of choice prior to the redesign, 80% of customers said "No". After the refit, 97% said "Yes".

As a result of the refit, the Islington branch reported that new contracts and upgrades increased by a third.

The overall response was that the new style was welcoming, relaxed and provided a great environment.

What effect could a digital marketing screen have on your business?

To view this episode of Mary Portas: Secret Shopper, click here:
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/mary-portas-secret-shopper/4od#3158376

For information on digital marketing screens, please contact Argent Ram Media on 0845 009 5396, or email lorraine@argentrammedia.com

Social Networking for Estate Agents

2011-01-27T13:28:00.001Z

There was an article in the Times on Friday 21st January entitled "OMG, it's perfect...I'll tweet you a link."

In this article, the effect that social media is having on the property profession is explored, and some of the findings are not new.

Susan Emmett, the article's author, talks about "research" as opposed to "search" and highlights FindaProperty as a website that features articles on the housing market as well as consumer guides.

Having been an estate agent in a former life, and advised many on the best ways to market their businesses via the internet, this idea of providing information is not a revelation. An estate agent's website is not just about featuring properties for sale and to let. The fundamental purpose is to gain the best property instructions in an area, and to be perceived as the best agent in the locality. By providing insightful information, you will be seen as being an expert, having a thorough knowledge of the specific factors affecting property prices and popularity. This, in turn, instils confidence and trust and any discerning vendor needs to have faith in you as a property professional.

Providing information on schools, shopping and leisure facilities, transport links and the like is the first step towards engaging with potential vendors and property purchasers. As a personal view, it projects the personality of your business and becomes an invaluable resource, enhancing your website and your corporate identity on many levels. Your insights are what makes you unique - a vital ingredient when it comes to standing out from the competition.

So, where does Social Networking fit into this picture?

As Susan Emmett identifies in her article, "Social networking sites allow portals to speak to "friends" directly, but also to advertise effectively and free of charge. Through Twitter, we know that Chantelle Gilbert "requested a house price evaluation on zoopla@6am, 5 estate calls by 10am!".

Emmett goes on to say: "By embracing the latest technology, property sites have permanently altered the rules of engagement between buyers and sellers, estate agents and customers."

This latest technology is the "new" way to extend marketing reach, and extending marketing reach is vital to the successful estate agent. Tepilo.com, Sarah Beeny's online property selling portal, sends out a Tweet as soon as a new property is added. When I was selling my own property, it was heartening to see that one of the first viewers came brandishing particulars printed off the Tepilo website.

Starting, and then maintaining the conversation with your potential clients is now becoming increasingly important, particularly if you want to be seen as the agent that offers something unique.

Argent Ram Media designs and develops website solutions for estate agents that help them explore the potential offered by Social Networking. For details, please call 0845 009 5396 or email lorraine@argentrammedia.com

Print Ad and Screen Ad - a Marriage made in Heaven

2011-01-24T10:10:00.000Z

In these days of tight budgetary control, I am always urging clients to think creatively, and try new ways of marketing their business without increasing spend.

I would like to look, therefore, at the relationship between your print advertising and what happens when your customers visit your premises.

In Kent, we have a very popular weekly free publication called the Wealden Advertiser. Many local businesses advertise regularly in this, and other reagional publications, as they perceive it to represent good value for money. Certainly, over a period of time, there is no doubt that consistent visibility will generate enquires.

A 6cms single column advertisement will typically cost £40.50 + VAT per week. Over a 52 week period, this will total £2,106 + VAT, so not a small sum for the small business.

How many advertisers are able to track the return on that investment? To make it worthwhile, this advertising cost really needs to result in at least £4,000 worth of new business. If you do advertise in local publications, do you really know what business is generated as a DIRECT result of that advertisement?

I know that is being simplistic, as consistent advertising has other benefits: maintaining a profile, reminding existing customers that you are there etc., and this has great value.

But let's look at a low-cost addition to complement your print advertising.

Local, and indeed national advertising is about generating the enquiry. If you are a business with premises that are visited by your customers, what can you do to maximise end per head from those customers. At the end of the day that is what you want:

Profile - Enquiry - Sale - Customer Retention/Loyalty

From as little as £18.95 + VAT per week (so less than half the cost of your small weekly local advertisement) you could have a dynamic, direct-response digital screen in your showroom, at your trade counter or in your waiting room; indeed, anywhere where you need to engage with your customers and clients.

The printed advertisement has brought the customers in and the screen will maximise the spend-per-head opportunity.

Additional Sales:

“Just to let you know, Sheffield Central have just received the stock of the Fein MultiMasters. They have sold 4 already! Over £700 of extra, welcome sales thanks to it being promoted via the screens.“ Electrical Wholesaler

Customer Care:

“Our customers appreciate that we are far removed from the 'production line' world of the multiple optician chains; we provide them with a caring, professional service - personal attention that's combined with value for money.” Opticians

Increased Spend-per-Head:

"On the first day of playing our content in our waiting room we had four or five new enquiries into private treatments. It is a significant marketing tool for us.“ Dental Practice

Taking the Electrical Wholesaler above as an example, what would £700 of increased sales versus £18.95 weekly costs mean to your business?

For further information on digital sales and marketing screens, please call Argent Ram Media on 0845 009 5396 or email lorraine@argentrammedia.com.

Sesome Websites for Kent and Sussex businesses

2011-01-19T12:26:00.001Z

Sesome stands for Search Engine and Social Media-ready websites. Developed by Argent Ram Media in conjunction with the Digital Media Hub at the University of Kent, these feature-rich website solutions are ideal for the small business.

Why?

To answer this question, you first need to ask what every small business needs from their website, and the main ingredients are:

Bespoke design that reflects the identity of the business;
Clear messages that show they understand their target market;
Easy navigation so their clients and customers can get to the information they need seamlessly;
Facility to update the content themselves.

Above all, the website needs to meet the requirements of the marketing acronym, AIDA:

Grab the ATTENTION of the website visitor;
Create enough INTEREST to keep the visitor on the site;
Generate DESIRE; make the visitor WANT to contact you for further details;
Have a clear call to ACTION. Make it easy for your potential customers to get in touch.

Once you have the website, you need to make sure that it can be found, and a Sesome website can help with your organic search engine performance.

Developed to latest Worldwide Web standards;
Accessible and compliant;
Allows you to update content yourself, keeping the text relevant and fresh.

Sesome websites are also designed to encourage businesses to adopt social media as a way of driving traffic to the site and exploring the massive diversity of new routes to market:

Blogs;
Twitter;
Facebook;
LinkedIn;
YouTube

A growing number of Kent and East Sussex businesses are enjoying the benefits of a Sesome website:

Sesome is developed by Argent Ram Media, and a website costs from £299.00 + VAT. If you would like further information, please call 0845 009 5396 or 01580 761000. Email lorraine@argentrammedia.com.

Websites for Estate Agents

2011-01-14T15:43:00.003Z

Estate Agents have always been a very busy vertical market for us, and we have helped many to get more productive websites that in turn work on many more levels than their previous internet incarnations.

What makes an effective estate agency website? This is not a rhetorical question; it is an invitation to share thoughts and suggestions, as it is always good to know the direction that the profession is following.

Having been an estate agent in a former life, I have a fairly good idea of what any estate agency would like to achieve:

Gaining the best instructions, at the right price and on a sole agency basis = the best possible chance you have of selling those properties.

That is the simplistic equation, and there are many other aspects to successful agency. I was always one of those firm believers that estate agency was about building relationships and not just the hard and fast sell. Perhaps I am a dinosaur!

Understanding that every vendor thinks their property is a palace, and being diplomatic and positive when it comes to advising on the best marketing strategies;
Being able to present your arsenal of marketing weapons so that your commission always represents excellent value for money;
Building relationships with both vendors and applicants so that they come to trust you and your judgement;
Remembering that a new purchaser could become a vendor in a couple of years and will undoubtedly share any horror stories with their new neighbours; give them reason to share the pleasant stories and spread the word.

So, how do the above manifest themselves in a website?

Always understand your target market and the way in which you want your company to be perceived. This is vitally important if you want to attract the vendors of the properties that you want to sell.
Think hard about what it is that makes your approach unique. Why would a vendor instruct you as opposed to one of your competitors? Most agents advertise on Rightmove, in the local papers, in their office windows. What do you do that is different?
What information do you need to present to prospective purchasers to get them in the door of a property? Marketing is all about creating desire, so remember that when presenting properties. Your material needs to make applicants feel that they MUST view. Don't give too much away; tempt the applicant with the relevant and factual details, but in a way that encourages them to pick up the phone.

Getting the above right will make the development of your website straightforward. The technology allows your website to respond to the demands of your clients, but the art lies in seducing those clients with the elements that make you unique.

We would welcome any feedback from anyone involved in estate agency or property letting, so do please share your views.

If you would like any information on website design and development for estate agents, please contact Argent Ram Media on 0845 009 5396 or email lorraine@argentrammedia.com

How can you make your existing customers spend more money?

2011-01-13T16:53:00.001Z

If you have customers coming to your premises, how can you encourage them to part with a little bit more of their hard-earned cash in these straitened times. As one of our leading supermarkets never fails to tell us, "Every Little Helps"!

As I am sure you know, marketing is about creating desire. The message you send to your customers, be it through product display, posters or any other type of merchandising, needs to make the customer think "I MUST have that". If they think "I'd quite like that" or "that looks nice, but..." then in this climate you aren't going to get a sale.

So, think desire. Consider your actual point of sale and the moment the customer comes to part with their money. I am sure that if you had the inclination, or it didn't look too desperate, you'd whip out your best-selling product and shove it under the customers nose, yelling "Buy this now".

A small screen, strategically positioned by your till, can subtly do this for you. Direct response advertising does work when it comes to persuading the customer to make the impulse purchase. A static display will not necessarily tempt, but an evocative, tempting visual marketing message, on a digital screen will achieve so much more:

“We have had excellent success basically because the product is promoted via our screens.“

“9 of our branches have sold over £27,000 of the product YTD, and because this tool needs to be demonstrated, the screens have been a perfect ‘tool’ for promoting and selling this product."

“A customer wanted some cable to be cut, and whilst waiting he saw the advertisement and bought the product. £26.10 for the cut cable plus an additional £179.00 for the Fein MultiMaster.“

“Just to let you know, our branch has just received the stock of the Fein MultiMasters. They have sold 4 already! Over £700 of extra, welcome sales thanks to it being promoted via the screens.“

Many of you may have noticed that Camelot have little 10" screens positioned above the Lotto tills in store. Why? They act as an eye-catching aide-memoire to remind queuing customers to buy their lottery tickets. If it works for them, it will work for you.

For details of Point of Sale digital screens, please contact Argent Ram Media on 0845 009 5396 or email lorraine@argentrammedia.com

Marketing Screens in Trade Counters Increase Sales

2011-01-07T11:17:00.000Z

One of the UK's largest Electrical Wholesalers uses digital marketing screens in 65 of their trade counters in the UK.

By displaying products, and demonstrating their uses on the screens, sales of these products have increased. One of the products, the Fein MultiMaster, is so multi-functional that it's true versatility cannot be appreciated without a demonstration.

"We have had excellent success basically because the product is promoted via our screens."

"9 of our branches have sold over £27,000 MultiMasters YTD, and because the tool needs to be demonstrated, the screens have been the perfect 'tool' for promoting and selling the product."

"A customer wanted some cable to be cut. Whilst waiting, he saw the advertisement for the MultiMaster and one. £26.20 for the cut cable plus an additional £179.00 for the Fein MultiMaster."

"We have just received our stock of the Fein MultiMaster and have sold 4 already! Over £700 of extra, welcome sales thanks to the advertisement on the screen."

If you have a trade counter, increase your sales opportunities and spend-per-head simply by getting a digital marketing screen to do the work for you.

If you are interested in having a marketing screen installed in your trade counter, contact Argent Ram Media on 0845 009 5396 or email lorraine@argentrammedia.com

Happy Optimistic New Year!

2011-01-05T12:48:00.001Z

I don't know about you, but for some months I have been getting increasingly fed up with the media's negative slant on the ongoing state of the economy. Whenever I saw or heard the News yesterday, the increase in VAT was being forcibly rammed down our throats as this was the end of the world. I think we all knew that VAT was rising to 20% on 4th January, but this relentless bombardment by the press is so draining.

Today came the start of the Christmas trading results, with Next and HMV highlighting the effect that poor December weather and general austerity had on pre-Christmas sales. This is no surprise, so why did the BBC sound so down-in-the-mouth about it this morning?

2011 is not going to be easy.

That said, I have always been a great believer in the addage that we have to make our own luck. From experience, I know only too well that it is up to us as indivduals and small businesses to create our own opportunities.

So; start of a New Year, what can we do to create out own opportunities? This is my little list of "resolutions" that you can try in order to give your business that valuable competitive edge.

Digressing slightly, I remember hearing a story told by an estate agent. There were 5 estate agents on his High Street, and all of them had approximately 20% share of the market. They all did much the same in terms of advertising and marketing, but one day, one of these agents decided to make a few very subtle changes to the way they promoted themselves. These changes were so slight that they were imperceptible to the competition. However, by increasing their marketing activities, the agent gradually started to take a percentage of the competitors' business. A year later, 4 of the 5 estate agents noticed that their turnover was down on the year before, and their profits were less. The 5th estate agent's turnover was up, as were the profits, and the company's image had been boosted as the leading agent in the area.

There - a little parable for 2011! Think of a few little changes you can make to the ways in which you market your business, and see what a difference it can make. You don't need to increase your marketing spend; just think creatively!

1. Your website. Please make sure it does what you want it to do! Is it generating enough enquiries? If not, ask yourself why. This is an easy fix and one that you can't afford to ignore. Your website is one of the most cost-effective sales and marketing tools you have, so make sure it performs.

2. If you have customers visiting your premises, either to buy something or to wait to see someone, then promote yourselves to those customers while they wait. Why miss this valuable opportunity? A marketing screen can increase your sales, simply by highlighting your products and services to existing customers.

3. Engage with your customers and prospective customers. Engagement is a major key to success in these tricky times, and making people feel valued can make all the difference in terms of customer loyalty and spend-per-head. A simple email reminder to customers can prompt a positive response, and keep your name at the top of the pile.

So, three suggestions, none of which will break the bank, but all of which will help you to strengthen the relationships you have with your existing clients.

Try choosing one of the above as a New Year Resolution and get it working for your business; don't accept a "that'll do" solution. Be creative and innovative and don't follow the pack just because it feels "safe". To make our own luck, we occasionally have to stick our heads above the parapet!

Here's to a very successful and optimistic 2011.

Time for Positive Thinking

2010-10-25T16:43:00.000+01:00

It would be the easiest thing in the world for the small business owner to believe everything they read or hear in the press, and be convinced that we are heading for some horrific double-dip recession.

This way of thinking has got to stop.

If you look behind the stories, or take the time to discover the positive approaches being taken by organisations across the UK, in spite of the doom-laden perspective taken by the media, then you will see that we are in a position to launch this decade of the entrepreneur!

In the past fortnight, I have seen the positive results of thinking outside the box, and looking for the opportunities out there:

Vince Moran, Chief Operating Officer views the abolition of his quango, British Waterways as "great news" and he views the long-term future of the organisation, with new charitable status as "fantastic".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11541497

Staff at a hospital in Hampshire have been actively involved in looking for ways to save money within their departments, and the creative thinking has already cut overheads by not inconsiderable amounts:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-11540473

So, how can the small business make the most of the opportunities that do exist?

1. Think about where you are spending money, and if you cannot see a return on your investment, think again;

2. Don't stop marketing. It has always been said that you need to market your way out of a recession, and never a truer word has been said. This does not mean that you have to increase your marketing spend. On the contrary, as I said above, be creative. Just because you have always advertised in the Yellow Pages, ask yourself if you are really getting business as a result. Try something new: is your website really working for you? Does it collect data, or really sell your products and services? Could you generate additional income by selling products online? Are you in touch with your existing customers often enough, and are they remaining loyal to you in a financial climate where it pays to shop around?

3. Network. Go back to basic principles of providing excellent customer service. Social Media is the perfect way to do this online, without the need for you to leave your office! Listen to what potential clients and customers want from businesses like yours, react and then let them know what you do. Share your successes, talk about your business and offer help where it is requested. If you have not started to embrace Social Media and the many routes to market it offers, then you are missing out!

Little things can make all the difference. Above all, please BE POSITIVE. Ignore the negative news. We all know that the country has no money, there are uncertainties and we will all have to be watch the pennies, but let us for once believe in our collective futures. As small business owners, we all started up with a belief in our products and services. We just need to share those beliefs, have the strength of our own convictions and get our message out there in front of our clients and customers.

Argent Ram Media provide a range of multi-media marketing solutions for small, medium and large businesses and companies. Please contact us for further information - 0845 009 5396.

http://www.argentrammedia.com/

ian@argentrammedia.com

Mobile vs In-Situ Digital Marketing Screens

2010-09-15T10:24:00.000+01:00

I don't know if any of you saw the most recent episode of Dragon's Den.

A chap called Ian Taylor presented his Media Display Digi-bikes (mobile digital advertising screens), looking for an £80,000 investment. He did get the investment from James Caan, eventually, but it was interesting to note the reason behind Peter Jones' rejection of the idea. Although he referred to Ascot as being the client in question, he stated that "it makes more sense to have displays in situ".

The cost of hiring the digi-bike or digi-van is beyond the reach of most small and medium sized business, but the principle is the same across this media - get your message in front of the right people.

We have clients who have increased sales dramatically simply by having a video demonstration of a product on their marketing screen. Show potential customers how to do something, or how to use something and the impulse to buy is so much greater.

Affordable Digital Screen Marketing for every Business

2010-08-07T11:05:00.000+01:00

In your business, do customers and clients ever have to wait to see someone, or do you need to grab their attention to get your marketing message across?

When customers or clients are waiting, how do you:

Entertain them and reduce the perceived length of waiting time?
Inform them of your full range of products and services?
Maximise the potential to increase spend-per-head?
Keep them up to date with any special offers or promotions?
Make them feel valued?

Digital screen marketing is now affordable, and should be considered as an answer to any of the questions posed above. Many businesses will have seen digital signage and marketing screens in shopping malls, underground stations and as part of eye-catching window displays by top-end retailers to lure customers inside their stores.

Just consider for a moment that all your marketing activity is probably geared towards enticing potential customers and clients to contact you, either by phone, email, enquiry form or a visit to your premises. Your website, email marketing and advertising campaigns do a great job to promote your services, and highlight the ways in which you are better than your competitors. As the old marketing adage goes, your efforts meet the AIDA criteria:

Grabbing ATTENTION
Creating INTEREST and DESIRE
Having a clear Call to ACTION

You've spent money to achieve the above results, so don't fall at the last hurdle.

"The average recall of a brand advertised on in-store television is 66%, compared with 24% for brands advertised on in-home television."

Content is the vital ingredient in the digital screen marketing mix, but rather than being held hostage by a system that opnly allows you to show Sky News or CNN, solutions are sophisticated enough to allow you to create content that you want your clients and customers to see, and nothing else.

By all means, entertain them if they need to wait for a while, but ensure that you allow them to see information tha might tempt them to buy, to enquire and generally to engage with you as a business.

Don't take my word for it. Below are testimonials from a chain of trade counters who use screens to increase sales of products.

“We have had excellent success basically because the product is promoted via our screens.“

“York Group 9 branches have sold over £27,000 of [this product] YTD, and because this tool needs to be demonstrated, the screens have been a perfect ‘tool’ for promoting and selling this product."

“A customer wanted some cable to be cut, and whilst waiting he saw the advertisement and bought the product. £26.10 for the cut cable plus an additional £179.00 for the Fein MultiMaster.“

“Just to let you know, Sheffield Central have just received the stock of the Fein MultiMasters. They have sold 4 already! Over £700 of extra, welcome sales thanks to it being promoted via the screens.“

Digital screen marketing works for the following businesses:

Retail outlets;
Hotels and leisure;
Trade Counters;
Showrooms;
Dental Surgeries;
GP Surgeries;
Pharmacies;
Gyms and Health Clubs;
Estate Agents;
Hair and Beauty Salons;
Solicitors

and many more.....

Make your clients and customers feel valued and generate additional revenue.

Argent Ram Media provide a range of Digital Screen Marketing solutions for small, medium and large businesses and companies. Please contact us for further information - 0845 009 5396
http://www.argentrammedia.com/
ian@argentrammedia.com

Where are all the Sales People?

2010-02-20T09:19:00.001Z

Are there people out there who are prepared to work hard at selling to forge a career?

Everyone appreciates how tough the economy is at the moment. A recession, and the changes that this brings to business, can have a dramatic and radical effect on the individual lives of so many people.

I saw one example the other morning on BBC News: a chap who used to work in the motor industry was made redundant and used the opportunity to retrain as a Nordic Walking Instructor.

We, as a business, have found it far more cost-effective in these harsh economic times, to employ freelancers on a per-project basis - developers, designers, PR experts, you name it; they are all readily available at competitive rates. Our overheads are lower because we are not paying out on superfluous salaries, and we do not need large premises to house staff.

This will change, however, and when the economy starts to improve, we will need the solid infrastructure around us to allow us to capitalise on economic growth. At that time, we will invest in full time permanent staff, and office premises to house them. We have made it a policy to be open and transparent with every individual who works for us in any capacity. They see the cash flow projections, and we share our plans for the future and the opportunities that may be available. These individuals can then make informed decisions as to whether or not they stay as freelancers or if they would like to become full-time employees. The choice will be theirs.

The one black-spot in an otherwise ideal landscape is sales.

With unemployment as high as it is, with gloomy predictions still prevailing over the state of the housing market, and with large-scale redundancies still forecast, why is it so impossible to find committed freelance sales people? I am realistic enough to know that commission-only sales jobs are generally about as popular as a dose of swine-flu, but I cannot understand why it is so difficult to find people who would like to invest some time to forge a medium to long term career.

I have gone through half a dozen freelance sales people - people with whom I have worked before and who all express a burning desire to earn money. I know these people can sell, as they produced results when they were on a basic salary. However, after a couple of weeks, the interest wanes and they go quiet. No sales, no feedback, no commitment.

Am I offering too little commission? We pay between 20% - 40% on the total sales value of any order. A website order of £5,000 would pay a minimum commission of £1,000! Not bad for a couple of days' work.

I have made it clear to all freelance sales people that those individuals who show commitment and bring in business when times are tough, then they will be first on the list when we do come to employ permanent sales people (good basic salary, expenses, banded commission scales and profit share). But at the moment, it makes no sense whatsoever to employ people and pay a basic salary if we are not going to achieve the results.

Where are the sales people who genuinely want to sell, who are prepared to invest some time and effort for their rewards and who may want to build a future as we all emerge from a particularly grim time?

If you are a sales person interested in a commission-only role with prospects, do please get in touch - ian@argentrammedia.com. But only do so if you are committed to driving your own business and working hard to make money.

Hobbies versus Personal Achievements

2010-02-08T16:04:00.001Z

I gave a presentation today to Year 2 Students on the Multimedia Design and Technology course at the University of Kent. The topic was "What Employers look for when recruiting students and graduates."

In the presentation, I referred to my pet hate of lists of hobbies added to the bottom of CVs, and understand this may have caused some confusion amongst the presentation attendees. A presenter on a previous occasion had advocated the listing of hobbies, so:

Hobbies vs Personal Achievements

To clarify, my pet hate is for those CVs that have a paragraph at the bottom reading something along the following lines:

"In my spare time, I like to read, cook, ride horses, play board games......"

A hobby is something done in one's leisure time for pleasure - gardening, sewing etc.

Compare that to "Personal Achievement". Those students who attended my presentation will recall (hopefully) that I had a slide or two entitled "What have you done today, to make you feel proud?" An achievement.

I came across a news item recently that sums up what I mean by Personal Achievement:

http://www.justgiving.com/charliesimpson-haiti

This little chap is only 7 years of age, but what an achievement. So, his CV? "In my spare time I like to ride my bike..." OR "In 2010, I rode 5 miles and raised over £200,000 for Unicef's Haiti appeal." Hobby vs Personal Achievement.

Many of you will undoubtedly follow pursuits in your spare time, but personally, I am looking for your achievements. How have these pursuits made you different? How have they made you stand out from the crowd? What have you achieved that makes you feel proud?

The two are not mutually exclusive. A hobby can still be a pursuit through which you achieve something. You enjoy reading as the hobby, but getting a review of a novel published in a respected magazine is an achievement.

Digital Screen Marketing need not be beyond the Small Business

2010-01-28T19:23:00.002Z

Digital Signage and Digital Out of Home advertising (DOOH) are two of the most rapidly growing areas in the world of marketing today.

It seems that everywhere you turn, you will see a digital marketing screen: at point of sale on Camelot's Lotto terminals; beside the escalators on the London Tube network; in railway stations and shopping malls. The use and application of these screens is varied and increasing by the day.

Why is screen marketing so important?

In previous blogs, I have talked a lot about engagement, and for any business in today's economic climate, it is becoming vital that you engage with your customers and potential customers. This is nothing new, when you analyse it. It harks back to the days of the corner shop, when the shop owner used to know every customer and was able to get together their staple purchases for them before they even entered the shop - real customer service.

Direct response marketing has always been considered to be a vital part of any marketing strategy, and that direct exchange between you and your customer is the ideal opportunity for you to increase sales.

Looking back at the principles of successful market, we are always reminded of AIDA:

Attention
Interest
Desire
Call to Action

The AIDA principle is as strong today as ever, and should be ignored by any business at its peril.

Screen marketing is important because it can combine all the above in a dynamic and evocative format. It allows you, as a business, to disseminate some of your customer service principles, your key marketing messages and your direct-response advertising in an engaging way.

This is way above the budget of the small business, I hear you cry!

No; it's not. Screen marketing solutions are becoming ever-more affordable and, more importantly, more cost-effective.

I would urge any small business to examine their marketing and advertising strategies and analyse what really works for them.

Just because your competitors advertise in the local paper does not mean that you have to follow suit. What response do you get from this traditional form of advertising? What about the Yellow Pages? Always the favourite of the small business, but can you categorically state the percentage of your enquiries that come from this medium? Have you analysed the price-per-lead from these sources?

The following came through from Chris Cardell (Cardell Media) the other day:

"Have you ever wondered what the difference is between an Entrepreneur worth £200 Million and a struggling business owner who can't pay their bills?

It's not talent, genius or hard work. It's not luck. And it's not the economy.

The difference between them is actually very small. Undetectable to the human eye. We've had Duncan Bannatyne (from BBC's Dragons' Den) as a guest at a couple of our events. With the greatest respect to Duncan, I'm sure he'd agree that the difference between him (he's worth £200 Million) and the struggling business owner is not brains (he's smart but so are many of the struggling ones) and it's certainly not education (Duncan left school with no qualifications.)

I'll tell you the difference. It's their ability to use their minds effectively and think RADICALLY differently to everyone else."

Digital Screen Marketing gives you the opportunity, as a small business, to do something different that will set you apart from your competitors. Don't spend more money; just divert some of the money you currently spend on your routine marketing activities and try something new. Something that will speak directly to prospective new customers. Something that will promote your business with dynamism and in a format that will engage with the viewers. Something that will generate a response from those people who could be about to spend money, and something that will encourage them to spend that money with you.

Argent Ram Media offer a wide range of digital screen marketing solutions aimed at both the small and large business. Local advertising opportunities exist in major UK garden and leisure retail outlets and prices compare with those of local newspaper advertising. For more information, please contact Argent Ram Media on 0845 009 5396 or email design@argentrammedia.com.

Successful launch for ICE

2010-01-07T08:38:00.000Z

Happy New Year Everyone! Hope 2010 proves to be a successful year for all..

My first post of the year is a short one, and just to say how pleased we are to be members of the new ICE Business Network launched at the end of last year by the University of Kent at Canterbury:

http://www.kent.ac.uk/news/stories/successfullaunchforice/2009

We, at Argent Ram Media, have had a very successful relationship with the School of Engineering and Digital Arts at the University; a relationship that looks set to continue.

The ICE Network (Innovation, Creativity and Enterprise) is a scheme that "aims to connect local, regional, national and international businesses to the University of Kent and each other."

The University has a wealth of talent available, and any scheme that makes this talent easily accessible to the local business community is inspired.

What does a Small Business need from their website?

2009-11-28T15:36:00.002Z

"Business Link has seen a dramatic rise of enquiries and support offered to individuals considering starting a business. 29%* more 'pre-start' individuals have had help from the Service in the South East in the last six months compared with the same time period last year. Over 14,800 individuals have been supported with information and advice since April 2009."

SEEDA

Typically, as individuals face the realities of redundancy brought about by a recession, many turn their thoughts towards setting up their own business.

Many of these new businesses start off in the smallest possible way - a one-man-band offering services, products or expertise in their particular field.

However small your business, there are key considerations that need to be addressed to ensure the success of the business, and these considerations need to include the way in which you market yourself to your future customers.

This article is aimed at giving the new business, no matter how small, some idea of the best ways of marketing themselves on the internet.

WHAT DOES A SMALL BUSINESS NEED FROM THEIR WEBSITE?

Any business looking to increase their customer base and market themselves effectively needs a website. This is not a luxury any more; it is a necessity. Even if you are a one-man-band, you don't need to market yourself as such. Customers have faith in businesses that appear to have credentials, a successful trading history, happy customers and a proven track record. If you look as though you set up your business yesterday with a budget of £5, there is not escaping the fact that you will be perceived as a "here-today, gone-tomorrow" business, no matter how well qualified you are as a supplier.

There is no doubting that some individuals can just about get away with presenting a business card that has clearly been generated by a slot machine, but if you are serious about your business, do you simply want to "get away" with the cheapest possible forms of advertising?

Your website could be the best investment you make, and it really need not cost the earth. However, it is essential that you think carefully about what it is that you want to achieve through your website.

1. What is your business?

2. Who is your target market?

3. What is unique about you, your products or services and therefore..

4. Why would a customer come to you as opposed to one of your competitors?

5. How do you want to be perceived?

6. What do you want your website to do for you? Generate enquiries? Sell something?

Your business plan will provide most of these answers, but if you don't have a business plan, then you really need to make sure you know the answers to the above questions so that you understand fully what it is that you are trying to achieve through your business in the first place.

Having clear objectives, you then need to think about the key ingredients necessary to make a successful website.

The following are our suggestions:

1. Aesthetics.

Please don't go for the cheapest website solution you can find. A poorly designed site can have a seriously detrimental effect on your business. This is your shop front and the first impression that a potential customer could have of you and your company. As it is, on average, 98% of all website visitors will leave your site without bothering to contact you. Don't increase your statistic to 100%! The way in which you want your business to be perceived will have an impact on the way your site should be designed. A professionally designed site will make your job so much easier.

2. Work.

Make your website do some work. At the very least, visitors should be encouraged to contact you, so you can start to collect some data for future marketing. Offer website visitors something in exchange for their email address and name. Have an area on your homepage where you can feature a special offer or a new product - something that will ignite the interest of your customers.

3. Engage.

These days, your website is not enough. Social Media has exploded in recent months, and one of the new key words in internet marketing is "engagement". You need to engage with your customers in every way possible, and social media (sites like Twitter and Facebook) now allows you to do this in ways not previously possible. A blog also allows you to communicate with your customers in a direct, personal and informative way that keeps you uppermost in their minds. You website, then, should encourage potential customers to follow you in the world of social media, so that you can spread your message and engage.

4. Find.

A professional will ensure that your website is built to comply with latest standards. Having a well constructed site is part of the process of ensuring that your website can be found in the major search engines. But that is one part. There are many facets in successful search engine promotion - key words, relevant content, back-links, using social media, accessibility....a potential mine field for the new business. In the near future, both video and audio are going to play in increasingly important role in your successful on-line marketing, so yet another consideration!

5. AIDA

Keep it simple. Stick to the principles of successful marketing and make them work on your website:

A - Attention. Make sure your website grabs the attentions of your customer within 8 seconds.

I - Interest. Focus the landing page (usually your homepage) content so that it creates real interest.

D - Desire. Make the site visitor want to contact you.

A - Action. Always make the Call to Action easy to find. If you want customers to call you, ensure your phone number is very visible. If you want them to email you, have the simplest of forms on every page.

A lot to take in, but it can be achieved.

We, at Argent Ram Media, have developed SESOME - Search Engine and Social Media-ready websites that are ideal for small and start-up businesses. With a limited budget, you need to know that you will have a website that will work for you in the most effective way possible.

Have a look at our Sesome website - http://www.sesome-websites.co.uk/ for details.

If you would like more information on Sesome Websites, please call us - 0845 009 5396. Alternatively, email Ian Rutter ian@argentrammedia.com

Argent Ram Media is a company that specialises in providing a range of marketing solutions for all businesses, from the small one-man-band up to the largest of multi-national companies.

Website Design and Development
Design for Print
Email Design and Campaign Management
Micro-Site Marketing
E-Commerce
Internet Start-Ups
Marketing Consultancy
Search Engine Marketing
PR
Digital Advertising
Digital Screen Marketing

New client website launched

2009-10-24T11:16:00.000+01:00

Well, after a bit of an absence from this Blog, I have a lot of catching up to do! Hopefully, this weekend I will find the time to put together a few articles on topics that have a bearing on what we do at Argent Ram Media...so watch this space!

In the meantime, we are delighted to announce the launch of a new website for one of our clients - FD Solutions Limited. Please have a look at their new site and leave any comments here; we are always interested in feedback, both negative and positive.

http://www.fdsolutions.ltd.uk

Should Sound now be an Essential part of your Website?

2009-09-28T10:48:00.001+01:00

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

Get to the Pub this Weekend!

2009-09-26T11:44:00.000+01:00

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!

Is ROI the be-all-and-end all of Social Media?

2009-09-21T13:07:00.003+01:00

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.

People are talking about you.

2009-09-20T15:48:00.007+01:00

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

The Social Media Revolution

2009-09-14T13:17:00.003+01:00

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

Macmillan Cancer Support - World's Biggest Coffee Morning

2009-09-12T11:59:00.002+01:00

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

Kent Businesses are missing the party

2009-09-12T11:40:00.002+01:00

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!

ASOS Listens - Twitter postscript

2009-09-09T09:39:00.000+01:00

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!

Don't be a wallflower - join the Twitter party

2009-09-09T08:52:00.001+01:00

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.

5 Ways to Engage with your Customers and Clients

2009-09-05T12:57:00.001+01:00

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.

Is Twitter worthwhile for Business?

2009-08-30T12:24:00.001+01:00

Everywhere I turn these days, there are debates as to the validity of Twitter as a business marketing tool. These debates sit alongside critiques of Facebook and LinkedIn as effective networking environments in which to conduct commerce.

So, the question remains: can Twitter help your business?

Firstly, I would advise any company against believing that joining Twitter and posting a few Tweets to gain a couple of followers will make the difference between the success and failure of your business. It won't. For those of you who do not yet know what Twitter is, let's turn to Wikipedia:

"Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's subscribers who are known as followers."

So, how can 140 characters of text help a business?

1. You can easily drive people to your website or a page of your website. Driving people to your website and changing website content will, in turn, help improve your general search engine ranking. Adding fresh content, making the site content relevant and interesting to your prospective customers will help increase your overall internet presence;

2. You can air your views on subjects that are relevant to your business, and, more importantly, relevant to potential customers. Regular "expert" Tweets can establish you as an authority on a subject and garner an increase in the number of followers you attract;

3. There is an argument that "Followers" of your Tweets are very unlikely to become customers of yours overnight, if at all. That is not the point, and if you think Twitter will bring these types of results, then don't bother with it. We all know that there is no magic wand in the world of marketing. But the more followers you have, the greater the audience you have to address;

4. Twitter allows you to engage with other users. "Engagement" is one of the buzz words in marketing at the moment. Being limited to 140 characters is also a great lesson in the practice of being concise. Learn to get across a marketing message in a short, punchy and interesting way that will attract people to notice you, and leave them wanting to know more...;

5. From a business perspective, Twitter makes you think about the other forms of on-line and Social marketing available, and how you can use them to your advantage, bearing in mind that many of these forms of marketing are absolutely FREE.

For instance, use Tweets to point users to a blog you have written, and in which you can expound on the subject you introduced on Twitter. Blogs are widely accepted as being an invaluable part of any on-line marketing strategy, with cross-references to relevant content on your website, for example.

Links to your Twitter page can be inserted in Blogs, your website, articles and other Social Media sites, creating a tight network of information that you are creating. Having views on subjects relevant to your business demonstrates that you can be taken seriously, and will enhance the overall image of your business.

If you write articles or produce documents on products and services you provide, Tweet about them and link through to them. Get people reading about what you do.

I am not going to use examples of the successes or otherwise of large corporations; I am addressing this at the small and medium sized business looking to find their way into the rapidly growing world of Social Networking.

From personal experience, I don't expect to generate a massive influx of income-generating leads simply by tweeting a couple of times a day (although that would be nice!).

I tweet to drive people to my website. I use URL shortening tools, and can see the instant results as click-throughs are logged in real-time; a lot like Google Adwords but without the cost!

I tweet to point people to articles that I have written on subjects relevant to my business, and that I think might be of interest to prospective customers.

I tweet to offer affiliate deals, or highlight other articles that have been written by other people.

I read other tweets posted by experts and learn a great deal from their articles about emerging trends in marketing and consumer behaviour, and on a day to day basis.

I receive tweets from a wide variety of publication on specific topics that are of particular interest to me, cutting to the chase and saving valuable time.

My advice? Use Twitter and see for yourself. It is a great arena in which to experiment with marketing messages; see what attracts attention. Be patient; don't expect to make £millions, but start to use it as a part of your internet marketing strategy, and employ it with other complementary methods. If the only thing you achieve is increased organic search engine placement for your website, then that can't be a bad result.

It has worked for me, and can certainly work for you.

If you would like to discuss including Social Networking within your on-line marketing strategy, please contact us at design@argentrammedia.com. http://www.argentrammedia.com/

Digital Screen Marketing - a cost-effective route to efficient customer service

2009-08-29T11:35:00.002+01:00

One of the buzziest words in marketing these days is engagement; the need to engage with your customers or clients. This imperative, to build a relationship with potential clients, has never been more important in days when marketing messages can be out there in front of millions of people within minutes, circulating around the globe.

Twitter and Facebook and other forms of Social Media, are all about engagement. Your website should ensure that potential clients are invited to engage with you as soon as they hit the homepage. Emails, personalised with clients' names, should entice each recipient to maintain their relationship with you, encourage them into your world. If you like, the days of good old customer service have returned with a vengeance; the days of the grocer who dealt with every customer personally, collecting products for them off the shelves and knowing every customer by name.

But we are not returning to the yester-year of retail; we can't, simply because our customers expect to be served with ever increasing speed and efficiency.

However, the technology is available now for every business, no matter how small, to bring back the best aspects of the golden age of customer service, and those businesses that ignore this technology do so at their peril.

In previous articles, I have talked a lot about web and social media, and today I want to throw digital signage and digital screen marketing into the pot. Mention the word "digital" and many businesses will recoil in horror at the thought of yet another expense. However, let's look at a few examples:
Some years ago, one of my clients was a major private health insurance company. Whenever I visited them, I had to sit in their reception area to wait to be greeted. There were magazines on a coffee table, beautiful photographs on the wall, and Sky News playing on a screen. I could have been in any corporate headquarters anywhere in the world, as there was absolutely nothing that told me where I was, or what type of company I was dealing with. Was this complacency or arrogance? An assumption that the mere company name was enough to tell me all I needed to know.

Another national company had their foyer lined with press clippings of their Chairman greeting the Great and the Good; great for the Chairman's ego, but is this good for the company as a whole?

I thought then that what these companies needed was a television-quality presentation product that did a number of things:

Entertain waiting clients (in the same way that a magazine on a coffee table might);
Inform clients, but without the heavy and relentless news content of Sky News or CNN;
Tell clients about company products and services, without expecting them to read through books of press clippings or corporate brochures;

In so many instances, businesses leave clients and potential clients hanging around without considering the effect that this might have on the ongoing relationship. Good customer service is all about making every customer feel valued.

If you have an area where customers wait for any length of time, think about a screen. I know that many of you have already got televisions in waiting areas or reception areas, and have a Freeview box so that customers can enjoy "Good Morning" or "Under the Hammer".

What a waste of an opportunity!

By all means, entertain waiting customers; it helps to pass the time. But use that time to tell people about your business; present your new products; show how successful you are as a company; tell that client how valuable they are to you. Above all, engage with that customer as they sit there waiting for you; it is a golden opportunity and one that is too valuable to miss.

If you would like more information on a range of cost-effective screen marketing solutions, please contact us at Argent Ram Media - www.argentrammedia.com. Email design@argentrammedia.com

"The average recall of a brand advertised on Wal-Mart television is 66%, compared with 24% for brands advertised on in-home television."

Social Media: Mind-Blowing Statistics

2009-08-26T21:32:00.000+01:00

If YouTube were a country, it would be the third most-populated place in the world.

20 hours-worth of video is uploaded to YouTube every single minute.

According to their own statictics, Facebook has more than 250m active users globally.

Over the past twelve months, Twitter’s year-on-year growth rate has broken the 1000% barrier.

Since April this year, Twitter has been receiving around 20 million unique visitors to the site each month, according to some analytical sources.

As a business, you would be mad not to try to tap into this massive free marketplace.

If you would like to discuss the ways in which Social Media can benefit your business, please contact us at design@argentrammedia.com. www.argentrammedia.com

These statistics, and more, were provided by EConsultancy http://bit.ly/PMcTz

Lauren Luke

2009-08-26T13:32:00.000+01:00

If you haven't heard of Lauren Luke yet, you soon will.

A bullied teenager from South Shields who left school at 15, and who admits she has very few friends, Lauren has become a YouTube phenomenon, and looks set to become a millionaire.

Google-owner YouTube has extended their Partnership Programme to provide an opportunity for the creators of the most-viewed video clips to earn a share of revenue from advertising attached to their clips.

Lauren, who used to sell make-up products on E-Bay, moved to YouTube and started to give video make-up tutorials filmed in her bedroom. With over 200 clips now on-line, with some of the most popular giving tips on how to achieve the look of celebrities, Lauren quickly became the 2nd most popular YouTube user in the UK. Her "Leona Lewis-look" video has attracted in excess of 2million views.

Despite having never undergone any formal training, it is Lauren's natural style and on-camera personality that has made her so approachable and popular.
I came across Lauren's story in the Daily Telegraph today, and think she is an absolute inspiration. She clearly has an innate talent, and comes across as incredibly likeable.

So, what can a business learn from this? Great rewards can be achieved from the simplest of ideas. Just think outside the box and look at ways of communicating and engaging with your target market. Lauren has done just that, probably completely unintentionally, but what a success story. Good luck to her!

Telegraph Report on YouTube's Partnership Programme - http://bit.ly/hAt3J

BBC InsideOut Video Report on Lauren Luke - http://bit.ly/112xrV

Argent Ram Media - put videos of your products or services on YouTube and get seen by a whole new audience. Contact us for information - design@argentrammedia.com. www.argentrammedia.com

What's in a Name?

2009-08-25T16:42:00.000+01:00

It's interesting how the simplest thing can make a huge difference to a business.

In my previous articles, I have talked about consumer behaviour and the importance of understanding what your consumer wants.

There was a report from Tim Muffett on BBC News this morning (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8219540.stm) about the incredible rise in the fortunes of pear cider. Traditionally known as "Perry" and typically made using one type of pear, it has been acknowledged that the name "Perry" means little to today's consumer. Many manufacturers took the decision to rebrand their Perry product to become "Pear Cider". Hardly a major step, one would have thought, but Pear Cider is a description that the consumer understands, whereas Perry was not immediately identifiable.

As a result, Pear Cider sales have risen from £13.4 million a year in 2007 to £46 million this year.

Not only is this great news for the cider manufacturers, but it heralds good news for the fruit farmer. A success story all round.

If you would like to take a fresh look at the best ways of encouraging your customers to understand what you do, then please contact us - design@argentrammedia.com or telephone 01233 611200

SMS Marketing as part of your Marketing Mix

2009-08-21T16:18:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, I posted a blog here discussing PR and the need to fill in the gaps in your Marketing Circle.

I have subsequently seen an article by Rosie Baker in Marketing Week (19th August 2009) entitled "Faith to use SMS marketing to drive footfall". This is a perfect example of using cost-effective technologies to fill in the gaps to ensure that customers do not drop off your marketing loop.

If you are a business that takes the time to build customer loyalty, and keeps data accordingly, then use that data; it has such immense value. In the current, "Twitter-140-character" messaging climate, sending out texts to customers to notify them of promotions is a great way of maintaining their loyalty. Faith (the shoe retailer) is using SMS messaging to inform customers about new collections, sales and promotions, and offering voucher codes that are then redeemable in store. This is a powerful tool, aimed at increasing in-store footfall; all part of that marketing loop.

The SMS messages are also designed to drive customers to the new Faith website, launched this week. As I said in my last blog, all these marketing methods should refer to each other, and complement each other, creating a tighly-woven mesh of customer care.

Have a look at the Marketing Week article - http://bit.ly/2Fr13y

If you think that SMS Marketing could be of interest to you and your business, please contact us at Argent Ram Media (www.argentrammedia.com). This could certainly be another cost-effective form of marketing to add to your mix: design@argentrammedia.com.

Never Underestimate the Power of PR

2009-08-20T17:14:00.000+01:00

I read a guide to Social Media the other day, and it was interesting to note that a lot of journalists and article writers scour Twitter for anything newsworthy. They utilise the medium to discover changes in consumer behaviour, shifting business trends and topics of human interest. This information then provides the inspiration or theme for a story for their publication.

I have been in marketing for many years, covering industry sectors as diverse as retail, software development, the internet and travel, and one of my seminar subjects has long been the marketing circle. I urge my clients to think of their marketing strategy as a circle made up of the marketing methods they adopt, and the importance of filling in the gaps within that circle. Once they manage to get a potential customer or client on that circle, it is important that every effort is made to ensure they don't drop off.

Some of the elements that might make up this marketing circle include the following marketing methods:

Telemarketing;
Direct Mail;
Email Marketing;
Internet Marketing;
Advertising;
Direct Sales;
Strategic Alliances;
Referrals;
Cross-selling and Up-selling;
Social Media;
PR

Ideally, your circle should consist of at least 10 different forms of marketing, and each should refer, feed off and relate to each other. For example, your telephone out-of-hours messaging service should direct customers to your website when your offices are not open. Your website should then take up the role of sales person or advisor, and make it easy for a potential client to engage with you, leave you their details or buy something. If they leave you their contact details, it is only courtesy to follow this up with an email, and then keep the potential client up to date with relevant emails.

These emails may link in to relevant landing pages on your website, or even micro-sites that have been set up specifically to achieve an end result. The responses will result in further emails coming through to you, or telephone calls from interested clients.

As you build up the relationship with each client, emails can become more personalised. These can be backed up by direct mail communications with special offers or promotions, perhaps as part of a major marketing campaign that includes advertisements both locally or nationally.

And so you can start to see how the circle comes together, and by looking at the strategy as a whole, you will identify the gaps where potential customers may drop off.

However, it is also important that whatever steps you take to complete your circle, you remain focused on the success and ROI of your marketing.

All this, coupled with the snippet about journalists scouring Twitter for useful information, brings me to the subject of PR.

No matter how small your business, never underestimate the power of PR. In essence, much of the success of Twitter and Facebook, as a medium for conducting business, is all about PR. The success of Social Media hangs on the building of relationships and engaging with other users. It is about providing information that might be interesting and useful, getting other users to notice it and then start to engage with you.

When I give seminars to businesses, I always tell them to use the press. Look at the local and national newspapers and magazines, and identify the types of story that they feature in their business sections. Remember, these business writers have got to find interesting stories every day, every week, and every month in order to fill their pages. They need a constant supply of information on which they can build their articles. Have a look at trends within the business press: what is happening financially, what business sectors are currently successful or struggling. Then look at your own business. Do you buck any particular trend, are you more successful than your competitors, and if so, why? At a time of rising unemployment, particularly in the 18 - 25 years age-group, are you employing more than usual to meet growing demand for your product or service?

Whatever is happening within your business, talk about it! Be proud of your achievements and broadcast them. Identify a strong feature of your business regularly, a recent success, a story about a member of staff, a charity event that your are sponsoring....anything that you think would be of interest to anyone reading the publication.

Start to send through these stories to the journalists who write for the various publications, and in doing so, cultivate a relationship with them. I do find it interesting that this is exactly the same principle behind using Twitter for business. You post interesting Tweets and people will follow you, and then you build on those relationships. It is strange, though, that so many businesses never consider the press. They will happily spend £100's on advertising in the newspaper, but wouldn't consider sending through a story that might provide completely free publicity.

If you are not using PR as a form of marketing, you want to start now!

To discuss adding PR to your marketing circle, please contact Ian Rutter at Argent Ram Media - ian@argentrammedia.com. A tailored campaign can be put together to meet any budget and any requirement. www.argentrammedia.com

Don't Ignore Your Website

2009-08-12T13:41:00.000+01:00

There is so much talk about Search Engine Ranking, and being found in Google, that it is far too easy to forget about your website and what happens when it is found by potential clients in the Search Engines.

Imagine that your eye is caught by a particularly enticing product in a store window; so enticing, in fact, that you are tempted off the street and into the store.

Firstly, you enter into the perfume department, but your product is in Electrical Goods; where is that? Oh, where are the signs in this place? And a member of staff wouldn't go amiss...

You spend the first couple of minutes wandering the ground floor, finally find a member of staff and are told that Electrical Goods can be found on the Lower Ground Floor. Now, where are the escalators?

Once in the right department, you scan the displays of white goods for the product of your choice. It is not immediately evident. Ah-ha! Another member of staff. Excuse me! Now, where's he gone? Can you tell me where I can find the machine that is on display in the window, please. Oh sorry, you are with another customer...

You stand aimlessly, waiting for help.

Finally, you get to talk to someone and you ask them where you can find the said machine and how much it is.

Sorry, it is out of stock.

Good experience?

This is what happens when the vast majority of internet customers visit websites.

They search for something specific, find a website and are invariably taken to the website homepage.

They then have to look for signs to follow to get to the right "department" in order to find the specific product or service that they originally searched for. Is there any easier way to find information? No, so it looks like they will have to follow links. Is there a form or phone number they can use to make life easier? No, but there is a "Contact Us" link tucked away in the small print somewhere at the bottom of the page.

Each link takes the visitor to another page, and then another, with each page featuring lists of products that do not include the one they are after.

What happens to that potential customer if they finally find your product and either it is marked as being out of stock, or is found to be too expensive? Off they click and move on to the next website. To be honest, the majority of those potential customers probably didn't bother to move beyond the homepage if the particular product was not immediately visible.

You don't even know they have been on your site, yet they probably had money to spend or business to pass your way!

On average, a staggering 99% of your website visitors will leave without bothering to contact you.

So, what can you do to make sure that your website works for you once a customer finds it.

If you do appear well in the Search Engines, then think about what the visitor will want to see when they click on the Search Engine link. If your Search Engine link features a specific product, make sure the landing page (ie, the page that the customer will be taken to) features that product.
If your links all go through to the homepage, make sure you feature any promotions or special offers or new products on that homepage, in order to grab the visitor's attention.
Don't worry if you haven't got a full e-commerce site, or if you don't actually sell products. The same principle applies to businesses offering services. What is your key service? For example, if you are an employment law firm, and all your seacrh engine marketing is geared towards attracting clients who need employment law advice, make sure your landing page immediately tells the visitor that you specialise in EMPLOYMENT LAW.
Whatever your business, make sure there is a CALL TO ACTION on every page. Don't expect the website visitor to hunt for the elusive "member of staff"; make it easy for them to get in touch by any means.
If you have a database of customers, past and prospective, think about running targeted email campaigns with links to specific pages of your website, so that the email takes the recipient to the right page. Even more effective is the use of a micro-site - a separate mini website that backs up the content of your email ensuring that every item of content is relevant.
Above all, make sure your website keeps pace. It MUST change frequently to keep it fresh and relevant to your clients. Don't feature content that is "out of stock", past its sell-buy date or no longer of interest. Think about your customers would want to see when they visit your website; more importantly, what they would EXPECT to see.

If you would like a free website consultation, please contact Ian Rutter at ian@argentrammedia.com. www.argentrammedia.com

Postscript

2009-08-11T11:18:00.000+01:00

As a postscript to my last blog entry, remember the immortal words of Oscar Wilde:

"The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about."

Social Media allows you to talk to other people about your business. It helps you to engage with potential customers, share information, start a dialog. Use it; your competitors will.

Social Networking for Business Growth

2009-08-11T08:42:00.000+01:00

33% of all internet users share opinions on-line every week.

It wasn't that long ago that the internet was a display cabinet for static websites that did very little apart from look pretty (and many failed at that!).

Now, there are millions of consumers talking about topics that affect them, products they like and dislike and service (good or bad) that they have experienced. The internet is an open forum, a no-holds-barred soap box where views can be aired with approbation.

"Social Media is everywhere. Quite literally...Covering a vast swathe of online activity from blogs to social networks, such as Facebook and MySpace, to the micro-blogging activity on Twitter, social media is growing at an astonishing rate." Morag Cuddeford-Jones, Marketing Week.

So, how can businesses dip their toes into this maelstrom of consumer chat?

Large brands have discovered the power of social media as a way of identifying consumer trends and changes in behaviour. Many of you will have heard the story of Cadbury Wispa. It disappeared from store shelves in 2003, but Cadbury subsequently learnt that there was a growing campaign on Facebook calling for the bar's return. By 2007, there were 93 "Bring Back Wispa" groups with around 14,000 members, all fans of the confection, and the bar was reinstated.

Cadbury responded: "We had noticed the web interest for some time. It reveals a consumer passion which swayed our opinion about relaunching Wispa." Tony Bilsborough, Cadbury Spokesman.

There are some key words in the above statement - "web interest", "consumer passion" and "swayed our opinion".

Cadbury built a relationship with those people discussing Wispa on Facebook; they listened to the consumer and reacted.

This is exactly how every business can benefit from Social Media. Use it to build relationships. Start by simply tapping into these vast networks, and sharing your opinions and ideas, providing useful information or helpful tips and build a fan base; above all, listen to what consumers are discussing.

I will conclude with some advice from Dan Cobley, Google Marketing Director:

"History tells us that economic slowdowns are when winners get ahead. The performance gap between the most successful companies and their competitors becomes greater than during a growth period. The winners continue investing in growth and focus on profitable products and customers, while carefully managing costs.

The slowdown is likely to fuel further adoption of digital technologies and greater use of the web. By understanding today's consumer, companies can take advantage of digital technology and media to be more flexible, effective and targeted in growing their business during the slowdown."

Marketing Week

We have written a paper entitled "Social Media - An Introduction to Facebook and Twitter for Business" and this can be found at http://www.argentrammedia.com/downloads.html, along with several other articles on Internet Marketing and Website Design. If you find these articles useful, please feel free to post a comment on this blog page; we'd be delighted to hear from you.

Free Marketing Guides

2009-08-03T13:37:00.000+01:00

As part of my attempts to help small and medium sized businesses through tough economic times, I am writing a series of articles on some of the most cost-effective ways of getting business. The first four of these are available on our website at http://www.argentrammedia.com/downloads.html.

These "guides" offer tips on the basic steps you can take to get seen in the Search Engines, the Importance of your website homepage, identifying changes in consumer behaviour and marketing in a difficult economy.

If you'd like to comment on these articles, or share opinions, then please send me a tweet on Twitter.

Also, if you know of any business that needs help with their marketing (new website, improved website effectiveness, design for print, email marketing, micro-websites etc) then please complete one of our Referral Forms (find this at http://www.argentrammedia.com/downloads.html) and we will pay you £100 cash for every lead we convert.

A Marketing Success Story

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Did you read the Sunday Times Magazine this week (2nd August 2009)?

In it, there was an article, "Shifting Sands", about the need for British seaside towns to reinvent themselves for the increase in UK stay-at-home holidays. Attention was focused on Torquay, and there was one story that particularly caught my eye.

There are two rival ferry companies that run up and down the Torbay coastline linking Torquay, Brixham and Paignton. The Western Lady Ferry Service took the decision, 3 years ago, to sell two elegant second-world-war naval ships, and then invest in two new 170-passenger vessels at £500,000 a-piece. As a result, they need to have healthy passenger numbers just to break even and when fuel costs rise, and the weather turns inclement this has a significant knock-on effect. Despite having been in business for 64 years, they are finding it a struggle.

The rival company, Greenway Quay and Ferry Service, is not having anything like the same problems. Profits are up 50% on last year. In the 4 years the company has been in business, some shrewd investments have been made, including the purchase of one of the naval ships that Western Lady offloaded. Naturally, the question was posed "How has Greenway done so well, and Western Lady so badly?" The answer..?

"We offer more trips than anyone else, and we spend more than anyone else on marketing...because we know we've got to speculate to accumulate. That is not the attitude of everyone in the area." Will Ford, Greenway Quay and Ferry Service.

You will hear every marketing expert expounding on the need to "market your way out of a recession." The above story is a prime example of the success that can be achieved by thinking outside the box. Greenway have done different things; they have not been complacent. They offer a greater range of services, and by keeping control over his costs, Will Ford only needs to fill 35% of his boats to be profitable. It says much that he is close to capacity on almost all services he runs.

Don't make the mistake of ignoring the need to market your business. I have written four articles on how you can make the most of some of the most cost-effective forms of marketing you have at your disposal:

Marketing in a Difficult Economy - Employing a Cost-Effective Marketing Strategy

Search Engine Promotion - Getting your Website seen by Potential Customers

Effective Websites - the Importance of your Homepage

Consumer Behaviour Changes - An Introduction to Google Insights for Search

These articles are all available for you to download, free, from our website at:
http://www.argentrammedia.com/downloads.html

If you would like to discuss any aspect of your marketing, please call us to arrange a free initial consultation.

Argent Ram Media is a company that specialises in providing a range of marketing solutionsfor all businesses, from the small one-man-band up to the largest of multi-nationalcompanies.

Website Design & Development
Design for Print
Email Design & Campaign Management
Micro-Site Marketing
E-Commerce
Internet Start-Ups
Marketing Consultancy
Search Engine Marketing
PR
Digital Advertising
Digital Screen Marketing

0845 009 5396

Acknowledgement - The Sunday Times Magazine, 2nd August 2009.