PPC stands for Pay per Click and it is basically an online advert that viewers can click on to go through to the chosen website. Each time your ad is clicked you will be charged a fee. Google has the largest PPC program which is called Google Adwords. These ads can not only appear on the search results pages but can also be shown on other websites. Setting a campaign up is relatively easy but setting it up correctly is a different matter. There are so many settings and areas that can be adapted to help you with what you want to achieve. For instance, you can set up different ads for geographical locations, allowing you to make the ad very specific. If you are an electrician you could create an ad such as “Qualified, reliable Electrician in Shropshire”, for example rather than just “Qualified, Reliable Electrician”. This will make your click through rates higher as people will automatically assume you are based in that... Read More »

If you use a marketing company for your online and / or off line marketing then it is vital that you keep them in the loop or changes that are happening in the industry and within your business. When some companies use a marketing company, they forget that they are not experts in their industry but instead in promotion and marketing. They will require a certain amount of input from you in order to get the campaigns to be successful. As with many things in life, the more you put in the more you get out and that goes for marketing too. If you are having a change of management or have a new line of products that are hitting the shelves soon, then give your marketing company as much notice as possible so they can start to plan in what needs to be done in order to attract customers and gain enquiries / sales.  A simply quick phone call or email may be enough... Read More »

As a business owner, there often comes a time when you want to spread your wings and venture in to new locations. If you already have an online presence established then this will be a bit easier to do. If you are new to the world of online marketing then you may want to concentrate your efforts in one areas first and then look to expand later on down the line. When expanding to new areas it is important to know what your budget is and how quickly you want to see results. If you are looking for a quick turn around then you may want to look at something like Google Adwords which can give you instant results. If you are after something a little more long term that will not cost a huge amount in terms of running costs, then search engine optimisation is the way to go to try and build up your organic listings. Seeking the advice of a professional marketing... Read More »

Marketing can seem quite complicated to many business owners and often you will not find out what works and what doesn’t until you have tried it. With so many different ways of marketing and all companies giving you slightly different advise it often it a trial and error for a little while until you find what works. When you are doing any sort of marketing it is important to be able to try and track the response it has had as much as possible. If you are doing leaflet drops for example, you may put a dedicated phone number on or a voucher code to find out how successful they have been. If you are going to be doing web marketing such as Google Adwords then there are some great stats packages out there which will allow you to monitor the traffic to your site and see if they have been refer from another website or a search engine. It will also track visits you... Read More »

Many business owners will ask how much they need to spend on marketing. The truth is there is no set amount, it all depends on the type of business you run, the level of competition, how many products or services you want to market and the geographical locations you wish to target. Ideally before you go and speak to a marketing agency you need to consider what you would be able to spend on marketing. Ideally you need to have an initial budget and also an on-going monthly budget. Once you have this then you can speak to the agency and advise them of what you want to spend. They should then be able to run through the options with you as to how they suggest using your budget. If your budget is really small then they may suggest an increase or that you choose specific areas to target first to ensure that you get some return on your investment. You should look to increase... Read More »