SMM = Social Media Marketing (Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, MySpace..)

Published | 13.34, 31st of March 2009, by Paul Butler | Marketing

Social Media Marketing uses familiar social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, as well as blogging sites such as Twitter, to direct visitors towards a particular website selling a product or service. Blogging on Twitter can promote ideas and opinions which can then lead to a specific following or fan base. Linked In creates connections for job hunting, business networking and best of all, commercial marketing.

Registering is simple and secure. There is usually a search feature so you can build your network of contacts and you can log in as little or as much as you like.

If you have a skill then the chances are others will be interested to learn from you. Twitter allows your to write short descriptive comments which others can read. Facebook networking on the other hand is based on the theory that recommendations and referrals are the best form of advertising. If you see a friend is interested in a particular product or service then chances are you will follow suit.

Artlines Media uses SMM as part of its website marketing activity. Social Media Marketing isn't complicated but it can be time consuming if you're not sure what you are doing. Our experience tells us where to register for the best results and depending on who your are targeting we can almost certainly save you time and money, whilst generating potential revenue opportunities.

Why not make yourself a coffee and look into SMM for your own business?

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Suggest goes mainstream on google.co.uk

Published | 10.19, 31st of March 2009, by Chris van Aurich | SEO

There has been a change on google.co.uk. Their Suggest functionality has gone from lab to mainstream. So what is Google Suggest? Simply start typing in the search box and suggestions of relevant search terms will automatically display. The green number next to each suggested query represents the approximate number of results that would return if you select the query.

So what does this mean to us in terms of SEO?. I see this effecting long-tail keyword searches mainly, these are typically searches for 4-6 keywords in length, eg. print design high wycombe. Google is now helping the user make its search decisions and focuses the end user far more on highly competitive and short-tail key phrases.

We will be keeping a close eye on search terms and key phrases used for our clients to see the  real impact of this change.

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My standard CSS resets for default element properties

Published | 16.01, 30th of March 2009, by Jay Vincent | Technical

Whenever I start a new CSS build, I use a pre-made stylesheet and add to it, rather than create one from scratch. There are a few reasons for this:

• HTML elements have default browser-inherited properties: for example, unstyled text usually display as 16px times new roman.
• Different browsers may apply slightly different default values. In interner explorer, the h1 tag displays at 300% in relation to its parent element font-size, where as firefox displays at 200%.
• Re-declaring these values ensures all browsers are using the correct styles and are displaying uniformly and as intended.

Good practise for font-size declarations is to set the size in the body tag using em's or a percentage (not pixels), so a user can over-ride the values using the browser's 'increase text-size' functions. All other font-size declarations should then be made relative to this.

Example:

We want to have a font-size of 12px for the body text and h1 tags of 24px:
note: The browser's default font-size setting is 16px, so 75% amounts to 12px.

body
{
     font-size: 75%;
     font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;
     color: #000;
     background: #fff;
}

h1
{
     font-size: 200%;
}

There are other values and properties which require attention, most notably element margins of block elements, but the best way to find out what CSS works best for you is thorough mulit-browser testing and a passion for web design and self-improvement :)

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Open Questions help with communication - What, Where, Who..

Published | 15.26, 19th of March 2009, by Paul Butler | Random

In a sales process there are 7 primary open questions types. These allow conversation to flow and more detailed information to be communicated. Open questions, as opposed to closed questions, support the funnel effect of a sales process. Imagine the widest part of a funnel - Open questions to get more detailed responses - reducing down to the narrow end where more specific, direct or closed questions help commit the person to a number of final Yes statements. The process typically then continues with something called the ladder of agreement, but that's not for now.

To clarify, open questions start with words that make it hard to reply to with a yes or no. Closed questions on the other hand are mainly used either to influence the direction of the conversation during the initial stages, they can be used at the trial close stage or obviously as a final close. For example, can I have your order please? As an example I have used Who What, When, Why, Who, How and Which to explain my decision to join Artlines Media.

Who | My name is Paul Butler and I am Client Communications Consultant at Artlines Media Ltd. If I had to describe myself in three words they would be:

Knowledgeable | Helpful | Trustworthy

Where | I originally come from a little village called Stanstead Abbotts (East Herts). I then moved to Hoddesdon and eventually ended up here in High Wycombe just over 10 years ago. I have always been involved in Sales and Marketing. I have even spent 2 years as a professional trainer coaching approximately 750 Sales people and Customer Care Advisors. (Not on my own I must add!)

I have worked for large companies such as Energis Telecommunication, Embarcadero Europe, The Thames Valley Auto Trader (Commercial Sales, Advertising & Design), Clearview Business Intelligence, Maximiser - CRM (Channel Management) as well as a selection of smaller IT firms focusing on Web, Contact Management, Software Development and IT Support.

When | I started at Artlines Media at the end of November 2008 after spending 20 years managing Sales and Marketing strategies for various companies throughout the south east. Design has always been a passion of mine and following my natural artistic interest is something I have always really enjoyed.

Why | I joined Artlines Media because I could see a great foundation and a superb vision for the future. We offer much more than just Web Design or Design for Print. We offer a real marketing resource for businesses in any industry, Sole Traders to PLCs. We are business people and we look further than just design.

How | We look at how the whole business marketing plan is put together not just what the initial enquiry was for. Then we examine what the client wants comparing that with what they actually need. Then we work out the most cost effective way to achieve the goals they have in mind incorporating factors such as target audience, the offer, previous buying trends and so on.

Which | Which Agency? There are many agency style consultancies like Artlines Media but NONE offer the same combination of valuable experience and new thinking. Since 1985 Artlines has offered quality through a magnifying glass. Let's put it this way, Artlines Media must be extremely good, otherwise I wouldn't be here.

What | What you should do now is call me on 01494 614 600. Then we can talk 1-2-1 about your current concerns and plan a successful campaign to suit your specific demands.

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Google | Behavioural Marketing

Published | 15.49, 11th of March 2009, by Paul Butler | Marketing

A new buzz phrase or something that has been established for years? Google is the latest organisation in the firing line. Some say that privacy rights are being infringed. Others that the practice allows for targeted advertising, saving time and money.

Typically associated with the World Wide Web, Behavioural Marketing targets future advertising at those that are being monitored.  Cookies tell advertisers what you find interesting. This in turn allows the advertisers to save money by focusing their marketing activity on those visitors that are more likely to buy. Sound familiar?

Let's put it another way. Marketers use data collated to target future marketing activity for maximum return on investment. I've talked about Business Intelligence in a previous blog but as a reminder the principles are the same used by Tesco and their loyalty scheme. With Tesco it's buying trends. With Google it's visitor trends. The old term used to be OLAP, then the activity was re-invented as Business Intelligence and now this latest term still bases it's core at analysing data relating to the past, to target the future for increased revenue.

Now the main lesson here is something we at Artlines have said many times before. Only use a service if it offers a measurable result. If you send out emails to promote a new product or service. Or if you send out a company newsletter linking to certain areas of your website. Make sure you can track who is looking at what, when and for how long. If you have a website (See my Microsoft Survey blog), make sure you have statistical reporting so you can focus your marketing spend. Then you can use these trends to maximum effect.

TV advertisers have been using Behavioural Marketing for years. Focusing certain products or services during certain times of the day for maximum impact. Ever wondered why there are so many credit card adverts and debt management adverts on during the day? Marketing suggests that woman are more likely to manage the household finances and whilst they are home with their young children, hitting them with these type of adverts gives the advertisers maximum return.

If you want to know how to promote your offer effectively call Artlines Media now on 01494 614 600.

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