Digital Marketing

When I returned from maternity leave after 9 months, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect in the world of marketing, social media and digital marketing.

Apart from coming back to work and remembering how to write an email (to name but a few basic functions), I was apprehensive about the pace and would change be so great that it’s completely new and different. Would there be more social media platforms, would email marketing end, would automation define everything?

Thankfully, AI hasn’t defeated us yet and even though a lot of the basics are the same, there are some noticeable changes over a relatively short time, particularly with social media.

I’ve quickly identified what I think the current trends are, what’s changed and what’s not the big fad anymore.

Firms who invest in effective digital marketing such as social media, pay per click (PPC) and search engine optimisation (SEO) can often see great results within a relatively short space of time. Through easily trackable analytics, it is easy to see the actual impact of this increased marketing activity. In turn, brand awareness grows, the number of new enquiries increases and the business expands.  But what happens if you stop marketing because you're too busy?

A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page on your website could be the perfect solution to make information more accessible to your clients. No doubt the companies you buy from personally are the ones that meet your needs, are easy to deal with and offer a transparent service you can trust? Making key information readily available can save time and build trust.

Blogs and articles take time to research and craft, so why not maximise that effort by ‘repurposing’ them?  Repurposing doesn’t only apply to blogs or news articles, though.  Tweets or Facebook posts might feel more throwaway, but they don’t have to be.  And what do you do with client feedback, testimonials or slide decks and notes you may have spent hours putting together for a presentation?

At the inaugural North East Marketing Awards 2018, Cal Partners won the Agency of the Year (under 20 employees) category. The event took place on the evening of Thursday 18th October at The Biscuit Factory, Stoddart Street, Newcastle and was attended by marketing industry leaders from across the region. As well as being finalists for the Agency of the Year Category, Cal Partners' founder and director, Chris Lucarelli, was also a finalist in the Marketing Director of the Year category.

Client reviews can be a powerful influence and help towards the success of a business through its reputation, profile and brand.  Reviews are particularly useful within the professional services sector.  With a lot of firms offering and selling the same or similar service, it can be a very competitive market and difficult to differentiate.  Client reviews provide credibility, proof that what you are saying is true and promote the added value that you offer – reducing the risk that the potential client is taking in using you.

We’ve all done it! Endured the long process of getting a new flashy website and then had the pain of not being able to update it properly as the content management system is not fully accessible or is too difficult or daunting to use. You don’t want to be “that “person who broke the firm’s website.