ISSUE 01 MARKETING, BUSINESS AND CREATIVE DIGEST FROM THE MARKETING CAFÉ
TOP TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE GOOD USE OF THEM
CLOUD 9
GREAT REASONS FOR CLOUD COMPUTING
PORTFOLIO
TMC’S LATEST WORK
CUSTOMER MAGAZINES
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HOW TO EDITORIALISE YOUR BRAND
ARE YOU READY TO PLAY?
WHY VIDEO WILL SOON RULE THE WEB
UK £Free2U
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PAUSE {ISSUE 01}
CLOUD 9
BUSINESSES ARE INCREASINGLY MOVING AWAY FROM THE USE OF TRADITIONAL SOFTWARE; OPTING INSTEAD FOR ONLINE RESOURCES TO STORE FILES, CREATE DOCUMENTS AND RUN APPLICATIONS – HERE ARE 9 REASONS WHY IT’S TIME TO USE CLOUD COMPUTING.
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With the advent of cloud computing, business firms can potentially reduce operational costs, while increasing IT effectiveness as all advice and support becomes available online.
The ability to mix and match the right solutions for the business, to manage huge data sets and to scale up IT capacity ondemand has fast-secured cloud technology as a way forward for businesses of all sizes.
PREZI Presentation software is now ‘zoomable’ with Prezi, providing a captivating and fun tool for communicating.
From tools for data sharing and time management to creating campaigns and presenting material – the cloud is an infinite resource.
Cloud resources also help to create clientengaging applications, whereby you can encourage other users to interact with your systems with measurable results.
DROPBOX Known as a virtual USB, DropBox provides a document storage solution for businesses on the go, allowing access to files from anywhere on any device.
Soon businesses will need only a browser to operate their systems, reducing the strain on hardware and making applications easier to manage.
Cloud resources can make a business entirely virtual, meaning it can be accessed away from a traditional office desk.
EVERNOTE Upload and tag a photo, video and even a voice track in a matter of seconds to keep a digital filing cabinet of ideas with Evernote.
QR CODES TOP TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE GOOD USE OF THEM CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING WHEN INCORPORATING QR CODES INTO YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY: EDUCATE YOUR AUDIENCE The beauty of a QR code is its simplicity. By quickly scanning a code from a mobile device, users can access a wealth of information. Make sure you provide instructions to educate the target audience on how to engage with your marketing campaign.
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CLEAR CALL TO ACTION It is important to plan ahead. Where do you want to take your audience so that they can make the next step? Show them a clear path so that once they land, they will know what to do. BRING PRINT ONLINE The most significant aspect to using these codes is the link between on and offline media. Your brochures, magazines and even letterheads can now build your online reputation as much as your website.
LOGISTICS Also, it is important to remember that iPhones and iPads can’t read flash, so don’t lead people to flash pages. USER FRIENDLY A QR code should be easy to use for everyone. Don’t bombard your audience with unnecessary images or graphics and keep the online journey smooth.
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No longer will businesses need to waste time operating and maintaining updates to software as the process becomes automated within the cloud.
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Moving your business into the cloud means you have one point of control that is accessible and can be flexible to upgrades and increased technological demands.
CAMPAIGN MONITOR Upload a design, import a subscriber list and grant clients access to in-depth analytics with this effective email marketing campaign tool.
GAME CHANGING PRESENTATIONS WHEN TV MANUFACTURER CELLO ELECTRONICS ASKED THE MARKETING CAFÉ TO CREATE AN INNOVATIVE PRESENTATION FOR A WELL-KNOWN NATIONAL RETAILER WE KNEW POWERPOINT WAS NOT THE ANSWER. THE BRIEF During the summer Cello had an appointment with one of the UK’s largest retail outlets giving them a rare opportunity to present their new product range. At the meeting they wanted to effectively communicate their technological expertise and cutting edge design. To do this they needed a presentation that was dynamic and reflected their position in the market as one of Europe’s most innovative LCD and LED TV brands. We were asked how this might be achieved on a budget. THE SOLUTION Right away we knew we had to abandon the old way of doing things. Cello wanted a great solution that also had to be cost effective. Prezi.com gave us the dynamic presentation resource we needed and with it being a ‘cloud’ service it was quick and easy to access. With no expensive software to buy and
no hardware compatibility issues we found the Prezi experience simply perfect and the results showed. THE RESULTS The completed presentation was ready within 48 hours of receiving the brief. The presenters found it gave them a renewed confidence as well as a discipline to work out what they were going to say beforehand. This resulted in a much slicker presentation by the speaker supported by captivating on-screen graphics and motion. We have now produced three Prezis for Cello and each time the customer has commented on a very impressive presentation, but most importantly it has resulted in increased sales. SCAN THE QR CODE
Once files are stored in the cloud, multiple copies are generated and saved. Users therefore avoid the risk of losing valuable information with this back-up procedure.
Visit prezi.com for more information
QR CODES IN ACTION
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QR CODES ON BUSINESS CARDS ARE A GREAT NETWORKING TOOL, TURNING CONTACT DETAILS INTO A DIGITAL FORMAT WITH ONE CLICK.
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COMPETITIONS, DISCOUNTS AND GIVEAWAYS CAN BE PROMOTED THROUGH THE USE OF A QR CODE AND CAN CREATE A FUN AND INTERACTIVE APPROACH TO MARKETING.
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YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS CAN BE GIVEN A BOOST BY GATHERING ‘LIKES’ AND ‘FOLLOWS’ THROUGH A QR CODE.
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THE INSTANTANEOUS NATURE OF THIS MARKETING MEANS YOU CAN EASILY MEASURE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE CAMPAIGN THROUGH THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE USING THE CODE.
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BY ADDING A QR CODE TO AN ABOUT US WEB PAGE VISITORS CAN DOWNLOAD YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION DIRECTLY TO THEIR PHONES.
THE MARKETING CAFE {03}
PAUSE {ISSUE 01}
EDITORIALISE YOUR BRAND
CUSTOMER MAGAZINES ARE THE FASTEST GROWING MARKETING MEDIUM AFTER INTERNET ADVERTISING*. WE EXPLORE THE REASONS WHY.
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NEW BRANDS HAVE INVESTED IN CONTENT MARKETING IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS*
CUSTOMER MAGAZINES INCREASE BRAND LOYALTY BY
38%*
CONTENT MARKETING DEFINED Content marketing is a widely used term these days, so its meaning is worth clarifying. It is an approach to marketing that mixes brand communications with valuable content that the recipient will be interested in. The most common incarnation of content marketing is the customer magazine. With feature articles weaved next to and through brand messages, the customer magazine is a powerful tool for the marketer. That’s it in a nutshell, content marketing provides a way to editorialise the brand. HUGE GROWTH There is no doubt in the effectiveness of content marketing. Studies show that it dramatically increases brand loyalty, which is why so many of the world’s top brands consistently commit growing budgets to the medium. In the last six months alone 120 new brands have invested in content marketing* and with the value of the UK industry expected to break the £1bn barrier in 2012** it seems to be an unstoppable force. WHY SO EFFECTIVE? As we write this feature a new publication from Fine Estate Agents has rolled off the
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CLIENT SPEND IN CUSTOMER MAGAZINES EXCEEDS ADVERTISING SPEND IN CONSUMER MAGAZINES (INCLUDING CLASSIFIEDS)
BY
presses. Rather than page upon page of houses for sale in a predictable format it meets the reader at their point of interest. Properties are presented by combining stunning imagery with journalist vendor interviews to create something that is truly compelling. However, content marketing goes beyond that by introducing subjects of a much wider interest. For the Fine magazine this means the property pages are complemented with fashion features, shopping guides, holiday destinations, entertainment news, and celebrity profiles. This leads to an even greater engagement and completes the picture for a highend property and lifestyle magazine that entertains the reader, but above all leads to a surge in new vendor instructions with each published issue. MIXING IT UP We have not yet mentioned the word ‘digital’ but for content it has significant implications. Digital publications expose the brand to an even wider global audience through such areas as social networking, video and mobile applications. For example a restaurant review in a printed magazine may be accompanied by a QR code that links to a video interview with the Head Chef. Or a social media post
50%
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on YouTube referring to that video could draw viewers to the main website where they can subscribe to the printed magazine. The online and offline worlds can support each other in ever increasing ways to ensure viewers and readers get the best content whatever the medium. CREATING YOUR OWN PUBLICATION Many brands are put off the idea of developing their own publication because they believe the process to be complicated or overly expensive. The reality is that it needn’t be either. For example the starting point for you doesn’t have to be a 200-page magazine, it could be something similar to the publication you are currently reading. An 8 page engaging read that is informative and adds value for your target audience. At The Marketing Café we publish a wide range of customer magazines and newsletters for a diverse client base.
* APA Advantage Study ** Mintel
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DIGITAL MAGAZINES The marriage of print and digital has never been more realised until now. The advent of cross medium marketing means that the two blend seamlessly and Apps are at the very heart of it.
By introducing magazines to the digital world the iPad offers a new business model, widening the audience and improving the speed in which it is digested. With the addition of interactive elements such as photo galleries
and HD video content, Apps can be a great addition to a print magazine. Although print and digital operate in a separate way, the end goal is fundamentally the same – to engage with readers. Get in touch to find out more about TMC’s digital magazines.
79%
MODERN CUSTOMER MAGAZINE READERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE ABC1 AND
18%
40%
MORE LIKELY TO HAVE A FAMILY INCOME IN EXCESS OF £50K THAN NONCUSTOMER MAGAZINE READERS. (TGI)
OF THE POPULATION READ CUSTOMER MAGAZINES*
CUSTOMER MAGAZINES KEEP CONSUMERS’ ATTENTION FOR MORE THAN 25 MINUTES. THIS COMPARES TO 8 SECONDS LOOKING AT A POSTER OR 30 SECONDS LISTENING TO A RADIO AD.*
WHO’S IT RIGHT FOR?
PROPERTY
LAW FIRMS
CRUISE LINERS
For the most forward thinking estate agents and property consultants customer magazines are already an essential component in the marketing mix. Property firms have a wealth of good content with homes for sale that people want to read about. If this content is editorialised in the right way and combined with other valuable articles then it will result in a publication that readers truly want to engage with. People enjoy reading property content – making these publications as marketable as anything you’d find on the shelves of WH Smith.
This is a sector that understands the importance of regular communication with customers and prospects. Most of the UK’s top law firms produce a range of publications, but to what extent are they editorialised? Unfortunately many are not at all appealing and fail to engage with the targets they are designed for. A good content marketing agency will be able to inject style and substance to ensure an improved response and brand loyalty. The Marketing Café recently completed such a task for Edinburgh law firm Tods Murray and the results have been outstanding.
For the cruise line industry regular contact with previous travellers is absolutely necessary to ensure customers consider them when a new voyage is booked. However, with consumers becoming more media literate and demanding greater depth of information simple product offers and promotions are not enough. Cruise liners have a unique opportunity to develop engaging lifestyle magazines that will be gratefully received by loyal customers who want to continue living the experience long after the voyage is over.
FAST FORWARD > THESE INDUSTRIES ARE ALSO PERFECT FOR MAKING THE MOST OF THE ONLINE VIDEO REVOLUTION. SEE PAGE 7 > TO BENEFIT FROM OUR EXPERIENCE WE HAVE PRODUCED A GUIDE ON HOW TO CREATE A GOOD CUSTOMER MAGAZINE. TO OBTAIN YOUR FREE COPY PLEASE CALL HOLLIE ON 0141 621 3900 OR EMAIL HOLLIE@THEMARKETINGCAFE.NET.
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PORTFOLIO A VISUAL SHOWCASE OF RECENT TMC PROJECTS 01.
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01. CLIENT: Tods Murray PROJECT: Land Business Advert 02. CLIENT: Fine PROJECT: Property & Lifestyle Magazine 03. CLIENT: Corum PROJECT: Property & Lifestyle Magazine 04. CLIENT: Spicerhaart PROJECT: Social Media Email 05. CLIENT: Fine PROJECT: Website 06. CLIENT: Cello Electronics PROJECT: TV Packaging 07. CLIENT: Tods Murray PROJECT: Dispatches Magazine 08. CLIENT: Urbicus PROJECT: Brand Identity
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ARE YOU READY TO PLAY? THE ONLINE VIDEO REVOLUTION IS WELL AND TRULY UNDERWAY. WE COUNT DOWN OUR TOP 5 REASONS WHY VIDEO WILL SOON RULE THE WEB.
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WATCH RATHER THAN READ Because of the colossal amount of information on the web the attention span of surfers will always be low. If a website doesn’t grab your attention and get to the point quickly then there is no second chance and people will move on. However, a 30 second overview video on the home page of a website is more likely to be watched than 300 words of text saying something similar. It’s all about time and when time is limited video is a more appealing option. The best websites now weave video throughout their pages to include staff interviews, client testimonials, product demonstrations and real life experiences. Video grabs attention like few other mediums and with increased bandwidths company websites are increasingly making good use of this dynamic communication tool.
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CONTENT RICH Video is unique in that it can bring together so many different visual and audio dimensions. The combination of live video footage with motion graphics, music and professional voiceovers is a potent mix that gives marketers a chance to express their brand in new and exciting ways. It provides a way of bringing the brand to life beyond the capability of brochures and static web pages. For instance a cruise line can create great copy and images to entice customers to travel with them, but video is able to bring the experience to life. What better way to convince people than to show them what life on board is really like from fine dining and choice of bars to live entertainment and plush cabin interiors.
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EASY TO SHARE Nothing goes viral quite like video. Social networking thrives on it because it is quick and easy to share amongst large groups of users. Links to blogs or text based web pages are one thing, but video is much more appealing especially when time is of the essence. Social video leads to opinion, discussion and interaction with the brand.
The great thing about video is that it is highly measurable so all those click rates, site traffic numbers, video views and social media reactions are fully available for marketers to study and analyse.
ACCORDING TO FORRESTER RESEARCH, A WEBSITE IS 53 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO APPEAR BY SEARCH ENGINE RANKING IF IT CONTAINS VIDEO
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SEARCH ENGINE RANKINGS Search engine performance is all-important these days and SEO specialists are continually looking for ways to get websites further up the rankings. One way that a website can gain huge influence on search engines is through the use of video. According to Forrester Research, a website is 53 times more likely to appear by search engine ranking if it contains video. Also, those video tabs in Google’s search result pages are becoming ever more interesting to the savvy web surfer.
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VIDEO COMMERCE There are many opportunities for exploiting the potential of video on the Internet, but one that stands out above all others is e-commerce or v-commerce as it is becoming known. Retail sales online are booming with many brands devoting an increasing amount of energy and resource into doing it better. Marks and Spencer are a good example with the development of M&S TV. As a pioneer in online retail sales M&S TV aims to deliver a new form of customer engagement in order to ensure longer dwell times, repeat site visits and a significant uplift in conversions. M&S TV has been a huge success. More than three million minutes of content has been viewed with the following results: •T hree times as many product views when supported with video • Up to twice as many repeat visits by customers who watched M&S TV as opposed to those visiting the site alone • Up to twice as long dwell time for customers who watch M&S TV as those who don’t • Average uplift in basket size roughly 23 percent
CRAIGIE ROAD THE MOST INNOVATIVE ONLINE VIDEO PRODUCTION AGENCY IN THE UK COMING SOON
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PAUSE {ISSUE 01}
TOP FIVE APPS
FOR BUSINESS IAN PALMER, MANAGING DIRECTOR AT THE MARKETING CAFÉ SELECTS HIS FAVOURITE APPS FOR USE IN BUSINESS. SEO RANKING (£1.99) This is a great app for checking a website’s performance on Google. It allows me to monitor the progress of unlimited domains and keywords. I like the colour coded latest ranking feature. Green for improved ranking, red for decreased and grey for unchanged showing at a glance my website’s overall keyword ranking position. It currently only works for Google, but this is the benchmark we are all most concerned with.
{MUST READ} DELIVERING HAPPINESS BY TONY HSIEH THIS BOOK SHOWS HOW USING HAPPINESS AS A FRAMEWORK CAN PRODUCE PROFITS, PASSION, AND PURPOSE BOTH IN BUSINESS AND IN LIFE.
GOODREADER (£2.99) In my opinion GoodReader is one of the best PDF reader apps available. With GoodReader on my phone, I can read virtually anything, anywhere: books, movies, maps and pictures. It handles really large files extremely well (it can even unzip files) and it connects to Google Docs so you can download your files for offline reading or to open in another application for easy editing.
BENTO (£2.99) Bento is one of my favourite apps making it possible for me to create databases and manage a variety of information, all from my mobile. I can organise contacts, track projects, plan events, and manage my life from one simple database. It can store text, pictures, video clips, voice memos, addresses, phone numbers, websites, email addresses and a whole lot more.
SKYGRID (FREE) This is one of the world’s most popular apps and it’s easy to see why. It gives me the ability to keep up to date on subjects of interest – business, my company, competitors, industry, politics, news and sport – with a single tap. I love the way you can follow any source and see all the latest articles plus you can set alerts that update based on your interests.
PENULTIMATE (£1.49) This is a great handwriting app for the iPad and is as close to writing on paper as you are going to get in the digital world. It gives you the fast, tactile gratification of writing on paper, with digital power and flexibility. Take notes, keep sketches, or share your next breakthrough idea – in the office, on the go, or at home on the sofa. Penultimate is the most elegant note taking app I’ve found. The inking is pretty amazing, and the overall interface is simple and elegant.
NEW FACES AT TMC CLAIRE COETZEE {GRAPHIC DESIGNER}
HOLLIE MILLER {ACCOUNT MANAGER}
Since graduating as a Graphic Designer in 2004, Claire has had 7 years experience working within award winning agencies in both London and Australia. After spending 5 months travelling the world, Claire has now returned to Glasgow to fulfill the creative role as Graphic Designer at The Marketing Café. LITTLE KNOWN FACT: Claire braved a bungee jump in New Zealand!
SEEN ANYTHING YOU LIKE?
FEEL FREE TO GET IN TOUCH ON 0141 621 3900 The Marketing Café Ltd Glasgow: Suite 29, Unit 1, Spiersbridge Business Park, Spiersbridge Way, Glasgow, G46 8NL Milton Keynes: Luminous House, 300 South Row, Milton Keynes MK9 2FR Email: info@themarketingcafe.net www.themarketingcafe.net
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Hollie Miller joined The Marketing Café in May as our Account Manager. She brings with her 5 years experience within the creative industry working both agency side and as a freelancer. A Copywriter by trade, Hollie effectively blends writing skills whilst building client relationships to deliver quality editorial for every project. LITTLE KNOWN FACT: Hollie is also an avid collector of teacups!