15 Years Of Win Marketing
On August 8, Win Marketing celebrated our 15th anniversary. We have come a long way since Managing Director Ann Goodwin started the company out of her home in 1999 – thanks to our dynamic staff and fantastic clients.
Ann has seen plenty of changes in the marketing world since Win Marketing was launched 15 years ago. One of the major differences was that the workload on a day to day basis was more paper-based. Proofs and hard copies had to be printed out for client approval, but now email proofs are the norm. Advertising took place in more tangible formats, such as in magazines, newspapers, television and radio – whereas online marketing and SEO are preferred formats today. Back then, fax mailers were seen as a cost effective way of reaching out to customers; today, that function has been taken over by e-shots.
While the marketing landscape has drastically changed over the past 15 years, many fundamentals have remained the same. As it was in 1999, it is still important for brands to understand what their clients are looking for. In that same vein, it remains crucial to focus on the customer. Rather than concentrating on what a brand can offer, it is more effective to place the emphasis on the customer’s need and how the brand can meet them.
Customer service also remains an important aspect for any business. A personal touch goes a long way to satisfying and retaining clients. Win Marketing has never lost sight of this timeless approach, and it has helped us build and maintain long standing productive relationships with our customers.
Over the years, Win Marketing has helped numerous clients achieve their goals. The list includes product launches for prestigious products, such as the BMW 1 Series and the MINI Cooper. We have built and managed dozens of websites, and completed insightful market research projects for a wide range of sectors, including aerospace, environmental and leisure. Other important highlights include:
- Creating a communications strategy for Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, when it merged from six different organisations into one
- Developing the marketing strategy for Islamic Development Bank Research and Training Institute in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Managing international mass media coverage for Air Fuels Synthesis, which appeared in over 2,000 programmes around the world
- Conducted a marketing audit for award-winning travel operator Real Russia, which included training for their Russian staff
Win Marketing has achieved these great things – and much more – thanks to our stellar team. They have supported our growth throughout the years and have helped Win Marketing to become the successful firm that it is today.
Thank you to our customers and clients, as well – many of which have been with us since our early days. It has been a pleasure, and we look forward to working with you for many more years to come.
Google Introduces New Pigeon Algorithm to Benefit Local Businesses
In the online marketing world, it is all too easy for smaller, local companies to be overshadowed by bigger brands with a larger web presence. This week, Google has endeavoured to solve this issue by updating its Pigeon Algorithm to help improve local search results.
The new algorithm has been nicknamed the Pigeon Update by Search Engine Land. This update will provide more useful and relevant local search results, which are more closely linked to site ranking. Local businesses have already noticed some movement due to the update, but Google has not confirmed the number of sites that have been effected.
One of the more noticeable changes is the addition of a scroll bar in the Google Maps search. Now, any local searches will appear on the map itself and in a display along the side. The scroll provides instant access to the location’s ratings and further information. While Google has stated that the changes will only take effect in English US results, we noticed that the scroll bar was already in use on Google Maps UK.
This new update stresses the importance of optimising your local search results. Be sure to register your business address with Google, so that it appears in Maps. It is also important to optimise your listing on local directories, as the new Google Pigeon update places a greater emphasis on these types of sites. So, encourage your customers to leave reviews on sites like Yelp and Trip Advisor.
At Win Marketing, we can help to improve your visibility in local search results. View our Search Engine Optimisation page or call 01509 265890 for more information on how we can help.
Dos and Don’ts of Email Marketing
Email marketing is an important web marketing tool used to help brands reach out to existing and potential customers. Here are some tips that have helped to ensure that Win Marketing’s email campaigns reach the right audience and convert readers to customers.
Do Broadcast, But Don’t Brag
While sending out emails about your achievements is a great way to let clients know that your brand is experienced and qualified to meet their needs, it can turn into bragging very quickly. Be sure to keep your content mostly customer-based by explaining how your achievements can benefit them.
Do Write Catchy Subjects, But Don’t Cross Over Into Spam
Your subject line or email header should be engaging and interesting, and it should immediately capture the attention of your readers. However, many attention-grabbing words now have ‘spammy’ connotations and they will not be well received by your audience. Here are some terms that are commonly viewed as spam by both email filters and readers:
- Trial offer
- Buy direct
- Affordable
- Cheap
- Success
- Increase Sales
- Miracle
When writing your headers, think about the type of content that would pique your own interest. Personal, fun and exciting headlines are key.
Do Engage the Reader, But Don’t Rely Too Much On Photos
Everyone knows that a wall of text is the quickest way to get someone to ignore your emails. As such, it is a good idea to include engaging and interesting photos in your email newsletters. However, avoid stuffing your email with photos, because this could also be viewed as spam. Ensure that the text-to-photo ratio is balanced.
Do Stay Current But Don’t Rush
If there is very current news in your email, you will want to get the message out quickly – but don’t rush it. Remember to double check your email for any grammatical, formatting or image errors. It is very easy to skip out this step when you’re in a hurry to send your email campaign, and small unprofessional errors will certainly encourage readers to unsubscribe.
At Win Marketing, we have a great deal of experience in creating successful email marketing campaigns. For more information on how we can develop an engaging campaign for your brand, view our Email Newsletters page or call us at: +44(0)1509 265890.
New opportunity to take part in focus groups
Win Marketing has once again been asked to organise some market research focus groups to gain genuine feedback around our client’s new website and the messages it conveys.
We are looking for 20 people to take part, with an even split of men and women, age between 18 and 60 who are generally active. We are interested in people who used to participate in sport, or who maybe run or cycle now or who visit the gym occasionally. We are not looking for elite athletes or people who have undertaken a triathlon.
We need people who will give us around 40 minutes to an hour of their time to discuss the messages and images on a website and if you think it appeals to you. We are interested in your feedback and views. There are no right or wrong answers, it is a genuine market research focus group to understand people’s perception in order to help my client understand the areas of their website that works and doesn’t work.
Particpants will be paid £25 cash for attending and in line with best market research society practices, your details will remain anonymous to the client and no-one will try to sell you anything either on the night or afterwards.
The focus groups will be at Loughborough University on Thursday 31st July one at 5.30pm and one at 7pm.
If you are interested please email info@winmarketing.co.uk
Using Storytelling Marketing To Engage Consumers
Storytelling is not a new concept, but we are seeing it remerge in marketing for some of today’s biggest brands. It is a unique way for brands to influence consumers, using engaging stories about the brand, its products or its consumers.
Recently, Marketing Week published a report on the Top Storytelling Brands, highlighting the companies that have done the best job of captivating consumers with a narrative approach to branding. Their success serves as an example to smaller brands that storytelling marketing is an effective means of communicating their branding message.
Apple ranked as the #1 storytelling brand, while Cadbury, McDonald’s, IKEA and Walkers ranked in the Top 5. Coca Cola, Virgin Media, YouTube, MacMillan and the Red Cross also ranked as successful storytelling brands. Overall, the brands that have the best storytelling marketing campaigns are charities, retail and restaurant chains.
Some of the up-and-comers are telecommunication brands. Three, EE, Talk Talk and HTC have significantly improved their rank over the course of the past year. So, companies in the telecommunications sector may want to consider adopting a storytelling approach to their branding.
Storytelling campaigns can be about any narrative so long as it accurately represents your brand’s values and relates to your consumer. It should have a clear message that is communicated in a way that is engaging and relevant. Apple’s recent iPhone 5s ad is a great example.
IKEA’s Time To Change Marketing takes a more humorous approach to storytelling marketing:
Effective storytelling marketing isn’t just limited to video and television ads. Many leading brands use print ads to tell their stories:
At Win Marketing, we have helped many of our clients tell their story through creative ad campaigns. For example, a health a safety client required new promotional literature. Using the company’s branding, we developed a board game to tell the story of a successful evacuation and teach the best evacuation safety practices.
The narrative was not about the company itself but it was related in a valuable way, and it could serve as an example to other small companies that are considering using storytelling marketing.
If your company has an interesting story to tell, Win Marketing can help you get your message across while increasing brand awareness. Visit our Branding page or give us a call at +44(0)1509 265890.
