marketing

Going viral – what #TheDress taught us

11th March 2015 by Alan Leave a Comment

If you have not been on the Internet for the last few weeks (pfft! Who can live without it?), then you will have seen or even partaken in the #TheDress debate (take a look at the science behind the dress colour debate).

A poorly shot photograph shared on Instagram of a blue and black dress started an online debate, with everybody joining in, from Mavis at no. 32 to Kim Kardashian. Some saw a ‘white and gold’ dress and others saw ‘blue and black’.

Whether you joined in or not, unless you are not on any kind of social media, don’t watch TV and basically switch off from all society, then you cannot have failed to have heard about the #TheDress debate.

And this is our very point. The discussions, the engagement and the coverage of this dress and its colour combination, had the nation talking – and beyond – about the product, the company, the psychology and the inner workings of the eye ball.

Of course, Roman Originals, the company behind the dress are now reaping the rewards – and why not? Their website hits have shot up by 500% (yup, you read that right), their phone calls have significantly increased and their sales are doing very nicely indeed, thank you. Drill in to this analysis, and you will see that people are not buying only this particular dress, but all kinds of others products too.

All this got us thinking…

In pensive mood, we hunkered down with the kettle and the chocolate digestives, and took a moment to ponder the power of #TheDress. What ingredients make for a viral episode on social media?

We came up with 5 factors, including a sprinkling of magic fairy dust…

Use of photos

We have said it before and we’ll say it again, photos really make a difference. They can be the source of conversation, repulsion, attraction and confusion. Adding photos of your products and asking or inciting debate is a great way to get attention to your posts and products.

In this case, the original photo was unfiltered and used on Instagram; the comments that then ensued all questioned the original posting that said #TheDress was black and blue. Some say the dress as white and gold, thus the comments started rolling.

Good quality photos are always best, and this photo was not intentionally posted to provoke debate; in fact, the user was quite clear was the colour of the dress was…

Use of #hashtag

Once the momentum started to build around #TheDress and the ensuing debate, the hashtag came in to being. Every time someone commented and the various social media streams, the use of the hashtag ensured that the comment found its way in to the forum.

Get people talking, sharing and communicating

Social media is about making connections, creating discussion and sharing ideas. This online debate is a perfect example of this, but on a gargantuan, global scale. Simply because your viral debate does not measure up in the same reach and magnitude of #TheDress, does not mean it is not having an impact.

Some hashtags are in use for weeks, if not months and others are a mainstay of some of the groups that meet up on a regular basis on various social media platforms; there are various business groups, for example, who meet on Twitter and thus, any tweets that you want to be part of the stream of comments should contain this designated hashtag. Think of it as a call sign…

Magic fairy dust – the one comment, the stroke of luck

In this case, the photos posted on Instagram was a genuine one; it was posted with no more intention than a flash-in-the-pan photo of one of the many products sold at Roman Originals. But, there was a stroke a luck and sprinkling of fairy dust…

… there was one comment, by another Instagram user, that questioned the ‘blue and black’; they say, they saw white and gold… and then someone else joined in… and it started to roll and roll. Before you knew what others the dress came in, THE photo of #TheDress was bounced, shared and re-tweeted thousands and thousands of times.

There were comments and articles on the psychology of what people saw and why; there were debates on the street with the local junior reporter for the local TV catching their break by dangling a tablet in front of the eyes of many a Wednesday afternoon shopper, asking them what colours they saw… the debate was enormous. And, for a change, it was all good fun. We discussed it over our dinner table too; did you?

Cannot be contrived

And we think that this shows a fourth and important final point about the whole #TheDress thing. As hard as you try, some of the best viral exchanges cannot be contrived.

The photo was not posted to incite or excite comment; it was not posted to cogitate favour or stir ill-feeling. It was a photograph that was simply shared, then commented on… nothing more. Even though we try hard with the whole hashtag thing, photos and the like, sometimes something takes off.

Blessing… or curse?

The ‘taking off’ bit can be a blessing and a curse. Roman Originals are a company big enough to deal with the 500% jump in website visitors, the phone ringing off the hook (around 150 calls per hour in the days immediately following #TheDress explosion) and have enough staff to work the barricades and the tills.

For a small, online local business, this may not be the case but, should a social media campaign go viral – and this episode shows that it can, in a blink of an eye and when you least expect it – ride the crest of the wave, for it could be the making of you…

(And the dress…?

It is available in blue & black, and white & black, red & black, as well as pink and black… but not a white and gold option, just yet. But Roman Originals is planning to create one, allegedly.)

The Psychology of Marketing… or understanding neurological quirks!

25th February 2015 by Alan Leave a Comment

Our recent post on psychology and colour was incredibly popular, not surprising when you consider some of the data that various surveys and the like threw in to the popular domain. Always on the lookout for other factors that impact on what we do in terms of business, we came across some research recently that addressed the issue of psychology and marketing.

Marvelling at the human brain and how it makes decisions, understanding some of the basic cognitive functions can help marketers to reach the consumer; some basic understanding of why we think our message is brilliant, and yet it fails to draw in the crowds, can also be incredibly helpful in how we market our products and service.

So sit back and enjoy a journey through cognitive biases, quirks and flaws… and understand why some marketing campaigns have back fired (or really, really worked!)

Cognitive – what is it?

Cognitive relates to cognition and is ‘concerned with the act or process of knowing, perceiving etc.,’; in other words, it is all about the mental processes of perception, memory, judgement, reasoning and so on. From Medieval Latin, it is a word that explains the process behind why we do the things that we do, and the decisions that we make.

As we all know…

… we sometimes make decisions that we find hard to explain after a passage of time. In most cases, this tends to be a decision that has a negative impact; for example, the ‘why on earth did I do that/say that/choose that?’ questions. The never-answered question of ‘why did I do that?’

Psychologists say that these faulty decisions are down to ‘brain quirks’. There is probably a more technical term, however, it is noted by ‘brain experts’ that some of these decisions we make could actually be linked to our cavemen ancestors – back then, they would have been ‘right’ decisions to make but in the modern day, some of the decisions we make seem ill at ease and out of place.

When it comes to marketing, it can be interesting to understand some of these brain quirks, with 5 being identified as the most ‘common occurring’ ones. When marketing your products or services to your consumers, understanding why some these quirks happen can help you avoid them meaning your consumer could still buy from you…

Brain quirk 1: Attribution Error

Proved in an experiment from the late 1960s, subjects were given an article to read, either for or against a certain hot topic at the time.

The group that read the pro- articles were told the writers expressed their true opinion, of their own free will and this was something that sat well with the group.

The other half of the group were told these pro and anti- topic articles were written by people who were coerced into expressing this opinion. But, the interesting result here is that, when questioned, the readers all said that the opinions expressed were the author’s real ones.

Attribution error is where we ignore context and circumstances, attributing -in other words, giving credit – everything to a person or organisation’s personality.

What this means in a marketing sense…

The personality of a company is important in the consumer’s mind and this personality will define how it behave towards them
A company that gets caught up in a string of unfortunate events, will regain its trustworthiness in the eyes of its consumers if it takes responsibility for these events
A company demonstrates its personality through its actions, rather than through its words

Brain quirk 2: Confirmation Bias

We all have opinions and whether you agree or not, we are all biased. We have a skewed vision of something or someone and will seek out information that tends to agree with these preconceptions and existing beliefs.

Confirmation bias is about justifying what we already believe and are more likely to dismiss information that challenges these pre-conceived notions and ideas.

This tends to happen more when the subject is emotional or controversial; we will seek out information that supports us, rather than proves us wrong…

What this means in a marketing sense…

First impressions are incredibly important as this is the basis on which the consumer interprets the company now and in the future (and we have all done it! One bad experience and that’s it…)
Conversely, making a good, strong impression has sticking power!
To get someone to change their mind after a negative impression or experience takes a ‘whole lotta effort’!
Consumers are more likely to trust (and buy from) a company that has similar values and beliefs to them

Brain quirk 3: Self-serving bias

Step away from the ‘pick and mix’ because this is not the type of self-serving we mean.

It’s tough, isn’t it, taking criticism? Regardless of how well the bad news about your product, service or performance is given, it stings. And we know this and our brain, being the super thing that it is, will try and protect us.

A self serving bias is when good criticism (is there such a thing?) will be attributed directly to us and how brilliant we know we are… but poor criticism (is there such a thing?) is linked to faults in the evaluation process.

What this means in a marketing sense…

Don’t insult your consumer. It really is that simple but, there are cases where marketing exploits and format are doing just that and could be a huge turn off for your consumer…

Informercials – we have all seen them on TV and they cover a wide range of topics from the disgust expressed at NOT cleaning your dishwasher to how to fry an egg. Your consumer will either ignore such a rubbish advert or they will be insulted and never shop with you.
The headlines – some headlines deliberately court controversy but there is an incredibly fine line with some of these headlines; attractive they may be, they can also be incredibly insulting. “How over 50s are breaking the internet…” – on one hand, when you read the article it tells you all about how we are becoming increasingly internet savvy at ALL ages but, it could also imply that anyone over 50 is a bit past it…
Flaws – OK, we all know that going to the gym 3 times a week and sweating for an hour and half is really good for us (Mmmm…) but, an advert suggesting that we need to do as we are overweight and lumpish is NOT the right way of going about enticing people through your gym doors. Never victimise; always point out the positives of a purchase – like ‘get in shape this summer!’ rather than ‘calling all couch potatoes!’

Brain quirk 4: Belief Bias

This is not the same as confirmation bias; it is something quite different.

Belief bias is when we reject a conclusion because it just seems too extreme or outrageous, even if it IS backed by a completely sound argument or evidence.

And it seems that logic gets in the way; in experiments carried out in the early 1980s, groups of people were given arguments, some with ‘believable conclusions’ and some with ‘unbelievable conclusions’, even those these unbelievable conclusions were based on sound facts and theory. But, the logic of the people in the experiment denied that this could possibly be the case with only a third of those accepting that the ‘unbelievable conclusion’ was a possibility.

What this means in a marketing sense…

Belief bias is incredibly important for marketing purposes:

Logic cannot stretch too far when it comes to asking consumers to believe something that seems a little too far-fetched…
The conclusion needs to be more realistic in order to make the argument withstand the rigour of ‘too good to be true’
Ignore this and keep plundering on with a message that does seem ‘too good to be true’ can and does hurt sales
Consumers have a ‘gut reaction’ and this emotional driven response governs a purchasing decision more than logic does; in other words, your marketing to consumers should not be devoid of ALL emotion, but relying solely on logic is not helpful either

Brain Quirk 5: Loss Aversion

Also known as the framing effect, loss aversion is essentially about our vision of something, and whether the implications or results are positive or negative.

How information is presented is important; a positive frame will create a positive reaction and vice versa – even though the outcome is actually the same.

For example, to illustrate the point, in an experiment, subjects were asked to choose between two treatment options: Option a) would save 200 lives out of 600 or, option b) which would mean 400 deaths out of 600 lives.

Even those these options are the same (and this is a very simplified synopsis of the experiment) the vast majority of people opted for option a), although essentially they were both the same.

The experiment has since been improved, with phrasing of the questions changed etc. to make the negatives less obvious but the results are the same. In other words, when an outcome is framed as a loss, we take a risk but when the framing of an outcome is positive, we see it as a more sure-fire option.

What this means in a marketing sense…

Watch your phrasing – for example, ‘save 25%’ has a better ‘frame’ than pay only 75% although the two are the same
Watch your message – and it is a complex space to be in with some products and services, especially in relation to businesses that work in health, body image, keeping fit etc.
Watch the headlines – informing someone that the article or blog will help them avoid something (like pain) is, according to experts, more likely to be read than those blogs that promise or guarantee satisfaction and pleasure.

Brain quirks are an interesting subject and, can help in the creation of adverts and marketing that hits the spot with the consumer. And don’t forget, you are not averse to them either…

Your website IS your best marketing tool

6th February 2015 by Alan Leave a Comment

… and so getting it right is not an optional endeavour that you can afford to leave to chance.

In ‘Keeping your website active’ we looked at why leaving your website hanging in mid-air is not the way to gain customers or grow your website. Increasingly, businesses are realising that their online presence needs constant attention but, not just so it climbs the search engine rankings, but because it is the most effective marketing tool they have. It is certainly one of the biggest investments you will make.

Here, we give you our top 10 tips to ensure your website is your best marketing tool…

Tip 1: your website address

If you are at the start of your online journey or are looking to upgrade your website with an exciting revamp, you need to take a few moments to consider your web address. In most cases, companies buy the name of business as a domain name, which is all well and good should that be available. However, there are cases when this is not possible and so, you begin the hunt for a domain address that suits your business.

Short, memorable web addresses are known to work best and then, once in place, make sure you plaster this web address over everything – from your business card to your email signature, to the leaflets being pushed through doors to the advert in the local press!

We love this gaudy example of everything that a website should NOT be…

Tip 2: Review your website

Again, this is for established websites. We have talked previously on reviewing the content on your website, including performing a content audit so that you can identify content that can be easily adapted to provide something new.

There is all kinds of advice out there on the web, but they all point to the same things: relevant, appropriate content, backed up with professional graphics all make a difference in your website fighting its way UP the rankings.

Tip 3: People, not search engines

Although having relevant content that search engines can zoom in on, it can mean that content becomes slightly skewed as we start to write for the web and no for people; in other words, we forget that we are writing for our potential customers.

What can happen is that we become overzealous with the amount of keywords we place in some of these articles and blogs; in other words, we stuff ‘em in hoping that the search engine picks them up and thousands of people will buy from you… but the opposite tends to be true! Never lose sight of the fact that you are writing to inform customers.

Tip 4: Clear navigation

To find out exactly what we mean, type in any old random website enquiry and take a look around a website that you have not visited previously; how easy is it to find what you need? How do you buy? Where do you get the information that you need.

People will visit your website with a specific intention and you need to make all the things they need are visible and clear.

Tip 5: Update content

We have touched on this not only in this post but in many others; if you are serious about your website being a top quality marketing platform for your business you need to update content regularly; you should be making serious efforts to be loading at least one blog per week, more if you want to really make something of your website.

Don’t have time? Why not engage the services of a web content writer?

Tip 6: online discounts

Just like you offer ‘10% off with the voucher’ printed in the local press or leaflets pushed through doors, having online incentives for the customer is also an effective marketing tool.

Having a program of discounts and ‘buy one get one free’ if that is suitable for your business, is also essential if you are serious about using your website as the main marketing vehicle for your business.

Tip 7: consider email marketing

There are many companies who send out regular newsletters or email offers to customers and, with some investment in plug ins or using free online software, you too can create something along these lines.

Again, as with any other marketing method, having a plan as to what and how you intend doing it will mean that you get more from this activity, rather than firing an email off into the dark.

Tip 8: Consistent branding

A common mistake that many newbie businesses make is that they mix and match their branding; in other words, they use a logo on one colour on one thing, and then change it on a whim when they use it on something else.

Colour is not the only aspect that needs to remain consistent with branding; your tagline needs to remain as well as the choice of font. It may seem a small, inconsequential ‘thing’ but, as consumers, we need to ‘see’ a logo several times before our brain starts to recognise it. To truly cement your brand in the customer psyche can take a long, long time so keep at it!

Tip 9: Harness social media

Again, a common thread in many posts and articles by experts but it seems that this message is not always being heeded. Ignoring social media altogether it a dangerous thing but, spreading yourself too thin and having a presence on everything can be just as bad, with no one social media presence doing your business justice.

Our advice is this – choose the social media platform that suits your business, stick with this and use it well, rather than signing up for everything…

Tip 10: Mobile version

Consider too, how your customers will be surfing the web; laptops and desktops are being superseded in some cases by tablets and smart phones. Make sure your website is mobile friendly; in other words, small tweaks are made in layout so that it ‘fits’ with table and mobile phone screens. The vast majority of web hosting platforms will offer this facility…

Understanding your website as a marketing tool is essential in it being able to do its job; it is an online window that sets the tone for the interaction between you and your customers. You have seconds to create the right impression…

5 ways to make your social media goals ‘sticky’

29th January 2015 by Alan Leave a Comment

Part 2 of 2

In this Locally mini-series, we will be looking at which social media platforms could be the best fit for small businesses, based on their industry and ‘type’. In Part 1, we looked at which social media platforms could work for your business, by identifying categories of business.

In this second part, we will be looking at how you can not only create goals for social media marketing but how to make them stick, so that your business gets the best exposure from social media that it can.

The story so far…

We have looked at the many differing kinds of social media platforms there are and how joining them all, could lead to disaster – after all, you have a business to run and you cannot be updating everything all of the time…

We also looked at some social platforms in relation to specific sectors of business and how they can be used to not only connect with customers, but advertise and market the business too.

But, we also suggested that some social media experts are suggesting that Facebook and Twitter are almost compulsory, but rather than just assume and sign on up, we suggested that this really was you choice – after all, if your customers are not there, why spend hours on it?

Have you made your choices?

By now, you may have decided which social platforms are the right vehicle for your business; for those local businesses with a more visual appeal, using Instagram for example would be a great start. For those with a younger audience, Snapchat could present an interesting forum and YouTube is also popular as ever.

So with choices made, and your business profile created, all you need to do is sit back and watch that popularity counter whizz up and up and up.

(Nothing happens. Carry on waiting)

Social media goals

Without having some form of clear idea or structure, your social media platform will either fizzle in to nonexistence or it’ll be so wrong, that you could actually damage your reputation.

The good news is twofold – this doesn’t have to take ages and they don’t need to be complicated but, to help you out here at 5 easy, simple steps to making your social media aims and objectives stick (and a sneaky step 6 too…)

Step 1: SEE your goals

This is a really useful tip that you can use beyond your social media platforms! We came across Lifetick, a fabulous app that helps you order your thoughts and then see your progress towards the goals you have.

But, don’t forget that your social media objectives should be SMART – specific, measureable, achievable, relevant and time bound. Setting a goal and being able to measure your progress towards them is essential.

Step 2: Pen and Paper

Even though we are surrounded by technology, sometimes a blank piece of paper and coloured pens are your best gadgets.

Having a social media presence is more than just ‘doing it because everyone else is’; you need to be able to compete with your competitors, gain custom and trade and create a buzz around your product, service and company.

Step 3: Create an action plan

This might take some more time, but it can also be the most fun part.

Example:

Social Platform: Twitter

This is your main social platform that you use to push your brand and company into the business eye, therefore your presence needs to a daily occurrence.

You may want to partake or even create your own #hashtag trend but, you also need to know how successful you Twitter presence is; there are various apps that can do this but one we quite like is Sumall. This app will show you all the analytics involved in your account, providing clear information on which posts worked best and when.

We suggest prioritising your social media presence too and which one is the driving force in your online campaign and presence.

Step 4: Deadlines

The problem with social media is that it is an open ended task… and the problem with open ended tasks is that they can bobble along for a long time… and the problem with is that we never feel like we have accomplished or finished anything.

For some people, this makes no difference to their working day; for others, it is a source of ongoing tension and the feeling of being on a treadmill of ‘finished one thing, straight on to start another’.

To stop this negativity eating away and then your social media objectives falling by the wayside, setting deadlines for which social media projects are reviewed/stopped/curtailed so that something new can start is the way of stopping the rot from setting in.

A deadline, after all, refines the mind and focuses the thinking.

Step 5: Throw in a really big goal

We can be too cautious. The thought of setting a goal and then thinking it may not come off can be a step too far; no one like or seeks failure. But, how about taking a chance? A manageable risk with one of your social media goals that if you don’t get there won’t cause the company to collapse or for you to throw yourself into exile…?

On Twitter, you will have followers… you may have 2,346 at the moment. How about doubling that in 2 months? Off you go…

(There are many examples of stretching goals but we won’t go on; you know the sort but stay away from those ‘dodgy’ followers that tell you for a fiver, they’ll get you a million likes or followers by midnight Tuesday)

And finally…

You have worked hard. You have researched which social media platforms are right for your business, you have created goals and an action plan and you have started your campaign.

You have a review date in your calendar and so, because we are Locally we are going to sneak in another step…

Step 6: Celebrate your success

We have loads of ideas… but we think you can think of something for yourself on this occasion!

Adaptive Content – the buzzword for 2015?

8th January 2015 by Alan Leave a Comment

We’ve looked at brandscaping – the process of partnering with a non-competitor to your business, but one that you can form a professional bond with; you both pool your resources, financial and otherwise, and head up a joint marketing campaign. You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours.

And then we came across this new phrase – adaptive content. You’ll either love it or think it’s a cop out, so let’s take a meander through the concept…

The idea of behind adaptive content

At this early stage, Copyblogger thinks that adaptive content doesn’t have definition as such, more of a rolling spectrum of what it can be. However, that is pretty useless for you (and us) and so here is Locally’s definition of adaptive content…

You create a piece of content, such as a blog but, instead of just leaving it where you put it, on your website, you publish it everywhere, by adapting it so its fits all these other places.

Great, you think, we do that… yes but, we bet you write a new blog every time. Right?

With this concept you create a blog, publish it everywhere, pulling in readership from across social media and anywhere else where you can grab eye ball time.

But, instead of then writing a fresh one, you reduce, reuse and recycle current content and keep spreading this marvellous content.

Think about the amount of time you spend in a given working day creating content; from updating webpages to writing new blogs. For some people, words trip off the typewriter and yet, for many of us, they are laboured over; changed and edited a hundred times before we press the publish button. Why waste all this effort?

For example, the recent blog we created on how to counteract negative online reviews would look quite good sitting in an infographic… and then, we may look at some of the information, chop some of it, add to some of it, give more detail and authorities links and then create a presentation posting it on Slideshare… and, each and every time, ‘selling’ each piece across every online platform that we choose to frequent.

It’s about getting more for your dollar, more from your posts by hitting the eyeballs of a wider audience with the same content that looks and feels different because not all of your audience will find your website; they need to help to discover it. To do that, you need to tell as many people as possible, in different places that your content exists.

Simple, then?!

Mmmm yes sort of, but things never are that simple are they because it isn’t just about rewriting an old blog and giving it a new title.

Analytics – what worked?

And this is where analytics comes in; you know – the stuff that creates data that we all love and understand.

Which blogs did you readers and consumers like? Which tweet pulled them to your blog or website? What kind if statuses grabbed eyeball time?

There is no point rehashing the same thing in a different format if it wasn’t the blog or article topic that grabbed attention.

We’ve also said that as consumers, we are an impatient lot and technology has done marvellous things for us. One thing it has done is heightened our expectations. We expect to able to do everything from out PC, mobile and tablet. Including buying the things we want, when we want and how we want.

Being more adaptive

This type of adaptive content goes places; just lobbing a blog post at your website and hoping for the best won’t work. It is a drop in the ocean but, before you all shrink from the challenge you need to know one thing: this is not because the quality is bad.

In fact, really brilliant content can sink without a trace; it is the fact that it is not used enough across all the platforms that are available to it. Some brands are starting to realise the impact of adaptive content and there are 5 elements that need to be included to make the best use of content:

Reusable – content is used across a range of platforms and in different formats
Structured – small bite-sized content works well across different devices
Simple – the format should be sophisticated and simple, not overly difficult to read or use
Metadata – the secret, techy bit that describes what the content is about and it needs to be accurate
A content management system (CMS) – that allows you to do all of the above!

Hence, we end back at the reduce, reuse and recycle system of adapting your content to fit across all the platforms you use with your business

Adaptive content is about re-using the content you have, but adding a spark of something extra to it.

Thus adaptive content is a two pronged attack –

Not reinventing the wheel every time but reusing, recycling and recycling or recharging content
Linking content which the behaviour of your clients or customers (they came via Facebook, so why can’t they create an account with your via Facebook?)

Where does a small, online and local business start with this adaptive content process?

Take a look over your content and, if your have the data, identify what people liked or commented on and, using a different approach, re-use this material. And then publish it again across all your platforms and see what happens…

When you use your content to its FULL POTENTIAL, it is truly adaptive content; how do you adapt your content?

What changes does Google see in marketing online in 2015?

2nd January 2015 by Alan Leave a Comment

(In other words, where are they looking…?)

As hard as us online businesses try not to be a slave to Google and the other major search engines, the truth of the matter is, we are.

Just like buying the cheaper supermarket own brand cereal and hiding them in a clear plastic container in a vain attempt to fool the taste buds of the cereal connoisseurs of the household does not work, trying to avoid Google and what it wants from websites is something that businesses cannot afford to do… too much.

You might think that it is OK to have the same content across all 40 pages describing your services in and around Frodsham, but Google chews it up, spits it out and says that is not building a quality website.

And so, through the fug of mince pie overload and increased cholesterol from the annual over-indulgence in local cheeses, here at Locally we spent some time sifting through the various online reports and articles about what this mammoth search engine wants from online businesses in the coming year.

The great news is that it is not complicated and the majority of online businesses are starting to swing in this direction anyway… the writing has been on the wall for some time. Following on from our post ‘your website is a live and kicking thing that needs feeding and nurturing’, we take a closer look at what you need/must/try to with your website during 2015.

Why please Google?

Because it is massive. And, its dominance shows no sign of wavering and shrinking just yet. With billions of users worldwide, why would you ignore this search engine?!

How the Internet, searches and relations between customers and businesses have changed

Cast your mind back to when there were three TV channels in the UK and having a colour TV was a novelty… actually, we jest, we don’t mean that far back but we thought it sounded dramatic and when you rewind the clock only a few years to the early days of the Internet and compare then to now, you realise the changes have been dramatic, more dramatic than the closing scenes of an EastEnders’s cliff hanger.

Back then, the run-of-the-mill Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a larger company back then was probably just shy of their 50^th birthday, had learnt their craft and art over the years, with the Internet – a recent invention – providing a platform on which business was done to a customer. The thought that a customer had any real power or opinion was not entered into.

Fast forward to January 2015, and this seems almost ludicrous; a CEO of some massive brands can be whippersnappers with a handful of GCSEs but with a natural ability and flair for seeing what a consumer wants, and giving it to them – with bells on.

The Internet is now a place of engagement. If your website is all about the sell, sell, sell then no wonder you are no higher than page 102 in Google’s search rankings. Times have changed and we all need to keep up with them (harks back to ‘your website is a live and living thing’ post…)

Put the textbook down

Some things are not in those pages and what Google sees happening in 2015 is not in there yet, so sit up and take notice.

If you learn nothing else from this post, take away this fact: Internet users (your potential customers) are looking for sophistication.

Hitting customers over the head with information and broadcasts is no longer acceptable; people want information given in a more considerate way.

Another fact: the Internet is a restless place. Just as one thing is ‘on trend’ it changes, morphs and steals away and this is something that you, and your website, must be constantly alert to. Just because you have always had that bouncing graphic on your home page and no has complained, doesn’t mean it is not damaging your online viewed reputation. Stop harking back to last year and be ready to constantly move forward and evolve.

So what IS Google predicting?

Mobile money will become the norm in 2015

We have talked about making sure your website is mobile ready in a previous post and now it seems this is more than just a must-have for aesthetic reasons. Financially, Google predicts that 40% of online spending will be via mobile devices so you need to be more than just mobile friendly; you need to be mobile active.

In terms of other financial incentives, Google reckon that coupons, vouchers, gift codes – call them what you will – will become more tailored and specific to customers. And, customers are no longer just searching for the best price, or so it seems.

Google also suggest that customers will pay a bit more, if the service they get is second-to-none. Cheap is not the name of the game, but customer service is.

If you have a high street presence as well as an online presence, be prepared for merging these two strands of your business even closer, with mobile payments – for example, using PayPal in store – possibly becoming the norm (although they also suggest PayPal may have a contender by the year’s end… is that a hint?!)

Foster community

If you website is still a one-way track, with limited or no interaction between you and your consumer, then your website will, by the end of 2015, if not before, fall into a dark place. So, if you are not harnessing the power of social media to invite comments etc., you are missing a trick; Google predicts that consumers will rely even more on this ‘social branding’ to decide if a brand is the right one for them.

The local and the personal, suggest Google, will also become a bigger influence in the search engine terms used.

Real-time is where it is at

And this means looking at the capability of your website and your online strategy for communicating with customers, quickly – if not, now (that is, real time). Emailing, tweeting or commenting on a company’s social media platform, only to have a delay of hours (or days!) is no longer acceptable. For small businesses this could present a logistical problem – how can you create the bespoke wedding dress with one eye on Twitter?) thus, outsourcing some of these powerful elements will become more important.

Take away points

Google is looking for, and predicting, continuous improvement in websites:

Search will be more location-based – so if you operate in and around a certain area, get this back on your website and optimise you content as such. Add to this real-time – scrolling news feed about your business, price, availability etc. – could see a significant return-of-investment (ROI)

Don’t be dull, boring and – dare we say it?! – predictable – do something different with your brand and let people know. If you haven’t sponsored a local event before, could this be the year you take a leap into the unknown BUT, don’t just sponsor it, stream it!

Relevant – you are a local insurance company, a client finds your website online, likes your prices and then ‘clicks to call’; your phone rings and you have a new client. This can work for so many businesses but it does take technical know-how… the great news is that there are people who can help set all this up and make it run without a hitch.

Your website needs to be working for your business – spending hundreds and thousands on creating a website is all well and god but, if it is not being accountable (working for the business as a platform for business and brand awareness) then it is wasted.

It all sounds very big and involved, possibly beyond your technical skills but, with some small, but clever tweaks in all the right places, your website could be running at full throttle by the end of 2015.