It’s difficult to recommend just one particular tool as there are many, and your needs will differ depending on what you want to do and what just feels right. So give a few a test drive, and pick what works best for you.

Here are 5 social media desktop apps that could be perfect for you…

1. TweetDesk – A very popular desktop app and great for most people. Has some limitations with the free version that other free apps here don’t have.
2. Hootsuite – Very good social media managing app that allows you to add quite a few accounts and use most features without having to pay for the extras. This is also much better suited to organisations, as multiple users to manage the same accounts. Well worth trying.
3. Seesmic Desktop – Similar to the Hootsuite and Tweetdeck, but has much more scope with the ability to add-on other features like statistics and trends. I like this, but may be a little complex when starting out. And can run slow some times.
4. Yoono – A well laid out application that’s easy to pick up and use. You can use Yoono on iPhone, in your Web Browser or as a PC or Mac Application. And it works well on all. Although I found it slow on an iPhone. Yoono integrates well with your browser too, so sharing stuff you find on the internet is much easier.
5. Nimble CRM – A slightly different animal, but great for anyone new to social media. It simply pulls all your social media together with your email too, and lets you manage them all much like you do with email. You also get a nice way to stay organised when following up with leads and sales. Perfect for most small businesses.

I’ve personally tried them all, and I’m not quite settled on 1 particular app yet, but Seesmic Desktop and Nimble CRM are both proving to be favourites. So give them a try, and see what’s right for you.

As we now live in a smartphone world, a desktop social media app will only be useful when you’re at your PC. Many of the above have a Smartphone App too, so give that a try. Or watch out for a follow-up article on iPhone and Android Social Media Apps…

Blymi Media provide online design consultancy and delivery for SMEs. Need help planning your online marketing approach? Problems with your current website? Stuck on getting started with Social Media? Give us a call on 0114 360 20 60 or contact us today.

Search Engine Optimisation is now a critical, and essential, part of every businesses online strategy.  Whilst your website may get visitors from offline marketing, social media and online PR, what really matters is getting your website in front of customers, when they are searching – ready to buy.

Because SEO is so prominent, there is a lot of information on how to do it yourself.  Some helpful, some full of myths.

There are some SEO factors that are clearly known, but not so commonly talked about.  Yet they are just as important, if not more so.

Here are 5 crucial SEO factors you might not have considered:

1. How Fast Does Your Website Load? Google have openly stated that the speed your website loads is a determining factor for how well your website ranks in Google.  If you have large pictures, too many fancy animations, or the design is too complex, your website will be penalised.
2. How Long Do Your Visitors Stay? It is said that you have just 4 seconds to grab a new website visitors attention.  Ensure that you have a clear and intriguing headline, and that your visitors are given clear ‘call to action’ information to entice them to read more and spend time on your website.  Google gives much higher ranking to websites where visitors stay longer.
3. Are You Spreading Far And Wide? Many SEO strategies focus on a few ‘keywords’ that are particularly important to the business.  Whilst that is important, a wider net is much more effective.  Video Marketing is particularly efficient for this.  For example, if you sell a 100 different products, you can produce a short video for each product, and have that video show up for searches on each specific product type.  Videos are 54 times more likely to reach Google’s page 1, and they rank within hours, so it’s much quicker and easier than traditional SEO.
4. Did You Consider the Mobile Phone Search Results? Whilst the world is going mobile, most business are missing the boat.  A .mobi website address ranks much higher on mobile phone search results… And visitors want a mobile phone tailored experience.  Most standard business websites are unusable on mobile phones, and yet internet use on mobile phones is set to overtake all PC use within 2 years.  How many frustrated buys have already passed you by?
5. Google Places Matters More To Your Business. Google’s business listings display prominently for local searches.  For example, a search for ‘sheffield plumber’  will show a list of 7 plumbers.  For most small businesses, this is much more important and relevant.  It is possible to gain top position on those results, but only by optimisation your Google Places listing.  One key aspect is to get your customers to leave testimonials and reviews on your Google Places listing.

Typical Search Engine Optimisation strategies require months of page optimisation, content writing, PR, link building – a lot of intensive work, with no guarantees.

A few well placed Promo Videos, an Optimised Google Places listing, and a simple Mobile Phone specific website can all be achieved much more quickly and cost effectively.  And for most small business, they will produce a far great ROI than full scale Search Engine Optimisation.

Blymi Media specialise in helping small and medium business benefit from these new media channels.  Review our services, or call us today on 0114 360 20 60 for a free consultation without obligation.

“In three years time, desktops [PCs] will be irrelevant” – Google, 2010

10 years ago, the Internet was already well established, and it’s format was clear.  Email was fast becoming the norm for quick communication, and many website were well designed and great to use. Fast forward to 2011, and the Internet you now see is very different.

The shift in how we now use the Internet has a crucial impact on business, yet the majority of businesses are still in the ‘old school’ Web.  Many know that Social Media exists, and may have tried services like Twitter and LinkedIn.  Trying these services is a step in the right direction. But the shift in how we use the Internet is more fundamental than that.  It’s a true change in technology and interaction.  It’s time to shed the old Internet and think differently…

Here are 5 fundamental shifts that cannot be ignored:

1. Facebook has 630 Million active users, and 50% log-in every day (38% from their mobile phones) – That is over 10 times the total population of the UK!  More relevant to UK businesses, 46% of the UK population are active Facebook users.  With Facebook business pages and their advertising service it is possible to reach 46% of the UK population, that’s quite something.
2. 2 Billion Videos are watched on Youtube Daily – That fact alone is staggering.  But there are also over 100 other popular video publishing websites.   And this is not a teen thing, 72% of the people viewing videos online are between the ages of 25 and 64, with the vast majority on above average incomes.  And don’t forget, our TV will soon be a portal for online video, as services such as Apple TV, Google TV, Sky Player and BBC iPlayer converge our TV and Internet use.
3. Mobile Internet use is set to over-take normal PC use within 3 years – There are already 4 times more mobile phones than PCs in the UK, and it is predicted that the Mobile Internet will create a marketing channel 10 times larger than the Internet as we see it today.  It’s difficult to comprehend just how much of an impact this will have.   But we do know that businesses must be prepared.  And given that 81% of websites display poorly on mobiles, that’s a critical place to start.
4. 11 Billion Mobile ‘Apps’ were downloaded in 2010 – This will rise to 76 Billion a year by 2014.  We are already seeing thousands of big brands creating Mobile Apps.  With the use of them set to grow 7 fold in 3 years, it’s time for every business to assess how they can serve customers through this format.
5. 26 million use Twitter regularly, and it’s use is predicted to double year on year – Ending on a low note, Twitter is currently less dominant than the 4 big trends above, but it’s popularity is curious.  The media, particularly in the UK, have embraced it rapidly, and it has become a place where reputations are quickly built or destroyed.  Many businesses are recognising that it is fast becoming an engine for customer service to be publicly conveyed – 1 unhappy customer can reach thousands of journalists and consumers within seconds.

Your business probably has a website, and you may have spent thousands on Search Engine Optimisation.  You may even have links to all your ‘trendy’ social media accounts. But what we really need to be prepared for, is that our business website will become less and less relevant.

• Our customers will find us primarily through requests and recommendations on Facebook and LinkedIn.
• Our reputation will be boosted or destroyed through Twitter in an instant.
• Video will be the dominant content format, and consumers will expect a rich personal experience.
• Customers will re-order through mobile ‘apps’, and expect a value added service through mobile phones.
• And many sales will be gained, or lost, through the quality and usability of websites on our mobiles phones.

Most importantly, the over-riding trend here is that people want ‘engaging’.  All 5 of these fundamental shifts, are a desire for more convenient, sociable and immersive experiences.

In light of such substantial evidence, and our own tests, Blymi Media have a strong focus on these ‘new media’ channels.  We firmly believe that SMEs who adopt these areas of marketing, will take the business.  While others will wonder what just happened.

Click here to find out more about these important marketing channels, and how your business can benefit from them.

“If Facebook were a country it would be the world’s 3rd largest” – Socialnomics, 2010

That’s quite something.  But that’s not just statistical hype.  Facebook is made up of real people, interacting everyday.  In fact, 50% of those people use it every day. Facebook is not just a ‘website’, it is now an essential communication tool, just like the telephone.

Could you do business without the telephone?

“We don’t have a choice on whether we DO social media, the question i how well we DO it.” – Erik Qualman

Here’s a short video that gives a good introduction to Social Media and how it relates to your business…

This video was created in 2009. Facebook has now exceeded Half a Billion Active Users, and continues to grow at a rate of almost 1 Million Daily.

Facebook cannot be ignored.

Word of mouth, spreads across the world in seconds through Social Media.  And people care more about how their social network rates products and services, than any other media channel.  For example, 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations. Only 14% trust advertisements.

Social Media isn’t a fad, it’s a fundamental shift in the way we communicate.

Blymi Media have developed a Facebook promotional system that utilises the viral nature of Facebook, creating a rapid ‘word-of-mouth’ effect.  To see this system in use visit our Facebook page here.  If you’re interested in using Facebook to boost your client base and stay close to your existing customers, call us on 0114 360 20 60 or grab your free consultation here.

It is also now common for businesses to neglect their websites, having not got the results they really expected from it. It’s a real shame, but that’s the truth.

Modern marketing isn’t all complex though.  Some tools really do make your life easier, and can automate tedious jobs such as customer follow-up.

So, if there was just one new element of internet marketing that you should add to your marketing, what should it be?

• A simple task that takes just an hour or two a month would be good right?
• A tool that has been proven to increase profit by over 100%, with almost no additional cost to the business?
• A tool that automates repeat sales and retains your customers for the long-term?

Email Marketing delivers all of those, and more.

An effective Email Marketing system is the most lucrative, and yet most overlooked, marketing tool that any business can add.  Email marketing is simple to use, and even if you’ve never sent an email before you can easily learn a few basics and put this technique to work for you.

By asking your customers to join a newsletter or ‘special offers’ notification list, you then build what is essentially your own marketing distribution channel.

Here are 5 ways to build a list of email subscribers for your newsletter:

1. Ask customers who come into your store to sign up for your newsletter. Even if you don’t have a website, you can easily build a list.
2. Put a form on your website. If you have a website it is essential to place a sign-up form prominently on your web pages. Ideally, focus all of your web pages to a ‘call-to-action’ to join your newsletter.
3. “What’s in it for me?”. In order to get them to sign up to receive your emails you have to offer them a reason to do so. Immediately give them a discount or freebie to entice them to join. It needn’t cost you much. For example, put up a sign saying ‘write down your email to be notified of special offers, and you can take a free apple’.
4. Your existing lists. If you are well established you may already have a database of your customers email addresses. You can import your list of customers easily with most email marketing systems. Each email that is sent from an email marketing system has an option for the receiver to ‘opt-out’, and no longer receive the newsletter if they wish. Email marketing systems are designed to keep users happy and have to comply with ‘spam’ legislation, so you don’t have to worry about it.
5. Advertise your newsletter, not your business. If you offer a great discount or freebie prominently in your advertisement, and then provide a specific web address that ensures they have to join your newsletter to get the gift, then you can quickly build a list of prospects and effectively sell to them later. By opting to join your newsletter, they are already ‘engaged’ prospects, so it also makes your sales easier.

Once they’ve joined your newsletter you can send them coupons, early bird sale information, etc. This creates more customer loyalty and makes them feel like they’re special and appreciated.

“42% of consumers said the best way to receive ads for sales and specials is via email” – Econsultancy “How We Shop in 2010: Habits and Motivations of Consumers” (2010)

Local email marketing is a very powerful and cost effective way to increase the number of customers you have as well as improve customer loyalty with your existing customers. Don’t overlook this extremely effective method to help you grow your business. In todays competitive business environment you need every advantage you can get.

Join Blymi Media’s newsletter here to see our own email marketing in action. You’ll receive a concise guide on making best use of the internet for marketing, and we’ll send you special discounts and and early notification of new services too.

“Over 70% of UK companies with less than 50 employees have none or very basic levels of SEO.  12% of all business websites are not found in Search Engines.” – Thomson Local/Analytics SEO, 2010

Most Google ranking tips deal with getting incoming links (or backlinks as they are also referred to) to your website. And for good reason. The more quality incoming links you have, the higher your Google Page Rank will be and the more visible you will be to your prospects and/or customers. Here are 5 tricks to build your incoming links:

1. Submit to Search Engines – This may be obvious to some, but as the Thomson Local study shows it is still an issue for many. Fortunately it can be easily remedied by submitting your website to a few Search Engines and Directories.  These can get you some free links back to your website too. Sign up with as many as you can.
2. Forums – This is one of the most overlooked but best of Google ranking tips. Join forums that are relevant to your industry. When you participate in forums and include the link to your website in your signature, you will get links back to your website. This is also a very effective way to establish your reputation in your industry whilst raising your website ‘page rank’ at the same time.
3. Create an Ezine or Newsletter – Taking the time to create a newsletter that you can send out to subscribers is definitely worth it. This keeps your visitors up to date with what you are doing and brings them back to visit your website on a more regular basis. You can also submit your ezine to an ezine directory which will link back to your website.
4. Article Marketing – If you can create (or hire someone to do it for you) articles that pertain to your business, with your website information at the bottom, and submit them to article directories, you will get more traffic and links.
5. Just Ask – Ask for links from other related sites’ webmasters. This is a rather “old-school” tactic but is still effective, albeit frustrating and time-consuming. Find sites that are related to your industry and write to their webmasters requesting that they link back to you. Some will not answer you. Some will say “no”. Some will ask you to link to them as well. And others will just link to you.

Whilst ‘backlinks’ are an important part of your SEO strategy, there are also many ‘on-site’ factors that have a significant effect. For example, you have a higher chance of getting the results you want if your site contains valuable information. Google loves websites with regular new content (and that’s one reason why I regularly write this blog).

Backlinking can be a laborious task, but we love it here at Blymi

If you’re tired of your website ranking badly, or just fed up with trying to build the backlinks yourself, give us a call or Request a Consultation Session. We have dedicated SEO experts, extensive knowledge of backlinking techniques and hold a database of 1000s of high quality, regularly tested backlinks (including Government and Education sites, the most potent backlinks you can gain).

We also pride ourselves on being one of the few SEO providers that only create ethical backlinks (we don’t ‘spam’ other businesses blogs with false comments, for example), so your brand is not compromised.

“Rapid Ramp of Mobile Internet Usage Will be a Boon to Consumers and Some Companies Will Likely Win Big (Potentially Very Big) While Many Will Wonder What Just Happened” – Morgan Stanley, 2009

We’ve had technological ‘revolutions’ in the past.  The Mobile Phone is probably one of the true revolutions that has impacted our lives in the past 10 years. And yes, the Internet is a true technological revolution too.  But when it comes to the Internet, the way most people use it has not changed in 20 years.  Yes, we have laptops and fast broadband connection, but the format has essentially stayed the same – keyboards, mice and big screens.

That is all changing, very rapidly.  Here are 5 trends that will reshape the way you – and your customers – will use the internet:

1. Social Networking – Not surprisingly, social networking continues to grow fast.  But it is the maturity of this phenomenon that is interesting.  50% of Facebook users now access their profiles every day, there are over 500 million users, and… 200 million access Facebook via a mobile phone.
2. Mobile Phone Browsers – Until recently, using the internet on a mobile phones was not a desirable experience.  In 2011 a mobile phone’s key design feature is its internet capabilities and user experience.
3. The iPad – was released in the UK on 28th May 2010 and, despite its high price, sold 2 Million within 59 days.  Mobile phone companies reacted like never before, releasing numerous rival products within weeks of the release.  The iPad format is paving the way for a new internet experience and consumers love it.
4. Converging Trends – Mobile Phones and Pads are now specifically designed to enable users to easily access Social Networks and Applications.  These devices make clever use of inbuilt cameras and GPS positioning to deliver a rich interactive experience.  This is creating a phenomenal impact on society and our social behaviour.
5. Mobile Phone Use – There are more people connected to the internet via mobile phones than computers.  Staggering but true.  The actual usage of the Internet on mobile phones is set to surpass desktop PCs, and continue to grow exponentially over the next 4 years. Morgan Stanley predicts that it will create a market 10 times larger than the current desktop internet

The core trend is obvious, and it matters more to SMEs now than ever before.  People are already using their mobile phones to find local restaurants, hairdressers, taxis, nightclubs and shopping malls.  To check the cheapest price, or find coupons, for products before purchasing offline.  And yet, the majority of businesses are failing them…

81% of websites display badly or are not viewable at all on mobile devices.

Those companies who are mobile compatible now will take the business – while others will wonder what just happened.

Blymi services include social network integration, Facebook strategies and a mobile phone, iPhone and iPad tailored website design that does not affect your existing website. Marketing is changing – like never before.

Over recent years we’ve seen an increasing number of TV commercials mention their Websites addresses and Twitter usernames, but rarely have those commercials integrated fully with online marketing. The traditional TV Ad call-to-action is ‘go buy our product at this retailer‘.

As with most consumers these days, I’m fairly numb from the years of TV Ads. Yes, they still achieve branding successes, but few have pulled the customers in to a marketing channel where they can maintain that relationship directly.

Two TV Commercials recently caught my eye, because they had used modern direct marketing techniques…

1. Smirnoff – Nightlife Exchange Project  (click here to view the Ad)

Sweeping over a spectacular party scene, clearly an exclusive event, secretive even… and you missed it. Describing and cutting briefly to the unique and exciting events; once in a lifetime, beautiful and exotic locations…and you missed it. And then a date is stated, and a link to Facebook is displayed.

This Ad exudes classic marketing tricks: Although difficult to achieve in TV these days, it manages to stand out, different from the rest. It offers exclusivity, it delivers on those key wants of it’s target audience: a party you’ll never forget; an escape, to another world.  And most of all, it has a clear and strong call-to-action – connect on Facebook to be part of the crowd.

2. Powerade Zero

Celebrities have always played a big part in TV commercials. And of course, nothing sells sports drinks better than an elite athlete. But this isn’t just an Ad featuring ‘Jessica Ennis’ (the marketing face of my own city, Sheffield, by the way). The Ad is purely a teaser. Ending with a clear call-to-action… Watch something unusual and special on our website.

With sexual overtones, and no reveal of what the online video actually contains, you are strongly impelled to go and watch that video. I cannot deny it, I had to watch it. And no other TV commercial has impelled me to do that…

You can watch the session referred to here.

So what can we learn from these TV commercials? What have those Ad Agencies achieved that stands out from the rest?

I’d argue above all, that they have effectively transferred prospects from the one-way marketing media of TV, to the direct and rich media of the internet.  Transferred those prospects from a high cost marketing medium, to a direct consumer connection, with the ability to repeatedly talk to that qualified prospect at very low future costs.

Another key aspect is ‘engagement’. Once the consumer is engaged by the company they are much more likely to feel a connection with the product, and a desire to consume it.

But We Don’t Do TV Advertising

Most SMEs cannot afford the high cost/high risk of TV Advertising. But across the board, the process of advertising, and the result you want, is the same. Your Advertising must achieve the best ROI you can get from it.

In most businesses minds that just translates to ‘more sales’. But your true goal should be to bring prospects in to a marketing channel that you own and control. And that is easily achieved by SMEs.

When advertising, in any form, your primary aim should be to bring everyone who responds to your ad, in to your own marketing channel – not to sell a product to them. There’s plenty of time for that, once you’ve captured their interest.

Blymi Media core aim is to fulfil that. To deliver a complete online system that builds a marketing channel you own, full of prospective and existing customers that have expressed interest in your products. A system which enables you to contact your customers, quickly, easily, at very low cost.

To find out more, grab our complimentary guide book and consultation session here.

“A Christmas shopper’s complaint is one of long-standing.” – Author Unknown

When it comes to seasonal marketing, it’s all about building up to the event – and you need to get your message repeatedly in front of customers and prospects to do that. That’s where our key tool really comes in to its own. A website that focuses on getting prospective customers to join a newsletter can easily make repeat sales through email marketing – with little more marketing costs than the time to write a message.

Here are 5 tips for seasonal marketing:

1. Count down. By sending a regular email counting down to the event, you create a sense of urgency. This encourages your prospect to make a decision, getting you the sale.
2. Dynamic Offers. Offer seasonal discounts, that change quickly. You could offer 30% off for 1 day only, then reduce that by 5% every 24 hours, building up to the event. This is an excellent way to bolster your count down.
3. Focus on seasonal search engine keywords. Even if your business is not season focused, research and target the seasonal keywords that people are using when searching for your products.
4. Reward loyalty. Give a voucher for next year, same season. Again, if you’re using email to your advantage, remind them of it a year later and they’re highly likely to shop with you again (and we can automate this for you).
5. Create a seasonal Facebook App. Social networking becomes more frenzied around events like Christmas. Offers attached to a social marketing campaign can reach many potential customers fast.

Get those tools and tricks in place ready for the next season and you’ll be streets ahead of the competition.

Have a very Merry Christmas, and I wish you all the best for the New Year.

“In business you get what you want by giving other people what they want.“

A couple of weeks ago I covered 5 steps that can help you connect with your customers on a closer more personal level, simply by aiming all of your marketing at an Ideal Customer Persona.  Talking to one person as if real.  This techniques works surprisingly well, as you are then talking naturally to your customer instead of marketing to your general market.

Within that previous post there were topics that deserve a more detailed explanation. One key topic being ‘What is the biggest problem that your customer has?‘

This is the most important factor you can ever know about your customer.  It seems like common sense stuff, but we often get lost in what we want for the business, rather than focusing the expansion of our business on solving our customers problems.

Here are 5 ways to discover exactly what your customers want from you:

1. Ask Them! Sometimes it’s just as simple as picking up the phone and talking to them.  A planned project, working through your customer list with a set of good open questions, will give you more than any market research company can ever do for you. And at a fraction of the cost.
2. Plan a Focus Group. Invite some of your customers to spend a couple of hours with you.  8 to 10 customers meeting for 2 hours is optimal for this sort of discussion. Pay travel costs and lunch as a thankyou.  You’ll be surprised how many are willing, and the insight you’ll get will be detailed and fascinating.
3. ‘Go to where your customers gather’. Go straight to where your customers are and find out what they discuss, what their latest hot topics are.  It can be as simple as spending a few hours in your local shopping center, visiting the local child care centers or going to the builders yard.
4. Visit Internet Forums Frequently. It’s like point 3, but in the comfort of your own office.  No matter what business you are in, I’m sure there will be a forum on the internet where your Ideal Customers hangout.  Get involved, answer questions so you get known as an ‘authority’ in the forum, and then start asking questions.
5. Competition Espionage. If you have a competing company that is expanding fast, check out their website.  Check for new products and what type of customer they are targeting.  Join their newsletter. Find out which keywords they are focusing on in the Search Engines.  It can sometimes be obvious by the content on their webpages (or we have tools to do sophisticated analysis for you).

We live in the Information Age and knowledge is now more powerful than ever, but it often boils down to the simplest of things.  Your customers probably have a common concern about your products or services, or may even be searching for a product that you could easily deliver to them, but you’ll never know until you ask.  Selling a new product to your existing customers, designed by your customers, is about the easiest sell you’ll every make.  And could double your profits overnight.  What’s more, if you don’t deliver it, they’ll find it somewhere else.