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 In online marketing, a conversion rate is the ratio of total visitors to visitors who perform desired actions. Different companies measure successful conversions based on the nature of their business and their goals. For example, an online publisher might consider the submission of a form on a subscription page a successful conversion; whereas an online retailer might measure their conversion rate by the number of clicks to the "Add to Cart" button. Higher conversion rates typically translate to a greater return on investment and that is why Internet businesses in every industry employ many methods to improve conversion rates. Some of the strategies are: Testimonials reduce risk and provide social proof. Having satisfied customers express their positive experience, either through videos or reviews, will increase trust in your business. Every claim you make should be supported by evidence. One study found that using customer testimonials resulted in a 62 percent increase in revenue per customer. It’s the recommendation that helps encourage people to buy your product or invest in your service. They know from customer testimonials that other people have tried it. Use them on homepages, product landing pages as well as on your email opt-in landing page. You can ask for testimonials, or spot them on social media and use grateful email messages that you get. It’s best practice to ask the sender if they wouldn’t mind letting you use some of those words on your website.  A call-to-action (CTA) is a button or link that you add to your website in order to guide your visitor and tell them what to do next. In inbound marketing, they usually lead to a landing page where the visitor can fill out a form and become a lead. You want your CTA to grab the attention of your visitors and really entice them to click. Show your visitors an offer that is visually appealing and contains persuasive content as well. In order to ensure your calls-to-action generate leads, you also need to remember the buyer’s journey. If the call-to-action you’re adding to your site doesn’t fulfil the need of your visitor at the specific point in their journey, it’s not going to resonate with them, and as a result they’re unlikely to move forward. Here are some tips to have in mind when creating calls-to-action that will generate leads: 1. Make them Action-Oriented 2. Use Persuasive Text 3. Include Strong Visuals 4. Create a Sense of Urgency 5. Make them Easy to Find Call to action examples: 1. Call Now 2. Order Now 3. Buy Now 4. Checkout 5. Free Demo 6. Click Here to Sign up 7. Free download 8. Get Your Free Quote 9. See all Products 10. Click here to submit 11. More Info Here The contact form is typically the gateway to allow people to submit their information to a company. It is also the gateway for the consumer to initiate a conversion with your company. You need to keep your contact form simple. Keeping it simple will allow for minimal perceived risk to the end user. If it takes a long time to fill out a form it could be a potential risk. Visitors could also be questioning whether they are going to get a phone call or email as well as when they’ll get a response. A good contact form will allow a user to feel that there is no risk in submitting their information. Only include the ‘must have’ fields on your form. You can add a few more fields into your contact form to help quality or send certain requests to the correct person. But your contact form should never exceed the length of your browser. In other words, keep it above the fold. Tell people when, how, what to expect once they fill out the contact form. Will they get a call, an email, a package in the mail, what? This will also reduce the risk that a user may feel if they know how they’re going to be contacted and by when. In conclusion, when you pair a simple contact form with a great call to action that is clear and defined, you’re well on your way to having a higher converting landing page. Don’t forget to test your call to actions. Since some people react differently to certain phrases, always test to see which one works best for your users.  Create a sense of urgency for your customers... Another approach you can take to increase the conversion rate is to create a sense of urgency. For product-based businesses show how the number of stock items is reducing each time a purchase is made. For service-based businesses include time sensitive offers. This will motivate the visitors to grab the offer before it’s expired. Website design should reflect the vision & purpose of the company. Everything used from colours to layout and images should represent your brand. Keep things simple and aesthetic. Avoid using complicated navigation menus and make sure your message is clearly written and has an impact in the first few seconds someone enters your online business space. If you would like one of our team members to review the layout and structure of your website – call 01708 578 251 today.  How is it September already? Not only have the summer holidays flown by, but we are now three quarters of the way through 2019... I don't know about you, but this year is flying by faster than any other. As the children start a new academic year this week, it is also a chance for businesses to reflect on the year so far and prepare for that final 'push' of the year. How far are you away from reaching your goals? What things would you like to do differently? What tasks do you do that don't make the most of your time? Could you stop doing them, or delegate them to someone else. Be critical. Make changes. After all, 'we can't expect things to change, if we continue doing the same things' - Albert Einstein  The summer holidays are in full swing. If you have not had a chance to take time off, then this August Bank Holiday is something that you would have really been looking forward to.
What have you been doing with these precious three days? Have you: - stayed at home? - gone away? - been resting? - partying hard? Whatever you have been doing, enjoy the rest of the Bank Holiday weekend.  In this post we look at why it’s important to maintain consistency between all the different marketing platforms you use. Big corporates like to talk about their branding and how everything that emerges from the organisation follows the same design templates. Smaller businesses should be no different; no matter what platform you’re using, your messaging and branding should be consistent. In many cases the first engagement a new customer has with you is through your website. It is of the utmost importance that your site looks good and reflects the professionalism you want to convey. Your site, therefore, has to be well designed and easy to navigate. Don’t forget too, that it must tell people exactly what it is you do in easy to understand language. You’d be amazed by how many sites fail this simple task. It is also true of your digital marketing, the fact is you’re sharing with people how you can help solve a problem, they don’t always need to know exactly how you’re going to do it. Visitors consume content on websites by scanning pages, they don’t always read your carefully crafted descriptions in full. Also, they don’t linger on pages that do not tell them what they’re looking for. Sites must therefore have a logical flow and obvious navigation markers to help visitors discover the next level of information.  Nearly all businesses, no matter their size, have a logo, colours and a particular typeface that they use in all their communication. This is part of their brand identity. Customers associate that identity with the business, so don’t be tempted to move away from the brand on your website. That brand identity should be carried through into your digital marketing. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and your blog can all play a crucial role in attracting new business and reminding existing customers of your businesses services. Imagine if the messages you put out on each of these platforms looked different and had a different tone of voice. Would it inspire confidence in your business? If one of those messages inspired a click through to your website which was then hard to navigate or had a completely different look, would that make you seem credible? Luckily, it’s easy to be consistent across your website and social media platforms. With some forethought and planning, you can inspire confidence and gain credibility. It can also improve your rankings when search for online, especially true if you include links to your social media platforms on all the pages of your site. Having a social media strategy is important for every business. It’s a method that will help engage with potential and existing customers, increase visitors to your site and keep your website refreshed as you post regular content. Strategy, planning, branding and consistency have always been crucial to marketing campaigns, even before the digital age, but they are now more important than ever. If you’re going to compete, gain market share and grow as a business you need to be on top of these challenges. If this all sounds too complex or time consuming to do on your own we understand how daunting it can be. Branding, web design and digital marketing strategy are our core skills, so if you need help our team of digital marketing gurus are waiting to guide you.
By offering insights into how others do things, may help you improve your business processes. Promoting other local businesses in Essex area helps spread the word and helps them thrive in the community. Read on to find out more about how a young school student with an entrepreneurial spirit created her own personalised gifts business.
So, tell us a bit about how your entrepreneurial spirit got ignited? It first started at school. My mum had bought me a pair of shoes, which I thought were a bit plain. I mentioned to mum that I would like a prettier pair, her response was, ‘you need to work hard to get nice things’. And that got me thinking about how I could make money. At that time, I was in secondary school and I noticed that pupils were fed up with having to walk to the corner shop to get their treats, so I decided to buy sweets at a wholesaler and sell directly to the pupils. It worked, and within a short space of time I had the money to buy the shoes that I had wanted. My next business idea came when reusable shopping bags were coming on to the market. At that time, they were all a bit plain, so I thought about finding (and selling) a reusable shopping bag that was a bit more stylish. That’s when Tiffany’s Totes was born. During college (in 2016), I really got into costume jewellery. The high street shops would retail many pieces around the £40 mark, but I knew that I could buy them cheaper if I researched suppliers abroad. It was then that I started following fashion bloggers and finding out what they were wearing. From there I would replicate their costume jewellery by buying the components myself and making the pieces. I would then sell them on eBay. At that time, I did dabble into fashion, but as it is such a fast paced industry, I found the trends were changing too quickly to keep up. Jewellery had longevity. How did you decide on your product range? I tested products by wearing them and seeing if people commented on them. Those that got attention were then purchased in bulk and sold on eBay. At this point, it was still a ‘hobby job’. When did it become more than a hobby? It happened when I was at university. I was beginning to have a good income (for a student) and at that time I was working at a high street shop, on a basic hourly wage. I realised that I could earn more from making my jewellery and work the hours to suit me. I resigned from that job and put my efforts into my own business. It was during this period when I noticed the seasonality of my products and the pricing trends (costume jewellery was more expensive in the spring/summer). In 2017, the choker that the character Harley Quinn wore, from the film Suicide Squad, became the must-have piece of jewellery for Halloween. Ahead of Halloween, I sourced the best quality supplier who could provide the fastest delivery. I wanted to ensure good customer service for not only the product but for the delivery time too. This was another pivotal moment. Once again, I was reminded of the seasonality of my products that had peaks in summer, around Halloween and before Christmas. From January until late spring, business was quiet. That’s when I decided to launch year-round products. I decided to make personalised gifts for babies, weddings, christenings, first birthdays and family frames. These events happen throughout the year, so would provide a more stable income. The idea came in 2017, but it didn’t get to market until 2018. During 2017, I was making prototypes and testing it on the market. In 2018, I started selling these products.
Where did you sell your products? Mainly online (eBay, Esty and Depot) as well as word-of-mouth through family and friends. Where do you get inspiration from with your gift ideas? I get inspiration from a variety of places. Some things I have seen elsewhere and I have put my own spin on it. For the new baby frames, I saw the clothes on the washing line on a greeting card. I researched where I could buy the wooden pegs and the mini clothes and tested a variety of samples before I decided on the final version. What types of gifts do you enjoy making the most? Though they are the longest to make, I love making the newborn baby box frames. It’s nice to see people’s reactions when they see them for the first time. My gifts help make memories for them too. I find this really rewarding. Will you be expanding your product offering? Yes, I have new ideas in the pipeline. I want to go back to bags (because of the company name Tiffany’s Totes) and I am currently researching and testing jute / hessian reusable shopping bags, which will be designed by me. These should be available in 2020. Do you make these gifts full-time? Currently it is a part time, but I hope that will change in the not-too-distant future. How do you promote and sell your services and products? I promote on both Instagram and Facebook. However, they have two completely different audiences and demographics. On Facebook, I only promote the frames. Instagram works better for the jewellery. I do paid ads occasionally, but most of my business comes via my posts and shares. I have also found doing giveaways helps boost sales and create buzz around my products. Do you have a website? I do now. For a long time, I was selling my items on third party platforms. But over time I had noticed how they are skewed in the customers favour, which I generally support. However, there were occasions where I had my fingers burnt by unscrupulous customers. I felt the time was right to have my own ecommerce site, where I could be in control. I am slowly phasing out my products on these platforms. Currently, only the frames are available on the website, but the product range will expand in the future to include a jewellery and bags section. My other aim for the website is to create a customisable section. At the moment, people choose set designs and personalise only with the name of the person for whom the gift is for. In time, I’d like my customers to have more flexibility. How else do you market your product and company? Other than Facebook and Instagram, I also have a You tube channel. On here I promote my jewellery by talking about what I am wearing. My offline marketing is through attending expectant parent events, such as the Mothercare one and word-of-mouth. I believe in the power of my networking, so I do a lot of giveaways, as I know it will bring returns in the future.
How’s business going since you first started out? I can see month-on-month a sales growth. I also do a quarterly review of the business, to reflect upon what has been achieved and what can be improved. That helps me to address my processes and adjust them if necessary. What plans do you have for the immediate future? As previously mentioned, I want to sell only on my website. I’d like this to be a full-time business and in time I would like to hire staff. Where do you see your business going in the next five years? I’d like to have a physical store too. Other businesses do, and so why can’t mine? I still believe that people would like the chance to ‘see’ my products before they buy. For other people out there with creative abilities and ideas who have not yet created a business, what advice would you give to get them to get started? You have to TRY! My parents taught me to be a big dreamer. You have to have a goal. Getting there is a matter of taking the necessary steps. Some will be easier than others. But unless you try it, you will never know. I have also been surprised by consumer reactions to products. What I thought would do well, sometimes hasn’t and things that I tried, thinking they would flop, have proved to be popular. So, you should never limit your beliefs. Be open. Push yourself out of your comfort zone. I always believe it is best to do, or better to try something, than wonder if… Who has been your inspiration? My parents and successful YouTubers. I admire those people earning an income by doing what they love, like Amber Scholl. I always keep to the front of my mind that all the big brands started out just like me. At one point they were all just somebody with an idea. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it and work at it. So, if you need personalised gifts that look great, look no further than Tiffany’s Totes and keep an eye out for her other product lines in the coming months. Tiffany’s creations can be found via: www.tiffanystotes.co.uk Email – tiffanystotesstores@gmail.com If you have a business that you would like to feature in this regular slot, why not get in touch? We’d love to hear from you!  Yes, its that time of year. The school summer holidays here in Havering have officially started.
What do you have planned? Whatever it is, enjoy this time to:
If you want to read a funny post - check out Joanne's post. It had us laughing out loud.  Email Marketing is a way to leverage the power of email. It enables you to reach customers at the same time as promoting your business. In order to run an effective email marketing campaign, you don’t need a marketing department to do things for you. Designing a professional email marketing campaign is not a complicated nor time-consuming job. It is a process that can be monitored and measured by various marketing performance metrics such as, Call To Action (CTA) s, Click through Rate, Social Profiles, and A/B testing results. Some of the benefits of undertaking an email marketing campaign are: Helps improve customer relationships It is vital to have an efficient tool to communicate with your customer. Emails creates opportunities to keep people informed and engaged with your business. Sending personalised or tailored emails to your valuable customers with the latest product launch, next big event, discount vouchers or festive wishes are a few examples that any sized business can offer. Efficient use of time and budget Small businesses are bound by time and budget constraints. Buying an advertisement to play during a famous TV show would be nice, but it is not an option for most small business marketing budgets. Creating an email campaign, therefore, is a process that doesn’t have to cost a thing and is an efficient use of time and budget. Build credibility People do business with people they know, like, and trust. The right emails can give you the ability to build credibility with your audience by sharing helpful and informative content. The more customers can learn about (and from) your business, the more their trust will increase. A good e-mail newsletter should highlight to prospects why they should buy from your service or product. Reach people on any device According to Google more than 70% of people read their email on a mobile app, with most checking their email in the morning. Email marketing is one of the best tools that can be used to take advantage of the growing popularity of mobile technology.  Show your expertise While email marketing can be about sending discounts and sale information it has another important function. Delivering unique and authoritative content, can drive traffic to your business and offer subscribers information that is both useful and enjoyable and put you in a position of local expert. Increase website traffic without spending on Ads Every company or e-commerce business wants to get traffic to their website. As mentioned above, email marketing campaigns can help increase traffic to your website and bring more people into your store. Sending newsletters with the latest product info or promotions can lead to higher website traffic which can ultimately lead to more sales. General tips for your email marketing success • Send a newsletter at least once a week • Place at least one Call To Action button in the emails • Personalise your emails • Create a compelling subject line and test every subject line before delivery • Segmenting your email list based on age, gender, demographic location, and customer personas to send relevant emails  It’s that time of the year again when the all white kits of the tennis stars make an appearance. Whether or not you’re a tennis fan, you’ve got to admire the skill and dedication of these athletes. Their perseverance, commitment and positive mindset and belief that they will get through each round and eventually win the coveted title of Wimbledon Champion. So where’s your mindset as you read this? Have you challenged yourself recently to achieve a difficult objective? Whatever your business model, becoming successful is not easy and takes consistency and daily hard work. If you are currently in a position where your business growth has slowed - why not get in touch? Having an optimised website works wonders in conjunction with other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram posts. Our Essex web designers have no borders and work with clients across the UK!  If you thought that GMB was shorthand for a trade union, think again! In the modern age it’s much more likely to be a reference to Google My Business. You may feel that people “google” your business all the time, but do they always find you? Google’s free product Google My Business (GMB) is incredibly useful for helping people discover you and for putting your name on the first page of search results. So, yes you do want to be on Google My Business. How does GMB work?You’ve probably seen hundreds of Google My Business listings without realizing it. They’re the short lists that pop up when you search for something generic like “cafes near me” or often when you search for a specific business name it’s the GMB listing that appears. Below is an example of a “cafes near me” search. Each one of these businesses will have a GMB listing. You’ll see that a list of 3 names appears, this is what Google calls the “3 pack”  When you click on one of the named business it will take you through to their individual GMB listing, containing more information including a location map and often a photo, video, blog and lots of useful info.  This information can satisfy searchers, but most will then click through to your website using the button at the top of the listing, especially if you have lots of products and services. A café for example would likely have menu details on their site. GMB is therefore essentially a widely used local business listings service, used by large and small companies. The great news is that every business can achieve a prominent listing if they get the basics right and deliver great value that customers appreciate. The top 8 Reasons you need to be on GMB1. Achieving prominence in search results A listing can help your business to stand out in search results, and can help people to find your business, whether it’s online or offline. Your objective should be to get into the top 3 search results, which is where factors such as review scores are important. 2. Local search for local services If you want to improve your chances in local search results, then a GMB listing is the key. Research shows that 46% of all searches are for local businesses while the “3 pack” format of results now appears in 93% of all local searches, so you have to be there! 3. Searching on your mobile Most local search is now done on smart phones and GMB listings dominate mobile search results. 4. Make it easy for customers to find you GMB listings provide a quick snapshot of your business. Maps, opening times, images and reviews all help searchers quickly decide whether they should visit you. 5. Think about your competition If you’re annoyed that your competitors always appear in searches and you don’t, it’s because they have a GMB listing. Something as simple as that will mean they’re getting some of your business, unless you get on GMB yourself. 6. Gives you credibility Users are accustomed to seeing these profiles, and it can lend some credibility to your business. Listings look professional and provide key information that helps people to decide whether you’re a credible business or not. 7. GMB has amazing features Google are constantly updating their GMB features, so you can now add all kinds of fabulous elements to your listing, not just photos but videos too. Videos are a great way of educating customers and really help them make buying decisions. As with everything on the internet it pays to keep your GMB listing fresh, so make sure to add seasonal special offers, events information, and to add regular blog posts. They all help in making you easier to find and to ensure you appear in the “3 pack”. 8. Free and Easy Google My Business is free and easy to set up, but if you don’t have the time or feel you don’t have the skills it’s second nature to our digital whizz kids at Perfect Layout. If you are unsure or don't have the time to set up your GMB, give us a call, we can help you get your business visible online. This month’s regular bi-monthly blog feature sees Perfect Layout talking to an established business based in Romford. We believe that learning from others and how they run their business is the key to increasing one’s overall knowledge. Even if the sector of the business isn’t like yours, it’s the management and processes employed by that company that can resonate and lead you to improving the systems that you have. We are passionate about promoting the fantastic, successful growing companies that exist right here on our Essex doorstep. Keep reading to find out more about this month's business under the spotlight - Crafty Arts.
What’s the history behind Crafty Arts? It’s a family business, that was set up by Jays parents. Their first shop was in Ardleigh Green in 1991 and then they closed that one and progressed to having a store in Lakeside a few years later. They then opened a store in Brentwood on the High Street and another one in Bluewater Shopping Centre. At that point they were running 3 stores at the same time. Eventually, they closed the Lakeside store and had the Brentwood and Bluewater stores running alongside each other. In 2000, Jay set up an information website and seven years later he set up an actual e-commerce website. From that, we saw potential and it was at that point that he left his website job and took the plunge to work for the business fulltime. Following on from that we started to see a growth in the online business that was earning us more than our Brentwood shop. We then moved to North Street in Romford and rented a warehouse there. After 2yrs we had to rent the warehouse next door too. Bluewater was doing really well too. After 15 years we closed the Brentwood shop. We moved to our current location in 2015 and we now have 15 members of staff.  Jay and Nick Necati What makes you stand out from other shops that supply arts and crafts? We’ve got the personal touch. Our customer service staff are passionate about what they do and we have long serving members on the team. They are not afraid of hard work. Our manager has a background of arts and she manages our workshops. The top tiers of the business are still family led and run, but we have two managers that we know that we can rely on. We take care of our own and we’ll step in and offer our help when required. An element of your business involves running workshops. Tell me a little about what you offer and to whom? We cater to everyone and run different workshops throughout the year. From beginners to professionals of all ages. The content of our workshops varies and we also provide the setting for home schooling on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Who do you provide your products to? Local or further afield? An We sell to individual customers and predominately to the UK. 20% of our sales is to Europe. Is your background arts and crafts based? No. It’s more strategy and admin. Jay’s background is arty in that he can draw. He’s very creative and very analytical in mind set that’s why we work well together. What’s your role within the business? I am the Business Development Director. I focus on the brand and oversee the customer service team and HR. I also source new products and go to shows and test out new products which is really nice. How is business going? It’s going really well. This year we’ve put lots into planning and having strategies which has worked really well. Crafty Arts celebrated 25 years of business in May 2016, with an unveiling by The Mayoress of Havering, Linda Van Den Hende Have you been on any formal courses to learn how to run this business or have you learnt everything whilst being ‘on the job’? Mainly on the job and through past experiences of roles. We’ve all had to kind of find our feet. Jay was a web designer but now oversees the day to day running of the business. I see that you have a very active website for the business. How reliant is your business revenue on your website? It’s not reliant on the website as the business has grown quickly and we sell on multi-channels. As well as the website, we sell on Amazon and eBay. The website is an added bonus and gives our customers confidence that we are real and that they can pop in and see us when they want to. Do you have a marketing strategy? Yes, we focus on the major seasons throughout the year as well as the art seasons. For example, Spring is the start of the watercolour season and you’ll find people out painting watercolours. At this time, you’ll also find students putting their portfolios together. Start of the summer holidays it’s arts and craft kits for kids and Christmas it’s board game season and gift items. Which social media platforms are you on? Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. Wow you seem to be on all of them, who manages these platforms for you? We have a Customer Service and Workshop Manager who manages it. Which platforms would you consider as your most successful? At present, Facebook because of the interactions. What are your top 3 tips for business owners that are not on social media or are ready to get started? In both instances I would recommend having a plan! Be consistent on your platforms and post often and try and build a community. We use Monday.com that helps us to plan, manage and organise our work. I would add, that it’s really important to have your processes in place from the beginning. E-Myth Revisited, by Michael Gerber, is a book that can help you to understand the different roles within a business. Know what the why is, of having built the business, as the answer is going to keep you moving forward. It's not easy! I also see that you have won various business awards over the last few years. Can you describe how, having won these awards, it has impacted your business? It’s impacted the staff by reflecting their hard work as a very well done. It helps remind us that we’re doing a good job and to keep going. It’s also great for our customers to see, especially new-comers reviewing our products for the first time – it gives us clout. We can also share the news with our suppliers, which shows that we are sourcing good products. It’s a lot of work to enter, but I think it is worth doing. Crafty Arts - winners of the best E-Commerce business awarded by Business Excellence, April 2019 Would you recommend entering award competitions to other businesses? Totally! Do you think that it’s something that any type of business could benefit from? Yes. Where do you see Crafty Arts in 5 years’ time? I think arts and crafts will always have a space in this world. Crafts have a cycle and it’s interesting to see what the next cycle will be. Painting by numbers, knitting, scrap booking, card making have all come and gone and come around again as popular trends. We love being a hobby provider. I see us growing and expanding the workshops and having multiple ones running simultaneously. If you would like to know more about the services and products provided by Crafty Arts, you can get in touch by contacting them via their website or via: If you would like your business to feature in this slot, why not give us a call on 01708 578 015 today. We'd love to hear from you!  We are asked all the time, why do I need a blog on my website? It probably ranks right next to, what is SEO? And believe it or not the two are related. In a nutshell the number one reason for having a blog on your website is that it drives search engine traffic. How does it drive search engine traffic? Well, for one it enriches your content, but secondly and of equal importance it keeps your site updated. If you think about the way Google and other search engines work, they constantly look for indexed pages. So every time you put up a blog it’s one more indexed page on your website, which means there is a greater opportunity for it to show up in search engines. Blogging also shows search engines that your site is active and they should be checking back regularly for new content, even better it puts more keywords on your site, all of which help it rise up the page rankings; in the trade it’s known as organic SEO!  But it’s not all about SEO. Blogging is one of your best sales tools that can help increase leads and improve conversion rates. While its pretty tacky to use your blog for a direct sales message, it is your big chance to really tell your organisation’s stories. It will also show your credibility and to prove your authority in your market. In many ways blogging is your chance to show off and to really convey that you are an expert in your field. We always get a real buzz when we read a blog that teaches us something new, written by someone passionate about their subject, it’s such a great opportunity to get inside the personality of a business. Don’t make it too long though (around 500 words is optimum), but tell compelling stories in your voice which help customers and potential customers understand something about what you do, how you work, your industry or what you’ve learned on the way. Your blog therefore is the enrichment you put into your site, the thing you do to change it from a showroom into a friendly business. The big benefit of this rich content is that readers love to share new, fun and interesting material they’ve found online. Which means that not only do you have something to put up on your social media channels every time you blog, but so do your clients and potential clients. Think about it, if a potential client has read your blog and has even linked to it on social media, how much more likely are they to buy from you than if all they’d seen were the static “services” or “about us” pages on your website? You know we said its not all about SEO, but actually those social media links are great for creating inbound links to your website, something search engines absolutely love. As you can see we practice what we preach, believing passionately that blogging is the most creative way for driving search engines to find you and to influence prospects to buy from you. If you need help with making this happen, why not get in touch on 01708 578 015 or take a look at our copywriting services for more information.  Are you feeling renewed and refreshed this Easter? Whatever your plans, this Spring, enjoy the glorious weather and continue taking positive steps towards achieving your goals.  Perfect Layout recently sponsored Havering Museum's Rom Skatepark exhibition. Above is an image of the newspaper article featured in the Romford Recorder.
Christine Huntingford, one of the founders of Perfect Layout says "We are proud to be associated with Havering Museum, and we sponsored this particular event, as it bridges the old and the new, and attracts a mixed age group of visitors." The exhibition was held in March/April 2019. To find out future events at the museum visit www.haveringmuseum.org Whatever type of Brentwood business you may have - get in touch with the Perfect Layout team today to discuss your digital marketing needs. Our affordable website services offers something for everyone and being local means that we can visit your premises, at your convenience, for a face to face meeting. If you're pushed for time - we can Skype or undertake a conference call. Get in touch today on 01708 578 015.  Content marketing is a strategy in which content is published about a topic to attract new customers or build a following. Using this practice, content is pushed through different marketing channels. This content helps customers know more about the service or product you are offering. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) plays a vital role in improving content visibility in the search engines. SEO is a strategy that should be applied in all forms of content marketing, since every website needs text, images or videos. But how? Let’s find out here. To build brand reputation - help building linksGreat content can help you build trust with your leads and customers. When consumers read your content, they start to develop an opinion of your brand. If the content that they find is engaging, educational and valuable, then they will start to think the same things about your business. The more value you can provide with your content, the easier it will be to build trust with your target audience. Publishing collaborated content or sharing your content with influencers also helps you further build trust within your target market. To improve conversion - help increase trafficContent marketing helps to improve conversions because it allows you to connect with and educate your leads and customers. The main goal of content is to build trust, relationships, encourage conversions by giving consumers the information to make a purchasing decision. Text ranks extremely well on Google, which is why content (and the right content) is so important. The higher you rank, the more visitors you get. Here’s a tip: Include related Call to Action (CTA) buttons and links on the pages. For example: encourage users to subscribe to a newsletter or find more additional content. Interlinking content is good because the google bots use URLs to crawl and finds more content. Bring in new leads - new users / traffic
Optimised content - increase chances of ranking for more keywordsWriting more meaningful, or optimised, content is always good for SEO. With this practice, you have the chances of ranking in search engines for more keywords. An optimised article can rank for various keywords. Here’s a tip: It is difficult to rank on popular keywords like ‘insurance’. Try to select long tail keywords. Example ‘workers' accident compensation insurance’ - there aren’t many firms who are trying to rank for these niches. Learn more about long tail keywords for SEO. “The only way it improves your SEO is by relating one piece of content to another, and more specifically a group of posts to each other.” - YOAST Build relationships with customers - increase Domain AuthorityContent is where you express the service or the product you are offering. Use more than text to provide good content. Can you create an explainer videos or do you have relevant images will create better content overall. Edits and changes also serve as a freshness factor and help you better your rankings. Here’s a Tip: Don’t write many articles or pages on the same topic. Try to find a way to combine them and create a concise article. Higher ranks in many keywords, increases Domain Authority. If you need help with your content marketing strategy, give Perfect Layout a call. Our team of digital marketing gurus are waiting to hear about your business.  Today, 21 March 2019 sees the world celebrate hypnobirthing. Mums, hypnobirthing practitioners, midwives and other health care providers come together to connect, support and share their hypnobirthing stories and experiences. Here is a message from World Hypnobirthing Day's Facebook group: There are 3 ways in which you can be apart of this special day: 1. Share the details of this day far and wide so that we can create more 'Hypnobirthing Hype' and awareness. 2. Whether your a Hypnobirthing teacher or a Hypnobirthing Mum/Dad host a 'Hypnobirthing Huddle' and celebrate in style ( that means with cake!) 3. A special recording will be uploaded to this page on the day for you to listen to so get comfy, dim the lights, put on your favorite smell, close your eyes and enjoy. We look forward to celebrating this very special day with you soon and thanks for sharing with your friends,clients and colleagues. World Hypnobirthing Day 2019. So if you know someone how is pregnant, share this post on this special day and let them know about hyypnobirthing and how it can help them prepare for labour and birth. #worldhypnobirthingday  Today more than half the media we consume comes through digital channels. Reaching consumers through digital channels offers various advantages and today we will discuss five of those reasons. In 2019, no business wanting to succeed can be without a digital strategy. It should be a fundamental part of all businesses to produce, publish and distribute content which allows them to expand awareness of products and services through digital channels. It takes money to make money. If you want to expand your brand, increase sales and grow your business fast, then it is important to invest in marketing for it to happen.
Offering a sale during a festive season in a certain area, can be an example of location-based targeting. Example: A Sandwich Bar can post google ads during rush hours to working class people at 4 PM around 6 KM diameter of the bar. Reason 2 - Visibility in the Online World All potential customers have moved online where they are actively searching for products and services. Unlike the traditional form of marketing, Digital Marketing has the capacity to reach the right audience and also engage with them in various forms of communications. The more you penetrate online the more you can motivate the customers to take action, which generally leads to a better Return of Investment (ROI). Nowadays, there are various platforms in which businesses can be listed. Using social media, directory listing services like Google Maps, Trip Advisor and Yelp can help to increase the brand visibility on the internet. Search Engine Optimisation plays a huge role in the organic side of visibility. Placing Ads on Google or social media are other ways to help increase the visibility of the brand.
Reason 4 - Fast, Effective and Low-Cost Unlike traditional media, digital marketing is able to penetrate the market quicker. Campaigns can be effective when applied with great marketing vision. When comparing costs, it’s more likely to be much cheaper than traditional medians such as directory, print, radio or TV advertising. Businesses can market their services with better effectiveness and at a lower cost. Reason 5 - Measurable Digital marketing campaigns are measurable and can be segmented in metrics to create a meaningful output. The output can be further analysed, in order to optimise further campaigns to create more efficient results. Some of the tools used for Digital Marketing are Google Analytics, Google Ads Platform, Facebook Analytics. An example of how analytics can have an effective impact on a business is demonstrated by this example…A barbershop decides to put a store ad to Facebook. He creates an ad which ran 24h every day. After a few weeks, he looks at the analytics and finds that the peak hour of the clicks in the ads are during the day from 12pm-4pm. Now, he edits his campaign so that the ads run with more budget during these peak hours, and less or not at all outside of these time frames. This way the barbershop used the power of Digital Marketing to successfully give him an increase on his Return of Investment (ROI). Get in touch you if require help with your marketing strategy by emailing us, or calling 01708 578 015.  Following the marking of International Women’s day recently, we were looking forward to the Your Business Community event celebrating women in business. Held in Bishopsgate, Liverpool Street, it was the third year that this free event had been run. Its purpose was to ‘recognise the barriers stopping business growth and, importantly, identify how to overcome them’. With over 50 female entrepreneurs and panel debates going on throughout the day, we knew that this was a ‘must attend event’ and we were not disappointed! As always, the YBC attendees were really friendly and the conversation over teas and coffees flowed freely. Business cards were exchanged and questions about the Perfect Layout services were asked. We sat through four seminars:
Each topic was important and relevant to running your own business. There were knowledgeable women answering questions and pertinent points being raised by the audience. We never tire of saying how important it is to network. To mingle with like-minded people, form new business relationships and give (and receive) help from others on your business journey. So take the plunge and do something about promoting your brand and services by attending a networking event today! YBC runs regular meet-ups across the UK, so you are likely to have one near you. Find out where upcoming events are or maybe you would like to become a member…  Every alternate month, Perfect Layout Digital Marketing goes out to local businesses to talk about how business is. The aim is to learn and share with you the personal experiences of these business owners. What is working for them and what they have learned do differently. Perfect Layout believes that sharing knowledge is a great way to help other business owners develop. We are passionate about promoting the awesome, creative and varied companies that exist right here on our Essex doorstep. Read our interview with registered baker Priya Shah. Business name - Buttercup Cakes by Priya Owner – Priya Shah Location – Gants Hill, Essex Tell us a bit about you? I am an accountant by trade and a mum of a two-and-a-half-year-old boy. I have a passion for baking and sugar work and this has been with me since I was five years old. I used to watch my mum go to classes and at home I would then offer to help her out whenever she would let me. She made cakes as a hobby and often made cakes for friends and family helping her with both baking and sugar work. How long have you been making cakes? I have been doing it for the last 5 to 6 years as a hobby; making birthday and wedding cakes for family and friends. After a night out with friends and talking about how I would love to do this as a job, I decided why not give it a go. It was in October 2017 that I became a registered baker. In the past year I have been trying to establish the business as a commercial venture, whilst still doing a full-time job. How is business going? Really well. It’s picked up much quicker than I expected it to. It started as a side project and now I am fully booked for the next two months. I now need to work out how I am going to scale the business up. I know you make celebration cakes, cupcakes and other sweet treats. Do you have a preference? I make novelty celebration cakes and wedding cakes. I prefer making wedding cakes because of the more intricate sugar work, personalised toppers and figurines. At the moment, I am exploring a wide range of cake styles to discover what I enjoy most. Have you had any formal training? Yes. I have been on various courses along the way to practise, learn and enhance my skills. Courses that I have done include flawless cake covering, creating sugar flowers and how to make lifelike figurines for cakes (focussing on moulding and colouring). It’s amazing how quickly you can hone a skill with the right tutoring. How did you come up with your business name? Being in a competitive market, it was hard to come up with the right name – I’m still not sure I am there… so many bakers have taken the names that I wanted. I came up with lots of ideas that I tested with friends and family. I wanted something elegant and simple. I also liked the flower theme, because I like the sugar work with flowers. Buttercup is a pretty-sounding flower. It may still change as my company grows...who knows. Where are your premises? At the moment, I am doing all of it from home. Hopefully the business will grow soon to the point where I can have my own unit and be able to showcase my work. I would love a bigger kitchen and worktops from which to work from. A domestic kitchen is not quite enough. It would also be nice to separate work from home life. Tell us about your most challenging cake…what lessons did you learn? I recently did a scale model of a Routemaster bus, which collapsed twice. These style buses are quite narrow compared to their length. I wanted the bus to stand on its tyres, so it needed a stand that wasn’t visible. It took a while to get it just right. I had to use Dowling rods to secure it. I guess this all comes with practice. One tip I have learned from making cakes is that chocolate ganache is useful to use between sponge and icing. When this cake toppled the cake was one solid piece that simply fell onto the board – a buttercream layer may have been a different story!  What advice would you give to other cake makers and decorators that would like to make money from their creations? The first cake I ever did for a paying customer didn’t turn up to pick up the cake until 6 hours after she was supposed to. For those 6 hours I was nervous that I had made a cake for no reason and that the time I had spent and the ingredients that I bought would have been wasted. I quickly learned the lesson to always take a deposit. I would recommend to learn new skills regularly. Cake trends can change quickly too, so keep your skills up. Stick to what you like doing. Try not be everything to everyone, or you will end up doing work that you don’t enjoy doing as much. Where do you see Buttercup Cakes by Priya in 5 years’ time? As a full-time venture. I would love to leave the day job and do this full time. Do you have a marketing strategy? No, I guess that is due to the fact that I didn’t expect it to pick up so quickly. Currently I am posting my cakes onto Facebook and Instagram and a lot of my customers are coming from there, or from referrals. However, as I want to focus more on wedding cakes, I am planning to attend fayres and showcase myself to potential clients in the near future. How are you using social media? As mentioned before, I am on Facebook and Instagram and whenever I complete a project I showcase it on there. I am also on local Facebook groups for people looking for this service. It is through these posts, word-of-mouth and repeat business that I get my clients. Your business is doing well on social media, but have you thought about growing your business with a website? Only to the extent that ‘yes’ I need to do one at some point. I have spent time looking at other people’s websites and I am working out which style of website I would like to have. It’s my next step. What programmes do you watch for inspiration? I love Extreme Cake Makers for inspiration and Bake Off because it is so entertaining. It’s lovely to see a company form from the very beginning. We would love to catch up with you in a year from now to see how you are doing? Can we? Yes of course. If you would like to see more of Priya’s cakes, you can find her on: Facebook - www.facebook.com/buttercupcakesbypriyas Instagram - www.instagram.com/buttercupcakesbypriya You can also contact her to place an order by emailing her at – buttercupcakesbypriya@gmail.com If you have a business that you would like to feature in this regular slot, why not get in touch? We’d love to hear from you!  Sometimes it’s really important to take a step back from the day to day and take in the world around us. To reflect on the journey of successful people in business and be motivated by their achievements and impact on the world today. Tomorrow will be Alfred Hitchcock day. A true Essex boy, he was born Leytonstone. His first job in the film industry was as a title card designer and he directed his first film (that was silent) in 1925. To earn the title of Master of Suspense takes true talent and the films that he directed offered something to the public that was never before seen. He directed over 50 films and 39 Steps (1935) and The Lady Vanishes (1938), are considered to be two of the greatest British films of the 20th century. His approach paved the way for a new cinematic way of telling a story. His impact on Society, can be seen today through various psychological thrillers that use his camera methods. For example – how many thrillers have you watched that use the camera as though they were a pair of eyes involved in the scene taking place? His creative talent, via his film making, has stood the test time and continue to be popular films that are watched again and again. Are you the master of your business? Struggling to find your unique selling point? Don’t know where to start in trying to rebrand your product in order to appeal to a different audience? Looking at things with a new perspective can be difficult, particularly if the niche you’re in has been, ‘done to death’, but it’s not impossible. These days digital marketing means that you can research globally how other people are doing things and gain ideas that will help you crack your local market. Be the true driver of your business and do something great for your business today! Call us on 01708 578 015 to talk through how we can help you.  Romford and Gidea Park Rugby Club - First Team Last year we made a commitment to put some of our hard-earned profits, back into the local community. Romford and Gidea Park Rugby Club and Havering Museum became our donors. Regular readers will know that we are firm believers in giving something back and we try to do this through our regular bi-monthly blog, Interview with… and via the sponsorship of worthy causes.  If you’re unfamiliar with the local area, Havering Museum is a local museum that can be found in Romford, Essex. It is entirely volunteer led and came into existence in 2010. Through the passion and determination of local people it came into creation and today celebrates the history of Havering as well as the past and present successes of local people. So, if you fancy having a nose and being surprised about the rich history of the Havering area, check out what’s on today. From sponsoring the mind – we go to the body. Romford and Gidea Park Rugby Club is based in Crow Lane, Romford. It has been there since 1983, even though the club was formed in 1929. Within the club there are four team categories: Seniors, Minis, Juniors and Ladies. Competitions against other clubs across Essex and beyond are held regularly. We had the privilege to attend their Christmas dinner last year and watch the First Team play. It was an exciting match and we were pleased to hear that our contribution to the club had helped them purchase extra kit. The comradery amongst old and new players is thriving in this warm and friendly club.  Tracey, Perfect Layout founder, poses with the winning First Team If you are interested in playing rugby for a local team that is passionate about the sport, then this could be the club for you. You can find out more by going to their website or by calling 01708 700521.  There are websites that get found by people who have never heard of that business before. They stumble across these sites when they are searching for a solution to a problem or a question. These websites attract new visitors. These visitors are potential new clients, if they find information that is useful or engaging. So whether you are looking to build up a distribution list, your want to inform people of your services or have products to sell, a lead generation website is what you need. If these visitors go on to make an enquiry, through a contact form, email or phones call, and they provide their contact details and permission to get in touch, then they become a lead. Having a website designed to bring in new contacts in various ways can pay itself back many times over. Watch the video or read more about how beneficial a lead generation site can be for your business. Call Perfect Layout Digital Marketing, if you need ways of generating new leads for your business. Call us on: 01708 578 015.  Organic SEO or search engine optimisation is one of the most powerful online marketing strategies available to webmasters and bloggers. It takes a combination of high-quality content, social media presence and other factors to climb to the top of the search engine rankings for your specific keyword phrases. Without the right ingredients, your SEO strategy can actually backfire. It all starts with the keyword phrases and the theme of your content. Without unique, high-quality content, you will struggle to find your website or blog listed on Google, Bing, Yahoo or any other search engine. According to Optimonster these are the most important SEO ranking factors:
Below, you will find the top five organic search engine optimisation techniques and a few tips to help you gain a larger web presence. SEO is no longer a world dominated by the website receiving the largest number of backlinks. Good content Content matters and it must be high-quality content. Low-quality, poorly written content doesn't rank very well because it doesn't provide the user with a great experience. The goal of Google and all other search engines is to deliver the best possible search results for their users. High-quality, usable content provides the type of experience internet searcher want. Most searchers seek information, such as a solution to their problem or a how-to type of article about something specific. When your content delivers this type of experience, you gain higher ranking on the search engines because they consider your content to be high in quality. Use videos or images Not all content requires a video or an image, but the use of both or at least one can greatly aid in ranking higher in the search engines. Images provide away to break up your content, give the user something to draw them in and give you the opportunity to increase your on-page SEO. Whenever you provide a relevant image with your written content, you can change the ALT tag and the image title to match your theme. By using your main keyword phrase or a secondary keyword phrase as the ALT tag and title of your image, you score extra SEO points. Images also provide a second benefit. Google and other search engines will list the images in the "image" search category. This means, when somebody is searching for an image and they find yours, it could potentially lead them back to your website. However, if you don't provide an image title or ALT tag, you may not get listed. Videos are another very powerful way to deliver content. Providing a video with your written content gives the visitor a better experience, as long as the video fits with the content. This is a very powerful way to build better organic SEO. In addition, videos tend to gain higher ranking on Google than some written content does. We can constantly find out more concerning techniques for organic search through correct searching. Create a blog Websites without a blog can still rank high on Google, Yahoo and Bing, but they are missing out on one of the most powerful organic search engine optimisation techniques online today. Blogging provides the ability to target a broader subject area and cover very narrow topics within the broader spectrum. Every blog post acts as a small traffic engine and provides the opportunity to gain more traffic from the search engines. Think of blogging this way, when you post high quality content to your blog, it's like deploying an army of individuals with a stack of business cards. Each blog post will go to a different corner of the internet and attract a different type of individual to your website. Not only can the blog posts take over first page ranking on the search engines, but they also help you build a community. If your blog post covers topics somebody is interested in, they will subscribe to your blog. When somebody subscribes to your blog, you gain multiple opportunities to sell your products and services to them.  Use social media Social Media is not going anywhere and it is important to be present on all relevant platforms.Google and other search engines track the networks that your business is connected to. Social signals factor heavily into organic SEO and if you want to rank high for your target keywords, you must use social media and social bookmarking. Sites, such as Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest many others offer great leverage if a business is looking to increase their organic search engine optimisation. By sharing blog posts across these social media sites, gives you the ability to increase organic search and gain social traffic. Meta tag your website
Your META title, description and tags are really important to your overall SEO. Search engines use the meta data to better understand what your page or post is all about. When a search engine creates your listing, the meta data is used for the title and description showing up for your page or post. With the right title and description, you improve your SEO positioning. Now that you know five of the most important techniques to help you get organic search traffic, it’s time for your to take action. This is not an overnight job, it takes a strategy, a plan and then dedication to keep it up regularly. If running your business is taking up all your time and you need someone else to manage your organic search traffic for you, contact the team at Perfect Layout on 01708 578 015. |
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