an overview to digital marketing

Digital Marketing StrategyHas the web changed? Again?

About F3• Fully integrated, full service marketing

and creative agency

• Established in 1996 by three founding directors

• Cheltenham based. Fully independent

• Member of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising

• Broad base of clients and experience

• Strong strategic partnerships in PR and Direct Marketing

• £2 million annual turnover

• 16 members of staff

• Head of Digital appointed February 2010

F3 Services

Brand strategy and design Design for print Advertising Digital

Direct mail Packaging Point of sale Signage

F3 Clients

Welcome :-)

Today’s Topics• Introductions

• The value in ‘digital’

• A new approach to web

• Latest technologies

• Viral marketing

• Email marketing

• Social media

• Search vs display advertising

• Conclusion

• Refreshments

Steve Lauder – Head of Digital• Worked in IT for 15 years, Network administration,

IT management, Web development

• Ran digital agency for over 5 years, quickly went from coding to strategy

• Helped sites increase traffic by 300%, conversions by 110%, Sales by units 150%

• Worked with, and work with leading developers, email, search and social media specialists

• Factor 3 since March. My job to stay on top of where the web is going, ensure clients get the best from technology

The Value in ‘digital’

Not The Next Big Thing• This seminar isn’t about the latest technology

• This doesn’t mean we aren’t able to provide the latest technology… the question is WHY to apply technology?

• Next big thing is being able to evaluate the value of ‘the next big thing’

• Digital world rapidly & constantly evolving

Technology Changes Usage, Changes Technology

Slide ‹#› 20:07:2010 Presentation Title

Greater securityConnection speeds

Web 2.0Mobile

Growth of online shoppingVideo content, grander design

Greater collaboration, engagement, socialIntegration with ‘real world’

Marketing Channels 80’s


Marketing Channels Today


The Recession• Companies increased digital spend, overtaking

TV spend for first time ever*

• Companies more ‘choosy’ about digital spend*a) Who they spend withb) What they spend onc) Increased resistance to untried and tested methods

• Increased demand for measurable ROI from marketing campaigns

* Source: Mintel


The Revolution

Companies moving away from ‘Digital’ agencies:• Maturity – availability of necessary tools

– CMS, CRM, Opensource

• Offline/online campaigns blurred – integrated cross-channel strategies more common

• Technologists are not marketeers

• Realisation ‘digital’ provides a PLATFORM, not a marketing solution

• Specialist niche agencies working in tunnel vision – traditional integrated agencies best placed for cohesion


The Paradox• Utilisation of digital infinitely complex, ever

changing, wheel constantly reinvented. Strategy becoming ever less ‘generic’ for businesses

• Digital ‘Just a channel’, and a mature one – increasingly being seen in this way

• Larger agencies integrating ‘digital’ skills, ‘digital agencies’ not integrating traditional skills

• Greater demand for truly integrated campaigns

• Integrated, traditional agencies best placed to deliver ‘success’


New Approach to Web...“It’s not about having a digital strategy;

it’s about having a strategy that incorporates a digital world.”

What Are Your Objectives?

• Brand awareness

• Product/service awareness

• Customer empowerment

• Increase trade/direct sales

• Harvest customer/audience data

• Collaborative working

• Information Delivery

• Creating engagement

• Build relationships


None of these only achievable via the web. Most require MORE THAN technology to stimulate the desired result.

How Will You Measure Success?• If non-sales objectives, what action would you like to compel?

• Desired actions = conversions

• Conversion goals best measures of success

• Anticipate the customer journey

• Put your conversion goals into your stats packages/systems

• Compelling response takes more than technology, hence web ‘just a channel’


The importance of brand

Brand Planning model


Marmite website

UPS Website

Role/Importance of Website• Cornerstone of all online marketing activity

• Success of all other online campaigns hangs on strength of web presencea) Strength = how well the website ‘sells’ the

company/product/service, compelling ‘conversion’

• Increasingly, majority of campaigns refer back to a website/micro site

• Sites need to be a lot more adaptable, easier to update


Website as Cornerstone?

Increasingly polarising position, especially with SMEs• Some companies ill advised, lacked ROI

• Some had great advice, great strategy, ever increasing ROI

• Most owners of failed websites/digital strategies don’t understand why they failed


Old Approach to Web

Website as an event...• Office concurs the website looks ‘a bit dated’

• Internal team discusses what could be done better

• Brief written, put out to tender... company engaged

• Website launched, initial fanfare, stats viewed eagerly

• Enthusiasm slows, website stops ‘working’ for the company

• Three years later, office concurs the website ‘looks a bit dated’

If you build it, they won’t come


Iterations• First rotation – phase one critical, in terms of goals,

strategy, benchmarking and consulting

• Second rotation – Phase one again critical, reviewing stats, ‘tweaking’ content (split testing?)

• Third rotation – Investment moves to phase seven activity

• Fourth rotation – adopted business practice – website now integral with all other marketing activity


Evolving Through the Iterations• Each rotation, hold up proposals against brand strategy,

and ‘success’ parameters

• Do the suggested changes support or detract?

• Evaluate the value of any new development/content in these terms


Implications• House built on good foundation

• Maximises the value of all other digital spend

• Maximises the value of much offline activity

• Reduces the need for ‘big hit’ investments

• Website harmonious with the business and its current position

• Data will help a business keep pace with audience trends/demands

• Website constantly updated & evolving – many benefits


Realistic expectations• Many businesses have made sustained

investments in online

• Overnight success no longer realistic expectation in most instances (without big budget, of course)

• Longer term strategies therefore essential

• Consistency with brand values and business objectives therefore priority


The Story So Far• Strategy for a digital world – not a digital strategy

• Technology is again just technology – not synonymous with ‘marketing’

• Technology needs to be understood in its own terms

• Greater collaboration between marketing and IT departments


Latest Technology Considerations

Latest Technical Considerations• Mobile biggest revolution in ‘digital’ since web 2.0

• Web no longer chained to a desk – more integrated with the ‘real world’

• Web apps being replicated by phone apps – ebay, facebook, amazon, argos etc.

• Augmented reality & location based web services next revolution – already started

• Websites need to be more accommodating of mobile internet browsers

• 61% Phones now smart phones


Smartphone Facts


Mobile Preparation Cost Effective?• More cost effective than you may think

• Possible to detect a phone user, same as detecting flash

• Alternative site templates can be employed on page load:a) Less zooming/scrollingb) Better natural font sizesc) Optimising on page images for less cumbersome used) Mobile menus for alternative navigation styles

• If running CMS sites, mobile-specific page templates can be implemented without re-developing your entire site. We can do this for you ;-)


Site or App?• App store – a microcosm of early internet growth

• An app in its own right needs yet further budget to raise awareness and encourage usage

• 70% of mature users (25+) prefer mobile optimised sites to apps * (source: Orange/TNS)

• Will the app provide a tangible benefit to the user? i.e.a) Make life easier?b) Make life more fun?c) Provide convenient self service?d) Help a remote worker do their job?

• Are people really likely to download it? Will it be ‘sticky’?


Do You Need to Implement This?• Burning question again… ‘WHY’?

• How much of your audience rely on mobile internet?

• Could you open a new audience by utilising mobile?

• Will it help you with your objectives for ‘success’?

• If not, then ignore this ‘next big thing’


Optimising Digital Presence• How can my company best utilise:

a) Viral marketing?b) Email marketing?c) Social media?d) Search engine/display advertising?

• Some golden rules, but application ever more specific


Viral marketing

Viral Marketing – Shocking facts• Two years ago, virals ‘peaked’ in interest and effectiveness

• Today, even large brands struggle to get traction for more than 7 days

• 24 hours video content uploaded to YouTube every hour

• Success determined by ‘shares’ in social media. Social currently best mechanism for viral spread

• Some still get massive attention, but not always as intended…


Recent Example: 10:10 Campaign


Impact• Defended as ‘tongue in cheek’

• HUGE amounts of global coverage… All negative. No comments from 10:10 in any media coverage – PR disaster

• Corporate backers of the initiative (including Sony) distanced themselves from the organisation, as have other CO2 reduction organisations/charities

• Concept created/executed in a bubble


When It Goes Well...


Why Did It Work?• 20m+ Views… Why?

• Principles mirrored from other successful ads (Reebok’s Terry Tate)

• Huge number of ‘shares’ from Facebook fans

• Sheer numbers pushed video into prominence on first day… “Catch fire”

• As with Social Media, difficult to capture ‘principles’ for replicating success with viral


Email Marketing

Email Marketing• People don’t want to be marketed ‘too’, they want

to be communicated ‘with’

• The more personal the setting, the more targeted communications need to be. Email should be dynamic, seemingly personal to be most effective

• Email – many companies have adopted it, not many have adopted it well

• Poor unsolicited communications led to greater resistance to email signups


Email Facts


How We Got You Here


Social media

Social Media• Not just Facebook/Twitter

a) Blogsb) Message boardsc) News websitesd) Social bookmarking

• Social Media ‘most trendy’, least understood

• Surge in ‘Social Agencies’ & PR agencies offering social strategies. Hyping benefits in unison with Facebook/Twitter spokespeople

• Important to differentiate between industry hype and real-world effectiveness


Social Media


Social Media

Core social media objectives:• Raise brand awareness

• Increasing customer acquisition & sales

• Increasing no. of links from quality websites

• Search engine ranking boost

Good social strategy consists of:• Dissemination

• Engagement

• Participation


Social Media – Dissemination

Dissemination the absolute core – carried out via:• Corporate blog

• Twitter profile

• Optimised press releases/online syndication

• Social bookmarking

• Sharing video content

Regardless of all else, performing the above will have big impact on search engine position


Social Media – Engagement• Engagement revolves around proactively communicating with

people and getting them excited about your organisation

• Simply telling people about the thing which you are doing is not engagement – it is dissemination

• Engagement works as a direct result of understanding what your audience is interested in and then engaging them accordingly around those things

• This can also be further supplemented by creating interesting collateral for them, i.e. videos, widgets, games, iPhone apps… absorbing their attention to convey your messages


Social Media – Participation

Participation is very much focused upon getting social media influencers/consumers/ stakeholders actively involved within your activity• This can take a variety of formats:

a) Involving stakeholders in something brand related, handing them a certain degree of responsibility

b) Creating specific social media focused eventsc) Inviting them along to attend ads being shotd) Inviting them to premiers or launchese) Getting people involved in competitions, to create UGC


Social Media – how?• Know your audience! Demographic, interests,

social status etc.

• Monitor trends: Social Mention, Technorati, Blog Pulse, Tweepz, Twello

• The heart of all successful social strategies is creativity, simplicity, instant appeal

• The more public your profile, the greater the opportunity for successful campaigns


Social Media Spend


Search vs Display Advertising

Search and Display Advertising• SEO not as ‘sexy’ as once was

• Organic SEO listings are still the most important place to be found online for long term success

• A comprehensive SEO strategy brings other tangible benefits, specifically from referring traffic

• PPC becoming more expensive, minimising ROI

• Combined with display advertising for specific campaigns and optimised landing pages, very powerful


Search and Display Advertising


Display Advertising


Conclusion

To Conclude• General trends will give you an idea of what

platforms/channels are generating responses

• This information needs to be balanced against what your own stats, stakeholders and audience are telling you… You need to gather and rely on this information

• The message and the way it is delivered are most important aspects of any campaign, ‘Digital’ is no different


To Conclude• Success is not driven by technology – technology supports

potential for success. Innovation drives both

• Consistency and congruity with brand/communications strategy is paramount

• Better to have a marketing strategy that includes digital rather than isolate the two

• Integrated agencies best placed to deliver ‘success’ in a digital world


To Conclude• Digital marketing needs to be a part of, not separate from,

your normal every day business/marketing processes

• Hardly used any jargon or technical terms throughout this presentation

• We have the best systems – CMS, eCommerce etc.We would love to demonstrate them!


Thank you for listeningAny questions?

an overview to digital marketing

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