We’re proud to be from Manchester and we certainly love our marketing, which is why we couldn’t resist the chance to send a few of our digital experts across town to the Marketing Show North recently.
Brilliantly hosted by Event City, near the Trafford Centre, the two-day event showcased some of the biggest brands on the planet alongside a series of speakers covering topics such as SEO, paid media, affiliate marketing and CRM. All of which are services we can offer to your business.
With all of these events it is about our dedicated workforce picking up some new tips and tricks, so with that in mind, here are the top 6 things we learnt from our two-days at Manchester’s marketing master class.
Emotional Buying
We all think we’re in control of our purchasing power, but the top brands have already dived into our minds long before we actually enter our cards details or hand our hard-earned cash over the till.
We are a nation of emotional buyers who purchase items not on what they are, but on how they make us feel and look. Take Apple for example, they don’t do cheap items, yet the majority of us have an iPhone or a MacBook. Not because they allow us to make phone calls or write emails, but because of the image they give us.
Just check the big Apple on the back of some of the original MacBook’s. They were sold to business people who quite simply wanted to look the part.
Snapping Our Lives
Not all social media platforms are designed for their users to become obsessed with reaching thousands, or even millions of followers. Just take a look at Snapchat. Their whole purpose and function is to keep your close friends even closer, even if that is simply through sending them a picture of your morning coffee.
The camera first platform is a relatively straightforward concept, but it’s 168m daily users show just how effective it is. This, however, is the main thing that we took away from Snapchat’s talk at the show – millennials love simple platforms that allow them to create fun and engaging content.
Through their special features of filters, lenses and stories, the app is one of the leading social media gems of our century. Their chat functions may be ephemeral, but Snapchat is most certainly here to stay.
Mobile First
Google is often the starting place for many of us when it comes to the Internet. Social media is booming right now, but the good old search engine is where we all go to find the answers to our questions and queries.
For Google though, it is now all about mobile first. Which means if you want to be successful in SEO, your mobile website is now arguably more important than your desktop version. Don’t believe us, then just try the same search term in Google on your mobile and then do the same on your desktop. The search results may be the same, but on your mobile, you’ll see much more visual content and often suggestions on what you should buy.
Stick in something like ‘mens hats’ and let us know how you get on. We’re pretty sure you’ll notice the difference straight away.
Targeting Millenniums
Designing online material for your specific target market can be a tricky task, but it is an integral one to keep your business alive. When it comes to targeting millenniums, it’s all about understanding where your audience are and what they want.
In terms of advertisement, it is essential to do your research on specific age demographics and find out exactly where your audience is predominantly located. Original Source gave us an insight into their marketing scheme of targeting Made In Chelsea viewers, as their products are designed for people aged 18-34. By identifying where their audiences are, they could then establish a campaign to specifically target these potential customers.
When it comes to 21st century consumers, not every single piece of content needs to be ad heavy. Creating online material that speaks directly to your audience goes a long way in formulating a trusting and healthy relationship. Communication is key and there are plenty of ways to reach your target market.
Generating News
Whether we’re posting on our personal Twitter or publishing a press release as a brand, we all want to get heard. Posting is the easy bit though, its creating content that people actually want to read that is key to generating news.
We joined a debate at the Marketing Show North on the very topic and there was one outstanding feature that dominated the discussion. Visual.
Words are great, but in 2019, unless you accompany them with images, video and interactivity, you’ll likely to head to the bottom of the pile. Especially in PR, where journalists are simply to busy to read through every single email they receive. Have something that catches their eye, and ultimately their readers, and you’re already another step up the ladder.
Latest Content & PR Trends
The world of PR and content appears to be an endless and complex factor of marketing, but this is why initially establishing a concise strategy is a fundamental aspect of every digital campaign. We all know the benefits of great online content – we can gain links, clicks and loyal readers.
Before writing a piece of content, it is therefore important to ask yourself why exactly are you producing this piece of copy. Are you simply doing it for SEO purposes, or do you want to try and captivate your audience? The latter can be done in various modern forms like online surveys, top ten articles and interactive blogs. Reflecting popular trends is a key way of staying up to date in an online world that seems to evolve every single day.
Making links for PR purposes can be a daunting proposition, but we learnt the following tips from some of the leading UK news outlets:
- Consider what is in it for them as a publication
- Make sure your content is a fully fledged story
- Treat the media like a valuable client
- Make connections – a chat over a cup of coffee can go a long way!
Remember too, the biggest news corporations in the world are busy offices. Take time to recognise this and build relationships with those in the industry, as opposed to sending out hundreds of emails to random members of the media.
