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How technology is helping big brands target new customers

12/08/202006/21/2019 by scmarketing

Technology is bringing to light innovative and exciting ways businesses can connect with their customers. It is important for companies to continuously invest time and effort into new ways of marketing themselves. It is key to not only keep up with trends but accurately predict trends which will take place over the next few months or throughout the year. Here are two examples of big companies’ activity to reinvent the customer’s digital experience.

Ikea’s innovative app redesign

Ikea has redesigned its mobile shopping app in France and the Netherlands, soon to be branching out to other countries. The shopping app allows for shoppers to input information such as; the dimensions of their room, and the trends/styles they like, so they can visualise how something may look and receive great recommendations. Then, still using the app, they can buy products and order them for delivery straight to their house! The restructure of the app stems from the aim to reach customers further afield from their out-of-town stores and create a shopping experience which is easy and immersive.

Argos takes advantage of image search algorithms

Argos is taking advantage of the new and recent advances in image search algorithms and machine learning. This new technology can identify through an image the; colours, shapes, and styles, of furniture and household items and suggest similar pieces. This is perfect for those who are Pinterest obsessed, or followers of interior design profiles on Instagram.

Next steps for SMEs

Big brands are constantly looking at ways to target new customers and incorporating technology to help with the customer user experience. Ikea and Argos have come up with great ways to utilise the technology available to them, and you should to. But before you go and ahead to invest in the most expensive software out there, there is one thing you need to do… RESEARCH!

Before undertaking any new digital marketing campaign make sure you research your customer base; find out what they are interested in, what technology they use, research what your competitors are doing and brainstorm how your business can do it better! You need to have a rich understanding of your customer base in order to successfully market and bring your company into the age of technology. You may find that you already have the tools and technology you need to hand, you just need to get the best out of them.

At Smart Cow Digital Marketing, we provide a range of tailored campaigns which will get your business noticed, as well as investing time in areas of your company which have room for improvement. Check out the services we offer and give us a call on 020 3137 1826.

Accountants – are you looking to grow your practice?

10/30/201905/21/2019 by scmarketing

If you’re looking for growth in your accountancy practice then considering investment in marketing could be the approach to bring prospects to your door. But, with the host of marketing tactics out there, where do you start and what’s the best approach?

Unfortunately, there’s no one answer. But there’s a whole host of tools at your disposal to get awareness of your practice out there. Here’s the lowdown on what you need to consider.

Website

First and foremost – is your website doing its job? What we mean by this is that you need to look at your website and question whether there are succinct facts about what you do? Is the content relevant to your target audience? And, are there clear calls to action to get that contact coming your way?

Google My Business

Then you need to make sure your website is seen. Make sure you’ve populated Google My Business with details of your firm. This is free to do and at the very least get the basic information up there about your company, such as website, telephone number, contact email and opening times, as this all helps with SEO and it’s another place that you can be seen. Once you have the basic company details uploaded, explore other options available such as adding offers, your news and imagery as well as asking for clients to leave reviews. Again, this all helps with your organic search rankings.

Pay Per Click

Pay Per Click (PPC) is a great way to help increase traffic to your website. If you are trying PPC – of which Google Ads are the most popular – then getting your website up to date and populated with relevant content is so important. For a PPC campaign you will want a dedicated page on your website so that when people you are targeting click on an ad they land on a page with relevant content and because it is relevant this will help lower the cost of the ads.

Content

Regular and relevant content through blogs on your website, email marketing, social media posts etc., will help position you as thought leaders and build your brand. But don’t forget images and video content. Be factual with content offer tips, industry statistics and insight. Search engines also trawl through your website pages all the time looking for fresh and relevant content so this tells the search engines that you are the place to go to.

Social media

Then there’s social media. Do you have presence on any social channel? Now you may think that Facebook is just for seeing who ate and drank what but actually having a Facebook page for your company that is up to date, even if you don’t post much from it, means that you have visibility on one of the largest search engines.

The best channels for accounting firms are LinkedIn and Twitter. With LinkedIn it’s worth remembering that you’re networking. It’s not about selling it’s about creating that business relationship. You connect with people to then be able to engage in the future to talk about products and services.

With a Twitter account your bio is a quick opportunity to showcase what services you offer. It’s worth having presence on this channel as your competitors will and it allows you the opportunity to share industry insight from accounting resources such as Accountancy Age.

Read our blog on the different social media platforms and how to use them for more insight.

Practice growth sessions

If you’re an accountancy practice looking to grow then why not book a practice growth session with us at Smart Cow.

Get in touch today via our online form or call on 020 3137 1826 or via saymoo@smart-cow.com

Beginner’s guide to creating great marketing content

01/30/202304/25/2019 by scmarketing

Content can come in the form of blogs, social media posts and email campaigns, in fact anything that contains information and is being directed towards the audience is content. Content forms part of your inbound marketing strategy and plays a significant role in making your business successful, so here at Smart Cow Marketing we have compiled a mini beginner’s guide to creating great content.

Know your audience

It’s much more effective when you create content you know your audience will love and be interested in. This may require some research such as looking into how competitors construct their content or marketing campaigns. Think about the type of consumers you want to attract and tailor to their interests. Characteristics to think about will be:

Age
Gender
Location
Lifestyle

This way you will know what content would be appropriate. We would always recommend creating a persona of your target audience so that you can refer back to this when drafting content. Take a look at our blog on creating an online persona to help.

Make sure content is relevant

Not only does content need to spike interest in the audience, but it should also be relevant to your product or service. Try and make blogs or social media posts relate back to you. For example, we might say; ‘At Smart Cow we are experts in the field of digital marketing and creating relevant content, hence, why we have put together a guide for new content creators.’

Always have a call to action

At the end of your blog or social media post always put a call to action. Remind the audience that your company offers a service or product they may well be interested in. A call to action may include an email, phone number, link to a contact form, or simply might state to visit your website. For a real example of a call to action see the bottom of this blog!

Sound interesting and creative

Make sure the topic you are writing or posting about is interesting and compelling, certain to grab the audience’s attention. Irrelevant blogs or posts will go unnoticed by potential clients. This means making sure content is new and shows off your voice and opinion that will capture your audience.

Content to get you noticed

It’s worth remembering that your content needs to be seen be search engines which in turn helps you rise in search rankings and found in search by your potential customers. It falls under the umbrella of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). By taking on board the tips here and incorporating keywords that you wish to be found for will really help with your business reach that all important page 1 of search.

If you need a hand with creating content which exceeds expectations get in touch with us at Smart Cow Marketing, a content marketing agency in London.