Web Marketing Agency UK

Blog posts now added directly to www.BrandNewWay.com

2011-08-01T16:36:00.001+01:00

Please note all my blog posts are now added directly to the web marketing blog section of the Brand New Way website.

Remember...web marketing is about solving customers' problems profitably. Peter Hawtin is an internet marketing specialist with Brand New Way, a UK web marketing agency which helps companies to attract and keep valuable customers online.

Now Google tells you times for sunrise & sunset

2010-07-12T09:17:00.000+01:00

Here's a new feature from Google for people who want to make the most of the daylight. Just search on Google for 'sunrise' or 'sunset' plus your location (e.g. town or post code) and Google returns the correct time for that day.

OK, not necessarily something that will revolutionise your web marketing but a nice new feature that made me smile this morning.

Remember...web marketing is about solving customers' problems profitably. Peter Hawtin is an internet marketing specialist with Brand New Way, a UK web marketing agency which helps companies to attract and keep valuable customers online.

New iPad better than expected

2010-06-10T17:50:00.000+01:00

I converted to Apple 5 years ago and quickly became an Apple advocate. Over the years I have bought an iPod, an iMac, a Mac PowerBook, 2 iPhones, a MacBook Pro as well as iLife & iWork.

However, I had a lukewarm response to the pre-launch hype about the iPad. I couldn't see how the iPad could help me: as I always carry my iPhone around and (when working) a MacBook Pro. I just saw it as a 3rd device I don't need and I already carry around too much stuff.

Today, I wandered into the Apple Store at Cribbs Causeway, picked up the iPad and immediately fell in love with the device. It looked great, was very light and given my iPhone experience I was immediately able to use it without much thought.

Web pages looked great on it. Photos were brilliant. The keyboard was great. Even a KeyNote (PowerPoint) presentation looked good and I could imagine using it in a 1 to 1 situation. In a 2 minute scan, some of the apps / games loaded onto the device looked amazing. Reading a book was good too. I couldn't see a downside.

Before launching my web marketing agency Brand New Way, I worked in large corporates and spent all day rushing from meeting to meeting carrying a heavy, slow Windows PC without wifi access. If I worked in that sort of environment today, the iPad would be a brilliant mobile tool with the 'laptop' machine remaining at my desk.

So, having seen the iPad and spent 15 minutes using the device I am very, very impressed. However, given my current usage, I am not sure I could justify buying one today but watch this space...

Remember...web marketing is about solving customers' problems profitably. Peter Hawtin is an internet marketing specialist with Brand New Way, a UK web marketing agency which helps companies to attract and keep valuable customers online.

When did you last analyse your website content?

2010-03-24T18:15:00.000Z

Are you sure your web content is working as hard as it could be?

After you launched your website did you immediately move on to other marketing or business activities? I am 99.9% confident that your website could be significantly improved to achieve better business performance. Follow my check list and take a fresh look at your website. Read more...

Remember...web marketing is about solving customers' problems profitably.

Peter Hawtin is an internet marketing specialist with Brand New Way, a UK web marketing agency which helps companies to attract and keep valuable customers online.

A great UK web business example - Find a parking space on line

2010-03-24T18:05:00.000Z

Here is a great example of an innovative web business that brings buyers and sellers together. It reminds me of a web marketing case study when I worked for the RAC in Bristol. Read more...

Remember...web marketing is about solving customers' problems profitably.

Peter Hawtin is an internet marketing specialist with Brand New Way, a UK web marketing agency which helps companies to attract and keep valuable customers online.

Great email example of timeliness improving open rates

2010-03-24T18:00:00.000Z

Shortly after the Chancellor completed his budget announcement, The Times sent out an email with the subject line 'Peter, your budget questions answered'. This is a great example of powerful email marketing. Read more...

Remember...web marketing is about solving customers' problems profitably.

Peter Hawtin is an internet marketing specialist with Brand New Way, a UK web marketing agency which helps companies to attract and keep valuable customers online.

Has Google's new Buzz social marketing service caused it to lose brand 'brownie points'?

2010-02-18T08:26:00.000Z

Outstanding brands build 'goodwill brownie points' with their customers. With great services like Pay Per Click Advertising or Web Analytics, Google have built a loyal, committed customer base. However, Google's new service Buzz has received some negative reaction. How will this impact the brand? Will people email loyal or become brand terrorists? Read more...

Remember...web marketing is about solving customers' problems profitably.

Peter Hawtin is an internet marketing specialist with Brand New Way, a UK web marketing agency which helps companies to attract and keep valuable customers online.

Are you still waiting to SEO your website?

2010-02-08T21:13:00.000Z

A good Google search engine ranking is a critical success factor for most websites. So why hasn't every website been optimised? What's your reason for not starting? Read more about SEO?

Remember...web marketing is about solving customers' problems profitably.

Peter Hawtin is an internet marketing specialist with Brand New Way, a UK web marketing agency which helps companies to attract and keep valuable customers online.

Do you measure page exit rates as part of your web analytics?

2010-02-03T09:03:00.000Z

Any business that wants to ensure that their website is delivering value needs to be doing web analytics. But with so many metrics available in Google Analytics it's often difficult to find the wood for the trees. Should every metric available play an important role in your website analysis? For example, is Page Exits a useful measure? Read more...

Remember...web marketing is about solving customers' problems profitably.

Peter Hawtin is an internet marketing specialist with Brand New Way, a UK web marketing agency which helps companies to attract and keep valuable customers online.

Does your web marketing treat all customers as equally valuable?

2009-12-19T07:45:00.001Z

You can't create value without customers but that doesn't mean that all customers are valuable? Over the past 20 years I have worked with small and medium sized businesses as well as some of Britain's biggest brands including Asda, Egg, ITV & AA.

Discover how big brands grow customer lifetime value by focusing marketing on valuable customers. Read more...

Peter Hawtin is an internet marketing consultant with UK web marketing agency Brand New Way which helps companies to attract and keep valuable customers.

Which web marketing activities perform best: email or Twitter?

2009-12-12T08:19:00.001Z

How do you decide which web marketing activities to do?

Do you try every web marketing initiative out there? I hope not, as even big corporates do not have the time and money to try everything. Should you focus on email or SEO or PPC or Twitter or Facebook or SMS or Blogs etc?

In two recent surveys, senior marketers vote on which web marketing channels perform best and are most effective. The results are revealed along with key learning for companies big and small. Read more...

Remember...web marketing is about solving customers' problems profitably.

Peter Hawtin is an internet marketing specialist with Brand New Way, a UK web marketing agency which helps companies to attract and keep valuable customers online.

Email and a second bite at the cherry

2009-10-30T15:38:00.005Z

Even the best email marketing campaigns do not achieve a 100% open rate. It may be that recipients were on holiday or out of the office or just too busy to read the email that day. They may have left it in their In Box with the intention of opening it later but never got around to it. So they may have missed out on reading something highly relevant. However it is possible to increase email open rates and improve marketing ROI. Read more...

Remember...web marketing is about solving customers' problems profitably.

Peter Hawtin is an internet marketing specialist with Brand New Way, a UK web marketing agency which helps companies to attract and keep valuable customers online.

Case study - the power of joined-up marketing and high Google search rankings

2009-09-23T11:53:00.011+01:00

Given Google's dominance, getting a high Google ranking is extremely important for most brands. It can take from 3 to 6 months to start to see results from search engine optimisation. However, this example from a mid-sized Wiltshire company shows that it's possible to get more rapid results when SEO is part of a joined-up web marketing strategy. Read more...

Lloyds TSB demonstrate how sloppy database management could create a brand terrorist

2009-09-23T10:59:00.005+01:00

Mistakes can happen in any business which can significantly damage marketing return on investment. It's how you deal with the mistake that is crucial and separates great businesses from the rest. Read more...

UK Companies See Improvement In Paid Search ROI

2009-09-16T16:16:00.009+01:00

Econsultancy recently reported that 43% of companies said PPC ROI increased this year. Read more...

Online search remains top advertising format in Europe

2009-09-16T16:02:00.004+01:00

In IAB Europe's recent research survey across 19 European countries, online search remains the top advertising format accounting for 43% of online ad spend. This is up 26% on the previous year. In more mature markets like France, UK, Germany & Sweden, the growth rate was slightly lower at 19%.

Source: IAB Europe

Online shopping - a star performer in the recession

2009-09-16T15:31:00.004+01:00

Verdict Research recently reported UK online internet shopper numbers at an all-time high. They forecast that online spending (in 2009) will be £21 billion up 13.3% on last year. Continued growth is forecast and in 2013, online spending is expected to reach over £31 billion representing 10% of total UK retail spending.

Source: Verdict Research: UK e-Retail 2009

Some questions for you to consider?

Can your customers buy from your website?
Are you online sales growing at 13% this year?
Are you attracting target leads to your website?
Are you converting web visitors to customers?
Are you growing your customers' lifetime value?

Does your brand give a strong first impression?

2009-09-11T06:47:00.005+01:00

What do you do to give your prospects and customers a great first impression? If you want to convert web visitors to valuable customers, get inspiration from one of the world's coffee giants. Read more...

BBC's Strictly Come Dancing To Introduce Twitter To The Masses

2009-08-25T16:23:00.004+01:00

The BBC is a very strong brand and has helped niche innovations become mass. Their use of the red button during the Olympics encouraged many people to view alternative sports.

The new series of Strictly Come Dancing launches mid September and this time the series is also on Twitter. Twitter is clearly the most talked about marketing strategy this year and knowing how loyal Strictly's following is and the promotion the series gets, I expect the programme to introduce many new people to twitter.

Does Borders email marketing walk the talk?

2009-08-25T15:51:00.008+01:00

I normally like emails from Borders but this one disappointed me.

Although the copy refers to 'used' books, my overriding takeout from the headline and opening copy is that Borders can now help me find rare book favourites and out of print copies.

However, the images on the email of their top used & rare picks included Harry Potter, Delia's How To Cook, Dawn French's Dear Fatty, an Oxford English dictionary and books written by Barack Obama & Bill Bryson. I hadn't heard of the 2 remaining books featured, but both are available new from Amazon.co.uk.

They featured books may well be used but I wouldn't consider any of them rare. If Borders are promoting that they sell rare books, they should have included some examples in the email.

Instead of engaging me and attracting me to browse and buy, the email actually resulted in a negative impact on my perception of Borders.

So to walk the talk, make sure that your supporting copy actually supports the headline: otherwise it's just spin and these days consumers are better than ever at spotting spin.

Are you choosing the right keywords?

2009-06-22T14:39:00.008+01:00

Most people know how important it is to achieve a high ranking on Google if you want to attract 'zero cost' leads to your website. The first requirement for success is choosing the right keywords.

When I start a keyword research project with a client, I always ask them to supply an initial keyword seed list which I then supplement with my own research. To discover tips to improve your Google rankings read more...

Using Google PPC as a research tool to refine your brand messages?

2009-06-22T12:53:00.006+01:00

Many of Britain's best brands will research their brand proposition and messaging before developing new web sites and marketing communications. However, they tend to be the exception and many companies fail to do much research. Either they:-

are in a hurry & don't want to wait to get results
will not want to allocate any budget to research
don't have the resource or expertise to manage research effectively
believe they know what their customers want without the need for any research or insight

If you always guess what your prospects / customers are thinking you are highly likely to get it wrong. If this is the case and results are not as good as expected, you may have to re-do the previous website / brochure / advertising campaigns etc resulting in longer lead times and higher costs.

In my experience, (and I have worked with brands like Asda & Egg who have an enviable track record for achieving great results in shorter lead times than average) doing some essential research to quickly find out what works and what doesn't, means that you are significantly more likely to achieve the desired objective in less time & for less cost.

Using Google PPC as a research tool

I frequently use Google PPC to do research for my clients and find this a fast & low cost way of doing some research and getting results that enables clients to make objective decisions designed to maximise their Marketing Return On Investment (ROI).

With Google PPC it is possible to get a research test campaign running incredibly fast. e.g. suppose a company wants to test different propositions such as whether cost, service or quality is more important to prospects. An ad could be created for each of the 3 propositions & depending on the search volumes it is possible to get valuable results the same or next day. The results will show which proposition is more compelling to the target audience by comparing how many clicks or conversions each version gets. This principle could also be applied to researching headlines, ad copy, product names etc.

Google research example

A campaign was created with 3 different Google ads each communicating a different message. The ads were clicked 1,000 times in 48 hours at an average cost of 25p click, giving a Google campaign cost of £250.

Ad version 1 accounted for 27% of the clicks
Ad version 2 accounted for 58% of the clicks
Ad version 3 accounted for 15% of the clicks

Clearly, message 2 had significantly more appeal to the target prospects.

Can Google research pay for itself?

If the client had progressed version 1 or 3, the test results suggest that their ongoing business results would only be a half or a quarter of the winning test's results. This would have a huge impact in lost sales revenue / profits. At some point, sooner rather than later, the proposed brochure, ad campaign, website etc would need to be redesigned duplicating the original development costs.

In the above example the advertising cost was £250. Even adding in a set-up cost if this is managed by a web marketing specialist the total research cost is likely to be significantly lower that redesigning everything in a few months time.

Depending on the value of the product or service, it may be that if just 1 of the 300 visitors attracted by the research test actually buys, then the value created is higher than the cost of the test. e.g. One of my clients ran a Google PPC research test investing just £300 on Google PPC media and attracted a client worth £140,000. Not a bad marketing ROI.

If you need help on using Google PPC as a research tool then contact a web marketing expert.

Tesco use Clubcard data for personalised emails

2009-06-16T15:09:00.004+01:00

UK retail giant Tesco is to start using its Clubcard data to broadcast personalised emails. This is a good example of powerful email marketing. For many years they have been sending Clubcard members personalised coupons by direct mail but this is the first time they have sent personalised emails. Read more...

Remember...web marketing is about solving customers' problems profitably.

Peter Hawtin is an internet marketing specialist with Brand New Way, a UK web marketing agency which helps companies to attract and retain valuable customers online.

Is your email marketing getting through? - Part 2 - Inbox Preview

2009-06-16T14:19:00.004+01:00

If you use more than 1 email client (or reader) like Outlook or AOL or Gmail then you will probably have seen that the same email can look totally different when viewed in different email clients. So you may have prepared a great looking email with powerful sales messages but it could look a complete mess when viewed in Outlook or Gmail or Windows Live.

Discover how an advanced email marketing system can significantly improve email performance. Read more...

Remember...web marketing is about solving customers' problems profitably.

Peter Hawtin is an internet marketing specialist with Brand New Way, a UK web marketing agency which helps companies to attract and retain valuable customers online.

Is your email marketing getting through? - Part 1 - Hard bounces

2009-06-16T13:22:00.004+01:00

Earlier in the year, I attracted a new customer who asked me to manage their email marketing campaigns. They were sending a B2B monthly newsletter to over 2,000 global corporate customers. They were doing a good job using a basic email system. However, the quality of report data available was poor and nobody was spending much time doing any analysis.

When I did the first email campaign, there were a significant number of hard bounces indicating that many of the email addresses on their database were invalid or no longer live. For a customer database, especially a high value B2B database, this has to be a concern, as potentially, customers will not be getting your email communications announcing new products or special offers or changes in specifications etc.

As a result of my first email campaign report, my client investigated the hard bounces. In some cases, the email address was found to be incorrect and updated. In other cases, the individual had left the organisation and they were able to update their records with the correct contact. As a result of cleaning up the data, the hard bounces for each campaign are now less than 0.5% which means each month's follow up takes little time and they are reassured that their client database is in good shape.

Learning for companies big and small

Review the hard bounce rate after broadcasting an email campaign
Remove hard bounces from your mailing list to avoid ISP's considering you a potential spammer and blocking your broadcasts
Depending on the volume & value to you of the recipients, consider contacting them (if you have their phone number) to update their contact details

If you need help in developing effective email campaigns that increase customer lifetime value then contact an email marketing expert.

Remember...web marketing is about solving customers' problems profitably.

Peter Hawtin is an internet marketing specialist with Brand New Way, a UK web marketing agency which helps companies to attract and retain valuable customers online.