Social media has become indispensable for driving website traffic and increasing brand visibility, so utilising the various platforms available is crucial.
We’ve pulled this guide together to equip you with the knowledge and techniques to leverage social media platforms effectively, maximise your online presence, and boost website traffic. From creating engaging content to mastering social media algorithms, our expert tips and insights will empower you to stay ahead of the game.
Businesses must first identify their target market to maximise their social platform’s impact. This essential initial step ensures that marketing efforts are focused and tailored to the right audience.
Identifying your target market involves understanding your potential customers’ demographics, preferences, and online behaviours. Once you have a clear understanding of this, you can create compelling content and targeted advertisements that resonate with their needs and desires. This approach not only helps attract the right audience to your website but also increases the likelihood of converting them into loyal customers.
Remember, in the realm of social media, understanding and reaching your target market is the key to driving website traffic and achieving business growth.
We understand that in the fast-paced world of social media, a differentiated and unique brand must be established by businesses to grab attention, stand out from competitors, and drive website traffic. With numerous companies attempting to be noticed, it is essential to establish a distinctive and captivating brand identity that captures the target audience’s interest.
Differentiating the brand entails showcasing what sets the business apart. Unique selling points should be highlighted, be it the products, services, values, or an exceptional customer experience, to attract attention and direct traffic to the website.
Social media platforms should be tailored to shape a consistent brand message and engage the audience with innovative content. Eye-catching visuals, compelling storytelling, and interactive features should create an unforgettable brand experience that compels visitors to explore the website.
Starting a digital marketing strategy can be a big job requiring plenty of research and planning, and social media is just one aspect. To increase website traffic with social media, businesses must develop a solid marketing strategy. With millions of users on social media, a well-thought-out approach is crucial.
Regularly sharing high-quality and relevant content that adds value to your audience will help keep your brand in mind and drive traffic to your website. Also, don’t just rely on organic reach; utilise paid media options like Facebook and Instagram ads to amplify your message and reach a wider audience. By developing a solid social media marketing strategy, businesses can effectively harness the power of social media and achieve their marketing goals for growth and success.
Another area businesses should focus on when using social media to increase website traffic is customer experience. Businesses should always prioritise customer experience when using social media to boost website traffic because it directly impacts their online success.
For example, businesses can captivate their audience and enable them to create a strong brand presence and build customer loyalty when delivering an exceptional experience. Engaging content, responsive communication, and personalised interactions create positive customer experiences, encouraging visitors to explore the website further and eventually make a purchase.
Alongside this, satisfied customers are more likely to share their positive experiences on social media, increasing brand visibility and attracting new customers.
Monitoring social performance enables businesses to gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of their social media efforts and identify what strategies are working and what needs improvement. It allows them to track key metrics such as click-through rates, engagement levels, and conversions.
Adjusting strategies based on this data ensures businesses target the right audience, optimise content, and allocate resources effectively. It also keeps them adaptable to changing trends and consumer preferences.
One of the most important things to consider when planning to use social media to improve website traffic is to stay focused and persistent. Consistency is key when implementing digital marketing campaigns; you can’t expect quick results overnight. While viral content is more common than ever before, it’s unlikely for this rapid engagement to sustain, which is why persistence is key.
As an experienced social media agency, we understand gaining trust through consistency is one of the best ways to build your brand and keep your website traffic increasing over time. However, knowing how to do this can be difficult, which is why we’re here to help.
If you’re having trouble building your social media presence and want to learn how to get the best results, please get in touch today.
Imagine a world where marketing campaigns are crafted with lightning speed, hyper-personalised content, and unparalleled efficiency. Welcome to the era of AI-driven marketing! Artificial intelligence has swept through the marketing industry like a tidal wave, transforming how we create, strategise, and engage with our audiences.
As the line between human creativity and machine learning blurs, marketers are left to navigate uncharted waters, embracing the power of AI while grappling with its ethical implications. As the leaders in content marketing in the UK, we dive into this thrilling exploration of how AI has shaken the marketing landscape to its core and discover how you can harness its potential to propel your brand to new heights.
ChatGPT, part of the generative pre-trained transformer (GPT) family, is an AI-driven chatbot designed for engaging, human-like conversations. Built on the GPT-3.5 model, it has sparked diverse opinions in the marketing world. Using the platform, you can instantly access a wealth of information within minutes, even instructing it to create content, anything from web copy to stories and songs. Since its release, it has generated many heated discussions and debates over the morality of this kind of capability.
Some professionals see AI as a game-changer, streamlining content creation and boosting marketing strategies without spending hours writing content. However, others worry about potential downsides like job loss and AI-generated content blurring the line with human work.
While ChatGPT and other AI content-generating platforms excel at producing mass content with ease, it is certainly a long way from replacing the human element that an experienced content writer can produce. As AI continues to impact marketing, it is crucial to balance embracing its potential and addressing the challenges.
Generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT can create content in seconds, which can then be used to bulk out websites, generate blog posts and even take the hassle away of creating social media posts. However, solely relying on these platforms is risky, particularly for businesses wishing to produce quality content for their online platforms.
AI has its flaws, like any new program. The technology is still in its infancy and, as such, can produce some very poor content. Whilst the latest versions have access to the internet for collecting their information, this doesn't mean that it is factually correct. If AI can't find the information you've asked for or might otherwise be useful in creating content, it may make up something new.
For example, there has been a recent case in the US where a law firm relied on ChatGPT for legal research, and when the cases it produced were fact-checked, it was found that they did not exist. Stories like this are popping up worldwide and have even encouraged some governments to ban this kind of technology until it has been developed to ensure it is a helpful tool, not a misleading font of information.
Although the article on the lawyer may put you off relying on AI for research, as long as you check the information it provides, it is a useful tool for online searching. Many copywriting AI platforms, particularly those with ChatGPT-4 as their data source, will provide the references to check within its answers. However, if you are using the free online version of ChatGPT, its information is limited to resources up to 2021, which means your information could be outdated.
That being said, nothing is stopping you from saving time on online research. For example, if you are writing about the advantages of a product, it will provide a full list of how a particular item or service will assist in consumers' day-to-day lives. This information can quickly be re-formatted and rewritten to provide a blog about said product. Bear in mind, when it comes to lists of advantages, ChatGPT online can be quite repetitive, so it will take the creativity of an experienced copywriter to take the information and provide a better in-depth view of the topic.
For anyone who understands how important SEO services are for websites, you may be looking to refresh or repurpose content to include updated keywords or optimise better for those all-important rankings. This can be a time-consuming chore. However, this time can be significantly reduced with the help of AI. You can break down your content by paragraph and feed it through AI to rewrite the paragraph you have already written and include particular keywords you aim to hit with your content.
Again, much like any aspect of AI written content, it must be assessed that it makes grammatical sense. For example, if your keyword phrase is "Content Writing Lancaster", there are some grammatical errors which, if input directly into content, may make no sense.
Of course, there is a context issue which also comes with AI. Whilst your keyword may suit your business and the search volume of your clients, it could mean something completely different to someone else and AI. This could change the tone and meaning of your written content. For this reason, you must have an expert writer's eye over any AI-assisted content, especially if it has been written for the purpose of assisting with your website's SEO.
One of the biggest issues faced by AI is its inability to address the bigger picture of the context you are aiming for it to write. We recently discovered this with a client whose keywords search term is "Cheap TVs.". Our client optimises for this term due to selling high-quality reconditioned TVs which offer some of the latest technology, so when optimising for the term "Cheap TVs", as part of their digital marketing strategy, we aimed to promote the purchase of their cheaper alternatives to larger retail stores. However, when using the term in AI generative content, it warned readers of the negatives of cheap TVs.
This example demonstrates the lack of context AI has when generating content. A better approach to AI generative content is to “teach” it what you want the outcome of your content to be. This is done using a collection of positive and negative keywords you want the AI to use when creating its output. For example, if we want AI to write about cheap TVs but remain within the context of our client's business model, we would have added "high-quality" into the mix. This will assist in directing AI where you would like context to go. However, striking the right balance of instruction and context can be challenging. It can often take time to establish how AI understands syntax to teach it to write in your desired style successfully.
In a world where technology is making life much easier, there is pretty much a tool for any job to streamline processes. Email has become the quickest way to contact worldwide. Many businesses even turned to Zoom and Teams Video conferencing throughout the pandemic to conduct business more efficiently and effectively when face-to-face contact was inaccessible. AI-assisted copywriting is a tool to make it a little bit easier.
AI misses many elements of human creativity, such as empathy and context. Although AI can help with the technical aspects of writing, it cannot replace the creativity that makes a great copy so effective. So whether it's hitting the right tone of your content, or appealing to a variety of audiences, although AI can assist, it doesn't quite hit the right elements that make copy inviting and engaging. What it does provide for content writing, however, is fewer "i"s to dot and fewer "t"s to cross (although there are a lot more "z"s to replace). It takes the mundane elements of creating copy and allows you to focus more energy on creating better-researched articles and more creative copy.
We could cover so much with AI, but the platform's capabilities are just getting started. As time passes, we imagine it will give marketers an even more essential tool. Instead of seeing AI as a threat, treating it for what it is gives marketing agencies the step up in generating the best services for their client. At SQ Digital, we have integrated the efficiency of AI with the experience, knowledge, and empathy of our content team. This allows us to spend more time adding value to the writing and creating a more engaging copy.
Whilst we know that with the introduction of AI, businesses can now easily create their own copy, it will quickly become apparent just how repetitive AI is as a swarm of websites all start reading the same. So, whilst you could successfully use AI like ChatGPT to create a basic copy with a few keywords integrated, by using the likes of our digital marketing services in Lancashire, you can be sure that your copy offers something better; the efficiency of AI writing with the empathy and expertise of content writers which can give your brand a voice that stands out from the rest of the AI written websites.
Let us know if you can spot where AI has assisted this blog and which parts are written solely by our human content team.
Setting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is essential to steering your digital marketing efforts toward success. These measurable markers act as guiding lights, offering valuable insights and shaping the trajectory of your campaigns. However, it’s understandable if you’re unsure where to start setting digital marketing KPIs, which is why we’re here to help.
As a leading digital marketing agency with over 20 years of industry experience, we’re providing our expertise on setting KPIs for digital marketing, equipping you with the knowledge and tools necessary to propel your campaigns to new heights.
Join us as we explore the intricacies of digital marketing KPIs, from understanding their significance to selecting the right metrics and optimising your strategies for maximum impact.
KPIs play a vital role in your digital marketing strategy as they provide a clear framework for measuring the success and effectiveness of your campaigns. So, understanding their importance in relation to your own business is crucial for setting worthwhile KPIs and ensuring success. Here are some key points to understand the importance of KPIs in digital marketing:
Once you thoroughly understand their importance, setting KPIs for your business becomes much easier as you know more about why they’re being set and their role in the company.
Identifying your business objectives is critical in setting effective KPIs for your digital marketing initiatives. Before determining your KPIs, you need to define your overall goals as a business, which could be:
To determine your business objectives, assess where the company currently stands. Is the business receiving lots of positive reviews? Are customers or clients contacting you from all your online platforms? Do you receive as many sales as you would like or expect? If you answered no to any of these, perhaps it could be an area to work on under your objectives.
Your KPIs should align with these objectives, providing measurable metrics to track your progress. By aligning your digital marketing strategies with your broader business strategy, you ensure that your marketing efforts contribute to achieving your objectives.
It is essential to define specific and measurable metrics for your KPIs to track progress and measure success effectively. These metrics should be quantifiable and directly related to your business objectives. For example, if your objective is to increase website traffic, a measurable metric could be the number of unique visitors or page views. Defining such metrics provides clarity and ensures your KPIs can be accurately tracked and evaluated.
When establishing benchmarks, consider them as reference points, allowing you to compare your current performance against past data, industry standards, or competitor benchmarks. This helps you gain insights into where you stand and identify areas for improvement. Targets, on the other hand, are specific goals you aim to achieve within a given timeframe, providing a clear direction for your efforts and helping evaluate the success of your initiatives.
As mentioned, tracking and analysing KPIs is vital for evaluating the success of your business initiatives. This is because you gain insights into your progress towards your goals and then identify areas for improvement.
Analysing KPI data also allows for a deeper understanding of patterns and trends, providing actionable insights for informed decision-making. For example, if you have an ecommerce business, one of your KPIs may be to increase conversion rates. If so, it would be crucial to keep track of patterns that look into which areas of your website are bringing in the most conversions and why this might be. If you find that the least conversions are coming from your newsletters, it could be a good idea to outsource ecommerce website designers such as SQ Digital to ensure the newsletter is prominently but tastefully designed for your website.
At SQ Digital, we have over two decades of industry experience helping SMEs with their digital marketing KPIs. Within this extensive list of clients, we have worked with a vast range of companies from all kinds of sectors, from beauty to manufacturing. Because of this, we are fully equipped with the knowledge and expertise to help your business reach its digital marketing goals.
Whether you wish to increase conversions, take advantage of our SEO competitor research, or optimise your website’s content writing, our experts are here to help. Get in touch with our team today.
Businesses can no longer ignore the importance of starting a digital marketing strategy to remain competitive. Over the last few years, more and more businesses have chosen to engage with digital marketing agencies to help them grow their presence online. We understand how important it is for a business to find the right digital marketing agency; however, finding such an agency can be confusing and daunting. So, we’ve shared some tips from our digital marketing experts on what to look out for when choosing an agency that will truly be able and willing to help you succeed.
You might be surprised at the number of businesses that approach us for digital marketing services without first assessing what their business needs. While website audits and analysis of current marketing efforts are part of our approach with all new clients, in our experience, it’s always a good idea for you to understand at the outset what you’re looking to achieve from working with us.
It’s also worth considering how much you’re looking to spend on digital marketing, as this will make your search much more efficient.
If you scroll through LinkedIn, you’ll find hundreds of companies that market themselves as “industry experts” or “thought leaders” in digital marketing. Ensure you choose an agency that consistently does what they are shouting about.
Finding a reputable agency means cutting through all the hype; you should look for companies that can quantifiably demonstrate the results they have achieved for other businesses. For example, read through their website case studies to get a feel for the work they could produce for you.
While it might seem obvious to go for a big-name agency that boasts big brands as part of their client base, this doesn’t automatically mean they will be best for you. Ensure the agency you choose gives you the appropriate attention and one that best aligns itself with your goals and objectives.
At SQ Digital, we’ve worked with businesses of all sizes for over two decades and have built genuine, long-standing relationships with our clients, regardless of their size.
Cost will always be a factor when outsourcing your digital marketing, especially for SMEs looking to improve their online presence without breaking the bank. Although budget will always play an important part in your decision, you mustn’t sacrifice value for the cost. We’ve spoken to plenty of companies that have been left disappointed by agencies promising them the world at reduced prices.
A reputable digital marketing agency will always be transparent with its prices, so you shouldn’t be stung by hidden costs later down the line.
An experienced agency will adapt to working with any business. However, it’s still an advantage if you find one specialising or has experience working with other businesses within your sector. This means they are more likely to understand your customers and services from the outset.
At SQ Digital, we have had the opportunity to work with an extensive range of businesses from a variety of industries, including:
Because of this, our experience in helping businesses is vast, and our experts have the skills and knowledge to adapt our range of services to assist your company, no matter its sector.
Although many agencies offer a similar service, they will work differently from each other. Before signing up with an agency, you must learn how they work with clients to achieve tangible results.
At SQ Digital, we’ve developed a unique digital marketing approach, a framework established over time to ensure we offer the best service. It follows four simple principles:
Many agencies will offer you fast results in the first month of signing up with them, which can seem extremely tempting. However, as a business owner, you should find an agency to support your growth strategy.
Choosing a digital marketing agency for the long term is beneficial because it allows for consistent and cohesive brand awareness across different channels. Building a long-term relationship fosters a deep understanding of the business, target audience, and marketing goals, leading to more effective strategies and better results. In addition, long-term partnerships enable agencies to refine their approach based on data, industry trends, and evolving consumer behaviour, ultimately maximising return on investment.
If you’re looking for a digital marketing agency but are unsure where to begin, feel free to check out our FAQs for answers to more of the most frequently asked questions from those looking to invest in digital marketing.
You can also get in touch with us, and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have, or check out our FREE website and SEO audit to discover the possibilities of how we can improve your online presence.
At SQ Digital, we understand that the digital landscape is ever-evolving, and keeping up with the latest trends is essential. Voice search has emerged as a game-changer, revolutionising how users search for information and interact with technology. The convenience and ease of voice commands have propelled voice search to new heights, reshaping the way businesses engage with their customers.
So, in this blog, we delve into the exciting realm of voice search and equipping you with the knowledge and insights to harness its potential for your business. We’ll explore the growth of voice search, its advantages, and most importantly, how to optimise your digital strategy to leverage this powerful tool.
The introduction of smart speakers marked a significant shift in how we interact with technology. Emerging in the early 2010s, these voice-activated devices revolutionised how we access information, control our smart homes, and enjoy entertainment. Companies like Amazon, Google, and Apple pioneered this technology, developing devices like Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Apple HomePod. These devices combined voice assistants with high-quality speakers to create a seamless experience.
Voice search has experienced rapid growth in recent years, with an estimated 30% of UK households owning a smart speaker in 2023 for quick answers, fast entertainment, and home security. In addition, users are also turning to voice search to make specific queries, especially when asking for directions or restaurant recommendations, or to avoid typing when using a mobile device.
With the continued growth of smart speakers and the increasing prevalence of voice-activated technology, voice search is essential in optimising digital content and strategy.
Voice search isn’t just a fun way to help you get quick restaurant recommendations or play your favourite music; it is a valuable marketing tool that can help you expand your business’ digital reach. The benefits include:
There are several strategies to consider when it comes to optimising your existing onsite content and blogs for voice search, for example:
At SQ Digital, we have over two decades of experience in content creation services, including optimising older content in line with technology updates, such as voice search. So, if you’re unsure where to start, we can help.
With the rise of smartphones and voice-activated assistants like Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri, voice search has become increasingly popular, with users now relying on it for quick and efficient search results. As mentioned, incorporating conversational long-tail keywords that align with user intent and providing direct answers to common questions can help optimise your content for voice search.
However, mobile optimisation for your website is also essential, with many users conducting searches on their mobile devices. So, ensuring your website is mobile-friendly and responsive, with fast loading times and a seamless viewing experience, will improve your rankings and attract more targeted traffic.
For businesses, the future of voice search presents promising opportunities. Voice search will see continued growth, becoming even more prevalent and seamlessly integrated into our daily lives. One exciting development is the rise of voice commerce, which offers consumers convenient and seamless shopping experiences.
Additionally, enhanced personalisation and integration with Internet of Things (IoT) devices are on the horizon. As voice assistants become smarter and more context-aware, businesses can deliver highly personalised customer experiences. By integrating voice search with IoT devices, businesses can offer innovative and seamless interactions that align with the needs and preferences of their target audience.
At SQ Digital, we understand the potential of these emerging trends, and we can help businesses navigate the evolving landscape of voice search. Our digital marketing strategies ensure that your business optimises its online presence for voice search, maximises local visibility, and takes advantage of enhanced personalisation and integration opportunities.
Partner with SQ Digital, and together we'll position your business for success in the exciting world of voice search. Get in touch with us today to discover what we can do for your business.
Crafting compelling blog content is no longer enough in today’s digital landscape. As a leading content marketing agency, we need to consider an array of factors that influence our content’s reach, visibility, and engagement. One crucial aspect that demands our attention is the length of our blog posts.
So, today we’re unravelling the intricate relationship between blog content length and content marketing success by exploring the impact of content length on SEO, user engagement, and conversion rates. By the end of this read, you’ll have a comprehensive understanding of optimising your blog’s length to captivate readers and achieve your marketing goals.
In the vast realm of content marketing, the significance of blog content length cannot be overstated. It is pivotal in shaping your content marketing strategy’s success, particularly regarding SEO. Understanding the relationship between content length and SEO is crucial for content marketers looking to enhance their online visibility, drive organic traffic, and improve their search engine rankings.
Search engines, like Google, continuously refine their algorithms to deliver the most relevant and valuable content to their users, and while it’s true that quality always surpasses quantity, content length is a tangible metric that search engines use to assess the depth and comprehensiveness of your content.
Gone are the days when short, thin blog posts could easily rank high in search engine results. Today, search engines prioritise content that demonstrates expertise, authority, and trustworthiness on a given topic. As a result, longer blog posts have the potential to offer more in-depth insights, cover various angles, and answer a wider range of user queries, thereby increasing their perceived value.
However, it’s important to note that content length alone does not guarantee SEO success. Simply stretching a blog post with unnecessary fluff or repetitive information will not yield the desired results. Instead, search engines are focused on delivering a positive user experience. They aim to reward content that engages readers, provides relevant information, and keeps them on the page for longer.
Finding the optimal content length for your target audience is crucial to content marketing success. Understanding your audience’s preferences, behaviours, and needs is essential to delivering content that resonates and engages them effectively. This way, you can maximise reader satisfaction, drive conversions, and achieve your marketing goals.
Start by diving into audience insights and data to understand their preferences. Study metrics such as bounce rate, time on page, and scroll depth to understand how long your audience typically engages with your content. This data can provide valuable guidance on the ideal content length.
You must also consider your topic’s complexity and tone of voice, as this significantly determines content length. For example, complex subjects may require more in-depth explanations, resulting in longer posts. On the other hand, more straightforward topics might be effectively covered in shorter, concise articles.
We’re a digital marketing agency with over 20 years of industry experience, meaning we have had the pleasure of working with an extensive range of businesses from various sectors. Using this experience, we understand that each client may have different ideal content lengths depending on their tone of voice, target audience, and complexity of their content.
Remember, finding the optimal content length is not an exact science. Instead, it requires continuous evaluation, adaptation, and attention to your audience’s changing preferences. By aligning your content length with your target audience’s needs and preferences, you can create a more meaningful and engaging experience, foster stronger connections, and drive the desired outcomes in your content marketing efforts.
One common debate revolves around the choice between long-form and short-form content, as both approaches can be effective in different scenarios. However, understanding the characteristics, advantages, and considerations of each can help you make informed decisions about which approach to adopt in your content marketing strategy; let’s take a look.
This typically refers to articles, blog posts, or other written pieces that exceed a certain word count threshold, usually around 1000 words or more. These pieces allow you to delve deeply into a topic, providing in-depth insights, analysis, and valuable information and giving you the space to explore various angles and address complex subjects thoroughly.
Creating longer, more comprehensive content positions you as an authority and expert in your field. It signals your audience and search engines that you have deep knowledge and understanding of the subject matter, making you a trusted source.
As mentioned, Google often favours longer, high-quality content as it tends to provide a more comprehensive answer to user queries and offers the opportunity to incorporate relevant keywords and internal linking.
This type of content refers to concise, focused pieces that deliver information quickly and efficiently. Short-form content is easily consumable, making it suitable for audiences with limited time or shorter attention spans. It allows you to deliver key messages and information concisely and easily digestibly, making it highly sharable and attention-grabbing. Think LinkedIn articles, quick company updates, and sometimes, case studies and interviews.
With the increasing use of mobile devices in our daily lives, content marketers must adapt their strategies to meet the needs and preferences of mobile users. Mobile devices have reshaped how we consume information, leading to changes in content length considerations. So, understanding the difference between desktop and mobile browsing and the impact of mobile devices on content length is crucial for delivering a seamless and engaging mobile experience.
It is essential to balance providing valuable information and accommodating mobile user preferences. To do so, consider the following:
By adapting your content length and format to the mobile user experience, you can better engage and connect with your audience, enhancing the overall success of your content marketing efforts.
If you need help getting your content length right, look no further than SQ Digital. We have helped countless businesses create and deliver effective content marketing campaigns, and you could be next.
Contact our experts today to find out how we can help.
In March of 2022, Google officially announced it would sunset Universal Analytics (UA) and move all users over to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) on July 1st 2023. If, like many marketers, you’ve grown comfortable measuring your website’s successes with UA, the idea of moving to a new system may be a daunting prospect.
At SQ Digital, we’ve been busy preparing for GA4 to ensure a seamless transition for our clients. However, if your business relies on the invaluable data offered by Google Analytics, it’s time to get familiar with the framework of GA4 and the changes you’ll need to make to prepare for the migration.
Google Analytics is an invaluable tool for any digital marketer. It allows us to track and monitor the performance of our website and different parts of our marketing campaign. It's, therefore, no surprise that more than 65% of agencies use Google Analytics as their primary analytics tool. We now have a new Google Analytics update – so what do we know about this new version?
GA4 is Google’s new Analytics dashboard. It combines the insights and updates Google has been implementing and fine-tuning over the last few years in response to the changing digital landscape. The new features will allow you to oversee your customers better and leverage Google’s machine learning and insights to make more informed decisions about performance and the customer journey.
If you’ve been using UA for a long time, you may wonder why Google has decided to permanently migrate to this new system. Well, UA is now 18 years old, and over the years, regulations surrounding data privacy and data collection have changed significantly, impacting how user data can be collected and used. The move to GA4 offers enhanced privacy protection, better integration with other Google Products (e.g. Google Ads), and more granular data collection and usage control.
GA4 rolls a lot of new functionality and makes certain features previously available to some users standard across all GA4 properties. Here are some of the new aspects of GA4 that you can use to improve your data:
We all know that last-click attribution models don’t accurately represent the complete picture of your digital marketing efforts. Instead, GA4 uses data-driven attribution to ensure the full impact of your digital marketing is considered when assigning attribution credit. You can also export this data to your Google Ads account to help with your optimisation.
Machine learning has long been a crucial aspect of Google’s work towards the future of digital marketing, and now these advancements are integrated into GA4. This new functionality allows GA4 to generate predictive insights about user behaviour. Then, you can use those insights to create new audiences or audiences likely to interact positively with your conversion points.
GA4 allows you to collect user data as they move between platforms and sessions rather than presenting the more fragmented view of how people interact with your site currently available on UA3. This improved visibility allows you to trace the customer journey more accurately and make informed decisions to improve customer drop-off and conversion rates.
By improving the connections across your Google platforms, you can use your GA4 insights more efficiently to inform your decisions across your digital marketing ecosystem.
As more and more country-level data protection laws come into effect, GA4 allows you to manage and minimise the user-level data you collect to ensure you remain compliant while not negatively impacting your key measurement functionality.
These new features allow you to access much more data and audience insights and provide you with the additional tools needed to use this data in your digital marketing strategy.
If you’re already using Google Tag Manager to implement Analytics on your website, setting up GA4 is straightforward. There is already a default GA4 tag that you can add to your existing Tag Manager property to get yourself set up.
If you have added your Global Site Tag directly to your site or through another method, you can update your Tag with the GA4 code using the same format you have used historically.
However, if you’re unsure how to set up GA4, we recommend contacting SQ Digital. We are more than happy to help you out so you can begin benefitting from its great features.
Since the initial announcement, several updates have been made to GA4 to help improve user experience in line with feedback given to developers; let’s take a look.
There’s a lot to unpack with GA4, but the main takeaway is that it will continue to help you track and analyse the data across your websites and other platforms. It will also provide you with a more streamlined set of tools to use your data in more informed ways.
If you don’t have a current GA4 property and would rather leave it up to the experts so you can focus on running your business, contact us today for set-up.
As a digital marketing agency, we use Google Analytics daily to help guide our marketing campaigns and have over 20 years of experience helping SMEs succeed online.
Email marketing has come a long way since the first email was sent way back in 1971. Over the years, it has evolved into a sophisticated marketing tool that allows businesses to reach their target audience in a cost-effective and personalised way, and as a leading content marketing agency, this fascinates us.
So, in this blog, we will take a closer look at the evolution of email marketing, from its early beginnings to its current state, and explore how it has transformed how businesses connect with their customers. Whether you are an experienced email marketer or just starting, we hope to provide valuable insights and inspiration for taking your email marketing efforts to the next level.
Email marketing has a long and fascinating history, dating back to the early days of the internet. The first email was sent in 1971 by computer engineer Ray Tomlinson, who used the @ symbol to separate the user from the destination address. However, it wasn’t until the 1990s that email started to be used for marketing purposes, and this is where it really started to get interesting.
In the early days of email marketing, businesses would simply send out mass emails to anyone on their email list, often without permission, hoping to get some conversions. Unsurprisingly with what we know now, this approach was ineffective and annoyed many recipients who viewed these emails as spam. In response to the growing spam problem, email providers began introducing filters and other measures to block these messages.
Despite these challenges, email marketing continued to evolve and improve over the years. In the 2000s, the rise of email service providers (ESPs) like Mailchimp and Klaviyo made it easier for businesses to build and send targeted email campaigns.
Here at SQ Digital, we utilise both of these ESPs to help us create effective email marketing campaigns for our clients. This is because they have an abundance of features such as segmentation, automation, and tracking, allowing our email marketing experts to tailor messages to specific audiences and measure the effectiveness of our campaigns.
In recent years, email marketing has continued to evolve with the introduction of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, personalisation, and mobile optimisation, which we will delve into later on.
With the increasing popularity of smartphones and tablets, more and more people are accessing their email on mobile devices, leading to a shift in how marketers such as ourselves approach email campaigns.
For example, one of the biggest impacts of mobiles on email marketing is the need for responsive design. Emails not optimised for mobile devices may appear distorted or difficult to read, leading to lower engagement and conversion rates. Therefore, it has become essential for email marketers to design their emails with mobile devices in mind, ensuring that they are easy to read and navigate on smaller screens.
Following on from the above, mobile devices have also enabled marketers to create more personalised and targeted email campaigns. With the ability to track user behaviour and gather data on mobile devices, marketers can create customised messages tailored to each user’s interests and preferences. This makes each email much more relevant and engaging for the subscribers, leading to improved open rates, click-through rates, and those all-important conversion rates.
Regardless of the device that an email is optimised for, several features will allow you to personalise the message being sent. For example, subject lines. This is the first thing a recipient sees in their inbox or notification on their mobile, which means it has a crucial impact on whether or not an email is opened. By personalising subject lines with the recipient’s name or other relevant information, businesses can increase the chances that their emails will be opened.
In addition, personalised send times have also changed the way that marketers such as ourselves set up and use email campaigns. Whether it’s through the recipient’s time zone or past behaviour (such as when they usually open or engage with emails), you can increase the chances of your email being opened and read.
When talking about interactive elements in email marketing, we mean the features that allow the recipient to engage with the email content beyond just reading it. For example, clickable buttons, menus, images, videos, quizzes, polls, and more.
This type of email marketing has become increasingly popular in recent years as businesses seek new ways to engage with their customers and make their email campaigns more effective. By having interactive elements in an email, you can almost guarantee that the click rate will increase as more features can be clicked. In addition, they also help improve user experience by making an email more dynamic and visually appealing, allowing your emails to stand out in a long list of boring, non-clickable content in a recipient’s inbox.
The digital marketing industry is constantly changing because many elements, such as email marketing, are shaped by emerging trends in technology and consumer behaviour. Here at SQ Digital, we couldn’t be more excited to see how this marketing tool has changed over the years, considering how much it has evolved since its humble beginnings.
For example, we believe that automation will play a significant role in the future of email marketing. Email automation is becoming increasingly popular, allowing businesses to send triggered emails based on specific user actions or behaviours. In the future, we can expect to see even more automation, with increased machine learning algorithms to optimise email campaigns in real-time automatically.
We also think that current trends, such as personalisation, will continue to evolve and have a huge role in how the industry changes. By learning more about how to use data and embracing new technology such as artificial intelligence (AI), businesses can create even more personalised and relevant email campaigns for subscribers.
As a leading content marketing agency in Lancaster, we are fascinated by the constant evolution of email marketing and are excited by what the future holds. Our industry is so rapidly changing, but we’re always open to change and embracing the future, which is one of the key reasons we’ve been in business for over 20 years.
If you want to learn more about our content creation services and how we can help to improve your email marketing campaigns, please get in touch, and a member of our team will be more than happy to help.
While it’s true that blog content creation is an important element of content marketing – it’s not the only one. Many types of content exist, from mailshots and testimonials to interviews and podcasts, and so with fresh, creative ways to tell your story, you can easily boost your content strategy by implementing these content types into your marketing campaign.
So, as a leading content marketing agency, we’re taking a look at ten types of content you can create alongside blogs.
Email marketing should be part of your content strategy for the simple fact that it helps create and develop relationships with customers. They can help you to generate leads and build trust and are useful to inform people of your latest company news.
In addition, newsletters bring people to your website, so as part of an effective email marketing campaign, you should include plenty of links to pages you want people to visit. Similarly, measuring how the newsletter performs is just as important as the content you write. By checking out how many people open it and what they click on, you can understand the content they want to see more of. Platforms like Mailchimp have a section similar to Google Analytics that gives you all this information. If it’s done well, your audience will get plenty of value from it since you can round up your recent content, offer incentives, add links to your latest deals, and so much more.
A case study is an ideal format to highlight a success story. If your clients have used your products or services and loved them, tell that to the world. Case studies double as testimonials because they encourage potential clients to consider your business. They also build confidence, help during the decision-making process, increase audience engagement and allow you to repurpose content.
Your case studies can be written as articles, published as videos, or shared in audio format; it’s up to you. For inspiration, browse our case studies page, and you’ll see some of the great work we’ve done for our clients.
There’s been a 70% increase in online audio content in the last few years, which is a huge leap. This is largely because audio content is a more convenient way to consume information, especially considering our increasingly busy lives. With podcasts, you can reach your audience while on the go, whether on their commute or when they’re getting on with household chores. And, with distributors like SoundCloud and iTunes, it’s now easier than ever to inform, educate or entertain people.
Similarly to audio, videos are increasing in popularity because they’re quick and easy for audiences to digest. You can use them to show product demos, showcase your company culture, inform your audience, tell stories about your brand, and much more; video has endless possibilities. And it doesn’t have to be a glossy, expensive, high-end production that takes weeks to assemble. Depending on your brand and tone of voice, a short, simple video can increase website engagement and conversion rates.
Webinars (or web seminars) can be anything from video presentations and lectures to workshops. These online, interactive events will help you share your knowledge and expertise with large audiences, no matter where they are. Webinars can help you generate new content for your website. They’re a great way to engage, educate, and, most importantly, get to know your audience. Additionally, they help develop followers as well since you can have unlimited numbers of participants.
They’re also a cost-effective way to promote your business, allow you to add more value to your brand and help to cast you as an expert in your field.
This type of content is perfect for various businesses, from small to large companies. White papers are your opportunity to address an issue in detail and offer a solution to a problem, all with plenty of research to back it up.
For example, if you sell domestic appliances, a white paper can show your clients the benefits of purchasing a particular product. The same goes for watches; a white paper will have all the details and specifications of a watch, which can help people to make a purchasing decision.
There are many benefits to producing interview content. For example, it can help you develop ideas for your content and spark collaborative relationships between you and others in your industry. This type of content is fantastic as written blogs, podcasts and videos.
And if you’re the interviewer, you don’t even need to provide most of the content. Just ask the question, and the interviewee will provide the rest; is there any easier way to create valuable, engaging content?
Another big advantage is that people who know your guests (or follow them on social media) can find you when you interview them. This means you can reach a wider audience just by talking to people.
This is a visual way to educate your audience. Putting bite-sized information on a visually appealing image makes this information fun to engage with and easy to understand. Infographics can be shared and create backlinks to your website. These links from other websites to yours are seen by Search Engine Results Pages, like Google, as a vote of confidence. If you have many good-quality backlinks, you’re more likely to rank for relevant keywords.
Ebooks can easily turn into evergreen content and act as lead-generation tools. They also help to establish you as an authority in your industry. A major advantage of digital books is that they’re hosted on several apps and platforms, making them convenient for your audience no matter how they consume content.
If you’ve ever encountered the ‘social proof’ concept, you’ll know that it helps buyers feel more informed and confident about a purchase. For example, if you’re planning to buy a product, large or small, you probably check out reviews from existing purchasers. Likewise, if visitors to your website find positive reviews and testimonials from happy customers, they’re much more likely to choose your products or services over a competitor.
Because they come directly from your clients, they are the social proof needed to convert more people to your business. Testimonials are like referrals and help build trust, show the benefits of your products, and build an emotional link to your products.
And, while getting testimonials is one thing, you must add them to your website so people can see them when they’re scrolling through the pages on your site. Pepper them throughout the site instead of having a dedicated testimonials page – most people don’t tend to look there.
These are just some examples of the different types of content you can add to your overall strategy to help your business reach a wider audience.
As a content marketing agency, we can help you develop a content marketing campaign as part of your overall digital marketing strategy. Feel free to contact us to learn more about what we can do for you, and we’ll be happy to chat.
Today, most people rely on the internet for information, so having a website that is easily accessible and user-friendly has become a necessity for businesses. However, people use the internet in different ways on a variety of devices, so ensuring that your website is optimised for desktop and mobile is essential.
So, as a leading digital marketing agency, we’re taking a look at desktop versus mobile browsing and what digital marketing managers need to know to get the most out of their websites.
Firstly, let’s look into the difference in user behaviour between those browsing on mobile compared to desktop.
Overall, these differences in user behaviour between mobile and desktop browsing highlight the importance of optimising websites and applications for different devices and contexts.
Device usage can significantly impact your SEO because it affects how users interact with websites and how search engines perceive website content.
For example, Google has made mobile-friendliness a ranking factor, meaning that websites optimised for mobile devices are more likely to rank higher in mobile search results. Mobile-friendly websites are designed to load quickly and be easily used on small screens.
In addition, page speed is also a ranking factor for both desktop and mobile searches. However, it is even more important for mobile searches, as users on mobile devices tend to have slower internet connections. Therefore, websites that load quickly on mobile devices are more likely to rank higher in mobile search results.
Finally, user experience is one of the most crucial elements of SEO and device usage plays a significant part in this. Of course, the user experience on mobile devices is different from desktop devices, so it’s vital that you optimise your website for user experience on both mobile and desktop to ensure a higher ranking and maximised visibility.
If you’re unsure of how to get started with this, our SEO services may be just what you’re looking for. As an agency with over 20 years of experience, we’re highly equipped to get you started so you can get the most out of your website.
Here at SQ Digital, we’re an experienced web design agency, so we understand that when designing a website, it is important to consider the differences between mobile and desktop devices to ensure a positive user experience on both platforms. There are key website design considerations for both mobile and desktop; let’s take a look.
Mobile-friendly checkout is an essential part of e-commerce, as more consumers are using mobile devices to shop online. A mobile-friendly checkout improves user experience massively, making it easy for users to complete their transactions on a smaller screen, leading to a smoother and more seamless user experience. With a mobile-optimised checkout process, customers can quickly and easily complete their purchase without having to pinch, zoom, or scroll excessively.
Because of this, a user-friendly and seamless mobile checkout process is essential to convert visitors into customers. If the checkout process is complex or frustrating, customers are more likely to abandon their shopping carts, resulting in lost sales. A mobile-friendly checkout, on the other hand, can help to reduce cart abandonment rates and increase the conversion rate.
If you’re unsure of how to get started with this, SQ Digital can help. We have an impressive range of digital marketing services that are sure to help you get the most out of your website on both website and mobile.
Get in touch to find out how we can help your business today.
Social media is a crucial tool in your digital marketing strategy, and nowadays, being active on your social platforms plays a significant part in your brand awareness. So, having the right campaigns and marketing in place is absolutely essential.
As a leading social media agency, we are dedicated to helping businesses boost their online presence through strategic campaigns. So, today we’re providing you with five key tips from our social media experts to help you set up and manage your social campaigns to get the most out of them.
Shout about success on social media, whether it be awards, new clients, or simply learning something new. Showcasing your business’ success on your social platforms is a powerful tool for attracting new customers, building brand loyalty, and establishing your business as a leader in your industry.
Facebook and Instagram have over 3 billion active users combined, which means showcasing your business’ success on these platforms can help you reach a larger audience than you might through traditional advertising channels. In addition, LinkedIn has over 134 million active users, so when hiring new staff, reaching out for networking and collaboration opportunities or standing out as an industry professional amongst competitors, this is the place to be.
For example, if a staff member is celebrating five years at your company, a post celebrating this milestone should be posted to your socials. Not only will it make the employee feel great that they’re being celebrated, but ‘people posts’ always do well on social media, as customers, clients, and business partners like to see who they’re dealing with. In addition, by posting something like this, you’re showing that you care about your employees and want to celebrate their successes.
Sharing testimonials on social media can be a highly effective way to build credibility and trust, which can help increase your business's conversions.
This is because testimonials provide social proof that your business delivers high-quality products or services. By sharing these reviews on your social platforms, you increase your credibility and demonstrate to potential customers that your business is trustworthy and reliable. Similarly, testimonials can help build trust with potential customers considering your products or services. Sharing feedback from real customers shows that your business values customer satisfaction and is committed to delivering high-quality experiences.
Finally, social media platforms are designed to encourage engagement, and sharing testimonials can be a great way to start conversations and generate engagement with your audience. When people see positive feedback from satisfied customers, they are more likely to engage with your posts and share them with others.
Utilising all social platforms is important for businesses as each social media platform has its own unique user base, so by being present on all platforms, a business can reach a wider audience and a vast scope of different people per platform. This helps a business increase visibility and awareness and establish a strong brand identity as long as the brand is consistent from platform to platform.
However, it’s important to note that not all social media platforms may be relevant or effective for every business, and it’s important to consider the target audience and goals of the business when deciding which platforms to utilise. If you’re unsure of how to do this, we can help. As a leading social media agency in Lancaster, we are more than equipped to help set you up and post on the best social platforms for your business.
If you’re looking for ways to improve your social media presence, posting your opinion has been proven to help boost engagement and establish your business as an industry leader.
This is because sharing your opinions on social media can help increase your brand’s visibility and create awareness among your target audience. Opinions and stances on important issues for your business can ultimately lead to more followers, likes, and shares, which can help grow your online presence and build brand recognition, as your target audience usually has the same or similar opinions to you and your business.
Similarly, sharing your opinions can help humanise your brand and make it more relatable to your target audience. This can help build stronger relationships with your customers and followers, leading to increased loyalty and advocacy.
Finally, offering your expertise on social media is an excellent way to establish further credibility and authority. By sharing your knowledge and insights on social media, you establish yourself as an expert in your industry. Confident expertise helps to build trust with potential customers, as they are more likely to do business with someone they perceive as knowledgeable and trustworthy.
In addition, this generates leads more likely to convert to sales as you build a following on social media. On your social media platforms, potential customers and clients can message you directly, comment on posts, or access the contact information on your profile to query about your products or services. For this reason, keeping your contact details updated on all your pages is essential. If they’re not, you could lose potential sales.
If you’re struggling with getting set up or are unsure how to get the most out of your social media platforms, our social media experts are here to help.
Get in touch today to find out what we can do for you.
Presenting a carefully cultivated impression of your brand, services, and products online can generate lots of opportunities to engage with potential new customers.
According to Statista, over 60% of UK SMEs are investing heavily in developing their brand online, with increasing numbers due to the continued shift towards online businesses and eCommerce. As a result, cultivating and maintaining an online presence has become essential for any business to remain relevant amongst its competitors. This blog discusses why an online presence is essential in 2023 and five ways you can improve yours and give it a well-deserved spring clean.
A digital presence works for your company 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Even minor improvements to your existing offering can provide noticeably increased engagement with your brand compared to not having a presence at all. For example, an attractive online portfolio will make it clear to viewers what your brand offers and can be updated quickly to show changes.
Combining a website with a strong social media presence will give your brand a more active voice and enable your audience to connect with you directly. This makes your business more relatable to customers, meaning they’re more likely to choose you over one of your competitors.
The internet is a constantly changing market that needs to be continuously monitored. Simply owning a website isn’t enough anymore; you need to make sure it’s relevant to the current search engine trends while making sure it’s as user-friendly as possible.
One essential thing to remember is that Google rewards websites that are updated regularly with fresh, relevant content. So, to get the best return on your investment, you should ensure your site is regularly updated with fresh, SEO-optimised, quality content.
There are lots of online platforms you can use to help create and build your online presence, regardless of the size of your business. These include websites, social media platforms, video-sharing sites, review and testimonial sites, and much more. Additionally, there are several resources you can use alongside these platforms, such as SEO (search engine optimisation) and PPC (pay-per-click), to enhance your presence and gain the attention of your desired customers. Here are some of our top tips to help you master your online presence in 2023.
Email marketing is a simple but highly effective way of reaching your existing and new customers and can take your brand to the next level. In a nutshell, email marketing is sending an email to a mailing list which comprises email addresses you’ve gathered. For example, these can be previous or prospective clients who submitted an email address through a ‘newsletter signup’ box on your website. There are several reasons you may wish to conduct email marketing campaigns; the most obvious is to put your products directly in front of your audience and direct them to the relevant pages on your website. This type of email marketing can be very effective and requires relatively minimal effort when considering the potential return. Another very effective approach is brand awareness campaigns. This could simply be a monthly newsletter providing company updates, events, helpful guides and news to your readers, you may not be actively ‘selling’ something, but this ensures that you keep your brand at the forefront of your readers’ minds.
At SQ Digital, we take email marketing a step further by adding automation to our campaigns. This enables us to create highly effective and targeted campaigns. For example, we can create campaigns that will automatically email an offer to a client who hasn’t interacted with your brand in a given number of days or send reminders to users who have left an item in their basket after a set time. The opportunities with automations are practically endless, meaning you can create a campaign that’s as simple or complex as you like.
SEO is essential to any website and is one of the key tools that will elevate your brand above your competitors. A powerful SEO strategy consisting of onsite and offsite optimisation helps your brand rank higher in search engines such as Google for the terms most relevant to your business. Better results will place your website higher on the list than your competitors and make your page more likely to be clicked. SEO is particularly important for SMEs as it significantly improves the effectiveness of your current digital marketing efforts.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth ten thousand. Video marketing is an incredibly successful tool for enhancing your online presence as it catches people’s attention far more than the static alternative. Improved connection speeds and higher compression rates enable websites and social media to upgrade to moving images with minimal impact when it comes to loading speeds.
Video marketing increases your engagements and conversion rates significantly when added to your website or social media platforms. Videos increase the time users spend on your pages and provide a more interesting method of sharing large amounts of information about your brand, services or products.
During the last few years, the popularity of remote online businesses has grown immensely, offering new opportunities for businesses to connect with their audiences via social media. There’s a misconception that social media is only useful to B2C businesses that regularly interact with the public, but this isn’t true. B2B and B2C businesses have significantly increased brand awareness by posting organically on channels best suited to their target audiences.
Businesses working in even the most specialist and niche areas will find their audience on platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn. Even simple posts sharing business news, company ethos, and products will significantly develop your brand awareness, engage your audience and even promote sales.
With such a significant shift towards online business in recent years, it’s more important than ever that companies develop effective social media management strategies to keep up with their competitors.
As a digital marketing agency, we’ve assisted many B2B companies by creating content that positions them as thought leaders in their industry. This can be done by commenting on relevant industry news and responding to contextual subject matters specific to your field. For B2B clients, we often recommend establishing a presence on LinkedIn, as this platform generates the most positive results.
Finding the best social media platforms for your business will significantly improve your ability to find more buyers and build profitable relationships, similar to attending exhibitions and conventions all year round.
Choosing a digital marketing agency like ourselves is the best way to give your online presence a well-deserved spring clean. This is because we can help you improve your digital offering cost-effectively while providing access to the latest expertise, tools, and technologies you may not otherwise have access to. These aspects of digital marketing allow us to generate great returns and measurable results for our clients, making choosing us an excellent way to boost your online presence.
At SQ Digital, we have over 20 years of experience in digital marketing and have established ourselves as a trusted industry leader by building a strong culture of continuous improvement. We’ve worked with many businesses to help them develop a new online presence or improve an existing one to meet their current needs and future goals. We are genuinely passionate about creating digital marketing strategies and campaigns that make a significant difference.
Choosing SQ Digital is the best way to boost your online presence this spring because we go to great lengths to ensure small to medium-sized businesses have access to the same high level of digital marketing services as large companies.
You can find more advice in our previous blogs on successful digital marketing strategies and brand promotion. Alternatively, contact us directly to discuss how we can help you boost your online presence.
