Archive for July, 2011

Where Does Website Promotion Begin?

Tuesday, July 26th, 2011
Dan Toombs writes about website promotion

Dan Toombs - MD CompuGift Limited

 

Website promotion starts with you!

Are you in control of your website? Are you able to add content and make other changes without involving a third party? If not, then read on! Your website promotion and ultimately the success of your business starts with you and your ability to keep your website updated with useful content.

Great content will give your customers a better shopping experience. Throw in the right keyword phrases and you will be ranked higher by the search engines making it much easier for your target customers to find you.

This will also give you more credibility in the eyes of those looking for your services and/or products.

If you or someone you trust are not in the position to update your website on your own then it is essential that you get control back. This could mean either negotiating with your current website design company or changing suppliers altogether. In today’s online business world it is essential to your site’s success that you take control and add new and good content regularly.

I have found content marketing advice sites such as Copyblogger and Pro-Blogger to be invaluable to the success of my business websites and hobby blogs. Through copywriting advice sites like these, I have learned how to form my sentences and paragraphs for online readers. I have learned about using keywords in my online articles and blogposts to ensure my sites gets seen by a much larger audience.

And the best thing about it all is that it’s all free of charge!

I’m promoting my sites and business daily and it’s not costing me a penny.

Well actually almost all of my site promotions are free of charge.

Of course good business promotion is down to a marketing mix. I find promotional gifts to be invaluable sales promotion tools and use them regularly. I would not consider sending out a brochure or catalogue without my website printed nice and large for all to see. I still wouldn’t be without a business card which features my site address.

That said, none of these chargeable promotional ideas will do your site promotions any good if your site is not the answer to the visitors’ questions or problems!

You know what questions or problems your products and services can answer. Now more than ever,  it’s up to you to make sure your website is up to the job of promoting this. Get your website copywriting right and the site will promote itself with a little help from your friends at Google and Bing and the social networks.

I have been in the business of website promotion for over a decade and will be offering regular free advice on website promotion right here on my blog.

I would love to hear how you get on with your site promotions. Be sure to leave a comment or even share your own recommendations! Oh and if this article has been of any interest to you, please share it on Twitter and Facebook! I’d really appreciate it.

 

Website promotion starts with you – the expert in your field!

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Content Marketing- Why Great Content On Your Site is Essential

Tuesday, July 19th, 2011

 

 

Promotional Notebooks - Great for content marketing

Promotional notebooks make great gifts for content marketers

Content Marketing is the best thing your can do for your business!

 

 

For the past month I have been re-writing all the content on my promotional gifts websites. It has taken many hours and even led one of my good customers to jokingly ask why I spent so much time writing.  After all, my business supplies promotional gifts! Are promotional gifts not good enough to promote my business and build my brand on their own?

 

Well – truth be known, promotional merchandise can work wonders for business promotion but content marketing is even more important.

 

Promotional gifts can show appreciation to good customers and employees. They can also create interest in a brand and attract new customers.  I would hate to try promoting my business without them!

 

But content marketing takes it all to a different – higher -  level.

 

Ten years ago all you needed was a good website.  Now you need a good website with lots of excellent content in order for your target customers to find you. Great content is the new SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

 

My customer was finding this new content thing a bit overwhelming.  I had been advising him for months to do something with his site and to ensure content marketing played a much larger role in his business promotions.

 

He started writing new content for his website but found it to be a bit much! As far as he was concerned,  his products ‘sold themselves’ and his site was the best in his industry. He needed some convincing!

 

So why is content marketing so important?

 

Think of it this way…  You walk into a shop and the staff are spot on.  They answer all of your questions and help you to find exactly what you are looking for. You walk out a happy customer.  The salesman in the shop answered all your questions and saved you time and money.

 

Now imagine the opposite scenario.  You walk into a computer shop looking for accounting software. The staff don’t have a clue about the products they sell.  When you ask questions they smile nervously and shrug their shoulders.  You leave without finding what you want, disappointed and frustrated.

 

Good content should answer the questions about the products and service you have on offer. It’s true that content marketing is done so that the search engines can find you and point new customers your way.  But equally important is offering your customers a good shopping experience.

 

Good Content Marketing Should Offer Your Target Customers a hassle-free shopping experience.

 

If there’s one thing I hope you do after reading this article, it’s start writing content.  You don’t need to be a great writer.  All you need to be able to do is tell your target customers about the products and services your company supplies.

 

Taking the time to write good content will help your site to rank higher in the search listings and help your target customers find exactly what they are looking for quickly and easily!

 

Content marketing isn’t going to go away so get started now or you will wish you had in the future!

 

 

 

Posted in Content Marketing | 2 Comments »

Promotional Conference Folders- How One Company Got It All Wrong

Thursday, July 7th, 2011

 

Promotional conference folders

Promotional conference folders can be made to order.

Promotional Conference Folders Can Represent Your Business with Great Results – Or Not…

 

 

I attended a class the other day and was handed a advertising conference folder that was tattered and the print was beginning to fade away.

 

I had been given a cookery class by my mother-in-law as a gift and had been really looking forward to it.  The class was quite expensive so I was quite surprised when I was given the folder that looked used and dated.

 

Actually the promotional conference folders that were handed out that day to my classmates and me were new and contained the recipes that we would be making in the class.  These promotional conference folders were to be kept as gifts to use the recipes at home  and further promote the class.

 

Can you see where this blog post is going?

 

Promotional products need to be two things to get the best results – useful and fit for purpose. These promotional conference folders looked like they could fall apart by the time I got home. They had obviously been purchased on the cheap to represent a business that was anything but cheap!

 

It made a bad impression -  and no I was not the only person in the class to notice.

 

The class itself was fantastic and informative but the poor choice of promotional materials left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth!

 

The sad thing is that for an additional pound or two per person, the class could have been a mouthwatering success.

 

Let’s look at what should have been done by the company’s marketing team to ensure total satisfaction by all.

 

Choose Promotional Conference Folders That Are Made To Last

 

This makes a lot of sense so why didn’t they do it?  There are a lot of ‘cowboy’ manufacturers out there who are producing substandard products. There are also a lot of manufacturers who take pride in their products.

 

Believe it or not, the difference between poor quality and great quality is often not down to money but who you choose to supply you! Always ask for samples before proceeding with an order and you should have a good idea of who you’re dealing with. I feel quite comfortable that you will choose CompuGift in the end! :)

 

Know Your Personalization Options!

 

A good supplier of promotional conference folders should be able to look at your logo and design and recommend the best method of personalization for you.  A good supplier will recommend which material will print better than others with your design. A good supplier will ensure you end up with promotional conference folders that represent you and your business in a positive light!

 

Now back to my class.  Did I like and enjoy the instructions? Yes very much so. Did I like the overall experience? You bet! Would I take another class from them? I sure would.

 

So what’s wrong? Well this…

 

Instead of writing a brilliant review on my food blog – check it out here, I’m writing about what was wrong with the class on my business blog. That’s too bad. I’m not giving the company bad publicity but I so easily could have been naming them and giving them great publicity.

 

Don’t let your promotional products get you down!

 

Check out our impressive range of conference folders and don’t forget to look at the extras such as promotional pens and promotional notebooks that will look great with your folders.

 

If you would like more information about using promotional conference folders to promote your brand, why not come to the market leaders? Promotional conference folders can be purchased for less by calling us on 01642 782455.

 

 

 

 

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Promotional Pencil Sharpeners- 3 Ways They Promote Your Business

Wednesday, July 6th, 2011

 

Promotional Pencil Sharpeners

Our famous wheelie bin sharpener

Promotional pencil sharpers pack more punch that you may think!

 

It’s easy to think of the more popular promotional gifts when considering which products we want to purchase to promote our businesses.  Promotional Pens, Promotional mouse mats, promotional mugs all come quickly and reasonably to mind.

 

Often we receive an order for promotional pencils and think they have so much more potential than is often realised. Together with promotional pencil sharpeners, these low cost promotional gifts can build a brand for months if not years.

 

Promotional pencils are usually used in a much different way to the popular promotional pen.  They are hidden  away in the desk drawer. If an advertiser thinks ahead, however they could even take pride of place stored away in promotional desk tidies or promotional pen pots on the desktop for all to see.

 

Promotional pencils are then stored away until they are needed.  This may not be as often as pens but still quite regular.

 

But they are of little use without a sharpener!

 

Let’s look at three ways you might like to use promotional pencil sharpeners along with other products to build your brand.

 

Include Promotional Pencil Sharpeners In An On-Going Marketing Campaign

 

There is an incorrect misconception that promotional products need to be expensive to work well.  This is simply not true. Why not consider giving your customer a small but useful business gift regularly.  Promotional pens, Promotional erasers and promotional pencil sharpeners are all ideal low cost ways of getting your logo and details in front of your target customers often.

 

Use Promotional Pencil Sharpeners to Build Interest in your Brand

 

Promotional pencil sharpeners are great business gifts for personalising!  Many can be printed in full colour while others are available in special shapes. Whichever you choose, remember that almost everyone already has a selection of pencils so they will keep your gift and use it.

 

You could accompany your promotional pencil sharpeners with a letter encouraging your target customers to subscribe to your RSS feed or ask for a catalogue with a promise of more promotional gifts to come.

Give Promotional Pencil Sharpeners As A Business Gift Set

 

Promotional pencil sharpeners

Eco promotional pencil sharpeners made with recycled vending cups!

Many people like the idea of an ongoing marketing campaign where they send a little something regularly. Others like the idea of giving their customer a collection of promotional desktop gifts in one go.

 

This is usually done when people know their customers quite well and know that they will enjoy a nice collection of logo printed promotional desktop gifts.

 

 

If you would like more information about using promotional pencil sharpeners or any of the other promotional products mentioned here, please contact us today on 01642 782455.

 

 

 

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Posted in Promotional Paper Products, Promotional Pencil Sharpeners | No Comments »

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