Trending on Twitter – Why we are obsessed with random nonsense!

In recent times on Twitter we have been subjected to #capslockday and trending topics including:

#reason2haveguybestfriend (Because they will tell you that you are tweeting rubbish?)

#sorryimlatebut (I was busy tweeting about the weather?)

#summerplans (To get a life and stop tweeting about what I eat for breakfast?)

Now as a marketer, these types of post do not help me promote the serious benefits of Twitter to my clients. I have won business through someone tweeting their desire for a marketing agency and found a supplier when I needed one within minutes… but most of the time, #Idontunderstandwhy certain topics trend and what drives people to write the nonsense they do.

Is it any wonder that businesses are reticent about putting posts on Twitter.. people have been fired because of Tweets posted and companies have lost clients for inappropriate behaviour online.

To make sure you are not one of them, here is our Twitter checklist for success:

· Have a social media strategy. Monitor what your company are saying as a whole and if you want extra protection… make sure that you put a note on staff Twitter profiles stating they are their own views rather than that of the company.

· Think about what you want to get out of Twitter and what to post… there is no point talking about Justin Bieber or football if you sell soap, focus is key and keep posts relevant.

· Tweet other people … just posting tweets on your own profile will not get you the interaction you need. Actively follow people you want to interact with, see what interests them and build an online rapport.

· Use # Hashtags, RT and @ to gain maximum coverage for your tweets.

· Don’t post negative things about your clients… airing public laundry is not always the best way to resolve your issues and can lead to lawsuits, negativity and most of all can damage your reputation.

The benefits of Twitter when used properly still outweigh the bad points.. you can win new business, find suppliers and build your network but only if you know what you are doing.. .and don’t post things about your boss!

If you want to Tweet me your thoughts on today’s trending topics you can get me on Twitter @marian_at_whale / #getagriponwhatyoutweetpeople !

Brand Development

I was recently at an old stately home in Hampshire and in their kitchen were a variety of old branded food items from times gone by.

I couldn’t help but notice this one for Cadbury’s and see how the brand itself is still recognisable over 50 years on!

Any good brand should stand the test of time, being developed and refreshed to remain contemporary whilst remaining recognisable. If you think your brand could use a refresh.. give Marian a call on 0161 236 5395.

Another new client win for Whale!

Whale are proud to announce our new client, Broughton Park Football Club (Rugby Union)!

The club are the 5^th oldest rugby club in the country and we are looking forward to working with them over the coming months.

Whale is designing the match programmes for the current season as well as helping Broughton Park generate interest in their superb venue. With spectacular panoramic views over parkland & views of the Pennines, Broughton Park offers the ideal setting for Meetings, Seminars, Team Building, Exhibitions and Training or Sporting Events.

So if you are looking for the perfect venue for your Christmas party or corporate event… take a look at this link and get booked in:

http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/broughtonpark/a/conferences-events-398.html

Whale Marketing win contract with Swiss-based Glass Manufacturers

Whale Marketing Limited a full service B2B marketing agency based in Manchester is pleased to have won a contract with Swiss-based Glass Manufacturers; Glaströsch. Whale Marketing will be responsible for marketing their fire glass brand FireSwiss within the UK Market. Although Glaströsch are already a well-established glass provider throughout Europe this is the first time they will be fully concentrating on penetrating the UK market.

Whale will promote the Glaströsch brand in the UK and raise knowledge of their range of FireSwiss; fire glass products.

Whale has a wealth of glass experience with MD Hannah Whale previously fulfilling a marketing role with Pilkington Glass; existing whale clients include CT Glass, K-Seal and Independent Glass.

Hannah Whale, Managing Director said ‘It is great to be working with Glastrosch who have successfully established themselves in other European markets, we are excited about launching their brand in the UK and bringing their extensive, certified and well renown range of fire glass to highly competitive UK market place.’

Are you networking or not working?

Face to Face networking can be one of the most powerful tools for any business if used properly but how can you ensure that you are getting the best out of it?

With hundreds of different networking groups in any area, finding your networking home is key.

If early mornings are not when you are at your best and you wake up looking and feeling like a member of Kiss then perhaps try a lunch or evening event. If you are a new start up with time on your hands, then attending daytime events may be the best use of your time.

Ask yourself … do you prefer to simply chat to individuals or do you prefer structured 60 second roundtable presentations, do you want to hear a topical guest speaker?

Sometimes, the fear of walking into a group of unknown people can have you heading straight to the bar, but remember you are representing your business and unless you are selling hangover remedies.. you could be damaging your reputation.

There are events to suit all and below we have listed a few of our favourites in the North West:

www.fbeonline.co.uk – Breakfast Networking events for the property and construction sector

www.gmchamber.co.uk – Chamber of Commerce events attract senior business people and are always well located with good attendance.

www.4networking.biz – 4N breakfast events which allow you freedom to visit different venues.

www.networking4business.com – Also known as Simply Networking, these are informal and well attended daytime networking events held in central Manchester.

www.networkcheshire.co.uk – With events held at places like Panacea in Alderley Edge attracting a high level clientele.. what is not to like!

Remember: If you are networking out of normal working hours in your own time, make it enjoyable, make it worthwhile and set yourself goals for each meeting so that you come out having achieved something.

People buy from people and putting your personality on your brand is key, so as you are reaching for that 5^th glass of Chardonnay… remember why you are there and if you have achieved your goals.. then cheers!

Lorem ipsum - Why we use the same old Latin page filler!

How many times have you seen the following:

"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."

Yes, the bog standard filler for designers with no copy to run into the artwork.. but why do we use this and where does it come from?

Contrary to popular belief, Lorem Ipsum is not simply random text. It has roots in a piece of classical Latin literature from 45 BC, making it over 2000 years old. It comes from sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum" (The Extremes of Good and Evil) by Cicero, written in 45 BC.

The lorem ipsum text is typically a section of the above copy with words altered, added and removed that make it nonsensical in meaning and not proper Latin.

Where text is easy to read in a document, people tend to focus on that, rather than upon overall presentation, so publishers use lorem ipsum when displaying a typeface, design elements or page layout in order to direct the focus to the publication style and not the meaning of the text.

If you are over lorem ipsum and want to be different... try scrambling your own nonsense phrases such as our copy above! (We wanted something Whale related for ours and so we used an excerpt from Moby Dick and reversed it, just to be different!) .)..

Is email marketing just spam or a powerful marketing tool?

All of us receive some sort of email communication from different companies every day some of which I am sure you don’t even read so how effective is this form of communication in a marketing plan?

First of all email marketing is totally measurable. All email marketing software provides you with a report to show how many people have opened the email and how many have clicked on a link. Depending on the software you are using you will be able to see exactly what link they clicked. Google analytics will also show you where people have linked to your website from an email campaign. This is a something that is not possible with postal mailers. Research conducted by the Direct Marketing Association US showed that email marketing was expected to generate an ROI of $42.08 for every dollar spent on it in 2010. As such, it outperforms all the other direct marketing channels examined, such as print (reference). This is an excellent tool to have as you can keep track on ROI’s and also give a follow up call to anyone that has opened the email.

Email marketing can be targeted at specific audiences keeping the content relevant to the person receiving it, which is much more cost effective than producing a number of different printed materials. You can also target a larger audience at a much smaller cost.

It is true that not everyone you send the communication to will read it but the same can be said for any marketing communication sent out, email marketing is a cost effective tool which can be easily measured and should be considered in any marketing strategy.

However it is important as with any form of direct marketing that you follow up and check your reports and follow up on any clicks. If you do not do this then you will have no way of measuring how successful a campaign has been.

Trending on Twitter – Why we are obsessed with random nonsense!

Apparently, last week on Twitter we had #capslockday and trending topics included:

#reason2haveguybestfriend (Because they will tell you that you are tweeting rubbish?)

#sorryimlatebut (I was busy tweeting about the weather?)

#summerplans (To get a life and stop tweeting about what I eat for breakfast?)

Now as a marketer, these types of post do not help me promote the serious benefits of Twitter to my clients. I have won business through someone tweeting their desire for a marketing agency and found a supplier when I needed one within minutes… but most of the time, #Idontunderstandwhy certain topics trend and what drives people to write the nonsense they do.

Is it any wonder that businesses are reticent about putting posts on Twitter.. people have been fired because of Tweets posted and companies have lost clients for inappropriate behaviour online.

To make sure you are not one of them, here is our Twitter checklist for success:

· 1) Have a social media strategy. Monitor what your company are saying as a whole and if you want extra protection… make sure that you put a note on staff Twitter profiles stating they are their own views rather than that of the company.

· 2) Think about what you want to get out of Twitter and what to post… there is no point talking about Justin Bieber or football if you sell soap, focus is key and keep posts relevant.

· 3) Tweet other people … just posting tweets on your own profile will not get you the interaction you need. Actively follow people you want to interact with, see what interests them and build an online rapport.

· 4) Use # Hashtags, RT and @ to gain maximum coverage for your tweets.

· 5) Don’t post negative things about your clients… airing public laundry is not always the best way to resolve your issues and can lead to lawsuits, negativity and most of all can damage your reputation.

The benefits of Twitter when used properly still outweigh the bad points.. you can win new business, find suppliers and build your network but only if you know what you are doing.. .and don’t post things about your boss!

If you want to Tweet me your thoughts on today’s trending topics you can get me on Twitter @marian_at_whale / #getagriponwhatyoutweetpeople !

Designing to sell on a large scale – Tips for marketing your property

Property agents and developers rely heavily on marketing to sell or rent their buildings (and land) and this starts from the moment the plans are drawn up and the planning application is submitted. From gaining the support of local communities through to branding the building itself, the site signage, and the glossy brochures have to sell, sell, sell.

Whether its industrial, office, retail or residential everything is aimed at achieving ROI, to fill empty properties, increase footfall and raise the sites profile for the client; You are encouraging people to part with a lot of money, so how do you ensure that your brochure / signage is marketing your property in the best possible light?

Whale have put together our top tips for marketing your property:

· Branding – Make sure you get the name right from the start and create a brand which is desirable. A good brand gives a site personality and should make people connect with it, they should feel like they could live or work there. Your brand should reflect the selling points of the site and be punchy … gaining their attention at the first hurdle.

· Design – Make your building stand out whether by its signage, the promotional emails you send out, PR, brochures and the website - appeal to your target audience. There should be a synergy running through the creative, if someone receives a brochure sees the signage and clicks on the website they know they’re in the right place.

· Copy – Be creative with your copy and link it to the branding. Build up excitement by promoting the lifestyle, the opportunities it offers and sell benefits not just features.

· Imagery – Make sure you have the best shots available of your property and take different angle shots. If you are selling off plan, creative inviting floor plans along with 3D impressions of how it will look will add to the feel of the marketing. Using aspirational people based imagery will persuade your target audience to buy into the lifestyle.

· Call to action / invitation – What do you want people to do after seeing your material? Book a visit? Request information? Come to a launch? Don’t forget to ask them!

· Contact Details – Make sure you offer various methods of contact to appeal to a larger audience, some people will just want to email for information and others will want to call and ask questions. Don’t alienate potential renters or buyers by not offering them their preferred means of contact. You can also offer the brochure to download on a website which they can get by entering contact information, this then adds to your database of potential clients to follow up with.

· Launch Events – Placing an ad can be quite expensive and not too cost effective, ask yourself, who do you want to see the ad? Gather a list, be specific, invite them to a launch event, whether its breakfast or lunch with your tailored captive audience you’ll find it will be more cost effective than an ad.

If you need help with marketing your property, we work with Peel, Knight Frank, CBRE, DTZ, Cushman & Wakefield and King Sturge so contact Marian@whalemarketing.co.uk who will be happy to speak to you about your requirements.