Content is king… and video is the king of content.
Through great video content, brands and businesses have a huge opportunity to engage with their audiences and build brand loyalty.
But how can you make video work for you?
Authenticity is the foundation of great video content. In an age of digital distrust, audiences want genuine brand experiences. So before you start production, consider:
Knowing the ins and outs of each platform is key to getting engagement:
There’s a lot of heat on AI production at the moment. The AI-created end product often comes under fire. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for AI in your pre-production.
Use AI to speed up your video production in the following ways:
Example: if you’re looking for examples, inspiration or source material. You could spend mindless hours in Google, or the right prompts in a site like Perplexity could yield faster answers to your questions. Freeing up much more time to commit to the creative process.
Example: A travel agency creates a virtual tour where viewers can choose their path through a destination and the content they see next.
Example: A furniture retailer creates an AR app where customers can see products in their own homes through their phone.
Example: A B2B software company creates a weekly 60-second tip series, each one focusing on a different feature of their product.
Example: A tech startup documents its journey from idea to product launch, posting weekly updates on social media.
Example: A fitness app asks users to share their transformation stories and compiles the best into a video series.
Making content is one thing. But putting it to good use is another thing entirely.
You could spend so much time and effort in production, only to let your efforts fall at the final hurdle, by failing to effectively activate your content. So consider the following implementation and activation tactics:
Multi-Form Content: Create different versions of each video for different platforms and purposes. Not all content is made equal, different ideas and different themes will perform better, or worse, on different channels.
Live Streaming: Where applicable, you can seek to create a regular cadence of live content to engage with your audience in real time.
Video SEO: as video content becomes increasingly more present in search, it’s important that your online assets are properly optimised. This means optimised video titles, descriptions and tags to be discoverable on search engines and video platforms.
Localisation: consider how you can adapt content for different regions through subtitles, dubbing or culturally relevant versions.
Accessibility: consider how you can also use subtitling and dubbing to increase the overall accessibility of your content.
Ultimately, you’ll want your content to yield results. Use advanced analytics to track:
But note that not every piece of content needs to result in a sale or a conversion. Building brand loyalty and engaging with your audiences in a way that isn’t overly commercial or transactional is the way to go here.
That means pulling back on the amount of sales-driven content and publishing more content that engages, entertains and informs.
So when you do hit your audiences with a CTA, they’re far more likely to convert, because they’re more bought into your brand and your ethos.
If you’re building an e-commerce site, you’re probably wondering if your site even needs a blog. The short answer is yes, absolutely it does.
As it turns out, nobody is writing blogs for the sake of it. In fact, businesses with a successful blog generate 67% more leads per month than those without. There are tangible benefits to posting regular blog articles on your e-commerce site and I’m going to walk you through them now.
Did you know that small businesses that blog get a whopping 126% more lead growth than those that don’t?
It’s important not to overlook blogs when thinking about your content marketing. They’re a great way of boosting traffic to your site, building your brand voice and engaging potential customers by informing them about your products.
It’s true that not everyone who visits your website will read your blog, but that doesn’t mean it should be overlooked. You’re probably the fountain of knowledge when it comes to your products, but it can be difficult to demonstrate your knowledge and credibility through product descriptions and landing pages alone. Converting your knowledge into long-form copy is a great way of sharing your expertise and building your brand.
At the end of the day, it’s about convincing people to buy your stuff, and blogs will actively improve your conversion rate optimisation (CRO).
Rather than simply promoting your products, your blog should serve as an information hub for potential customers and contain ‘top of the funnel’ content to target them in the discovery stage of their journey to buying your products.
Blogs should be educational and informative, and by providing expertise and insights into the value of your products, you’ll build your reputation as a trustworthy brand, engage customers and push them towards making a purchase.
Take it from us – SEO is extremely important for any online business and blogging represents a fantastic opportunity to improve your SEO rankings and drive traffic to your e-commerce site.
By writing fresh, long-form copy for your site, you’ll target more keywords than you would on your product pages. What’s more, putting out fresh content is a good way of signalling to Google that your site is active. As a result, Google will push your content further up search algorithms, generating more traffic to your site and improving your SEO and conversion rates.
Blogs are also a great place to target long-tail search. When customers are in the awareness stage of the marketing funnel – that is, aware they have a problem but not of what the solution is or that you as a company offer it – they are more likely to be searching for informational keywords. These ‘top of the funnel’ keywords usually start ‘how’ or ‘why’ and are longer. Individually, they have a lower search volume but there are a lot more of them so this traffic can be substantial. Blogs can be used to cover a lot of informational ground, which will mean your e-commerce site is more likely to pop up when your target audience is researching anything to do with your industry or products.
Capturing this traffic will boost your site’s overall SEO but it will also build awareness around your brand and help funnel traffic to your product pages.
When it comes to blog content, the sky’s the limit. If you think you’ve got nothing to say, start by stepping into the shoes of your potential customers. Ask yourself:
Keyword research can give you solid insights into the questions your customers are asking. However, competitor analysis is also your friend here. By reviewing what others in your niche are writing about, you can pinpoint content gaps and discover what’s generating the most engagement among your target audience (this is often called a ‘content gap analysis’). This approach can set the stage for you to attract consistent, high-quality leads.
To help you get the ball rolling, we’ve put together a quick list of blog ideas for your e-commerce site:
By tapping into these ideas, you’ll keep your blog relevant, informative and engaging.
There is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to how often you should post blogs on your e-commerce site. While some companies pump out new content each day, others may only post a few times a month. The amount you post depends on your available time, budget and how much you genuinely have to say about your business.
What matters most is the quality and value of your content. If you find yourself churning out content just for the sake of it, it might be time to take a step back and reassess your content strategy. Often, fewer high-quality posts can deliver better results than posting more frequent, less valuable content.
Zest in Bath are a firm of local estate agents established in 2008, by Glen Perry, who runs it with his wife Beth. They have since achieved a Gold award at the British Property Awards, three years running, and been voted as Business of the Year by Best of Bath.
Zest were very interested from the outset in what we could achieve for them, especially in light of the results we’ve achieved for Bristol based letting agents, Hopewell.
This wasn’t going to be a small website design project as the site had to integrate seamlessly with Vibra Alto, Zests’ in-house property management software. Having used the fantastic Property Hive suite of plugins on previous projects this was our go to choice for Zests’ new website.
In addition Zest required additional functionality, including an integration with Locrating, a tool that displays local amenities, sold prices, transport links and local school information such as catchment areas and Ofsted reports.
Zest has an increasing portfolio of student properties to let, so it was important to be able to display these on the website clearly. To that end we created a separate section of the website aimed at students and with distinct branding.
After the website build, we were tasked with growing the website’s search presence across a number of property related keywords in Bath. In a highly competitive and lucrative property market like Bath, that meant a lot of work to do.
The website was a custom design and WordPress build, based on Property Hive’s standard framework, that gave us the code with all of the hooks that we needed to integrate with their property management system. Once this was done we then set about importing the data and testing the site to make sure everything was working as it should.
With Zest’s local SEO strategy baked into the web build at the foundational level, all the initial keyword research and on-page optimisation was complete, meaning we were able to start writing additional content to go up on the new site, during the build phase.
Being involved at the web build stage allows us to really craft solid optimised websites that hold up really well and see immediate bounces in ranking when they launch (just of the many benefits of having an SEO agency build your website).
As well as creating their beautiful new website, the real benefit to Zest has come from our ongoing digital marketing work, specifically organic SEO and Google Ads. The results here have been excellent, with the site now ranking second for the coveted “letting agents Bath” keyword and getting onto page one for “estate agents Bath”.
Between the new site launching in August 2022 and January 2023, we saw a 60% increase in organic traffic, compared with the previous six months. Comparing the most recent data, from 2023 with 2024, we have seen these results really accelerate:
If you are looking to recruit a live events tech, Weston College can help businesses access fully funded* apprenticeship training for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
There is still a post pandemic impact on the sector, resulting in disruptions to staffing, increased costs, and significant supply chain delays. As the industry strives to recover, this new apprenticeship provides a timely solution by developing a new generation of talented technicians capable of supporting the growing demand for live events across the UK and beyond.
The exciting Live Event Technician Apprenticeship program, designed to address the critical shortage of skilled professionals in the live events industry begins starts in November so dont miss out!
Live Event Technicians work in a wide range of settings, including concerts, festivals, theatrical productions, exhibitions, and conferences. Their core responsibility is to prepare, build, set up, and operate industry-standard equipment to deliver seamless live performances. In this dynamic role, technicians interact with a variety of professionals, including venue staff, production managers, designers, performers, and producers..
The Live Event Technician Apprenticeship offers a structured pathway for both new entrants and existing employees to gain the necessary technical skills and practical experience. Employers can use this program to recruit new talent or upskill current staff, ensuring that they are equipped to meet the high standards required for live event production.
For those looking to secure the future of their business and contribute to the growth of the live events sector, this apprenticeship is an ideal solution. To find out more, contact [email protected]
*For 16-21-year-olds and up to 25 if a young person has an Education Health Care Plan.
Community-based youth charity Young Bristol has become the third South West charity to win a place on the region’s Noble Deeds programme.
Set up in 2021 by Bristol-based SME Noble, the Deeds programme provides digital marketing training & support to not-for-profits, helping them deliver vital services in the area. Increasing in-line with Nobles’ own turnover, this year the support package stands at £25,000. Young Bristol will use this to upskill its marketing team and ensure its services reach the young people who need them the most
Supporting children and young adults aged 8-25 during their critical out of school hours in some of the most challenging areas of the city, Young Bristol’s mission is to provide innovative programmes that create a positive and sustainable impact on the lives of young people
With eight community youth clubs across Bristol, a mobile youth club on wheels, outdoor activity centres and an employment programme just part of what the charity offers, the support from Noble will help the Young Bristol team prioritise where its digital marketing efforts will make the most impact. As well as helping the team to learn new skills and maximise their knowledge of social media, SEO and other digital promotion techniques for a lasting impact beyond the Deeds programme
Lucy Saunders, Head of Fundraising & Development, Young Bristol, explains; “We are thrilled to be the selected charity for this year’s Noble Deeds programme. It is an incredible opportunity for our organisation to gain valuable experience and support from a team of experts. Their support will make a big difference, not only by up-skilling our team and improving our digital marketing, but also by helping us to further our reach and services to even more young people.”
With numerous deserving causes across the city that could benefit from the Deeds programme, choosing just one recipient is difficult. Previous winners have included homelessness charity Emmaus Bristol and South Bristol social enterprise Heart of BS13
Lorenzo Campbell, chair of Noble’s UK Deeds committee, said; “It’s not easy to choose between the many worthwhile entries to Deeds we receive. However, Young Bristol gives us the opportunity to work with a charity that reaches the communities right across Bristol who need their help the most. Making sure young people get the right start in life is so crucial and the passion the Young Bristol team has for that is inspiring.
“The impact the charity has can be life-changing for young people and leaves a real lasting legacy. Hopefully by helping the team enhance their own knowledge and digital marketing skills we can help them make that impact as long-lasting as possible.”
The Noble Deeds initiative was originally started over twenty-years ago by Nobles’ parent [KS1] company in Nevada, North America. Mirroring the US programme, the winning not-for-profit is chosen by an employee-led committee, with the UK Deeds programme opening every June at a free ‘Be Better Bristol’ event for local charities and businesses
The Noble team then work alongside the winning charity from September through to February each year helping them to achieve their specific objective
To find out more about Young Bristol go to https://www.youngbristol.co
To find out more about Noble go to https://nobleperforms.co.uk,
Running an e-commerce store isn’t just about selling online, it’s about understanding how your visitors are navigating and interacting with your site and how you can use that data to inform KPIs, optimise your website and determine your marketing strategy moving forward.
If you run an e-commerce shop, chances are you’ve got questions about metrics. Don’t worry – in this guide I’m going to walk you through the metrics you should be tracking, why they’re so important and what you can do with them.
A conversion happens when a website visitor completes a desired action on your site (usually by making a purchase, clicking on a pop-up or filling out an enquiry form.) Conversion rates are measured by calculating the percentage of visitors who complete said action in relation to the total number of visitors to that page. Tracking these conversions determines your business’s Return on Investment (ROI) – the higher your conversion rate, the more chance you’ll have a positive ROI.
For e-commerce businesses, a conversion is usually the completion of a purchase on your website. Think of conversions as being the final piece of the digital marketing puzzle – while driving website traffic is important, the puzzle isn’t complete without said traffic leading to an actual purchase.
Conversion rates tell us a lot about what is going on in the minds of your website visitors. Measuring conversion rates is about tracking the performance of your e-commerce site and gaining an understanding of how potential customers are thinking and behaving so that you can shape your business strategy accordingly.
You might find you’re receiving a lot of traffic to your website but not seeing the conversions you’d like. Or maybe you’re receiving a lot of enquiries but no sales. The reality is that it doesn’t matter how much traffic you’re driving to your site because it’s worthless if visitors aren’t checking out.
If this is the case, it’s likely you have a conversion rate problem. In order for your e-commerce store to be a success, you need to think like a customer. What roadblocks are standing in the way of them making a purchase? Is there something wrong with your product or offering? Are you pitching to the wrong audience?
Identifying where the issue lies will help you to develop your business strategy to address the problems and inform your KPIs.
Now you’ve got an idea of the importance of tracking metrics on your e-commerce site, it’s time to break down some of the key metrics you should be keeping an eye on:
Segmenting your conversion rates can give a more detailed insight into the efficacy of your marketing efforts. There are a few ways to segment conversion rates:
By Traffic Source: Looking at where your conversions are coming from can give you an idea of where to direct your marketing efforts. Where is your website traffic coming from? Are people visiting via Google, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn? This enables you to improve your advertising or messaging on these channels. It also informs budgetary decisions. If you’re spending a ton of money on Facebook ads but all your customers are coming from Google, then maybe it would pay to divert budget to SEO.
By Device Type: Understanding what device visitors are using allows you to tailor the user experience. With mobile commerce accounting for 66% of global e-commerce sales, it’s important that your website is optimised for mobile devices to guarantee the same customer experience is being had.
New vs Repeat Visitors: You’ll usually find that repeat customers are more likely to make a purchase than those visiting for the first time. This is due to increased trust and loyalty in your brand. Identifying the difference can help you calculate how your acquisition campaigns are performing and where you should be directing your efforts.
So how do you optimise conversion rates on your website? This is where Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) comes in.
Conversion Rate Optimisation is about optimising your website to encourage visitors to make a purchase. This is done by improving the user experience, messaging and design on your site to ensure they have a positive experience. The more user-friendly your site, the more trust you will build with your potential customers.
For e-commerce stores, this might be things like creating easy-to-navigate product pages and a seamless checkout experience – essentially removing any friction your visitors might face. Don’t forget to optimise your website for different devices, too.
These things may seem minor, but they make a big difference in how customers navigate your site. It’s also a pretty cost-effective way of increasing your revenue, as it allows you to lower your cost per acquisition by taking advantage of existing traffic on your site.
Don’t know where to start? Check out our free Conversion Rate Cheatsheet and we’ll give your site a health score so you can get started on improving your e-commerce website and boosting sales.
For more advice, book a discovery call with us today and find out how we can help.
As the end of Drupal 7 support looms, it’s crucial for businesses to take action and migrate to Drupal 10. Staying on Drupal 7 puts your site at risk of security vulnerabilities, performance issues, and could even damage user experience (and your reputation).
Stay tuned to learn the essential steps to assess and optimise your current Drupal 7 site, establish a robust Drupal 10 environment, and ensure a seamless migration. By following this guide, you’ll not only protect your digital presence but also position your business for future growth and innovation.
Secure a comprehensive backup
Protect your existing Drupal 7 site by securing a full backup. This safety net covers both your database and files, ensuring you’re prepared for a smooth transition.
Content and module audit
This is your chance to streamline your site. Identify the content and modules that drive your business. We’ll help you eliminate outdated or redundant elements, clearing the way for a leaner, more efficient site.
Update for stability
Ensure your Drupal 7 site is fully updated to the latest version. This step not only lays a stable foundation for migration but also presents an opportunity to patch any vulnerabilities and optimise performance before the big move.
Choose the right hosting
Select a hosting environment tailored to support Drupal 10’s advanced capabilities. This stage allows you to reassess your hosting needs and choose a platform that can scale with your business, ensuring long-term reliability and speed.
Deploy Drupal 10
Our team will handle the installation of Drupal 10, setting the stage for your site’s evolution. This is your opportunity to start fresh with the latest technology, ensuring your site is equipped to handle future growth and innovation.
Initial setup and configuration
We’ll configure your site’s basic settings, aligning it with your brand’s unique identity. This is the moment to revisit your site’s core settings and make improvements that reflect your current business objectives and user needs.
Activate migrate modules
Leverage the power of Drupal 10’s Migrate modules. Our experts will ensure they’re installed and ready to work their magic. This phase is an opportunity to refine the way your data is organised, improving site efficiency and data integrity.
Seamless content migration
We’ll meticulously migrate your content – from nodes to users, and beyond – ensuring your data arrives intact and ready to drive engagement. It’s the perfect time to clean up your content, ensuring only relevant and high-quality information makes the move.
Configuration migration
Transfer your site’s configurations with precision. Whether it’s content types or views, we ensure your site’s core functions are not just preserved but optimised for better performance and user experience in Drupal 10.
Custom module rebuild
Rebuilding custom modules in Drupal 10 isn’t just a task – it’s an opportunity to innovate. We’ll ensure your modules are not just replicated but enhanced for improved functionality, security, and speed.
Theme overhaul
Elevate your brand’s digital presence with a redesigned theme that’s fully compatible with Drupal 10’s cutting-edge standards. This is your chance to modernise your site’s look and feel, ensuring it reflects your brand’s evolution and appeals to your target audience.
Feature testing
We rigorously test all features to guarantee that your site performs flawlessly. This stage is crucial for identifying areas where user experience can be improved, leading to higher engagement and satisfaction.
Comprehensive testing and debugging
Before going live, we conduct extensive testing across all platforms. Our commitment is to iron out any issues, ensuring a smooth launch. This is the final opportunity to fine-tune your site, making sure it’s in peak condition for launch.
Content accuracy review
We perform a detailed review of your migrated content, ensuring everything is aligned with your business objectives and looks impeccable. Use this stage to ensure your content strategy is up-to-date and resonates with your audience.
Go live and thrive
Once we’ve ticked all the boxes, we’ll seamlessly transition your site to Drupal 10. This launch is more than just a migration; it’s an opportunity to reintroduce your brand to the market with a stronger, more powerful digital presence.
Sticking with Drupal 7 now that support has ended is a risk your business can’t afford. Without security updates, your site becomes vulnerable to attacks, risking data breaches and downtime. The lack of updates also means your site will fall behind in performance, leading to poor user experience and potential loss of business opportunities.
The clock is ticking – don’t wait until it’s too late. Migrating to Drupal 10 isn’t just an upgrade; it’s a critical step in future-proofing your digital presence. With Drupal 7 reaching the end of its life, now is the time to act.
Ready to make the move? Let’s talk.
Book a free consultation with our Technology Director, Steve King, and Marketing and Business Development Director, Sophie Harris. Together, we’ll map out the perfect migration strategy for your business, ensuring a smooth transition that positions you ahead of the competition.
To schedule your consultation and take the first step toward a more secure, high-performing website contact us today.
You may not have heard: Drupal 7 reaches end of life in January…
Just kidding. Of COURSE you have. It’s been the talk of the digital town for a while now. Not to mention the source of quite a few headaches as businesses scramble to work out what the next move is.
What it comes down to is this: if your current site runs on Drupal 7, you need to choose a new content management system (CMS). And preferably sooner rather than later.
‘Why the urgency?’ we hear you cry. Because when security and software updates stop, your site will be at increased danger of security breaches. And you’ll find the performance of your website becoming increasingly compromised. Staying on the old platform is a case of diminishing returns and increasing risks.
Surely an upgrade to the latest Drupal version makes the most sense? After all, it’s done you proud so far. And you’re familiar with it. Well yes, there are plenty of reasons that make it a great option.
But it’s not a total no-brainer. Let’s delve into why.
You might imagine that a move to the latest version of Drupal would simplify the migration process. If it’s the same provider then won’t it be easier to just take your existing content and place it in the new system?
Not quite. Given all the new features and functionalities that have been added between version 7 and the latest iterations, it is still a major undertaking.
But migration has the potential to be a lengthy process whichever platform you choose. So it’s important to make your decision carefully.
We’re glad you asked! This does depend on the size of your website and the number of assets to be transferred. But let’s break down the steps you’ll need to take to get your new website up and running:
1. Partner with an experienced web-migration expert who can help streamline the process, suggest new features and test it all before the final launch.
2. Audit your existing website and make a note of all your pages, site functionalities and content, including page URLs.
3. Create a new site and design a repeatable migration process to transfer all the content over from your existing site.
4. Carry out multiple tests to ensure your new site will run smoothly after launch, replacing the test content with the final content when you are happy.
5. Prepare to launch – set up the new site and switch your web address to the new version. Make sure all your webform submissions are safely migrated and you’re good to go.
That might sound daunting, but not only will migration future-proof your site it also offers some exciting possibilities.
Chances are, you’ll have experienced a few issues with your old site. Choosing your new CMS is a great chance to iron some of these out. Plus add additional capabilities so you can showcase what you do in a more effective/dynamic way.
And it might be that Webflow gives you more flexibility.
Once you’ve conducted your website audit (see step 1 above), you and your chosen migration partner will have a much clearer understanding of your new requirements. And, depending on what you need, Webflow might offer the best performance.
Webflow represents something of a one-stop shop: its low code/no code approach means you don’t need a development team (or front-end and back-end developers) to create your website, and you don’t need painstakingly built plugins or modules.
Each software element is designed specifically to run on the platform. And you can choose from a vast array of third-party integrations. All of which makes your website simpler and faster to build. And adds up to faster page loads as there are no external layers to run.
The Webflow application will also save you time by managing the maintenance of your site and all your integrations, take care of CDM delivery and ensure the website stays live.
Even better, any future changes can be made by one designer and developed on the platform at the same time.
Webflow sees itself as a ‘visual-first’ platform which puts fewer boundaries in the way of your imagination.
Code-based websites require multiple steps to build as each iteration or change bounces back between design and development teams.
Webflow allows a designer to build out your site as they go. And with millions of third-party integration options available, it’s easy to find what you need to make your ideas come alive.
You might be concerned that the low code/no code approach means your site will face limitations. That’s simply not the case. Webflow allows you to address global audiences with native localisation, which is excellent for boosting your SEO and allows you to build strong domain authority with each localisation sitting under a single URL.
We know that’s a lot to take in. If you’d like help making your decision, talk to our experts today.
Our Google Ads campaign achieved a Return On Ad Spend (ROAS) of 16.09 and helped Holt Farm sell every pitch at their independent campsite for Glastonbury 2024. And all that in just eight weeks.
Holt Farm is a new luxury camping concept for Glastonbury 2024, created by one of our long term clients, Yurtel.
With guaranteed pitches just 200 metres from the festival’s main entrance and amenities such as clean toilets, hot showers, organic food vendors, and even a wild spa, Holt Farm is designed for comfort and community, allowing groups to camp together in a secure, well-equipped environment.
Holt Farm was a brand new offering around one of the most famous and popular festivals in the world, Glastonbury. After a delayed start, the challenge wasn’t selling the festival but selling a large number of pitches in a relatively short window of time (just a few weeks).
With so much noise and buzz in the build up to the Glastonbury festival, standing out and making sales via Google Ads needed to happen quickly and effectively. This was a high pressure, high speed campaign.
We also had the support of this being a multi-channel campaign, with brand awareness being built by the client on Facebook and Instagram as well.
Our results can be seen in the tables below:
Conversion Rate: 3.44%
When it comes to building a professional, customisable, and easy-to-manage website for a client, WordPress stands out as one of the most popular and versatile platforms available.
Whether the website is for small businesses, corporate enterprises, or personal projects, WordPress provides a robust set of features that make it an excellent choice for creating our client websites.
Here’s why the web design team at eckhoMedia think WordPress is so great:
https://www.eckhomedia.co.uk/why-wordpress-is-the-best-choice-for-client-websites/
WordPress is an open-source platform, meaning it’s free to use and constantly improved by a global community of developers. For clients, this translates into lower development costs and no expensive licensing fees. While the core platform is free, clients may choose to pay for premium themes, plugins, or hosting, which allows flexibility in budgeting.
Moreover, since WordPress is open-source, developers can build custom solutions without being restricted by proprietary software limitations.
If you are interested in finding out more about our services and what we offer please contact us today for a free quotation.
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