Global education service provider and brand owner of TopUniversities.com, QS Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) have appointed AgencyUK as social media partner. QS is the world’s leading provider of services, analytics, and insights to the global higher education sector and famed for its university rankings, which have become the annual benchmark for universities around the world.
AgencyUK were appointed following a three-way pitch, in response to a social strategy and brand awareness brief set by the QS marketing team. AgencyUK will develop the organic social media strategy for the higher education and student communities around the world and launch a new programme of social media content off the back of it.
The pitch was overseen by Tim Edwards, Chief Marketing Officer at QS. Its purpose was to find an agency team who can support, unite, develop and promote their mission – to empower motivated people anywhere in the world to fulfil their potential through educational achievement, international mobility and career development.
The first wave of activity undertaken by AgencyUK includes strategy and creative that is based on education sector insights gathered from their world-leading independent market research and data analysis. The strategy will extend into the development of a global strategy and social media content plan rolled out in partnership with the QS global marketing team.
Tim Edwards, CMO, QS, said: “We were looking for an agency with strong strategic and creative capabilities and a track record in disrupting competitive markets. QS has grown rapidly through a combination of new product development and corporate acquisition, but we remain focussed on maintaining our market leader position, and to do so means being closer to our target audiences and continually investing in channel marketing.’’
Amy Stobie, Commercial Director, AgencyUK, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been appointed by QS. They are a well established brand with a host of well known digital properties and a continuing ambition for growth. Our social and creative teams are well placed for reaching out to these target communities and we’re keen to get going.”
AgencyUK are an independent brand communications agency with 32 staff based in the UK. The company has demonstrated 200% growth over the pandemic period, largely attributed to the expansion of their healthcare portfolio. QS is the fifth global account win in the past 12-months.
Every January the digital marketing industry is ablaze with talk of new trends that will shake up how we do PPC. 2022 is no different.
And the pace of change is, almost unbelievably, accelerating. 2022 is set to be a big year for PPC – keeping up with Google’s new-and-improved policies, like the removal of expanded text ads (ETAs), and the world domination of TikTok can seem near impossible.
So, to help 2022 feel a little less daunting, we’ve picked the top 5 trends you need to focus on this year and how to integrate these into your PPC campaigns.
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest analytics tool from Google, and it’s better equipped for the future than the previous model, Universal Analytics.
This is because GA4 has more advanced tools and reporting such as predictive insights, cross-device measurement capabilities, deeper integration with Google Ads, and more granular data controls.
Google’s plans to phase out third-party cookies by 2023 shouldn’t be news to you. In a cookieless world, it will be even harder to track consumer activity. So, in response to this, Google is offering “Enhanced Conversions“, which will improve your conversion tracking.
If you haven’t been focusing on offline conversion tracking, now is the time to do so. Most brands today run both on and offline, and some businesses forget that customers still make purchases offline.
If you just use traditional conversion tracking methods, then these offline purchases would not be linked to your online ad campaigns. Without this knowledge, you won’t be able to accurately measure the success of your campaigns.
In 2022, Google will continue to create and promote AI, so it’s vital you keep up with these changes. One of the big changes we will be touching upon in a moment is the changes to expanded text ads.
AI and automation are still quite new to the digital marketing world, but they will be at the forefront of PPC over the next few years. They are particularly useful for those of you looking to automate certain menial tasks to free up your time.
AI combined with automation can help you create impactful advertising campaigns while also improving your conversion rates. These concepts can dynamically create your ads based on user intent and website content, automating the bidding process, and automating ad success reports.
The world of PPC will experience a big change in June 2022. When June arrives, you will not be able to create or edit ETAs in the Google Ads Interface.
Google’s solution to this change is responsive search ads (RSAs) and dynamic search ads (DSAs). These will become Google’s default search ad type.
The role of machine learning in automation is the cause of this change. And this is where Google’s RSAs and DSAs come into play. As you would expect, both these ad types rely on automation.
Google will take the reins and determine the most effective headlines and assets supplied by you. These choices will be based on an extensive amount of data collected by Google from advertisers.
June is not that far away, so you need to learn how to use RSAs and DSAs now. Once you allow automation and AI can take control, you’ll have more time to craft new ad campaigns.
When you use RSAs you are handing over a great deal of control to Google, and this can feel scary… especially if you haven’t trailed this type of ad before. So, test what works for your brand now while you still have time.
You need to provide Google with accurate information to choose the best ads for your campaign. And to do this, test and discover the data you need to run an effective ad campaign.
We’ve touched upon this lightly already, but it needs to be explored properly. One of the biggest trends for the whole of the digital marketing industry is the departure of third-party cookies.
Google is planning to ban all third-party cookies by 2023, and this is going to dramatically impact the digital advertising landscape…
Up until now, marketers have been complacent with how they collect their data, seeing as third-party cookies made the process of collecting data so easy.
The thought of advertising without third-party cookies is daunting. But you need to think of this as a great opportunity. It’s one that offers great rewards for those of you who have already been prioritizing privacy throughout your customer service strategy.
Today, first-party data has never been so valuable, and the success of your digital advertising will rest on how you obtain your own first-party data.
And you can start using first-party data as an integral part of new algorithms for Google, Facebook, and other large eCommerce platforms.
Right now, TikTok is the fastest growing social media network with more than 1 billion active users per month. And its reach will only continue to grow in 2022 and beyond.
Advertisers can’t rely on one form of advertising anymore; they need to diversify their ads. And TikTok is the perfect platform to experiment with.
The world of advertising is always changing, and you need to move with the times and adapt your strategy if you want results. In 2022, you need to look beyond paid ads and explore other avenues.
Today, influencer marketing is one of the hottest trends in marketing, and TikTok is the leading platform bringing influencers and brands together.
Organic content posted by influencers tends to be successful. For users today, videos are more engaging, and they are more likely to trust an influencer’s opinion over yours.
However, there’s more to organic marketing than just influencer marketing. Take the time to improve your Search Engine Optimisation, or explore the world of digital PR. It’s also worth diversifying your content marketing strategy and promoting user-generated content.
This year is set to change the world of PPC as we know it. So, if you want to be at the forefront of these changes, you need to start adapting your PPC strategies now.
Audience numbers are growing, and you need to innovate your offering to meet this audience’s needs. And now you have new tools to play with, you can experiment and implement new and effective strategies in 2022 and beyond.
The Green Claims Code has come into force, meaning companies making sustainability announcements should review their claims. Marketing and PR teams will need to take notice of what the Green Claims Code means for their communication work.
The code has been introduced to stem the tide of greenwashing, the process of conveying a false impression or providing misleading information, presenting a company’s products as more environmentally sound than they truly are.
Companies that are found to be greenwashing may end up in the firing line of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). They are breaking consumer protection law.
It’s therefore imperative that sustainability information distributed by your company is accurate and true.
Development of the Green Claims Code
The Code comes after the CMA’s discovery that around 40% of businesses’ claims around their environmental work were misleading for consumers. More and more companies are adding green or positive environmental claims to their products and services.
Claims include suggesting a reduction in packaging pollution or that your item was produced more sustainably than your competitors’ product. Consumers have seen these announcements in all areas, from cleaning products to tech services to beauty supplies.
The CMA has found that these statements are often unsubstantiated or inflated.
This video from the CMA has more information about the Green Claims Code.
The Green Claims code guidance
The CMA’s is focusing on fashion and fast-moving consumer goods to start. Don’t think that other businesses can wait. The Green Claims Code guidance applies to every company. Non-consumer facing and services businesses also need to check their claims that relate to sustainability. Every business should review their green claims and ensure that they are meeting their obligations.
What does the Green Claims Code mean for my business’ PR campaigns?
CMA’s criteria states that all environmental claims must be truthful and accurate; unambiguous; substantiated and consider the full life cycle of the product or service.
If businesses are comparing themselves to similar companies, then any comparisons of services and products must be fair.
Your business cannot fall foul of the CMA’s requirements. Here are some steps that could be helpful as companies seek to change their operating models and principles to become more sustainable.
Look inwards and understand just how sustainable your business really is. Review the claims made by your company relating to the environment, sustainability, carbon emissions or socially responsible actions.
This should be thorough and cover every part of the company, from packaging, marketing materials, website copy and encompass visual representations as well as text. If you use a recycling icon to illustrate a product when the entire product is not recyclable, the icon could be an infringement as it creates a misleading effect for the consumer.
B2B companies should be wary of using words such as ‘green’, ‘sustainable’ or ‘eco-friendly’. The Code states that terms such as these may suggest that a product or service has a positive environmental impact or “at least no adverse impact”. To meet the Green Claims Code, words and claims such as these must be true and can be proved. Otherwise, the company might not meet legal obligations.
Once you understand how sustainable your business is, ensure the information shared with your audiences uses the right language. As mentioned above, all claims must be substantiated. Add a single click-through link to provide clarifications for the claims.
Review all links in your business’s communications that relate to sustainable and environmental work, products or services. Proof points are needed to substantiate all the claims made and so this may require new designs, marketing materials and potential retractions.
Ensuring compliance with the Green Claims Code is not a one-off process. Across any sector, the number and nature of references to sustainability will change over time. Invest in training for all employees and check they understand the requirements regularly. It is not enough for senior leadership to understand the importance. Marketing, communications, compliance, product development teams should understand it too.
Preparing for the CMA’s Green Claims Code may appear daunting. However, consider this as part of your wider ESG and Sustainability strategy, as well as part of legal compliance. Accreditation via cross-sector schemes such as BCorp and membership of industry-specific organisations can help you to ask the right questions about your green claims.
The introduction of the Green Claims Code is also an opportunity to refresh your ESG & sustainability messaging, so also consider outside ESG communications support to ensure your PR strategies are fit for purpose.
Find all resources and relevant information about the Green Claims Code here.
One of the big benefits of Bristol Creative Industries membership is the ability to self-publish content on our website. We’ve seen lots of great content published in 2021 including some brilliant business advice. Here are the 20 most popular posts of the year.
Chase Design Group examines the legacy that COVID-19 will leave for brands, and what newly adopted trends and ways of communicating should stay with us. Read the post here.
Having a strong organisational structure in place is key to growing your digital agency. Janusz Stabik explains your options and how to know which structure will guarantee employee and customer satisfaction and allow you to scale your marketing agency. Read the post here.
Carnsight Communications is one of the most prolific BCI bloggers so it’s no surprise that the business has made the top 10. In this great post, company founder Jessica Morgan outlines what her previous career in marketing taught her about public relations. Read the post here.
After the couple of years we’ve all had, the mental wellbeing of employees is increasingly concerning. Armadillo explains how the approach to mental health in the workplace needs a culture change. Read the post here.
Janusz Stabik makes his second appearance in the top 10 with tips on how digital marketing agencies can attract high-quality clients. Read the post here.
In another post from Carnsight Communications, learn five key things to remember when looking to secure engagement on LinkedIn. Read the post here.
Looking for your business to make headlines? OggaDoon shares top tips on how to write the perfect press release. Read the post here.
Brands can’t lead the conversation on social media, says AMBITIOUS in this great post. Read the post here.
“As joint leader of an independent agency, 2020 meant sleepless nights. But it provided opportunities to inspire others and galvanise our team,” says Andy Brown, chief financial officer at Armadillo, in this post outlining leadership tips for 2021 that will also serve us well in 2022. Read the post here.
How can an entrepreneur attract the perfect investor? Gravitywell outlines six qualities investors look for in tech startups. Read the post here.
Want to post your own content on the Bristol Creative Industries website? Become a member.
Some B2B brands find social media a challenge but there’s lots that you can do as this post by AMBITIOUS shows. Read the post here.
The winning agencies will be the ones with an uncompromising focus on their culture, looking at how they can support their people to be their best selves and do era-defining work, says Tonic Creative Business Partners. Read the post here.
If there’s anyone who knows about being successful at blogging, it’s Helen Savage from Blog Write Ltd. She shares some great tips. Read the post here.
OggaDoon shares a list of 10 essential features you didn’t know you could use with Google Ads. Read the post here.
Sparro House Creative Ltd outlines three tips to improve your content marketing. Read the post here.
If your primary audience is other businesses, then case studies are the perfect tool for creating authority, building trust and delivering social proof. George Devane shares some tips. Read the post here.
The phrase ‘SEO; now covers optimisation strategies and techniques on a wide range of different websites including Instagram. Varn outlines how to improve your SEO on the social media platform. Read the post here.
Leaders and managers have often received little to no training in how to have a ‘difficult’ conversation and so we end up avoiding the situation altogether until it becomes really serious. That can mean getting into performance management, grievance procedures or even worse. Jonathan Rees shares advice. Read the post here.
Chris Thurling from Armadillo provides his advice on what to consider when seeking out a marketing agency that’s suitable for your business. Read the post here.
As you prepare to hit send on your latest business mailing, ask yourself whether it would pass the ‘hover test’. Here are five easy ways, shared by Carnsight Communications, to make sure it does. Read the post here.
Please respond to our new survey about the creative industries in Bristol and Bath. It will help us design – and advocate for – future support for the creative economy in our region.
Having worked closely with the Epilepsy Society for the past few months, we’re delighted to announce the launch of unFlash, an AI-powered tool that detects and helps prevent the spread of flashing images on social media that in turn could trigger seizures.
The first-of-its-kind plug-in allows specific users to report examples of flashing images that appear on their Twitter feed, which are then captured as part of a dataset used to train a Machine Learning model.
unFlash’s aim is to eventually teach the AI how to effectively detect and block media that falls within the photosensitive range. This would prevent harmful imagery with the potential of triggering a seizure in people with photosensitive epilepsy from being shared online.
“Social media is a global platform, and the only true way to protect people from seizure-triggering content is to turn off the tap at its source. That’s why we are so grateful to the team at Gravitywell for their commitment to developing unFlash. We are hopeful for what the AI can contribute to the protection of people with epilepsy online.
However, small companies such as Gravitywell who have donated their time to protect people should not burden the responsibility of protecting Twitter’s users; the social media giants must be held accountable for protecting vulnerable people with disabilities on their platforms.” — Epilepsy Society
Children’s Hospice South West are one of the largest children’s hospice charities in the UK, providing Children’s palliative, respite, end-of-life and bereavement care for children with life limiting and life threatening illnesses and their families from the South West England region. Before the challenges of the 2020 pandemic, CHSW had already identified a need to boost fundraising income and grow their well established support base. Working with AgencyUK, the team have developed a strategy to raise brand awareness and start building a younger base of donors.
The first integrated campaign launches CHSW onto TV this Christmas, targeting the brand to potential new donors in the South West (Cornwall, Devon, Bristol). The strategy looks to connect CHSW with this new audience whereby a lasting relationship might be established.
“We wanted to create a campaign for CHSW which raises awareness of the brand, and the vital work they do. The sensitive nature of the subject matter meant the creative had to be researched and tested prior to final production and release. The advertising tells the story of families of children with life-limiting conditions, emphasizing their journey with the charity. Children’s Hospice South West is so much more than just end-of-life care associated with the term hospice – the charity supports their families to create times that matter; time to laugh, time to share, time to rest, remember, and most importantly, time to just be a family – something that any parent can relate to. Our creative approach therefore was to create a relatable campaign with an authentic narrative that was far more positive than a traditional charity TV campaign, that our audience feels good about supporting rather than guilt tripping people into giving,” says Nix Boulton, art director, AgencyUK
“As the creative work developed and more time was spent telling the stories of the families, the AUK team became emotionally attached to the work CHSW do. I don’t think one person involved in this production left the set without their life having been touched in some way,” says Amy Mansourpour, director, AgencyUK.
“We are delighted with the work we have created with AgencyUK, and the support the families have given us throughout this process. We’re looking forward to seeing the campaign go live, and the opportunity for us to build on it throughout 2022,” says Jess Patel, director of marketing and communications, CHSW.
“At AgencyUK we pursue opportunities to work with brands and organisations that we truly believe in and want to get behind as a team. We’re incredibly proud to call Children’s Hospice South West a client, as the work they do is truly remarkable. This isn’t just about a project or the next advertising campaign, this is about turning our skills as marketers and using them to make a difference each and every day. It’s about solidarity and human empathy,” says Sammy Mansourpour, managing director, AgencyUK.
The new CHSW campaign will be live over Christmas 2021, and will be launched on TV and YouTube, before amplification through broader social media channels and digital advertising formats.
The new ‘Intro to Game Art’ short course will give you an insight into the world of game art, exploring the range of roles and essential skills needed to get you started when exploring a potential future career in game art. There is a host of exciting modules that your tutor will guide you through, including:
Planning and producing work to a design brief.
Working in the games industry
Concept art for computer games
Modelling for computer games
This new and exciting programme is designed to equip individuals (aged 19+) with the technical skills, knowledge and understanding needed to produce digital content across several platforms, ensuring you can use social media most effectively for your small business, sports team or trade.
This course will provide a great opportunity for you to develop graphic design techniques, such as designing and producing a brand identity and branded graphics for Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and more. There is a host of exciting modules that your tutor will guide you through, including:
Planning your Project
Typography and Layouts
Working with Illustrator and Photoshop
Creating a Brand
First published on Carnsight.com
Typos are those annoying typing mistakes we all make from time to time. Words that we know how to spell but somehow always get wrong!
There are few things more frustrating than an ugly typo, and they can look unprofessional. We’re all human and we can’t avoid them 100% of the time, but those grammatical mistakes are a lot easier to avoid than you may think.
Here at Carnsight Communications, we create practical and powerful PR that delivers tangible results. Through carefully crafted and managed content, we get companies and individuals known – for their skills, products, and expertise.
But to get these results, we work hard behind the scenes to make sure we deliver high-quality content. Content that has been proofread and checked over a number of times and always by another member of the team, before we send it anywhere.
Making sure your content is free from typos is something we pride ourselves on. By paying strong attention to detail and using some foolproof steps, we can help you to get typo-free content.
In this blog, we wanted to share our top tips on avoiding typos.
It may seem strange but reading your work aloud helps you to pick up on any grammatical errors or typos and helps with the rhythm and pace of your work.
The rhythm and pace are vital to any piece of writing, but our appreciation of them is so much stronger when we read aloud.
Alongside this, the art of reading aloud has a number of benefits for adults, from helping improve our memories and understand complex texts, to strengthening emotional bonds between people. Many of us intuitively use it as a convenient tool for making sense of the written word, and are just not aware of it.
When you read aloud, you allow your mind to slow down along with your mouth, which increases the chance that you will catch those hidden typos.
Most printed publications are vetted by a whole editorial team before they are published. That might not be the case with blog posts and other forms of online content, which may be written and published by the same person.
But everyone’s writing can benefit from another set of eyes.
Ask your colleagues to have a read over your work before you go any further. It’s often that fresh pair of eyes that can spot minor typos or any errors.
We have a great selection of tools available to use that will help us to ensure our content is typo-free!
Often, we just need to familiarise ourselves with the functionalities on offer with our technology or software packages.
Remember though, these are not foolproof techniques to rely on. There will be times that they auto-correct certain words or grammar when actually, it’s not needed.
Just like having someone else read your work, printing off your document can assist with a ‘clear’ proofread!
This in turn will catch those typos out.
Having a break from the screen can help you to pick out the errors.
Sometimes, it’s best to just take a break from your work and come back with a clear head having had some time away.
A fresh, recharged mind can make a huge difference in spotting any grammatical errors or typos.
Last but by no means least, remember to learn from those mistakes.
Don’t rush or be too hasty when trying to work with tight deadlines. Take a moment away from your work and come back with a fresh pair of eyes!
If you have enjoyed reading our top tips on how to avoid typos, then why not take a look at another of our recent blogs’ where account manager, Leigh-Ann Hewer takes us through the best pieces of writing advice she has ever received.
If you’re considering using a copywriter, whether for your business blog, writing features for trade media, or penning longer thought pieces for social media, but aren’t quite sure how it works, here are some of the questions I’ve been asked, that might help you decide the best route forward for you and your enterprise.
Most copywriters will start by learning about your company. Whether that means reading through your website, looking at any hard copy marketing materials you have, talking to you and your team about your business and why it’s different from competitors offering the same product or service, a good copywriter will immerse themselves in your business world.
Once they have a good knowledge of your offering, they will ideally then create a schedule of content ideas – a plan as to what you could be talking about on your chosen medium and when. This plan may need to be flexible as new things crop up and priorities change, but it is useful to create visibility and transparency about work that has been completed, is in progress or is in the pipeline for a future date.
By having an informal chat up front, copywriters can glean all the information they need. What seems ‘every day’ and ‘not exciting’ to you is often gold dust from a marketing perspective. It’s hard to see it when it’s your own business, but a third party looking in can see all the benefits you have to offer.
Of course, some input from you will be required, but it shouldn’t be a hassle for you to pass this information across. For example, perhaps you work it into your working week or month, to jot down some thoughts about what you would like your company to be talking about, depending on what’s cropped up throughout the week. This shouldn’t be an extensive essay, just some scribbled notes or typed bullet points of headings or topics you would like your copywriter to explore on your behalf. For example, if you’re a yoga business, perhaps a client asks for advice on which yoga postures they could explore to help them sleep better. If you make a note of it and fire it off to your copywriter, they can place it in the schedule and when the time comes, research that topic and write a post for your approval.
No problem! Whilst I have come across a few copywriters that are precious about their work to the point they’d rather not make any changes, most of us are happy to work collaboratively because we understand that each piece of writing needs to reflect your business and your values. It’s very unlikely you would find yourself in a situation that you need a complete re-write, because hopefully you will have seen samples of your copywriter’s work before engaging them and you will have approved the subject matter before writing even commences., but if their writing style consistently isn’t working for you, or you feel you are having to have too much input, it might be worth looking around for someone else to replace them. Working with a copywriter is meant to make your life easier, not harder!
Every copywriter will be different but on the whole, if you have found someone that offers a copywriting service for business blogs, they will be happy to post your blogs too. They may need a bit of training on your particular blog admin system, but for a small amount of effort up front, you could be saving yourself a lot of time in the future. And if you’d rather keep control of posting the blogs yourself, that’s fine too. A good copywriter will be eager to work with you in a way that suits your business and fit in with the way you like to work.
Again, each copywriter will offer a different service when it comes to supplying images with the posts they write. Some have subscriptions in place with image websites such as www.shutterstock.com, so can usually find something suitable to accompany written pieces. Some may not use a subscription service but are happy to check on royalty free sites for images such as www.pixabay.com or www.pexels.com. These searches may or may not be fruitful depending on your line of work and how specific the search.
Do bear in mind though, that some feature articles or blog posts will require photography or imagery from you. If you want feature posts on your blog to introduce your team for example, or highlight a new product offering, you will need to take on responsibility for sourcing those photos yourself.
You should absolutely check any copy that has been ghost written for you before it goes live on your site or is printed in a magazine. At the end of the day, it’s your business being promoted, and you must be happy with how you’re being represented. Hopefully, when you have found the copywriter that works best with your business, it will be a quick read, and all will be well. Worst case scenario, you spot a couple of minor tweaks you’d like to make before the piece is published.
Again, if you find you are constantly making considerable changes to the writing you are presented with, it probably means you haven’t found the right copywriter just yet. Do keep looking because we all have different strengths, specialisms and interests that we can bring to the table.
Of course! Some businesses use copywriting services to complete ad hoc blog posts or feature article writing, in which case this won’t be relevant. However, if you are looking to partner with a copywriter for your features or business blog for the long term, you may be concerned about signing up for a set amount of work each month, for example two features a month, or four blogs a month. There shouldn’t be any need to worry about this as most copywriters are flexible with their output as long as they have some notice. So, if you sign up for four blogs a month and you find this is too much for you, talk it through with your writer and they will more than likely be able to switch you onto a different package. You may need to alter your contract with them, but this should be perfectly reasonable request. Similarly, if you agree to two features a month from the outset and find you have plenty more to say, ask if they have the capacity to take on more. If the answer is no, you may be able to find another copywriter to supplement the work.
These are some of the most common questions I have been asked when I start working with a new client, but if you have any other questions about outsourcing copywriting to an external copywriter, please drop me a line at [email protected] and I would love to help.
You need to load content from reCAPTCHA to submit the form. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More Information