Are you feeling like your blogs and social posts are shots in the dark, fired out without a clear aim and, ultimately, missing the mark?
Or maybe you feel there are never enough hours in the day to be consistently updating your digital platforms, like you’re always catching up.
There are a number of reasons why your B2B digital strategy might be falling flat.
So, how do you keep the conversation about your brand, products, and services fresh and engaging, without sounding like a broken record? And why does it feel so challenging?
“…58% of businesses don’t have a digital strategy in place…”
It turns out, 50% of businesses don’t have a digital strategy in place. Those that do certainly aren’t immune to avoidable marketing mistakes. And, as Roger L. Martin – strategy and management expert, and author of A New Way to Think – puts it, strategy is NOT planning:
“A strategy is an integrative set of choices that positions you on a playing field of your choice, in a way that you win.”
In essence, strategy is a theory, meaning there is a ‘how’ and a ‘why’. The ‘why’ is the reason you choose to do it. And the how, is the way you plan to beat your competition – playing to your organisation’s strengths to gain opportunities and sidestep risks.
Why do you need a digital strategy?
Every business will have different aims, but here are some reasons you might want to dial up your digital strategy:
Your competition is growing a strong following and gaining market share
Digital platforms give you the opportunity to test what works and what doesn’t, helping you hone your messaging and stay competitive. If your competitor is gaining traction online, it’s likely no accident – you can bet they have a solid strategy in place.
You’re under pressure to do more with less where your marketing budget is concerned
Compared to traditional OOH marketing, TV and print, digital marketing can offer low-cost opportunities to reach even more people – both organic and paid. A robust digital strategy will help you prioritise where you spend that limited budget to maximise returns.
Your sales and marketing teams don’t have enough data to confidently modernise their approach
It’s a misconception that B2B sales are all about meeting rooms, suits and handshakes. In fact, a recent report from Sana found that 58% of B2B buyers prefer placing complex and high-value orders online. By harnessing the power of data in your digital strategy, you can learn a lot about your audience and their preferences. This has the power to transform your marketing communications, your sales patter and direct messaging, and dictate how and where you choose to advertise.
Your audience needs your products or services, but they don’t know it yet
Sometimes an extra step of awareness and education is needed to nurture prospective customers. If you have products or services that require a bit more explanation, digital marketing offers numerous opportunities to build anticipation and understanding, guiding them into the next stage of the funnel. LinkedIn advertising is a particularly effective way to educate a B2B audience.
How will you plan your strategy, to ensure success?
“Invest deeply in understanding the problem before proceeding. You create a strategy; you don’t pick one. Design and imagination are critically important to strategy.”
– Richard Rumelt, Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why it Matters.
Diving deep into the complexities of your industry and consumer behaviour isn’t just helpful – it’s essential groundwork for crafting your B2B digital marketing strategy.
You’re battling lengthy sales cycles, multi-seat buying committees, and high-stakes transactions. So, it’s crucial to nurture your audience with a well-thought-out digital marketing strategy.
This means catering to every key audience persona, at every stage of the marketing funnel – from awareness, right through to decision.
Equally, business-to-business marketing is a competitive game. Developing an effective B2B marketing strategy requires an in-depth understanding of not only your industry and audience, but your competition.
Once you have your market research in place and a solid understanding of the pain points your audience is facing, you can figure out how you want to position yourself.
Key challenges when developing a B2B digital marketing strategy:
What to do?
1. Choose the channels you want to reach your customers on
Where can you find your audience? How do you want them to engage?
2. Develop a content strategy
Provide content that speaks to your audience in every stage of the buyer journey: awareness, consideration, decision, as well as making it unique and reflective of your brand. What value are you adding to your audience? How is your content going to solve their problems?
3. Use paid promotion to your advantage
Decide where you want to put your budget that will be most effective for you. For instance, do your customers mainly search for your product on Google? In that case PPC may be the most viable option. Or perhaps you offer a product that appeals to Gen Z – if so, consider TikTok, Instagram or Snapchat. Be sure to track your spending and the conversion rate to optimise wherever possible and get the most bang for your buck.
4. Map out the customer journey
Use tools like Hotjar and GA4, and any other analytics tools you’re subscribed to, and map the journey of your customer from awareness of your brand (social media engagement, for example) and first website visits right through to purchase.
5. Decide which tools best meet your aims
Ensure you research marketing tools carefully before subscribing, and select ones that most seamlessly slot into your processes, providing the most efficient and effective support for the least investment.
6. Get your hands on as much data as possible
Use it to evaluate the effectiveness of your digital marketing strategy, which should be flexible enough to adapt with your findings. Then, be sure to make use of A/B testing to find out how your data works in practice.
Not sure where to start?
Chat to us today for a free consultation and we can provide some tips to help breathe new life into your B2B digital marketing strategy, boost engagement and get you those all-important conversions.
TikTok has come a long way from its humble lip-syncing video beginnings.
In just a few years, the app has gone from relatively niche to 8.9 million active TikTok users in the UK alone. Currently, TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users.
Its ability to hook users in has made it a staunch competitor to its rivals in social and search. We’re now seeing data suggesting YouTube is losing its grip on younger audiences to TikTok and a Google executive revealed that they’relosing users as well.
We’re seeing established and esteemed organisations, such as the Financial Times, joining the platform to great success. Its first post received over 530,000 views – that’s five times the paper’s weekly print circulation… in one short video.
TikTok ads have proven to be highly effective in enhancing brand performance and exceeding key performance indicators (KPIs).
If you haven’t already, it’s time to create your TikTok channel and get acquainted.
But before you can create videos and exciting content to leave a mark on TikTok, you need a comprehensive understanding of how the app works. It is also important to build up your TikTok presence using your knowledge and brand to unlock the marketing potential that TikTok offers.
TikTok content is integral to shaping a brand’s presence on the platform and scaling content activities over recent years.
Let’s take a look at why TikTok should be in your social media marketing strategy.
What makes TikTok so powerful?
The answer lies in its highly engaged communities and unparalleled viral potential.
Take #FinTok, a financial advice community boasting nearly 5 billion views. Creators like @Financielle (350k+ followers) and @PokuBanks break down complex financial topics into educational, bite-sized videos.
Then you have FarmTok, SutainabilityTok and BookTok, which has led to the soaring success of authors like Sarah Jane Maas.
No matter your industry, chances are there’s a thriving niche community waiting to be tapped into on TikTok. These communities offer a captive audience hungry for relevant, entertaining content from brands and creators they trust.
Understanding the TikTok community and its diverse subcultures is crucial for creating content that resonates with these specific groups, enhancing engagement and connection. Influencer marketing plays a key role in reaching and engaging with these niche communities on TikTok, leveraging the trust and reach of relevant creators to drive successful marketing outcomes.
When it comes to TikTok, video reigns supreme. Short-form video content continues to dominate in terms of engagment and virality.
To succeed on TikTok, creating engaging content that is not only authentic but creative, entertaining, and informative should be the cornerstone of your content strategy.
Embrace experimentation, authenticity, and a willingness to learn. The algorithm can be fickle, so an open-minded approach to testing trends and themes is crucial. If one video doesn’t fly, don’t be disheartened just move on to the next one.
Beyond content marketing, TikTok has become a powerful tool for attracting Gen Z talent.
As the largest demographic on the platform (36%), this audience is a crucial target for businesses battling the talent crisis and skills shortage.
TikTok’s ability to attract young talent into business is already being proven.
Leading agencies like Battenhall, Here Be Dragons and Emerge are leveraging TikTok to drive significant spikes in job applications, new business inquiries, and brand awareness with Gen-Z candidates.
By showcasing their company culture and values through engaging videos, they’re resonating with potential recruits in a way traditional and linear channels can’t match.
While your specific content will depend on your brand’s unique voice and values, some universal tips can help guide your TikTok approach as part of a comprehensive digital marketing strategy:
Authenticity Matters: TikTok users crave genuine, unfiltered content that reflects your brand’s true values and personality. Understanding the TikTok community and audience is crucial to creating content that aligns with their interests and values, capturing the spirit of TikTok to build a brand authentically.
Share Your Story: every business has a story to tell. Use TikTok to showcase your unique journey, knowledge, and experiences.
Spotlight Your Team: user-generated content (UGC) from employees tends to perform very well. So consider how you can shine a light on your team.
Educate and Entertain: teach your audience something new while keeping them entertained – the key to hooking TikTok’s short attention spans.
Hook them in fast: perhaps one of the most important TikTok marketing tips is don’t linger. The first few seconds are vital, get straight to it.
Posting Natively: Third-party scheduling tools are common and useful. But in the case of TikTok, posting natively is often best. Native posting grants access to the latest features and some third-party schedulers may limit things like copy and hashtags, which can impact reach.
Collaborate with Creators: Partner with thought leaders and industry experts to amplify your reach. Interestingly, Sprout Social’s data reveals that smaller creators (5k-10k followers) yield the highest engagement rates at 76.23%, surpassing mega-influencers. This presents a prime opportunity for cost-effective collaborations that drive real results.
With its low barrier to entry and massive reach, there’s never been a better time for content marketers to embrace TikTok for business. All you need is a smartphone an open mindset… and a content strategy.
Harness the power of short-form video, TikTok communities and creator collaborations. By doing so you can heighten your online presence, build brand loyalty, and tap into valuable target audiences.
It’s time to join the TikTok revolution and unlock a world of viral content marketing opportunities.
If you need help developing a winning TikTok strategy, then get in touch – our expert team are here to guide you every step of the way.
So, what are you waiting for?
In the fast-paced digital landscape, trends come and go.
It makes staying on top of timely topics and content an almost round-the-clock task.
Evergreen content is content that retains its relevance and continues to attract traffic long after its initial publication. Unlike seasonal or trending content, evergreen content covers topics that are always of interest to readers.
From how-to guides and tutorials to comprehensive resources that address perennial problems or questions, evergreen content can take many forms. But it should not be ignored, as it plays a crucial role in remaining seen and relevant.
Evergreen content plays a crucial role in a successful content strategy for several reasons:
Before we get into the practicalities of creating the content itself, it’s vital to address some of the strategic elements of content marketing strategy.
Focus on Timeless Interests: Topics that are universally relevant and do not change quickly. Take the time to research universally relevant topics
and focus on creating content that matters.
Research keywords, search patterns and channels: once you have your topic ideas and themes, conduct keyword research to learn how your audiences are searching for these terms. Whether it’s on Google, YouTube or even TikTok, you need to know how and where people are searching.
Consider Different Formats: how-to guides, listicles and tutorials are some of the most effective evergreen content. They are easily digestible and sought after by audiences. When planning your content approach, prioritise these formats.
Solve Problems: content that addresses these universal themes helpfully and practically will always be the most successful. When creating evergreen content, look to offer aid, assistance or advice to problems and pain points. Plan your content accordingly.
Headlines are the first thing readers see. A well-crafted headline is critical to search engine optimisation. It can impact the longevity of your content. When it comes to crafting headlines, consider the following:
Include Keywords: Use relevant keywords to improve SEO and help readers find your content.
BeClear and Direct: Avoid using trendy language or references that might become outdated.
Promise Value: Clearly state the benefit or value the reader will get from the content.
Some formats lend themselves better to evergreen content than others. Here are a few to consider:
How-To Guides: these are often detailed instructions on completing specific tasks.
A how-to guide is perfect for tasks that require detailed, step-by-step instructions and where the reader might benefit from additional context, tips, and comprehensive coverage of the topic.
Tutorials: are perfect for audiences looking for a quick, practical guide to accomplishing a specific task without needing extensive background information.
Listicles: a short, snappy list related to a specific topic or issue. For example, 7 Things You Need To Know About Mortgage Renewal or 14 Tips for Crafting a Winning Job Application.
Resource lists: are compilations of valuable tools, articles, or reference materials that a user would find helpful. This could be anything from the best social media marketing tools, the ultimate guide to learning Python or even a list of reputable plumbers in your area.
Ensuring your content is accurate and thorough is essential for its longevity. Here are some steps to follow:
Use Credible Sources: referencing authoritative and reliable sources to back up your information will help your search engine rankings.
Provide Comprehensive Coverage: address the topic in-depth. Try to answer the burning questions practically and helpfully. Give the people what they need!
Repurposing your evergreen content into different formats can hugely extend its reach and lifespan.
Google was once the defacto go-to for most people. YouTube and even TikTok are now as important in content marketing strategy as blog posts and web pages.
You should create great, written, evergreen content for your website. But that doesn’t mean you should solely be doing that.
Google now pulls YouTube videos and social media content into its search rankings. So consider how you can create evergreen content that fits this.
TikTok is now the most popular search engine amongst younger audiences. So consider how you can manufacture content for this channel to your advantage.
We’ve mentioned previously that evergreen content requires less effort to maintain than constantly creating fresh content. But this doesn’t mean it can, or should, be left alone entirely.
You’ll need to be updating your evergreen content for many reasons. The main one is the competitive edge.
In search terms, everyone’s competing for those top slots. You may create content that ends up on top of the search, but rest assured the competition will have seen this, and they’ll be working to knock you off that spot.
For written content, it’s vital to review and re-optimise regularly. For a channel like YouTube, you can do the same by tweaking things like hashtags and link descriptions, as well as changing up thumbnails.
Beyond just re-optimising for keywords, consider also how you can add new insights into your evergreen content. For example, here at AMBITIOUS, we use the PESO model and recently its Founder, Gini Deitirch, updated the model.
Rather than create an entirely new blog post, we updated the existing, and already well-performing blog, with these news insights. This keeps the content fresh and also avoids the risk of creating a self-competing piece of content within our content ecosystem.
Creating evergreen content means developing material that remains relevant and valuable. This will continually attract traffic over time.
Here are some real-life examples of effective evergreen content, along with explanations of what makes them so successful:
Lifehacker’s How-To Articles provide a wide range of practical and actionable advice across a range of topics, ranging from how to transfer your photos from Google Photos to iCloud, how to create your own RSS Feeds and even how to make the most out of leftover celery.
It is a broad church. The site covers diverse subjects, ensuring there’s something for everyone and doing it in a practical and actionable way.
Articles often include step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow. It often features user-generated content from community involvement and contributions, which adds variety and keeps content fresh, while regular updates and new how-to articles ensure ongoing engagement and traffic.
Moz’s Beginner’s Guide to SEO covers everything a beginner needs to know about SEO, from basic concepts to advanced strategies. It’s organised into clear sections and chapters, making it easy to navigate and reference.
Moz ensures the guide is up-to-date with the latest SEO practices and algorithm changes. Moz is a respected authority in the SEO industry, lending credibility to the content. The guide includes visuals, examples, and links to additional resources, enhancing its value and engagement.
BBC Good Food may seem like a strange addition, but this site excels in both content and delivery.
It offers some of the most comprehensive content relative to its subject matter, providing in-depth information that thoroughly addresses the topic.
It offers practical, actionable advice that readers can implement immediately. Recipes always include clear instructions, ingredient lists, and cooking tips.
Beautiful food photography makes the recipes more appealing and easier to follow and allowing users to leave reviews and ratings creates a sense of community and trust.
This comprehensive approach not only drives consistent traffic but also builds a loyal user base, making this site a model of SEO and evergreen content excellence.
Creating and activating evergreen content is a strategic investment that pays off in the long run.
By following the tips and strategies outlined in this guide, you can develop content that remains valuable, engages your audience, and continues to drive traffic over time.
Remember, the key to evergreen success lies in regular updates. Evergreen content is so-called because it can have a longer life span and value, but that doesn’t mean you should just ignore it once it’s live.
Bristol creative agency SIM7 has taken home a prestigious ‘Búho’ award for Brand Strategy at Spain’s Educafestival. The agency was recognised for its work creating the Real Leadership brand campaign for IESE Business School.
The Búhos (Owls) are awarded to the best global creative campaigns in the education sector, welcoming entries from Europe, Latin America and the USA. They are part of Spain’s Educafestival, an annual event (20 June 2024) held in the Centro CaixaForum de Madrid.
Simeon de la Torre, owner and creative director of SIM7 says, “As an agency that works with higher and business education clients around the world, winning a Búho is a huge honour for us. And we did it by creating something really different with a big dollop of humour and heart.
“The Real Leadership campaign for IESE has been a huge strategic branding exercise that brought together all our skills in messaging, design and positioning. It spawned a slightly insane video featuring unicorns and gorillas that has been watched over two million times, a hit podcast, billboard ads in Germany and Spain, and more.”
The Real Leadership brand campaign was conceived as an antidote to the clichéd ‘business speak’ creative that has dominated the sector in recent years. By using an authentic narrative and tapping into the genuine concerns and motivations of business leaders, it resonated with IESE’s
core audiences and has delivered substantial results in the form of awareness, enquiries and admissions.
Oriol Gil, IESE’s Brand & Content – Senior Manager (pictured, above) says: “The world of MBA and executive education is changing fast, with a more nuanced audience profile and expectations. SIM7 created a major campaign for us that pushed the boundaries of our brand guidelines and created a completely new strategy. The Real Leadership campaign features an honest, authentic and human approach that playfully mocks the outdated ‘hustle’ culture.”
SIM7’s Búho award was judged by a panel that included celebrated Spanish film director Daniel Sánchez Arevalo, as well as creative leaders from Google, Coca-Cola and Clear Channel. The Real Leadership campaign was scored for:
• Educational value and content
• Developed strategy
• Idea and execution
• Obtained results
Says SIM7’s Simeon de la Torre, “We knew from the start that this had to be a campaign with cut-through, and that pure creativity wasn’t enough. It had to be built on the foundations of solid strategy and an understanding of the sector. This is what our team does best and it’s superb to see all our hard work recognised. On a personal level, it’s been great working on something that my Spanish father can be proud of and talk to his family in Spain about – he’s always been a bit clueless about what I do for a living!”
Notes
SIM7 is a Bristol-based creative agency that works with clients around the world in sectors including education, property, technology and more: sim7creative.co.uk
Founded in 2017, the agency uses language to empower design and drives growth by creating brands, campaigns and strategy. SIM7 currently employs six people, has increased its turnover significantly in the past 12 months and is set to build its international client base even further in 2024/25.
IESE Business School is ranked #2 in the world (Financial Times).
For interviews, quotes and further images contact: Simeon de la Torre, sim@sim7creative.co.uk
For more information on the awards, visit educafestival.org/2024-edicion (Spanish language)
SPACES LIMITED BOOK TODAY!
Projects – of all sizes, in all sectors and with various budget constraints can put the most cool headed staff member under pressure. With various stakeholders involved, tight deadlines, organisation management and staff availability alongside budget and time constraints; the presence of a skilled project manager to guide the effort and ensure alignment among all participants is crucial for project success. Organisations employing various project management methodologies excel in sticking to budgets, adhering to schedules, meeting scope requirements, upholding quality standards, and realising the benefit of how a successful outcome can make to a business.
Develop your staff in project management, and drive your business forward through a part funded Project Management Skills Bootcamp.
Course: Skills Bootcamp in Project Management
Option 1 Course start: 13th September 2024 (2 week break in learning for half term 25th of October and 1st November)
Option 2 Course start: 10th January 2025 (1 week break in learning for half term 21st February)
Duration: 10 weeks
Cost for Large Employer: £681.75 per person (30% contribution towards the cost of training)
Cost for SME Employer: £227.25 per person (10% contribution towards the cost of training)
Delivery Location: Bristol Training Institute, 12 Colston Avenue, Bristol, BS1 1XH
Eligibility: Funding is ringfenced for Employers based in the West of England Combined Authority region of Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
Course Content: This course is suitable for employers to upskill their staff. The course content is under pinned by the Association for Project Management (APM), Project Management Qualification (PMQ) and will reference the APM Book of Knowledge (BoK) 7th Edition.
Units covered include:
Evidence from employer to confirm that the training provided via the Skills Bootcamp has resulted in either a new job role or an enhanced role for the employee that now utilises their new skills gained via this Skills Bootcamp.
Contact us today to register your interest on employers@weston.ac.uk or visit our previous bootcamp information page: https://www.weston.ac.uk/ProjectManagementEmployers
People don’t just buy products or services
People buy people… and people are made up of stories.
Studies have shown that 55% of people are more likely to buy a product if they love the story behind a brand.
But why do brand stories matter? What makes a brand story compelling and engaging?
As a business, or individual, your brand’s story should be a complete picture of who you are and why you do what you do – what is your mission and vision.
It encompasses the facts of your brand, but also the feelings created by your brand. It should be the foundation of every aspect of your content marketing. Without a brand narrative, your marketing will be typically vague and inconsistent.
Notice how we’ve not mentioned what you do here.
In his book and hugely popular TedTalk, Start With Why, Simon Sinek argues that most organisations communicate from the outside in.
They start with what it is they do, before going into the how. They rarely address the why. But the why is so important when it comes to telling stories and leveraging human appeal.
Sinek argues that inspired leaders and organisations communicate from the inside out, starting with the why, and then moving to how, before finally addressing what it is that they do.
“With everything we do, we aim to challenge the status quo. We aim to think differently. Our products are user-friendly, beautifully designed, and easy to use. We just happen to make great computers. Want to buy one?”
This example, from Sinek, concisely shows this process in action. It is a reference to Apple and the way it starts with Why in its communications.
The theory emphasizes that people don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.
By starting with the “why,” organisations can differentiate themselves from their competitors, attract like-minded individuals who share their beliefs, and foster a loyal customer base or following.
This is where storytelling comes into play.
Brand storytelling is an art form that can be traced back to as early as 1895.
This was when a farming magazine called ‘The Furrow,’ leveraged compelling brand stories as a way to connect with their target audience.
John Deere’s magazine is considered to be the first example of corporate storytelling. But since these early days, brands have continued to recognise the amazing power that stories have.
Fundementally people like stories, because they can create emotional connections with them. This connection then creates brand differentiation, humanisation, memorability and engagement.
These are incredibly important elements not only for building brand authenticity but for keeping a steady pipeline of engagement in a world where a lot of businesses are pushing a product or service.
As more people are driven to make connections online, more brands and businesses use that online presence for reach and engagement.
This kind of activity would previously have been referred to as the marketing funnel. But that’s something of an outmoded term now.
The funnel is now more of a web.
The sheer volume of marketing communications coming the way of a consumer is staggering. From Google Search, to Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Blogs, News and more the consumer has never been bombarded with more information.
The term web is quite an apt one in this sense. Because the web of social and marketing comms is now so laden with competition, it easily becomes overly exhausting for the potential customer.
All it can take is one element of that web to break, for the whole thing to fall down.
A lot of brands have a story to tell. But the only way to create a story that will resonate with your customers is to understand the art of storytelling.
Great stories are considered as such for several reasons. They take you on a journey. Great stories are relatable, they can inspire, engage, can even affect change. A good story is always:
Successful brand storytelling always has several key elements that create a compelling narrative.
An authentic story will help you articulate brand messaging, brand values and your brand’s mission.
How can you leverage the power of storytelling for your brand? Let’s start with the basics
Before you can tell your story, you have to know your story. Many organisations try to tell their brand story before they understand who they are and why their audience should care. It’s much easier to tell your brand’s story when you figure out:
An essential part of any brand story starts, as you’d expect, at the beginning.
What is your brand’s purpose, why do you do what you do? Why does your brand exist in the first place?
Identifying the answers to these questions will help you understand more about your brand. Once you establish your own brand’s identity, you can begin to tell your story.
It’s important to have a clear and consistent message that emanates throughout your communication. But try to stay clear of sounding like you’re selling something… show, don’t tell.
When you show who you are as a brand vs what you’re selling, you’re creating that emotional connection and brand differentiation. So, when it does come the time to drop a sales message, you have that preexisting engagement and customer motivation.
You can really only achieve this if you know your audience. To craft a compelling story that will speak to your customers, you need to properly understand them.
What motivates them, what inspires them, what moves them
Ask yourself who your customers are and why they should care about your brand. Define your buyer personas and think about the kinds of stories they want to hear.
Understanding your audience is imperative to not just your brand story, but your marketing strategy as a whole.
With your messaging shaped and your audience profiled, it’s time to define your narrative.
How do you want your audience to react? Do you want them to feel entertained? Informed? Educated?
Understanding these points will help you form your narrative and allow you to paint a picture of the kinds of stories and content that you should be producing.
Telling an authentic brand story goes beyond the ‘about us’ page on your website.
Instead, it’s interwoven into every aspect of communications
You’ll find that great brand stories are permeated through a brand’s social media posts, blogs, emails and website.
In today’s competitive and crowded marketplace, brand storytelling has become a powerful tool for companies to create meaningful connections with their customers, differentiate themselves, and establish a strong and memorable brand identity
Do you want to experience the value of great storytelling? Talk to the team at AMBITIOUS to discover how we can get more people talking about your brand hello@ambitiouspr.co.uk or call us on 0117 905 1177.
Why you need a brand review before you even start thinking about rebranding (and how to do one)
I often find myself being invited to assess a brand identity; the meeting we have might go something like this: The client knows they have a problem and sometimes they’re able to articulate, at least in part, why that is. But, having already gone through an extensive branding process, maybe as recently as within the previous three years, they’re cautious about what should happen next.
There’s understandable anxiety around throwing good money after supposedly bad. After all, something hasn’t worked out with the not-so-long-ago completed branding. There’s also an awareness that they might not want to scrap everything and start again – throwing away what’s valuable (their brand baby) out with the bath water.
And it’s not as if I haven’t been at the sharp end of this myself…
As well as being the brand consultant brought in to assess a supposedly faltering brand identity, I’ve also found myself on the receiving end. I was recently told that a rebrand we’d completed no more than six months earlier, following months of research and discovery, and an extensive design process, was being scrutinised by an agency owner invited in by the company group.
Confident that this was a definite case where the client would have done better to steady their nerves and give the rebrand more time and support, I thought the experience presented an opportunity to write about the subject of how you can achieve a level of certainty about determining what the problem actually is, and the solution that’s called for.
The question is, do you actually need that full-scale rebrand or something altogether more nuanced?
First of all, it’s important to remember that the sort of changes a successful rebrand can yield don’t happen overnight. Chopping and changing things only causes confusion and damages your brand equity. Branding is never a case of ‘done and forgotten’ because you shouldn’t leave your brand to fend for itself out in the wild.
A brand not only takes time to bed in, it also requires you to actively check in on it. Checking-in might include a number of elements such as examining whether the intentions set at the outset are being realised and assessing how the rebrand is landing with audiences. It’s an important exercise because all sorts of outside influences, from the wider economic and cultural, to the sector-specific, will be having an impact on the fortunes of your brand.
But of course, when doubts remain and the checking-in exercise yields more questions than answers, it’s probably time for a brand review.
A brand review is a comprehensive, 360° audit of the state of your brand. It asks a whole range of questions, from those that are external-facing (Has the world shifted? Do you need to evolve with the changing cultural landscape?), to those that concentrate on looking at what’s going on inside your organisation (Have you developed a new service? Has your business strategy or positioning, i.e. where you stand in the market, changed?).
A brand review will help you find out if there really is a problem and will articulate any issues precisely. This means that you’ll discover if a full rebrand is on the cards or whether something more nuanced is called for – a minor adaptation perhaps, or maybe just more time for your brand to become known in its new guise. And, if there is a fundamental problem, it’ll help you determine the direction your rebrand should take you in.
So, if you’re being plagued by doubts about how your brand is doing, particularly if it’s not that long since you last rebranded, or if you’re worried that you seem to head for the drawing board at the first sign of trouble, read on to find out how taking stock and conducting a brand review worked out for one of our clients.
Recent months saw us working with a charity client that had fundamentally changed their way of working, from focusing solely on end-user beneficiaries, to expanding their focus to take in both end-users and service commissioners and partners. Their existing brand identity wasn’t able to accommodate or resonate with these two distinct audience groups.
In addition, the client was experiencing issues with brand application – brand rules were being broken and they didn’t know why. We were tasked with finding out how the changes that were necessary (i.e. evolving existing branding so it was meaningful to both its distinct audiences) could be introduced as smoothly as possible, ensuring the sort of consistency that would build the brand awareness they were after.
Having dream clients is not just pie in the sky. Giving you and your team permission to define your dream client is a crucial element of nailing your brand positioning. When you take that leap into niching, you not only build your proposition around the value you add to specific clients but you give yourself a razor sharp new business strategy.
Saying who you’re for (and so, by definition, who you’re not for) gets you halfway there. Once you’ve established that, everything else starts to fall into place. Not just in how you market your brand but also in how you work. You’re able to hone your expertise because your processes, ideas and solutions flow from a deeper focus and you can take advantage of, and build on the patterns and themes you encounter time and again.
Of course positioning isn’t just about what you do and who you do it for, but these are an essential part of the wider equation that encompasses the thoughts and feelings people associate with your brand. These other positions are ‘softer’ (but still essential) associations around brand personality, story, values and promise. For the purposes of this post however, I want to focus on the what and in particular, the who.
When I discuss this with my clients there’s often a reticence, a fear of so tightly (and even loosely, in some cases) defining the ‘who’. This can take the form of, “Surely if we say we work with X we’ll miss out on working with Y (and all the other letters in the alphabet)’. But defining a strategy is all about making choices – it’s the reason I share this Michael Porter quote in every workshop I do:
“Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it’s about deliberately choosing to be different.”
By allowing yourself to become selective, you become sought after. You become known for a specific and readily identifiable value proposition expressed with a clarity that’s integral to attractive positioning.
Once you’ve defined your perfect client you can qualify opportunities as they arise – YOU can choose as well as be chosen.
Sadly it isn’t as simple as simply qualifying a prospect by the 3 Fs: Fun (your team will enjoy the work), Fame (they’ll make a great case study or PR) and Fortune (they’ll pay the bills, and then some). These are definitely worth considering but a highly prescriptive client definition, and being clear on your non-negotiables, will give you far more, including being able to justify whether a prospect is the right fit for your organisation.
People came to my last agency wanting a range of services. We offered brand identity, web design and development, retained graphic design, illustrated books, pretty much anything other than packaging. Over time, I realised that I wasn’t enjoying the work as much as I should have been, and that I wanted to focus on brand identity and strategy more. I had to make some tough choices, one of which was to drop a whole revenue stream of web development work. When I came to reposition my agency I started with what we did or rather, what we wanted to do more of. And that meant dropping a few things. By going ‘niche’ you can go deep, extend your knowledge, build a specialism and develop expertise that is appealing as well as effective. It also changes who might be looking for those services.
Work is a big chunk of your day. It’s said that the average person spends 90,000 hours at work, so knowing what gets you up in the morning and understanding why you’re driven to help a certain group of people is hugely important. The Co-Foundry’s ‘why’ or purpose is to help organisations that strive, to build brands that thrive. Knowing that, means knowing who I want to help – the strivers, the purpose-led people.
One of the most powerful and immediate ways of defining a position is by picking a sector. This isn’t always easy. It might even mean dropping an area you’ve done a fair bit of work in, something that can feel risky. However, the benefits of niching down to a particular sector are many. Not only will you gain a deeper understanding of the problems and desires that run through the sector but you’ll build marketplace intelligence and become known by, for example, attending specialist conferences and being active on industry-specific media. Your new business strategy may benefit too, as people moving organisations will take you with them.
Another way of selecting a client type is by focusing on their issues, needs or traits. I took the decision to focus on creative and tech founder-led brands as I already had a lot of experience and knowledge in that space. As well as working with these clients, I’d personally experienced a lot of the pains and gains of creative and tech founders for myself so had a natural affinity with them. As time has gone on I have extended that criteria to encompass chief execs of charities. These two areas of focus have so much in common – namely, a genuine desire to make an impact and while the latter may not have skin in the game financially, they do, emotionally. Both groups care about their people, something that works well with another fundamental aspect of my proposition – co-creation which sees teams involved in decisions throughout the process.
It sounds so obvious when you read it but, and this is fundamental – find people who energise you.
The late great Milton Glaser (in his talk entitled ‘Ten things I have Learned’) put it perfectly, exhorting us to avoid the people we find toxic:
“You have spent some time with this person, either you have a drink or go for dinner or you go to a ball game. It doesn’t matter very much but at the end of that time you observe whether you are more energized or less energized. Whether you are tired or whether you are exhilarated. If you are more tired, then you have been poisoned. If you have more energy, you have been nourished. The test is almost infallible and I suggest that you use it for the rest of your life.”
The human touch has returned as a top prospecting priority due to digital lead generation marketing automation overload, a major new survey of UK new business and agency leaders has revealed.
The seventh annual UK New Business Barometer by specialist new business consultancy jfdi and strategic insight agency Opinium found that 88% of respondents used management connections to prospect, with 44% citing this a top strategy.
Another 68% said they asked clients for referrals and 67% formed alliances and partnerships. The report said the change is likely driven by email overload and an explosion of pushed content in an over-supplied agency market.
Camilla Honey, CEO at jfdi, said:
“In our challenging new business market, competitive edge is everything and it’s interesting to see the human touch is overriding overwhelming digitally-based automated approaches. AI watch out!”
The survey, which included responses by several Bristol Creative Industries members, also found that ideas that deliver, are practical and affordable are winning pitches. Ir revealed that in the current difficult economic environment, the proportion of respondents saying they commonly win projects because of ideas that are deliverable, practical and affordable rose eight points to 33%.
Another trend highlighted by the study was that only around 50% of the ideas and recommendations presented in pitches are executed, which jfdi said confirmed winning pitches requires more than answering the brief.
When asked about the reasons for winning pitches, 73% said relevant and expertise was important, a figure that was 6% up on last year. Another 69% said it was due to good chemistry.
For unsuccessful pitches, more than two fifths (43%) of respondents reported client withdrawal of budget as the most common reason for not winning a pitch. This was up up 10% on the 2023 study despite having been broadly stable for the past six years.
Other reasons include “rarely given a reason” (41%), “economic uncertainty”, (33%); “ideas not deemed affordable” (20%), and “agencies failed to demonstrate relevant expertise/capability” (18%).
The cost of losing pitches escalates exponentially by size of agency, the study revealed, with every agency spends more annually on losing pitches than they do on winning ones.
The report showed small agencies are spending on average £86,000, medium agencies spending £350,000, and large agencies are spending £1.4m on losing pitches.
“This shows how a marginal gain in conversion can feed down to the bottom line with more budget available to spend elsewhere in the business,” the study said.
The study warned of a “ticking stress bomb”, with 70% of new business practitioners reporting their role becoming more stressful over the last 12 months. The report said “this worrying trend signals the need to ensure mental health welfare and wellbeing in this space”.
Josh Glendinning, research director and partner at Opinium, said:
“The New Business Barometer’s unparalleled insight shows how the pressures of a tough economic environment are cascading through the marketing industry. Clients are demanding more than ever during the pitch process but finding it more difficult to provide concrete assurances to agencies that work will be commissioned.”
Additional findings in the report included:
For a full summary of the report, email mark@jfdi.uk.com
Don’t lose sight of your new business pipeline
10 top tips for getting the pitch over the line
How to prospect for new business without losing your soul
How creative businesses can write the perfect positioning statement
Mental health in the workplace: Why we need a culture change
Podcast: Wellbeing tips for small agency owners
Mental health for agency owners
Business customers do the majority of their decision-making online. Gartner research shows that in 2019 27% of buying groups’ time was spent researching independently online.
This figure has now increased, with Hubspot’s research suggesting that “58% of consumers say they’ve discovered at least one new product by searching the internet in 2022, and 44% say they’ve done so in the past three months.”
But a buyer’s time is precious and it’s important you aren’t cold calling or interrupting their workday, you want to meet them at a time that is convenient for them.
Digital marketing meets prospects where they are, whether that’s via their browser, their favourite sites or on social media channels such as LinkedIn. It can put your product or services in front of the right people, at the right time.
“86% of marketers increased brand awareness using one or more digital marketing channel” – Hubspot
While it presents great opportunities, the digital landscape is unique and ever-changing. It’s constantly evolving and updating to offer new ways of reaching your target audience.
So, with that in mind, we’ve put this guide together to help you efficiently create, optimise and maintain your all-important digital marketing strategy in just a few easy steps.
When it comes to digital marketing strategy, one size really doesn’t fit all. So, before you get started, it’s important to tailor your approach for your audience.
Using an analytics platform, you can answer the crucial questions that will inform your marketing strategy and ensure you’re targeting the right people. With platforms like GA4 (previously Google Analytics) you can learn who your target audience is and how current website visitors are engaging with your content.
Using the information you’ve gathered from your analytics platform, you can enhance your strategy with detailed buyer personas. Getting to the heart of your audience and their needs is vital. You need to work out where they are most likely to spend their time and how they prefer to digest digital content. This will give you a benchmark on how to create yours.
You will need to review your existing digital marketing channels. We recommend using the paid-earned-owned media framework.
This will ensure you can maximise value from existing assets and fill in the gaps where needed.
Review and rank all your existing content according to what has previously performed well. The idea here is to figure out what’s working and what isn’t, so you can set yourself up for success when planning new content. You’ll then need to identify the gaps and build out a new content plan.
“Worldwide ad spending in the digital market is projected to reach 679.80 billion USD in 2023″ – Statista
Once all the planning is out of the way, it’s time to define your digital marketing toolkit. This is not an exhaustive list, but rather a go-to selection to get the wheels of change in motion (and by change, we mean growth).
The first thing you’ll want to get right is your website. How is it ranking in organic search results? What keywords are your competitors ranking for that you’re not? Is the user journey working well? Are your CTAs converting? Does your website meet accessibility standards and user experience (UX) best practices? These are all questions you’ll want to ask yourself before working to get more traffic to your site.
A great, well-written blog that solves a customer problem is a great way to attract new audiences with a genuine interest in your products and services. And because you’ve crafted your personas and drilled down into the pain points of your target audience, you’re fully prepped to write or commission highly targeted content that’s helpful for your reader.
Social media advertising can drive leads, boost revenue, increase brand awareness and more. It’s where your customers feel most at home, and where they prefer to spend their free time. This creates an opportunity to engage more authentically and have more meaningful interactions.
Did you know according to Hubspot research there are over 2.38 billion monthly active users on Facebook? And 500 million daily Instagram users?
Social media has an impressive reach and great effectiveness, it allows you to nurture leads in real time. With social ads, you can set your budget and easily adjust it within the platform you’re using.
PPC (pay-per-click) advertising is a highly favoured part of the digital marketer’s toolkit. This is because it can have a big impact in the short-term and show clear results. But it’s worth noting that it’s most effective in combination with always-on brand activity and well-optimised organic content.
PPC (pay-per click) is a form of advertising that allows you to pay a fee each time a user clicks through to your website from another platform.
Typically, when we talk about PPC, we mean advertising on the search engine results page (SERP). PPC advertising is commonly seen on Google results, showing up like this:
View image in blog here.
“63% of people have clicked on a Google ad” – Statista. How can PPC boost your digital presence? PPC advertising increases the number of leads and customers you’re reaching, unlocking otherwise untapped potential.
Google Ads is one of the most recommended tools for lead generation. If your campaigns are set up properly with a clear user journey, it has the potential to send extremely targeted leads to your website, opt-in form or other online property.
Google Ads allows you to focus on the people who are searching for the exact services your business offers, it’s also flexible. You can easily customise campaigns to focus on specific demographics of online users. For example, you can target people by location, the type of device they’re using, and the Google-owned websites they’re accessing (e.g. Google search, Google Maps, YouTube).
You can even set your own budget for specific parts of a campaign. For example, you can set daily budgets, or limits on the amount you’re willing to spend on clicks for specific keywords.
“The average cost per click on google ads is £0.75-£1.50″ – Demandsage
But you won’t get far on spending alone.
To get a clearer picture of what will give you the best results, you must continually test, track and optimise your campaigns.
“The average conversion rate on Google Ads is 4.40%” – Consolidata
So, now you know how to prepare a digital marketing strategy. And all the key components that will help you grow your online presence.
But as every marketer knows, the proof is in the pudding. By which we mean, growth relies on constant trial and error, A/B testing, research, analytics, and a constant stream of top-quality content that brings all your goals to fruition.
And that’s a hell of a lot to implement – even for a whole team of marketers.
That’s why we’re offering a free, no obligations consultation on your digital marketing strategy and marketing automation potential.
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