By Tracie Leahy, Assistant Principal for Apprenticeships, Weston College
In the evolving landscape of workforce development within the creative industries, businesses are constantly seeking innovative ways to attract, develop, and retain top talent. Degree apprenticeships have emerged as a powerful solution, offering a unique blend of practical experience and academic learning. At Weston College and University Centre Weston, we have witnessed firsthand the transformative impact that degree apprentices can have on businesses. Here’s why integrating degree apprenticeships into your talent strategy is a game-changer for the creative industries.
Secure the Best New Talent
In a competitive job market, securing top talent is more challenging than ever. Degree apprenticeships provide an opportunity to attract high-calibre candidates who are eager to learn and grow within your organisation. These individuals bring fresh perspectives and are equipped with cutting-edge knowledge from their academic studies, combined with practical skills honed through on-the-job training. By investing in degree apprentices, you are investing in the future leaders of your industry.
Upskill Existing Employees
Degree apprenticeships are not just for new hires. They offer a valuable pathway for upskilling your existing workforce. Many employees have untapped potential that can be unlocked through further education and training. By supporting your employees in pursuing a degree apprenticeship, you are fostering a culture of continuous learning and development. This not only enhances their skills and job satisfaction but also improves overall organisational performance.
Build a Culture of Learning and Development
A learning-oriented culture is a cornerstone of innovative and resilient organizations. Degree apprenticeships instil a commitment to personal and professional growth within your team. Apprentices bring new ideas and approaches, inspired by their academic learning, and share this knowledge with their colleagues. This creates a dynamic environment where learning is valued, leading to increased engagement and retention.
Reduce Recruitment Costs
The traditional recruitment process can be costly and time-consuming. Degree apprenticeships provide a cost-effective alternative by allowing you to train and develop talent tailored to your specific business needs. Apprentices are often more loyal to the organizations that invest in their development, reducing turnover and the associated recruitment costs. Furthermore, you can evaluate an apprentice’s fit within your company culture and operations throughout their apprenticeship, ensuring a smoother transition to a permanent role. Also, we do all the advertising, shortlisting, and recruitment support for your vacancies – saving you time and expense.
Maximise Government Funding
One of the significant advantages of degree apprenticeships is the availability of government funding. This financial support can substantially offset the costs of training and development. By leveraging these funds,
you can invest in your workforce without straining your budget. It’s a smart financial decision that benefits both your business and your employees.
Meeting the Demand
Weston College and University Centre Weston offer a diverse range of degree apprenticeships tailored to meet the needs of modern businesses, including those in the creative industries. Our programs include:
Attracting the Best: The Appeal of Degree Apprenticeships
There is a growing trend among students to choose degree apprenticeships over traditional degrees. This pathway allows them to avoid substantial tuition fees and student debt while gaining practical experience and earning a salary. As a result, employers have the opportunity to access ambitious, motivated individuals who are eager to start their careers sooner. By offering degree apprenticeships, you can attract the cream of the crop—talented individuals who are ready to contribute to your business from day one.
A Proven Pathway: From T Levels to Degree Apprenticeships
We are seeing a growing trend where employers begin by offering T Level student placements, which involve 315 hours of work experience annually, before progressing these students to degree apprenticeships. This approach allows employers to identify and nurture talent early, providing a seamless transition from education to full-time employment. It’s a strategy that not only ensures a steady pipeline of skilled workers but also strengthens the bond between the employer and the apprentice.
Speak to Us
Investing in degree apprenticeships is a strategic move that delivers long-term benefits for businesses. By securing new talent, upskilling existing employees, fostering a culture of learning, reducing recruitment costs, and making the most of government funding, you position your business for sustained success. We are committed to supporting businesses in unlocking their potential through our comprehensive T Level and Apprenticeship programs.
Discover how degree apprenticeships can transform your business. Learn more about our offerings here or give us a call at 01934 411594 or email [email protected].
Digital PR and traditional PR have the same goals and objectives; they both are about increasing brand awareness and building a brand’s reputation.
The difference between digital PR and traditional PR is in the inputs and tactics.
A digital PR campaign will use all the opportunities and channels that digital offers, from simple social media strategies and tactics to more technical and complex strategies like SEO and technical SEO strategy.
Consistency is key
A key part of digital PR is to have consistent messaging across all platforms to have coherent communication and brand recognition. Digital PR allows brands to reach more people and build more authentic relationships with an audience.
As long as you approach with authenticity and develop strategies that engage and enable the consumer to access your brand online.
So brands can build credibility, brand awareness, relationships and trust. Digital PR is no longer a nice to have for brands. It’s a must-have to raise awareness and grow.
Digital PR Benefits
Digital PR is powerful.
It can help you reach your audience, increase brand awareness and boost your reputation and visibility in the digital age. Digital PR is built to improve your brand’s presence in the digital age and this is how:
More website traffic
By increasing your website traffic you’re widening your scope, growing your audience and generally increasing your brand awareness. More traffic means more digital footfall which can bring in new customers and brand awareness.
More traffic means more digital footfall and more footfall and web traffic means more chance of conversion.
More engagement on social media
Real-time messaging, direct interaction with audiences and plenty of opportunities to build credibility and monitor social media channels and brand mentions helps to make your PR stronger. An engaged social media presence and positive following is a great trust signal to new prospects.
More leads more sales
Digital PR isn’t about selling your products but it can create the environment to nudge customers to buy. PR can increase brand awareness and build brand trust which is key to increased customer loyalty and sales. Trust is the key to sales.
Better brand image
A good reputation and online presence is good for you. People like to engage with businesses and brands. They don’t like faceless organisations that don’t care about their audience or user groups.
Digital PR Strategy & Tactics in Action
So we’ve looked at the outcomes of digital PR strategies. But what does it look like, in terms of tactics and deployment
Social Media
You need an active social media presence to maintain and grow your brand reputation. It’s part of building your online identity and part of your digital PR strategy.
While also being a major part of your digital PR strategy, social media is a major part of your overall customer service arm.
It’s your shop window. But it’s also more than that.
This is a place where potential customers can be influenced by your existing audiences. So positive, honest and authentic engagement is a must.
Content Creation
What does content creation mean to you? White papers? Blogs? News stories? writing press releases? Producing video content? Tweets (or should we say X’s) Instagram posts, even TikTok content?
To us, it means all of the above.
Content helps to build emotional connections with your audience. Great content engages, entertains and ultimately converts prospects into loyal customers. Building campaigns around great content, leveraged across multiple channels and formats is the most effective way to engage with your tribe
Link building strategies
Digital PR and link building go hand in hand. But this is a long-term game.
These strategies also help to differentiate your brand from other businesses in the industry.
These strategies increase overall visibility of your website through the placement of backlinked content on third-party sites with relevant links. This could be a simple press release, a news story on relevant websites and online media, or thought leadership in key sector titles.
It’s a traditional PR approach, engaging with media through press releases and putting a digital PR spin on it.
But the content and placement have to be relevant. Credible, high-quality backlinks – meaning backlinks to relevant and trustworthy – quality links will build brand credibility and authority.
Content and Channel Optimisation
Effective brand communications means all channels and assets are optimised for maximum visibility.
Everything needs to be connected for maximum online visibility. Whether it’s your Google My Business Profile, or making sure your social tags and handles are on your site, your social media presence is also optimised to boost organic rankings and increase your presence in the SERP.
You can’t build on your search ranking score if your owned channels aren’t optimised. To get more awareness and reach online PR requires a holistic approach, everything needs to be in sync.
Showing up to Google
This could get lengthy so we’ll try to keep it brief.
Google monitors and ranks online publications, websites, pages and content against its own set of rules. These are the E-E-A-T guidelines, they are a set of indicators that determine whether any given piece of on-page content is experienced, expert, authoritative and trustworthy – hence E-E-A-T. Consistent messaging across all content is key to meeting Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines.
E-E-A-T — or Double-E-A-T became part of Google’s search rater guidelines in 2022.
The main challenge with Google is it likes to move the Goalposts.
Core updates and other changes to the practice and protocol can make it hard to keep up with the latest best practices and requirements around search engines and content.
You can spend all the time in the world developing a digital PR strategy and digital marketing strategy. But if you’re creating content that Google won’t or doesn’t like, all that work will be for nothing. The further down the SERP you go, the more your website, organic traffic and brand visibility suffer.
This is where it pays to have an expert in your corner.
Conclusion
Ultimately, digital PR is a key part of any PR strategy.
Digital PR can lead to customer loyalty by building trust and credibility.
It may seem like a big ask to keep up with the ever-changing search engine algorithms and best practices. But the rewards of well-executed digital PR campaigns and strategies are worth it.
Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines say to create content that is Experienced, Expert, Authoritative and Trustworthy.
Build brand credibility, build relationships and build trust with your audience. By producing high-quality, relevant content and earning links from other reputable sources you’ll increase your website visibility, authority and overall search engine rankings.
But digital PR needs a long-term approach. It is not a quick win.
It requires a strategic and sustained effort. Which in turn requires patience and an ongoing commitment to the overall process on online brand building.
Bristol creative agency SIM7 has swept the board this awards season, scooping three prestigious international prizes for a brand campaign which ‘redefines executive education marketing’.
The trio of awards, all won for the IESE Business School’s Real Leadership brand campaign, include first place in the Brand Campaign category at the Digital Communication Awards, Best Integration of Purposeful Marketing at the CMI Content Marketing Awards, and a ‘Búho’ award for Brand Strategy at Educafestival.
Each welcomed entries from around the world. Fierce competition for the top spots came from Ketchum, MSLGROUP, Weber Shandwick and a rollcall of other major global agencies.
Says Professor Dr. Ana Adi, Chair of the Jury for the Digital Communication Awards 2024, “IESE Business School’s Real Leadership campaign redefines executive education marketing. Through digital platforms, it boosts global visibility and underscores the school’s core human values, cleverly critiquing the past decade’s ‘hustle’ mindset. This campaign establishes a new benchmark for the future of leadership training”.
Campaign rationale
The brand campaign takes an honest, authentic and human approach which was conceived as an antidote to the clichéd ‘business speak’ creative that has dominated the sector in recent years. Assets include OOH adverts deployed across the world in Europe and Latin America, a major podcast, landing pages, brochures, Google Max ads, campaign videos and more.
Oriol Gil, IESE’s Brand & Content Senior Manager 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”.
Results
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. Its main campaign video has attracted 3+ million views, and season one of its podcast consistently ranks in the top 30 of the Spotify/Apple leadership and management charts.
SIM7’s Simeon de la Torre is proud of the campaign and the recognition it has earnt, “ As an agency that works with higher and business education clients around the world, winning these three awards is a huge honour for us. We knew from the start that this had to be a campaign with cut-through, and that pure creativity wasn’t enough.
“It was a huge strategic branding exercise that brought together all our skills in messaging, design and positioning, which ultimately spawned something really different with a big dollop of humour and heart”.
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.
Being an Employer of Choice: Mental health and financial wellbeing are inextricably linked!
Sometimes, all it takes to drastically improve your employees’ quality of life is a conversation and guidance that can lead to a positive impact that they feel every day. Nobody is immune to money worries and financial stress. So, let’s get talking, break down taboos and change lives.
Poor mental health and financial problems are often closely tied. Fixing one can often help fix the other. Talking about money worries is a bit of a taboo subject in the UK. The topic is surrounded by stigmas such as debt, poor mental health, and absence from work, so we avoid it. But sweeping things under the rug doesn’t work. Long-term, if we don’t break taboos, taboos can break us.
Financial education plays a huge part in increasing preparedness and reducing stress. But stress and worries can build barriers in people’s minds, a powerful resistance to engaging. They may have the answers but feel overwhelmed or unsure where to start. So, to forge a path forward, we need to be there with them.
To help people see through the haze of financial stress, we need to connect with people as individuals, on their own level.
A vicious cycle
Poor mental health can lead to money problems:
And money problems can lead to poor mental health: Stretched budgets could mean less food, heat, or medicine. Financial communications might trigger feelings of anxiety and panic and persistent worrying could lead to sleep problems and burnout
This cycle can get out of control, spiralling downward and affecting relationships, work, and every other part of an employee’s life. It’s critical we let them know that help is at hand.
Breaking the taboo
If you don’t offer much support yet, it’s a good opportunity to get employees involved. Ask them what they want and need and build around their answers.
Maybe some want private 1-2-1 meetings, while others would prefer group workshops or an anonymous online forum. By starting the conversations here, you’ll already be taking steps to normalising talking about money and financial stress and showing that it’s important to your business.
Why employers should care
Why dedicate resources and people to tackling financial stress? According to UK charity Mental Health At Work, 66% of employees feel like their company doesn’t care about their financial situation, making them more likely to salary hunt elsewhere and less productive in the working day.
In other words, beating financial stress is in your business’ best interests too. And if you have limited resources, you can partially rely on the government’s Money and Pensions Service.
Can you respond, with impact, to those big industry moments when projecting integrity, trust & credibility becomes key?
On Friday 19th July 2024, the biggest global IT outage to date caught leading service and security providers completely off-guard. Banks, manufacturers, media firms, airports, airlines, rail services, payment systems, the London Stock Exchange, multiple news organisations, and many public and emergency services platforms held up by Microsoft all reported severe interruptions.
Put simply: because resilience is a growing buying priority.
The world’s largest and most industry-critical enterprises are held up by increasingly complex supply chains and vendors.
In the wake of the debacle, thousands of buying groups (including downstream suppliers, partners, industry ecosystems and less-affected but increasingly cautious organisations) will be questioning the reliability of their current IT systems.
And they’ll be asking themselves one thing: do they have the capability to keep the lights on when the next Big Moment hits?
Cutting-edge data from 6Sense reveals that B2B buyers spend 70% of the buying journey doing their own research before talking to vendors.
(view image in blog here.)
Here are the biggest headlines steering optimised B2B content performance in 2024:
Source: 6Sense Point of First Contact Research Summary
If your content and campaigns rely on buyer conversion via a landing-page form or traditional lead generation it’s time to rethink. You won’t be getting your brand in front of key decision makers and influencers when they’re gathering the information that will heavily influence their purchase decision.
It is urgent for B2B sellers to increase their roster of ungated, educational content. You need to remove as much friction as possible for potential buyers wanting fast insights without a form.
Blogs, external product validation, helpful articles, videos, even some higher-value guides/buyers guides should be readily available to your audience without requiring an email. Concerned about tracking conversions when using more ungated content? We can help!
Whether you’re a fledgling startup or an established technology vendor selling into enterprise, Google and LinkedIn are likely your hero channels for paid media. Most organisations have not activated a key superpower: using the two platforms in combination. Deployed correctly, you can build trust with your audience and maximise awareness of your brand during that crucial first 70% of the buying journey.
Installing the LinkedIn Insights Tag on your website pages means you can track visits to specific website pages from your upper-funnel traffic-driving activity. And funnel those people back into LinkedIn. Now you can filter that audience down to your ICP profile (specific companies or industry, job function + seniority), and offer higher-value site visitors a better-connected content experience. Showing them the most relevant assets based on what they have seen and the strength of their engagement. That builds trust faster and accelerates the time between browsing and buying. And it can keep customers loyal when that next big crisis hits.
It this all sounds incredibly complicated, we get it! You want to make sure your content is making an impact on today’s buying journey. That you’re getting the most out of B2B paid media in the do more for less era. And that your digital communications are robust enough to achieve the right impact in a global emergency! That’s where we come in. Talk to us and find out how we can help build you a robust B2B platform.
Looking for a new jacket? According to Ibis World, there are 298,036 apparel manufacturing businesses globally. So how do you choose where to buy?
There’ll be several elements that affect a purchasing decision – particularly cost, quality, and/or location. But other factors that play a major role in where consumers shop are values and authenticity.
In fact, 90% of consumers say that authenticity is important when deciding which brands they support. In addition, 75% say they are likely to buy a product from a company that shares their values.
So, why are values and authenticity in marketing so important?
We’re now in an age where fake news, deep fakes and influencers peddling products they don’t actually use is the norm. And with the rise of e-commerce, we’re constantly being sold items and services every hour, of every day.
This bombardment of false promises and shallow marketing has driven customers to look for companies with more substance; companies that support their claims with actions.
Customers typically see straight through – and don’t appreciate – inauthentic and impersonal marketing tactics.
So how can you ensure your business doesn’t make these mistakes? It all starts with ‘why’. Why do you do what you do in the first place?
Being authentic and having strong values go hand in hand. But there are some important distinctions between the two.
AUTHENTIC: According to Oxford Languages, the definition of authentic is ‘of undisputed origin and not a copy; genuine’.
VALUES: The definition of values is ‘principles or standards of behaviour; one’s judgement of what is important in life’
While values are about beliefs and one’s outlook on life, authenticity is about who you are as a person (or in this case, business).
Unfortunately, an all-too-common occurrence is businesses falsely claiming they have certain values and beliefs to gain social clout and more customers.
This is also known as colourwashing (which we’ve written a blog about here). Not only can colourwashing slow down progress towards positive and important changes, but it also creates distrust in your company.
Stretching the truth about your values, and not being transparent in your marketing activities, will weaken the connection you have with your customers.
Not convinced?
According to a 2016 study, almost 94% of all consumers are more likely to be loyal to a brand when it commits to full transparency.
And when you obtain loyalty from your audience and customers, you’ll see business growth, more people making repeat purchases, and an enhanced company reputation.
Almost 94% of consumers are more likely to be loyal to a brand when it commits to full transparency.
You may be wondering where to start when conveying your values truthfully to your audience.
First you need to establish what your values as a business are.
Next, start showing you mean what you say through action.
For example, you could raise awareness of issues and organisations that align with your values, or donate some of your business’ profits to relevant causes.
It’s also important to note that this action isn’t a one-and-done situation. You need to continuously back up your claims to build audience trust.
Now, it’s time to tell people about it!
Communicating your actions and values both internally to your team and partners, and externally to your customers and stakeholders, is vital for a business. It deepens connection and understanding between your company and your audience.
Communication examples include:
What to do: Mind Corporate Partnerships
Mind is a mental health charity that stands up to injustices in healthcare, work and law which make life harder for people with mental health problems.
A section of their charity is dedicated to corporate partnerships so businesses can work with Mind to support their work and help fight for mental health.
This feature is so effective because not only are they starting a conversation with individuals, but they’re opening connections with businesses so even more people can get involved.
Their website contains plenty of resources and support for those struggling with their mental health, including workplace wellbeing.
By pairing their business statements with tangible resources, more people are likely to work with them and recommend their services.
What not to do: Naked’s lack of transparency
For this example, we’ll look through a more B2C lens, although the principles still apply to B2B businesses.
Naked offers a range of juice drinks, manufactured by PepsiCo. These products are marketed in such a way as to lead consumers to believe they’re a healthy option.
Statements on its packaging once included ‘only the best ingredients’ and ‘no sugar added’, but the Centre for Science in the Public Interest filed a lawsuit in 2016 because they were misleading.
In fact:
Following the lawsuit, Naked amended the erroneous claims and offered compensation to those who purchased products between a certain timeframe.
But despite its attempts to rectify the situation, both trust – and therefore loyalty in the brand – was lost.
Authenticity and values are interlinked – being authentic is about staying true to said values and being intentional about them.
However, authenticity is about also showing people who you are as a business. It’s about transparency in your marketing. It’s about being open with an audience, even if you’re not perfect.
This vulnerability leads to brand trust.
“Your audience is used to ignoring inauthentic marketing attempts from other businesses. Differentiate yourself by being genuine.”
So how do you go about being authentic as a B2B business? And how do you share this with your audience?
It’s crucial you remain honest in your statements and efforts.
Establishing brand guidelines early on also plays a key role in exhibiting your authenticity. This is because it will help you stay consistent in your messaging, your marketing materials, and your goals.
A major part of authentic marketing is having direct communication with your customers. This may be through:
By opening the door to discussions in real time, you’ll receive invaluable feedback that will allow you to make profound improvements.
In fact, according to a report by Microsoft, 77% of customers have a better opinion of brands that ask for and accept customer feedback.
Another interesting method to show authenticity and gain brand buy-in is through ‘behind the scenes’ materials. Whether this is showing your audience where / how your products are made, the team behind the business, or a Q&A session.
And finally, testimonials are a great way to offer transparency. Sharing feedback from those not necessarily invested in the company itself – i.e. objective opinion – creates believability. This is known as social proofing.
Social proofing is:
“the psychological concept that people are influenced in their decision making by others, compelling them to act within societal norms or expectations.”
Social proofing done well
Airbnb utilises the power of social proofing in their marketing brilliantly. In fact, as a platform that’s built to both enable people to host strangers in their properties, and for people to stay in strangers’ properties, their business success depends on it.
Airbnb includes reviews from guests and hosts which can include photos, stories about people’s stays, and their names.
This adds a personal touch to the platform, which increases trust from users. But it also provides details of others’ experiences using the service, giving clear evidence of customer satisfaction.
Authenticity and value-based marketing ultimately comes down to 4 things:
It’s as much of a benefit to you as it is your audience. In return for your honesty, and so-called vulnerability, your audience will be significantly more likely to invest time (and money) into your brand.
With a loyal customer base, you’re increasing your chances of seeing more growth in your business as people recommend your products/services to others.
And it’s important to remember – this isn’t just for B2C companies, B2B companies should be doing the same.
We’re now in an age where businesses are trying to sell as much as possible and advertise wherever they can. So, when 57% of consumers think that less than half of brands create authentic content, make sure you’re standing out for the right reasons.
After all, people now value quality over quantity, and neither you nor your customers should settle for anything less.
Looking to find out how you can tell your audience about your authenticity and values? Get in touch at [email protected] to find out how we can help.
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, [email protected]
For more information on the awards, visit educafestival.org/2024-edicion (Spanish language)
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