Published on Thursday, July 6th, 2017 under Business, Marketing

The willow tree

There’s a park beside my house.

In the park, there’s a ginormous, 60-year-old willow tree.

And everyone loves it. The willow’s branches are long and hang low, and the neighbourhood kids swing on them in the summer time. It’s truly is a sight to behold.

But a recent storm was the beginning of the end for the old willow. It half collapsed overnight, and then the council arborist decided it had better all come down. For safety’s sake.

So now the willow is just a stump. A ginormous stump. And everyone’s a bit sad.

For me, the willow coming down was a good (and cliche’d) reminder that nothing is forever.

Like in business, what works now, might not work in a couple of years. Especially in the digital space, where the rate of change is crazy. Read More

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Published on Monday, June 12th, 2017 under Marketing

Getting found on Google – 3 tips from Robert Kramers, SEO Specialist

Getting to that top spot in Google search is the dream of any business. If there’s a quick way to get there, I’m sure we’d all take it. But as we chatted with Robert, I get the sense that this SEO thing is less of a game to be won, and more like a mountain to climb.

It’s going to take blood (time or money), sweat (effort), and tears (patience), but it’ll be worth it.

Here are Robert’s 3 keys to climbing the Google rankings:

1. Content is king.

Content can be many things. But basically, content = information. So to do well in SEO, you’ve got to invest in good content and learn how to effectively promote it on the web. All else equal, good content will set your website apart from the masses from a visitor’s standpoint, as well as in Google’s eyes.

Here are Robert’s pointers for developing your web content… Read More

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Published on Thursday, June 8th, 2017 under Email Marketing, Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Marketing

There’s a problem with social media

The problem is ownership.

You might have 5213 likes on Facebook, but let’s be honest, you don’t own them, because Facebook does. And they can whisk them away at any moment, or charge you more to reach them.

And that’s why you need to know which channels you own, and which you rent.

You own your website. It’s a tool to generate sales, enquiries and collect email addresses amongst other things. That’s why it’s the core of your digital marketing effort.

You own your email database. You’ve built it. It’s yours to use respectfully, and it’s one of the best ways to remind people you exist without having to spend money.

But when it comes to Facebook, Instagram or Linkedin, you’re renting.

Yes, renting does have benefits. Like exposure to an audience you couldn’t have gathered yourself.

But you shouldn’t build your house on rented land. Because the landlord might kick you out or put the rent up.

Build on the land you own first. Your website. Your emails. Then leverage your rentals to get the word out. That’s the right order.

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Published on Monday, May 22nd, 2017 under Facebook, Marketing

Subliminal Advertising

Have you seen the movie Inception?

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as a professional thief who steals information by infiltrating the subconscious.

And as the movie goes on, Leo stops stealing info, and starts trying to plant ideas instead. Inception if you will.

Now I don’t normally go for sci-fi thrillers, but it’s a great watch, and the way Leo accesses the subconscious has parallels with marketing – well, re-marketing to be specific.

Here’s how remarketing works:

  1. John visits your website looking for brown leather shoes
  2. John leaves your website without buying
  3. Days later, John see’s ads for your brown leather shoes

Creepy? Kinda. Illegal? Not at all.

Remarketing is about as close to subliminal advertising as you can get, and it’s not sci-fi, it’s real life. And it’s ready and waiting for kiwi businesses who can see the opportunity.

Could remarketing work for you? Contact us if we can help.

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Published on Thursday, May 11th, 2017 under Marketing

Moped with Rebecca Smith: The Greatest of all Marketing Strategies

Did you say drinks and nibbles?

I’m there. With Rebecca Smith – even better. (I’ll introduce you to her soon.)

So it was my first time at a Moped event. The prawns were AMAZING, and proved a great way to make new friends (have you tried that prawn?). The networking buzz of a group of marketing professionals was a relaxing one.

Rebecca Smith – Director, New Zealand Story

Rebecca is an expert marketer. So much so that she has been entrusted to create a national brand for our country. New Zealand Story promotes and protects NZ’s reputation by sharing a strong, consistent story about the unique offerings NZ and NZ exporters have for international markets.

Here are 14 lessons from Rebecca.

Rebecca Smith Moped1. Know your leader

Who are you working for? Do your homework and find out who they are and what they think of their brand. Get close to them early in the programme and ask their advice. If you get on well, they can often become informal mentors, people you can approach for help. Handy.

2. Quickly build trust and respect

If you’re trying to sell an idea, you’re in the battlefield already. What happens if we focus on building trust instead? It sends the message that you’re in it together, shown by the way you carry yourself and the questions you ask. The best thing is, when someone trusts you, they leave you alone to do your job. Bonus. Read More

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Published on Friday, February 3rd, 2017 under Facebook, Marketing

Right tool, right job.

I’m no mechanic.

But I know the difference between a spanner and a screwdriver. Each tool is for a certain purpose. I get that.

Marketing is kinda the same. You might not be on the tools yourself, but it’s helpful to know what each tool does, and when to pull it out of your toolkit.

Take online advertising.

Google Adwords is about demand fulfilment. Consumers search for a product, and your advert meets their need. Makes sense.

Facebook advertising however is about demand generation. Suggesting your product to consumers who don’t know they need it yet, and doing so by targeting demographics and interests.

Renting storage sheds? Setup Google Adwords. People will search when they need storage, and probably make a purchasing decision on the spot.

Selling kids clothes? Setup Facebook ads targeting Females who ‘Like’ Pumpkin Patch on Facebook. These ladies are probably looking for somewhere new to buy kids clothes.

It’s not always clear cut, but choosing the right tool is a great start.

Can we assemble your marketing toolkit?

To arrange a meeting, visit likeable.co.nz/meet

 

ps – 99,290 people ‘like’ Pumpkin Patch on FB. Someone should run that campaign. I don’t have any kids clothes to sell, otherwise I’d be straight in there!

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Published on Friday, January 27th, 2017 under Marketing

Yes, Yes, No

The charity collector knocked on the door.

I prepared for her sales pitch, but it didn’t come. Instead, she asked to leave a brochure.

I said YES.

She asked if she could come back to collect it tomorrow.

I said YES.

And then she left.

The next morning over breakfast, I read the brochure. It was a well designed, full colour brochure that clearly demonstrated why I should donate. It was good, real good…

That evening, she returned for the brochure, and asked if I’d like to donate. Read More

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Published on Thursday, January 19th, 2017 under Email Marketing, Marketing

Shooting the messenger

There’s a misconception that email marketing sucks.

Why? Because we’re all tired of getting lousy emails from businesses trying to sell us stuff.

But don’t shoot the messenger.

Don’t let everyone else’s poor email-marketing practice put you off – because email isn’t the problem, it’s the approach.

When it’s done right, email is the most powerful weapon in your digital marketing arsenal. Seriously.

Heck, for Likeable, email is the only thing we do to seek clients.

We’ve sent 85 emails over the last 3 years, and we’re grateful to have grown from a one-man-band into a small team.

Time to reconsider your stance on email?

Take the first step and arrange a meeting with us, visit likeable.co.nz/meet

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Published on Friday, January 13th, 2017 under Marketing

The latest craze

Heard of bottle flipping?

It’s the latest craze, where participants flip a water bottle repeatedly, in an attempt to have it land on it’s bottom.

But it’s just a fad.

And as a father of three, fads like this roll through my house all the time.

Countdown collectables
Loom bands
Pokemon cards

But fads aren’t just for kids, they exist for businesses too – and while they might not be as obvious, they’re just as distracting.

So this year, I’ll be trawling through digital marketing fads and trends, to find the tools that actually work, and will stand the test of time.

My personal goal for 2017 is to cut through the online marketing clutter of the internet, and share my findings with our clients, so we can do better work, to achieve greater results.

Can we cut through the clutter for your business?

If so, we should talk. Visit likeable.co.nz/meet to arrange a meeting.

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Published on Thursday, December 8th, 2016 under Marketing

The sleazy salesperson

Do you like being sold to?

If you ask me, there’s nothing worse than dealing with pushy salespeople.

And that’s why sales can be a dirty word.

Heck – even people who do sales, don’t have the word sales in their job title.

Shop assistant
Insurance broker
Real estate agent
Business development manager

So when it comes to online sales, and business websites, there’s something I can’t get my head around.

I can’t understand why so many businesses use generic sales@yourcompany.co.nz email addresses.

I get that there may be multiple people checking the one email account, but technology can take care of that now. It’s 2016.

As humans, we react poorly to pushy, sleazy salesmen – so having a sales@ email address is like placing an pushy, sleazy salesperson at the front door of your business. No good.

Better to use something authentic, like a persons name.

This article inspired by Zero to One.

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