Tuesday 9 July was a good day, jam packed full of learning, networking and discussions about all things marketing. I was fortunate to attend the 16th CIM Digital Conference just outside of Cambridge at the Duxford War Museum. Now as a secret plane spotter this event caught my eye, not just for the insight and wisdom I might gain into the world of marketing, but also for the chance to see Concorde. Living in Windsor I was fortunate to remember the aircraft going over the house, it was always exciting.
Why did I take the time out of the office? Not only do I recognise that for me personally, it is important to continue to learn and keep my marketing knowledge up to date, but my clients benefit as a result. There were some key take outs from the session I wanted to share:
- The LinkedIn (LI) algorithm has changed. LinkedIn is a key channel not just for RIMU Marketing but many of our clients, we are familiar with it and continue to achieve good things, but it was interesting to hear a different perspective. We have seen that the cost of LI advertising has increased, so initially focusing on organic reach is important. The presenter shared some learnings that we would expect such as: creating content for your audience, encouraging engagement and being strategic in your approach; they then went on to share some tips to gain better engagement from their experiences.
- There was a Google update in March 2024 that has resulted in many websites seeing a decline in performance.
- We know that Google is the biggest search engine, in line with increasing demand and other tech trends, the cost of investing in CPC (cost per click) advertising has increased. Being listed organically on page one of any search results is increasingly more difficult, so it is worth looking at other media advertising and search options such as Bing, Reddit, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, etc.
- AI (Artificial intelligence) is here to stay and does have value when used with consideration but use it wisely. Google is actively seeking out AI-generated websites or content and removing them completely or down the rankings. It is important to plot out your customer journey, using AI to add value but continuing to remember your customers want a unique, personalised service.
- Sustainable marketing. There are things we can all do to reduce our environmental impact including holding virtual events, storing images centrally (using up less digital storage), clearing out your website and removing any unwanted pages, reducing image size on your website, using local suppliers and reducing print.
When working with a marketing consultant not only should they be up to speed with current thinking in the marketing world but you would also expect to:
1. Gain from their expertise and knowledge
Marketing can be a diverse discipline needing a breath of skills from creating brands, copy writing to data analysis and more. The reality is that this skill set does not exist in one person as it is so different. One of the main reasons you would work with a marketing consultant is because they are working in this space all the time, so will understand what is changing in the sector. They will also be able to share knowledge on how to use many of the tools available or support you in successfully implementing your next marketing campaign.
2. Save money
In working with a marketing consultant they will be able to guide on you best practice, enabling you to avoid costly mistakes. By taking time to build your marketing strategy and identify your target audience, it will guide you on the most efficient media to use, selecting the right images and writing succinct messages, to enable you to effectively connect with your ideal client.
3. Save time and increase efficiency
Because a marketing consultant will work with tools such as Mailchimp, Social Pilot, Google Analytics or LinkedIn, day in day out, they will know how to use them. For example, instead of it potentially taking you four hours to draft an email in Mailchimp, a marketing consultant might be able to do it in half the time, with a better creative flair. By calling in dedicated resource it can help free up your time to let you focus on doing what you do best. As businesses grow, their marketing needs to grow as well, by working with a marketing consultant, they can often find experienced resource, but pay them to join for one/ two days a week rather than a full-time employee.
4. Receive an unbias view
It can be tricky sometimes for internal teams to take an unbias view to their marketing activity, by working with a marketing consultant they can help you to see a different perspective, perhaps championing the consumer, helping to create effective marketing campaigns.
5. Be kept accountable
As a small business owner, it can be tough working by yourself. I am not sure about you but my four-legged friend, Tilly is great at keeping me company, but not so good at offering business advice. In working with a marketing consultant, not only will they be able to guide you on the natural order to consider projects, but they will also help to keep you on track and accountable to deliver what has been agreed, on time.
If you would like to see how working with a marketing consultant can help to elevate your small business please get in touch.
