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For more information on Steve’s copywriting, web editing and online marketing
consultancy services
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visit : www.stevecalder.com
Telephone (UK) 0844 556 1265
or email info@stevecalder.com |
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MARKETERS
IGNORE DIRECT MAIL
AT THEIR PERIL |
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he low cost of email - combined
with industry’s burgeoning
fascination with social media -
has resulted in many companies’
reining-in their traditional directmail
spend. |
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In the UK, Royal Mail claims that consumer
direct mail volumes fell by 5.6% during 2008
– fuelled in large part by the onset of the
recession.
By contrast, Econsultancy reports that
over 50% of companies now invest at least
£10,000 each year on email marketing. (Over
ten percent spend in excess of £100,000.) |
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But are these tech-savvy marketers
missing a trick? |
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like email, ‘traditional’ direct mail is personal,
offers the potential for infinite customisation…
and it works.
Indeed, in its December 2009 report, the Mail
Media Centre found that “49% of ABC1s have
done something in the past 12 months as a
result of the direct mail they’ve received”.
Similarly, in its 2009 study, research firm TGI
concluded that “adults who respond to mail
via the Internet are 145% more likely than the
average UK adult to buy online once a week”. |
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| Ah, you say; but what of direct mail’s
environmental impact? |
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It`s a good question – with a surprising answer.
The only comprehensive assessment of mail’s
carbon footprint was conducted in August
2008 by the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon
Management (ECCM) - an independent
emission-evaluation specialist.
The study concluded that the full carbon life
cycle of an ‘average’ direct mail piece, taking
into account production, and disposal, is |
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actually relative at just 36g per item (2.8kg
annually).
That’s the equivalent, according to the
Carbon Action Rationing Group, of half a
cheeseburger per year.
By contrast, email is dependant for delivery
on the global Internet infrastructure, which is
known to have a CO2 footprint of many tens
of millions of tonnes.
Indeed, whilst no one has yet been able to
attribute an accurate ‘share’ to each email,
it’s reasonable to assume - factoring in the
much greater volume of emails sent compared
with direct mail - that the e-comms industry
actually has a sizeable carbon footprint. |
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| So direct mail diehards’ consciences
remain clear. |
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| Moreover, while the weakness economy
may have contributed to declining direct mail
volumes, the cost of producing and posting
direct mail is lower now than it was in 2005. |
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| Savvy marketers take note. |
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| www.stevecalder.com |
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| FIND OUT – WITH A COMPREHENSIVE WEB CONTENT AUDIT |
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aving been involved with all things
interactive since the mid-1990s, it’s
fair to say Steve Calder understands
the intricacies of copywriting in
general – and of SEO (Search
Engine Optimisation) in particular. |
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No surprise then that he and his colleagues are
regularly called upon to review how clients’ content
is really performing. And how it could perform better
- enhancing sites’ overall stickiness, and maximising
customer interaction, engagement and conversion.
In the past, each such assignment was treated
‘on its merits’ – as a one-off consultancy project.
More recently, however, Steve has streamlined
the review process (and associated costs) into a
standardised 42 point web content audit, designed
to analyse how each page’s content guides
prospects from the search engine to the sale”.
The resulting 16 page report - flags underperforming
areas for attention, and sets down practical
recommendations for improvement.
Although it necessarily touches upon issues such
as meta tags, and the way that pages are coded,
Steve is at pains to point out that the content review
was developed for marketers – not developers.
He says, “It takes a team of experts to create websites
that work – all of whom look at sites in different ways.
“Programmers look at the code and how it
performs; making sure all links, navigation |
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buttons, and forms work properly.
Designers are concerned with the look and
visual appeal of the site – considering whether
it reflects the company’s branding standard;
its corporate colours, fonts, and imagery.
“We approach each web content audit from a
non-technical ‘strictly marketing’ standpoint. We look at
the messages on the site; dissecting and determining
how they appeal to customers; how they propel users
from page to page; how they focus on the visitor’s needs,
and – most importantly - how they stimulate sales.”
Each audit includes a review of clients’ chosen
keywords, enabling Steve to suggest how those
keywords can best be weaved into each page (and the
behind-the-scenes code) to create persuasive sales
copy that’s optimised for the main search engines.
He explains, “Good web copy is a juggling act. Without
SEO, there’d be no visitors. But if the copy isn’t
truly people-focussed, those visitors would quickly
move on – most likely to a competing business. |
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| “Our job is to maximise each visitor’s
interaction with our clients’ sites – and make
sure they keep coming back for more.” |
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| To discuss a fixed fee web content
audit for your business – or to request
a detailed proposal, without charge or
obligation – telephone 0844 556 1265. |
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he Association of Online Publishers predicts
a staggering 90% growth in online video
revenues this year. Its survey of 82 members
- which include News International. Channel
4 and Bauer Media – concluded that video
is a critical area for publishers, with 33% of |
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films regarding video as a ‘top priority’ for investment.
Rightly so. Comscore reports that 2009 saw 18%
growth in UK online video audiences, with 35.6 million
people taking in an incredible 6.7 billion videos.
No surprise then that YouTube is on track to
earn a cool $1 billion during 2010. |
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| For marketers, too, video represents
a huge opportunity. |
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| The use of multimedia makes for more engaging website
experiences – and a marked increase in customer conversions.
Proof if proof were needed: 64% of respondents to a 2009
AOl/Google survey – conducted by TNS Research – said
that, after viewing an online marketing video, they have taken |
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| action, either visiting a website or physical location, requesting
more information or making a purchase. |
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| And the really good news is: video
doesn’t have to cost the earth. |
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Although Steve has written ‘feature length’ scripts for
clients with £150,000+ production budgets, he regularly
creates 30-60 second ‘talking heads’ style pieces for
smaller firms too - the majority of whom produce their
own videos using a web cam and Windows Movie Maker
(which is a breeze to use, and completely free).
As importantly, with Viddler, YouTube et al to take
care of hosting and streaming, there are no extra
bandwidth costs to consider – which means there
really is nothing to deter even the most cash strapped
businesses from capitalising on the trend. |
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| For more information, or to discuss a script for
your next video or DRTV commercial, telephone
0844 556 1265. Or email steve@stevecalder.com |
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veta has looked after Steve Calder’s
Netherlands based customers for
almost ten years. During that time, the
Bulgarian born former management
consultant has balanced her sales,
marketing and customer service |
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| responsibilities with her role as Area
Director for Transatlantic Translations.
The synergies between Steve’s
business and Transatlantic’s are clear. |
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| Whilst Steve and his associates create a range of marketing and other communications – from email marketing campaigns to annual reports, press and media releases to case studies and white papers – Transatlantic’s network of native speaking copywriters, translators and interpreters are ideally placed to localise those materials into any of 150 or more languages. |
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| So if you’re planning to promote your
business beyond UK
shores, it really could
pay you to contact
Iveta now. |
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| You can reach her by
Telephone +31(0)715249381
Email iveta@stevecalder.com
On online - at http://www.stevecalder.com |
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| www.stevecalder.com |
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FROM GOOGLE SEARCH TO ONLINE SCAVENGER HUNTS
HOW TWITTER IS CHANGING THE SOCIAL MEDIA LANDSCAPE |
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f you’ve spent any time at all on Twitter –
and let’s face it: these days, who hasn’t?
- it will come as no surprise that around
40% of tweets constitute little more than
“pointless babble”. |
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That at least is the view of Pear Analytics
who, in their recent study, rated only 8.7%
of tweets as having “pass-along value” – an
essential tenet of viral marketing.
Fortunately, a number of innovative
marketers have begun showing the way –
employing the latest ‘twittervations’ to turn
tweets into traffic...
Google’s recent agreement to include tweets
in its search results has, of course, given
Twitter a huge fillip. But there are myriad
other ways to harness the power of micro
blogging in your business.
For instance, it’s ideal for tracking what
people are saying about you, your
competitors or your industry – allowing
you to search relevant keywords at Twitter
Search (http://search.twitter.com). Or to take
advantage of purpose-built widgets such as
TweetBeep which - like Google Alerts - send
you regular emails containing discussions |
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involving your chosen Twitter accounts or
topics.
Twitter is a terrific primary research tool too;
just send a link or question to your followers,
and watch the feedback flow in.
Above all, used properly – for which read:
innovatively - Twitter is a supremely effective
vechicle for driving traffic to your website.
Witness the success of Amazon.com affiliate
Twitterlit.com, which now runs twice-daily
games challenging Tweeters to guess the
title of a book based on its opening lines.
Participants are encouraged to click an
accompanying link – to the company’s
Amazon site - to check their answers.
Along similar lines, Buy.com’s Tweet n Seek
campaign - an online scavenger hunt –
requires the company’s followers to trawl
Facebook, Twitter, Fandango, YouTube and
of course Buy.com, to find answers to a
series of questions, which are then posted
on Buy.com‘s Facebook wall.
With prizes including unlocked iPhones,
Slingbox set-top boxes, and $500 movie
gift certificates, the campaign was |
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designed to expose new and existing
customers to as many of Buy.com‘s
products as possible.
It succeeded. Buy.com Inc. President and
CEO Neel Grover said, “Buy.com has
earned new fans ... from our Tweet n Seek
contests. With each [campaign] we added
new components and new companies. That
is what’s great about social media—it allows
you to tweak campaigns each time, keeping
them fresh and timely, which is essential
during a time of immediacy for news.”
With computing giant Dell reporting a
remarkable $6.5m in sales through its
Twitter profile – in less than three years
- micro blogging is clearly a marketing
medium whose time has come. |
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| To learn more about
Twitter, and the
opportunity it presents to
marketers, download your
complimentary copy of
Twitter: A beginner’s guide, in
the Downloads section at
www.articlesandebooks.com |
| You can follow Steve on Twitter @stevecalderuk |
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he number of marketing emails sent by
US retailers and wholesalers this year
will hit 158 billion, growing 63% to 258
billion in 2013. Forrester’s US Email
Marketing Volume Forecast (2009) |
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| More than seven out of ten employed respondents
check their personal email at work - and nearly
one-third do so more than three times
a day. AOL/Beta Research Corporation (June 2008) |
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60% of users employ two or more personal email
addresses, giving a different address to
entities they do not trust whilst
maintaining separate accounts for trustworthy
sources. Habeas (2008)
74% of Internet users aged 64 and older send
and receive email, making it the most
popular online activity for this age group.
Pew Internet and American Life Project (Feb 2009) |
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FREE GUIDE HELPS SMALLER FIRMS TO
SECURE TOP SEARCH RANKINGS |
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t’s a fact: Internet users simply
will not click through pages and
pages of search results to find
the information, products or
services they need. |
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A recent Georgia Tech survey
revealed that, whilst more than
80% of all Internet users find new
websites through search engines,
very few of those users are
prepared to venture past page one.
The university’s findings are echoed
in a 2008 study by JupiterResearch,
which concluded that 68% of
people would rather try another
search if they didn’t find what they
were looking for on the first page of
results.
And by iProspect, whose survey
that same year found that 92% of
web users either clicked a link–or
abandoned their search–on or before page three. |
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their online marketing costs.
No surprise then that, according
to Econsultancy, the SEO market
in the UK grew by 14% during
2009, to a value of £376 million
– with the total market for Search
Engine Marketing (i.e.: SEO
and Pay Per Click combined)
exceeding a staggering £3 billion.
Given all this, you can be
confident: your competitors are
investing heavily in SEO. And you
should too.
To help, Steve has created
a new ‘beginner’s guide’ to
SEO, entitled “Search Engine
Optimisation – Helping your
business to achieve top billing
in the leading search engines’
results pages”. |
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| The case for SEO is clear. |
| Optimising a website, to ensure it achieves the highest
possible rankings, gives website owners a real competitive
edge – helping them to raise their business’ profile. And cut |
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The guide is available to download now and for free
in the Downloads section at
http://www.articlesandebooks.com |
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| www.stevecalder.com |
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10 per hour rates belie robust,
standards- based semantic XHTML |
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Over the last year, Steve has run trial projects with
a succession of web developers throughout Asia,
Eastern Europe and the Philippines in search of a dependable source of support for his clients’ Search Engine
Optimisation campaigns.
Having worked closely with East European developers Sergei
and Igor since the Christmas break, he now feels confident in
offering the final piece of the search jigsaw: clean, standardsbased
XHTML coding.
Steve explains, “It’s all very well providing clients with properly
formatted, keyword rich copy. But if the underlying code is
poorly structured – built without CSS, or due regard to W3C
standards - our best efforts are in vain.
“Sergei and Igor adhere to the same demanding quality
standards that we ourselves insist upon.
“They understand the importance of search engine
optimisation, usability and accessibility. They speak
impeccable English. And of course they offer the highly
competitive rates that can only be |
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achieved by outsourcing to
Eastern Europe or Asia.
“Whilst Sergei draws on six years’ experience building XHTML
/ CSS websites, Igor is a supremely talented ‘all-rounder who
provides our SME clients with essential programming support
to help bring our more innovative online marketing campaigns
to life.
“By happy chance, Igor is a Wordpress whizz too – meaning
he’s able to step in to fix the chaos that invariably ensues
when I start tinkering with our blog site!” |
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| Further information on Steve Calder
Associates’ range of web services
for SMEs is available at
www.stevecalderassociates.com |
| Stay up to date with Steve’s blog at
www.articlesandebooks.com |
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teve Calder turned
author for the
second time this
year - partnering
with a new
London based consultancy
to create a comprehensive
website planning guide to
help smaller firms to take
their businesses online. |
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| Established to “bridge the
knowledge gulf that frequently
exists between smaller
firms and their chosen web
developers”, SMART WP – in
the form of Directors Geoff
Owen and Carol Mann –
offers a range of training
and consultancy services,
including workshops, |
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seminars and bespoke onsite
courses, to help
companies plan,
commission and
manage their
businesses’
new websites.
Geoff explains,
“The SMART
Start Guide to
Website Planning
was originally
developed to
support our clients
once they’ve
completed their
training and
returned to their
offices – providing |
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them with a practical ‘how
to’ manual that they can
refer to again and again.
“Such has been
its popularity, however,
that we’ve now begun
offering copies for sale
via our website.”
Geoff’s co-director Carol
continues, “The guide
cuts through the jargon
that so often prevents
SMEs from getting the
websites they deserve.
“It provides non-technical
readers with the information
they’ll need to plan their next
site; to put that site out to
tender; and to commission
a suitable developer -
constraining the related |
costs, and maintaining control
throughout every stage of
the building process.
”Since researching and writing
the 200 page guide – which
is available in print and
electronic formats - Steve has
gone on to create a series
of related articles, white
papers and reports to help
raise awareness of the
importance of thorough
website planning, and to
position SMART WP as
an innovator and thought
leader in the field.
Two further books - The
SMART Start Guide to
Online Marketing and
The SMART Start Guide
to Ecommerce – are
now in the pipeline. |
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| For more information on SMART WP, or to
purchase a copy of the guide, visit:
http://www.smartwp.co.uk |
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To receive future issues of Direct Response by email,
visit the Downloads section at http://resource-centre.stevecalder.com
Or email digitalresponse@stevecalder.com |
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GOT A COPYWRITING PROJECT TO DISCUSS?
Phone Steve now on
0844 556 1265
Email info@stevecalder.com |
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Digital Response is published by Steve Calder Associates ltd 13 Centre Road, Soham, Ely, Cambridge CB75AU
Registered in England, no. 7009973
DIGIT@L RESPONSE
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