We’ve also just been listed as a Top 100 design agency by The Drum!

This Is a Call!..

The majority of our time is spent designing for the Web. We create initial designs, work concepts until a client is happy and then lovingly slice and build using standards-friendly boilerplate HTML and CSS. The result then being published to a space of their choice, our own content management system or our bespoke eCommerce platform.

We also design HTML emails, offer a bespoke design branding package and a range of print work including advertising and marketing collateral.

Are You Experienced?

Whether you’re freelance looking to move to an agency, an in-house designer wanting greater variation or you’re already working with an agency and need a new challenge - we want to hear from you.

You must be a creative thinking designer with the ability to work with a concept until it’s just right. We regularly work with detailed brand guidelines so attention to detail and accuracy are key skills. We’re keen to find someone with a unique design style, an impressive portfolio and the flexibility to meet deadlines whilst keeping quality foremost.   You will also need the technical skills to build a site using standards-based HTML/CSS.

Think About You…

• Solid, demonstrable experience of a creative web design role
  
• Confident talking to clients of all levels from sole trader to blue chips
• Able to work alone or as part of a team; managing your time and workload accordingly
• Not scared to take creative risks and challenge a client brief
• Produce detailed, client ready concepts quickly and accurately
• Overly familar with Fireworks, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash and has had an on/off relationship with inDesign
• Can quickly and confidently code to standards based HTML and CSS, has previous with jQuery
• Marketing and/or Print experience an advantage

So Here We Are

Zen Web Solutions are part of the UK’s largest independent ISP, Zen Internet, providing broadband, fibre broadband, web hosting and domain names. We essentially operate as a separate entity – a digital marketing agency offering a full range of services.

Some of the brands, both large and small, we’ve worked with are below, you’ll have the opportunity to work on exciting projects like these both individually and as part of a team.

Wish You Were Here?

We’re easy to reach, based in Greater Manchester at Sandbrook Park, just off the M62 near Rochdale to be exact. Our office is within in a large, open plan building owned by us – you can see pictures and details below (and more here http://www.sandbrookhouse.co.uk/)

Zen Web Solutions is based in the west wing of the building, occupying a large portion of the second floor. Our team is made up of developers, Web designers, sales consultants and digital consultants (SEOs). We’re close (maybe too close!) to the coffee lounge which offers hot and cold drinks, a selection of sandwiches as well as pastries and chocolates.

We regularly venture out into Manchester and the local area for nights out, meals and drinks – the company holds Summer and Christmas parties for staff and their families too.

Fake Plastic Trees

Some companies will place a fake plastic tree in the office and claim it enhances the working environment.
We think we can do better…

• Free tea, coffee and orange juice
• Free fruit
• Games room featuring ping pong, pool, table foosball and old school arcades
• Subsidised meals in our restaurant
• Free broadband account
• Casual dress code
• 22 days holiday (rising by one day per year to a max of 28)
• Discounts from many local businesses
• Discounted Zen products and services
• Free secure car parking
• Pension scheme
• Monthly massage
• Salary review every 6 months

Speed of Life

Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. We can be sure you’ll be joining one of the best places to work in IT.

Time Is Running Out!

If you’re interested in the Web Designer role and would like to apply, please send your CV to Marlon Franklin. For more info about Zen Web Solutions have a browse around our site, find us on Twitter or read more of the blog.

(Remember it’s essential that you’re eligible to work in the UK – you will be required to provide evidence of your eligibility to work during the selection process.)

Photo Credit

Looking for a Web Design job in Manchester? was created by Zen Web Solutions, a Digital Marketing Agency

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ZWS a ‘top 60′ Design Agency in the UK

So we’re ranked 54th overall, but we’re also top 10 in the North West and if you look at agencies who specialise purely in digital then we’re 5th

To be ranked as one of the 100 biggest agencies in the UK is something the whole team is really proud of, we work really hard for all our clients and it’s good to see we’re doing well.

The list is published online (see link below) as well as in a special edition of The Drum. Each top 100 design agency gets their own profile with a selection of stats and a small bio.

As well as this, they’ve choosen a small group of the best design work to feature throughout the magazine. It’s really great to see that they selected one of our designs for the opening page of the Design 100 feature! It’s a really cool design for the upcoming Whitworth Children’s Centre website.

You can read more about The Drum 100 here:
http://www.thedrum.co.uk/news/2012/03/30/imagination-leads-drum-design-100-list-2012

See the full 100 here:
http://www.thedrum.co.uk/design-100-2012 

A pretty good day all round! If you’re looking for a digital partner, maybe give a top 100 agency a call

We’re listed in the Drum Design 100 top agencies in the UK was created by Zen Web Solutions, a Digital Marketing Agency

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Well, she did have a point…

We covered the initial story on the blog back in September 2011 but it seems to have reached the mainstream media only recently. Lily received a letter from Chris in the Sainsbury’s customer service team and they attached a £3 gift card for her to buy sweets with.

Whilst a personal reply is always a nice touch, correspondence from a three and a half year old might not be taken seriously by many. However, not only did she get a personal reply (and don’t forget the gift card) it seems that she managed to stir something in the Sainsbury’s product team – maybe they knew all along it didn’t look like a tiger?

So Sainsbury’s thinks it looks like a giraffe too…

The letter and its story went around the Web and seemed to really shine a positive light on Sainsbury’s for responding to the youngster and thanking her for her input. They obviously thought long and hard and have finally decided that she’s right, it does look more like giraffe bread than tiger bread

Cue more PR and Social coverage for Sainsbury’s – nice move…

Update: Sainsbury’s rename Tiger bread to Giraffe bread was created by Zen Web Solutions, a Digital Marketing Agency

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This role benefits from existing accounts, qualified appointments and a large existing prospective customer base. The ideal candidate will therefore possess the ability to manage and develop business from both prospective and existing customers and enjoy selling the right solution to fit the needs of each client

Having the experience of building working relationships with key decision makers is the key to success in this job.  You must be confident and able to provide sound information and advice, identify the needs of the client and provide the right solution. The ability to cross-sell, negotiate & close a deal is vital.

What does the Business Development Consultant role involve?

Far from a traditional ‘sales job’ – Business Development Consultants at Zen Web Solutions are encouraged to gain an in depth understanding of the services we provide and how they can benefit the client.

You’ll be shown how ecommerce platforms, blogs, content management systems and digital marketing work, and how they can dramatically affect a company for the better.

Each consultant will work alongside our existing team of designers, developers and digital marketers to ensure they have the relevant support and knowledge to perform their job.

Who Are Zen Web Solutions?

We’re a digital marketing agency based in Greater Manchester. We’ve a division of Zen Internet – the multi award-winning Internet Service Provider. From our headquarters with over 400 staff we provide broadband connections, hosting, domain names, VPNs, talk plans and more.

The team at Zen Web Solutions are passionate about the Web. We build, tweak, design and promote our way through the working week – and enjoying tour free time just as much!

Why should I apply for the BDC job?

We operate in a professional environment with a relaxed ‘feel’ to it and actively encourage our team members to continually develop their skills and contribute back to Zen Web Solutions.  We’re also well located whether you’re a local or need to commute off the motorway (we’re literally a minute off the M62 motorway, near to Rochdale).

We’re a sociable crowd here at Zen, with two organised company parties annual – Summer party and Christmas party, for both staff and families, and other nights out for meals and drinks as a division.  We also attend many industry related exhibitions and conferences and ‘we love the web’.

Oh, and Zen’s ‘Starbucks’ style coffee lounge is just across the hallway, laden with cakes and pastries, but that’s not necessarily a good thing…  

Perks of the job…

In addition to being a part of a great team of like minded people, here’s just a few of the ‘perks of the job’.

• Free fruit, free fruit and more free fruit
• A casual dress code (except for when you’re in meetings)
• As a Zen employee you’d be entitled to a free broadband account
• Free car park facilities in our secure company car park
• Salary reviews at six monthly intervals
• Industry competitive rates of pay
• Coffee, tea, freshly squeezed orange juice – all free
• You’d be a member of a winning team of talented people
• 22 days per annum paid holidays, rising annually by one up to 28 days max per annum
• Coffee lounge and restaurant subsidised
• Arcade games, pool table, ping pong and more for staff
• Discounted Zen Internet services
• Discounted services from many local business as a Zen staff member

So, who’s right for the Business Development Consultant role?

Ideally you’ll have experience in a digital industry, selling great products to a range of different businesses. Targeted, focused and friendly – we’re looking to find the right personality as well as the right skill set.

This role is an opportunity to work at one of the best places to work in IT – it’s official http://www.zen.co.uk/latest-news.aspx?page=10540

You can find the full Business Development Consultant job specification at:
http://www.zen.co.uk/careers.aspx?page=139&vacancyid=106

Some of the companies we’ve worked with are below (either we’ve designed/built their website, or we’ve helped them to promote their website online), you’ll have the opportunity to work on exciting projects like these both individually and as part of the Zen Web Solutions team.

Are you interested in this sales job?

If you’re interested in this role and would like to apply, please send your CV to hr@zen.co.uk.

For more info about Zen Web Solutions have a browse around our site, find us on Twitter or read more of the Zen Web Solutions blog.

(Remember it’s essential that you’re eligible to work in the UK – you will be required to provide evidence of your eligibility to work during the selection process.)

Sales Jobs: We’re looking for a Business Development Consultant was created by Zen Web Solutions, a Digital Marketing Agency

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This recruitment is still active

Our digital marketing team is growing, we’re taking on more great new SEO clients and we need to add to the team.

What SEO roles are available?

We’re looking for an SEO Consultant to join our office based team. The range of work includes technical SEO (analysis and implementation), on page optimisation, performance analysis, outreach, consulting with clients, coaching other team members, reporting, keyword research, copy writing, link building, infographics and blog posts. 

However, we also do a good deal of social media and email marketing, something that’s growing all the time. Having experience in this area is a must.

About Zen Web Solutions

We’re part of the UK’s largest independent ISP, Zen Internet, providing broadband, fibre broadband, web hosting and domain names. We essentially operate as a separate entity – a digital marketing agency offering a full range of services.

You’ll enjoy working with us because…

We’re easy to reach, based in Greater Manchester at Sandbrook Park, just off the M62 near Rochdale to be exact. Our office is within in a large, open plan building owned by us – you can see pictures and details below (and more here http://www.sandbrookhouse.co.uk/)

Zen Web Solutions is based in the west wing of the building, occupying a large portion of the second floor. Our team is made up of developers, designers, sales consultants and digital consultants (SEOs). We’re close (maybe too close!) to the coffee lounge which offers hot and cold drinks, a selection of sandwiches as well as pastries and chocolates.

The digital marketing team works in a relaxed, yet professional environment, utilising cloud project management tools at dual monitor workstations. We attend industry events including the Distilled/SEOmoz Pro Training Seminar series and blog or tweet regularly about SEO/social topics.

We regularly venture out into Manchester and the local area for nights out, meals and drinks – the company holds Summer and Christmas parties for staff and their families too.

The perks list

• Free tea, coffee and orange juice
• Free fruit
• Games room featuring ping pong, pool, table foosball and old school arcades
• Subsidised meals in our restaurant
• Free broadband account
• Casual dress code
• 22 days holiday (rising by one day per year to a max of 28)
• Discounts from many local businesses
• Discounted Zen products and services
• Free secure car parking
• Salary review every 6 months

The right person for the job…

So if you’re an SEO with commercial experience working in an agency, client side or freelance, and can demonstrate a real passion for the SEO industry (and tangible results!) – we want to hear from you.

It’s a great opportunity to join one of the best places to work in IT.

Some of the brands we’ve worked with are below, you’ll have the opportunity to work on exciting projects like these both individually and as part of a team.

Sounds like something you’re interested in?

If you’re interested in either role and would like to apply, please send your CV to hr@zen.co.uk

For more info about Zen Web Solutions have a browse around our site, find us on Twitter or read more of the blog.

(Remember it’s essential that you’re eligible to work in the UK – you will be required to provide evidence of your eligibility to work during the selection process.)

SEO Jobs: SEO Consultants wanted was created by Zen Web Solutions, a Digital Marketing Agency

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“To delight the customer with products and service which exceed their expectations through the continuous development of our people and systems”.

About Brown McFarlane

Brown McFarlane stock holds and distributes stainless steel from the UK, Singapore, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.

They specialise in duplex and super duplex plate as well as boiler plate steel, pressure vessel steel, tempered steel and armour plate.

Established over 120 years ago in 1889, Brown McFarlane has cemented its position with the metal industry and continues to grow organically.

Brown McFarlane specialist knowledge has derived from many years of trading within the steel industry.

Digital Marketing Strategy: Steel Industry

Zen Web Solutions developed a digital marketing approach tailored to suit the business needs of Brown McFarlane’s. It was important for us to develop a strategy that aligned to the goals and the mission statement of the business.

The redesign and launch of a new content management system assists the company in publishing press releases in a time-efficient manner. Therefore,  the customers of the business remain informed about any recent business developments.

The metals industry is very competitive and inevitably this transfers to the digital markets as well. Our search engine optimisation (SEO) services provides the solution to ensure that Brown McFarlane’s website remains competitive and performs well in search engines.

Current Ranking Results from SEOs

We have recently checked how Brown McFarlane performs in Google UK for the products that they specialise in. Here is the list:

• Duplex Steel: 6th place.
• Super Duplex Steel: 9th place.
• Pressure Vessel Steel Plate: 5th, 6th and 7th place.
• Boiler Plate Steel: 5th place.
• HIC Steel Plate:  3rd, 4th and 5th place.
• Cold Forming Steel: 2nd and 3rd place.
• Armour plate: 7th place.
• Yield Steel Plate: 5th place
• Tempered Steel Plate: 3rd place
• Abrasion Resistant Steel Plate: 5th place.
• Chrome Moly Plate:  5th place.

Brown McFarlane currently ranks on the first page of Google UK for for their range of metal products. However, our focus now is to move them further up the rankings, increasing relevant visitors and driving enquiries.

Client Focus: Brown McFarlane was created by Zen Web Solutions, a Digital Marketing Agency

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SearchLove Topics

The topics covered at the SearchLove event include; content strategies, WordPress SEO, big business SEO, competitor analysis, social integration, SEO tool kits, personalisation, outreach, link building case studies, gamification, link building and others (there’s a full list here). All of which will be delivered from the perspectives of the 15 highly experienced speakers.

Lots of tweets + Wordle + some fiddling = cool word clouds

So in anticipation of the event we took the 199 latest tweets from each speaker’s twitter profile to see what words they used most often. We removed common words, twitter usernames and ‘RT’ occasionally (only if it was used so often that it dwarfed any other words!).

It’s only a bit of fun ahead of the conference but hopefully this should give you a small insight into each speaker, the kind of things they say and what type of stuff they share on Twitter. It might even let you play ‘SearchLove Speaker Bingo’ with the person next to you at the event…

Hey, Tom just said “awesome”…

…well Rich Baxter just said “epic”

So, here’s what you can expect to hear from each speakers at the event:

Will Critchlow (Distilled) | @willcritchlow

The co-founder of Distilled, Will Critchlow is most likely to explore the key ‘search’ themes that link back to his experience with SearchLove, LinkLove and SeedCamp. Some of Will’s most frequently used words are ‘like’, ‘thanks’, ‘good’ and ‘love’ – sounds like a nice chap

Tom Critchlow (Distilled) | @tomcritchlow

The Head of Search Marketing at Distilled (NYC), Tom Critchlow can often be found tweeting the word ‘awesome’. It’s evident that Tom works out of the Distilled office in New York as he regularly tweets about NYC and Brooklyn. Just like his brother, Tom tends to use the word ‘like’ a fair bit. He’s obviously sharing and commenting on tonnes of ‘posts’ too.

Rand Fishkin (SEOmoz) | @randfish

The co-founder of SEOmoz is sure to make a BIG impact at the SearchLove conference. Rand’s recent tweets have focused on the more social side of digital marketing, especially since the release of Google+. We’re sure to pick up a range of SEO tricks and tips at the SearchLove conference from Rand’s presentation. Like Tom he’s a fan of the word ‘awesome’.

Joanna Lord (SEOmoz) | @joannalord

Also representing SEOmoz, Joanna Lord will be flying in from Seattle to present at SearchLove. Joanna’s an expert in PPC, search engine optimisation and online marketing. Her tweets highlight her love for ‘analytics’ so the all important return on investment (ROI) can be measured. She ‘loves’ and ‘likes’ in reasonably equal measures, and if you help her out she’s sure to say ‘thanks’

Wil Reynolds (SEER) | @wilreynolds

The founder of SEER Interactive, Wil Reynolds will be bringing his SEO expertise from Philadelphia to London in October. His tweets don’t really give much away in terms which search topics are currently relevant to him. However, we’re looking forward to seeing the ‘dude’ in person at the event.

Patrick Altoft (Branded3) | @patrickaltoft

Did someone mention Google? We have a feeling that Patrick Altoft will be mentioning the search giant at SearchLove 2011. His vast ‘SEO’ knowledge focuses on the topics of ‘Analytics’, ‘Adwords’ and most recently – Google ‘Panda’. He’s a fan of the ‘win’ and likes ‘new’ stuff  ’now’

Stephen Pavlovich (Conversion Factory) | @conversionfac

He is often referred to as the ‘conversion guru’ which is not surprising considering the amount of times Stephen tweets the word ‘conversion’ We’ll definitely be paying close attention to Stephen’s advice on converting web traffic into web sales. He’s a guy who’ll says ‘thanks’ plenty and attends a range of conferences (a4uexpo & thinkvisibility were mentioned often).

Mat Clayton (Mixcloud) | @matclayton

Founder of Mixcloud, Mat Clayton is sure to deliver an ‘awesome’ presentation with a strong emphasis on things that are relevant ‘now’. His tweets don’t give away too much but he’s obviously talking to a load of colleagues and friends on a regular basis. ‘Cheers’ is his word of choice when thanking people on Twitter

Wiep Knol (Linkbuilding.nl) | @wiep

Coming all the way from the Netherlands, Wiep Knol is a big name in the world of ‘link’ building. The SEO world according to Wiep’s twitter account focuses on strong ‘links’ and strong ‘content’. Wiep has recently been tweeting about Google Panda as well as interesting infographics that catch his attention.

Joost de Valk (Yoast) | @yoast

Joost de Valk will bring his expertise in SEO and WordPress to SearchLove. His tweets usually explore the implementation of WordPress themes and plugins. We expect Joost to merge his two favourite technical subjects and discuss SEO for WordPress websites in huge depth.

Richard Baxter (SEOgadget) | @richardbaxter

Richard is the Director and founder of SEO agency ‘SEO Gadget’. His tweets tends to focus on the stuff he has been ‘reading’ recently. He also likes to encourage his followers to ‘think’. Richard is clearly well travelled with multiple mentions of London, Seattle and Vegas (lucky guy!). He’s a fan of some nice ‘nom’ and great ‘data’. Things are often ‘epic’ around Rich’s neck of the woods too

Ciarán Norris (Mindshare) | @ciaranj

Ciarán mixes his tweets up by exploring a range of media and technological topics. He focuses on the big players within the digital world; ‘Apple’, ‘Google’ and ‘Facebook’.  Ciarán currently works as the Head of Digital at MindShare. He’s a ‘social’ guy with a hunger for ‘interesting’ stuff.

Hannah Smith (Distilled) | @hannah_bo_banna

Hannah is currently an SEO consultant at Distilled. Hannah maintains the Distilled culture by frequently using the word ‘like’ in her tweets. She’s also extremely polite, lot’s of ‘thanks’, ‘lovely’, ‘good’ and plenty of ‘awesome’! Throw in some ‘giggles’ and a a bit of ‘luck’ and you’ve got a good picture of Hannah

Rob Ousbey (Distilled) | @robousbey

It’s clear from the word cloud that Rob works out of the ‘Seattle’ Distilled office. Rob’s likely to discuss the ‘new’ aspects of SEO at SearchLove. Our team’s already looking forward to hearing Rob’s ‘awesome’ speech at the conference!

Martin MacDonald (Seoforums.org) | @seoforumsorg

The Head of Search at Omnicom Media Group (OMG), Martin MacDonald frequently tweets interesting topics relating to the topic of SEO . It’s clear from his tweets that he’s a regular guest speaker at key SEO conferences including; SESAmsterdam, SEOktoberfest and SearchLove. Get to know Martin and I’m sure you’ll be his ‘mate’ pretty soon He’s also another fan of ‘awesome’…

So all in all the speakers at SearchLove have some things in common, they’re all a pretty polite bunch, they love awesome stuff and they live for SEO (of one type or another). All good signs, should be a good one!

Make sure you follow us on Twitter @zws - we’ll be reporting live from the event in October.

Additionally, the hashtag for the conference this year is: #SearchLove

If you’ve not got your ticket yet, what are you waiting for?! Take a look here – Buy SearchLove Tickets

Words you’re likely to hear at SearchLove London 2011 was created by Zen Web Solutions, a Digital Marketing Agency

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The bespoke web development, which acts as an intranet system, allows trade customer to manage their orders, see price lists, gain access to customer service information, place orders and view deliveries.

The system is a large investment for Cormar and shows continued dedication to their trade customers. It’s designed to be an additional channel to use when conversing with the company, not to replace existing human relationships. Over the next few weeks the entire customer base will be notified of the new system and the sales team will demonstrate it live to a large percentage of them.

We attended the Harrogate Flooring Show (4th – 6th Sept) to assist Cormar with the promotion and presentation of the system. Cormar invested in a large show stand complete with flat screen monitors, carpet samples and iPads.

You can see a few photos from the day below as well as a screenshot of the portal system.

We support Cormar Carpets at recent Trade Show was created by Zen Web Solutions, a Digital Marketing Agency

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What do businesses consider the best & worst marketing tactics they used in 2010?

If we’re going to look at 2011 onwards then looking at last year is a good start. HubSpot, the marketing software platform, have released their State of Inbound Marketing report (PDF) which looks back at 2010 to pull together a tonne of useful statistics garnered directly from businesses.

Two areas that jumped out as being really useful were the word clouds created from the answers to the main question posed above. The rest of the report delves deeply into other areas but there’s some key takeaways contained just within these clouds.

The Best Marketing Tactics

Here’s what businesses thought brought them most new leads or business – the heroes of marketing. Straight off the bat we can see that social media, SEO, email marketing – and even just having a website – proved to be the top tactics. Others that performed well include Facebook (which also comes under the umbrella of ‘social’), blogging and networking (it’s not clear whether this is offline or online networking – maybe it’s a mix of both).

The Worst Marketing Tactics

Onto the bad guys, the time wasters and the money pits…or maybe that’s being a bit dramatic.

Direct marketing looks to be the main culprit – it’s not made clear exactly what people include under that wide banner, it certainly can stretch right from direct (snail) mail to television advertising and even into email.

Next we’ve got mail, trade advertising, email, trade shows, PPC and social. Others worth mentioning include print (which surely touches on direct mail too), cold calling & telemarketing.

Some tactics appear in both clouds, what gives?

It’s clear that there’s some crossover in the best and worst tactics, it’s to be expected – not everyone has a good/bad experience with the same marketing medium.

Email Marketing

Email marketing features in both clouds, as does social media. It’s not a coincidence that both these mediums can be tricky to master but are easy to ”dabble with’. That’s a dangerous combination

We’ve all received abysmal emails built with the best intentions in HTML, but which look they’ve had an argument with an angry man wielding a hammer. These types of email will undoubtedly have low conversion rates, leaving the business disappointed and the medium tainted in their eyes.

Social Media

It’s a similar story with social media. Remember that “We’re launching a social campaign”, can mean someone in marketing has created a Facebook page and a signed up for a Twitter account. That’s not social media at it’s best. The most basic Facebook page on its own won’t do a great deal; it’s the advanced setup, conversations, creative input and ongoing management which help to make it a success.

In a similar vein, following Stephen Fry on Twitter may be interesting for the first week or so, but replying to a tweet from one of your customers would be a far better use of your time.

Can we draw any conclusions? Even better, can we work out what the best marketing tactics for 2011 and beyond might be?

If you own a business or you’re in charge of making decisions about marketing spend, there’s nothing worse than leaping into the unknown and ‘giving something a try’ if money is tight or it’s your head on the block. That’s why using past data to make these decisions will hopefully start you on a firmer footing.

When looking at the ‘top’ tactics from each word cloud it’s easy to draw some pretty useful conclusions – something we can actually use.

So, what does make a ‘good’ marketing tactic in 2011 (and so probably in the near future)?

A personal connection to your customer – instead of dropping a generic flyer through their door, get in touch with them on Facebook/Twitter – it’s far more likely to result in a conversation.

Responding to them within a medium they’re already using – people who use a social site would prefer a tweet or Facebook status update over a cold call any day. Also, if they’re blogging about you or your service/product, comment on their post or tweet it to your followers (remembering to @ them too).

Being there when they search for you or your product – use SEO effectively to make sure your website ranks for the services and products you provide, it feels less like you’re being marketed at when you make the choice from the Google results page.

If you’re going to use social or email marketing, make sure you’re doing it right – but first, make sure it’s right for your business. FMCG retailers and businesses in B2C markets can really benefit from social and email in most cases. B2B businesses can definitely get in on the act too, but do your research first. You might actually be surprised to find a really active community talking about your plastic widgets or metal flanges…

If you do use offline marketing, make it as ‘trackable’ as possible – use a custom or campaign URL where possible (i.e. www.domain.com/offer), create a unique phone number linked to a specific medium, or think about using QR codes to track interactions. So or the negative feeling for the more traditional marketing methods may largely come from a lack of visible ROI.

Finally…

Obviously the very nature of direct and outbound marketing involves reaching people who don’t know your business, or aren’t currently a customer.

We’re not saying that you shouldn’t be looking to attract these people because they don’t know you – precisely the opposite in fact. It’s just that to attract these people to your business, you need to make sure you’re active in channels you know they’re active in (a properly designed and managed Facebook/Twitter account) and your site appears for phrases you know people search for (using SEO).

The overriding feeling coming out of all this is that ‘personal is best’. People never like feeling they’re being marketed to – they prefer to communicate with brands and businesses  in ways they’re comfortable with.

If you need help with social media, SEO or email marketing, we’re all ears! Contact us today and speak with one of our consultants.

The Best (and Worst) Marketing Tactics for 2011 and beyond was created by Zen Web Solutions, a Digital Marketing Agency

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You don’t make a purchase on any site and you don’t share your contact details with them. Yet, upon arriving at your favourite blog or music streaming site you begin to see a constant stream of ads for flights, clothing and hotels.

Welcome to the world of ad retargeting. It is by no means a new technology but is certainly an innovative and potentially controversial buzz word in online marketing right now.

The New EU Cookie Directive

I don’t know about you, but to me the phrase “EU Cookie Directive” conjures up memories of mid-nineties dance tracks – but I digress. The Urban Cookie Collective The EU Cookie Directive – some say – was devised with the sole purpose of combatting/regulating the ever growing industry of cookie based display advertising.

For more on the cookie directive, please see Nadeem’s post on the legislation from March 2011.

I have mixed feelings about this type of advertising, on one hand I am of the opinion of “hey, if I am interested in that particular product (i.e. flights) and the ads are dynamically updating me on prices why not show me them” and the other hand is “hmm, this is a little uncomfortable, and slightly intrusive”

Here’s how it works in a nutshell:

Step 1:

Your travel/clothing site collects data about your visit and stores it within your browser by cookie.

Step 2:

Your favourite blog allocates advertising space to one of many ad retargeting platforms

Step 3:

Upon visiting the blog, your browser cookie interracts with the ad retargeting network to display relevant ads.

This ad display continues until the cookie on your browser expires.

The new cookie directives though have had some impact. This technology has been around for a while, without the opportunity to opt-out but on almost all ad creative nowadays you are given the chance to remove yourself from those networks (pictured) within a link for “Ad Choices”. AdRoll have the pick of these for me, with an overlay offering the opportunity to get more information and to opt-out when clicked.

This is a step in the right direction, I think ultimately it is a very smart way of proactively advertising products and as long as users are given the opportunity to browse incognito it works.

There are several early movers in this new tech boom, each with slightly differing services. Right now I would say ReTargeter, AdRoll and Criteo are the front runners with quite a wide reach, but a whole sub-industry is developing for the actual creation of these dynamic ads themselves (for more e-commerce led advertisers) with Struq currently pioneering the dynamic creation ad retargeting model, retailers can link product inventories to the Struq network for ‘on-the-fly’ ad creation based on previously viewed items, really innovative stuff.

It is an interesting time for, and puts a whole new spin on display advertising. I have no doubt whatsoever that this will improve ROI for advertisers, with a one-time-cost PPC click potentially resulting in hundreds of targeted ad display impressions to interested parties.

Costs for advertisers run in the order of £350 ($500) per month for the lowest packages on all networks, but AdRoll offers a two week free trial. Retargeting ads sit separately to any other display advertising/PPC activity.

In the interests of balance, here are the links to opt-out from the various display networks:

AdRoll Opt Out
Criteo Opt Out
ReTargeter Opt Out
Struq Opt Out

Or head to new startup Privacy Choice for tools and info on ad tracking: privacychoice.org

I for one am keeping an eye on what opportunities this represents for digital marketing agencies, and actually lean more towards the “this is good for the industry” camp.

Keen to hear any thoughts on whether this is intrusive for users, ingenious for advertisers or a bit of both.

Liam

What is Ad Retargeting? Cookies and the Display Advertising Boom was created by Zen Web Solutions, a Digital Marketing Agency

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