Swimming Hippo welcome Mia Sutton

Our newest Swimming Hippo team member, Mia Sutton, joined us on the 1st of December. Mia will be completing an apprenticeship in Web Development in her first year with us and will be working as a Junior Digital Developer.

Initially Mia will be assigned to supporting you with email marketing, editing graphics and updating website content. She will also help with our own Swimming Hippo marketing, ensuring all of our clients receive regular updates and information about how Swimming Hippo can help improve your digital marketing.

Mia has previous experience in digital marketing, including management of company social media accounts and designing monthly email campaigns.

Mia also has a passion for photography, loves to travel and keep fit at the gym.

Local Business Google Search Marketing Frustrations!

A local business owner came into our studio last week frustrated by the cost and level of support being provided by two mass market companies who were contracted to manage his website, Google Adwords (Paid listings) and Google MyBusiness (Local listings) account. 

After a little digging around, I found that his AdWords account was showing adverts with wording not relevant to his business plus they were not covering the full area he covered. Additionally his Google MyBusiness was set up under a service that he actually offered, but it was not the primary term the business should have been listed under. 

In his frustration, the owner had set up his own AdWords account and MyBusiness account resulting in having duplicate accounts! 

This got me thinking... how many other local businesses are being 'supported' in such a way?

One way I have been able to help is by explaining the Google search results page landscape, what each section is and how it is managed (See screen grab): 

1) Google AdWords (Paid Listings) 

I'm sure you haven't failed to notice that a little while back Google changed the layout of its search results page so that the paid adverts no longer sit on the right hand side of your browser. Basically Google have tried to make their paid results look more 'native' by showing up to four adverts above merit listings and three below. This section is managed through Google AdWords or AdWords Express found in your MyBusiness account. Here you can select terms used that your advert will appear under when they are searched for, the wording of your advert and how much you are willing to pay to get higher in the list. 

2) Google MyBusiness (Local Listings) 

These adverts appear when terms are searched for that Google has registered as category's a local businesses fits into. So for example, when looking at the term "roofing repair evesham" the results page shows MyBusiness listings, the terms "roof maintenance" does not. At least three listings are shown here until that category is expanded, so you can see how important it is to set this up correctly. Google MyBusiness information can be edited in your Google + account. 

3) Merit Listings (Search Engine Optimisation) 

On some search result pages you have to scroll down past four AdWord listings, then three MyBusiness listings before you even get to a merit listing! A merit listing, as suggested by the name, is how Google reviews the merit of showing your website page above a competitors in the page results. This is commonly called search engine optimization and is managed through the content and structure of your website and using a technique called back link generation.  

Our aim is to reduce the monthly cost of local business online marketing spend whilst improving their results.  

We can help you fully understand how to achieve this and importantly exactly where and how effective your spend is. 

Call 01386 764747 or email joe@swimminghippo.co.uk if you are frustrated with your Google Search Marketing!

Get the best out of your Digital Marketing & Branding Agency

With the new year underway, companies are generally reviewing marketing strategies and budgets. They tend to question the effectiveness of their current marketing strategy - begging the question, are you using your Digital Marketing agency to its full potential?

If you have hired a digital marketing agency already it demonstrates you understand how valuable a digital presence can be for your business. In order to market your brand to its maximum potential use the services your digital marketing agency has to offer.

Increasing mobile usage
Each year the increase in mobile usage continues to grow with 67.1% of people accessing the internet on their phone. So, unsurprisingly, the use of mobile marketing will be a key trend to follow in 2016, which also means if your digital marketing plan is not mobile then it really should be.

Social Media Marketing
Are you using Social Media within your company and how can you make this work for you? Digital marketing is ever changing and social media is no exception. Facebook and Twitter are becoming the most powerful marketing tools out their. 65% of adults used social media in 2015 which is nearly 10 times for than in 2005. (Pewinternet.org, 2015). If you're not using social media in some form for your business then the question is why not? Interacting with your customers through social media is proven to increase your online presence.

Email Marketing
You may be thinking, I already have an email marketing strategy in place. But what some business' are failing to realise is that emails are less likely to be opened on desktop computers but rather on smartphones - '45% of email opens occurred on mobile, 36% on desktop and 19% in a webmail client.' – Adestra “Top 10 email clients” (March 2015), so optimising your email template for mobile is essential if you want to increase your click through and open rates!

Use your Google Business Tools!
Get your Google Business page set up! Its surprising how many companies still don't use Google Tools to their full potential, with Google AdWords, PPC, Analytics and Business Page make sure you have these services in place which will meaning spending some money in order to maximum your companies search engine optimisation! Show the world you're open for business . Google (2016)

Use Video
Don't be afraid to take advantage of your Digital Marketing agencies expertise and trust them to increase your brands digital exposure through a variety of different medias, a key channel to be used in 2016 is video. By 2017, video will account for 69% of all consumer internet traffic, according to Cisco. Including this in your marketing strategy is imperative to engage with your users. For any social media campaign, any SEO exercise, video is without doubt one of the best tools in the kit.

So, make use of your Digital Marketing Agency and use these digital marketing tools to get the best for your business! If you have any questions about Digital Marketing & Branding, email create@swimminghippo.co.uk