The Seed Newsletter - November 06

November 2006 Newsletter

Welcome!

With the dark nights of November upon us and Christmas just around the corner, this issue of our regular e-letter is designed to help warm up your business with news and advice to help your business grow!

With marketing return on investment (ROI) key to business success, below we outline our tips on the best ways to manage your marketing strategy and get results. There's also an insight into the importance of getting the online marketing mix right, plus some examples of leads generated in November and an update on what's happening at The Seed.

We hope you're finding The Seed beneficial to your business, but if you have any comments or feedback on our service let us know.
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The Seed Team

The Do's and Don'ts of Marketing Strategy

In business it can be all too easy to spend large amounts of capital on marketing and advertising, yet get nothing back - no sales, no business leads, no ROI.

As with everything, there is a smart and a not-so-smart way to go about the marketing of a business, but having a clearly planned and defined strategy will certainly help you on the way to taking the smart route. Below are some of our tips to help you along the way...

Work to a plan
The best way to avoid unplanned marketing activities with no certainty of ROI is to stick to a costed plan. If there was no intention of advertising in Scunthorpe Business Weekly then you will have no problem telling the rep that approaches you with the last minute offer, that it just is not part of the plan! And remember, businesses that develop and use a marketing plan go on to out perform those that don't by an average of 30%.

Is there a bottom line benefit?
Don't be fooled by people who tell you that you need to advertise for awareness. That is a luxury of the global brand. You need to advertise for new business leads. It may be nice to sponsor your son's football team, but will it bring in new business or just a load of muddy shirts every Sunday? Before investing in anything consider carefully what you want to get out of it and what, realistically, it offers.

Avoid long-term commitments
Don't get into unnecessary long-term deals; it's easy to get suckered into a run of adverts or a fixed term PR contract that you just cannot get out of. If you lost your biggest client then all of a sudden your finances will suffer, then you could really use those spare funds to pay the staff or the rent.

Get online
Online marketing spend increased by 70% between 2004 and 2005, so if you are still not taking advantage of the online potential, you risk being left behind while your competitors race ahead of you. Pay-Per-Click and Pay-Per-Lead are highly effective and manageable forms of marketing, and in today's market an online presence is key. Plan your activity carefully and you can quickly see a very real return.

Go for scalability
Look at the marketing activity and ask yourself: if this works can I invest more and continue to get the same level of return, or will I be a victim of diminishing returns? Equally, if you are onto a good campaign the law of product lifecycles means that you only have a limited window before the competition catches up or technology supersedes your service. So your new business model needs to be able to be ramped up, and quickly.

In summary, don't be tempted to go over your budget with extravagant long-term advertising solutions and stick to your original plan. Manage your time effectively and always weigh up your options, and you'll be well on you way to marketing success!

Online Marketing - Making it Work for You

With the Internet increasingly an integral part of our daily lives, it is essential that small to medium size enterprises understand the importance of getting their online marketing mix right. According to recent figures from the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) internet advertising accounts for 10.5% of all advertising spend, reaching an estimated new record of $4.2 billion for the third quarter of 2006, and is set to overtake that of national newspapers by the end of 2006.

Online marketing is becoming increasingly powerful, so if you're still not taking advantage of the opportunities take a look at some of the avenues open to you - use them together and you'll quickly see the results.

Pay-Per-Lead (PPL)
Solutions such as The Seed, offer a highly effective way to advertise your business and generate new business leads. With excellent ROI, PPL can help boost your Internet presence with very low initial outlay. With PPL you only pay for each genuine targeted business lead you receive. If no leads are received there is nothing to pay. This is far more effective than hours of endless cold calling to people who have not expressed an interest in your business or its services. In addition, all leads from TheSeed.com are qualified, meaning that all potential leads are called and verified before being passed on to you - therefore guaranteeing the integrity of the lead and giving you demonstrable ROI. PPL is a vital type of online marketing for generating new business enquiries and supporting your web presence.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC)
Is another useful and manageable type of advertising that can offer a strong ROI, as long as you are careful about the search terms you choose. PPC allows you to buy your way to the top of search result pages and the more specific you are, the lower the costs and the better the conversion rate. For example, "accountant" might cost £2 per-click, but "accountant in Tamworth" might only cost 10p and would be much more suited to your needs if you only operate in the Tamworth area!

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Is an extremely efficient way to enhance your web presence. Search engine optimisation will ensure that your website is search engine "friendly" and is fully accessible by search engine spiders, increasing your web presence and boosting your search engine rankings - pushing you to the front of that initial web search by a potential customer.

According to a study from the European Interactive Advertising Association, online advertising is set to increase by over 65% by 2008, and with this in mind, SMEs simply cannot afford to be left behind. The key is to combine these online techniques as part of your marketing strategy to enhance your web presence and increase your business.

The Seed in the Spotlight

Did you spot us in the national press this month?

The Financial Times featured an article about The Seed in its issue on 18 November, showing just how interest in us is growing. You may also have read about us in the Birmingham Post, as well as on various online marketing and business websites.
Keep an eye out for us in next month's media!

Leads This Month

Below are a selection of sample leads generated over the last month. These example leads should give you a taste of the type of leads you will receive if signed-up to TheSeed.com.

Document scanning
Wednesday 22nd November 2006, 16:14
We have a requirement for a company to remove and scan financial documents. On average about 15000 documents per year. Documents going back 3 years. Must be easily searchable

Corporate clothing / work wear
Tuesday 14th November 2006, 12:33
Please supply a quote for:

50-100 polo shirts with logo mixed sizes
10-20 fleece jackets with logo
50-100 pairs of work pants various sizes

Telemarketing
Tuesday 28th November 2006, 16:23
We put on 5 annual b2b conferences/expos throughout the world (3 US, 1 UK, 1 Netherlands) focused on sector-horizontal niches within IT and Marketing departments (two co-located events).
Looking for a telemarketing partner for: follow up to mail pieces & emails, selling conf/expo passes to qualified lists (provided by us)
We are ultimately looking for an uplift on current direct marketing practices. Prefer results-based arrangement, although flat-fee pilots may be considered.

Top Tips

Chat to the seed

If you've ever had a question or query about any of our services at The Seed, yet have struggled to find the time to make a call to us during the busy working day, then why not give our online Live Chat facility a try?

Live Chat has been set up to help our customers by enabling them to chat to members of staff at The Seed regarding any queries they may have about our services. The chat facility works like an online messenger service, allowing customers to receive live support via an interactive chat window. It lets you speak directly to a member of staff at your leisure, so you can fit the support you need from us around your working day, at times convenient to you.

Why not log on and try out the Live Chat facility at
http://www.theseed.com/index/Help/

Feedback

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