Swift and Cuckoo - Digital Design Services

LinkedIn is a great business tool for connecting with individuals in a more business focused setting, and is particularly good at connecting B2B (business to business) companies. According to the 2015 Social Media Marketing Industry report, LinkedIn has surpassed Facebook as the #1 most important social platform for B2B marketers. Over 62% of business owners use the platform. After research on LinkedIn, I believe it offers a much more professional business approach compared to other social media platforms, and will be the perfect platform for me to establish thought leadership in my business enterprise, and increase trust and reputation in the process. Unlike Facebook, LinkedIn has no filtered feed, so when I post an update on my LinkedIn company page, it appears in my followers’ feeds, regardless of how often they have interacted with my posts in the past. Having a properly optimised LinkedIn profile and company page will also help to increase my chances of ranking in Google s...

It was fantastic to meet Rachel Simpson who has developed her own footwear range for wedding and occasion wear. She talked about how she started her business enterprise, and her path from being employed by big clothing organisations such as Next, to building her own business. It was really interesting to hear about the difficulties she faced and learning moments, as well as hearing about successes with developing new product ranges and branching out into bags and accessories. Find out more about Rachel’s work: https://www.rachelsimpsonshoes.co.uk/

Google Plus (also known as Google+) is a social media network that offers the opportunity to connect with a community of customers and fans. Unlike other networks, Google Plus has a much bigger impact on SEO and search traffic volume. Having a Google Plus Page will help my business to become more visible in Google searches through organic ranking, allowing me to increase my connections. My business listing will automatically be linked to Google maps making it easier for users to get directions to my place of business. It can also help make images and YouTube videos more findable. I can organise those connections on Google Plus, and segment my key audiences so that i can share relevant content to that target. Users can post reviews on my services which will help build my reputation and trust in my brand.

I met David James Ross who is an SEO Consultant. He delivers training and consultancy to help businesses increase productive search traffic, through optimisation and website improvements. He can also offer optimisation services for other platforms such as Amazon.   His knowledge and experience on SEO is fantastic and he really made it easy to understand with the use of examples. He identified best practices as well as outlining the basic do’s and don’t’s which would be valuable to the novice.

Networking and events are still one of the best ways to connect with potential consumers because it encourages face-to-face interactions. Attending events will give me the opportunity to create and strengthen relationships with other companies in the same field, as well as connect with key industry partners. I can also connect in person with established clients as well as meeting new consumers. I can learn about market trends and opportunities as well as gain an insight into any competitors in the market place.

I have learned that it is vital to have an effective digital marketing strategy in order for my business to succeed, with around 80% of consumers being more inclined to buy more often  because of brand's presence on social media, according to amplifyonline.co.uk. We explored how technology and communication was used to connect with consumers in the past. These included direct mail, telecommunication, and fax. We then took a look at the latest digital innovations such as wifi, the cloud, smart TVs, and social media platforms. I gained an understanding that the way we communicate changes and develops depending on the advancements in technology. This makes it a very exciting prospect to learn about future technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality, and think about how they can be used as communication tools. I learned that the average person uses their phone over 3 hours a day. 4 billion videos are watched per day, and 62 million hours are spent on soci...

Mike Angrave is the Co-founder of Splendid Apple, a Magento Marketing Agency. He delivered a talk on his business niche and discussed his business journey to date. It was really interesting hearing Mike turn his business to a more focussed service provider, and how this helped them to become thought leaders in the world of ecommerce sites and the magento platform, which has led to them releasing a book on Magento Marketing. The book outlines their proven system which can help deliver a flow of consistent and reliable quality traffic, as well as helping to convert sales and increase profits in the process. You can find out more about Mike’s business here: www.splendidapple.co.uk