Planning an event can be an exciting but daunting task. As an event organiser, your responsibility is to ensure that everything goes off without a hitch, leaving a lasting impression on your audience. To achieve this, you must carefully consider five essential factors before diving into the event planning process: time, budget, audience, venue, and content.

Time:

The first and most critical factor to consider is time. Start by setting a clear and realistic timeline for your event. This includes the event date, but also the lead-up time for planning and promotion. Be aware of any significant holidays, local events, or industry-specific dates that may affect your event’s success. Adequate preparation time will allow you to secure the best resources, from vendors to speakers, ensuring that you’re well-prepared when the big day arrives.

Budget:

Your budget is the backbone of your event. Carefully define your financial parameters before anything else. Consider all possible costs, from venue rental and equipment to catering and marketing expenses. Leave room for unforeseen expenses, and remember that it’s often better to have a slightly larger budget than to run out of funds mid-event. Keeping a well-organized budget will help you make informed decisions throughout the planning process.

Audience:

Who are you planning the event for? Understanding your target audience is crucial. Their preferences, expectations, and needs will shape many aspects of your event, from the type of content and speakers to the venue and marketing strategy. Create detailed audience personas and consider factors like age, interests, and location. This will help you tailor your event to meet their desires, making it more engaging and successful.

Venue:

The choice of venue can make or break an event. Consider factors like location, accessibility, capacity, and layout. Ensure that the venue aligns with your event’s objectives and caters to the needs of your audience. Additionally, check for any technical requirements, such as audiovisual equipment or internet connectivity. It is important to set out a detailed contract with the venue, including setup and teardown times, to avoid any last-minute surprises.

Content:

The heart of your event is the content it delivers. Develop a clear agenda or program that not only matches the expectations of your audience but also incorporates elements for networking. Whether it’s a conference, seminar, or entertainment event, the content must be engaging, relevant, and well-structured. Invite knowledgeable and charismatic speakers or performers, and provide them with the necessary support to ensure a smooth delivery. Consider interactive elements, like Q&A sessions or workshops, to keep the audience engaged. Provide spaces for attendees to connect, exchange ideas, and build valuable relationships. Networking can often be the most enduring benefit of attending an event, so make it a priority.

At Adfield, we understand that planning a successful event requires meticulous consideration of these key factors and getting these elements right collectively contribute to the seamless execution and success of your event for both you as a company and your attendees.

A well-planned event with ample networking opportunities can create connections that extend well beyond the event itself and provide enduring value to your audience.

Event planning can be overwhelming which is why we have a team of specialists dedicated to assist you in planning, organising and executing your event. We offer comprehensive event planning services, from venue selection to content development and networking strategies. Our expertise and industry knowledge can streamline the planning process to orchestrate remarkable and memorable events.

Contact Us today to discuss your requirements: hello@adfield.co.uk

There are so many social media platforms available that it can be difficult to decide which ones to use for your business. Our social media experts have put together this helpful article on Threads and X (formerly known as Twitter) to help you make the best decision for your business.

Remember, we’re always here to help. For more information on how we can help you set up and optimise your social media platforms, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

An introduction to Threads and X

Every social media platform is unique in its own way, and Threads and X (formerly known as Twitter) are no exception. Here are a few key differences between the two platforms:

First thing you’ll notice is that X is compatible with any email address, while Threads is exclusively available to Instagram users.

Both Threads and X are accessible via an app and a website, and allow users to post, respond and like content posted by other users.

However, Threads is a social media platform developed by Instagram where users can follow and message each other as well as receive updates when they create a post. It’s a great way to keep up with friends and family or even connect with new people. What sets Threads apart is its focus on privacy between close friends; users are only able to see content shared by friends who are also using the app.

Threads is closely integrated with Instagram, so you can share posts from it directly to Instagram Stories.

Whereas X is a more traditional social media platform that is geared towards public sharing and discovery by all users, who can send and receive brief messages about anything and everything.

Threads is still quite new and lacks some of the capabilities that X has developed over the years. For example, X is ideal for finding specific content and is packed with features, although some require a subscription. Threads is still free to use and does not display any advertisements (yet).

How do I get started with Threads and X?

In order to use Threads, you must first have an Instagram account. However, creating an account is quick and easy, and only takes a minute or so for current Instagram users. Additionally, your profile picture, username and bio are automatically synced with Threads, so you can start using the app right away.

To sign up for X social media platform, all you need to do is to create an account using the app or website. Just follow the prompts to enter your information and start using the service.

What’s the difference between Threads and X posts?

There are some key differences between posting in Threads and X. For one, Threads has higher free posting limits. But both have the same posting format – text, videos, photos and links. However, there are restrictions on how many items can be submitted simultaneously – such as the length of a text post and the length of a video upload. Overall, though, the two platforms are quite similar in how they operate.

Threads does not yet have a payment option, which means that it has fewer restrictions on what you can share. So, you can post longer videos and longer text posts compared to X.

If you don’t want just anyone responding to your post, you can limit responses on both platforms. For example, you can choose to allow everyone, just the people you follow or just the individuals you mention.

Is X better for discovering and finding content?

One of the most important features that social media platforms should have is the ability to find new materials. This is especially important for users who are always looking for new and interesting content to consume.

With X, you can easily see what topics and hashtags are trending so that you can join the conversation. You can also click the “like” button on anything you find appealing. This way, you can later go through your list of favourite things if you need to. Your feed may include content from only the people you follow, a combination of those people and recommended topics.

Is X the clear winner when it comes to features?

Although Threads and X might have some similarities in their fundamental capabilities, X is still much more superior than Threads in terms of the features and possibilities it offers. Even though some new capabilities are planned for Threads, it was still released with considerably more restrictions than X did. Even though Threads is relatively new, it doesn’t stack up compared to X.

Threads and X are both free to use, or are they?

The use of Threads is free. The app download, registration and user interaction are all free. In contrast to other apps like X, which has some of its services behind a subscription fee and is only available if you pay for X’s premium membership, Threads is completely free. This makes Threads a great option for anyone looking to use a messaging app without any hidden costs.

And the conclusion is…..

There is a place for various user types on both Threads and X social media platforms. Threads is designed for meaningful, real-time conversations between close friends, while X is perfect for sharing photos, videos, and thoughts with a larger, more diverse group of people.

If you’re wondering whether to use Threads or X, why not use both? Ultimately, the best choice for you will depend on your specific needs and wants. And there is no reason why you can’t use both. Using both Threads and X gives you the best of both worlds, so you can choose the features that are most important to you.

Adfield is a full-service marketing agency that has the capability, capacity, and experience to cater to all of your marketing needs. We have been helping businesses grow for over 45 years and would be more than happy to discuss your specific needs with you. Contact us today to get started!

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the method of improving the ranking of your website on search engines. The main aim of SEO is to increase the visibility of your website and attract more visitors from organic (unpaid) search results. Google is the most popular search engine in the world, so optimising a website for Google SEO is vital for any business that wants visibility online.

How Google search works: The 3 stages

1. Google uses automated programs, crawlers, to download text, images, and videos from pages it found on the internet.
2. Google analyses its findings on the page and stores the information in the Google index, which is an enormous database.
3. When you search on Google, it finds information that’s relevant to your query.

What you need to know about Google’s secret algorithm

After indexing your website, Google can show it in the search results. The search engine tries to match a certain search query with web pages that it has indexed. For this purpose, Google has a specific algorithm that decides which pages are shown in which order.

How this algorithm works exactly is a secret. Nobody knows exactly which factors decide the ordering of the search results, but there are some best practices that can help your website rank higher.

The algorithm that Google uses to rank websites and determine search results changes regularly, with new updates being released on regular intervals. Although the algorithm is largely kept secret by Google, they provide some insight into which factors are important in ranking. However, we don’t know how important each factor is, and it’s possible that Google is not communicating all the ranking factors to us. The best way to determine which factors are important and how they have changed is to experiment and test different scenarios.

Get the best results with Google

The search engine results page, also known as SERP, is the page displayed by a search engine in response to your query. The main element of the SERP is the list of results that are generated by the search engine in response to your search request. These are known as organic search results and are usually displayed in order of relevance. Further your website is down on the results page, it is likely that people will not click on it and find your website. The reason being that people are more likely to click on results closer to the top of the page.

There are usually some paid links that can be found at the very top of the first page of your Google search results. These links are paid adverts that Google displays when you search for a specific term. The prices for these adverts differ depending on how competitive the search term is. In addition to the organic and paid results, there are also a few other elements that you can find on Google’s search engine results page.

SEO and Google

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of optimising sites with the aim of achieving a high position in the organic search results. To do so, you need to make changes to your website to align it with Google’s algorithm. This can involve such as content writing, backlinking, website technical configuration, and so on.

Search engines show you the best results for your search query. So, if you want to appear high in the results for that specific search term, make sure your content is SEO-friendly and you offer everyone a good online experience.

As your marketing partner, Adfield are dedicated to helping your business grow by improving your online visibility, so your potential customers can find you quickly and easily. To find out more, get in touch with our team today.

According to Forbes, the average consumer sees up to 10,000 marketing advertisements per day. This is why it’s essential to stand out from the crowd and why brand distinction is the ultimate necessity in your digital presence.

But where do you start? Here, we have created a guide to help you stand out from the crowd.

First: Set a campaign goal and define your target audience

Before diving into your visual strategy, define key goals that will influence the promotion approach. For example, do you want to:

• Target new or existing customers?
• Generate ‘x’ amount of sales by the end of the year?
• Create awareness for a new product?
• Generate buzz for time-sensitive deals?

Second: Prepare your visual content

Now that you’ve established a goal, you can start gathering content for your campaign. Your approach may vary between products and services. Consider taking photos of people using your products. If yours is a service-based business, you may use photos of yourself. Remember people want to connect with you!

Third: Create your campaign content

• Tease your audience: Before you launch your sales, make sure to generate momentum towards your promotions. Creating that curiosity or exclusivity can make you irresistible in the eyes of your audience who will be eager to be front and centre for your special deals. 
• Create a sense of urgency: Let people know your promotion won’t last long. By setting a time limit people will be predisposed to act faster so they don’t miss out on a deal. The impetus will also encourage people to act promptly.
• Hashtags and keywords matter: Use of specific keywords that capture exactly what your audience is looking for is crucial. A study conducted by Pi-datametrics showed that the highest word search during this time is “deal”. Leverage high-traffic or relevant trending words as hashtags in your capture to reach a larger audience.

 Fourth: Go above and beyond to create a purchase experience

Your customer experience shouldn’t end after a sale. By nurturing an ongoing relationship, upselling becomes easier and is a good way to ensure your customers will continue buying from you. Even better, they’ll become your brand ambassadors.

With one in three customers stating they will leave a brand they love after just one bad experience, and 92% saying they would completely abandon a company after two or three negative interactions (according to PWC), it’s increasingly important to create a journey without friction to keep customers happy.

Now that you’ve learned these four strategies, you’re well on your way to making your promotions stand out. Don’t forget to measure your results after you run the campaign. You can use these to tweak your content for next year and build on your success.

So, it’s time to get the most out of your marketing!

Here at Adfield we work with our clients to create targeted marketing strategies that are designed to generate quality leads, increase your sales and boost your return on investment. The team at Adfield are always happy to help, get in touch today.

Sources: 

Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhall/2019/08/25/how-to-get-your-marketing-to-cut-through-the-noise/

PWC: https://www.pwc.co.uk/

A new year has arrived, so there’s no better time to review your marketing over the last year. As time passes it’s important to evaluate your work as well as predict trends going forward. Talking about going forward, 2020 is an exciting time to market your business with lots of options and new areas where you can focus your business’s marketing efforts.

Build relationships and develop an improved customer experience – having customers contact you directly isn’t the only way to spread your message. For example, managing and providing valuable information to customers through social media makes a memorable experience to establish loyalty.

Visual content is more important than ever – attract your customers with eye-catching content. Also, using square and portrait images is becoming more the norm with a mobile-centric world, so why not do the same?

Personalise your ads – personalising the experience will enhance the user experience for your customers. So, improve the results from your advertisements by personalising them to the viewer, much like Tom Cruise’s character, John Anderton experienced in the movie Minority Report.

Get to position zero – yes, there is a position higher than one! With the introduction of featured snippets, you’ll stand a better chance of getting yourself to Search Engine Results Page (SERP) position zero for your industry. This will give your website a massive boost and an important advantage over competitors.

Optimise for voice search – one of 2020’s most predicted trends is for a massive increase in the number of people using voice search to find products. Expectations are that growth could be as high as 50%! The large increase in people buying smart speakers has contributed to this and is therefore an area to concentrate your marketing efforts. Focusing your content on longer queries will help your content to be picked up.

Reduce workloads with automation – AI has made huge advances over the past few years and the benefits of this are now being incorporated within marketing. No longer do businesses have to manage website chats or social media messages with the incorporation of automated chatbots.

Introduce more live video to your content schedule – the live element creates more spontaneity and engages viewers for longer. Viewers feel like they can influence the content which makes for an impactful watch. All the major social media platforms offer live video streaming from business or personal accounts.

Remember, you can contact Adfield for more information on how to develop your business’s marketing strategy. So, get your business ready for a more engaged and dynamic 2020.

Video is increasingly becoming more relevant to businesses in terms of their marketing, whether in order to promote products, services and offers, or simply to raise brand awareness. As such, video marketing should not be overlooked when preparing a marketing plan but instead, should be incorporated into any all-encompassing social media strategy.

The addition of native video across all major social media platforms allows businesses to share their video content without the need to direct users to another platform. Keeping users on social media for as long as possible is the aim for not just Facebook, but all content-sharing platforms. This has resulted in video being ranked higher than other content.

If you want to stand out on social media and get your content seen, then using video as part of your digital marketing strategy will get it in front of your target audience.

So, what about keeping your audience engaged?

It’s not enough simply to get your content in front of your audience, you must engage with them too. Content with higher engagement will get shown more often, promoting your company and increasing brand awareness.

We’ve listed a few of our  video marketing top tips for keeping your audience engaged:

Short and snappy videos – Users usually have a limited amount of time in which to spend on social media, so keeping your videos below 30 seconds will help get your message across quickly to your audience and create higher engagement.

The first few seconds are vital – Therefore make an instant impact. Ensure you capture your audience’s attention immediately with some engaging content at the very start of the video.

Quality over quantity – Focus on getting high quality content that makes sense and resonates with users. Sharing your videos in 1080p will ensure your videos don’t pixelate when watched.

Remember, not everyone listens – Use subtitles on your videos if you have a voice-over or people talking in your videos. Many users watch videos on social media without the audio, this will ensure your message is fully understood.

You don’t have to be corporate – Don’t hold back on being adventurous with your social media content. Users often respond better to content that doesn’t have a strict corporate style and has a ‘salesy’ message.

Mobile responsive videos – Optimise your videos for mobile by editing your videos to a square (1:1) or portrait (2:3) aspect ratio. This will cover more of the users’ feed when they look on social media.

Make clear call-to-actions – If you need the user to enquire to visit your website, make this clear at the end of your video.

Contact the Adfield Group to find out more about how we can help you create effective video content for your social media strategy.

More and more people in the manufacturing and logistic sectors are using social media to attract new business. Social media is now an important part of any successful sales and marketing strategy, helping you increase brand awareness, seek new business opportunities and keep your followers updated on your latest products and services.

There are now even more ways to generate leads and LinkedIn Sponsored Inmail advertising puts your business in direct contact with your targeted audience.

Work smarter by:

• Growing leads with targeted product and service promotions
• Promoting downloads of white papers, eBooks and more
• Boosting event registrations

Effective use of social media means businesses are no longer restricted to face-to-face or telephone meetings in their efforts to attract customers. LinkedIn is the UK’s leading platform for B2B networking as well as looking for new opportunities.

Get Higher Response Rates

Make your messages personal – Research has shown people respond better to messages directly referencing their name. Even if the person isn’t interested in the product or service, it is highly probable they will take the time to read the message.

Make it clear what action recipients should take – ‘Register, talk, speak, call, watch’; these are all words highlighting a specific action you want the user to take. Don’t hesitate to inform the reader what you want them to do.

Be short and precise – Always be concise and ensure your message comes straight to the point. In this way you will ensure a higher interaction rate. Keep your message between 200-300 words, clearly stating why you are contacting them and what action they should take.

Using the 2-1 technique – Don’t make your targeting too narrow or complicated. A simple rule to follow is to target two facets (age, companies, studies, industries, location etc) and exclude one. This brings the best results to your campaign.

Lists – Dive deeper into your targeting options. Upload lists to your asset library to send InMail messages to set contacts.

Contact the Adfield Group to find out more how we can help you attract new business with LinkedIn InMail advertising or other digital marketing activities.

Want to stand out above your competitors on social media?

Use emojis! Emojis have been proven to increase click through rates, open rates and boost engagement.

Statistics show that Facebook posts with emojis result to 57% more likes, 33% more shares and 33% more comments, tweets with emojis saw 25% more engagement.

In another recent study, over 50% of businesses saw an increase in their email marketing when using emojis!

5 QUICK EMOJI TIPS:

• DON’T go overboard! It is best to only use a few emojis per social media post, this keeps your post clean and still keeps your audience engaged. 59% of 18-34 year olds now say that businesses are overusing emojis!
• DO use emojis that are relevant to the post you are creating
• DON’T use an emoji if you don’t know what is means!
• DO find a few key emojis to identify your brand – Emojis can also be a way to show your brands personality and become unique online! Using around 5 of the same emojis on each of your social media posts is also a way to keep your posts clean online.
• However, emojis don’t work for every brand! If your business is very corporate such as, lawyers or solicitors – think carefully before you start to use emojis…

LinkedIn Ads are one of the best tools to reach new customers online, especially for B2B businesses. Why? LinkedIn’s filters and targeting capability means that you are far more likely to reach the right demographics than you might on Facebook and Twitter. Let’s take a look at ways to improve the Click-through-rate of your LinkedIn Ads through targeting.

1. LinkedIn Filters

LinkedIn filters are the traditional targeting method for LinkedIn Ads, as they are very effective when you pick the right targets. We have found, depending on the Ad and client, that the most useful filters are Industry and Job Title. These two filters together can really help you target the people you are looking for, who are more likely to spend time on your website and generate leads.

An example of this strategy is from one of our clients who were looking at sharing their safety solutions with businesses who have warehouses. We used the traditional filters to target warehouse managers, health and safety managers and salespeople within industries such as retail, packaging and warehousing. Our Ads were shown to potential customers in these industries and achieved almost double the industry average CTR of 0.3%.

Downside? The only downside to using this method is that you are leaving it up to LinkedIn’s algorithm to target companies. However, you can check on this using LinkedIn’s demographic reports. As explained later in this article there are other ways to ensure you are targeting exact companies.

2. Contact Targeting

LinkedIn has the option for you to upload lists of contacts to target or re-target them through Ads on LinkedIn. This is a great way to remind your contacts of your products and services. This method can also be particularly useful when you are promoting a specific deal and you want to reach customers who might have bought from you previously or already know your brand.

I think that the best use for this strategy is to use this list to promote deals around holidays or sales. You know that this list consists of people who you have made contact with before and are therefore likely to click through when they see your brand again. Building your ad around a particular deal can therefore be very effective.

The only challenge to this strategy is that these lists can sometimes be too small to target. LinkedIn’s rule is that it has to find 300 or more people on LinkedIn from your email list for you to use it. So, make sure that the email database you want to use has enough emails on the list that LinkedIn can find. You can upload up to 30,000 emails in on one contact list!

3. Matched Audience

LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to upload a list of company names and domains as an excel spreadsheet. LinkedIn then scans their database to find every employee that works for these companies. Once this process is complete (usually takes 24 to 48 hours) you have a list of people who work at your target companies. You can then use the traditional targeting methods to filter this list down to specific people or decision makers.

For one of our clients, we were looking to target their top “wish list” companies with a “sign up” message. We uploaded their list of companies, which LinkedIn matched by over 90%. Then we filtered this audience down through job title and function, so that we were only targeting decision makers. Using a carousel Ad we were able to achieve over a 1.3% click through rate. This high click through rate is an indicator that your LinkedIn Ads are targeting the right demographic for your message.

LinkedIn’s targeting options can help you target the right people with your products and services. Despite it being the more expensive option, the ads often result in people spending more time on your website and ultimately creating conversions or leads.

Are you looking to use LinkedIn to generate new leads? Contact our digital team today to talk about how we can help!

Adfield is looking to the future of 2018 – marketing future that is! What will the marketing and technology sector be concentrating on in 2018? We have been doing some research to find out and here are a few of our favourite predicted trends.

Many blogs and publications are looking at Big Data as the growing trend of the future. The use of large sets of data have been unlocked by the rise in machine learning and AI technology. The potential of this development is that Big Data can be used as “actionable insight” (Chaffey, Dave). Forbes contributor, Jayson DeMers, explains that although Big Data has already been on the rise – the trend in 2018 will be more accessible to mid to small range businesses than ever before.

Social media and brand influencers have also been a rising theme. From Misty Copeland’s Under Armour campaign to Joe Wick’s collaboration with Uncle Ben’s rice, influencers have been teaming up with brands to create more dynamic interactions. However, the landscape is ever-changing and the real estate for people’s time and attention seem to be shrinking. TJ Kiely, writing for The Drum, argues that brands will have to develop longer term relationships with influencers. The main strategy going forward will be to create more authentic relationships – customers are quick to tell a forced collaboration!

In 2018 there is also projected to be a continued rise in non-visual experiences for customers. The smart speaker industry skyrocketed in 2017 and people are starting to rely on these devices as part of their daily routine. We have all started becoming used to interfaces that don’t use any visuals! This rise is going to have an impact on how marketers will communicate with consumers (DeMers, Jayson). Peter Adams, from Marketing Drive, argues that the technology is not quite there to boom in 2018 but will continue to gain momentum.

Another hot trend this year is the rise of the chatbot! Most marketers seem to agree that brands are starting to use the chatbot to create more personal relationships with their customers. Dominos have launched their bot “Dom” to keep you up to date on your pizza journey while Ikea has started using “Orc” to conduct customer research. Instead of a straightforward customer survey Orc uses a messenger system to collect customer feedback. Orc uses emojis, encouraging language and incentives to build this bridge between the brand and consumer.

Whether you are a marketer or consumer, everyone’s digital experience will change after May 25th this year. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will come in to effect with the aim to give citizens more control over personal data. This includes asking for explicit consent to collect consumer information, informing what data is being used and used for.

Other trends to look forward to in 2018 include the continued success of video content, capitalising on micro-moments and using more native and smart content. Whether 2018 brings you chatbots or authentic influencers we will all have to keep up to date to see what’s next!