For most businesses, social media has become an extension of customer service; a quick, constant and low-cost way to keep in touch with an audience. It’s effective, too. People who engaged with a brand on social media on a daily basis were likely to make twice as many purchases from that brand than someone who engages […]

It’s no secret that banks are changing. For a long time, they were the long-established institutions that we had to work around. They set the agenda and customers had to like it or lump it. We visited, we queued, we made formal meetings with managers, we queued some more – somehow we kept our cool. […]

This is the second in our ‘Confessions…’ series where we go behind the scenes and ask professionals in media, marketing and sales to share their dirty secrets (anonymously). We’ve spoken to a newspaper comments editor about the UGC he receives from readers (yes, looking at you Ronnie) and now we turn our attention to the […]

Save perhaps funeral services, it’s difficult to think of an industry which has a harder time putting a positive spin on its marketing than life insurance provision. This wasn’t such a major problem when the traditional routes were still king in terms of reaching a relevant audience, but the seismic shift in influence towards digital […]

The banking and finance sector faces a major challenge when it comes to connecting with customers on social media. It’s one they face in the actual media and face to face too. There’s just something about the nature of their industry that the general populace seems to find tedious and uninspiring. In many ways, this difficulty has […]

A good blacksmith knows to strike while the iron is hot. Likewise, a good marketing department knows that to wield the wonderful tool of promoted tweets most effectively, timing is everything. To get the most out of your marketing budget, you need to know the best moments. Here are three: 1. Coinciding with an event Whether […]

Twitter is great. Well, it can be. Especially for companies that want to engage with their customers directly. But how do you reach a wider audience than just your followers? Sponsored tweets allow companies to pay to have their message reach users who are not following them, and get exponentially more eyes on their product […]

Facebook is fast becoming the new search engine; for many, a portal to news, editorial content and Ladbible videos. Just like the search engines, it’s tough for marketers to navigate Facebook’s complicated algorithms. Twitter’s linear traffic-jam style means tweets disappear like smoke in the air within seconds. Advertisers are looking to more niche social networks […]

Social media is gradually replacing search as the way people find information. To fit in, brands have to respect the rules of social politeness – which are broadly the same as those observed in the real world. Nobody wants to be the one talking over everybody else with uninteresting, self-absorbed stories, right? We’ve dug out […]