Home, not alone

Coronavirus (Covid-19) has hit the world hard. Really hard. It has put a big, brutal spanner in our personal and professional works. The ‘new normal’ is anything but normal.

It’s unsettling and scary. The only certainty is uncertainty.

In a business context, we’re having to adapt to digital meetings and engaging over email. Office banter is now a Youtube link or a meme. Work colleagues, families and friends are separated. The daily commute is bedroom to dining room. Boardroom directors are finding out that controlling maverick marketing managers and budgets is childsplay compared to home schooling. Teachers have been elevated to hero status in most UK households. NHS staff to superheroes.

Which leaves us PR and Marketing professionals feeling humbled and in awe. But we still want to do our bit to help – to keep products and services selling and businesses surviving. We can’t throw in the towel onto a growing pile of budget cuts and furloughed out of office notices. And while we’re not saving lives or educating future generations, we can still do our bit to help businesses keep their employers informed and clients engaged – just with an added dose of sensitivity. We can also help them maintain a healthy-ish pipeline and new business leads for when all of this is over. And be ready with some much-needed positive news stories.

This pandemic has brought out the very best in people – and the very worst. But as stone blunts scissors, good blunts evil. Families, neighbours and business communities are closer than ever despite the physical distance – finding new and innovative ways to connect and communicate to fight the good fight.

Connectivity was the buzz word last year. We were all connected socially and professionally by thousands of webinars, podcasts, apps and social media – 24/7, 365 days a year. Success was measured by amassing followers and likes.

Success today is about survival.

And connectivity has taken on a new meaning. Nothing to do with tech. Nothing to do with big data, IoT or generating retweets or comments.

It’s about being truly connected to everyone and everything that truly matters – friends, family, clients and work colleagues who if you’re lucky, become friends and like an extended family. If you’re reading this – you know who you are.

Being connected in April 2020 is knowing everyone we care for is safe and healthy.

On that note, Cameron Wells will be connected at 8pm tonight to pay tribute and give immeasurable thanks to the real heroes who are giving up being physically connected to their families – so that we can take care of ours.

Get clued up on content marketing trends

Seth Godin calls content marketing “the only marketing left” – it’s authentic, useful, and perfectly suited to the internet generation.

As content wizards ourselves, we’re on board with the far-reaching impact of good content.

The marketing industry grew under the misguided impression that more content equalled better content.  However, it is now recognised that whether audio, visual or text, it’s the value and relevance of the content that matters, not the size or length.

Never has this been truer than today.  The businesses emerging bruised but not beaten by the coronavirus pandemic are scrambling to be heard over the noise that is post-lockdown marketing mania.  

Everything you produce, from a two-minute promo video to a 2000-word blog or 20-minute podcast should be better than the stuff your audience is currently reading, viewing or sharing – particularly when it comes to what your competitors are doing and saying.

Leave your audience satisfied so they have a reason to engage with you, share your content, and come back for more.

In the turbulent year of 2020, content marketing is evolving dramatically.  The channels, tactics and tools used to create and distribute content are adapting to the current climate, at a faster and more furious pace.

So, keep up with what’s in vogue with our top 10 tips:

1. Video and live-streaming take the limelight

Aside from blog posts, video content is the go-to content stream for brands looking to engage, inform and entertain customers – and the lockdown era has only served to accelerate this trend.   

Seemingly everyone, from B2C to B2B brands, have jumped on the video and live streaming bandwagon to remain front and centre of client and prospects’ minds during this disruptive period.  It is often in times of adversity that innovative thinking prevails, and brands are quickly adapting their marketing techniques to reach their audience and video is a sure-fire way to engage with key demographics.  Just some examples of what brands are doing include:

  • Webinars
  • Instructional/advice videos
  • Q&A sessions
  • Product demos and reviews
  • Behind-the-scenes
  • Interviews with experts
  • Live case studies
  • Testimonials from happy customers
  • CSR events, awards or accreditations

Whatever the concept, it’s important to repurpose your video content in a variety of formats in order to transfer the content into full or edited pieces, audio-only or transcribed into text.

If you create the right video for your message on the right platform to reach the right audience, you will create a mini army of followers and influencers who will help you get more exposure for your business.  Video platforms include YouTube, TikTok, IGTV on Instagram and, of course, your own website.

2. Podcast-mania

Around 7.1 million people in the UK now listen to podcasts each week. That’s one in eight people and is an increase of 24% over the past year – and more than double over the past five years.

This trajectory is set to continue, as audiences become more and more engaged with their timely and topical content. If you have something relevant to say, build audio content into your marketing strategy and reap the rewards of this highly engaging platform.

3. Let’s talk about conversational marketing

It’s good to talk – even if it is to a virtual person. Chatbots or online live chats are growing in popularity as audiences look for quick answers or fast navigation to more in-depth content.

With the advent of social distancing, virtual chat has become a pivotal channel for marketing, as traditional means of communications have become more difficult to maintain.  

By engaging in conversation with your audience, you can learn more about their specific needs in real time. Conversational marketing tools minimise frustrating downtime or the need to fill out forms or being put on hold on a call. It is therefore vital that your chatbot tool is able to easily find this content on your site.

4. Content tailored to voice search and smart devices

It’s understood that 50% of all web searches will be conducted by voice this year. Brands are now starting to optimise their content for voice search which will help smart devices answer queries more accurately (currently only around 60% of answers are correct).  

So, get ahead of your competitors and update your existing content ready for voice SEO – understand the difference between what your audience will write compared to what they will say. Get it right and it will be your content that’s shouting out of smart devices in the future. You’ll be Alexa’s first choice.

5. Personalised content gets even more personal

Fortunately, as the consumer’s need for personalised content increases, so does the development of technology to facilitate these demands. By using dynamic content tools, you can automate the creation and delivery of highly-relevant content to individual customers based on their preferences, needs and interests via multiple communication channels. One size never fits all.

 6. Build topical authority

Google’s algorithms now assesses the holistic value of a given page within the entire site, not just the content on a single page when ranking. So, for example, a car brand offering advice on safer driving technology would rank more highly than the same topic offered by a general gadget site – even if the content was equal in quality.

Building credible authority is done by creating long-form pillar pages that act as a base for your content marketing. Build on this foundation over time by creating pillar content covering a wide range of topics that support the original ‘pillar’. Become the voice of authority.

7. Sometimes a snippet is all you need

Google’s ability to deliver ultra-relevant pages and content based on a search term now goes one step further by presenting ‘snippets’ within the first results page. Appearing at the top of results pages, snippets provide an impactful, brief overview of the key points within a piece of content.

The result of this development is that content creators must recognise that the number of ‘no-click’ searchers is on the rise. Over 50% of Google queries resulted in no clicks last year, indicating that Google is evolving into an answer engine more than a search engine. Therefore, creating content that ranks on Google may increasingly require marketeers to adopt a question-driven content strategy.

It’s becoming more and more common for users to search for a longtail keyword, so that Google will present a quick and easy snippet with all info they need without them having to click through to a full website.

8. Data-driven content creation

Content should be created based on hard evidence of what works and what doesn’t – not a gut feeling of what you think your audience wants to hear.  Key to these insights is data and a data platform that allows you to monitor and report on the successes and failures based on KPIs or the ROI of past campaigns. Listen and learn then do it again – better.

9. Search intent should drive content

There are 4 types of web search to be aware of:

  • Informational – when the user is looking for broad information (e.g. how many calories in a banana)
  • Navigational – when the user wants to visit a specific site (e.g. instead of typing “Facebook.com,” the user searches on Google for “Facebook”)
  • Investigational – when the user wants advice (e.g. best headphones for runners)
  • Transactional – when the user wants to do buy something (e.g. book flights to Berlin)

Google’s algorithms have now brought search intent to the fore and can detect the type of search a user is conducting (along with more specific aspects of intent).

So, ensure that each piece of content you create for each search intent includes either a call to action or relevant further information that will lead your audience swiftly to the next stage of their enquiry.

10. Fast and focused content

At last but by no means least, it may seem obvious but ensure content is relevant to the customer search.

Content should be easy to digest and focused on getting readers to their desired information – fast. Filter list posts (with links, headings, buttons, icons) based on exactly what your reader is looking for by segmenting the topic into obvious and easily digestible sections.

All change

Change is the only constant in life according to Greek philosopher Heraclitus. Social and digital trends explode onto our tablets and into our lives then fade away. Remember the furore of Friends Reunited? Brands come and go. Bye bye BHS and Blockbuster. As do celebrities who have their 5 minutes of fame then crash and burn then join Big Brother or rehab. But change is inevitable. That’s why fashion fads come and go (thankfully in the case of the rah rah). Change is also as good as a rest. That’s why we need so many handbags, right ladies? And so many nights out with friends to discuss the merits of each.

Change can be exciting and exhilarating. But it can also be overwhelming and daunting. After almost 15 years on the B2B PR and Marketing scene, it’s time for a change. New brand, new colours, new font, new website.

But same great team. Same great work. Same enthusiasm and passion for all things B2B.

In our game you need to stay ahead of the game. So before we embarked on our own rebrand we treated ourselves as a new client and thoroughly researched the market, competitors and trends first. Then of course we brainstormed, thought-showered, mood boarded and SWOTed, thought outside the proverbial box to come up with concepts, names, straplines, colours, brand values, USPs then wrote a well-thought out creative brief…

Farewell Cameron Wells.

Hello CW: Creative wordsmiths. Campaign winners. Commercial wizards. Consistently wow.

CW just got brighter. 

Our new brand colour is yellow.  According to colour psychologists, it means happiness and optimism. It is the colour of creativity, high energy, enthusiasm, hope, fun, and cheerfulness.

Think that sums us up perfectly.

In between our rebrand, we were busy getting nominated for a CIPR award, wining new clients and keeping old ones happy. Doing what Cameron Wells did best and CW will continue to do in our predecessors award-winning footsteps.

Web trends for 2020 and beyond

So what did our web trend research for our own new website reveal as the do’s and don’ts for the next few years?

Here are the top 5 to help keep your website fresh and your clients not complaining about thumb RSI.

1. Mobile first design

Responsive and mobile-friendly web design isn’t optional anymore. In fact, your site should be designed with mobile in mind first. The number of mobile searches overtook desktop searches several years ago and now it’s estimated that over two thirds of people carry out searches using their smartphones.

2. Bold colour and minimalism

Minimalism goes hand-in-hand with one of 2020’s biggest web design trends: colour. Bold, bright, colours will help your brand stand out against the soft neutrals that a lot of companies have chosen over the past few years.

Using colour mindfully to evoke certain moods will be big in 2020. Colour psychology has been used by marketers for years to help create brands and influence consumer perceptions and buying behaviour.

3. Organic shapes

Move over geometric shapes of 2019. In 2020, it’s all about organic shapes. Organic or fluid shapes are anything that doesn’t involve straight lines and are inspired by nature, like undulating hills or the asymmetrical and winding curve of a lake or river.

Fluid shapes are a great way to break up sections of a website without harsh lines or angles or to use as integral to background design.

4. Smart video

Video has long been a must-have for websites. People love to watch people. Video is engaging. Video grabs attention. It’s one of the most effective online marketing tools if it has purpose and meaning. Gone are the days of embedding a YouTube video on your site just for the sake of it. One content rich, high quality video is better than a dozen contrived, untargeted ones.

5. Thumb-friendly mobile navigation

In 2020, web design will be all about thumb-friendly design.

If you’re reading this on your phone, look at the way you’re holding it. Your fingers are probably wrapped around the back of your phone leaving your thumb to do all the work. Putting the navigation bar, menu, and even contact buttons in the space your thumb can easily reach makes your site easier to use and improves the customer experience tenfold. And no threat of thumb RSI. Enjoy our new, smart, bright, minimalist, thumb-friendly website…

The removal of the instagram following tab – a good or bad move?

You know what? I’m pretty obsessed with social media.

I mean, I have to be for my job but I do like it in my personal life too. From finding out the latest Brexit saga on Twitter to reading the Coleen Rooney / Rebekah Vardy beef on Instagram, social media serves up an unrivalled mix of entertainment, news and social interaction in one fell swoop.

But I do find myself on there too much, mindlessly scrolling when I’m supposed to be watching the latest episode of Peaky Blinders and having to rewind (much to everyone’s annoyance).

This is why I’m coming round to Instagram’s shock move of deleting its following tab from users’ accounts. It provided yet another way of staying on the app longer for me and my fellow obsessives, another feed to scroll, another time-wasting exercise.  

However, from a business and marketing perspective, I’m worried removing this tab could do brands and influencers harm in the long run.

I used this feed to discover new accounts, with most of my ‘I don’t know you in real life’ follows coming from this tab. Yes, there’s still the ‘explore’ section of the app but a good majority of those images are from accounts I’m not really interested in.

I asked quite a few of my other Instagram-loving friends if the following feed was something they benefited from. Many did, agreeing that it was somewhere they could find new people or brands to follow via their like-minded friend’s activity. Others weren’t too fussed about its demise – they said it was nice knowing people weren’t lurking in the background watching what they were doing.