Download online marketing - Business Resource Centre

ONLINE MARKETING
A cost-effective way to talk to millions of customers
67% of UK adults now go online to both research and purchase
goods and services*. And with more online shoppers than any
other major country**, Internet use among UK consumers is
only set to rise.
Talking to these millions of potential customers about your
business is simple thanks to online marketing. And as all the
results are measurable, you can maximise your ROI – gaining
a lot of exposure for a relatively low cost.
Find out more about online marketing at
lloydsbank.com/godigital.
*Research from the Office of National Statistics.
**According to Ofcom Research.
Benefits
•Broaden your reach.
•Gain valuable insight.
•Target specific customer groups.
•Save money.
•Be environmentally friendly.
•Reduce your dependence on advertising agencies.
SHOW MORE PEOPLE WHAT
YOUR BUSINESS HAS TO OFFER
WITH ONLINE MARKETING
Broaden your reach and exposure
With online marketing you can target a larger audience
and create more interest in your company, helping boost
sales or donations through your website.
Gain valuable insight
You can measure the results of online marketing campaigns
with far greater accuracy than many traditional marketing
channels by using the analytics tools provided by many
online advertising platforms, such as Facebook Insights†
and Google Analytics†.
Target specific customer groups
Direct your company’s message to specific markets in
a way that isn’t possible through print or TV advertising.
Save money and be more
environmentally friendly
Using email will reduce the amount of paper you need to
run your company.
Target people who are searching particular words or phrases
in search engines. Consult our guide on Improving Search
Engine Ranking for more information.
• Target potential customers in your specific geographic
location, using location-based marketing tools like
Foursquare for Business† and Google Apps for Business†.
• Target by demographics (i.e. age, interests, etc.) through
social media advertising platforms, such as Facebook Ads†.
Save money with free or
cost-effective online marketing
Social media and the potential for ‘viral’ marketing, where
people share messages from your brand with their friends
for free, makes it possible to gain a lot of exposure for
relatively low costs.
Unlike many traditional marketing channels, such as print
or TV advertising, it’s possible to create and manage digital
marketing efforts yourself, using your own in-house resource,
helping to reduce your dependence on advertising agencies.
How to do it
Optimise for search engines
Select relevant online advertising channels
Ensure you also maximise ‘free’ marketing opportunities –
such as creating and maintaining quality, relevant content
on your site.
Review the various online advertising platforms available
and register for those that will be useful for your company.
The different channels will influence the type of creative
media you need. Popular types of online advertising include:
• ‘Pay-per-click’ (PPC) adverts – where you pay a specified
amount each time someone clicks on your advert.
Examples include: BingAds†, Google Adwords†.
• ‘Cost-per-action’ (CPA) adverts – where you pay a
specified amount each time someone clicks on your
advert and then completes a certain action.
• Display advertisements – visual adverts that usually
appear as a banner or sidebar image on related websites
that your potential customers visit.
• Social media advertisements – which appear to
individuals in your target demographic on social media
websites, such as Facebook Ads† and promoted Tweets†.
• Affiliate advertising – where you pay other websites a
commission on any sales of your products/services that
are made via their website.
Create or buy media
Use your own in-house resource or commission the work
through graphic designers, copywriters, web developers
or full-service digital marketing agencies.
If your website content has words or phrases that customers
are looking for, a search engine like Bing †, Google† or Yahoo†
will be more likely to prioritise it in search results. For more
information, see our guide on Improving Search
Engine Ranking.
Select relevant online advertising channels
In addition to paying for social media advertising, use your
company’s social media profiles for subtle brand promotion:
• Participate in conversations with your customers and
supporters by using hashtags on Twitter, such as the
‘Follow Friday’ hashtag, #FF, which allows users to
promote each other.
• Gain more followers and engage your existing audience
with exclusive offers, competitions and giveaways.
• Boost your reputation by using social media to provide
excellent customer service. Consult our guide on social
media for more information.
Market your organisation via email
Keep your target customers updated on your latest
products/offers and drive traffic directly to your site by
sending out emails on a routine basis. Sending can be
automated by using a third-party email marketing service,
such as Constant Contact† or MailChimp†.
Find out more now at lloydsbank.com/godigital
Case study
Tools UK SW
Established in 1989, Tools UK SW was acquired by business
partners Jeff Hill and Keith Latham in 2007. Thanks to their
extensive careers in the retail and tool industry, both Jeff
and Keith had a wealth of experience in the field and were
keen to run their own retail and wholesale business.
Stocking a wide range of tools, towing accessories,
winches and hardware, the business has developed a
strong reputation across the South West. It now supplies
products nationally to companies and individuals through
its three websites: Towbars-UK, Discount-Tools-UK and
Winches-UK.
As a result of doing business online, Tools UK SW has seen
a number of benefits, including:
• Nearly 70% of sales coming through its websites.
• Increased brand awareness.
• Expansion into new markets.
Jeff Hill commented on how important doing business
online has been for his company:
“We’ve had some feedback on the websites from clients
across the country and we’ve seen a big increase in the
awareness of our brand, which is particularly important
given our main competitors are major national
organisations. Going digital has really allowed us to
create a multi-channel plan for growth and since we
launched, we have really noticed the benefits.”
Today, around two thirds of our overall
sales come from our websites, which
just goes to show the importance of
clever and targeted digital strategy.
Lloyds Bank is a GO ON UK founder,
the UK’s Digital Skills Alliance.
Together we aim to make the
UK more digitally capable by:
Useful links†
• Investing in digital skills.
• Building a national programme of action.
• Inspiring innovative solutions to help the
Promoting your business using email:
www.enterpriseitguide.com/sales--marketing/
promoting-your-business-usingemail
10.8 million adults not currently online.
Together with other Go ON UK founder partners, we are
committed to encouraging and supporting organisations and
individuals to understand the benefits of using the internet.
Marketing: www.enterpriseitguide.com/salesmarketing
Online advertising:
www.enterpriseitguide.com/sales--marketing/
online-advertising
Location-based marketing:
www.enterpriseitguide.com/sales--marketing/
location-based-marketing
†Please note that these are just examples of the types of analytical tools and social media advertising/marketing platforms available and Lloyds Banking Group does not endorse the services they provide.
While all reasonable care has been taken to ensure that the information in this guide is correct, no liability is accepted by Lloyds Bank for any loss or damage caused to any person relying on any statement
or omission in this business guide. This guide is provided for information only and should not be relied on as offering advice for any set of circumstances and specific advice should always be sought in
each instance. When using these services your agreement will be with the relevant third party and their terms and conditions will apply. Lloyds Bank shall not be responsible or liable to you for any failure
by the third party to provide these services in relation to use by the third party of any confidential information supplied to them by you.
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