Why are dogs so popular in marketing?

Why are dogs so popular in marketing?

Why are dogs so popular in marketing?

Tilly under a Simpsons skyHave you ever noticed just how many dogs are featured in marketing? Well, we have a Westie who lets us know by barking and taking a running leap at the tv every time one appears. No, really. She (Tilly) can spot a dog at twenty paces on a tv screen, often before we’ve even seen it, and either she wants to play or feels they are entering her territory. She's also got a thing for Scandi Noir box sets at the moment...

This has led us to realise that there are an awful lots of dogs used in the advertising slots, especially when you take into account repeats. And that’s as well as dogs in tv shows and films. Try it, count them when you're next watching tv.

Of course animals have been used in marketing since, well, marketing began. Wolves, sheep, cats, ponies, meerkats, horses, chimpanzees, orangutans, kangaroos, emus and the list goes on. Yet, there seems to be no animal more popular in the marketing world than dogs. Man’s best friend is featured regularly and is an incredibly useful tool when it comes to advertising a product or a service.

One marketing goal should be to create something that we relate to, something that appeals to our emotions and something that is memorable. And what’s more relatable, emotional and memorable than a dog?

As a nation of pet lovers there are a huge number of us that love dogs. It is estimated (by PDSA) that:

50% of UK adults own a pet.
34% of the UK adult population have a dog with an estimated population of 13 million pet dogs*.
(*Source: https://worldanimalfoundation.org/advocate/pet-ownership-statistics/)

That’s a lot of dogs.

 

The ‘aaahhhhh’ factor

Different breeds of dogs can be associated with particular brands and etched onto our memories providing long running brand associations.

 

Think paint and what dog comes to mind? The Dulux Dog. In fact it’s known as a Dulux Dog more than its actual breed name Old English Sheep Dog. That's a great example of branding working at its best, when the brand name becomes part of the English language.

 

Think toilet paper and what dog comes to mind? Cute, adorable Labrador puppies trailing Andrex toilet paper down the stairs, along the hallway and across the lounge. And that’s been going on for over 75 years! (the advertising not the loo roll!)

 

More recently a white labradoodle has made a multi-surface floor cleaning product both funny and memorable. Flash Dog regularly entertains us with a sing along advert that demonstrates the product’s cleaning power along with a reworded version of the iconic Flash superhero theme tune.

 

Don’t look into their eyes...

It can be a good idea in marketing to relate a product or service to something that your audiences love, something that will get their attention, and dogs certainly appeal to a lot of people.

Dogs have a knack of appealing to our emotions, they’re adorable, loyal and they make good companions. When you add these attributes to the ability to create something memorable it really can be an excellent marketing strategy.

 

If you’d like some help with appealing to your customers for your business or organisation, or you'd just like to tell us about your dog, then we'd love to hear from you.

Woof, woof!


Marketing your business – 5 things to do now

Marketing your business – 5 things to do now

With the current Coronavirus situation giving cause for concern about the lack of business trading, it goes without saying that many people are wondering what to do for their marketing.

We have had to change the way we are marketing and the voice and message of it to adapt for the changing times. Invariably with a glut of advice telling what to do it has become overwhelming and causes businesses to hesitate with their marketing. History tells us that in times of recession it's not the time to stop your marketing, rather to increase it. 

So with this in mind, we took a step back to look at our own marketing realised that the basic fundamentals needed some attention. Without these building blocks in place you run the risk of any marketing activities, drives and campaigns being ineffective. Here are 5 things you can do now to improve those foundations on which to build your marketing further.

 

Social Media Profile

1 – Social Media 

Now is a good time to look at your social media profiles and update them to ensure that they work well for you. 

You probably already know that social media marketing is important for all businesses. But, simply having accounts isn’t enough. It’s important to align your profile to your ideal clients.

First, keep your account information updated and accurate. If something about your business changes, your social media profile should change, too. Make sure your website, address, hours, logo and photos are all current. Ensure your branding is up to date and consistent. Make sure you describe what you do and who you do it for clearly and accurately.

Second, post fresh content. You must regularly post new content on your social media pages. Don’t create an account and then forget about it. Frequent posts keep you in front of customers’ faces. Post about new products and services, events, industry insights and news and show your followers what you and your business are up to.

Remember to check all your social media channels; LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google My Business, YouTude etc. It’s a good time to also check any listings you have with Chamber of Commerce directories or any other business directories.

 

Website Design and Development

2 – Website development  

We’ve all had it in mind to revisit our websites and look at what we have written and the services we provide.  It’s always good to make sure that you have included any new services or changes to existing ones. It’s equally important to consider whether the content you include is clear, accurate and compelling. Does it speak to you in a matter of fact way or does it speak to you in a personable and friendly way? This can make a big difference to conveying your brand values and encouraging engagement with visitors to your website.

It’s important to understand your value proposition. It’s the reason for existing, the reason to be chosen over your competitors and the promise of value that will be delivered to your customer'.

Why is value proposition important? – If you are unable to communicate your value to your customers, why should customers place value in what you offer? If you are unable to tell customers why they should choose you and why they should pay what you are asking, why would they?

Branding – Is your website up to date and consistent with your branding, is your logo up to date, are you using the same colours and fonts across all your marketing, does the imagery help convey your messaging? If not is might be time for a visual refresh. 

Is your website easy to use and navigate and what is the user experience (UX) when they arrive at your website. Can they find what they want, is it easy to get to the relevant pages or is it buried within the website? Do you use a Call To Action (CTA) on pages and posts? Visitors need prompts on the next step to take once they have found what they are looking for.

SEO – Are you being found for what you provide? The content of your website plays an important part in making it SEO-friendly which leads to  a better UX. So if you want to be found for specific services or products think about the questions people ask when searching online. Try and build these into the content and think about how you answer their questions. Check whether you are using the perfects keywords, meta tags and descriptions.

Links – Now that you’ve reviewed your content, branding and SEO, there is one thing that many forget to check. Are all the links working on your website?  It’s always surprising how many links are incorrectly adding and not checked, or perhaps the link is old and no longer available. It’s work running your website domain name through an online link checker. There are many free broken link checkers, such as Dead Link Checker, that you can use.

Remember, if you are unsure how to implement changes on your website contact your website developer or provider, they should be able to help you. Alternatively, contact us if you don’t have a web developer.

 

Get client testimonials for your website

3 – Get testimonials 

Your clients are valuable to you in many ways, not least of all in the testimonials for your good work. Before people buy something, they often look for reviews that validate their purchase. People want to know that they’re spending money on quality. And, they want to know if what you have to offer is better than what your competitors have to offer.

Remember as well as using testimonials on your website you can ask clients to submit them to LinkedIn, Facebook, Goggle My Business etc., and that’s good for being found through SEO too.

 

Research your target audience and competitors

4 – Research more

Research what your audience wants, and what your industry needs. Research what people are looking for, and create the answers to the questions that they have.

Research is what will make a difference. Research what other people in your industry are doing. Do it better or differently. Use Google, Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook. Look for what people are talking about and create better content around that.

 

Blogging and posting

5 – Get blogging and posting!

You’ve done your research and have ideas about what customers need or want and why you have the answer. So become an expert – you can improve your business marketing by positioning yourself as an expert. Becoming an expert is one of the long-term marketing tactics for small business, but can provide great results.

Link back to your website and think about the customer journey from that first point of contact, whatever it might be, to that point at which you are actually speaking to them. Use visuals too, they are invaluable in gaining attention top you blogs and posts.

Remember to engage with people and businesses. Join in the conversations, ask questions on other people’s posts. It’s just as important as posting your own content in raising your profile and building relationships.

 

Where do I start with my marketing? Which building blocks do I start with?

Start with one thing that you know you need to do, and do it well. Sucking eggs comes to mind when I say that, but we are as guilty of trying to do everything at once as anyone. It pays to do things logically and methodically in a manageable way, the feel good factor of ticking it off that list is what will spur you onto completing the next task or goal.

 

So, what’s next when this is all in place…

You’ve diligently taken the time to ensure the basic elements of your marketing channels are up to date, accurate and compelling. Now it’s time to make a strategy and plan to reach those potential clients through the use of your brand proposition, values and messaging in tailored campaigns.

If you are unsure what to what to do next, we'd love to hear from you. Contact us for a free consultation and chat about your marketing your business.


Marketing plan for business

How to Form a Successful Marketing Plan

Marketing plan for business

How to form a successful marketing plan

A good marketing plan is the pillar of any business marketing strategy.

It provides an honest view of the strengths and failings of your business, and ensures you consider the market as a whole; what your competitors are providing, and what customers really want.

It should outline all of the tools and tactics that you will use to achieve your sales goals, and act as a continual point of reference as to what it is that you are going to be selling, who will want to buy it and the strategies that you will use to achieve those all-important sales.

This article will show you how to write a thorough marketing plan including:

  • Situational analysis
  • Competitor analysis
  • Marketing goals
  • Marketing budget

 

Situational analysis

Before you start considering the future of your business, you have to look at its current position. A situational analysis enables you to investigate your firm’s position from new angles.

Simple questions, such as ‘what is your product?’, ‘what position in the market does your product occupy?’ and ‘what are your sourcing choices/options?’ force you to analyse in detail how your company is run, and whether you feel it is streamlined or not.

The SWOT analysis considers your business’ Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats; it is only by assessing the internal factors (strengths and weaknesses), that the external factors (opportunities and threats) can be considered.

SWOT can be used to make informed decisions, and as Linda Pophal, owner and CEO of Strategic Communications says, this is actually ‘…the area of strategy development where organizations have an opportunity to be most creative and where innovative ideas can emerge, but only if the analysis has been appropriately prepared in the first place.’

 

Competitor analysis

Competitor analysis inherent to situational analysis, but to really understand your market and prepare for changes, you need to understand your competitors. This can be achieved through a ‘competitor array’, an example of which can be seen below:

Key Industry Success FactorsWeightingCompetitor #1 ratingCompetitor #1 weightedCompetitor #2 ratingCompetitor #2 weighted
Extensive distribution0.462.431.2
Customer focus0.341.251.5
Economies of scale0.230.630.6
Product innovation0.170.740.4
Totals1.0204.9153.7

 

A competitor array allows you to consider the factors most important in your industry, and then lets you rank your competitors based on these factors, showing you their strengths and weaknesses. A such you can perceive gaps in the market.

To predict the future strategies of your competitors, you may have to extend your analysis into what their strategies are and have been; try contacting suppliers, or former business partners of that company, but make sure that all information is obtained legally.

 

Marketing goals

Companies often set the bar too high or too low; a good situational analysis will help you pitch achievable goals. The key is not to overburden yourself; obviously you want to see growth in your company, but too many goals in your strategy, will spread your skills too thinly and dilute your strengths.

Shanelle Mullin, Director of Marketing at Onboardly suggests to ‘…choose 1-2 core goals that impact the bottom line and 3-5 supporting goals’. Your marketing plan should be for the whole year ahead, so break down these goals into daily or weekly targets. This will ensure the people working for your business feel a sense of achievement, and morale will stay high.

 

Marketing budget

To set a marketing budget, look at your company’s revenue, and be realistic about what money you have to spend. Issues to be taken into consideration include:

  • How quickly you want to grow, and by how much
  • Turnover and outgoings
  • Whether you are introducing something new to the market, or marketing existing products
  • How much your competitors are spending on the market.

While each business has its own budget priorities, market research suggests that firms should spend about 5-10% of their turnover on marketing (and this percentage should be higher on companies with a lower turnover).

As outlined by co-founder and VP of marketing at E2M, Pratik Dholakiva, measuring the effectiveness of your marketing campaign can be tricky, especially when trying to glean ROI from something as apparently ethereal as social media. Ultimately, all your strategies need to boil down to real numbers, especially where leads, profits and sales are concerned.

Among other key steps to take, Mr Dholakiva says it is important to keep ROI analysis simple regarding money in and going out so that you can place a financial cost of putting a new strategy in place. It sounds a no-brainer, but it’s easy to get bogged down in details and far more important to stay focused on the bigger picture.

Be sure to define your strategy and understand what you’re trying to do. Isolate the differences compared with previous campaigns, and work to improve those former strategies.

Furthermore, many marketing strategists fail to analyse to the right depth. While marketers may not have access to all company data to be able to account for a seemingly inexplicable peak in web traffic, an effort should be made to access all information available that could be used to glean insight. Consider what other factors are influencing revenue and traffic and integrate these into your model.

It is important to consider ways in which you can easily cut costs. Social media is an amazing way to market your business and is in many cases completely free; having a hands-on approach to social media will also allow you to keep your business relationships strong.

 

Using social media correctly

Coke is an FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) company, paving the way for social media innovation, their multi-faceted approach to guiding consumers back to brand is both inspirational and informative to any marketer.

Who can forget Coke’s ‘name-on-a-bottle’ campaign, which encouraged us to #shareacoke? Feeling in need of a friendship top-up, we dutifully searched for our names on our favorite soft drink bottles and Coke sales increased by 2.75% in the UK alone. The drive was recognised by the 2013 Cannes Lions as “the most successful campaign in decades.”

Creating a detailed but focused marketing plan for your company is hard work, and takes time. However, with one in place, you will be able to make smart, informed decisions and concentrate on the growth of your business.