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New research suggests that currently only one in eight businesses utilises a blog as part of a wider sales and marketing strategy, while only 4% plan to implement one in the next 12 months.

According to a new report released by a UK-based catalogue and direct marketing specialist, only 12% of UK businesses currently use a blog as part of their overall marketing strategy, whilst only 4% are looking to start one over the course of the next year.

The report, put together by direct marketing, design and print specialists Catalogues 4 Business (C4B), questioned more than 300 UK organisations as part of research into corporate marketing strategies. Respondents to the study were drawn from a diverse mix of businesses, both B2B and B2C, which spanned multiple industry sectors.

Ian Simpson, managing director of C4B said: “Blogs are becoming increasingly important in the digital age, but it seems that many businesses are failing to grasp this. When it comes to marketing a business online, we’re increasingly in thrall to Google. The simple fact is you have to play by its rules if you want to find yourself anywhere prominent in the search rankings.”

Simpson continued: “A regularly updated blog plays a massive part in the success of a business’s SEO strategy. Frequently updated content, containing key words and phrases relating to the services that you offer makes you stand out when it comes to the complex Google algorithms that determine search results. Producing relevant content on your website increases the chances of you coming top of these results.”

The study also found that when looking at sales delivery only 2% of businesses believed that their blog helped to deliver sales, compared to the 24% who attributed sales directly to the success of networking.

Ian Simpson said: “Of course, when running a business, sales is the main focus. So naturally, if part of your strategy is notably delivering sales, you’re likely to put more time and effort into developing that successful element. But you can’t afford to ignore other contributing factors. Whilst people might not necessarily read a blog and decide to buy your products or services, a blog contributes considerably to your overall brand.

“A blog not only assists with SEO by bumping you up the search rankings, it also helps to improve brand reputation. You can establish an authoritative voice within your industry by projecting your views via your blog. If what you say is of value to your target demographic then it will help to improve the general influence of your brand. An example of this is fashion brands such as ASOS, which exploit their blogs to express relevant opinion, providing fashion advice and analysing current trends. The customer base really buys into this approach and as a consequence is more likely to buy their products.”

The results of the study additionally revealed that only 4% of businesses had any plans to incorporate a blog as part of their on-going strategy in the next 12 months.

Simpson added: “The fact that so few businesses plan to put emphasis on their company blog in the near future, shows that true understanding of the influence of blogs isn’t widespread. A blog is something that you can manage directly and straightforwardly and at a relatively low cost. In a competitive market, businesses really should look to embrace the potential of a blog and use all of the tools at their disposal if they want to get ahead of the competition.”

To download a copy of the full report – ‘Channel Vision – Version 3.0’ – click here.

Reactiv Media, the telemarketing company which was booted out of the UK DMA just three months ago, has found itself in more trouble after being clobbered with a £50,000 fine for calling people on the Telephone Preference Service.
Set up in June 2007 by Tony Abbott (pictured) the firm boasts: “We’re one of the largest data owners in the UK, providing the cleanest, freshest, most up to date records available.”
And, in Elland, West Yorkshire, Abbott is viewed as something of a local hero, regularly appearing in the regional press and dishing out business advice.

However, the Information Commissioner’s Office found that between November 2012 and December 2013 the TPS received 481 complaints from individuals who had received unsolicited calls from Reactiv Media despite registering with the TPS. The ICO also received 120 complaints. In May, the company was warned it faced a fine of up to £140,000.
ICO director of operations Simon Entwisle said: “The system is simple. People on the TPS register shouldn’t receive nuisance calls – full stop. Reactiv Media ignored this rule and they must now pay a £50,000 penalty.
“Nuisance calls and texts are a scourge for thousands of individuals and households across the UK. We will continue to target the companies responsible. To help us do this we are currently speaking with the government to get the legal bar lowered allowing us to enforce against more companies and send a stronger message.”

The charge-sheet for the company dates back as far as April 2012, when the Direct Marketing Commission ruled it had breached the Direct Marketing Code of Practice over nuisance calls and emails, although it agreed to change its practices.
But just months later it was in the dock again, following a raft of complaints about unsolicited calls offering PPI compensation between April and September 2013.
Despite a fresh warning from DMC, Reativ failed to respond to requests to review and change their processes and continued to generate complaints about their activities.
Its DMA membership was axed in April. At the time, DMC chief commissioner George Kidd said: “Other telemarketing companies have worked with us and turned past problems around. Those who use companies like Reactiv Media to generate leads share a responsibility. They should not be encouraging firms to bend or break rules that are there to make sure the public’s wishes are respected when it comes to telemarketing.”

This was first published on Decision Marketing. For more breaking news and opinion pieces on direct, data and digital marketing in the UK visit us at www.decisionmarketing.co.uk

In the battle for consumer spend, discounts win.

• 84 per cent of supermarket shoppers use coupons
• Consumers saving £3 billion a year through coupons
• Coupons are used widely across all demographics.
• Rise of the discounter – 30% of all shoppers are frequenting these stores more than a year ago.

Shoppers’ savings are increasing with over a third of consumers saving at least £5 a month by using coupons – up 10 per cent on 2013 figures, according to coupon experts Valassis. This adds up to benefits of around £3 billion a year for coupon-hungry consumers.

The recent survey of 1,000 UK adults by Valassis found that shoppers’ coupon cravings show no signs of diminishing with 84 per cent of supermarket shoppers using them. Promotional seeking behaviour is becoming increasingly ingrained among consumers with almost a third of people stating they are looking for promotional offers more than they were a year ago. This is coupled with a large decline in consumers stating that they never use coupons. Now, just 16 per cent of shoppers state they never use this promotional mechanic versus 26 per cent a year ago.
 
Although consumers are seeking out and benefitting from savings when they shop, supermarkets are not reaping the rewards. Almost all consumers – 93 per cent – claim they will ‘shop away’ from their regular outlet if other retailers are advertising better offers. This behaviour is surprising given the increasing investment by many supermarkets to attract and retain customers.

The supermarkets who stand to benefit the most from savings savvy shoppers are the discounters and Valassis’ survey confirms their popularity. Nearly two thirds (64 per cent)  shoppers use these stores and this is a growing trend –  30 per cent of consumers visit discounters more than they did a year ago. Britain’s ‘big four’ supermarkets Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons all face a growing challenge from cheaper retailers with recent industry data showing sales at Aldi surging 33.5 per cent and Lidl up 16.6 per cent.

This bargain-driven behaviour among consumers remains prevalent despite many shoppers feeling more confident about their personal finance situation. Almost a fifth of people claim to now feel better off, a marked increase from 2013.

Charles D’Oyly, managing director at Valassis, said: “The supermarket wars continue to be white hot with the battle for consumer spend as fierce as ever. Consumers have grown accustomed to discounts, with coupon usage now forming an integral part of the shopping trip, so it’s no surprise that we are witnessing record volume redemption rates across a variety of products. Retailers appear to be tapping this trend by creating their own uniquely issued coupons to drive more traffic into their stores.”

The survey also revealed that coupons are used widely across all demographics, with a quarter of ABs saving at least £10 a month, up from 15 per cent last year. This compares with just eight per cent of DEs who save the same amount, finally busting the myth that coupons are for people who are less well off.

The survey of 1,000 nationally representative adults was conducted by Gfk NOP on behalf of Valassis between 11 – 13 April 2014.

New research suggests that a fifth of businesses in the UK are yet to develop a social media strategy, with only a third actively using it as a medium to promote their products or brand.

A further third of businesses have made initial attempts to utilise social media before giving up on the process.

According to a new report just released by a catalogue and direct marketing specialist, 20% of UK businesses are yet to put a social media strategy in place, with only 31% actively using social media as a marketing platform. Comparative statistics from a similar report last year, suggested that 67% of businesses used social as a marketing tool, implying that the use of social media has dropped by a third in the space of 12 months.

The report, put together by direct marketing, design and print specialists Catalogues 4 Business (C4B), questioned more than 300 UK organisations as part of research into corporate marketing strategies. Respondents to the study were drawn from a diverse mix of businesses, both B2B and B2C, which spanned multiple industry sectors.

According to the findings, social media (31%) is widely used by companies as part of their marketing approach. However when compared to a C4B study from 2013, there has been a 36% drop in usage, suggesting that many businesses attempt to adopt social media, before giving up.

Ian Simpson, managing director of C4B said: “I find it a real eye-opener that social media was a more popular tool for businesses in 2013 than it is this year. I would’ve assumed that this figure would have risen, not fallen so dramatically! Does it imply that many businesses have made an attempt before giving up? You would expect all companies to have social media included in their marketing mix. It’s a fantastic method of customer interaction – for both existing and potential customers. Perhaps an insufficient social media strategy failed to see initial attempts get off the ground.”

The report revealed that, despite its drop in popularity, social media is still the fifth most effective marketing tool for businesses. According to the study, 14% of respondents stated that their social media strategy successfully delivers sales, whilst networking was cited as the number one driver at 24%.

The study also found that social media was often used in conjunction with a catalogue as part of a wider marketing plan, with 33% of socially active businesses also implementing a catalogue in their strategy. In addition, the results suggested that 46% of companies that used email marketing utilised a catalogue alongside this approach.

Simpson added: “Companies that don’t have a social media strategy are missing out on a key method of communication with their customer base. If you use catalogue marketing, social media helps to provide a bridge between you and the consumer. Some people are reluctant to pick up the telephone for a minor query, and this is something that social media can help with. A simple question from a customer, followed by an accurate and timely response, will help to form a bond and demonstrate that you value their feedback and interaction.”

The study also looked at the most popular platforms that businesses opted to use when executing their social media strategy. The results revealed that Facebook was number one at 40%, followed by LinkedIn (35%) and Twitter (33%). Google Plus, which didn’t even feature as a relevant marketing tool in last year’s report findings, is now used by 17% of businesses that have invested time on social media. “The significance of Google Plus’ entry this year can’t be ignored. Whilst Facebook and Twitter, with their widespread consumer appeal, and LinkedIn with its B2B benefits are obvious players, Google Plus is definitely on the rise. The positive SEO effects of using the platform means that businesses really should be considering Google Plus as a serious marketing channel if they want to improve their position in Google search rankings”, Ian added.

To download a copy of the full report – ‘Channel Vision – Version 3.0’ – click here or phone: 0845 2300 258.