marketing

Hi! I’m Marshall and I am the newest member of the Digital Marketing team at MAXX. As MAXX’s Digital Marketing Campaign Manager, I will be working closely with clients to improve their SEO and PPC presence.

Whilst working as a graphic designer for a non-profit organisation, my manager opened my eyes to this magical thing called ‘digital marketing’: So, I studied a night school qualification for two years to achieve my CIM Diploma in Digital Marketing.

Once upon a time there was a pandemic…

Throughout the boardrooms of the UK and around the world it resulted in cancelled contracts, redundancies and closed businesses. It has devastated families and wrecked lives and there is no denying it has changed the world forever.

But as we approach Christmas, the various vaccines provide a glimmer of hope that a different normality will emerge and businesses will be able to rebuild, invest and grow again.

There is no doubt that this year has been really hard for everyone. For us at MAXX, our team has been home-based for most of the year, only being able to meet in small groups when government guidelines allowed it. Not being able to get together and have a laugh as a large team has been difficult for us all, as we really are such a close-knit group. 

There are few things more exciting than when you get to entirely rebrand an organisation. Or in the case of our work with Access Social Care (ASC), create a whole identity for a brand new organisation.

ASC is a charity that provides free legal advice to people with social care needs. The founding members came to us with the vision that all people with social care needs get the care and support they have a right to, so that they can live fulfilled lives in the community. 

Christmas is full of traditions. A fight in EastEnders, that slightly off tasting chocolate you get in cheaper advent calendars (I don’t mean to sound ungrateful Grandma), and the missing safety pins for tree ornaments to name but a few.

One of my favourite traditions is the MAXX blog taking a look at the year’s Christmas adverts. This time around I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing 2020’s offering. And I do mean pleasure… I actually had an excuse to spend the morning watching videos on YouTube! It felt like the task I’d been training for all through lockdown.

Let’s start with the basics, what is outbound marketing v. inbound marketing in layman’s terms?

Outbound marketing

Interrupting your customer with a hopeful sales pitch (e.g. adverts, cold calling, emails, non-transparent gated content)

Inbound marketing

Drip feeding helpful information and content, crafted to appeal to the target audience who should eventually choose to approach you to buy (e.g. social posts, videos, free downloads, blogs)

WARNING - this blog drags on a bit, but trust me, it’s worth the read. 

Businesses have a  60-70% chance of selling to existing customers. 

And only a  5-20% chance of selling to a new one. 

Are you missing opportunities to generate more revenue from your existing customers? That’s a rhetorical question by the way...of course you are. 

A gentle reminder before we start...no one likes being sold to. 

Let’s be honest, lockdown wasn’t great for haircuts or for socialising, but recent stats show that there were some real positives when it came to marketing for many businesses. In a recent report by Alchemis 63% of people said that lockdown had allowed them more time to think strategically, but what actions can you take now to effectively market your business?

Every day we hear more news about the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on the UK’s businesses and economy, and it hasn't exactly made for easy listening. You will no doubt have already spent the last few months trying to navigate your business through the crisis and now, it comes as no surprise, the UK has moved into a recession. Despite all of this one thing remains the same and that is the importance of keeping your marketing going in some form or another. 

Now is the time to plan how to strategically market through this period and MAXX is here to help.

Throughout these past few weeks, I’ve heard some really interesting points of view on marketing (or not) in this challenging climate, from webinars I’ve joined and articles I’ve read.  The overriding message seems to be that now, when things may be a little quieter, is the perfect time to invest in your brand and strengthen your marketing materials in preparation for when you need to start competing again.