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Frank Bair from Artisans Carpentry came to visit Idea Shop with a simple problem – how to drive traffic to his website without spending a fortune on adwords. We talked to him about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), PR and advertising.

Frank has a great product; high quality but affordable carpentry performed by reliable trustworthy traders. He also has a lovely new website. He recognises the website’s potential to drive new business, but is not sure how to get people there.

SEO

Research shows few people look beyond the first page of search results. Frank needs to be on that first page. To get there he needs to optimise his website for search engines. This means showing search engines that your site is relevant to certain searches. There’s lots written about how to do SEO. Below is a crash course.

1. Keywords

Search engines judge the relevancy of your website based on how often the words in a search are used in your copy. These words are called keywords. If I type “Carpenter London” into a search bar, the search engine then looks for sites that use those keywords. Then it sorts all those sites into an order. The sites it judges to be most relevant go first. Where you come in that order is called your “ranking”. Having more keywords in your web copy is good for your ranking – but don’t want to over do it because then your site becomes a horrible read. You can research what keywords are right for your business using Google’s free keyword tool. You can research out if you’ve overused your keywords by having friends to read your site.   https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

2. Where to put those keywords

Search engines read from left to right, top to bottom. That means using a keyword in the top left of a page is better than using one in the bottom right of the page. The words used in links, headers, urls and navigation are considered more important than those in body copy. Therefore, it’s a good idea to keywords in links, headers, urls and navigation, if possible. Again, there’s a balance to be reached; you don’t want really long navigation copy, or all your headers to sound the same because you’ve crammed the same keywords in over and over again.

3. Body copy

Search engines like pages with copy on them. Aim for around 250-300 words per page, where appropriate. Search engines also like sites that have lots of incoming links. So create good quality content, and update it often. That way more people will want to link to you.

4. Links

Links going in and out of your site make it look popular and makes search engines think it’s more relevant. Think about links that are relevant to your user, then find a way to include them that seems natural. You might add a links section to all your pages. Or you might work links into body copy. Don’t just cram links in thoughtlessly because it will devalue your site. In Frank’s case relevant links could be interior design blogs, kitchen and bathroom suppliers and non-competitor tradesman, (electricians etc). These sites may be willing to do a mutually beneficial link swap.

5. Putting yourself out there

Frank could also create content for external sites and link to them. For example, he could create a gallery on flickr.com to showcase work completed by Artisans Carpentry. Or he could create a Youtube channel filled with DIY how to videos. He could make these videos himself, or simple select existing youtube content to go on his channel.  Frank can also drive traffic and improve his natural search ranking by becoming active on local DIY and home improvement forums and blogs, posting relevant comments and including his url in his signoff.

6. Page description.

Once he has achieved the holy grail of being on the first page of search results, Frank mustn’t rely on people clicking though to his site to get the info they need. Research shows that including your telephone number in your page desciption (the copy that appears with your link on the results page) can significantly improve the number of calls you receive. (The same is true of having your digits in the header of every page on your site which Frank is already doing.)

7. Research

Knowing how people find your site and how they interact with it once they are there is invaluable when it comes to improving traffic. We pointed Frank in the direction of another free Google tool, Google Analytics. This is a free service that allows you to see exactly that. It means adding a little piece of code into each of his pages but it will help him figure out how to attract more visitors and turn more visitors into customers.

http://www.google.com/analytics/

8. And finally

Search engines are always changing and developing so its important to stay on top of the latest SEO techniques by checking online.

Advertising

A quick search for “Carpenter South London” revealed a couple of paid for results, (where people pay to have their site come up at the top of the search results), at the top of the page and more down the right hand column. Of the natural search results (where people haven’t paid for a high ranking) the first two are carepenters adverts on Gumtree.com and Trustatrader.com. We recommended Frank follow suit with ads of his own on both these sites. Frank told us that most of his business comes from word of mouth. To capitalise on this we recommended he email satisfied customers an email voucher that they can forward to friends. The voucher could offer a discount and a free consultation. He also mentioned an ad in a local paper that generates a lot of leads. We recommended he continue to use this.

We also thought it would make Frank stand out if he were to craft some wooden leave-behinds with his url burnt on to them. This could be something useful, like a fridge magnet or a paper weight, that customers would leave somewhere visible, thereby keeping Artisans Carpentry at the front of prospective customers minds.

PR

Next we looked at activities beyond SEO that would attract more visitors. Here’s a few of those ideas:

Approach local papers about a DIY column.

Do carpentry displays at local events and fetes.

Start a campaign – starting a campaign not only generates PR, it also positions you as a market leader. The campaign would need to fit with Artisan Carpentry’s values of quality, trust and workmanship. Within that remit, it could be about anything from more use of sustainable material, to bringing back apprenticeships or to a campaign for more reliable traders.

Donate leftover wood to local bonfire night displays.

Create wooden play equipment to donate to local play areas.

As you can see, a lot was squeezed into our hour and half brainstorm with Frank. We can’t wait to see the results. And we know where we’ll be going next time we need some home improvements.

http://www.artisanscarpentry.com/

Background:

Siobhan McIntosh is a Mother, Businesswoman and homemaker. She gave up her corporate job a few years ago to pursue a dream to become a designer which would also allow her to work from home and be closer to her six year old son. Siobhan started with a premium range of cushions, lamp-shades, picture frames, tea towels and eco-shopping bags aimed at middle-aged professional women, usually with kids. The brief at the Idea Shop however was to help Siobhan launch the signature range of her products.

Solution:

The Ogilvy team set about taking the new products back to the core of where they came from. Siobhan’s story as an ambitious young mother and entrepreneur gives her brand a unique positioning in a market cluttered with Ikeas and Habitats. The fact that all her products were designed by her and handmade give them a personal identity that the big brands simply cannot replicate. This would be her differentiator when it came to pitching her products. We devised a communications pack that Siobhan should put together including a business card that would use materials from her designs to stand out from any other, a folding display she could take to boutiques to showcase her work, and a leave behind that would tell her story.

We then worked with Siobhan to devise a launch and contact strategy.  One of the key things missing for the new range was a good set of photographs displaying the new designs, and a premium looking website for those products to live.  One of the solutions was to take her business plan back to her University lecturers to try and get the students there to work on the project as a live brief.  Siobhan had a good relationship with the professors on her course and creative courses are always looking for real-life briefs to work from so we felt this would be a good place to start to minimise any upfront capital. Once this was in place Siobhan could set about identifying the stores/boutiques she thought would fit her products.  It will be important for her to set some clear objectives against a defined time frame to ensure that she has an efficient attack plan to get her product on the shelf.

We left Siobhan with some clear action points and direction to help take her signature range forward. Siobhan left us inspired by a young lady who was determined to make a success of herself as a businesswoman whilst continuing to be a good mother. We wish her all the best in taking the interior design world by storm!

www.siobhanmcintosh.com

Post by Oli Goulden

Account Director, Ogilvy Advertising

Brixton Cycles, is a one-off. A workers co-operative at the heart of SW9 that sells and fixes all kinds of bikes from commuter, to racing to mountain bikes.  If you are part of the biking fraternity its a destination in its own right and celebrated its 25th birthday a few years back.

The Problem:

There were several things BC wanted to do

1. Keep their much loved customers up to date with all they were doing

2. Grow their community, be part of their community and introduce more people to cycling

3. Make sure that they were selling, stocking and buying the right kind of kit and bike gear

What we suggested:

Crowd Sourcing

Brixton Cycles has an irreverent, slightly anarchic take on life which is instantly recognisable in their branded clothing. To grow their community and engage with them better, we recommended a bit of crowd sourcing- asking their customers what designs they would like to see fronting next season’s cycling gear. We also suggested that the Brixton Cycles staff wear the merchandise while working on the shop floor or fixing bikes to help identify them to customers, and make it easier for people to know who to ask for advice and help in store.
Know Your Customer

We also suggested that Brixton Cycles establishing a database of customers and create a facebook page in order to send out email/newsletter bulletins and also post status updates letting people know about promos, events, sales and anything else the Brixton Cycles is getting involved with.

Taking it To The People

We wanted people to register that Brixton Cycles is really part of their community and something that is unique.  So we suggested setting up a chalk A board outside and use it as a megaphone/ means of sharing and writing down the staff’s witty, irreverent and politically flavoured thinking.  This was a way of taking the shop’s attitude out on the street and also creating something of a local talking point for the neighbourhood as well as putting a smile on the face of all those commuters cycling past everyday. We also thought it might be nice to make what ever was on the board that day the shop’s facebook status to keep all the Brixton Cycles community- local and virtual- in the loop.

Keeping Track of Sales

With a secret sale coming up for their valued customers, we recommended that Brixton Cycles pay close attention to every item rung up on the till that day- which brands and labels were the most popular and what price points proved to be the most popular with the shops loyal fan base. Gaining this information would help them stock exactly what people wanted to buy and ensure faster through flow of goods and even happier customers.

www.brixtoncycles.co.uk



Yasmin Butt is writing her first novel, titled Gunshot Glitter, and came to idea shop looking for ideas to publish her book.

An interesting personality with a rich past, Yasmin has worked as a journalist, was involved in marketing various bands and their music, and has written short stories and poems, she often performs readings at music events, but she has never published any of her work.

Gunshot Glitter is quite personal to her and she was finding difficult to think of ways to promote it. She briefed us not being sure if she wanted to target potential readers or publishers.

What we came up with:

We envisaged an integrated strategy aimed at potential readers. Aim of the strategy is to generate interest in the book by using the potential of viral buzz through on and off line means.

The book’s website will be at the centre of the strategy. Potential readers will be able to read / download one chapter for free from the site. All other chapters will also be available for download for a charge (via paypal). This would be the standard edition of the book.

Podcasts of book’s readings would be available for download too.

The book can also be ordered in print format via the site. This would be the premium edition of the book.

Site traffic is generated through posters and use of social media sites.

The posters would hero snippets of the book and the site URL. We told Yasmin to think carefully about the placement of these posters, where they’d get max visibility and impact.

Social media would be used to create a profile for the novel main character (a female professional killer) as if she was a real person.  Facebook and Twitter would be used to create this profile, so friends could be added, potential readers could then follow the character’s exploits periodically.

The Facebook profile could also be used to promote the real life events and book readings at. In turn these events could be used to drive site traffic (which is main aim).

The premium edition (print) version of the book should be carefully crafted, from the artwork to the actual materials used.

We briefly mention distributing press releases through trade press or webzines (flavorpill / boldtype) as well as magazines.

Mad Hatter’s Tea Party arrange and host club nights in South London venues, based around the theme of Alice in Wonderland. They aim to offer something different from run-of-the-mill parties in the area, with fancy dress, games, live bands, djs and most importantly, a good cause. A different charity receives the proceeds from each event.

The challenge:

Previous events have enjoyed small success, selling out in less than 24 hours, but the event is about to get a lot bigger and they’re in need of a small-scale marketing strategy that will reach a wider audience than word of mouth alone. Being a charity event, funding is minimal. The date of the next event just over a month away, so time is short too. With a team of only, any advertising needs to be cheap, effective and quick to do.

The solution:

We suggested that the easiest way of reaching the local target demographic might be to direct advertising towards places where similar nightlife activities are already happening, ie; local pubs and clubs. As a great flyer has already been designed, making postcards which people will pick up, absorb and circulate is a cheap and easy way of spreading the message.  Independent local cinemas such as the Roxy and Picturehouses (Greenwich and Clapham) will soon be screening Tim Burton’s ‘Alice In Wonderland’, which will naturally create interest around the theme. Leaving flyers/postcards in their foyers would target people who already have an interest in the theme.

Whichever charity is to benefit from the event should be encouraged to advertise the event on their website/newsletters. We identified that the current lack of web presence of the organisation needs to be rectified as soon as possible. We strongly recommended that they start utilising social media spaces such as Flickr, MySpace and Facebook to start an online buzz, and provide a forum for club-goers to share their experiences/listen to music, etc. Press (local and music) should also be sent guest passes to the event, so that it receives proper coverage, ensuring a following for future events.

Local charity shops could be tapped to build a dressing-up wardrobe, which could be hired/sold at events to generate yet more money for the charity.  Photos could be taken and sold to customers for a small fee.  Going forwards, a festival presence might also be an avenue they want to explore, as fancy dress is always a hit at these kinds of events. We suggested they get in touch with local festivals to enquire about getting involved.

Lots of small-scale, locally-targeted initiatives applied within the realms of a tiny budget could have a big effect on this fledgling events organisation, and together we helped troubleshoot some of their concerns and come up with some easy ways get the word out on the street without breaking the bank.