by Marelise da Silva | Jan 22, 2020 | SEO, Website Design
Despite their considerable promotional power, printed marketing materials like posters, leaflets and magazines are some of the world’s top pollutants. If you are a business that values the health of the environment, you should be thrilled that digital marketing presents a far greener way to promote your business.
It will take more green-conscious businesses like yours as well as education for the rest to move the needle towards a truly green future. To paint a picture of why a full migration away from printed marketing materials to digital marketing platforms needs to be expedited, we share facts and statistics on the advertising industry’s impact on the environment below.
- According to the Green Press Initiative, the paper and pulp industry is the fourth largest contributor to greenhouse gases in the United States. The World Counts environmental statistics and advocacy project says that, as things currently stand, the demand for paper (which businesses contribute towards massively with their advertising campaigns) is expected to double by 2030. It also estimates that Americans waste enough paper in a single year to build a 12-foot wall extending from New York to California.
- Paper is not the only costly resource in traditional advertising. Billboards, for example, incur a host of other environmental costs, such as the materials used to build them and the power required to light them up. This is not to mention the other major cost in print advertising, namely ink and cartridges. According to The Energy Collective, a factory that produces ink cartridges emits as much CO2 as 500 average North American homes.
These are pretty good reasons not to take out that full-page ad you’ve been contemplating and to stop the presses on those flyers you’ve been handing out for years. If you need any more convincing, it helps that digital is not only greener, but also cheaper. Furthermore, it has reliable metrics for measuring ROI, which print could simply never have.
What we have discussed above are compelling reasons why marketers must reconsider their dependence on paper for their advertising materials. Thanks to digital media, there are now far greener ways to promote your products and business.
WSI OMS is the perfect partner to manage your migration to a paperless marketing strategy and help you make a positive contribution to the health of the environment. Contact us today to discuss ways to craft a winning digital marketing strategy for your business.
by Marelise da Silva | Jan 14, 2020 | Website Design
Facebook ads are an effective marketing tool for e-commerce brands that know how to use them. Facebook is a giant social network where millions of potential customers spend hours every day. As such, Facebook ads present an opportunity to reach your target customers where you know they are sure to hang out. Here are four ways you can use this hardworking social media marketing to promote your e-commerce business.
Continually Boost Awareness Around Your Brand
Facebook is a very powerful tool for building an identity, and creating an identity is the foundation of your business. Aside from any other strategies you use in your Facebook marketing, you should be using the platform to develop and improve that identity.
Incorporate your branding into all social media content, whether direct ads or other posts. In the build-up to the sale, associate your brand with events, people, causes and products that are most likely to draw the right audience. By the time the sale starts, you will have more loyal followers and, thus, more potential sales.
Target People Who Have Previously Shown a Willingness to Buy
Facebook is a perfect place to retarget the customers you have already gained, but who have not yet completed purchases. You can offer special deals to users who visited your site but never subscribed, or who placed items in their shopping cart and never checked out. Target their Facebook feeds with special offers designed to bring them back.
Get More From Your Marketing Dollars by Promoting More Products with the Same Ad
Multiple-product ads can be extremely successful. There are indications that they are efficient and more attractive to customers. The more products they can see, the more reason they have to click.
Get Creative and Tell Brand Stories as a Soft-Selling Tactic
Instead of posting an ad that specifically tries to sell a product or products, create ads that lead towards a sale via a more indirect route. This may sound contradictory, but remember that Facebook users see advertising everywhere – and mostly manage to tune it out.
So, instead of just putting your product in front of them, draw attention to something that is connected obliquely to your brand, perhaps an event in which your products will feature in some way. This creates interest in your brand in a gentler, more ‘soft sell’ way, which is likely to not only be very refreshing for your audience, but also to make more of an impression on them.
At WSI OMS, we are specialists in creating and running high-converting social media marketing campaigns. We would like to help you use Facebook ads to boost your brand image and to increase your e-commerce sales. Contact us today.
by Marelise da Silva | Dec 19, 2019 | Website Design
A lot has changed in the world of web design this year. The question is, have you been quick enough when it comes to embracing the latest web design trends in order to reap the benefits? If not, here is what you should be doing before the year-end.
Go Big or Go Home
Research has shown that wide designs for desktops promote higher user engagement numbers. These wider designs allow for quality, eye-catching imagery and a crisp, clean aesthetic that makes a brand all the more relatable.
Adopt a Mobile-First Policy
Ensure that your website is able to adapt to any device that may be used to browse it – mobile phones, in particular. It is a fact that mobile phones accounted for more than half of all website traffic in 2019, and these numbers are set to continue to climb year upon year.
Video Content
2014 saw blogging take off as the most important type of content any website could have. In 2019, the focus has shifted over to video content. Video content, from product demos to testimonials, is sure to have a positive effect on any consumer interested in what your business has to offer. Do your best to post new video content on a regular basis to see a drastic improvement in your website’s SEO rankings.
Black and White Palettes
Minimalism has taken over the world. We see it in food, décor, fashion and, now, web design. Many on-trend websites are embracing the simplistic, yet impactful black and white palette. The overall aesthetic is striking and daring, ultimately drawing more attention to textures and shapes in the design.
Need assistance with a website redesign so that you can start afresh come 2020? Get in touch with the digital marketing experts at WSI OMS today! We specialise in web design, web development, SEO and more.
by Marianna Muscat | Dec 19, 2019 | Website Design
Your website is the heart of your business. It is where consumers go to learn more about you, explore what you have to offer and size you up against your competition. As such, it makes sense to pay close attention to the quality of the user experience that your website is providing. One way in which to do that? By keeping up with, and implementing, the latest web design trends. Here is a look at some of the hottest web design trends for 2020 and beyond.
Personalisation
One way to ensure that your brand comes across as relatable via your website is to personalise it as much as possible. In order to do this, you will need to understand your various types of consumers by creating buyers’ personas and then creating specific, personalised content for those personas.
Voice User Interface
Voice search using Google has been growing in popularity for a long time now. 2020 web design should seek to take advantage of this widespread preference and implement voice search functionality on the website itself. It is also important to take note of how consumers are phrasing their voice search queries. Then, factor this information into your website’s SEO.
Chatbots
Chatbots were a massive web design trend of 2019, and they are certain to continue to dominate throughout 2020. They not only offer a greater sense of personalisation and provide the illusion of an ‘always-on’ approach to doing business, but they also save your business time and money by reducing the need for a large customer support team.
Minimalism
The functionality of a website is imperative, but aesthetics play a role too. Next year, do your best to keep your website interface clean and simple. Yes, minimalism is still the only way to go.
Need help with creating an incredible website from scratch or with a website redesign? Contact the experts at WSI OMS!
by Marelise da Silva | Dec 15, 2019 | Website Design
Your business is just starting out. So, you are looking for ways in which to attract customers, build a reputation and start making a profit as quickly as possible. This is why a website with a functional web design is a must. Below, we take a look at 3 of the main reasons why start-up businesses simply cannot afford not to have a professional website working to their advantage.
A Website Will Increase Your Reach
Without a website, very few people are going to know that your business even exists. This is because they will keep coming across your competitors online instead. A website, as well as a good PPC and content marketing strategy, is sure to increase your reach and encourage interest in your product or service offering.
A Website Can Help to Build Your Reputation
Despite the fact that your business is new, you can use content marketing practices to solidify yourself as an industry thought leader. By posting informative, interesting content that seeks to provide potential customers with answers to their questions, as well as insights into the industry, they will be more likely to feel comfortable giving your products or services a try.
A Website Can Boost Conversions
Why stick to a brick-and-mortar store when you can also sell your products online? A web design with e-commerce capabilities is your ticket to a much more impressive bottom line, and will provide you with the opportunity to sell to a much broader audience.
Now that you have decided that a professional website is the only way to go, you will need to find a digital marketing agency that can provide you with a competitive web design. Look no further than WSI OMS. As specialists in web design, SEO and content marketing, we will ensure that all of your bases are covered. Get in touch today to learn more!
by Marianna Muscat | Sep 11, 2019 | Website Design
The design of your website could make or break your business. The fact that you have only eight seconds at the most to capture and maintain your audience’s attention may seem daunting. But, it’s actually easier than you think when you remember that the customer WANTS to find what they need on your website. They clicked on you because you offer something they are looking for. So, there is really no reason why you should lose them, provided you avoid the following five common web design mistakes:
1. Visual Overload
You may be tempted to choose a lot of different images and fonts, and perhaps overdo the multimedia a bit. All this does is create a lot of distraction and confusion. The customer wants to find what they need within seconds and hopefully make a purchase. A visually busy website does not make this easy for them. Simplify your look and keep it clean and understated, with the emphasis on customer experience.
2. Complicated Navigation
Once again, you always need to keep things simple. Your navigation must be obvious and intuitive if you want to retain customers. Keep your navigation bar visible and accessible, and enable clickthrough between all of your pages. Difficult navigation will annoy the customer and not only lose you a sale, but may also even earn your website a reputation of being hard to use, which will keep customers away in droves.
3. Slow Load Time
In the age of high-speed wireless connection, there should be no reason for a client to sit and wait for a site to load. If your site takes too long, people are not going to forgive you for it. Reduce your loading time by cutting down on the number of elements on your pages, especially where multimedia is concerned.
4. No Call to Action
You’re not just offering information, you want to make sales. In order to do this, you need to make sure that you always put out a call to action – somewhere the customer can click to know more or get more, or place an order right away. Also, never forget to include comprehensive and easily accessible contact options so people can make further enquiries.
5. Inconsistent Interface
This is a mistake that often comes from being too concerned with the look of a site or a simple lack of experience in the world of web design. Don’t let this happen. Instead of focusing on being creative, concentrate on building a simple and powerful customer experience.
WSI OMS is a well-established expert in web design. Contact us for help to create a killer, customer experience-focused website.
