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January 2015
Digital Marketing Report
re-evaluation
This report has been prepared followinga meeting between Mr. Michael Redshawof Castle Hardware and representatives
of Shaw & Underwood Limited.
1
Currently, the main focus of the Castle Hardware
marketing programme, we are told, is the
company’s website. Through this, a successful
e-commerce site, the company generates online sales
and attempts to stimulate customers’ interest in visiting
the store in Park Road, Hockley.
The company operates on a trade-only basis, requiring
the registration of all customers and the allocation of
cards to specified holders within the member company.
Advertising and print activity undertaken on a business-
to-business basis, whilst susbstantial in the past, has
mostly diminished and what little material is now
produced, is done so in-house. The company is
currently not engaged in any social media activity or in
other online communication channels.
The initial contact with the agency, tended to suggest
that Castle Hardware’s main requirement was to
consider the revision of the website in order to improve
its performance and the analytic capabilities it provides.
It also became apparent that the company is actively
seeking the services of a company to provide digital
marketing support in general.
approach
2
www.shawandunderwood.co.uk
to date
3
refocus
4
www.shawandunderwood.co.uk
One factor emerging from the initial discussions with Castle
Hardware was the belief that there is no ‘quick-fix’ solution to
the company’s marketing proposition. Whilst the website is working
relatively successfully, Shaw & Underwood is firmly of the belief that it
could be improved - in appearance, content and in functionality.
A newly designed, more visually exciting website with greater
emphasis on the current deals, could be created with the updated
messages either to be carried out by Shaw & Underwood or - if
preferred - in-house by Castle Hardware. A greater effort in keeping
the site up to date and topical is also required, demanding a much
more proactive approach than is currently apparent (e.g: offers
around present weather conditions).
5
In a busy and competitive marketplace, it is
imperative that sites are easy to understand,
navigate and use. They must look professional,
interesting and up-to-date. The existing Castle
Hardware site appears from our investigations to be
custom-built and not based on an e-commerce
template. It functions well but could be improved. It
could be made to be more visually exciting, appealing
and topical. Whether it is true or not, the site seems
to suffer from a lack of regular maintenance and
updating.
For instance, in the ‘NEW’ section under the heading
of ‘products added in the last 30 days’ most items take
a while to load or have no current image. In fact, one
criticism of the existing site is that it does not load
quickly. After running tests we found that Castle
Hardware’s speed of loading received an ‘F’ rating,
whereas a couple of competitor sites received ‘C’
ratings.
existing
6
site
7
As discussed during the initial meeting, we believe that the site would benefit from a bolder, more
colourful, but simplified ‘header’. The ‘Search By Brand’ panel should also be brought alongside that of
the ‘Search By Keyword/Code’ facility so that alternative search methods are grouped together.
We strongly believe there should always be a main ‘themed’ sales panel supported by the main deals currently
available (such as the Winter Sales message and relevant offers shown in the home page we have mocked up).
It is our belief that ‘This Week’s Best Sellers’ have little value in persuading visitors to purchase items for which
they have not yet felt a need. This may be appropriate in certain markets - clothing, for instance - but when
the list includes insoles and paraffin, we believe this is not likely to spark an interest in the online shopper.
The space should, instead, be used for expanding the current - and hopefully relevant - special offers. We
would suggest that the main message or theme should be changed at least once a month, although other
topical and appropriate offers might be made sooner. The supporting offers could be changed weekly or
whenever Castle Hardware considers appropriate.
new site
8
www.shawandunderwood.co.uk
9
Simplified header. Homepage icon. Search by Keywordor Item Code and search byProduct Brand
Themed sales message:Winter, Summer Sale etc.with special offers.We suggest themes tochange at least once amonth, although offersshould change morefrequently during this period.
Links to new pages to explainDelivery Costs and Click &Collect service.
About Us etc. moved tofooter.
There has, in the past, beenlittle attention paid to the roleof social media and otheronline communicationchannels as an increasinglyvaluable vehicle forcommunicating with existingcustomers, prospectivecustomers, specifiers and otherinfluencers/stakeholders.
We also advocate the implementation of new pages on the site
carrying details of different delivery methods and their costs
and the ‘Click & Collect’ service. Rather than the duplication of the
current home page where the drop-down menu headed ‘Products’
carries much of the same content of the vertical list on the left-hand
side, we suggest a pop-out vertical menu that reacts when moused
over to show a list of everything in that particular category. In this way
every product can be made visible and accessed in a single click.
The home page presently carries a section headed ‘Birmingham’s
Leading Hardware Wholesaler’. The information it contains is
repeated verbatim on the page ‘About Us’. We suggest the removal of
this section from the home page but would urge the avoidance of
repetitive material throughout the site. Even when there is nothing to
add, information should at least be re-worded to avoid irritating
visitors seeking extra detail.
It is suggested that links to pages containing information of less
interest (to the site visitor), such as ‘About Us’, ‘Terms & Conditions’,
‘Contact Us’ etc. are moved to a less prominent position on a coloured
footer at the base of each page.
new site
www.shawandunderwood.co.uk
10
One, easy-to-use product list.Mouse over categories toreveal pop-out list of all itemsin selected category.See everything in category.One click to get page/productrequired.
11
The main sales message and the offers contained therein, we suggest would
constitute the main body of an email sent out to the entire database every
month as a concerted campaign.
In effect, the current website is expected to carry out two contradictory roles.
On one hand it seeks to make online shopping as simple and as convenient as
possible. On the other, it is expected to entice customers from behind their
monitor screens to the company’s store in Park Road.
As well as announcing the special offers available each month, emails containing
deals that can only be taken up by purchasers visiting the store, could be used to
increase footfall there. Really competitive deals which make it worthwhile for the
customer to make the effort would carry the phrase ‘Available instore only’ and
would be limited to a number of callers on a first-come, first-served basis.
As well as designing the new website in a way that it could be maintained in-
house, Shaw & Underwood is able to design an email in a similar way so that it
acts as a visual template. By following an established basic style using ‘generic’
components, it should be possible for competent in-house employees to create
emails in a similar style to a very basic original produced by us. (Unsurprisingly
however, we strongly advocate the use of professional designers and copywriters
wherever possible, if promotional output is to stand comparison with
competitors.)
We also feel an opportunity is being missed when customers register for the first
time. When their application is made, they simply receive a very plain email from
Castle Hardware in response. There are no images, no corporate identification,
no visual interest and no welcoming offers. One assumes that all emails from the
company are equally devoid of logos and corporate colours. We believe this
oversight should be addressed - and all outgoing material should, at the very
least, bear the hallmarks of the company’s corporate ID.
emailers
www.shawandunderwood.co.uk
12
CLICK TO VIEW MORE GREAT DEALS
TELESCOPIC LADDER3.75M ALUMINIUM
WAS £107.94NOW£83.94Castle Code 40.035
DRILL MAINS 650WEIMHEL BT-ID650
WAS £24.41NOW£20.34Castle Code 57.302
PERSIL PROF NON BIO90W 6.3KG
WAS £18.95NOW£14.34Castle Code 781.036
PVA JERRY CAN 5LTRCONTRACTORS
WAS £10.79NOW£7.17Castle Code 83.088
ANTI FREEZE BLUESTAR 1LTR
WAS £5.33NOW£3.14Castle Code 272.224
DOG FOOD 12KGWAGG COMP CHICKEN
WAS £12.55NOW£8.34Castle Code 883.009
NOW ON
GREAT WINTER DEALS from Castle Hardware
FREE DELIVERY on orders over £50 CLICK & COLLECT buy online collect in-store
Click here to send to a colleague or friend
Prices correct at time of send and maybe subject to change.
Privacy Policy | Terms and conditions | Unsubscribe from Castle emails
Follow us
Themed sales message:Winter, Summer Sale etc.with special offers.
Plus an emailer to localcustomers for INSTOREOFFERS ONLy.
In order to increase the footfall within the store
itself, we would suggest the most competitive
deals, which might be limited in number, should be
advertised via email and on the site as “Available
instore only”.
As well as these general promotion offers, after a
thorough auditing of the database held by Castle
Hardware, the company could also undertake
targetted mailings to promote items to those
customers who had purchased similar things in the
past. In this way, tools and plumbing product offers
would be sent to whoever might have bought taps,
pet product offers sent to those who had bought dog
food etc.
13
Google loves fresh, high quality content. SEO is as much a content job as a technical one. As well as
making recommendations to improve factors ‘behind the scenes’ that will positively impact rankings,
there are numerous content suggestions Shaw & Underwood can make.
Pages need to be well written and have substantial quality content. In the case of Castle Hardware, we
would propose the introduction of ‘SEO landing pages’. These pages can be optimised to increase traffic
and conversion rates. Once you have grabbed the attention of the visitor, the next stage or call-to-action
should be clear. Using continuous improvement testing, AV testing and heat-mapping, the layout, design and
calls-to-action can be tweaked as we learn what is performing well and what needs improving.
Initially we would recommend a full SEO audit to identify weaknesses, research competition, consider
performance of keywords and make improvements accordingly. A monthly optimisation cycle would ensure
improvements would be tested, measured, reported and acted upon.
seowww.shawandunderwood.co.uk
14
Pay-per-click advertising can be effective when used alongside a considered SEO
approach. Advertisers can bid for their company to appear in the ‘sponsored links’
area of the search engine, when someone searches for a particular keyword. The aim of
PPC is to make sure that the fee of PPC is trivial in comparison to the worth of the visitor.
If you pay £1 for a click, but the customer spends £100 it is a worthwhile exercise. By
researching and organising targeted
campaigns, and setting up specific
landing pages that are optimised
to encourage sales, the more
intelligent a PPC campaign is,
the more cost-effective it is.
A PPC campaign would be
developed and proposed once
initial setup work has been
completed.
15
pay per click
As part of a holistic digital approach, Shaw & Underwood believes that social media
platforms can be invaluable in communicating with customers. In addition to promoting
offers and responding immediately to customer queries, a strong social media presence can
improve awareness and positioning.
We have pinpointed two of Castle Hardware’s competitors as Latif’s and JTF, both of which
have a social media presence. JTF is running a more effective social media campaign with
more than 1,000 followers on Twitter and 7,000+ on Facebook. However both brands could
improve their presence online by interacting more often with customers.
Castle Hardware could also build its online presence through social media. We believe both
Facebook and Twitter would be worthwhile platforms for the company to join. By offering
discounts and promotions online, it could keep its name at the forefront of customers’ minds,
as well as react quickly to current events. For example, after heavy snowfall, social media is a
quick and effective way of communicating snow-related offers without the associated costs
or time investment of an email campaign. This would also be an effective way of appealing to
a younger customer base. After all, there is an up and coming generation of young builders,
plumbers and company owners who - unlike their older counterparts - are already actively
engaged in social media.
Furthermore, messages can be targeted to reach niche markets that are already active on
Twitter, for example self-builders or small sub-contractors. .
social media
16
www.shawandunderwood.co.uk
At S&U we believe very strongly that all of our accounts
should be handled by a director of the business. The
proposal is that Simon Trott, Managing Director and Laurie
Prescott, Associate Director, both work with Joel Evans,
Web Developer, to implement the proposed changes with
other agency personnel providing a supporting role in
design and marketing functions.
client liaison
17
Initial setup workWebsite overhaul
Create new designs for pages and apply them to the current site. To create initial
‘themed’ home page artwork and artwork for new pages (assuming client supplies
basic text) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£1,200
Developing site - including modifications to templates, CSS, image assets and
javascript. The site will be optimised for mobile, tablet
and desktop applications.
Website performance to be reviewed and optimised . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£2,600 - £3,600
Approximate* total: £3,800 - £4,800
Ongoing retainer workSeasonal theme changes
Create ongoing design changes for subsequent ‘themed’ pages and apply to the site
on a regular basis
(Expectations are this would involve changes to style sheets, image assets, templates -
primarily for home page traffic) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£500 - £750
Site SEO OverhaulTo produce a full SEO report
Identify weaknesses such as missing or poor keywords, duplicate content, broken links
etc. Create a list of actions required to fix the issues and implement these changes on
the website. Produce a list of relevant keywords suitable for Pay Per Click campaigns
and create recommendations for a targeted local campaign . . . . . . . .£1,500 - £2,000
costs
16
Pay per click campaignsPPC campaigns to be developed and presented after initial setup work has been
completed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£TBC
Continuous Improvement ProgrammeOne day per month to be spent implementing a continuous improvement
programme. Through user-testing, the use of third party tools and data analysis, we
can work with the client to provide a programme of improvements
to the website. New functionality for website e.g: product suggestions.
Heat mapping to measure usage patterns and create actions for improvement.
A/B and split testing to measure and improve conversion performance . . . .£500 pcm
Social media costsInitial set-up of Facebook and Twitter accounts and design of pages . . . . . . . . . . .£250
Daily updates, responding to customer enquiries as required . . . . . . . . . . . .£400 pcm
(Ongoing maintenance and daily updates can be carried out in-house by Castle
Hardware if desired.)
*Without more visibility on the site, we are struggling to be accurate in estimating costs. If appointed to
carry out work, we would require another round of fact-finding in order to confirm final prices.
All invoices are subject to VAT where applicable.
Terms 30 days nett.
A copy of our terms of business is available upon request.
15
Presumably the name ‘Castle Hardware’ hails from the time when the
company was more involved with the supply of predominantly
hardware or ironmongery products to local businesses. Shaw &
Underwood had considered the company name and has come to the
conclusion that, today, it does little to help the company in its marketing
efforts. We would respectfully suggest that consideration should be given
to amending it.
The name does little to communicate either the range of products or the
way in which it offers them. Indeed, the word ‘hardware’ is a term rarely
used these days - even by those old enough to realise its original meaning.
For, today, the word is used more in connection with modern technology
when differentiating between the devices and the software they run. The
logo - when used in everyday communications or displayed on the
company’s site - does not embrace the many different ranges that the
company now offers. As a result, it does little to stimulate customers to call
into the store, either as a planned or spontaneous visit. Time to change?
However, if considered, we suggest this is done in an evolutionary rather
than revolutionary way. We have considered alternatives and while
competitors such as JTF use terms such as ‘Shopping Club’ etc., we are
firmly of the opinion that something like ‘CH Discount Warehouse’ is far
more appropriate and communicates the right message. ‘Discount’ tells of
the selling ethos and the bargains likely to be had, whereas ‘Warehouse’
has the implication that the company deals on a trade-membership basis.
The change itself could be used as a marketing ‘event’ with offers and an
in-store promotion alerting customers to the change. It would also prove a
worthwhile PR exercise, as the change, to such an established name , would
be news in the building, ironmongery , electrical, plumbing etc. trade
magazines both in print and online.
change ofname?
18
www.shawandunderwood.co.uk
Shaw & Underwood Advertising Services Ltd
Suite 5, The Cloisters, 11-12 George Road
Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 1NP
T: 0121 454 5584 F: 0121 455 2094
W: shawandunderwood.co.uk