Alexandra Balazs

Expert View: SEO for Non-Technical CEOs - Part 2 Fiona Bowyer, Marketing Director at The Marketing Centre, is back with the second instalment of her Expert View: SEO series. Many SME CEOs understand the importance of SEO, but navigating its complexities can be daunting. This series empowers leaders to unlock SEO success, even without a technical background. https://bit.ly/3KCSms6 #SEO #digitalmarketing #ceotips #leadership

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I'm in the PMW 100 Powerlist 2024! The PMW 100 Powerlist names the top 100 performance marketing professionals that have made the biggest positive changes for the industry over the past year. I was recognised as a 'funnel fortifier' and for 'sustainability captaincy', with one judge commenting that they were "highly impressed with how Sian was delivering “solid results across the marketing mix” at a full service agency". Qualities considered for inclusion in the PMW 100 Powerlist were: 👉 Innovation that drove the marketing industry forward 👉 Thought Leadership that changed mindsets 👉 Achieving world-class results for brands or clients that set a gold standard for the industry At 181st Street Communications everything we do is evidence-based and grounded in behavioural science. We measure our performance against our clients' business KPIs and bottom line, not just vanity metrics. But we're not afraid to push the boundaries and try creative and innovative new approaches - like bringing political campaigning methodology to ethical retail and increasing small business sales by 18%. Fantastic to see the success of our 2022 #ShopEthicalInstead campaign celebrated by the judges - especially as we're currently in talks to do something exciting with it this year! Watch this space 👀 Big thanks to Performance Marketing World and the judges (industry peers from major corporations like Microsoft, Coca-Cola and marketing trade bodies).

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I think we're all in a world now that we expect to see a different side of a business. In the past, glossy front pages of websites, in brochures, in newspapers it was very much the forward facing part of the business. Nowadays, I think with the changes in social media and the ever increasing desire for keeping these hungry social platforms fed with content, there has been a fundamental shift in the way that people present their business. And for me, I think it's a great idea. I've always been an advocate of showing the other side of the business. Now, whether that's full behind the scenes, whether that's stories with staff, people to camera, or just those nuggets of things in hand that people don't see of the business. If you’re a manufacturing company, a lot of manufacturing companies only show the end result they don't show some of the fantastic work in the background. Now, granted, there are obviously situations and I've got quite a few clients that can't show everything behind for both legal reasons and NDAs and not giving away information to their competitors but I always say that there's always a way of showing things that show the other side of the business. The staff play such an important part of people's businesses and being able to get them to show what they do is just so powerful and I think people, the way they're consuming content at the moment really do engage better with a bit more behind the scenes content. What have you shot recently that could show behind that curtain? Now, is it actually just that your team's out networking? Is it a load of pictures of your team doing the other bit of the business? If you're not allowed to show what they do in the bowels of the business, you can still show where they've been, who they've been talking to and just kind of showcase that stuff. I mean, we could always do more – even me who produces so much content, it's silly! I could always do more of getting it out there because all these platforms are appearing behind because they're always changing algorithms and things. But I try my best to get as much little bits of behind the scenes stuff out there just to show that it's not all just ta-da! Because yes, we need to do a bit of ta-da-ing but not everything has to be a ta-da in that same way. So yeah, what photos have you taken on your phone? God forbid, taking pictures on your phone ... Take loads of pictures on your phone this week for a bit of behind the scenes. What stories could you tell of your week that don't involve going ta-da on the front page of your website? Just a thought. Laura Sharp MCIM #behindthescenes #northeastphotographer

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Good morning and welcome to a new week. If you haven't yet explored our free online Driving for Work Policy Builder, today could be the day! https://lnkd.in/e5-gRa9D Who needs a driving for work policy? If you have employees, the chances are a proportion will: 👉drive a vehicle FOR work as part of their job 👉drive while AT work, either regularly or occasionally 👉drive on business between locations – at some point during their working day or night 👉drive a private vehicle that you don’t own – theirs or someone else’s while on business So - if you already have driving for work policies in place, then our free template and checker will enable you to compare yours to a good practice example. If you need to create a policy from scratch you can use the online builder, and tailor the policy to your own business. Take a look - and please share with managers and employers in your networks. It's free: https://lnkd.in/e5-gRa9D

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Some good examples of brands using affiliate marketing to help deliver their business and marketing objectives. The Glossybox and Pooch & Mutt example made me smile but it clearly works. #marketing #partnerships #brandbuilding

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In case you missed it, check out our latest IMCL ep on turning your internal SMEs into social media thought leaders who generate leads. We had a great time talking shop with Richard Ward about how he got an organic social media program started for his company AcroMat. From finding his voice to sharing his tactics with his peers, Rich walks us through the entire process. We also discuss topics like: 👉 Building an audience on LinkedIn 👉 Interacting with prospects 👉 Working with recalcitrant SMEs 👉 Developing a rewarding program 👉 Displaying your results to leadership Sound interesting? Have a watch! #b2bmarketing #Industrialmarketing #IMCL #IMC #Industrialmarketingcollective #thoughtleadership https://lnkd.in/gMy2pDwh

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Check out our latest article on how to maximise the usefulness of your existing databases. #b2bdata

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Blogging is a brilliant lead-generation tool if you know how to do it properly. The details of the course are all on the link in the comments Here’s a reminder of how my 5 day course, Blogbusters, works.............. Blogbusters is a 5-day blogging course for business owners and is a quick and easy way to start creating demand-led content in just 5 days. The next cohort begins on Monday 20th May and finishes on Friday 24th May. The live Q&A/coaching calls are at 5 pm every day that week. Blogbusters is £499 or two payments of £249.50 and here's what you get for your money; * 5 x downloadable workbooks * 5 x hours of coaching * 1 x free blog template * Lifetime access to the material and an unlimited amount of opportunities to repeat the course * Personalised feedback on x 1 blog * FREE bonus workshop on how to repurpose, reuse and recycle your blog into dozens of other social media posts Spaces are limited (they always are because this is such a high touch/high support course) DM me if you’d like me to send over the course details.

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Do you have a website but get NO ENQUIRIES from it? This is where SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) comes in! It’s great having a nicely designed website but what’s the point if no one see’s it? See below an example 👇 J Burrows came to us looking for a nicely designed website but also wanted to generate enquiries locally for Solar and EV charging points. After, working together on the website and SEO over the past few months we have finally got them to number 1 on Google locally for Solar! Drop me a message if you want us to take a look at your website and see where we might be able to help 😀

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Peer Review... 🕵‍♂️ I usually post about marketing strategy - today, after a week of cramming 5 work days into 4, it’s a perfect time to create a post about the importance of quality and how peer review supports that. Our agency is driven by senior marketers. Double checking and re-reading our output has been ingrained in our professional way of working for donkey’s years! But we’re all human and fallible to the odd oversight, this is where you need a strong team to have your back and the importance of peer review. We use peer review in a few ways: 🤔 Does my approach make sense? ✔ Have I nailed my execution? 🔍 And is there anything I’ve missed? The creative industry is subjective but also has structure and a methodology that’s followed in our agency - delivering output to the level we need. So when we’ve had a ‘crunching’ week, our customers don’t see an impact on quality. Missing links, spelling mistakes, wrong brand colours etc etc…. Our peer review process leads to tighter customer feedback loops, more content hitting the mark first time, and the ability to keep-up with the content cadence the digital world demands today! Have a good weekend all.

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I rank assets for none other than demonstrating ability. If I am honest - over the years I've ranked for everything from SEO agency to SEO services, SEO specialist to SEO Consultant. In all honesty, LinkedIn brought me 10x worth of business over ranking (AND MUCH BETTER QUALITY BUSINESS!!!!!) Today I noticed post a LOT of SERP volatility that I've got sitelinks and my knowledge panel together. It won't (or is highly unlikely to bring me business) BUT, it's a proof of concept. Now - if I could teach anyone ANYTHING it would be that the BEST SEOS out there are usually not well known - they're underground building assets, ranking and flipping em. From my own experience and from those that I know who are good - it all comes down to focusing on common sense, maintaining a consistent approach to building quality and testing. Don't listen to what Google says. Don't listen to third party advice without running your own tests and drawing conclusions. Google's lost a lot of cred in the last year and quite frankly, their obscurity, lack of transparency and NGAF attitutde towards smaller businesses means - YOU TOO should start focusing on multi-faceted strategies. Anyhow - I've got another site climbing the ranks for SEO agency and SEO company. Watch this space when I take those positions. #SEO #SEO2024

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The lifespan of a website is a topic that often comes up for us at Sixtwo especially when new PHP updates or updates in general are released. It often encourages clients to review their website, sometimes websites are so old that WordPress plugins are not compatible which sometimes forces companies to rebuild their website. Sadly, this can mean little time, budget or thought has gone into the rebuild and companies can be stuck with a website that could have had more potential. In a nutshell, our advice is always to review your website often, don't leave it so long, it may LOOK fine on the front end but the back end of the site could be brink of falling apart. In the long run, you won't save money and could be left with a rushed mediocre website.

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Excited to share that I'll be speaking at the next The Marketing Meetup in September! 🎉 TMM is one of my favourite events to go to - the perfect blend of learning from and connecting with amazing marketers. I'll be sharing insights on how social media can (and should) be used to inform and build a great marketing strategy, given many brands are about to head into (or are already in) planning season. Is it time to talk 2025 already?! 😲 Can't wait! #marketing #SocialMedia #MarketingStrategy #PlanningSeason

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"What's the alternative that would work better?" I feel my primary duty to clients is to answer this question. The alternative positioning The alternative message The alternative audience The alternative tactics Because many SMEs seem to know that their comms aren't as effective as they should be. They know they don't really enjoy producing that content. They just don't know how they might change direction, so they keep on keeping on with the same tactics and platforms they see around them. If you know in your heart of hearts that you're just putting out standard messages, in the standard way, to no great enthusiastic response, then I want you to hear there is another way. A more connective proposition A more compelling message A more focussed audience A more attractive creative execution When the moment comes and you think "God I'm sick of pumping out this crap to an uncaring world". That's the moment to pick up the phone to me, and I'll make it fun and effective again.

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Looking to boost your business's lead generation efforts? The Marketing Centre's Lead Generation Pulse Check will help you gain valuable insights and actionable tips to enhance your lead generation strategies.. Start now > https://bit.ly/3JL9LhG #themarketingcentre #LeadGeneration

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Standard advice "Build a website to get better at SEO". Tazmin advice ... "Add a 'here are some great things I have done' page". That's what I did last week, inspired by Alice Rowan 🤓, and as well as being chuffed at building it, I felt good about myself. Because life can seem like a huge to-do list, without much time reflecting on a 'have-done' list. What would you add to you 'have-done' list? P.S Link in the comments #TazminSuleman #GentleReminder #LifeImprovement #SelfReflect

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This is why posting inspirational content is turning your ideal clients off and making them buy elsewhere 👇🏼 If this is an issue for you, follow me 👉🏼 Laura Amy 🙌🏼 𝐎𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝟐𝟎+ 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 🚀 Mission and Brand 🚀 Business Aims 🚀 Brand archetype 🚀 Your Current Online Presence 🚀 Social Media Goals 🚀 Social media objectives 🚀 Industry Trends 🚀 SWOT Analysis 🚀 Content Pillars 🚀 Target Audience and Engagement 🚀 Platforms and Optimisation 🚀 Content Creation 🚀 Long Term Aims 🚀 Social Media Roll Out So you can start scaling with ease on social media and generate more followers, leads and sales! ———————— Recent client results include - 👉🏼 Multiple 50K launches 👉🏼 300+ increase in engagement 👉🏼 Brand collaboration 👉🏼 10X increase in revenue ———————— What are you waiting for? #socialmediagrowth #socialmediacontent #contentcreation #marketingtips #socialmediatips #contents

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