I sang in a chamber choir concert recently and it was one of the best concerts we had EVER performed as a group. We’ve been singing together for 10 years and must have performed over 20 concerts in that time… at least.

In that time, we have worked up some standard repertoire, so inevitably, there are some pieces that we have performed several times before, but they are NEVER the same performance.

For the non-musicians amongst you, it may be hard to understand why? The notes don’t change? The conductor may change the dynamics slightly, but how can it be that different? Surely we had rehearsed and knew exactly what it would sound like – why was it so much better?

The answer is….. very much the same as an effective marketing plan.

In musical terms, the performance was so good because of the acoustic. The external environment greatly enhanced the ability to hear each other and ourselves THUS increasing our confidence AND the therefore enjoyment of singing.  All of which meant that we delivered a better performance for the paying punters. Smiles all round :-)

Just as in marketing terms, a good marketing plan should be constantly adapted to internal and external forces to create more sales in the target market.

• Maybe there is a new development in your product? So your marketing plan should change.

• Maybe a competitor has fallen on hard times – so your marketing plan should change.

• Maybe some recent government legislation has changed the rules for your market – guess what? Your marketing plan needs to change.

If you want help reviewing your marketing plan then get in touch, we’d love to help work out what’s changed in your environment and how you need to respond.

The words ‘Google Algorithm Update’ strike fear in the hearts of developers and brand owners alike.

Today, a new algorithm has started to affect website traffic whose sites aren’t classed as ‘mobile friendly’.  It’s being referred to as ‘Mobilegeddon’, due to the ‘significant’ effect it may have on some brands, seeing website traffic dropping considerably from today, when the new algorithm roll-out begins.

Panda and Penguin updates caused some real issues for SMEs and large brands alike – meaning lots of headaches for brands that saw their organic traffic drop, as a result of the changes Google made during those updates.

Mobile is serious business; Google estimates that 50% of global searches come from mobile and an IMRG/Cap Gemini survey shows 40% of online transactions are done via a mobile (including in-app purchases).

Ultimately, these changes are to make the user experience better for the customer, which we are all after. However, it may create some headaches along the way if your site isn’t optimised as it should be.

If you want to know whether your site qualifies as mobile-friendly – use this online test built by Google developers.

Talk to us if you want to know more about how to make your site ‘mobile friendly’, we’d love to chat about it.