Online v's Offline Advertising and Marketing for Small and Medium Businesses in South West England

Business in the South West of England and Companies throughout the region need to market and advertise their products or services to the appropriate target audience

Companies advertise in order to inform, persuade, remind or raise brand awareness or brand loyalty. The aim of such advertising is of course to increase sales and thereby increase revenue and profits.

In doing so businesses in the South West will have many questions which need to be answered in relation to their advertising and marketing needs. Such as:

Q: How can we effectively and efficiently target our adverts to reach our desired target market?

Q: What form of advertising should we use to maximise the potential of reaching that target market in a way that is minimising the cost to do so?

Businesses in the South West

Online advertising (websites, pay per click, static ads) and offline advertising (newspapers, paper directories, radio, and television) all serve those same broad advertising goals.

The thing to remember is that each medium of advertising has its own set of strengths and weaknesses.

As a business you need to decide which medium is most suited to the needs of your company.

Some offline advertising is either not appropriate or out of reach of many small or medium sized businesses in the South West.

Such mediums such as television or radio advertising can be expensive. Newspaper advertising in some cases can be outdated or inappropriate for that type of product or service.

There may well still be a need for paper directories, but they too have been affected by the many changes and the tide of progress through many new advertising choices there are. Particularly with the increase demand for all types of internet marketing and advertising which can be accessed efficiently and effectively by consumers and businesses’ alike.

The medium of offline advertising does have its place. The question to as yourself; Does it serve our company or business well or could we do it better elsewhere? Such as the internet?

Well here at Bath Business Web we meet company directors and business owners from the many towns and villages all over the South West on a daily basis.



Bath Business Web Ltd

Whether based in Bath, Bristol, Wiltshire, Somerset or Gloucestershire we help them get the most from their advertising and marketing.

At Bath Business Web we recognise the need for small and medium businesses to consider how they market and advertise online.

This may mean building a professional and purpose built website to advertise or market your product or service.


It may mean advertising the whereabouts of the business on Google Places. Create an advertising campaign based round pay per click, ad-words or utilising advertising space on social media sites.

But what of other forms of advertising?

Well television and radio is often out of reach for many small and medium businesses’. It may not even be appropriate and could flood a business or send advertisements to far flung parts of the South West which have no relevance if you’re a local window cleaner in Chippenham.

The decline of newspapers has been prominent in the news for a number of years and the internet has contributed directly or indirectly to the closure of a number worldwide. It is true that a number have successfully transferred part of their industry online and do have space to advertise and market local business.

There are other forms of paper advertising such as the local or national phone or business directories. Editorials or adverts in local magazines. Flyers, posters or Billboard advertising.

Well I guess they all have their place. So what you need to do is get to grips with how they will work for you.

Find me a person of the modern age who doesn’t think that a business should have a profile of one sort or another on the internet, because to think that way will not help grow your business



A Website or Online Marketing Presence for your Business

The advertising you choose does not have to complicated or over the top. The local electrician who runs round town in his white van and is too busy keeping his business afloat to be able to walk the streets with leaflets or flyers. The car valeting service who wants an automated service to book people in or the hairdresser who wants to show off all the latest styles and trends to their customers can do so easily and cost effectively online.

At Bath Business Web we believe that both online and offline advertising will remain robust in the foreseeable future. Offline advertising is very diverse using media such as illuminated poster boards, direct mail, promotional literature, magazine reviews, flags, stands and banners at business fairs, and because of that will help it continue to be a source of necessary and useful marketing.

But remember not all these mediums will be relevant or suitable for your business




Online Search Engines

To an extent the nature of your business will determine the nature of the advertising and marketing you prescribe to.
Many offline advertising mediums rely on the fact that potential customers will be in the right place at the right time to happen to see, read or hear their advert.

The only difference to this is when a potential customer goes looking for a company or business.
That's where the internet comes into its own.

Search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing allow the customer to do this with ease and speed.

This is where 'once upon a time, long long ago' the paper directory had come into its own and had been of such great importance since its conception. Well until now that is.



Did you know that the very first telephone directory in the UK was published in 1880?

It was published by The Telephone Company and it was made of cardboard. It contained 248 names and addresses and individuals and businesses jn London. At that time telephone numbers were not included as subscribers were always asked for by name when they got through to the local exchange.


Over 134 years of Business Directories

Following that publication the Post Office Telecommunication, a division of the GPO (General Post Office), launched the very first Yellow Pages in 1966 in Brighton and Sussex.

By 1973 the Yellow Pages was rolled out throughout the rest of the UK.

The offline paper directory has been with us 134 years. It stared off very small and grew very sizeable indeed.


So big in fact that there were competitions to see who could tear one in half with their bear hands. Eventually this sad pastime was left to the few strong men capable of such a feat.

However, since those days and in particular the conception of the internet offline paper directories have been losing their grip on the ‘look up a business’ market for everyday people of the modern age.

No doubt there are people out there who still prefer to look up there local pet shop by going into the Yellow Pages or Thompson paper directory. They may well be the same people who play gramophone records, only take the Morris Minor out at weekends or don’t have a mobile phone.

What the offline adverts don’t do or can’t do

• Show an interactive map detailing the whereabouts of your business
• Be able to pin point the exact location of your business in relation to a customer’s address
• Calculate the distance from the customers address to your business
• Send an email directly to your business account
• Show page after page of the products, services and resources which you have in your business
• Allow the customer to link immediately and directly to another associated business or association
• Go into detail regarding the history and makeup of the business you have created
• Allow the customer to swiftly and easily find the exact business they need with 2 or 3 key words

Reasons why small and medium businesses in the South West should develop or strengthen an online presence - online marketing v. offline marketing

It is clear that the internet is having a significant impact on how we behave as customers. The way we do business over the internet or the way we shop online. The need to get in touch with business or other consumers through social media.

It has dramatically altered the way we think when searching for a business or the expectations we have for each and every business to be online so we can see what they are all about prior to any contact with them.

Here are 8 reasons to consider with online v's offline marketing:

1. Any company or business can compete on equal footings with its rivals regardless of how big or small they are.

2. Your business can advertise and market itself at very little cost online, compared with the equivalent type of advertising offline.

3. Unlike offline marketing you can see minute by minute or day by day how your online marketing is doing or achieving for you so you can change or adapt as necessary to improve results. There are many ways to analyse or measure the effectiveness and performance of your online marketing and advertising.

4. You can see immediately with online marketing how many potential customers are engaging with your marketing or advertising methods.

5. A website which is well maintained and with high quality content will add value to your business by providing lead generation and focus directly to your target audience.

6. Your business will be seen anywhere in the world from one marketing source. Imagine doing this with paper advertising and having to send adverts to all the newspapers of the world.

7. The latest offers, messages from your business or updates about the service you offer can be sent out at a touch of a button. No need for flyers that nobody reads or posters which cost more than the return you get from the business they attract.

8. Your customers and potential customers can engage with your business like never before. With online marketing you can encourage sales through discussion and readership. Not only can they read about your business on your website, but customers can talk to each other on social media or read the latest blog. There is so much more contact and potential contact which enables you to spread the word or let your customers do it for you.


At Bath Business Web we fly the flag for online marketing and advertising

 

However, we also recognise that offline strategies still have a place for certain businesses.



Internet Advertising

Though we have conveniently divided marketing methods between online and offline, at the end of the day you need to decide what is more like to work for you and your business.

 

It is important to remember that successful companies constantly experiment with different ways to reach their target markets.

 

What works for you today may not be what you need for tomorrow.

 

Online advertising and marketing has been growing rapidly over the past ten to fifteen years.

 

Consumers use the internet more and more to carry out transactions and find the businesses they need.

 

This growth pattern of online usage by business and customers alike will continue, at least for the foreseeable future.

 

The rise of the internet has meant accessibility to markets never experienced before by local small and medium businesses.

This is your chance to make your business work in the modern age of online advertising and online marketing.

The world definitely is you advertising oyster.
 

The cost comparison between the internet and paper advertising has meant business has moved away from those more traditional ways

 

Now businesses in the South West of England have found more cost effective methods to advertise by focusing on the internet and online marketing.

 

All the best,                          

Bingham

Blogger for Bath Business Web Ltd
Your local Internet Marketing Specialist, Business Directory and Website Design Company

Bath Business Web Ltd - Bringing your Business to Life 

Call for a free consultation and find out more about how you can help your business grow

 

01225 920503

Bath Business Web has high performing Directories for Tradespeople, Company's, Sole Traders, Professionals, Entrepreneurs and Business People of Bath, Bristol, Somerset and Wiltshire - Bringing the South West of England together and suppoting local Business to thrive

Many a business in the South West are starting to slowly but surely come through the worst of the recession. Therefore, it's time to build and improve on business marketing and advertising online.

There are many towns throughout the region which have suffered because of the challenging economic climate. In such places such as Bath and Bristol there has always been a very vibrant retail sector. However, it has not been easy. Some of the bigger names have disappeared altogether. Many of the smallest shops have battled on and have kept going throughout. The South West is home for many other businesses too. Many of which are unique to this area.

So how does one find these businesses? After all the retail sector has a high street presence, which other business don't have. What if I am looking for something a bit more out the ordinary? Or a business that would not have a shop front to advertise itself, such as a stone mason, a Georgian sash window repairer, a hypnotherapist or a lighting specialist? Well, the answer is easy. Because in the South West covering Bath, Bristol, Somerset and Wiltshire there is the rising star of the Online Business Directory type.

A directory which you can access online via your mobile phone, tablet or PC. A directory which will be found at the top spot of all the search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, Firefox, Google Chrome etc. At Bath Business Web Ltd they know all there is to know about website directories and how you and your business can get the most from the internet. They recognised many years ago the trend in the steady growth of website business advertising and marketing.


Bath & Bristol Business Web Ltd

An online directory which will point you in the right direction for all manner of businesses in the South West of England.

There are traders, retailers, market traders, professionals in the building trade including plasterers, electricians, plumbers, roofers, scaffolder’s, architects and surveyor’s.

Finding sports trainers, martial arts experts, hypnotherapists, accountants, hairdressers, beauty therapists just couldn’t be any easier.



Bristol Business Web Ltd - Online Directory


You can find these trades, businesses and professional services in Bath and Bristol Business Web of course. Not only that but there are Business Web Directories specifically targeted toward the trades and services in Trowbridge, Chippenham, Calne, Warminster, Frome and surrounding towns and villages in each local area.
 

You must have gathered by now that the online directories in Bath and the South West have taken over from the more traditional ways to market or advertise a local business.

The online directory is favourable because it is specific to online users and the websites they seek out. Have you discovered  how an online directory can help your business with its online presence? If not, don't you think it's time to catch up with the competition. Give Bath Business Web Ltd a call for some free help and guidance on how to get the best for your business.


Bath Business Web Ltd - Website Build & SEO

Even now so many local trades or business owners do not have a website, or a website that does justice to their marketing needs. And until they do, they will not appreciate the benefits it can bring to the profits for the business they own.

Listing your business on an online directory will help the search engine optimisation (SEO) of your website.

 

That is a search engines ability (search engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo, Firefox etc.), to match your website to the keywords a potential new customer would be typing when they search the internet.

 

Testimonials at Bath Business Web Ltd

 
When a potential customer goes on a search they are gong to see our seven local  directories at the top of many pages on all the various search engines.

These local directories such as bathbusinessweb.co.uk not only reinforce the keywords being used, they also help create 'links' or ‘backlinks’ to the website on the director.

Basically it is how you link to another site or how another site links back to your site. A business directory will link to these because the nature of directories is such that it has many websites already, which in turn gives strength and presence to the directory you are using. This in turn improves and strengthens the ability of a local business advertising on the directory to advertise and market their website online.

For local business in Bath, Bristol, Somerset and Wiltshire they recognise the need to be in as many places online as they can financially afford. These for the most part cost very little compared to any paper advertising or marketing.

Even the construction, maintenance and hosting costs of a website are incredibly good value for money when you spread that cost over a small amount of time. Your premier online directory such as bathbusinessweb.co.uk or bristolbusinessweb.co.uk are very reasonable considering the benefits your website receives from the many hundreds of backlinks that these directories and all their associated directories offer.

It is vital to know that the prime search engine Google, recognises the difference between good and bad links. What you don’t want to do is place your website details on a poor quality directory with poor or bad backlinks which would be detrimental to your websites SEO. Google has systems in place to search out the strong or any poor links. It will then respond accordingly and if they are poor, that website will sink so low in the search engine rankings, so mush so, that it may as well not have been built in the first place.

Bath & Bristol Business Web - Online Directories for the South West

Strong links are vital to a business website. Links are a necessary part of the online marketing strategy to get a website highly visible on search engine rankings. So a good business owner will get good, sound professional advice and support from the likes of Bath Business Web Ltd.

Very recently a local paper directory was delivered to Bingham Mansion. I think it lasted three days before it then went off with the rest of the recycling paper. I have kept them in the past, but in our house they sit on a shelf getting in the way and getting dusty. I cannot remember the last time I ever used one to get information on a local trade or business.

I total appreciate that there must be people who do use paper directories to search for a local business. Otherwise companies such as Thompson or Yellow Pages wouldn’t have them printed.

Online directories, unlike a paper directories will not sit on a shelf and get dusty. They are accessible and updated 24hrs a day and 365 days a year. They can be found in your pocket or bag.  Because it’s all in a mobile phone or tablet these days and who hasn’t got one of those?


Bath Business Web Ltd - No. 7 Pierrepont Street Bath

In the 21st Century we have online directories which help you go straight to what you need and when you need it.  These directories display information fast and efficiently.  With a couple of words and very little effort on your part, they take you straight to the business you need. So why not give your local online  business directory a go and see how it works for your business.

Bye for now,

Bingham

Blogger for Bath Business Web Ltd
Your local Internet Marketing Specialist, Business Directory and Website Design Company

Bath Business Web Ltd - Bringing your Business to Life 

Call for a free consultation and find out more about how you can help your business grow

 

01225 920 503

What To Do in Bath & Somerset this Summer

Whether you are a resident or here as a visitor there are a multitude of things to see or do in this fine City of Bath. Here are just a handful of suggestions which are definitely on my hot list this summer in Bath.

Just click on the event name to see more details:
 
The Roman Baths
Possibly the most famous attraction in the City of Bath. Offering a spectacular insight into the life and times of the City when we were occupied and governed by the Roman Empire. Also offering a night time tour as the ruins of this Roman building come alight with flame flickering torches. Walk on the 2000 year old pavements and take in the steamy and captivating experience that is quite unforgettable.                                 
 
The Special Olympics GB National Summer Games
Held every 4 years this is the country’s largest sports event for athletes with intellectual disabilities (also known as learning disabilities). The 2013 Summer Games this year to be hosted in our great city. Organised by Special Olympics GB this is a competition for children and adults, with over 1,700 participants. Held at The Sports Training Village at The University of Bath something for everyone.

The Jane Austen Festival
This year is the two hundredth anniversary of the first publication of Pride & Prejudice. Celebrations will include concerts, etiquette lessons, dancing lessons, workshops, tours, talks and a Regency fashion show. There will also be a grand Regency costume parade through the streets of Bath.                                                                      

Bath Fringe Festival
This weekend sees the launch of The Bath Fringe Festival. This includes 17 days of music, art, theatre and comedy. This takes place at various venues throughout the city and has something for people of all ages.

The American Museum
Not only a wide array of American artefacts and furniture, but also family fun with Wild West events and activities. Find out more about the gangsters and gunslingers of the Wild West and make your own Wild West outfit. Including sheriff’s badges, bandanas, fake moustaches, fluttering fans or feathered headpieces.

The Little Theatre Cinema
Built by community theatre pioneer Consuelo de Reyes and her husband in 1935. It initially functioned as a news theatre open from midday and showing hourly programmes of documentaries and newsreels. The Little Theatre retains the charm and welcoming warmth of a 1930's cinema, including a luxury balcony with sofas in the main auditorium.

The Chapel Arts Centre
Now firmly established as Bath's alternative arts venue. It operates as a community and culturally based arts Centre presenting a wide range of the performing arts. This includes a variety of musical tastes, theatre, dance, comedy, film, mime, poetry and much more.

Farleigh Hungerford Castle
Only nine miles from Bath on the border between Somerset and Wiltshire sits the remains of Farleigh Hungerford Castle. The building goes back to the 14th century and has much for visitors to see and enjoy. The fortified mansion was occupied by the Hungerford family for over three hundred years. There are many tales and stories, sometimes quite gruesome, about this remarkable family. Visit the family tombs, the chapel with rare medieval wall paintings, the Priests house and if you’re really brave enter the crypt wherein lies a collection of human-shaped coffins. Eeeek!

Komedia Comedy Club
Voted best venue in the West and Wales in 2012 and 2013, this great comedy playhouse follows in the footsteps of the legendary Komedia in Brighton. Offering a great line-up of comedians every Saturday night and the Ministry of Burlesque on the last Friday of the month.

Bath Abbey
For over a thousand years people have been worshiping on this site. The Abbey may well have undergone many transformations and changes during that time, yet it survives through major conflicts, religious reforms and two World Wars. Welcoming over 420,000 people through its doors every year this historical and sacred place stretches back to Anglo-Saxon times. There is the Tower Tour where visitors get the chance to go behind the scenes and take a look at the Abbey from a very different perspective. You will get a chance to visit the ringing and bell chamber, stand on the top of the Abbeys vaulted ceiling and even sit behind the clock face. Once on the roof the views across the city and beyond are spectacular.

Dyrham Park
Just outside Bath is the most beautiful and spectacular 17th century mansion, garden and deer park in the South West. Set in 270 acres (110 hectares) of stunning and ancient parkland, where fallow deer roam freely. With magnificent trees and breath-taking views, this is a place of natural beauty not to miss. The mansion built by William Blathwayt has changed little in 300 years.

Bath Approach Pitch and Putt Golf Course
Located to the north of Victoria Park in central Bath is the 12 or 18 hole course for beginners and experience players alike. Ideal for those needing to practise their pitch and putt skills or just a good fun day out for family or friends. There is no need to book and club hire and balls are all provided.

Whatever you do make sure you enjoy it and get the best from what Bath and Somerset has to offer. Have a great Summer!

Bingham

Blogger for Bath Business Web Ltd