Kevin Gibbons

How to write a successful corporate newsletter

My search marketing agency runs a quarterly newsletter and I’m finding that writing it is almost as time consuming as maintaining a blog.

It’s also just as challenging, and in a similar way to an online corporate journal. You have to give the reader value, you have to behave sociably and not try to sell forcefully, you have to achieve your marketing goal and, on top of all that, you have to be interesting.

by Kevin Gibbons 12 August 2010 12:28pm 1 comment

Ten ways to advertise your business on Facebook

The marketing potential of Facebook is huge, but many companies struggle to devise a strategy that’s suitable for such a social platform.

But there are more than 400m active users of Facebook, meaning whatever your product or service, there’s a huge potential market there.

So, how can you use the platform to promote your brand? Here are some of the ways marketers can approach it.

by Kevin Gibbons 16 July 2010 09:13am 39 comments

Ryanair: marketing genius or reputation madness?

When it comes to marketing, few companies take as combative an approach as the budget airline Ryanair.

In fact, over the last couple of years, the company has challenged a rival brand to a ‘chariots of fire’ race around Trafalgar Square, referred to a large chunk of its online audience as the ‘idiot blogosphere’, threatened to introduce a surcharge for overweight passengers (a ‘fat tax’) and suggested it might make customers pay £1 to use its onboard toilets (the press have dubbed this ‘pay per pee’).

by Kevin Gibbons 06 July 2010 12:38pm 12 comments

Ten starter tips for blogging success

A successful blog isn’t built in a day, but it’s well worth the effort it takes. A good blog isn’t just a great chance to build links and include keyword-rich relevant content, it’s also a brilliant way to boost your company’s reputation – and your professional profile too.

by Kevin Gibbons 24 June 2010 11:41am 6 comments

SEO: The beautiful game

Online marketing and world class football have a lot in common, really. No, I don’t mean that it’s mostly done by men or that we all drink too much beer. I mean that a well-planned marketing campaign has a lot in common with a tactically-minded football team.

I’ll admit this may be a tenuous way to illustrate how a good marketing campaign works but, thanks to World Cup fever, football metaphors are everywhere, so here is mine.

by Kevin Gibbons 11 June 2010 10:35am 4 comments

Top 12 books every SEM needs to read

There’s no substitute for hands-on experience when it comes to online marketing but if you want to really rise above the competition, you’ll devote some time to reading insights from the experts.

I often tweet and share blog posts that have inspired or informed me, and now I want to highlight some of the books I think are most helpful and accessible.

by Kevin Gibbons 28 May 2010 10:13am 11 comments

Landing pages: ten top tips

If you want to do online marketing well, you need to get the basics right, and few things are more important than writing effective landing pages.

by Kevin Gibbons 10 May 2010 12:53pm 10 comments

Do other search engines matter, or just Google?

In a recent conversation with a client, I was asked: “Does it really matter if I buy ad space in Bing and Yahoo! search results? Doesn’t everyone just use Google?”

This got me thinking. In terms of organic search, following SEO best practice will help you rank in other search engines and not just the mighty Google. So a well-optimised page will score highly with all the major search engines.

But what’s best when it comes to buying paid ad space alongside search results? Should all your budget and analytical efforts be focused on Google?

by Kevin Gibbons 29 April 2010 09:25am 18 comments

The SEO manifesto

As the political parties proudly launch their manifestos, outlining their principles, aspirations and plans should they win power, I've decided to write an SEO manifesto for long-term website success.

If you want your business to do well online, there are a number of principles you should stick to. Unlike some politicians, you also need to stick to them in the long term.

So, whether you're working on your website's visibility already or are just starting out, try to adhere to the pledges laid out in this manifesto and you should do alright.

by Kevin Gibbons 14 April 2010 11:28am 8 comments

A beginner’s guide to blogging for business

The benefits of a decent business blog go far beyond the SEO perks of adding fresh content to a site, but do you know how to make the most of your business blog?

by Kevin Gibbons 30 March 2010 10:00am 13 comments