SEO Best Practice: Technical SEO
1. Introduction Technical SEO can mean the difference between a website ranking well or not ranking at all. Technical SEO skills have become increasingly important because search engines such as Google factor site performance into their algorithms, especially given the growth of mobile. Each technical, design and content decision will affect technical SEO. However, technical […]
SEO Best Practice: On-Page Optimisation
1. Introduction In order to rank well for keywords, especially competitive ones, a page needs to be well optimised. From the title tag through to the content, on-page optimisation may improve ranking through focusing content and ensuring the signals sent to search engines are as clear as possible. There are other ranking factors, including links, […]
SEO Best Practice: Algorithm Updates
1. Introduction Google and Bing are not static search engines – constant improvements and changes are happening on their platforms on a daily basis. As some of these changes significantly impact the search results, they are reported in updates, sometimes unverified but often acknowledged by the search engine. The single word names of these changes, […]
SEO Best Practice: Changes in SEO
1. Introduction The following report summarises the key changes in search since 2016. Changes to SEO have come thick and fast since then, and show no sign of slowing. One thing that has not changed since the last iteration of this report is Google’s dominance over the English speaking and European markets, and so this […]
Brand Purpose Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction The concept of ‘brand purpose’ is not new, but as consumers want more than a transactional relationship with the brands they buy from, it remains high on the agenda for companies. Research continues to show that consumers are assessing what a brand says and does. They see brand purpose as an important factor […]
The Fundamentals of Marketing Measurement and Analytics
1. Introduction At the heart of all marketing measurement and analytics is data. The significance of data and its relationship with business success has become a key theme of seemingly every commentary, report or conference over the past few years. Becoming ‘data driven’ – using data to make smarter, quicker decisions and just understand more […]
Online Video Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction Video has grown in importance for marketers over recent years, fuelled by the growth in more sophisticated smartphones, greater mobile penetration, improved download speeds and a wealth of distribution platforms in the form of social media. This is reflected in research by Wyzowl,[1] showing that the number of businesses using video as a […]
Online Video Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction Video has grown in importance for marketers over recent years, fuelled by the growth in more sophisticated smartphones, greater mobile penetration, improved download speeds and a wealth of distribution platforms in the form of social media. This is reflected in research by Wyzowl,[1] showing that the number of businesses using video as a […]
Social Media Advertising Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction This guide has been written to complement Econsultancy’s Social Media Strategy Best Practice Guide, Social Media Platforms Overview, B2B Social Media Best Practice Guide and Paid Search Best Practice Guide. The purpose of this guide is to provide an overview of the opportunities, risks and the required investment of time, effort and budget […]
A Marketer’s Guide to Price Comparison Websites
1. Introduction Over the last two decades a swathe of price comparison websites (PCW) have emerged, offering consumers a one-stop-shop for comparing the prices of a product or service. PCWs act as vertical search engines, aggregating product listings from multiple retailers. PCWs such as uSwitch, Confused.com, MoneySuperMarket and GoCompare are an important part of the marketing […]
Social Media Advertising
1. Introduction This guide has been written to complement Econsultancy’s Social Media Strategy Best Practice Guide, Social Media Platforms Overview, B2B Social Media Best Practice Guide and Paid Search Best Practice Guide. The purpose of this guide is to provide an overview of the opportunities, risks and the required investment of time, effort and budget […]
B2B Social Media Strategy Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction This guide has been written to complement Econsultancy’s Social Media Advertising Best Practice Guide, Social Media Platforms Overview, Social Media Platforms Trends Report and Social Selling Best Practice Guide. The purpose of this guide is to provide a framework for developing a B2B social media strategy, as well as a summary of the […]
B2B Social Selling Strategy Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction Social media has grown exponentially. In January 2020, there were 3.80 billion social media users, with this number increasing by more than 9% (with 321 million new users) since January 2019.[1] But the term is misleading: social media has become as important for business as it has for social interaction, reflecting the changing […]
B2B Content Marketing Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction ‘Content shock’[1] is real: the volume of B2B (and B2C) content is now outweighing our human capacity to consume it. However, content marketing can still present an immense opportunity for B2B businesses. When executed effectively, it can be a powerful engagement tool for fostering loyalty, lead generation and sales, and for conveying the […]
Overcoming B2B Digital Marketing Challenges Best Practice Guide
Introduction Digitisation is rapidly changing B2B businesses and it is crucial that companies transform and respond to these challenges. According to McKinsey,[1] “Turning your company into a top quartile B2B digital player can increase revenue by 3.5%.” Econsultancy’s Digital Outlook report for 2019 explains that the next five years will be challenging for B2B marketers. […]
Online Video Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction Video has grown in importance for marketers over recent years, fuelled by the growth in more sophisticated smartphones, greater mobile penetration, improved download speeds and a wealth of distribution platforms in the form of social media. This is reflected in research by Wyzowl,[1] showing that the number of businesses using video as a […]
Content Strategy Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction This report is designed to provide marketers with practical and essential guidance into all aspects of content strategy. The role of content within marketing and digital marketing practice has never been more important than it is now, but it remains an area of constantly changing practice, with evolving dynamics around technology, content production […]
Ratings and Reviews Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction Customer centricity is at the heart of any successful business today. Digital has empowered consumers in numerous ways, giving them greater choice and convenience when they shop, but also offering a platform for them to share their views at the touch of a button. There are a host of platforms enabling consumers to […]
B2B Content Marketing Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction ‘Content shock’[1] is real: the volume of B2B (and B2C) content is now outweighing our human capacity to consume it. However, content marketing can still present an immense opportunity for B2B businesses. When executed effectively, it can be a powerful engagement tool for fostering loyalty, lead generation and sales, and for conveying the […]
Customer Retention Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction Customer retention refers to the ability of an organisation to retain the same customer over a period of time. Companies that enjoy high levels of retention benefit from more reliable revenue streams and a high degree of brand equity. Although there is a strong business rationale for focusing on customer retention, many marketers […]
Thriving in the Experience Economy: Priorities of a CMO
Acknowledgements John Bernard Dexcom Marketing DirectorSteve Challouma Birds Eye Marketing DirectorRadha Davies Virgin UK Brand Development DirectorMark Evans Direct Line Managing Director, Marketing & DigitalKate Ghandi UKTV Marketing DirectorMargaret Jobling Centrica Chief Marketing OfficerAlison Jones Co-Op Chief Customer OfficerPeter Markey TSB Chief Marketing OfficerCiaran Nelson Anglian Water Director of Brand CommunicationsEllie Norman F1 Director of […]
Customer Journey Mapping Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction The purpose of this guide is to provide an overview of customer journey mapping. It provides a simple starting point for anyone yet to map out their customer journeys. It is also a reference for those for whom the process is underway. This guide draws insights from those who have developed complex journeys […]
A Marketer’s Guide to Augmented Reality (AR)
1. Introduction Augmented reality (AR) is quickly becoming one of the most interesting technologies in the digital space. Although often overshadowed by virtual reality (VR), AR is expected to take the lion’s share of the market. According to one estimate, the AR market will be worth $70bn to $75bn by 2023 while VR will account […]
The Fundamentals of Marketing Measurement and Analytics
1. Introduction At the heart of all marketing measurement and analytics is data. The significance of data and its relationship with business success has become a key theme of seemingly every commentary, report or conference over the past few years. Becoming ‘data driven’ – using data to make smarter, quicker decisions and just understand more […]
AI, Machine Learning and Predictive Analytics Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction Marketers have long had an increasing focus on the value that data can bring to the discipline. With the heightened impact of technology on marketing, and the growing adoption and sophistication of marketing automation, it has become ever more critical for marketers to understand how to derive value from the data that they have […]
Measuring Digital Marketing Effectiveness Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction In recent years, there have been industry changes in two major areas, technical and regulatory, which have both made an impact on the way marketers can, and should, measure digital marketing effectiveness. Technical industry changes Apple, Google and Mozilla, which each own very popular web browsers, have implemented technical changes to the way […]
Ratings and Reviews Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction Customer centricity is at the heart of any successful business today. Digital has empowered consumers in numerous ways, giving them greater choice and convenience when they shop, but also offering a platform for them to share their views at the touch of a button. There are a host of platforms enabling consumers to […]
The State of Social Commerce in Southeast Asia
1. Executive Summary The State of Social Commerce in Southeast Asia report, produced by Econsultancy in collaboration with Hootsuite and Magento, is based on a survey of 271 ecommerce marketers and 277 consumers across the region. All consumers surveyed used social media and are online shoppers. The study looks to examine how consumers shop online […]
A Marketer’s Guide to Price Comparison Websites
1. Introduction Over the last two decades a swathe of price comparison websites (PCW) have emerged, offering consumers a one-stop-shop for comparing the prices of a product or service. PCWs act as vertical search engines, aggregating product listings from multiple retailers. PCWs such as uSwitch, Confused.com, MoneySuperMarket and GoCompare are an important part of the marketing […]
Email Marketing Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction 1.1 About this report Econsultancy’s series of Best Practice Guides have been created for modern marketing professionals who typically work in marketing or ecommerce roles. Given the ongoing significance of email, this guide will be relevant to CEOs to understand the business case for email, as well as anyone working in a marketing […]
2019 Email Marketing Industry Census
Executive Summary The 13th annual Email Marketing Industry Census, published by Econsultancy in partnership with Upland Adestra, is based on an online survey of more than 400 marketers carried out in June and July 2019. The report contains comprehensive analysis of survey data and a comparison with results from previous years, as well as insights from […]
A Guide to Digital Marketing Tools
1. Introduction In response to the exponential growth in marketing technology solutions available over the past few years (Figure 1), this report aims to provide a practical overview of 60 popular and peer-recommended tools in four main categories. Figure 1: Number of martech solutions globally Source: Chiefmartech.com Chiefmartech’s Marketing Technology Landscape Supergraphic 2018 lists more […]
Marketing Automation Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction 1.1. Executive summary This report seeks to provide marketers who are considering the use of marketing automation with a simple guide to what it is, how to plan for and implement it, what success looks like and what the future of the industry may hold. This guide hopes to be useful to a […]
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Experiential Marketing Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction This guide has been written to help senior marketers better understand the opportunities offered by experiential marketing, outlining when and how the discipline can add value. Its purpose is to help brands plan and execute experiential marketing activities and to be mindful of the challenges involved. New studies show that we are continuing […]
A Marketer’s Guide to Augmented Reality (AR)
1. Introduction Augmented reality (AR) is quickly becoming one of the most interesting technologies in the digital space. Although often overshadowed by virtual reality (VR), AR is expected to take the lion’s share of the market. According to one estimate, the AR market will be worth $70bn to $75bn by 2023 while VR will account […]
Gamification Marketing Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction In a July 2018 survey by Reflect Digital, 58% of consumers said that online ads and marketing have little or no influence on their buying behaviour, while 27% said they were somewhat influenced. Only 5% said they were extremely influenced. Brands need to continue to find new ways to not only be heard […]
Social Media Advertising
1. Introduction This guide has been written to complement Econsultancy’s Social Media Strategy Best Practice Guide, Social Media Platforms Overview, B2B Social Media Best Practice Guide and Paid Search Best Practice Guide. The purpose of this guide is to provide an overview of the opportunities, risks and the required investment of time, effort and budget […]
Experiential Marketing Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction This guide has been written to help senior marketers better understand the opportunities offered by experiential marketing, outlining when and how the discipline can add value. Its purpose is to help brands plan and execute experiential marketing activities and to be mindful of the challenges involved. New studies show that we are continuing […]
The Fundamentals of Modern Marketing Mindset
1. Introduction Econsultancy has been investigating the topic of marketing knowledge and skills for more than 20 years. In that time, we have conducted multiple research studies and interviewed thousands of marketing leaders and practitioners about the human capabilities required for success. One thing that has become clear is that some of the most important requirements for […]
Effective Remote Working for Marketers Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, an increasing number of organisations is ordering their workforces to work from home for the foreseeable future, meaning many businesses and teams are facing new and unprecedented challenges. Econsultancy has created this Best Practice Guide to provide marketers with the essential techniques to empower successful and powerful remote […]
Organisational Structures and Resourcing Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction Econsultancy has been conducting research into digital marketing resourcing and structures for almost 10 years. This report is the fourth iteration of this research and represents a major update on the 2015 Digital Marketing: Organisational Structures and Resourcing Best Practice Guide. There have been some fundamental shifts in approaches to resourcing since then […]
Modern Marketing Job Descriptions
1. Introduction Modern marketing requires new skills for the digital age. As new technologies and channels have emerged and digital transformation has become a priority for organisations across all locations, sizes and industries, the demand for expertise in the likes of data, analytics, customer experience, content and personalisation has increased. With this demand often outstripping […]
SEO Best Practice: Technical SEO
1. Introduction Technical SEO can mean the difference between a website ranking well or not ranking at all. Technical SEO skills have become increasingly important because search engines such as Google factor site performance into their algorithms, especially given the growth of mobile. Each technical, design and content decision will affect technical SEO. However, technical […]
SEO Best Practice: On-Page Optimisation
1. Introduction In order to rank well for keywords, especially competitive ones, a page needs to be well optimised. From the title tag through to the content, on-page optimisation may improve ranking through focusing content and ensuring the signals sent to search engines are as clear as possible. There are other ranking factors, including links, […]
SEO Best Practice: Algorithm Updates
1. Introduction Google and Bing are not static search engines – constant improvements and changes are happening on their platforms on a daily basis. As some of these changes significantly impact the search results, they are reported in updates, sometimes unverified but often acknowledged by the search engine. The single word names of these changes, […]
Product Strategy and Marketing Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction The objective of this report is to provide marketers with a practical guide to the essential principles, processes and practices surrounding the increasingly critical areas of product strategy and marketing. Digital has facilitated a growing proportion of business models to pivot towards direct-to-consumer propositions, and an ever-growing number of products to become services, […]
Social Media Strategy Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction This guide has been written to complement Econsultancy’s Social Media Advertising Best Practice Guide, Social Media Platforms Overview, Social Media Platforms Trends Report, B2B Social Media Best Practice Guide and Social Selling Best Practice Guide. The purpose of this guide is to provide a framework for developing a social media strategy, as well […]
Learning from a Crisis Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction The global coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has had an unprecedented impact, affecting almost every aspect of daily life. Measures taken to slow the spread of the virus around the world have brought with them remarkable economic losses. The full economic impact of the crisis is at this stage unknown, but projections of the cost […]
Customer Journey Mapping Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction The purpose of this guide is to provide an overview of customer journey mapping. It provides a simple starting point for anyone yet to map out their customer journeys. It is also a reference for those for whom the process is underway. This guide draws insights from those who have developed complex journeys […]
B2B Social Media Strategy Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction This guide has been written to complement Econsultancy’s Social Media Advertising Best Practice Guide, Social Media Platforms Overview, Social Media Platforms Trends Report and Social Selling Best Practice Guide. The purpose of this guide is to provide a framework for developing a B2B social media strategy, as well as a summary of the […]
Social Media Strategy Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction This guide has been written to complement Econsultancy’s Social Media Advertising Best Practice Guide, Social Media Platforms Overview, Social Media Platforms Trends Report, B2B Social Media Best Practice Guide and Social Selling Best Practice Guide. The purpose of this guide is to provide a framework for developing a social media strategy, as well […]
Social Media Platforms Overview Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction This guide has been written to complement Econsultancy’s Social Media Advertising Best Practice Guide, Social Media Strategy Best Practice Guide, Social Media Platforms Trends Report, B2B Social Media Best Practice Guide and Paid Search Best Practice Guide. The purpose of this guide is to provide an overview of some of the world’s major […]
B2B Social Selling Strategy Best Practice Guide
1. Introduction Social media has grown exponentially. In January 2020, there were 3.80 billion social media users, with this number increasing by more than 9% (with 321 million new users) since January 2019.[1] But the term is misleading: social media has become as important for business as it has for social interaction, reflecting the changing […]