Social Media is fast becoming one of the most powerful online marketing tools with many companies already actively using Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Pinterest. Those who haven’t yet are aware that they need to be doing the same. At Lightbulb we always make a point of advising our clients of the importance of using Social Media well to avoid it being counter productive and even damaging. We’re all aware of the horror stories about how one poorly judged tweet can seriously damage your brand. Yikes!
Social Media can be powerful when it’s used in the right way. Here at Lightbulb we provide our clients with Social Media Training to ensure that they are using social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter correctly to successfully promote their brand online. And we’re delighted to say that many of our clients are all effectively using these sites to support and maintain their brand’s reputation online.
We keep up to date with what’s happening on Social Media and sometimes find that it’s not being used in the best way possible. To ensure that you avoid these mishaps we’ve come up with a Twitter checklist to help you maintain quality social media activity.
“Twitter is an integral part of every brand’s social marketing strategy” Tami Dalley, VP of Analytics and Insights at Buddy Media.
For businesses operating in the hospitality sector, your website involves so much more than just having an online presence. Many hotel and restaurants owners are often left confused as to how best to promote their business online.
According to an article from Ignite Hospitality, “The digital marketing mix is becoming increasingly complex and the tools available to engage, attract and convert customers are constantly changing and improving. It is a dynamic landscape that demands regular attention so as not to be left behind.”
A successful website for a hospitality business should include a clever mix of elements to create an interactive online presence. This would include Social Media feeds, email newsletter subscription, loyalty schemes, a gallery of professional images, a (regularly updated) blog, videos and more. Here at Lightbulb we endeavour to make our client’s websites work hard for their businesses, bearing in mind that the purpose of any business website should be to create a profit centre that drives interest and generates enquiries – which will, in turn, generate sales.
Combining a vibrant website design with interactive elements both attracts valuable new customers and helps you engage with your existing loyal customers. Robust, dynamic and up-to-date content that showcases your hotel or restaurant is now a commercial expectation. Websites are no longer just a must have presence online – they are sophisticated and versatile business tools. A well designed, maintained and managed website can deliver real benefits to your hospitality business. They are interactive, informative, and actively sell your business to your market.
“The website designed by Lightbulb has become the foundation of all our marketing activity. Direct bookings have increased tremendously, our new e-loyalty scheme is fantastic and business is booming.” Kirsty Coster, Marketing Manager, Whitley Hall Hotel.
Lightbulb is experienced in creating stunning web design for businesses within the hospitality sector and implementing those key interactive elements. Whether that’s making a website accessible via mobile devices as seen with The George Hotel, providing integrated online booking facilities for Whitley Hall Hotel, or the most effective method of showcasing the venue with a superb video which is exactly what The Cavendish Hotel wanted.
Start your brand journey today with Lightbulb and let’s see how we can develop your business website into something dynamic, interactive and one step ahead of the game. Feel free to email ideas@lightbulb-moment.com or call Sophie or David on 01484 665707.
For years email marketing has been the single highest earning marketing strategy. On average for every $1 spent on email marketing there was a return of over $48! Email is the most versatile communication method available as its uses go far beyond attracting new business; it can also inform, promote, research, analyse and build awareness of your brand.
When managing email marketing for your business there are some potential mistakes that you should avoid at all costs – and Lightbulb are pleased to share these with you, so we can all be more successful email marketeers!
Lightbulb is a brand design agency – but what does that mean?
It means that we develop real business benefits through proactive brand design, online innovation and outstanding creativity. We design brands and communications that you can stand behind, be proud of and that your customers will want to engage with.
Here at Lightbulb we’re immersed in brands everyday, and we’re continuously inspired, challenged, delighted even sometimes disappointed by the brands we experience, all of which greatly informs our creativity and helps us produce the most effective design solutions for our clients.
In this week’s blog we’d like to share some of our favourite brands. Brands which, in our opinion, have got it right in terms of their identify, tone of voice, communications and most importantly how they are received by their target market. Here’s our shortlist with some rationale as to why we love them so much. Feel free to let us know about your favourite brands by sending us a Tweet to @LightbulbDesign
Having a website involves so much more than simply existing online; they are versatile and sophisticated marketing tools. And what’s more, they are now a commercial expectation. As you begin the journey of creating a website there are several key options for you to consider to ensure that you invest in a new website that works hard for your business.
“Image is everything, and in today’s world a company without a website is a company without a face.” Ayelet Noff, founder and CEO of Blonde 2.0, a New Media PR agency.
Great website design is vital to your brand and business identity, but your website won’t generate business unless it gets seen by your potential customers. You wouldn’t print 10,000 beautiful brochures and leave them in your garage, would you? It’s just as essential that you promote your website and shout about it so your target market knows how to find you. Search Engine Optimisation, or SEO, helps to ensure that your website is easy to find online.
To some, SEO seems like a whole different world made up of technical jargon and confusing website coding. But it’s really not. To make it seem much less scary, Lightbulb have all the important SEO facts for you – completely jargon-free.
When you choose a design agency you’re entrusting that group of people with your business and it’s important that you feel comfortable with them. On top of that you want to know that the agency are not only great designers, but people who will listen, understand and translate your thinking into effective creative solutions.
You know that your business should be using Social Media to market your products and services online, right? Well not everyone does. Whilst many have fully bought in to the concept and understand its value, others remain unconvinced. One issue appears to be the grey area surrounding how do you measure your return on investment – ROI – for social media campaigns? Lightbulb have pulled together some handy tips to identify how you can quantify the effect of Social Media marketing on your business.
We’ve got something to get your taste buds tingling this Friday lunchtime, in the form of fine dining from The Cavendish Hotel.
Situated on the beautiful Chatsworth Estate in Derbyshire, The Cavendish is a hotel bursting with luxury and splendour. These stunning images are from our most recent photoshoot at the hotel. The brief was to capture the exquisite dishes, served as beautiful artworks to those dining in the Gallery Restaurant. Blessed by the weather, we then shot external images of the hotel against a stunning bright blue summer sky to showcase the picturesque rural surroundings of the Chatsworth Estate.
After the shoot, we gave the website a summery makeover and refreshed the images throughout the site. As a business operating in the hospitality sector, it’s important that the look and feel of the website changes seasonally. It also generates impact with the many loyal guests who see that the site is regularly updated and refreshed with new content.
So Why is Photography So Important?
You can have the most amazing website design and beautiful printed marketing material, but poor photography or unimaginative stock images ruins your best intentions.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words and we agree, which is why we only provide the very best photography services to our clients. You can rely on Lightbulb to produce superb quality business photography for all your marketing needs. After all, we’re here to show your business in the very best possible light!
For further details about our photography services please contact us and to see more examples you can take a look at our Flickr profile.
Print is one of the world’s oldest communication mediums. However, as we experience the Social Media Revolution, the increase of mobile internet usage and the digitisation of the media industry, there lies a rather large question mark over the medium of print.
Lightbulb are a Brand Design Agency and, as such, we are experienced in creating brand communications for our clients, and it’s no secret that the majority of this work is digital. It’s a sign of the times. Having said that, one of our most recent projects for womenswear brand Pure Collection has made us really think about print and how it’s still a powerful element of brand communication.
As many of you know we’re very active Social Media users here at Lightbulb, and as such we often read tweets, status updates and blog posts from excited new business start-ups doing as much online marketing as possible in order to promote the new business. However, once the business starts to take off as they generate a client base and the workload increases, we often find that this communication becomes much less frequent, which can in fact be damaging to the brand. As some other Social Media users may say, “Whatever happened to *insert business name here*?”
We’re all told to ‘market when you’re busy’ and this is good advice when it comes to bringing in more business. Here at Lightbulb, for example, we have committed to sending informative email campaigns to our subscribers every month, as well as blogging every Friday afternoon. This is then shared amongst our followers and connections on a range of social media sites. Because of the positive online marketing we’re doing, we see an increase in business and as a result sometimes we find ourselves strapped for time to blog. But our clients are expecting us to blog, so we blog. Regular as clockwork. Without fail.
So let’s sum this up. Basically what we’re saying here is that online and offline brand promotion is essential. It’s building relationships and bringing you more business which is great, but what about those existing customers who are looking out for your email campaigns, tweets and blog posts? Don’t let your marketing fall by the wayside, call us instead! Set yourself achievable goals and targets – and stick to them. Being experts in this field, we have the know-how to continue running your online and offline brand marketing freeing you up to concentrate on doing what you know best – running your business.
To read more about any of our services click here. To contact Lightbulb please drop us an email to ideas@lightbulb-moment.com or the numbers are 01484 665 707. We’d love to hear from you!
Do you remember when websites were the latest fad and many of the very first business websites were just simple, static online brochures?
David was commissioned to build his very first website in 1996. With the help of a book on HTML and a lot of trial and error – hey presto! It was as simple as can be and the client loved it. During that time, as both our client base and technological know-how grew, we continued to build websites for folks who were keen to move with the times, and who understood the value of having an online presence. These happy clients went on to use their websites for many years.
Fast forward to the present day and web design has definitely changed, along with too many technological advances to mention. Websites are no longer simply a ‘must have’ presence online, but versatile marketing tools. They should be an interactive online presence that work hard to market your business to your target market. Gone are the days of those brochure sites. As our previous clients begin to recognise that, they pick up the phone and call us! It’s always a pleasure to welcome back those very first Lightbulb clients, and work with them again to design and build a new, up-to-date website that incorporates the latest technologies and design trends.
We’re thrilled when those returning clients give us the opportunity to recommend new technologies and suggest the latest design trends for a website, and what’s even more exciting is that these long-standing clients are still running successful businesses given the tough economic times. Lightbulb are happy to support them, and offer them our expertise and marketing knowledge for as long as they need it. We’re all in it together!
To see some of our most recent web projects please take a look at our Recent Work Portfolio, or to find out about why having an interactive website is important for your business click here.
And you can always drop us an email to ideas@lightbulb-moment.com – we’d be delighted to hear from you!
Cyanotype Workshop at National Trust Hardcastle Crags
May 20, 2013
Work experience
February 22, 2013
The Henzell Press
February 4, 2013
Instagram woes and some ways around them.
December 19, 2012
