So, you’ve got your business up and running, your website is full of interesting content and it’s looking rather fly. You’ve established a reasonable client base and things are beginning to look peachy. What now? How do you keep that client base from running off with another company and continue to build and entice new business? As they say, word of mouth is the best marketing tool. There’s a whole lot of mouths out there and more of them could be talking about your business, but how?! I hear you scream. Well calm down and I’ll tell you.

There’s been a whole lot of drone of late about the considerable importance of social media marketing. But is it really that important? Will it actually make a difference? Do I reeeally have to do it? The answer to these important questions is, well yes. Whatever business or service you are promoting, social media marketing will make a difference.

The benefits of utilising these marketing tools are vast and investing in your social media presence can truly make a difference to your companies image, search engine position and eventually, sales.

The way marketing works has changed rapidly over the past couple of years and this is no bad thing, but adapting is important. People have more control over the information they receive and choose to respond to meaning it is far less likely that they will consider or even look at spammy emails or blanketed leaflet promotions. What they are more likely to do, is follow the social media profile of a company they have previously dealt with, have an interest in or simply like the cut of their jib. So that effectively covers all your bases, existing, new and potential clients. It bridges the gaps between company and customer with a more friendly and informal approach.

Select the image below to view a fantastic infographic by the guys at MDG Advertising:

Now I’m not saying set up a Twitter account and you will wake up the next day to an influx of new business. It’s never that simple is it? Like any marketing campaign, these things require a little time and effort. Think of it like scattering seeds across the Internet garden. Have a look at them every day, water them and have a little chat with them every now and again. Keep nourishing these planted seeds and eventually little shoots will start to grow and these small blooms could become a large shrubbery, perhaps even a tree one day. Oh how very poetic. Ahem.

Anyway, the point is that this whole social media business isn’t going to disappear. Don’t be afraid of it. Don’t poke at it with a stick then run away. Embrace it! If you are passionate about your business then promoting it is something that must be done. Time can be an issue, especially when you are trying to juggle running your business, looking after your clients and all the boring taxy type bits that go with it.

As per usual, we can help with this. If you really don’t know where to start we can offer you a package to get you moving, we can help you to get set up, and teach you how to effectively manage your social media campaign. If you just don’t have the time, we can even do it for you. We have a whole wing of ADOtowers solely dedicated to this sort of malarkey. We can set up your blog and social media accounts; we can populate them, write your content and even manage them for you entirely. A bit like hiring a gardener. Give us a call, we will be happy to discuss it with you and help you to plant a few of your own seeds. Lets see what you can grow.

There is a whole lot of techy guff on the web which inevitably dissuades non geek speak folk from learning about it and perhaps makes one assume that it won’t be an issue for you, but hang on! If you are an Internet user in any capacity, this WILL affect you. But panic not! We have chewed it up and digested it and set it out in handy bite sized pieces so that you can get the down low on some of the major issues and controversies surrounding it. We’re nice like that.

Now just bear in mind that this issue is huge and the potential problems it throws up could fill several blogs. I have really pared it down but have included links to more in depth analysis, y’know if you’re into it. Take a few minutes, have read and see what you think about it all…

The legislation that members of the US government are proposing is, on paper, a way of protecting US property and preventing fraud, ie: laws to stop the sales or theft of movies, music and counterfeit goods. Sounds fair enough I hear you say. The problem is in the law itself and the repercussions it poses. Where the law would work is if for example, a website operating from overseas was selling to the American online market counterfeit goods or enabling the theft of copyright property. These laws would allow the US government to force the website’s US providers (the domain server host, payment facilities or advertising network) to cut the web site off, effectively making it disappear from the Internet.

But oh no, it just isn’t that simple. There are many issues that arise because of this law which could also affect fair and honest web site users. There are some key phrases used within the legislation which make the whole thing rather unfair and threaten to change the web as we know it – the freedom of speech and opinion as well as the access to knowledge and information that we all currently take for granted.

Engage in, enable, or facilitate
Lets say that you have a blog or social network, a photo or video sharing site or a website with an open forum or message board and one of your users expresses an opinion or links to another website that could be deemed as engaging in, enabling or facilitating internet theft. Perhaps they upload a photograph or a piece of artwork that they don’t own the rights to. That’s it, they can take your whole site down… Just like that! It’s very much a shoot first; think later approach and small businesses will suffer. It can very expensive to defend yourself legally and without the budget to put precautions in place, the whole freedom of Internet business is lost. It will discourage web site owners from linking to other sites for fear of association, effectively curbing communication, information sharing and innovation.

What’s slightly more disturbing is the Misrepresentation section of the legislation.

Knowingly materially misrepresents
In layman’s terms, this section means that lets say your website was wrongfully taken down, and you lost revenue because of this (in some cases, lets say Facebook for example, a few days of lost revenue could be millions perhaps billions of dollars) the government could not be counter-sued because they may only have thought that your web site was infringing laws. They have well and truly covered their rotund American butts.

How can this be I hear you cry? What fools would even suggest that such laws would be viable? Well, the main supporters of SOPA are The US chamber of Commerce, the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) and the Recording Industry Association of America. The movie industry, the music industry and the chamber of commerce. All of whom seem to be very much in bed together, quaffing champagne, splashing ridiculous amounts of cash around and complaining about how many jobs are threatened by copyright violations on the web. There has been much controversial talk of back handers and major financial influence affecting the decisions being made within the government.

Now yes I am a little biased, but I do appreciate that something needs to be done to protect these industries and their copyright laws. But is SOPA really the answer? I think not. Yes, many jobs are threatened by these infringements but how many more will be threatened by this law being enforced? The main problem is that the law is too vague and the wording used allows a ridiculous amount of power and restriction. How can the American government be allowed to make these decisions? Decisions that affect every single person who uses the free Internet as we know it? This law, if passed will literally change the world. So yes, it’s kind of a big deal.

Many people who support SOPA hold the majority vote where it really counts. The law (or at least major parts of it) is dangerously close to being passed. The floor vote is open on the 26th January. However, the overwhelming response of protest means that this vote will probably be delayed. But it won’t go away. Keep an eye on it, do what you can do. If you are reading this on our blog then you are an Internet user and it WILL affect you. It really boils down to freedom of speech. Surely censoring the Internet to this extent takes away everything that it represents. So come on folks, fight the good fight.

In the (slightly modernised) words of Mel Gibson – “They can take our illegal downloads but they’ll never take our freedom!”

To kick off the new year we also have a brand spanking new member of the team. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr Steve Taylor! our fresh faced new recruit and ADOmedia’s very own business development manager. He’s settling in very well at the towers, making himself at home and helping us to take care of our clients, new and existing. We can’t have the standards slipping now can we? So please be friendly and if you see him about the towers just give him a little wave.

So no silver suits as yet I’m afraid but the new year is a great excuse to have a fresh start. Like almost everyone else, here at ADOmedia we are thinking about clearing out the cupboards, chucking out those old Christmas biscuits and replacing them with something fresher. We’re limbering up, dusting down and generally trying to get a bit better looking, healthier and more productive for the new year. But enough about our beauty routines, we are also taking a fresh approach to business.

Many potential clients and customers will be looking to shake things up a bit and get things moving. Are you ready for it? Why not take a look at your own marketing campaign? If your web presence is looking a little ‘last year’ or your web marketing campaign has been pushed to the back of the cupboard, give us a bell. We are happy to help out with new ideas and we are always available to offer advice on your next step.

Now really is the time to get things moving. Be it updating your existing web site for a something a little racier, a little more “twenty twelve” or putting your back into promoting your existing website, pushing it up the search engines and building your client base, we are, as always, here to help.

Why not give us a call, say hi to Steve and get things moving? Lets see what we can do this year…

On behalf of everyone at ADOmedia I would like to thank each and every one of our loyal clients and suppliers. Your help and support really means a lot and we hope to work with you all again next year!

Have a fantastic Christmas and see you soon.

However, what is not always understood is how to drive the relevant clients towards that website. Now we do understand that not everyone is as interested in these things as the geek squad here at ADOtowers, but let me put it this way, would you open a shop in the middle of nowhere and then sit back and hope that the right people found it? You could be selling the finest, juiciest produce known to man but if you didn’t put any signs up to point people towards it then who would know? Its just bad business. The same goes for your website. Cyberspace is a big old place and without the right advertising how on earth are your customers and potential clients going to find you?

It’s a complicated old business pushing your way past your competition and getting your website where it needs to be. It requires a lot of work and know-how and can be a bit daunting but hey, don’t panic… we can help. After several queries from our clients about getting their shiny new websites up the search engines, we decided to clear out the west wing of ADOtowers and set up a brand spanking new department solely dedicated to SEO (that’s search engine optimisation to those of you who don’t speak geek). We have done our homework and called in the experts… and, as with all of our services, we are absolutely confident in offering the very best optimisation around. No rock bottom priced cowboy packages or unrealistic empty promises, just good quality, well researched, effective marketing.

We have devised three different packages aimed at marketing your website through various channels. We can guide you step by step through all the best ways to begin your web marketing campaign and set realistic goals and time frames. We will help you to devise the best strategy for your business and manage your promotions to achieve the results you want.

Your website is probably your most powerful marketing tool and we are here to help you utilise it! The right website combined with the most effective web marketing campaign can truly take your business to the next level. The potential to contact the world and tell them what you can offer is something that businesses are still in the relatively early stages of grasping. Get your business in on that action and see what you can do. The web is your oyster.

For more information, please take a look here. Alternatively if you would like pop in for a chat and find out a bit more about it, we will be more than happy to explain it to you in more detail. Just give us a bell on 01625 612 198.

As a small business ourselves, we know how hard it is out there. We are passionate about providing our clients with the best possible services to help them succeed. Why not let us help your business get where you want it to be?

There is still time to send out your promotional e-shots and jovial e-cards. Just drop us an email or give us a bell on 01625 612 198 and we’ll get it sorted for you, we are here to help.

And finally…

A huge thank you to everyone who supported our moustache sprouting efforts in aid of Movember and mens health, a cause very close to our… hearts. The final tally was a whopping (drum roll please)…£315.00! Tashtastic!
I have grown rather fond of mine and have decided to keep my lip warmer for a while longer, a fluffy reminder of your astounding  support and generosity. Thanks everyone!

Here is a final snap of the completed hairy appendages:

This is where we are at the moment:

We will update our website with the latest photo evidence every week so you can keep up to date with our venture into facial hair.

Speaking of the end of the month, did you realise it’s practically Christmas? Yup, I hate to break it to you but we’ve got just 35 days (and 36 sleeps to go). Now before you all run away screaming from your desks to begin the frenzied panic buying, mince pie eating and gift wrapping, it might be an idea to think of your clients. It is the time as they say, to spread good cheer, so why not make them feel appreciated? The moustachioed band of brothers here at ADOmedia can certainly help.

If you are one of the lucky ones and you already have one of our websites in place, we can help you to put together an e-shot or e-card personalised for your business and emailed directly to your selected recipients. Perhaps you would prefer something a little more traditional, we can also help you to put together some eye-catching festive cards, signs, menus or flyers to promote your yuletide wares and special deals. So whether you want to simply let your clients know that you care or keep them in the loop about your merry little offers, just give us a call. We can’t speed up your amazon deliveries but can certainly help with your Christmas promotions.

Ooh pass the eggnog…

ADOmedia have decided to embrace the spirit of Movember and produce ourselves some facial plumage, all to raise awareness for testicular cancer. The more I think about it, some of the greatest men of our time were fellow moustachios: Salvador Dali, Ghandi, Einstein, Magnum P.I and I got to thinking, could this fresh top lip sproutage be the key to some new successes at ADOtowers? Could it unleash our inner powers? or will we just look like berks? Only time will tell.

So the big question is, what shape to go for? the choices are seemingly endless. I found this useful guide here to help us decide which is both graphic and educational. I’m leaning towards Mr Copperplate, a truly classic gentlemans style. Tom is going for the Mr Bauhaus 93 – a Nick Cave-esque handlebar which we think is befitting of his serious Northern man demeanour.

The American Mustache Institute take a very serious stance on the matter and offer up only suggestions which are approved by the certified mustacheology (CM) department at the American Mustache Institute. Most Informative.
Which one would you go for? Answers on a postcard please!

This is where we are at the moment:

We will update our website with the latest photo evidence every week so you can keep up to date with our venture into facial hair.

Do let us know your thoughts and keep yourself up to date with our progress in photo form. Perhaps you’ll see us out and about in Macclesfield, pop over for a closer inspection if you wish. If you would like to sponsor us then visit our ADOmedia Team page here… all donations will be much appreciated.

If you’d like to find out more about the type of work you’d be helping to fund by supporting Movember, take a look at the Programmes We Fund section on the Movember website here.

Now I’d love to stay and chat, but I really…

Calling all adrenalin junkies!

Are you in search of some combative fun?  bored of laser quest? done with paintball? then check out our freshest website fodder for First and Only Airsoft.

And what in the name of warfare is Airsoft I hear you cry? Well let me tell you… First and Only Airsoft is the latest and (in our opinion) greatest way to don your combat gear, learn some tactical skills, burn some energy and have some serious fun.  Stuff magazine readers will soon be seeing a bit more about it when we launch our monthly ad campaign. We are pretty sure it will catch your eye.

Whether you and your friends or colleagues want to rescue a hostage from an asylum, gain experience as a sniper (practical!) or even avoid some zombies in an abandoned shopping mall then First and Only Airsoft is just the ticket!

Check out the new website here where you can read more about the exciting venues and take a look at the built-in forum to get more information from the First and Only community.

Why not have a bash? What better way is there to have fun and get fit? If you do want to make a booking then you will shortly be able to do so through our online booking system due to be launched over the next month. You might also want to stock up on some combat gear which will be available from the full e-commerce store also launching later in the month. Line up your viewfinder and watch this space!

Finally, you may or may not have noticed but we are currently advertising for a front end web developer to assist us with the increasing amount of work we are undertaking. If you think you have the skills and the ability you can find out more about the position here. We look forward to hearing from you!