25/06/2010
24/05/2010
30/04/2010
Most businesses measure the success of their email marketing or email newsletter in terms of the amount of emails opened and the clicks they generate. If your email marketing isn't going as well as you'd planned, here are some suggestions to help you to improve your email marketing efforts and the success of your email newsletter. Frequency of emails
How often are you sending your email campaigns? Are you bombarding your customers with too many emails? This is a common problem. Too often is too much, to infrequent doesn’t encourage communication and maintain interest.
Content of email marketing messages
Regular good quality content will help to keep your readers interested and your open rates up. Are your emails offers and news appealing enough? How does your emails compare to your competition?
Relevancy of your email newsletters
This is the biggest problem with most email. If the emails you send through have nothing relevant for a recipient why would they click-through?
Relevancy can be resolved in a number of ways including: sending to segments of your database each time rather than the whole list, using past email behaviour to determine interest and using tailored content blocks or dynamic content by using a solution such as The Web Bureaus e-mail marketing solution.
Email deliverability
Quite simply if your emails are not getting into the inbox or being labelled as junk it does not take a genius to work out that fewer people will open the email and even fewer will click-through.
Take proactive steps by ensuring your email provider is white listed and not blacklisted and that your email has been scored in a spam checking tool.
Professional Looking Emails
Ensure your email lands in the recipient’s inbox looking professional and tailored to your business look and feel. Ensure by testing the email that it doesn’t look mangled and unprofessional. Ensure it makes for easy reading. Regularly check and test your emails in a variety of browsers and email clients.
What should you Do
In particular what you should look at here would include:
These tips are always a good place to start if you use email marketing or are planning on starting your own campaigns. Of course other brainstorming activities such as looking at what your competitors are doing is also a good place to start.
Social networking is starting to influence every part of our lives nowadays, from reconnecting with old friends to sharing photos to voicing your opinions on the Apple iPad.
People have been turning to the internet to help guide them through the entire election, including researching the various parties and their MPs, registering to vote, voicing their own opinion and discussing topics affecting local and general issues.
According to analytical firm Experian, UK vote-related searches increased by 169 per cent between the week ending 3 April 2010 and the week ending 10 April with searches for the most popular term, 'register to vote', increasing nine-fold.
During the historic televised prime-ministerial debate, Twitter showed more than 184,396 tweets for the #leadersdebate, equating to more than 29 tweets-per-second!
Surfers also flocked in their tens-of-thousands to other social networks, news sites and blogs to comment and read up about the event. Even Google is lending a helping hand with its own dedicated election 2010 page tracking various UK Election search trends.
Beyond this major event, topics such as the passing of popular bills are increasingly discussed, petitioned and viewed on social networks such as Facebook, with the real time immediacy allowing political figures and the general public to have a greater impact on the decision making process, not just after the fact, but in near real time.
The same trend was seen in the US during the last election and was used to particularly good effect by Barack Obama and the change.gov platform to promote his profile and engage the nation's population by providing a single resource for Americans to give input on the priorities for the first year of the incoming administration.
The site had around 134,000 registered users, saw more than 30,000 ideas submitted in the first 96 hours and over 1.4 million votes cast in total. By the end of the election the site had received just shy of 40 million visits. The site's popularity is proof of the power of crowd-sourcing, not just for discussion, but for the generation of ideas.
A similar launch in the UK is Debate2010 web site http://www.debate2010.co.uk, which provides a dedicated, central platform for parties and voters to have their say and make a difference to what the next Government will do by harnessing the 'wisdom of the crowd' through the innovation of cloud computing.
All the parties and most MPs have a web site. A lot of MPs also have blogs, while around one in five are on Twitter, with parties having their own Twitter feeds as well. Critically, social media must not be viewed as a pure broadcast channel - those involved need to ensure that the communication is two-way, taking on and responding to comments made by voters.
This is particularly true for local MPs, who have a huge opportunity to use tools like Twitter to interact with constituents on a personal level, while getting a handle for the topics most strongly on the minds of those within their constituency.
So, while some may argue that social media may not make or break a party's chances in the upcoming election, at a time when apathy and mistrust in the political protest has ebbed, its value as a channel for education, awareness, debate and communication is undeniable.
Apple and Adobe are at loggerheads again over apples decision not to include Flash in the iPod, iPhone and iPad. Steve Jobs, co-founder and chief executive of Apple was pretty damming in his memo "Thoughts on Flash" where he publically wanted to dispel any thoughts that Apple were are trying to close off protect the App Store.
Instead he has made it clear that the reasoning behind this is a business driven decision based on security and performance. Steve indeed redirects this criticism at Abobe and let it be known that Apple invested heavily in Adobe and owned around 20% of the company for many years.
He continues "Though the operating system for the iPhone, iPod and iPad is proprietary, we strongly believe that all standards pertaining to the web should be open. Rather than use Flash, Apple has adopted HTML5, CSS and JavaScript – all open standards. Apple’s mobile devices all ship with high performance, low power implementations of these open standards. HTML5, the new web standard that has been adopted by Apple, Google and many others, lets web developers create advanced graphics, typography, animations and transitions without relying on third party browser plug-ins (like Flash). HTML5 is completely open and controlled by a standards committee, of which Apple is a member."
Firstly there was battery life: "Although Flash has recently added support for H.264, the video on almost all Flash websites currently requires an older generation decoder that is not implemented in mobile chips and must be run in software. The difference is striking: on an iPhone, for example, H.264 videos play for up to 10 hours, while videos decoded in software play for less than 5 hours before the battery is fully drained."
Secondly: "Flash was designed for PCs using mice, not for touch screens using fingers. For example, many Flash websites rely on “rollovers”, which popup menus or other elements when the mouse arrow hovers over a specific spot. Apple’s revolutionary multi-touch interface doesn’t use a mouse, and there is no concept of a rollover. Most Flash websites will need to be rewritten to support touch-based devices. If developers need to rewrite their Flash websites, why not use modern technologies like HTML5, CSS and JavaScript?"
Flash was "designed for PCs using mice, not for touch screens using fingers... Even if iPhones, iPods and iPads ran Flash, it would not solve the problem that most Flash Web sites need to be rewritten to support touch-based devices".
We should keep an eye on this battle which I am sure will rumble on a lot further, depending on whoever come out on top could determine the future of web and mobile app design
29/04/2010
Mobile Media and Mobile Apps are is taking the world over by revolutionary technologies emerging in the Application Development arena. Mobile devices are extensively used for movies, TV, radio, e-mails & business communication. The normal media types are facing stiff threat from Mobile media owing to numerous advantages and the sheer fact that mobile devices are with us 24/7.
Mobile Applications are fast becoming the most preferred alternative by the business people due to their effective capabilites in administering and management of the company and business operations. It has become extremely crucial to harness Internet’s capabilities of Search and Interactivity, which are now easily available on mobile phones.
At the web bureau we are keen to expand our portfolio in this area and we have expertise in app development that can be integrated in various mobile platforms. Please speak to us today to see how we can turn your idea into a reality.
18/11/2009
11/10/2009
the web bureau provides an easy to use fully functional solution designed to integrate your ecommerce website store with QuickBooks. If you wish to become an ecommerce merchant and currently use QuickBooks as you product inventory then our solution is perfect for you. This system will allow you to grow your online sales without major disruption to your existing back office process. the web bureau package will give you the opportunity to sell online with a top notch web cart providing full functionality coupled with an excellent design (if you don't believe me then just have a look at our portfolio for examples).
In regards to QuickBooks the following can be achieved - posting of new online orders to QuickBooks and Update of inventory from QuickBooks to your website.
The Benefits of our system include: 2-way QuickBooks integration with our web cart.
Order management - Fulfill online orders quickly and efficiently QuickBooks Integration, QuickBooks Integration Ecommerce, QuickBooks Integration Ecommerce UK, QuickBooks Integration Ecommerce US
09/10/2009
The Web Bureau Ltd. is currently looking for a full time junior developer to work alongside our permanent developers.
The successful candidates will be involved in the development of web applications for a number of online systems.
To be considered you should have a solid programming background, particularly within the new media industry. Experience of Asp.Net VB essential, as is exposure to Microsoft database technologies ie.(SQL Server or MS Access). Full details available at this link: http://www.thewebbureau.com/asp-net-developer-belfast.aspx
04/10/2009
the web bureau ltd. is a web design company based in Ireland that offers appropriate web design, hosting and marketing solutions for all businesses. We concentrate on doing accessible yet functional web designs that utilises the very top local design skills.
Our aim is to make sure your site loads quickly, be found easily, be linked well and generate real business leads. Our range of work thus far is broad and covers many sectors e.g. accountants, property, ecommerce, corporate, manufacturing
the web bureau is a one-stop shop. We will register your domain name, design and build your web site, host your web site on our own servers, and submit your site to search engines. Once your site is built, we can offer advice on how to build traffic to your site, provide an update service and phone support for email and ftp functions. We can also offer photography and copywriting services should they be required.
Secondary to basic web sites we can offer fully functional web applications that can be used to improve all facets of your existing business - all bespoke systems are all custom built to your own requirements by our in-house software team. For more information on this or any of our services please call us today on +44 2890 731190.
30/09/2009
Yesterday, Google announced the launch of the Google Merchant Centre, a replacement for Google Base - at least from the admin point of view. Those submitting products to Google will now use the Google Merchant Centre to submit product feeds, check on the status of items and check which products are performing best.
While Google Base is still available, Google recommends the Merchant Centre for uploading product feeds as it is better optimised for product listings. The Merchant Centre is also where Google is going to be introducing any future innovative features to product listings - so those wanting to ensure their product listings are receiving the maximum exposure and latest input will be encouraged to make the move to the Merchant Centre.
Although this is a new product, Google has kept features - particularly relating to the interface - as similar as possible to Google Base in order to make the switchover as easy as possible. Those switching over will also be able to use the same information they used for Google Base, namely login details, FTP settings and current data feeds.
All in all, the switchover to Google Merchant Centre should be quite simple and Google staff are actively aiding those in need of help both through their forums and behind the scenes.
What is likely to happen to Google Base? It's unlikely Google will stop the program completely, at least in the next 12 months. More likely is that Google is gradually going to try and move everyone over to their new system and during the process gradually let Google Base fade into the background.
Subscribers to the Google Base blog who are making the move to the Merchant Centre can find more information about making the move and any future updates to the Merchant Centre at the new Google Merchant Blog.
30/04/2009
30/03/2009
the web bureau's top tips for choosing a domain name for your business.
1) If you are purchasing a '.co.uk' domain name for your business eg. mynewbusiness.co.uk, make sure you also buy the other main Top Level Domains for the same prefix (e.g. mynewbusiness.com, mynewbusiness.net). This will ensure that no-one else can come in at a later stage and capitalise on your brand name using another major domain name type. we would recommend that you only really need to purchase .com, .co.uk, .org and .net - this may change in the future but should be sufficinet for now.
2) It is possible that your small business may grow into different areas of interest so it may be useful not to choose a domain name that is too business specific.
3) If there is only one variant of your chosen domain name availabe e.g. mynewbusiness.co.uk - then it may be wise to choose a different name that has all the other variants. At a bit of time at this stage will save you much hassle in the future.
4) Keep your domain name as short & simple as possible - it would alse be preferable if its needs to be memorable, and preferably does not contain hyphens.
5) A few web promotion firms suggest inserting your major keywords into your domain name wherever possible to help with your search engine rankings. We do not subscribe to this view. Sure, there may be some small benefits in having some keywords in your domain name e.g. 'best-product-in-the-world.co.uk', but your web promotion effort should come later. Your domain name should be chosen to best represent your company's interests rather than to please the fickle search engines!
6) Choose a reputable domain name supplier. A company which has been around a while and is well known is a fairly good bet - also check out the forums for any negative feedback. We'd also recommend choosing a company which provides a user interface so that you can manually edit your domain name details (email forwarding, transferring your domain name elsewhere). We've used Easily for all our domain name purchases for the past 8 years!
7) If you intend to buy a multiple numbers of domains, try to hold them with one single domain name company e.g. 123 reg. Domains are far easier to administrate and keep up-to-date if they are in a single place that is trustworthy. having multiple domains with many companies can be a nightmare.
8) Make sure you keep your contact information up-to-date. Although your domain name supplier is bound to contact you when a domain name comes up for renewal, it is your responsibility in the end.
web design belfast, web design northern ireland, web design ireland
10/03/2009
Email marketing is a cheap, quick way of reaching thousands of potential customers. The best emails create a dialogue with readers and enhance your brand; the worst can put someone off a company for life.
1. Know your readers
Make the most of any information you have that could improve your understanding of who your customers are. Get the data quality basics right: junk addresses build up in any large database over time, so clean your list regularly. Whether it’s looking at the email domains in your database, comparing click-through rates for different email features, or using online surveys, good customer information will help you target your mail to its audience.
2. Personalise, don’t generalise
Successful emails are targeted to a clearly defined audience – general, catch-all communications don’t work nearly as well. Automatic personalisation is a powerful tool that should be used carefully, where it has real user benefits – selecting special offers based on buying history, for example, rather than just adding “Welcome John!– at the beginning of a mail.
3. Subject line = open rate
The subject line of an email has a huge effect on open rates. It’s also the easiest part of the mail to change, so remember:
- Keep it short: 60 characters maximum. - Test different approaches: split your mailing list or compare two separate mailings. - Include specifics: put the special offer, new feature or membership benefit in the subject line. - Front-load: put the important words first.
4. Optimize your copy for e-mail
The e-mail format is unique: it’s immediate, personal and potentially intrusive. It always pays to tailor your copy to the format: with e-mail, this means: Remember the “three-second rule”. Three seconds is often quoted as the time a reader will give an e-mail from an unknown sender before deleting it. If you’re going to tell your audience why your email deserves reading, you’d better do it fast. Write for the preview window. Many e-mails are read in the preview window first. That postcard-shaped top section of the email is vital real estate, so make sure it contains meaningful content. People reading your email are either scanning to see if anything interests them or looking for detailed information (on prices, for example). Clear, concise and relevant text helps both these types of reader.
5. Don’t behave like a spammer
If you don’t want your mail to go straight into the junk folder: - be honest and make sure you can deliver on claims - be clear about who the mail’s from. Use “from–, “to– and “reply-to” addresses to help readers identify your organisation - make opting out easy... … and honour all opt-out requests as quickly as possible.
6. Be integrated
Make the most of other channels to promote your email. Print ads, point-of-sale marketing, direct mail response – every contact with a customer is a chance to build your database. Keeping all your marketing channels in mind will also help maintain brand continuity – it’s easy to fall into the trap of ignoring established branding practices because you’re working in a new medium. The most obvious form of integration – but an easy one to overlook – is to include links in your email that drive traffic to your website.
7. Be interactive
Give your readers an incentive to respond with competitions, surveys and special offers. Ask yourself what action you want them to take as a result of reading your mail, and focus ruthlessly on that goal.
8. Design for usability
Usability efforts are often focused on websites, but if anything the need is greater in e-mail marketing. The number of different email clients available, each displaying your mail in a different format, makes the problem of cross-browser testing look trivial – so always make sure subscribers can choose the format that suits them. Don’t send image-only emails. These aren’t just awkward for users: many e-mail clients (including Outlook) default to blocking images from unknown senders, meaning that even if your mail does get through it won’t be seen except as a broken image link.
9. Set goals and test against them
When you set about an email marketing campaign, define your goals in advance, and test progress against them. It may be a percentage increase in traffic to your website, a defined clickthrough rate, or an increase in sales of a particular product – but defining your success criteria in advance is the only way to find out what’s working and what isn’t.
10. Email only when you really have something to say
However relevant, usable and targeted your e-mail is, the most loyal customer will eventually get irritated if their inbox is dominated by your messages. Concentrate your best sales messages into less frequent mailings. In short, be restrained.
29/01/2009
25/01/2009
At the web bureau we are constantly striving to develop new features to allow businesses to meet their objectives with the least fuss. A recent development has included the creation of a standard ecommerce system that links seamlessly with our clients back office stock system. This development will provide our clients with the ability to maintain stock levels in both their warehouse and shopping cart with the minimum effort. The new system makes use of the Quick Books platform for small business accounting but could apply to any of the large providers e.g. SAGE For more information on this or if you just want a chat regarding your online and ecommerce options then please contact us today.
18/01/2009
The Web Bureau (Belfast) has launched a new Web site for Ethical Threads (London), one of the leading Ethical & Fair Trade retailers on the web : www.ethicalthreads.co.uk
The new site has a focus on delivering both an engaging user shopping experience whilst being highly useable and search engine optimised.
The new site architecture allows for full expansion and enhancement of the Ethical Threads online brand into the future. Featuring The Web Bureau's own state of the art content managed ecommerce package.
The new site features a full product catalogue and full user friendly administration suite for all functionality purposes. The new site will hopefully be highly successful and incorporates usage of url rewriting and other SEO techniques combined with a strong offline marketing campaign to hopefully drive ethical shoppers to the site.
The Web Bureau are delighted to be partnering Ethical Threads and we hope this will be a successful venture for both parties.
13/01/2009
The Web Bureau is proud to announce an addition to our range of modules and products. Our new text messaging solution allows you to create and send text messages from your website to any list of mobile numbers that you may have. This list could include your potential customers, members of an organisation or even patients. Possible uses may be reminder services, information sources or plain old fashioned advertising. Feel free to give us a call to discuss how we can provide a tailored solution to meet your needs.
04/01/2009
11/12/2008
A RSS web feed is a file that contains regularly updated information, such as news headlines, blog posts etc...
Many sites provide RSS feeds of their most recently updated content - a feed reader can subscribe to many feeds at once, allowing you to view the most recent information from a variety of sources without visiting all of the originating web sites. This can be useful if you want to spread the news of your organisation without having severe adminisatration headaches or alternatively you can make use of RSS to give the impression that your website is being updated regularly whilst the truth is that someone else is doing all the work.
If you are interested in RSS for your organisation or just want a brief chat on how this technology can help you then please conatct our sales team today. RSS Example: BBC Northern Ireland Sports RSS
07/12/2008
01/12/2008
24/11/2008
We are delighted to announce the completion of the first stage of our partnership with Battersea & Wandsworth Trading Ltd. For stage 1 we have completed the redesign and launch of 'The Bread And Roses Pub' website including e-marketing module. This is the first stage in the exciting new development for the organisation and we would hope to have more stages completed in the coming weeks. We wish david and his team the best of success with the new website. Bread And Roses Pub
12/10/2008
12/09/2008
Our design team has been busy this month developing the new Drumbo Park website. Drumbo Park is a unique experience in Befast with both greyhound racing, restaurant and bar facilities in one venue. We are very happy to have partnered in the development of this site. Hopefully the guys will have much success in the future. Drumbo Park Website
26/08/2008
15/08/2008
25/07/2008
Email Marketing is the current "buzzword" in the industry and we are delighted to announce the introduction of a new email marketing module into our portfolio of products. Our product will integrate fully with your website or can work as a standalone module to provide you with a one stop gateway for your email marketing campaigns. Other features include:
* Import export of email addresses * Full reporting on who received & clicked lins within emails etc.. For more information contact us today using our online enquiry form here.
03/06/2008
01/11/2007
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New Business Development Manager - Nor... 29/01/2009
Quick Books & Ecommerce Solutions... 25/01/2009
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Ethical Threads (London) Partnership... 18/01/2009
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