Vector Works E-Commerce

Vectorworks is a line of 2D/3D design and BIM software solutions that allow designers to take their ideas from concept to completion. Using the Shopify platform Swimming Hippo have added a second shop to the Cadventure website enabling customers to buy Vectorworks products online.

'Swimming Hippo recently delivered the second of Cadventure’s online stores. Our new Vectorworks software store has a complex structure and they worked hard to create an attractive and functional consumer site. We are very pleased with the end result as Swimming Hippo went the extra mile to help us achieve our goals.’

- Elaine Lewis, Managing Director

View the finished website here

Are you considering a new website or eCommerce project in 2017?

Why not give us a call on 01386 764747 or use our contact form.

Swimming Hippo welcome Mia Sutton

Our newest Swimming Hippo team member, Mia Sutton, joined us on the 1st of December. Mia will be completing an apprenticeship in Web Development in her first year with us and will be working as a Junior Digital Developer.

Initially Mia will be assigned to supporting you with email marketing, editing graphics and updating website content. She will also help with our own Swimming Hippo marketing, ensuring all of our clients receive regular updates and information about how Swimming Hippo can help improve your digital marketing.

Mia has previous experience in digital marketing, including management of company social media accounts and designing monthly email campaigns.

Mia also has a passion for photography, loves to travel and keep fit at the gym.

Local Business Google Search Marketing Frustrations!

A local business owner came into our studio last week frustrated by the cost and level of support being provided by two mass market companies who were contracted to manage his website, Google Adwords (Paid listings) and Google MyBusiness (Local listings) account. 

After a little digging around, I found that his AdWords account was showing adverts with wording not relevant to his business plus they were not covering the full area he covered. Additionally his Google MyBusiness was set up under a service that he actually offered, but it was not the primary term the business should have been listed under. 

In his frustration, the owner had set up his own AdWords account and MyBusiness account resulting in having duplicate accounts! 

This got me thinking... how many other local businesses are being 'supported' in such a way?

One way I have been able to help is by explaining the Google search results page landscape, what each section is and how it is managed (See screen grab): 

1) Google AdWords (Paid Listings) 

I'm sure you haven't failed to notice that a little while back Google changed the layout of its search results page so that the paid adverts no longer sit on the right hand side of your browser. Basically Google have tried to make their paid results look more 'native' by showing up to four adverts above merit listings and three below. This section is managed through Google AdWords or AdWords Express found in your MyBusiness account. Here you can select terms used that your advert will appear under when they are searched for, the wording of your advert and how much you are willing to pay to get higher in the list. 

2) Google MyBusiness (Local Listings) 

These adverts appear when terms are searched for that Google has registered as category's a local businesses fits into. So for example, when looking at the term "roofing repair evesham" the results page shows MyBusiness listings, the terms "roof maintenance" does not. At least three listings are shown here until that category is expanded, so you can see how important it is to set this up correctly. Google MyBusiness information can be edited in your Google + account. 

3) Merit Listings (Search Engine Optimisation) 

On some search result pages you have to scroll down past four AdWord listings, then three MyBusiness listings before you even get to a merit listing! A merit listing, as suggested by the name, is how Google reviews the merit of showing your website page above a competitors in the page results. This is commonly called search engine optimization and is managed through the content and structure of your website and using a technique called back link generation.  

Our aim is to reduce the monthly cost of local business online marketing spend whilst improving their results.  

We can help you fully understand how to achieve this and importantly exactly where and how effective your spend is. 

Call 01386 764747 or email joe@swimminghippo.co.uk if you are frustrated with your Google Search Marketing!

Get the best out of your Digital Marketing & Branding Agency

With the new year underway, companies are generally reviewing marketing strategies and budgets. They tend to question the effectiveness of their current marketing strategy - begging the question, are you using your Digital Marketing agency to its full potential?

If you have hired a digital marketing agency already it demonstrates you understand how valuable a digital presence can be for your business. In order to market your brand to its maximum potential use the services your digital marketing agency has to offer.

Increasing mobile usage
Each year the increase in mobile usage continues to grow with 67.1% of people accessing the internet on their phone. So, unsurprisingly, the use of mobile marketing will be a key trend to follow in 2016, which also means if your digital marketing plan is not mobile then it really should be.

Social Media Marketing
Are you using Social Media within your company and how can you make this work for you? Digital marketing is ever changing and social media is no exception. Facebook and Twitter are becoming the most powerful marketing tools out their. 65% of adults used social media in 2015 which is nearly 10 times for than in 2005. (Pewinternet.org, 2015). If you're not using social media in some form for your business then the question is why not? Interacting with your customers through social media is proven to increase your online presence.

Email Marketing
You may be thinking, I already have an email marketing strategy in place. But what some business' are failing to realise is that emails are less likely to be opened on desktop computers but rather on smartphones - '45% of email opens occurred on mobile, 36% on desktop and 19% in a webmail client.' – Adestra “Top 10 email clients” (March 2015), so optimising your email template for mobile is essential if you want to increase your click through and open rates!

Use your Google Business Tools!
Get your Google Business page set up! Its surprising how many companies still don't use Google Tools to their full potential, with Google AdWords, PPC, Analytics and Business Page make sure you have these services in place which will meaning spending some money in order to maximum your companies search engine optimisation! Show the world you're open for business . Google (2016)

Use Video
Don't be afraid to take advantage of your Digital Marketing agencies expertise and trust them to increase your brands digital exposure through a variety of different medias, a key channel to be used in 2016 is video. By 2017, video will account for 69% of all consumer internet traffic, according to Cisco. Including this in your marketing strategy is imperative to engage with your users. For any social media campaign, any SEO exercise, video is without doubt one of the best tools in the kit.

So, make use of your Digital Marketing Agency and use these digital marketing tools to get the best for your business! If you have any questions about Digital Marketing & Branding, email create@swimminghippo.co.uk

Why should you set up a company Linkedin profile?

Since LinkedIn was established in 2002 it has revolutionised the way people network. Over the last 13 years many new features and opportunities have been made available - do you find keeping up with these changes difficult?

Having recently spoken to a company director about the best approach on using LinkedIn to market their services, we noticed that his business was being represented by a personal LinkedIn account not their company LinkedIn page.

This restricts the opportunities available to that business in a number of ways;

1. Branding
2. Creating show pages
3. Making company posts rather than personal
4. Link together all your employees on LinkedIn

Branding
Wherever your business is represented, brand continuity is of upmost importance to maintain a professional identity. This applies to your company LinkedIn page and is not be available via your personal LinkedIn page where a profile picture would be placed showing the account administrator rather than something that reflects your company such as your logo at least.

Creating Show Pages
Often a company will offer a number of different services or may wish to promote different features of a product. This can be achieved using show pages. Each show page resides under the one account and can be categorised to show only posts relating to selected topics.

Making company posts rather than personal
Social media is often used for connecting people with people, it is also essential for connecting people with information. If you designate a LinkedIn administrator account that is personal, what happens if that person leaves your business or if they want to post something that is not business related? Having a specific company account that is listed as making posts will help to avoid these and other issues.

Link together all your employees on LinkedIn
Show off your team on LinedIn by associating personal LinkedIn accounts with your business account, but beware of the two issues that may occur mentioned in the early paragraph.

If you need advice on how to use LinkedIn to promote your business, Swimming Hippo can help.

How to overtake your competition online:

How to overtake your competition online:

When it comes to digital marketing or SEO as its more commonly known, reaching high positions on search engines like Google can make a huge difference to your overall visibility and sales.

There are many aspects to consider when you want to climb up this ever challenging organic ladder:

One aspect is what is known as link building and content marketing.

Google and other search engines are always looking to offer viewers the best experience and to do this offering the most relevant and up to date content is key.

Once you have this content though the big question is what do you do with it?

Well we have expert content writers that each have a passion for a specific field be it sport, lifestyle, business, tech, fashion and many many more.  They have contacts with web site owners (webmasters as they are known in our field) and they offer this content out to them.

If the webmaster likes it, they will put that piece of content onto their website and when Google do their rounds and look at the website that has your content on it, they look fondly on this and put you higher up as they feel you are the most appropriate.

As long as you don't drone on about you and your business and keep it very non promotional and the sites are respected it works.

Now nothing happens over night, but this is a proven tried and tested method to get you those enquiries you could do with, and right now we are offering to review where you currently are for free, we will look at your competition, your strengths and weaknesses and even put a game plan together with some suggestions that you could do yourselves or we could help with.

If your keen to explore this idea and would like a free review why not let us know by calling 01386 764747 or click here.

How often should I have my website re-designed?

How often should I have my website re-designed?

Firstly lets address the bias here... this is a digital agency asking the question, it's like Evian telling us that drinking more water is essential. But this is a question that I am asked fairly routinely. (Just to clarify, when using the term re-design, I mean a complete creative process resulting in a new look website but not necessarily a new company identity/logo).

So how can that question be answered because it's certainly not an answer that should be given in years. Why not? Because the requirements and expectations of visitors to your website can change unexpectedly and the services you offer or your business process may force a new approach that needs to be communicated. On those occasions, you can't wait 2 or 3 years, a fluid view has to be considered.

Lets take a look at a few key indicators that will dictate when change is required: 

• Design trends 
• Technology 
• Keeping up with competition 
• User expectations 

Design trends 

Yes they are called trends for a reason, they change frequently. Now some business types will be more affected by trends than others. Take for example the comparison between a couple of market sectors that Swimming Hippo deliver to, Hospitality and Manufacturing. Hotel websites are bound to be more affected by trends than say a traditional engineer company because user expectations demand it - larger images, more information about room layout, reviews, videos, social media, booking facilities... etc., etc. But a traditional engineering company that delivers to a specialist market sector may not be swayed so much by design trends as focus on providing technical data could be the main requirement here. But that does not mean that such a company will escape from technical expectations.

Technology

There's simply no avoiding the effects of progressive technology, April's blog post discussing the increased urgency in making sure that your website is smart phone friendly highlights one example of this. If technology changes, then you need to make certain that your website is updated to cope with the advancement, if you don't then you are isolating visitors rather that inviting them.

Keeping up with competition 

You are not alone! If somebody searches for your website address, company name or especially the service or product you deliver they will obviously be presented with many alternatives. If the websites available are better designed, easier to navigate or mobile friendly in contrast to your website, a potential client or even an existing may be more inclined to use a competitors.

User expectations 

So the answer to that question, how often should I have my website re-designed? When the experience you want your target audience or that they are expecting is not delivered. Is that happening now?

Swimming Hippo have been designing and delivering websites for over 14 years. If you have a website design or digital marketing requirement, why not email us or call 01386 764747.