After the roaring success of our first live event back in July, this week Zazzle Media hosted its follow up to the inaugural Zazzle Live, presented in a round table format offering small business owners a more personalised experience than the last.
The event, which ran in conjunction with Lincolnshire’s Business Live week, was billed as a chance to supercharge your digital knowledge. The format consisted of four stations covering different topics in the world of digital marketing. Those in attendance sat at a station and were presented to in 15-minute bursts by each of our four speakers.
Below is a brief description of each speaker and the topics they covered…
Where Google was and Where it is Now: James Perrott – Heard of Search and Data
Presented by our head of Search and Data, James Perrott ran an introductory piece on Google and why it is essential for businesses to have a significant presence on the search engine. From its (not so) humble beginnings to today’s complex algorithms, James broke the mystery that is Google down into easily digestible chunks of information, covering the following key areas…
- How big is Google?
- Back in the day: Link Networks + Spam (keyword stuffing)
- Where Google is now
- Panda/ Penguin/ Above the Fold – Page Layout Algorithm
- The Big Red Button – Manual penalties
- The Diverse Link Juice Portfolio – Natural/ Unnatural
- Search Queries = Explicit Aspect + Implicit Aspect
The Good Pub Guide to Google Analytics: Richard Petersen - Deputy Search and data manager
“Google Analytics is essential because it provides actionable information for your business”
Zazzle’s deputy search and data manager Richard Petersen introduced business owners to the world of Google Analytics (GA) and how, when used correctly, it can provide powerful insights into your businesses digital strategy. To cut through some of the jargon, Richard used the metaphor of a pub (surprise surprise) to ensure everyone in attendance was able to understand exactly what each statistic in GA means and what you should be looking out for.
For example, he equated users to customers and page views to pints! He went on to discuss the significance of a high bounce rate and how when comparing statistics from previous months, you can gauge for example whether changes implemented in your business are working or not.
An entertaining and informative talk that turned quite a dry topic of discussion into a must listen.
Social Media in Brief: Ashley Hewitt - Account Manager
Zazzle account manager and social media guru Ashley Hewitt had 15 minutes to tackle the topic of social media. With so much to say in so little time, this was a whistle stop tour through the different benefits of the big platforms and why your business should be heavily involved in at least one. He covered the following areas…
- The Customer Purchase Funnel: Where does Social Media fit in?
- Awareness, Consideration and Advocacy.
- Facebook:
- 1.3 billion active users every month
- Newsfeed, trends and ticker.
- The algorithm - Organic reach - Twitter:
- Second Biggest Social Network (in real terms)
- Timeline, Trending topics.
- No algorithm - Google +
- Non engaging user base currently
- One for the future? - Other Social Platforms
- Instagram + Pinterest: Image based content
- Engagement = Essential
- Paid Social and Facebook Ads
A Brief Guide to Digital Content Creation and Distribution: Jo Price - Content Strategist
Zazzle’s content strategist Jo Price dedicated her 15 minutes to discussing the value of great content and why it has such an important part to play in the marketing world today. From improving your rankings in Google to giving your brand a personality, Jo’s talk introduced those in attendance to the benefits that can be gained from great content before giving them a few tips on how to develop your own. Her talk covered the following areas…
- The Importance of Great Content
- Google’s Rewards
- On Page/ Off Page Content
- No Such Thing as Boring Niche
- How to Create Great Content
- The Zazzle Ideation Process
Q&A Session: with Simon Penson, Julia Ogden and James Perrott - Hosted by John Baker
After all four round table sessions had concluded, and after a short interval for the audience to process there newly gathered information, there was a Q&A discussion where some of the biggest questions in digital marketing were pitched to three of our industry experts.
The lighthearted open discussion sparked several interesting debates between our panelists and the audience, giving everyone in attendance an insight into what the future holds of digital marketing on how to ensure your business is ready to capitalise on the changes.
The questions asked were as follows…
- What do you think will be the biggest change in Google in 2015?
- What’s the best piece of content you have seen and why?
- If you owned a small business and had £500 per month to spend, what would you spend it on?
- How do you see the multi-device world changing and how will this affect search and the way we consume content?
- How will the rapid ascent of digital marketing influence traditional channels?
If you would like to see a copy of the presentations then please contact our Business Development Manager Richard Marriott on Richard.marriott@zazzlemedia.co.uk. Planning now starts for the next event… what would you like to see covered?
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