How To Use Facebook Ads to Promote Your Blog Content

Facebook is no longer the dream marketing platform it was when it was first created.

As well as changing their algorithm to drastically reduce the reach of your posts, Facebook is also cracking down on like-baiting and like-gating in the New Year.

A recent post by Social Media Examiner explains how promoting blog content can help improve your Facebook reach.

Update your marketing tactics:
Focus on the results of your blog's content rather than the reach and number of engagements of your Facebook posts. If you concentrate on quality blog content, your Facebook reach will automatically see an improvement. Quality counts. Its a supply and demand mindset.

Amplify content with ads:
Facebook ads will put your content directly in front of the people you want to see it. You can precisely target your audience right down to their gender, their age, their location, even their hobbies. Given the specificity of these ads, they are extremely cost effective in content promotion and extended reach. They are an excellent way to build momentum by boosting content that is already performing well and generating further comments, likes, and shares.

Attract attention with video ads:
Native videos (videos loaded directly to Facebook rather than shared from sites such as Vimeo or YouTube) are performing extremely well on Facebook. To encourage this latest addition Facebook as incorporated video tools and feature pages to help guide users through the process of uploading directly to their site. Also, when you upload a video through Facebook you get the option to include a Call to Action which links to a URL at the end. This feature heavily increases your reach.

Dungarvan Enterprise Centre examines 2015's Marketing Trends

A recent Forbes article has earmarked 11 marketing trends to look forward to in 2015.

Dungarvan Enterprise Centre takes a look at the main talking points:

• Transparency will become the main tool of marketing
• CMOs will become Chief Simplifier Officers
• We will witness the emergence of marketing technologists
• The winners will be adept at agility marketing
• Media agencies will step up and lead
• Hispanic agencies will go mainstream
• Marketing will shift from globalisation to personalisation
• Procurement will become more powerful
• There will be a growing focus on Internal Communications
• Holding companies will start divesting assets
• The economics of marketing in a digital world will challenge marketers

Dungarvan Enterprise Centre finds the following three points the most interesting: 

There will be a growing focus on Internal Communications.

Companies will be focused on internal communications as a marketing asset. They will look at it as a key challenge and opportunity to create brand ambassadors and make sure that employees and vendors understand and live “the brand,” as well as the vision and strategy of the company. For example, we have already seen Coca Cola  re-brand their corporate website into the amazing Coca Cola Journey website. Here they promote their company through consumer friendly, first person stories and have made it their mission to eliminate press releases entirely from their marketing strategy.

Transparency will become the main tool of marketing

Consumers are going to continue to exert power and influence. Next year the best brands will be those that will give an accurate and real time picture of what they are doing in the interest of the consumer, at any given time. For example in 2014 we already saw how McDonalds combated rumours that there chicken nuggets were made from "pink slime". There behind-the-scenes video garnered over 3 million views and the company was lauded for its transparency. The McDonalds rumour showed how the internet can try and tarnish a brand. Therefore, transparency is the best form of promotion. The trend should explode in 2015.

Media agencies will step up and lead

Media agencies have been built to give strictly narrow media recommendations. But today creativity is key for effective media. Media agencies will begin to produce content that their viewers want and not what big corporations want. This will lead to the power being put back in the hands of the consumer. We already saw this cool media experiment in 2014: New media experiment allows you vote what reporters cover. 

For more insights into 2015 marketing trends why not check out this short YouTube video:

Seasons Greetings from Dungarvan Enterprise Centre!

2014 was another busy and successful year for Dungarvan Enterprise Centre.

We ran many training workshops and seminars throughout the past twelve months and were delighted to provide information and advice to anyone who dropped by our offices with a business related query.

Some of the happenings that went on here in 2014 include:

• Crowdfunding with Lorna Sixsmith

15 people attended this event and learned about how to pitch a crowdfunding idea and what makes a successful crowdfunding campaign.

• Open Your Eyes to Alternative Funding

75 people attended this event and learned about alternative funding methods from professionals in MicroFinance Ireland, Linked Finance, and South East BIC.

• Powerful Presentations with Ian Noctor

The people that attended this event learned tips and techniques for delivering presentations and speeches,

• Introduction to Digital Marketing with Justin Kearns

The people that attended this event received a thorough introduction to digital marketing topics such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Email Marketing, SEO, and Blogging.

• Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing with the Digital Marketing Institute

21 people attended this course for ten weeks every Thursday night where they received in depth teaching and techniques from industry professionals in digital marketing.

• Website Management and Strategy with Carol Faughan

15 people attended this event where they learned how to create and maintain a website for their business using Wordpress.

• Benefit 4 Basic Internet Training

Dungarvan Enterprise Centre continued its basic internet training through the Benefit 4 government initiative. We have now put over 90 beginners through the programme.

• The launch of Help4Biz Infographic.

We launched our Help4Biz infographic to help pre-startups and startups in the Dungarvan and West Waterford region easily identify available resources.

We would also like to inform and remind you that both Enterprise Ireland and Frontier Cities currently have funds available to Waterford and the South East that might be of interest to your business.

We would love the opportunity to work with and alongside you in 2015 so feel free to get in touch in the New Year with any enquiries at dungarvanec@gmail.com or 058 23598. 

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas with warmest regards,
Dungarvan Enterprise Centre.

The Very Best of This Year's Web Summit!

The 2014 Web Summit was a huge success and the conference has in just three years managed to become "the" event in Europe.

Over 22,000 people from 109 countries attended. There was 614 speakers, 2,160 start-ups, 1,324 journalists and 2,200 staff. 

In the Digital Marketing Institute's most recent blog post their Marketing Executive Zara Burke picks her three top unmissable takeaways from the 2014 Web Summit!

1. Big Data: Means Big Audience Understanding

Big data means that brands need to gain a deeper understanding of their audience habits, i.e. what they like, what they do and when they do it. This is so  you can make your customers happy and therefore keep them loyal. 

Takeaway Point: Think how much will it cost to lose a customer and not how much it will cost to gain one.

2. Native Advertising: Tell Relevant & Real Stories

Stop creating sales messages that distract, repel and annoy and start telling stories that people want to connect with and become a part of. As brands are put into the position of publishers we need to get more contextually relevant and find a way to target the right people.

Takeaway Point: 30% of HubSpot’s ad revenue is coming from native advertising and should rise to 50% in 2016.

3. Think in Terms of Mobility, Not Mobile

Mobility is about how the device fits into your customer’s lives. It is important for us to think of mobile marketing in user-centric terms. For example, what time of the day are your customers interacting with your brand on the go and how are they doing it?

Takeaway Point: Video will play a big part in successful mobile marketing campaigns of the future. 

For more information on what went down at the Web Summit check out the following link: 15 Things You Didn't Know Happened At The Web Summit.

And for some light hearted fun why not check out YouTube vlogger and Irish Independent social media editor Claire Cullen's short video, Web Summit Terms in Irish / Gaelic / Gaeilge.

Here are 8 interesting facts from the 2014 Web Summit according to the Irish Independent:

1. The average age of the Web Summit team this year was 27 years of age. The team was made up of 110 people.

2. Just 15 per cent of the speakers were women.

3. This year's Web Summit claims to have set up 10,000 face-to-face meetings between start-ups and investors. Each meeting averaged 10-15 minutes each.

4. Thursday morning saw Nespresso serve their 100,000th cup of coffee. This is almost five cups per person.

5. The youngest developer at the Web Summit was 8-year-old Ciara Whelan at the Coder Dojo event.

6. The youngest developer in Europe was also at the event - Niall Keogh is 11 years of age and already has two apps completed, including one on the App Store.

7. Approximately 8,500 students attended talks at the Web Summit in the evenings.

8. The 'powerhouse' behind the event was Cork woman Sinead Murphy who Paddy Cosgrave personally thanked on stage at the end of the final Web Summit day.

Boost Your Online Sales With E-Commerce Expert Niall McCann

Do you trade online? Are you happy with your number of sales? Does your website show off the best side of your business? Do you think you can do better? Do you know you can do better? Or would you just like to take that first step on the ladder of e-commerce?

Then Dungarvan Enterprise Centre has the course for you!

We will be hosting one-to-one e-commerce consultations with expert Niall McCann of Woolshop.ie on Wednesday, November 12^th.

E-commerce is becoming one of the fastest growing trends in business. Here are five reasons why it is important for your business.

In 2013 alone, 43% of Irish consumers made purchases online, while 2.6 million Irish people regularly shop online. According to a report by the Digital Marketing Institute, €4.1bn was spent on online shopping in Ireland in 2011, up from €2.96bn the previous year.

However, 75% of these purchases went through companies outside Ireland. That statistic alone highlights the opportunity for businesses in Ireland to capitalise and cash in on e-commerce.

The e-commerce clinics will be held on a one-to-one basis where e-commerce expert McCann will provide trouble shooting tips on areas such as improving online sales and developing your company’s website.

These clinics are a great opportunity for online businesses to pinpoint and discuss specific issues that will boost online sales. They will also act as an informative gateway for businesses thinking of going online to find out what e-commerce is all about. Just listen to the guys in the short YouTube clip below!

This is the second time Dungarvan Enterprise Centre will be running these workshops. Last year’s participants all benefited from McCann’s sessions and were able to implement his advice which resulted in an increase in online sales.

The fee for this one-to-one private consultation is just €30. Each individual consultation will last for one hour.

McCann’s e-commerce business, The Wool Shop, sells an extensive stock of knitting wool and knitting patterns. It is a family owned business that operates from McCann’s home in Bunmahon.

As a follow on from these clinics Dungarvan Enterprise Centre hopes to establish an e-commerce network. This would allow businesses to learn from each other in a peer-to-peer environment and benefit from each other’s expertise.

To book or for more information, contact Mags on 058 23598 or email dungarvanec@gmail.com. 

Learn How to Create and Manage Your Own Wordpress Website at Dungarvan Enterprise Centre!

Need help managing and maximising your website's potential? Need help putting a website together to begin with? If so, Dungarvan Enterprise Centre has the course for you!

In conjunction with the Local Enterprise Office, Dungarvan Enterprise Centre will be hosting a Website Management and Strategy course on November 20^th.

The course, which will run for a full day at a cost of €80 per person, will be taught by industry expert Carol Faughnan.

In 2014, a website for your business is simply a necessity. If you are not online then you can bet that your competitors are! Having a website for your business gives online customers a glance into your shop window. Read here why you need a website. 

This course is suitable for people who have a Wordpress website but are not sure how to make the most of it, or for people who are looking to set up a Wordpress site for the first time. Wordpress is widely recognised as the best choice for a website. 

This course will provide you with the necessary skills to understand how to manage and run your company website while incorporating a marketing strategy. The extensive course outline will take you through the following areas: 

1. Getting Started 
   • What are the advantages of having a Website? 
   • Your Marketing Strategy
   • Your current online Presence? 
   • Discussion of Goals and Outcomes 
2. Setting up your Website 
   • Logging in 
   • Familiarising yourself with the Dashboard
   • Editing user profiles
   • Adding user profiles for staff
   • Configuring the Dashboard settings
3. Adding the right content to your Website
   • About posts and pages
   • Difference between pages and posts
   • Creating pages
   • Adding Images and thumbnails
4. Blogging 
   • Creating posts and generating titles
   • Text formatting 
   • Adding and managing hyperlinks
   • Adding Images, 
   • Youtube Videos 
   • Adding a photo gallery
   • Adding post categories and tags 
5. Customising your Website        
   • Installing and activating themes
   • Exploring the themes option
   • Installing plugins 
   • Info about various widgets and working with them
   • Setting up custom background and header images
6. Launching your online presence
• Submitting the site to search engines
• Managing users and permission levels
• Managing comments and controlling spam
• Backing up your website
• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
• Adding social media options like facebook, twitter and many more    
• Your website Traffic                   

As well as a full day training in Website Management and Strategy, one-to-one email training will be provided prior to the event. This will allow Carol to give individual attention to each participant and to their specific marketing challenges on the day, ensuring maximium benefit from attendance.

The Wordpress course will run from 10AM until 4PM with a free lunch included at the interval.

To book a place on this course, or for more information, contact Mags at Dungarvan Enterprise Centre on 058 23598 or email dungarvanec@gmail.com. 

Still not convinced? Check out this short YouTube clip explaining in 3 reasons why Wordpress is the best!

Check Out the Results of our Training Needs Survey Autumn 2014!

The feedback from Dungarvan Enterprise Centre’s Training Needs Survey for autumn 2014 has been astoundingly helpful and informative. Through customer comment and feedback Dungarvan Enterprise Centre has received an abundance of constructive advice which it plans to implement into its programme immediately.

Dungarvan Enterprise Centre discovered that close to 55% of respondents had not availed of a course in our Centre during the past six months with the prevalent reason being due to a lack of relevancy. Dungarvan Enterprise Centre plans to combat this finding by striving to bring the businesses of Dungarvan and West Waterford the most relevant courses. This will be achieved by open communication with business owners and by researching and staying on top of evolving trends in business.

Encouragingly, a massive 97.87% of respondents said they would take a course at Dungarvan Enterprise Centre in the next six months if they thought it was relevant to their business.

Comments under this section also praised Dungarvan Enterprise Centre as a “Great place to learn” and an “Excellent service that is easily accessible”.

As well as that encouraging statistic, we also found that 68.88% of respondents had no difficulty applying courses held at Dungarvan Enterprise Centre to their business. As 26.67% of the respondents were inapplicable to this question, only 4.4% found our courses difficult to apply to the day-to-day running of their business.

Other areas that were suggested by respondents through the comment section indicated an interest in upskilling regarding business plans, health and safety, sourcing new clients, office administration and filing minute taking, and project management.

The comments section also revealed many business owners would appreciate the creation of a networking forum to combat the isolation of working alone. Dungarvan Enterprise Centre is currently putting together an e-commerce forum. This would allow businesses that sell online or wish to do so, the opportunity to learn from each other in a peer-to-peer environment and benefit from each other’s expertise.

We also learned some very interesting statistics on where respondents find information about Dungarvan Enterprise Centre. Email is proving our most effective tool of communication with 83.3% of respondents finding information on us here. Our website (31.25%) and Social Media (20.83%) are also proving strong sources of information.

Overall, we are delighted with the findings and feedback of our Training Needs Survey for autumn 2014. 93.75% of respondents believe Dungarvan Enterprise Centre keeps up to the date with current trends while 97.87% said they would take a course at Dungarvan Enterprise Centre in the next six months if they thought it was relevant to their business.

Further feedback to highlight that Dungarvan Enterprise Centre was meeting customer demands was also revealed in the final comment section where respondents stated: “All evidence points to best practice”, “All courses (and above) show that DEC are up to date with current trends”, and “Notices of upcoming events show the level of commitment DEC has in the business community”.

With the information gained from this survey, Dungarvan Enterprise Centre looks forward to implementing your feedback in our bid to bring you the most relevant and necessary courses and training in the business world for 2015. 

If there is a specific area you would like us to help you please do not hesitate to contact us by phone or email, at 058 23598 or dungarvanec@gmail.com. Or if you know somebody who you think could benefit from what we do, don’t hesitate to send them our way.