The rise in luxury shoppers using the likes of the Internet, social networks sites and Apps to access luxury brands is on the rise, making SEO an important tool to allow the consumer audience to engage with their favourite luxury brands wherever and whenever they want.

Whilst SEO is important for boosting the online presence of the brand, SEO also has a responsibility to supporting the luxury brand’s offline reputation. Strategic SEO has to support the integrity of the brand, which is why long-term digital marketing effectively engages luxury brands’ customers better than short-term solutions, as this helps to keep their consumers engaged with their brand both online and offline for longer.

A successful PPC or Google Adwords campaign can both help to boost the online presence of luxury brands, but these are often short-term and costly solutions. Whilst they can effectively support an overall digital marketing strategy, SEO is by far one of the best ways to increase traffic flow to the luxury brand’s website, therefore resulting in higher sales.

Luxury brand websites are usually created to provide a way of showcasing their latest collections, products and services, but the Flash images and animations used to display these do not index correctly in search engines. Good SEO implemented by digital experts allows keywords to be scattered on the web-pages, increasing the visibility of the brand.

The most important aspect of SEO for luxury brands is choosing the right keywords, with it crucial for brands to find the balance between too vague, too precise and misleading keywords. By researching key phrases and words from relevant blogs, websites and articles which relate to the brand, and analysing their effectiveness via keyword analytics, the brand can make sure that they are sending the right traffic to their website. When it comes to SEO, it’s always quality, not quantity, which preserves the brand’s integrity and increases sales.

Not only do prestigious fashion, motoring, finance and health brands all have their own websites to sell or advise potential customers of their products and services, they have also started to integrate social network sites into their marketing strategies to provide their customers with 24/7 information and news about their brand.

An excellent case study of luxury brands using social networking to ‘touch’ their affluent spenders is Louis Vuitton. Before the rise of social network sites or even the Internet itself, shoppers had to spend a considerable amount of time visiting stores and attending fashion previews to be in the know about the latest products and trends. Today, however, these wealthier shoppers can keep up-to-date with Louis Vuitton collections via Facebook, Twitter and iPhone apps, all of which are just a click away.

No affluent male or female is without one of the leading Smart Phones, meaning that where ever they are in the UK or indeed the world, they can access the latest collections, releases, private previews and special offers via their pocket gadget. This constant source of marketing also means that one minute shoppers are seeing that a celebrity has been spotted wearing a Vuitton bag, the next they are buying it from one of the luxury brands retailers online; great for those who are always busy and on the move.

All these social marketing tools reach not only the brand’s dedicated affluent shoppers, but these tools also open up their brand to a broader fan base. This increasing accessibility to luxury brands boosts brand awareness, which will ultimately lead to improved sales figures.

The win followed a competitive pitch against some leading design agencies and we are delighted to be able to assist the Luxury network in enhancing their already sucessful online and offline brand.

A new UK website will be launched in February with other country sites being added throughout the year.

While link baiting can sometimes be seen as a controversial way of attracting traffic, in reality it is just good content and we all know good content is king when it comes to SEO. Linkbaiting is not just about backlinks, it is also a great way of building brand awareness – a great example is when you see an article or blog post that gets re-tweeted and shared on networking sites like facebook hundreds of times – Power to the people!

So what kind of linkbait techniques can help boost your SEO efforts and brand awareness?

Here are some examples you can post to create a buzz on the internet:

• Write interesting articles – It seems obvious, but if people like reading your content they are likely to mention it.
• Post an interesting picture – Not of yourself.. well maybe if you are Demi Moore, a good picture can say a 1000 words, and build 1000 links.
• Create a viral video – Charlie Bit My Finger.. 200 million hits…says it all!
• Be the first to break news on a topic that may be in your niche – Breaking a story can get you huge publicity fast, keep your eyes peeled and your ears to the ground.
• Be the first to research a topic and post a report on it – Research and reviews are very popular for sharing, and remember they don’t always have to be good.
• Post an online poll – Everyone loves to vote, no matter what your niche people will have an opinion on something.
• Give something valuable for free – A free review, download or sample can spread like wildfire and is also a great way to collect data.
• Run a competition – Find a good prize to give away and watch the traffic soar, posting previous winners will give some extra credibility
• Create Lists and top 10’s related to your product – Everyone loves lists (as long as it is not a to-do), you are reading one now. Be creative, there is a list that can be made for everything.
• Be controversial, start a lawsuit, pick a fight, all publicity is good publicity.

If you want some further advice on boosting your Search Engine Rankings take a look at our SEO Packages or get in touch.

So why do businesses keep pumping money into something that is not working for them, and more importantly why is it not working?

Well in answer to the first point the biggest reason seems to be “Because everyone else is”. While this makes sense on some level – you don’t want to be left behind – it is worth thinking that if isn’t working for you it might not work for them and you could just be throwing your money away.

So why is your print advertising not working?

What you have to remember is that the average consumer is exposed to thousands of advertising & branding messages every day. Just think how many brands you come across from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed?

So to make your print advertising stand out in this brand heavy environment you really need to follow some simple rules.

Give yourself a fair run

Most people expect a huge rush of response from a single advert. As a rule of thumb you should be booking a minimum of 3 ads in a weekly or monthly title and at least 5 in a daily. Anything less and you might simply be overlooked.

Book the correct space

There is a reason that certain ad positions are worth more than others. If you can’t pick up one of the covers, always push for a right hand page it makes a big difference, and bigger is better. Remember you are the buyer so you can negotiate with your sales rep.

Know your audience

The worst mistake that many advertisers make is to use the same ad everywhere regarding of the audience. Make sure the message is tailored for the audience to increase your response rate.

Test your message

One way to test the effectiveness of your advertising messages is to set up a Pay Per Click campaign on google. For a small budget you can test a variety of messages and landing pages that will give you a valuable insight into your brand message.

Beware of the sales rep

If a sales rep knows you are unhappy they will try to help…by encouraging you to book more space or bigger slots, while there is some truth in what they are saying remember they are sales reps, and their comission is more important that your response.

Design your ad effectively

Make sure you have a professional advert design. Nothing screams amateur more than a cheap looking advert. A good advert design will ne visually attractive as well as leading the the viewer into a call to action eg request info, visit website, make a booking.

If you are serious about promoting your business with print advertising seek the advice of a professional advertising agency. They will be able to advise you on the most effective design and approach for your business and will be able to make the most of your budget.

Advertising agencies will have relationships with media owners and are likely to get better positions for your ads and at better rates. A win win situation.

If you have a campaign coming up have a chat with us and see how we can improve your results.

This problem arises for two reasons, firstly because the internet is awash with adverts for cheap websites and secondly because everyone has a friend or a friend of a friend who is a web designer who will build a site for some pocket money.

While there is nothing against people offering these low cost services, a company looking to make an impression with their website needs to understand exactly what can be expected for that kind of price tag and whether it will give the right image for their business.

The questions that businesses need to ask themselves is what they expect from a £400 website? and what they are being promised? As an indication, this is what you would get from us – a single page website that is well designed & well optimised but without any fancy features.

The amazing thing is.. Most people would have expected the above statement to say a custom designed 10 page website!

So why is this not achievable?

Well to put this into perspective let’s take a look at what goes into our web design process using a bespoke 10 page website as an example.

Consultation – We start the process by finding out your goals and requirements and we use our knowledge and experience to advise you on the best ways to achieve your targets

Research & planning – We then undertake an extensive research process into your audience & competition, from this we determine the elements that we think will help you stand out from the crowd and plan any functionality and page relationships. On larger projects we will also create a site flow diagram to indicate the folder structure & menu hierarchy.

Wireframing – Before the design stage begins we create a basic mockup of the pages without any design elements to show how the pages will function and flow. This is essential for usability and to make sure the site functions in the correct way.

Design – This is the most important stage of a bespoke website and we produce a professional and 100% bespoke web design tailored for your needs.

Development – Once the designs have been approved we then convert these into a rock solid website complete with the relevant on page search engine optimisation.

Testing & Launch – The final stage is testing the site and making sure it is ready to be launched online.

As a ballpark let’s say the above takes a conservative 50 hrs of work, that would mean to achieve the £400 price tag mentioned earlier a creative agency or web designer would have to work at a rate below £10 hr and that’s without even taking into account the costs involved in running their own business.

As design professionals we can assure you if you are looking for experienced designers who understand how to make a business work £10 per hour will not cut it and you will most definitely get what you pay for!

It has to be taken into consideration that creative professionals spend years developing their craft, learning and developing their skills to help their clients get the most from their websites, and this experience comes with a price. Yet it is surprising how the average business is willing to spend more on the photocopy repair man than the professional that is helping them deliver probably the most important part of their business communication.

So how much should you be paying for a bespoke website?

Pricing a website is never a straight forward task due to the large amount of factors that need to be considered, such as the style of website (Brochure, E-commerce, Blog) the choice of content management system (Wordpress, Magento, Joomla) and the client specific features that are required.

Professional web design companies usually sit in the £50 to £150 per hour mark (some of the big agencies almost double that) so if we take into the consideration the earlier example we would be looking at a price range of between £2,500 – £7,500 for a fairly straight forward but bespoke 10 page web design. This is before you start adding a content management system, professional copywriting, custom photography & other unique twists that are involved with developing an effective online presence.

While these prices may sound scary for individuals, for a business this type of investment is essential and a website should be treated with the same, if not more, respect than other forms of marketing. We know of businesses that spend £1,000’s on local newspaper adverts that direct to an amateur website and they wonder why the response is limited!

When you are considering the budget for your next web project it is worth remembering that in most cases your website will be your first contact with potential customers and no matter whether you are selling a service or a product, if you do not have a professional first impression your customers may go looking for someone that does!

From the elegant wings provided by Bentley and Aston Martin to the simplistic typography used for Tom Ford, luxury brands don’t have to try too hard and most opt for a less is more approach that relates to their upper class personality.

The following 10 luxury brands were chosen as each design has simplicity, sophistication and unique touch that pushes all the right buttons.

1. Bentley

2. Asprey

3. Moet & Chandon

4. Louis Vuitton

5. Dior

6. Wynn Resorts

7. Gieves & Hawkes

8. Mulberry

9. Tom Ford

10. Aston Martin

While logo design is of course a key part of any branding process we usually respond with a brief “we don’t design logo’s we create brands” before explaining the difference between the two. The thing that surprises us the most is that most people are aware brands and branding, they participate in the process every day when choosing their favourite supermarket or deciding who to bank with. They understand how emotional connections are made, how trust is created and how relationships are developed, yet when it comes to their own business they want a logo “knocked up” quick.

Most businesses, especially smaller or newer businesses seem to think branding is for the big boys and not worth the investment. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Your brand should be the backbone of your business, an indication of your core values and the emotional connection between you and your customers, so getting right from the off is essential.

Know Your Audience

A professional approach to your branding process should commence by defining the image that you would likely project to your target clientele, in many cases this is established before you have even come up with a name! Understanding yourself and your audience, as simple as that may sound, is often overlooked and not taken into consideration. Every item of your brand should be developed in a way that effortlessly connects to your audience in the most effective way, from the tone of voice to the way your staff contact customers.

Develop an Identity

Once you have defined the value & vision of your brand then the next stage is to turn this into an visual identity, from naming to corporate identity design. This identity should then be applied to any elements that will come into contact with your target audience from website design, packaging and other promotional materials to uniforms and signage.

Effective branding, if correctly planned and delivered consistently across every channel will, in time, ensure a strong brand identity that is instantly recognisable, provides an emotional attachment from your customers and will eventually lead to success for your business.