AI and Metaverse in Business - what does it mean?

The world of digital marketing has undergone a seismic change since the emphasis on Artificial Intelligence (AI) by technology giants, such as Google, Meta (Facebook) and Microsoft. 

Website analytics and optimisation have to be virtually scrapped and regenerated to take account of the trends that are here to stay for the near future. Companies that have recognised this are the ones at the top of (for example) Google searches. Posts on social media would also benefit from using AI to reach a more targeted audience.

The other buzzword is the Metaverse, originally associated with Meta and also Microsoft. It is now taking on a life of it's own. The concept is like a tadpole who expects to metamorphose into a frog but could become a prince. Or... 

"The metaverse can be defined as a simulated digital environment that uses augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and blockchain, along with concepts from social media, to create spaces for rich user interaction mimicking the real world."

For the 'gamer' generation, this will seem quite normal. 

So how can SMEs catch up?

First, ensure that your website is using Google Analytics' latest update which includes AI options. Second, consider using AI to create some of your content for both your website and social media. Third, Ensure that videos are a major part of your digital marketing strategy.

There are some companies that are optimising their websites for voice search activation, for the growing number of people who 'talk' to their devices rather than type into a search engine. 

Creating content with AI

AI is more intelligent than a plain old robot so, when used properly, you won't end up with the same text as all your competitors. And don't forget - you should always check the article to ensure that it says what you want it to. It's editable by you. too (in which case, have the edited version checked for errors by another party).

A popular choice is to use ChatGPT but, at the time of writing, there are some issues. The following was generated with toolbaz.com (free, online) by inserting the title:
Discuss Using AI for SEO

As the internet continues to evolve, so does the way we search for information. As the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes more prevalent, it has become an invaluable tool for search engine optimization (SEO). AI can be used to improve the quality of search engine results and to give users better content. AI can help understand and interpret complex user queries, identify relevant content and identify patterns in user behavior. AI can also help with keyword optimization, content optimization, and link building. AI can also be used to analyze user behavior, such as click-through data and the number of searches done for a particular topic. This data can then be used to create more targeted content that is more likely to be found by users. AI can also be used to identify trends in user behavior and create content that is more likely to be seen and clicked on. AI can also be used to improve the speed and accuracy of web page indexing by reducing the amount of time it takes for a page to be indexed. AI can also be used to optimize the structure of a website, making it easier for search engine algorithms to crawl and index a website's content. AI can also be used to create personalized content for users based on their past searches and interests. AI can also be used to automate the process of content creation by generating content based on user queries. AI can also be used to monitor the performance of a website and make changes to make it more search engine friendly. AI can also be used to identify new opportunities for SEO and to create more effective strategies for SEO.

That text was created instantly. Obviously, it has been generated for an American audience therefore some spellings may need your attention.

It's accurate but, in my opinion, it's s bit generically bland and far too wordy. Still, it's free and a great starting point - writers often struggle when faced with a blank page.

We'll be writing more on other aspects of AI and keeping it simple. We hope it helps! 

Stay in Business: Go With The Flow...

Do you still use 'Twitter' or have you started calling it 'X'? In business, there are always changes and going with the flow is the only way to survive.

For example, The BPc began as a graphic design and marketing agency in 1990. Eventually, DIY design software became publicly available and some companies started creating their own logos, marketing materials, etc. Ironically, we soon had a surge in design requests because clients realised that, just because you have the software, it doesn't mean you have the experience of good graphic design.

Around 1996, we included website design services (thankfully, the co-owner had a technical background, therefore writing HTML was a doddle). Since then, the majority of our work was website design, including optimisation and internet marketing to keep our clients on page 1 of Google. Then internet service providers and software companies started to offer DIY website solutions for users to 'be in control of their own destiny'. Hmm. What it really meant was that users were tied to the company who owned the website software and, of course, their monthly costs often escalated. But, as had happened with graphic design software, a number of new clients approached us to update their websites or, in some cases, rewrite them.

As an additional marketing service, we offered video shoots and recruited a film graduate to produce professional videos for our clients but now everyone is an expert with a smartphone. We are occasionally asked to create a more professional look to 'movies'. 

Social Media management is one of our popular services. Everyone can do it but most smaller businesses don't prioritise it, preferring to spend a small amount per month to have a reliable service manage it for them.

But we are nothing if not flexible. Moving on to today's projects, they break down (approximately) as follows:

• Website design, updates and maintenance (40%)
• Blog and Social Media marketing (30%)
• Literary proof-reading and Script writing/editing (20%)
• Graphic Design (5%)
• Troubleshooting, video work and miscellaneous (5%)

Note the new entry in the middle of the table. 

Going with the flow has kept us solvent for nearly a quarter of a century so we thoroughly recommend it for some SMEs.

We wish you the best of luck with your endeavours! 

Thousands of Followers on Social Media?

The growth of  'followers' is often used by Social Media agencies as a gauge of how well they're doing for their clients. But is it enough? 

Not these days. We manage some Social Media accounts for small number of clients; there are thousands of followers but very few interactions. Depending on the main purpose, this could be OK or it could be an issue.

Most of our clients use social media to show their products with a hope that their followers will be interested to buy or share details with others. It's a way to get the company's name known to more people. 

One specific client posts products, opinions and related information, inviting feedback and with a view to gaining more followers to interact with. It's a completely different approach from that of most companies because he is a one-man-band who likes exchanging views of his and others' work. This client is struggling to gain followers, more than the others are - possibly because there are very few products to showcase (3). For whatever reason, he remains largely invisible.

Whether you have accounts with Meta, X, Tumblr, LinkedIn or other social media, having followers is not an indication of success. People follow you if you can give them something for free, e.g. humour, glamour, cute cats, etc. but it isn't (and never has been) a great medium for promoting your products or services, just because you have a high number of followers. And now, sadly, it's not always good for interacting.

Take Tumblr, for example. Tumblr has 'Ask me anything' that can be added to your profile. Author Neil Gaiman (Good Omens and other fiction) is excellent at interacting with his Tumblr followers, fans of his work, and they feel closer to him and the glamour of his world. I have only one client on Tumblr and nobody is interested in asking about his work. To be fair, he has only managed to gain 8 followers (0.001% of Neil Gaiman's entourage) in just over a year.

Today's favoured medium is video - whether on YouTube or TikTok - and again, these are classed as SOCIAL media. However, it's useful to upload videos for incorporation into websites. Many of our clients are not suitable candidates for Webinars or 'live' broadcasts - although there is one client who publishes a regular podcast which is popular with followers. Unfortunately, we have no further stats at the moment, regarding this medium.

Social Media, in general, is not designed as a business tool yet advertising revenue from businesses are the main reason that social media can function as a free service for others.

The issue for smaller companies with low budgets is that social media has become saturated and competition is as fierce and futile as competing to get a website listed on page one of Google, especially amongst the myriad of 'sponsored' entries that take priority.

We are currently looking at the cost of in-app advertising for one of our clients. We'll let you know what we find out and when we spot the next opportunity for small businesses to compete on a level playing field, we'll let you know.

How Popular are Blogs in 2023?

First, let's redefine what a blog is. This blog is an ancient one created on Blogger (Google) well over 10 years ago. Blogs started as text-on-the-web-logs, a diary or journal that may have been a creative outlet for some but was essentially to record whatever you wanted, either shared or not shared. It quickly became a business tool for businesses to announce news about their products, services, activities, etc. Now, such blogs are usually incorporated into a company's website as their news page. 'Professional' blogs followed, brand-building for the entrepreneur who wanted to share experience and gain kudos.

Then blogging caught on in a big way. Generally, as an outlet of people referred to as 'influencers' whose main goals are to gain followers by bringing trends and know-how to the public - where to go, what to see, how to look, and other lifestyle tips, including fashion, furnishing your home and a variety of other lifestyle topics. Travel blogs are usually well-researched and often provide essential information. Food is such big topic that it has it's own category - people were now able to follow recipes and cooking styles from around the world, which were previously unknown.

Reviews began as genuine opinions but have too often become a form of advertising. There are rules to follow - they are supposed to tell followers if they are being paid to promote the product or service or if they are affiliated in some way. Popular YouTuber TomSka is always bringing ASA (Advertising Standards Agency) rules to viewers' attention. 

News blogs are a major part of every network's website, though many of them are not regularly updated. No doubt you've been unable to avoid them. Here's a recap... 

• Personal blog 
• Business/company blogs 
• Professional/branding blog 
• Lifestyle/influencer blogs 
• Travel blogs 
• Food blogs 
• Affiliate/review blogs 
• News blogs
• Multimedia blogs 

More recently, there has been an explosion of multi-media blogs: vlogs, podcasts and video channels. Personally, I prefer to read blogs because I can do it at my chosen pace, depending on what parts of the content interests me, and it's easy to skip over the bits I already know.

Both audio podcasts and visual information (e.g. YouTube) have become extremely popular, far more so than a traditional blog such as this. However, there are considerations before using them. Audio: is your voice or regional accent going to be listened to and understood by your target audience? Video: have you practiced speaking into camera? Is your backdrop a distraction? Do you have an adequate setup for filming? 

Definitely have a go at all forms of information sharing but make sure that you check and, if necessary, edit the final blog/vlog/podcast before you share and publicise it. 

Link: https://youtu.be/AuYuzkGA3SI

Wishing you the best of luck! 

Using the Internet to Promote your Small Business

Talking to the owner of a local business about his internet activity... 

Backgound: he and his son have two part-time assistants. The owner is approaching age 60 and preparing for his son (who is half that age) to take over the business in the next few years. The business has had a website for many years and it covers their needs (although the content could be updated). The main source of leads is from a large, specialised marketplace service - think Etsy, RightMove, etc.  Typically, the son has been tasked with the social media aspect of the business as the dad has limited knowledge of it and does not want to start learning it now.

Looking at their website links to social media, we see Facebook and Twitter: FB is updated regularly and Twitter has not been touched for 5 years. Although it's not mentioned on the website, there is also an Instagram account which is frequently updated and is more popular than the other two media combined.

What is Marketing?

Having been in Marketing since before Internet use was widespread, we understand the many facets of above/below the line, direct/indirect marketing and the difference between marketing and sales (often a blurry line dismissed by ambitious salespeople). Marketing is not only about making money today but ensuring stability for future sales.

But we've wandered off-track a little... marketing is essential to seek out potential customers and persuade them to contact your sales force - whether that is a visit to your website full of stuff to spend their money on or by encouraging them to contact you by 'phone, email, whatever.

Social Media Marketing

Social Media is a very powerful marketing tool and cheaper than advertising, although the two can work together. For example, if you are not getting enough Facebook followers by natural growth, you can pay a few pounds to kick-start a 'follow-us' campaign. This has worked extremely well for some of our clients. Of course, the way to keep followers engaged is to post interesting and varied information with images or a video - regularly but not too often as to get on people's nerves!

With Instagram and Facebook being linked, one post can be shared to both media simultaneously. 

Social Media is 'horses for courses' and you will have to determine which suits you best. It's free so try a few but be sure to suitably tailor your posts. Don't forget to interact and be friendly because this is a social environment, not an excuse for free in-your-face advertising! This means that you should look through others' posts and react to them (nicely, of course) to build a rapport.

Data Analysis

Another aspect of growing your business is knowing (not assuming) which avenues have been successful in bringing in potential customers. Insights are available with most social media and websites can have Google Analytics installed. As with all statistics, you need to understand how best to interpret the data.

For example, when we were selling a property, the agent provided us with a copy of the Rightmove property views data for the first month. It showed that, after the first day, views dropped to a daily average of 10% of the initial number for the rest of the month. The graph was labelled 'property views' with no other explanation. We asked the agents if a 'view' was of the property listing within the scrollable results or whether it was an in-depth view of information, photographs, etc. They didn't know so the information was mostly worthless.

Which of these is considered a 'view'?

(deliberately fuzzy because the content detail is not relevant to this post)

Tip: when you first talk to a new contact, ask how he/she discovered you, e.g. via search engine, by recommendation, advertising, etc.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics provides considerably more information regarding the activity on your website. Sadly, the website we referred to at the start of this post has not been linked to a Google Analytics account therefore there will be no historical performance date from that resource.

We hope this helps you to refine your internet marketing and social media management. Feel free to post questions in the comments or contact us if you'd like our assistance.

Best Social Media Platforms 2022

In our recent experience, the top three on the list below have led the way during the past couple of years, best for business posts. We also use YouTube, Twitter and, occasionally, Tumblr (depending on the type of business). So far...

 Note: click here to read the updated review of UK social media stats, 2024.

We have several clients for whom we manage social media and an analysis of their activity concurs with this statistic. Facebook is, without doubt, top of the heap. Instagram works well if there are relevant images. YouTube works well for video (obviously). Twitter is good for interactive clients.

Interestingly, videos uploaded to Facebook and Instagram are more widely viewed than static images.

As with all social media, you get the best results when you take the time to use it. For example, post interesting stuff regularly and keep an eye on any notifications or responses, reacting positively where appropriate. Andsocial media is not all about you! Additionally, you need to show interest in other posts, comment on them (nicely) and maybe strike up conversations. 

For example, if your business is a service and you have difficulty with relevant images, connect with people about their interests, whether it's sport, arts, gardening, etc. You will gain followers which helps your 'popularity'.

In our case, we design websites and manage social media therefore the best relevant images we have are snapshots of our clients' businesses. We also offer to edit clients' own videos and we have been planning to set up a studio for promotional video filming (that was pre-covid so other things took priority). 

Meanwhile, some of our social media clients are their own worst enemies - we set them up and they don't use it because they don't have the time. Time spent building your online network and interacting with people is similar to, yet much cheaper than, training salespeople. Those who do take the time to build (e.g.) a Facebook following, will notice the benefits, which is why it's so popular, despite its many irritating ways. Not to worry, though - help is at hand. We offer this service too!

It's also worth using analytics to monitor the progress of your activities (we can do that for you).

We also set up WordPress blogs for smaller clients with low budgets & we offer a blogging service.

Check us out! 

• https://twitter.com/BPcUK/ 
• https://www.facebook.com/TheBPcUK 
• https://www.instagram.com/bpcuk/
  

Using Video in Social Media Posts

Have you noticed that Facebook and Instagram posts with videos generally have more views than those with static images?

Creating videos is easy with smartphones and many now have in-built editing facilities. No longer does one have to upload videos to YouTube before sharing them (although it's still a good medium). Facebook and Instagram take direct uploads of your video content.

For example, a UK client set up an Instagram account at the end of 2018 and each post received up to 15 likes. The medium was used infrequently and their first video was posted a couple of years later, which has been played 173 times, to date.

Their next few posts (images) still didn't break the 15 likes barrier so another video was added in March 2021. It was very short, created with their social media tools and, to be honest, quite irritating (if only Instagram would facilitate post-editing) but it has, to date, peen played 271 times.

The next post - a lovely photograph - managed 13 likes followed by the next video - a very good one - which achieved 304 plays. 

• Two more posts (each had fewer that 15 likes) and another video with 155 views;
• Fourteen posts (each had fewer that 15 likes) and another video with 100 views;
• Four posts (each had fewer that 15 likes) and another video with 78 views;
• Four posts (each had fewer that 15 likes) and another video with 104 views...

... and so on, clearly illustrating that videos are better than images for Instagram. 

Their Facebook statistics are slightly skewed because there are paid 'boosts' on some posts. That said, posts often reach 500 people, recently a post reached over 1,000 views with a boost and, over the Christmas season, another post had over 7,000 views. 

Of course, views and likes are not the same thing but there was also an increase in website traffic. Visitors via Social Media rose from under 30 a day at the end of last year to almost 100 a day during January, dropping down to an average of 55 so far during February. Most visitors originate via Search Engines, of course.

Finally, YouTube is not dead. The client featured below has had over 70,000 views of their videos.