The challenge was to increase Outline Skincare’s online presence to increase web traffic, generate sales and increase ROI, while actually driving down overall marketing spend.

Miromedia were recommended to Outline as specialists in search engine optimisation, pay-per-click, email broadcasting, link building, online PR, and social media

The solution was an online marketing strategy which included removing programming issues, managing and adding keyword strategies, content creation and restructure of page layout.

Benefits Since working with Outline when compared to the same previous year period, we have achieved:

• 46% increase in turnover when compared to this time last year
• 60% decrease in marketing spend

And most importantly this was all achieved during a recession!

To download the Outline Case Study please click here.

Purchase of MySpace four years ago by Rupert Murdoch heralded a new dawn for social media and social networking. Suddenly these sites were big business. With a 330m price tag many scoffed, but critics were later silenced when a 670m advertising deal with Google for three years was agreed!

Soon however that deal will come to an end and with it more than half of MySpace’s entire revenue. But there are far more important concerns for MySpace and for British born Bebo. Bebo was purchased at a staggering 640m in March of last year by AOL. Those concerns are the decline of these once all dominant sites at the fickle hand of social media users.

The Losers
Surely such big sites can’t just head to obscurity and disappear? Don’t be so sure, British social networking site Friends Reunited enjoyed a 120m purchase from ITV four years ago and was recently valued at one sixth of the figure. The decision to swap from a paid model to a free one came way too late. Users have voted with their feet, the brand is damaged and they won’t be coming back.

Bebo’s traffic dropped 24% this year and now stands at 9 million. As original Beboers come of age they migrate to Facebook suggesting a digital coming of age, Bebo’s biggest problem is that new younger school kids aren’t replacing them below. By Hitwise’s estimates, Bebo’s unique users have fallen 18%, from 8.5 million in April 2008 to 7 million one year later, while Facebook has seen 63% growth to 23.5 million unique users.

Further problems are predicted for MySpace and Bebo, both sites are in comparison very expensive to run and a decline in traffic is hitting their cash flow hard. Add to this MySpace’s deal with Google which is about to end and Bebo’s financial backing in doubt following AOL’s disbanding from Time Warner.

The Winners
Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are enjoying massive increased popularity however. Twitter for example, has seen a 4,000% increase in new users since the start of this year to 2.5 million unique users a month. Add to these 3rd party apps which add another half of this traffic leading to an even greater impact! Facebook now control 45% of all social media activity on the internet World wide.

Most interestingly it is those social networking sites that have refused to sell to large greedy corporations that have ultimately succeed. Twitter more recently refused a huge deal with Google to advertise on the site.

And while large companies scratch their heads wondering what happened, it seems to me obvious that the reason for the decline is the worst marketing sin of all: assuming your audience are mindless fools, incapable of resisting advertising messages. MySpace is advert saturated, Bebo is advert saturated, and Friend Reunited charged you to watch their adverts. We are savvy, we don’t like adverts, and if the site is advert saturated we leave.

Even facebook fell into the trap, changing its simple and appealing interface for a multi-paged and advert heavy profile. An exodus I’m sure would have taken place had Facebook not been the best of a bad bunch. This could still see the end of Facebook in the next few years?

Ric McHale

And loweth on the 8^th day God sat back and admired the world he had created and he knew it was good. ‘You probably want to get on Twitter and tell everyone about that’ whispered Lucifer.

Theres no real mystery, get as many friends as you can and get them buying! Right? Wrong, there are some deadly sins you must avoid when beginning your social media marketing.

Social Media Management Mistakes: Lust
You have to work hard to nurture your community. You are the gardener and they are your flowers. Dont just throw manure at them and leave them in the cold. Treat them with love and attention, water them and in time they will reward you with fruit.

Social Media Management Mistakes: Wrath
‘I bloody hate these things there just for spotty teenagers and speccy nerds with too much time on their hands.’ Understand these groups, they aren’t now but they could well be your best fans, build brand loyalty by showing your human side. Most social media sites have great ways to contact new members built into them, they are after all ’social’. Use these tools to grow your own friends group carefully and non-aggressively.

Social Media Management Mistakes: Sloth
Early on it can get tough, just like an infant your page will need continual care and may keep you awake at night, but if you stick in there eventually it will start to respond coherently and even start to walk on its own.

Social Media Management Mistakes: Pride
It is vital to avoid shameless self promotion and continuous product heavy content, especially when you’re not actually saying anything of value. No one likes a show off and no one wants to be continuously sold too.

Social Media Management Mistakes: Envy
Obviously don’t link to your competitors but definitely link to interesting blogs and pages similar to your own. Don’t be afraid to direct people away, if where you sent them was valued they will definitely come back.

Social Media Management Mistakes: Greed
Everyone has that shameless friend who relentlessly tries to pick up every possible girl at a bar, perhaps they are successful? It’s all about quantity they’ll say, but everyone notices the man who leaves with the prettiest, coolest and funniest girl at the end of the night.

Just because you have 7000 members does not mean anyone will buy anything from your site. Count success in sales not members. It is important to find people interested your product or a similar product and treat them to news, views, discounts and just like the hottest girl at the bar, make them feel special.

Social Media Management Mistakes: Vanity
Everyone needs to know about my product it’s the best on the market, people will flock to tell me how great my company is. Err no they won’t. Have a look on the Facebook Coca Cola site, they employ people around the clock to delete negative messages from members they didn’t listen to and didn’t understand!

Ric McHale

Ever wondered what your potential customers are thinking?

Having a social media account can be useful for so many reasons. One aspect that we have found particularly useful has been the opportunity to talk to potential customers. Opening up lines of communication allows us to remove obstacles that interfere with potential sales.

Discussions with recent consumers have shown one of our clients needed more information about International postage.

Something that was highlighted and now gives the website another focus to meet customers needs.

Buyer information is one of the many advantages of social media.

Julian Wilkins