December 10, 2015

Tie Break Tens – exciting new concept in tennis

Tie Break Tens is an exciting new concept in tennis, think 20/20 for cricket, and The Island were lucky enough to be asked to design and build the website as well as all the marketing and promotional collateral. It was a hectic few months as anything brand new tends to grow organically so we had to be totally adaptable to changing formats and requests from all stakeholders in the event. The night itself was a massive success with Andy Murray, John McEnroe, David Ferrer, Tim Henman and, eventual winner, Kyle Edmund gracing the TBT court. With any new concept there are tweaks and changes that can be made but it was amazing to be part of a revolution in a sport. Click here to read more about all the work The Island created for Tie Break Tens tennis.
November 11, 2015

6 Mobile SEO facts

Today’s topic is mobile SEO to underline the fact the world is really going mobile. Everywhere you look nowadays you see people hunched over smartphones. You can really say the world is turning mobile. With a smartphone you can perform almost any task you wish and most times it offers more capabilities than a personal computer. This is also due to mobile SEO.
November 4, 2015

6 mistakes of social media marketing

Today we will be going over 6 of the most common mistakes of social media marketing. Social media marketing is a growing world and more and more businesses are diving head forward into it. Using social media will allow you to reach out to a broader target audience and create greater brand awareness. How do you know though which is best approach for you? Hopefully you’ll be in a better position after reading about these mistakes of social media marketing. 1. You need to use every social media network out there This is probably the easiest to avoid. Think about your target audience and where they are likely to be. If you are marketing to businesses you target market is most likely going to be on LinkedIn. More of a B2C business? Then Facebook and Twitter are your best options. Now that Instagram allows adverts you can even adopt a strategy for the younger audiences based on visuals. 2. Social media is a different strategy Truth is social media marketing forms a part in every SEO strategy alongside a plan to get greater engagement and brand awareness. It can be a way to drive traffic to your site, especially if you are using content marketing in your strategy. Social media should be treated like any other marketing channel. Segment, target and position and then use data to analyse the results. 3. Google+ is a nightmare Most people know of Google+ for all the wrong reasons but it can be part of a successful social media marketing plan. Don’t underestimate it as it allows you to reach a further audience, and being part of Google it will have an impact on your organic search ranking and traffic. 4. It’s about immediate interaction  Don’t get sucked into one of the most common mistakes […]
October 28, 2015

How to improve digital marketing results

Digital marketing is a skill that can be mastered with a lot of practice through time. To get there you can obviously go through some bad times. That means also learning how to improve digital marketing results. This is something inevitable and today we will explore eight ways to overcome them and turn them around.
October 21, 2015

How to plan for digital marketing

Digital marketing isn’t as simple as one may think. To develop a plan for digital marketing a lot of time is involved and the process can be quite complex. The attention to detail you reserve to the planning process the more likely you are to get great benefits from your investment. Starting from the basics there are so many platforms to choose from and getting this part right is fundamental. Planning is essential, it allows you to know exactly what channels and platforms you are going to use and when to use them. Having a plan is key. If you approach digital marketing with a well-defined plan you won’t run the risk of being overwhelmed by the endless possibilities our digital world provides us with. It also allows you to analyse your environment more precisely to make positive decisions that will maximise your chances of success. Simply answer the following: Where are we now as a business? Where do we want to be? How are we going to get there? These three questions can prove to be the foundation of your digital marketing strategy. Below we will go through them with you so you get an even better understanding of how you should plan for digital marketing. Where are we now as a business? This is all about who you are now. What is your business, what defines you? What are your values? At this point you need to ask yourselves what are your current marketing efforts like. Both on-line and off-line. The best way to do so is gather all the data you can and use that to analyse the situation. Highlight what is working for you and what isn’t. Our suggestion is to do an internal and external research. Find out what your market thinks of your business. […]
October 14, 2015

5 reasons you need mobile optimisation

When it comes to the web in this modern day and age, especially e-commerce websites, mobile optimisation is key. Without it you are potentially missing out on a percentage of sales. Research shows that a massive 57% of mobile users if the loading time is more than 3 seconds.
September 21, 2015

6 tips for using instagram as a marketing tool – Infographic

Instagram has now joined the game of allowing ads to populate your feed as you navigate the platform. Here are 6 useful tips to make the most of this opportunity and increase your reach and engagement as a brand.
September 17, 2015

4 essentials for your branding strategy

Every business needs a good branding strategy, no matter the size. Branding is what gives your customers their first impression and what they can expect from you as a business. A brand isn’t just a simple logo, it is everything connected to it. Branding is image, tone of voice and more than ever a community. You can develop this in many ways, and the first obvious choice is starting with your website, leading to all digital and non digital strategies. These 4 essentials for your branding strategy will get you started whatever your business. 1. Decide the image you want your business to portray.  This is the first step of the process. What image should represent you? What is your business’ identity? To get to that, all you need to do is come up with a few simple pieces of information: Define your mission, values and goals If consumers choose your services/products, what sets you apart from your competitors? What should your messaging be? How are you currently perceived by the public? Is it the way you want it? Market research is your best option here. Find out what the needs, desires and habits of your target audience are. In this way you will get a good understanding of what it is you can deliver. If you dig long and hard enough you will be able to tailor your strategy for the majority of your branding efforts. 2. Create content that conveys your branding messaging.  Quality content can best represent your brand. Make sure all the content that is created follows the same general idea behind your business branding. Keep these few tips in mind when starting to develop branded content: Choose the right time and relevant topics Choose a voice and stick with it Never forget your mission and values, […]
September 17, 2015

3 Ways to double your social media content – Infographic

Too often, creating social media content can seem more work than it is worth. This is especially true for start-up environments, run by busy people with more “important” things to do than post on Twitter and check on Facebook engagement levels. The following tactical methods have been proven to produce twice the amount of social media content with only half of the effort. The great thing about this approach is that higher output on social media generally produces a greater level of engagement.