In this series of Smart Insights Best Practice Advice, Dave Chaffey of SmartInsights.com shares tips on best practice to get better results from digital marketing. This week, Dave looks at how online retailer Scribblers is integrating content marketing into the Facebook timeline and site to generate sales.
I think case studies are a great way to learn; to discover techniques to improve marketing. In this example, we look at how online retailer Scribblers blends Facebook, email and web as one part of effective use of social media marketing.
About the case study company
Scribblers is a successful online retailer supplying calligraphers throughout the world with stock and advice ‘to meet all their calligraphy needs’.
Scribblers uses an integrated mix of digital communication channels to reach and engage its niche target market. A combination of Facebook advertising and social marketing, occasional specialist magazine articles and shows, and a continuous presence in search using Google Adwords and SEO, is effective in driving new visitors to its website hub and Facebook page. Facebook has played a useful role in Scribbler’s digital marketing strategy for several years but only began to fulfill its true potential relatively recently.
Scribblers was set up by owner Simon Rous whose calligraphy experience resulted in him inventing two new calligraphy tools. As demand for these patented tools grew organically, so did requests for other materials. Simon recognised a great business opportunity and set the business up twelve years ago, with his wife, Ann, at their home in Lowestoft, Suffolk.
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A new Facebook strategy: engage visitors, gain ‘Likes’ and drive sales
Simon’s early strategy focused on Facebook advertising. This established a presence, successfully targeting people specifically interested in calligraphy and boosting Scribblers page fans to around 700.
However, advertising effectiveness began to wane so Simon looked for a fresh approach to build an online calligrapher community around the brand and drive new business.
Simon explains:
“I’ve had a Facebook page for Scribblers for about two years, but I didn’t really do much with until ten months ago. I had just a handful of fans. But then I did a lot of reading, including Dave Chaffey’s books, and researched social media marketing, including joining Smart Insights as an Expert member”.
Here’s how the Scribblers campaign works:
1. Identify valuable shareable content. Simon offered an exclusive PDF download of ‘50 Calligraphy Tips’ in exchange for a user ‘like’; an incentive designed to show fans Scribblers knows all about calligraphy.
2. Create an app. Simon used the Social campaigns from Constant Contact for its social campaigning features.
Scribblers improved its Facebook marketing when integrated its Facebook page with Constant Contact’s Social Campaigns system as a way of ‘Likegating’, i.e. a customised version of Constant Contacts Social Campaigns app was created to give people accesss to the PDF in exchange for a like.
3. Include the app on the Facebook page. The app is positioned in Views, at the top of Scribbler’s Facebook page and given Pinned Facebook status update so it appears in the all- important position, top left, remaining there for a week.
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4. Make content available. In return for a ‘Like’, the screen reveals the PDF download button.
5. Sales promotion. Using Facebook marketing doesn’t always directly prompt sale. It does here since the PDF contains a 10% discount promotion to encourage sales.
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Simon’s Facebook social marketing strategy has been so successful that it has quickly become a key approach in helping Scribblers identify and engage with the global calligrapher community of customers and potential customers. Simon’s Facebook page is attracting far more likes than any of his competitors, now with more than 4,000 fans and counting…..plus conversion to customers.
Dr Dave Chaffey is CEO at Smart Insights (Marketing Intelligence) Limited, a digital marketing portal and consultancy who provide advice and software to help businesses succeed online. He is author of five bestselling books on Ecommerce including Internet Marketing: Strategy, Implementation and Practice and has been recognised as one of 50 marketing gurus worldwide who have shaped the future of marketing.
Replies (4)
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After attending a training day I must say I am impressed. I went in with a single minded objective for the course .. met this in totality, however the real benefit was the additional information and knowledge of Social Media. I came out of the event with so much more than I expected. I would say that if you want to know how best to use Social Media in a business environment, then contact here http://social-mobile-web-business-conference.com/
Thanks (0)Nice write-up! Nice write up. I use Social Media very frequently for my small business. Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and
Pinterest, all These sites are my favorite social media site and I am getting a good results. The key to get socialize with people and your content or story simple and interesting. Best social media for small business
Thanks (0)Social media marketing plays a pivotal role in helping you establish your brand. You need to utilize this platform as much as you can. But now you need to focus on other segments of your online marketing campaign too. Quality links from relevant categories would help your site rank high on SERP.
Thanks (0)A variety of Facebook advertising as well as social promoting, unexpected expert magazine posts as well as exhibits, and also a continual occurrence in search utilizing Google Adwords Link wheel services to search the best results as well as SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION, is most effective inside operating new people to its web site link as well as Facebook page. Facebook provides performed an effective position inside Scribbler’s digital camera marketing strategy for quite some time but simply begun to match its correct potential reasonably not too long ago.
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