The Pit Stop: #1

We’re all so busy. We’re in the digital race and there’s no sign of a finish line. We don’t want to stop, not even for a second, but we can’t afford to stop learning. Welcome to the necessary compromise. Welcome to The Pit Stop.

This new, regular feature is intent on bringing you a quick fix of digital truths, opinions and reasoning once a month. In it, I challenge our experts to respond to a question, issue or theory in 100 words or less.

So, if you only pause to read one digital marketing blog a month, make it this one. You’ll be better off afterwards, I promise.

I don’t mean to go on, but this is important. If you want to help shape future editions of The Pit Stop, please submit questions, reactions or requests in the comments at the bottom of the page.

Now that’s out of the way, let’s get to it. Here are this week’s topics:

Design: ‘Why isn’t my logo bigger?’

Content Marketing: Why merging offline and online marketing is so important

Design: “Can we just change the colour of that button again?”

SEO: How SEO has changed

“Why isn’t my logo bigger?”

Liam Gallagher, Senior Designer

As designers it’s important for us to work alongside our clients' marketing teams to achieve a website that not only works well and converts but something that we’re proud of aesthetically.

A common request we often hear is the dreaded ‘can you make our logo bigger?’ It’s only natural to have an emotional attachment to your brand and want to show it off, but it’s important to remember this Paul Rand quote:

“A logo doesn’t sell, it identifies. A logo derives its meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolizes, not the other way around.”

As designers our job is to communicate clients’ messages to their customers in a clear way, solving problems through text and imagery and increasing the logo size is rarely the solution.

As designers our job is to communicate the clients' message to their customers and increasing logo size is rarely the solution #design

— Liam Gallagher (@Liamrg) October 13, 2015

Why merging offline and online marketing is so important

Rebecca Moss, Content Marketing Strategist

The term ‘content marketing’ is normally associated with an online strategy, but while this is an important part of the process, content marketing should (and does) exist beyond the confines of the web. Print, radio, TV and even events can all be part of the mix, but consumers do expect to see the same messaging running through all of these elements.

For a robust campaign, all channels need to work together. Fortunately, with brand guidelines and clear communication about where you want your brand to be positioned, this is entirely achievable.

Merging offline campaigns and online content is so important. Remember: print, radio and TV are all forms of #contentmarketing.

— Venn Digital (@venndigital) October 14, 2015

“Can we just change the colour of that button again?”

Ainsley Lathrope, Head of Project Management

My recommendation would be to move forward with the site as it is.

Websites need to start somewhere and scrutinising the design based on personal preference can be counter-productive. While I understand the importance of being happy with the design, its performance can only be monitored once it’s live.

The beauty of a website is that it can be altered easily, and at a relatively minor cost. I’d always advise to get a site live, then monitor, review and enhance it once we have a picture of how users are engaging with it.

Changing buttons based on personal preference is often a waste of time. Just get it live and make improvements with user insight instead.

— Ainsley Lathrope (@ainsleyem) October 14, 2015

How SEO has changed

Andrew Akesson, Head of Digital

It used to be that whoever had the most links ranked the highest.

This meant search engines inadvertently listed sites based on their budget, rather than their quality.

Google in particular have since tackled this. Their efforts to provide quality results means organic visibility now hinges on many signals.

SEO is no longer just about links. It’s about integrated marketing strategies. That means building a strong brand, dominating branded search results and earning positive reviews.

Still need convincing? Look at this results page:

Organic results are only one aspect, so even the best links will only get you so far.

Integrating a consistent branded offline campaign into your digital marketing strategy will inevitably impact your organic online visibility

— Andrew Åkesson (@andrewakesson) October 14, 2015

That’s The Pit Stop. Head to the comments below if you want to hang around, submit questions for the next edition, debate the responses or request more coverage on any of the above.