Ready to pin on Pinterest? Could it be the next big thing?

Posted on February 22, 2012 by alexandrapatrick

Do you have the time to be any more sociable online? Maybe you should find some time for Pinterest, the online bulletin board where you can share and organise your favourite images. The best bit is that it’s child’s play to use (just ask our eight-year old!).

alexandrapatrick pinterest

alexandrapatrick pinterest

But this is where it gets interesting for business. Pinterest is driving more traffic to company websites and blogs than YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn combined. It became the fastest website ever to hit 10 million unique users. As you can see above, the visual content is organised in themed boards. Here we’ve shown  how we’ve had fun with our favourite “keep calm” slogans, one of our most popular boards.

keep calm slogans

keep calm slogans

Each image is called a “pin” – see our chocolate cheesecake. People can like your “pins” or “repin” (copy) them to their own boards, or comment and share them on Facebook and Twitter. You can follow them all or just one board, like our delicious ‘chocolate treats’. 

chocolate cheesecake pin

Here are our top ten facts about “pinning” to get you interested…

1 It’s invite only so you need to request an invitation to join.

2 Your boards are full of all the things that (P)interest you or your customers.

3 People are pinning about food and drink, places to visit, favourite designs and much more.

4 It’s not just imagery, you can pin video hosted by YouTube. Your pins can go viral.

5 Create a collaborative board where you and others “pin” content.

6 Showcase your products (with prices), to drive awareness.

7 You can “pin” with an iPhone app wherever you are.

8 Pinterest is generating huge traffic for brands, retail, travel, charities etc. back to their websites.

9 It’s converting more browsers into buyers than any other social media source.

10 Spread the word by adding a sharing functionality to your browser, website and blog.

Our own pinning is driven by what inspires us, our favourite work, mixing images up and making it connect. We give you visual inspiration on what to cook, show what happens behind the scenes, suggest where to travel, share favourite designs… we want our fans to share back their tastes and interests with us.

So are you ready to get started on Pinterest? Join the conversation and follow us on Twitter

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Website design tips – must-haves on your home page

Posted on February 16, 2012 by alexandrapatrick

It’s widely accepted that there are only four to six seconds to grab someone’s attention before they ‘bounce off’ or leave a website.

So your home page should be warm, inviting and easy to navigate. There are key components to a home page to help you generate more leads and encourage visitors to purchase online. Here are our top ten home page design tips using the SkiWeekends website as a best-practise example.

website desgin top ten tips

website desgin top ten tips

1 Have clear brand identity at the top.

2 Use a trackable phone number to monitor website only enquiries.

3 Engaging visuals – relevant, fresh, young, fun imagery that looks inviting.

4 Start visitor on their journey with visible navigation buttons to help search.

5 Check availability form encourages instant sales.

6 Quick links to access latest offers, cheap deals.

7 ‘Ask the team’ is reassuring and moves the visitor a step closer to purchase online.

8 Add credibility with ATOL & ABTA protected mentions.

9 Clear call to action ‘search’ button.

10 Facebook links to increase social interaction.

Other considerations might be to have a larger telephone number and more prominent social media buttons for Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus in the top banner. Remember social sharing buttons too. Encourage visitors to share your home page with their network and it still allows them to purchase whilst online.

Don’t forget using bullet points, numbered lists, dashes, and headers helps make those chunks of text easy to scan through. And finally, with the growth in mobile phones and tablets, people are surfing the Internet more than ever. So make sure your site is optimised for browsing.

 So, how well is your home page designed? Join the conversation and follow us on Twitter.

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SEO tips – make sure your customers find you on Google!

Posted on February 7, 2012 by alexandrapatrick

Nearly everyone uses the Internet these days to search for information. In fact there are around 3 million searches per minute! So having a website that is not optimised or searchable is a no-brainer. There are things that a small business can do to get their website ‘sticky’. SEO is a widely used but often misunderstood acronym that stands for search engine optimisation.

right search keywords

right search keywords

Here are my top SEO tips.

  1. Search engines – make your site easy to find in all the search engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo. Not everyone will arrive on your home page, so optimise all pages. Domain name choice is important too, consider building search words into the .co.uk /.com address.
  2. Keywords – encourage people to find your site by using the words they might use to search for it. Consider using more on your home page which attracts the most natural search traffic.
  3. Keyword tools – use a tool like Google AdWords to create an ad with the right keywords. Google Analytics will help you find your most linked, most shared, most popular content. Tweak these pages to get more visitors.
  4. Right keywords – or key phrases (combining several words) help people find exactly what they want. If there is an exact match to the phrase, Google thinks this is more relevant!
  5. Use more links – use editorial links in the body of long copy and pages such as Home and About Us but anchor text relevantly. Encourage reciprocal links on other sites to your home page to boost rankings.
  6. Optimise site structure – a big website needs a site map linking every page. The search engine robots will then find every page with just two clicks. A small site needs a navigation bar that lists your main pages and encourages easy navigation.
  7. Social Media – Search engines use social indicators for rankings. Use FaceBook and Twitter and you’ll rank higher. Google+, LinkedIn and YouTube review links and improve the anchor text of your website.
  8. Blogging – set up your own blog with relevant keywords. Contribute to guest blogs and make regular contributions. Or exchange articles, publish someone else’s with a link back to their site to get high quality links.
  9. Tags – The titles on each page are the most important. Re-engineer them bespoke to your business. Remember to optimise headings in the main content too.
  10. Unique content – have unique content/words for your important product pages, Google will rank and assess these against similar sites. Differentiate for engines and visitors too.

Creating an SEO friendly site doesn’t have to be too expensive or too time consuming. How optimised is your website? Join the conversation and follow us on Twitter

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PR – do you need photography to hold the front page?

Posted on February 1, 2012 by alexandrapatrick

So you’ve got a great story but will a journalist print it? Do you need that killer shot to help grab the headlines? After all a picture paints a thousand words – or does it?

chocolate cheesecake recipe

Take the food industry. What’s going to get your attention? With or without an image for that mouth-watering new recipe? There’s no doubt that a feature with a professionally shot image will make you feel hungry. More importantly, it will secure more coverage.

mouth-watering ice cream

As a marketer, I’m convinced of the need of quality photography. Clients need a little more persuasion. Here are my top five tips for use of PR images.

  1. Eye candy – a great shot of you, your team or new product will grab a journalist’s attention and secure those column inches.
  2. Portfolio toolbox – consider carefully a variety of shots that will suit a range of media needs. Take food again – a shot of someone eating the product for a magazine, cut outs on a plain white background for an exhibition, close ups of packaging for your website.
  3. Photoshoot – find a professional photographer that specialises in your business or understands what you want to achieve. They will have the all-important lighting, props, creative know-how to help paint the picture you need.
  4. Keep it real – if you can’t afford a photoshoot, avoid the Photoshop route. It will look cheap and nasty and undermine your brand values. The picture will say a thousand wrong words! And please don’t be tempted to steal someone else’s photos.
  5. High-quality – forgive me for getting technical, but journalists won’t use your photography unless it is high-resolution, over 300 dpi (dots per inch) and at least 1MB. Don’t forget to check you can send them by email too and they won’t clog up the editor’s in-box!

Remember, someone in the office with a digital camera who’ll do it for free will not earn you free publicity.

Do you think photography is important in PR? If you want to chat more about this follow us on Twitter

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Top tips to make your website design sizzle!

Posted on January 24, 2012 by alexandrapatrick

Maybe you’re embarrassed about your existing website or perhaps you’re starting from scratch. What’s going to make your website design sizzle and build your brand online? To start, think long and hard and to what’s the point of your website – what do you want it to achieve?

sizzling sausages

make your website sizzle

 
Decide what your website is for

Think about who you are trying to reach and how you want to help your customers and new website visitors. Do you want them to…

  • Buy something they need – in a few clicks make a purchase
  • Find useful information – encourage conversion of sales
  • Save them money and time - a good deal will build loyalty
  • Talk to your company – build a two-way conversation
  • Enjoy an improved website experience – want them to come back for more
come back for more

come back for more

An excellent website ticks all these boxes plus it should reach your company objectives too. These might be to increase sales, save you money through cutting the cost of customer support or you might quite simply want to get closer to your customers.

Decide if you can design it yourself

Are you really confident that you can make your website look professional and trustworthy? You have three options – a DIY job, consider a fixed-price starter package or appoint a design agency. Whatever suits your needs (and pocket), remember the website has to look credible and make customers feel welcome. These are the key ingredients for great website design.

  • Proper use of colours – draw attention to the right things
  • Animations, gadgets – avoid things that might be cool to you but a turn-off for others
  • Layout – organise the pages clearly with lots of white space, avoid clutter!
  • Typography – make sure you use consistent font sizes and colours that are easy to read   
 
 

key ingredients - eggs

key ingredients - eggs

Decide if you really have that X factor

So what are the key factors will make them feel ‘hungry’ for your products to facilitate online sales and encourage return visits?

  • High quality content – offering the right information at the right time
  • Ease of use – find information easily with clear signposts
  • Quick download – visitors won’t wait for slow downloads
  • Updated frequently – stay fresh and add new relevant information
feel hungry

feel hungry

Great design is important but remember great content is what your visitors are really after. You won’t get a second chance to make a great first impression. Don’t leave them feeling ‘I still haven’t found what I’m looking for’.

What do you think makes good website design? If you want to chat more about this follow us on Twitter

Posted in Uncategorized, alexandrapatrick, chocolate treats, digital marketing, marketing tips, tips, website design | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

What’s the fuss about Google+?

Posted on January 17, 2012 by alexandrapatrick

For some, Google+ is the ‘greatest thing since sliced bread’ – for others the jury is still out.

sliced bread

What is Google+? It’s Google’s social network, their version of Facebook. Launched in June 2011, already it has got more than 62 million users – Facebook has one billion! But Google doesn’t want to be the largest social network – it’s aiming to be the easiest to use most integrated in the world.

Google+ has rolled out business pages to allow companies to create customised profiles. Google want to encourage you to create more ‘buzz’ about your company. They encourage brands to connect, share and engage with fans.

google +

Be warned, to get to grips with Google+ you need to get up to speed with their own bespoke terminology like ‘circles’ (share your messages with the people you choose) +1 (equivalent of Facebook like) endorse updates from others.

One of the most interesting features is ‘hangouts’ (video conference calls) which you can conduct with fans, prospects and customers. It’s this video chat that distinguishes Google+ from other social networks.

meringue mix

So, are you tempted to add that little bit extra to your marketing mix and improve your search results quality? Before creating your Google+ page ask yourself these questions:

  • How many of your customers actively use Google+?
  • Do you need to create a business page to strengthen your brand?
  • What content will you share, more importantly what will they want to engage with?
  • How will you use it differently to other social media?
  • Will you utilise services like the hangouts, for example?
  • Do you have the time, resources and processes to manage another outpost or will you just disappoint potential customers by taking days to respond?

When will Google+ be relevant for you? It’s unlikely to be now for most businesses – though an early presence is not a bad thing (claiming business names etc).

google + icon

But remember, don’t start what you’re not prepared to finish! Regularly share fresh content, be engaging and respond to your fans. And don’t forget to promote it on your blog and website. To create a Google+ page visit plus.google.com

If you want to chat more about this follow us on Twitter and Google+

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Digital marketing – do you know your cookies from your breadcrumbs?

Posted on January 12, 2012 by alexandrapatrick

Ever been in a situation when website techies are bombarding you with marketing jargon that you really ought to know? Do you honestly know your cookies from your breadcrumbs?

chocolate cookies

chocolate cookies

If, like many, you’re confused and don’t know your Google analytics from your 4G, there’s help at hand. alexandrapatrick has devised a succinct A-Z glossary of the top 100 digital marketing terms.

So, for example, many might think PPC and SEO are similar terms for the same thing. Think again. It’s fine to say the difference doesn’t matter, but understanding the difference helps you create a better approach to marketing your business effectively.

PPC (pay per click) is when a company pays for text ads to be displayed on a search engine’s results pages when a specific key phrase is entered. The terms are quite different and mean entirely different things.

SEO (search engine optimisation) is the process used to get websites listed prominently within a search engine’s results. When you type in your company name, it’s how ‘finadable’ it is. It involves making a site search engine-friendly.

Being familiar with terms like this will help improve your overall understanding of marketing and more specifically digital marketing – that’s pretty important with the ever increasing volume of business being done online.

breadcrumbs

breadcrumbs

By the way, cookies are a small text file on your PC that identifies the browser so it’s ‘recognised’ when you re-visit a website. And breadcrumbs gives a visual trail/indication of where a visitor is on a website.

To download the alexandrapatrick digital marketing glossary click here

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As one kitchen door closes another one opens

Posted on December 8, 2011 by alexandrapatrick

2011 has been another interesting year for alexandrapatrick. We’ve done some of our most demanding (and satisfying) photographic work yet, including for a Very big Atlantic airline, Pierre Koffmann, a world leading food service plc, MEND, The Gallivant and many more.

chocolate cheesecake

chocolate cheesecake

The fruits of some of these shoots made it to our 2012 calendar. I hope you like them. One of the most rewarding elements of what I do is working in a truly diverse range of environments with a fascinating bunch of people.

foie gras, pierre koffmann's hands

foie gras, pierre koffmann's hands

Whether it’s with school kitchen staff or Michelin-starred chefs, the brief is always the same – to make sure I do justice to their efforts by producing a set of honest, good enough to eat images.

russian pasteries, canterbury market

russian pasteries, canterbury market

I’ve also been out and about attempting to capture the feel of a traditional street market.  Street food is increasingly popular, especially in towns such as Canterbury which have large student and tourist populations.
prawn noodles, inflight food

prawn noodles, inflight food

Just before that wedding in April I landed a dream job. Like most regular flyers, I’m not usually wowed by the quality of airline food – but for this job I got to shoot the fare intended for passengers at the front of the plane. I can’t name the airline but think Very high profile, Very well-known boss. It should be Very obvious – unless you’re an airline virgin.

fun strawberry smoothie

fun strawberry smoothie

I thoroughly enjoyed working for a charity that helps young people to eat more healthily – in short, to encourage them to lose weight. It really got me thinking about the relationship young people have with food and how it’s made. I encourage kids to make a mess, use different utensils, get them involved in the meal-making process. It should be fun.

camber sands picnic

camber sands picnic

One of the highlights of the year was the job in the Camber Sands dunes shooting some truly wonderful wedding food in the soft afterglow of a summer’s evening. Magical.

pain au chocolat, breakfast

pain au chocolat, breakfast

What’s up for 2012? Who knows? But one thing I have learned is that when one kitchen door closes, another one always opens.

Posted in Uncategorized, alexandrapatrick, desserts, food photography, food producers, food styling, kids in the kitchen, restaurants, royal wedding, school meals, wedding food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ploughing on in Kent…

Posted on November 18, 2011 by alexandrapatrick

It’s always rewarding when a client calls up and asks me to do some more work. It (hopefully!) means they like what I’ve done and that we get along well together. I particularly enjoyed my first shoot at The Plough in Stalisfield Green, so was delighted when the phone rang with a request to book me again.

gurnard, the plough at stalisfield green

Famed for using only seasonal produce (practically everything is home-made, even the ketchup) owner Robert Lloyd and his small team have already picked up several prestigious awards in recognition of his commitment and passion to country pub dining.

'roger's' rabbit pie, the plough at stalisfield green

But never one to rest on his laurels, Robert has appointed a highly talented new chef (Alex) to drive the kitchen even further forward. It was my task to shoot some of the wonderful culinary creations that are proving very popular with locals and new diners alike.

ham, egg & chips, the plough at stalisfield green

I was treated to visually stunning plates of fish, cheese, pork, beef followed by some equally tantalising desserts. The main challenge for me was making best use of available light. At this time of year, and on a particularly grey day, we had to work fast and position the food as what little light we had moved around the restaurant. Mirrors and reflectors were the order of the day! Alex is a very fast worker so we managed to capture plenty of images, barely pausing for a minute between plates – just the way I like it!

chocolate brownie, salt caramel & milk sorbet, the plough at stalisfield green

Alex and Robert clearly have a great working relationship and a shared vision – plus they enjoy having a laugh. So we also spent a little time shooting some off the wall stuff – Alex with a pig’s head etc.! A fun way to end another very satisfying shoot.

alex with pig's head, the plough at stalisfield green

But it’s really about the food. I have to make sure that the chef’s efforts in the kitchen are rewarded in the final image. I can honestly say that The Plough’s food is not only a joy to look at but tastes wonderful too.

pressed pig's head, the plough at stalisfield green

Plus, I have a confession to make. It’s a rule that I never eat on the job ‑ on this occasion that rule had to be bent. It was just too tasty!

Posted in alexandrapatrick, food photography, pubs, restaurants, seasonal - winter | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Whatever happened to taste?

Posted on October 13, 2011 by alexandrapatrick

It’s still a balmy 18 degrees in east Kent yet we’re being bombarded with images relating to cosy nights in with a hearty stew and a roaring log fire. And you’ll hardly have failed to notice all the Christmas paraphernalia that’s now creeping relentlessly onto supermarket shelves.

christmas chocolate coins

I know I’m a bit of an old humbug, but really. My son’s still going to school in shorts so my poor old brain can’t cope with all these conflicting messages. But I digress. It really is the time for food producers and sellers to cash in. For many, the ten-week run up to Christmas is when the majority of profits are made. A couple of weeks ago I worked at Eurofair with the Kent Food and Drink Festival in Canterbury. In spite of the incredibly hot weather it was really satisfying to see so many genuinely talented producers out promoting their wares. For them it’s all about the taste. But that’s not the case for everyone who buys or sells food.

taste kent sauce

This week alone is British Egg Week, Chocolate Week and National Curry Week (don’t try them all at once!). My point is this – because consumers are struggling to balance the food budget, producers and sellers are having to work ever harder to secure a purchase. So you can see why every type of food now seems to have a “week”. Let’s look at chocolate. Long gone are the days when we splurged just at Christmas and Easter.

easter nests

We’re now covered in the stuff – chocolate dinners, chocolate shops, chocolate toys and there are even TV programmes devoted entirely to the little bean. But the common theme throughout is how the product looks – who can do the most outrageous thing with chocolate. Why can’t I just enjoy a humble bar of Dairy Milk in peace?

macarons

It’s the same with cakes. Thankfully the cupcake craze seems to have passed. Instead we have macaroon mania. Brightly coloured and oddly flavoured – whatever happened to taste? I was at a 50th wedding anniversary bash at the weekend. Centre stage (apart from the golden couple, of course) was a magnificent cake. It looked glorious. But how did it taste with my after-dinner coffee? In two words – dry and bland. Maybe it’s the Katie Price effect – obsessed about how she looks but not much else.

50th anniversary cake

Of course I’m generalising. My recent experience in Canterbury reassured me that there’s still very much a place for simple but tasty food that’s best enjoyed shared.

garden of england cake

Katie Price – tasteless. Jo, the winner of the Great British Bake-Off – scrummy.

Posted in alexandrapatrick, british cuisine, chocolate treats, cupcakes, easter, food producers, indian cuisine, national food days, seasonal - autumn, wedding food | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment