| Mike Groves | Online Marketing | PPC | SEO

Advertising In Local Hospitals

Recently I’ve been working on the launch of a new hospital advertising service that enables small businesses such as Care Homes, Local Taxis, Mobility Providers and other relevant organisations to advertise on the bedside screens in their local hospital.

Until recently advertising in hospitals was limited to placing posters and leaflets, or ads on hospital radio. But now Local Hospital Ads gives local firms the chance to put themselves right in front of patients by placing ads on the bedside screens that patients use to watch TV, access the internet, listen to the radio, and even order their food!

Across the UK there is a potential annual audience of over 10million patients, and ads can also be seen by up to 5 million visitors and 500,000 NHS staff. Of course, if an advertiser just targets their local hospital, then these numbers are somewhat lower. LocalHospitalads.co.uk provides a highly engaging and great value advertising opportunity for small businesses. Patients can click straight through to a website from an ad, but can also pick up the phone to call right there and then. And with packages starting at just £40 per hospital per month, pricing is highly competitive in comparison to local newspapers and other local media.

If you’re interested in knowing more about Local Hospital Advertising please feel free to call me on 07827 806722 or email mike@mikegroves.co.uk

EU Cookie Law: Are You Ready?

On 26th May last year the EU Cookie directive came into force, with the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) offering a one year grace period before starting to enforce it. Almost 10 months later very few, if any, sites seemed to have actually taken any action, or started to seek permission to drop cookies, other than the ICO website itself – though according to many observers even their approach doesn’t meet the regulations.

It appears many people are either blissfully ignorant of the change in the law, or don’t believe it impacts them. However, if you use Google Analytics to track your site, or Google Adwords conversion tracking it almost certainly affects you. Check out the video below for a useful overview:

If you want to know more about the directive and it’s potential impact then I suggest you contact the Information Commissioner’s Office or consult your legal advisers.

Cyber Monday – What’s Happening in 2011?

The IMRG today predicted Christmas 2011 Online Spending will reach £7.75 billion during the 5-week shopping month of December – starting in the week commencing 28th November. Of this around £3.72bn will be spent in the first two peak weeks – so this year Cyber Monday and Mega Monday look likely to be 28th November and 5th December.

Cyber and Mega Monday were once bywords for a trend where Christmas sales on a few days far exceeded the rest of the month in terms of sales. However online sales for 2009 and 2010 actually revealed a trend toward peak activity weeks. In 2010, the two peak activity weeks (w/c 29th Nov and 6th Dec) had the exact same share of the month’s sales – 24% each. These peaks follow a steady increase in activity throughout November.

Cyber and Mega Monday were previously attributed to the days falling just after payday for many people who, having browsed products in a shop at the weekend, made the purchase using fast broadband at work. This year the economic situation may have led to people spreading the costs of Christmas over a few months whilst memories of last year’s snow may have a further impact this year – particularly with poor weather being forecast again for this year.

The IMRG see interesting patterns in consumer behaviour and believe that UK shoppers have proved adept at interacting with brands and making best use of the technology available to them – moving between physical and digital channels to get the best deal on offer – either in-store or online. It will be interesting to see whether the current economic uncertainty will mean consumers being even more savvy this year.

David J Smith, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at IMRG, commented: “The shopping behaviour displayed by the agile consumer reinforces the importance to retailers of offering a multichannel solution. Consumers want choice and continually demonstrate their willingness to switch channels to suit their specific circumstances and secure the best deal for themselves. Anyone focusing too heavily on a single channel is certain to miss out on opportunities for engagement as and when they arise.

“With this in mind, this could well be the year that mobile really has an impact on sales activity. Research we carried out earlier this year with eDigitalResearch found that 30% of tablet owners and 25% of smartphone owners have used their device to shop online. Consumers are clearly not fazed by interacting with retailers through these devices and the important role they play is only going to increase.”

www.imrg.org

Forever Blowing Bubbles: 10 Top Online Video Facts From Hitwise

If you live in East London you’re more likely to watch online video than anybody else in the rest of the country, according to the latest research from Hitwise into the enormous growth in online video.

Perhaps it’s all those West Ham fans tuning in to watch the mighty Hammers on Sky Go, which incidentally I did last week on my iPad. This was the first time I’d tried to watch a game in this way and I found it to be a far better experience than I’d ever imagined. And it seems I’m not alone. The huge growth in video consumption online is no doubt being fuelled by the growth of the iPad and the other tablets lining the shelves – but also presents a plethora of opportunities for businesses and brands. This time out West Ham only converted one opportunity – but it proved to be the winner.

So look out, just as West Ham strive to return to the Premier League, so Sky could yet be a major force online – and video content presents us all with opportunities. In the meantime have a look at the Hitwise presentation. Not as much fun as watching West Ham – but arguably more educational!

Facebook Timeline

Fresh from Facebook, this video introduces Facebook Timeline – described as a New Kind of Profile:

Client News – September

Wow, it was a busy summer here at Mike Groves Online Marketing

Firstly I’ve helped launch a new website for CompliGlobe who are SEC Compliance Consultants. The new site promotes CompliGlobe’s range of Compliance Consultancy and Hedge Fund Compliance services, as well as featuring details of their specialist briefing events and publications. We’ve also launched The Regulation Blog which aims to keep our readers up to date with the latest developments in the the financial regulation and compliance landscape.

I’ve also been working with media agency ARM Direct on the launch of their new site, showcasing their DRTV and media buying expertise. In addition to several ongoing PPC Search campaigns there are also several other projects in the pipeline, so watch this space for further news.

MyBuilder work to help riot victims

MyBuilder.com have launched a campaign to help victims of the recent riots. Over 300 tradesmen across the country have offered at least half a day’s labour free of charge to riot victims, which translates into almost half a year of free help.

MyBuilder.com are trying to recruit further willing and able workers and get their message into riot affected communities. More information is available at www.mybuilder.com/riot-repairs

The Social Media Revolution

The social media revolution is here – well in truth it’s been ‘here’ for a while – but nevertheless this updated video from the renowned author of Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business still shows some mindblowing stats that demonstrate just how social media impacts the world. Whilst it’s very US oriented it’s still worth viewing. Enjoy…