When brainstorming for that ‘perfect marketing idea’ what is more important, strategy or imagination? In most cases, the answer depends on the personality type of the responder. In our world of digital marketing, we get different responses depending on whether the individual is a design type or a technical type.
  
There’s no real right or wrong answer, they both co-exist very well together. Imagination without strategy means that your ideas aren’t targeted. These ideas are usually very pure and very exciting. They can sometimes be recognised as more ‘art’ than ‘design’. 

Strategy and knowledge without any imagination doesn’t get you very far. It makes thinking of new ideas almost impossible, when the brainstorming process happens, you have to fall back on experiences you or somebody else has already had. You end up just recycling ideas that have already worked in the past. 
 
It’s at these times when strategy will get in the way of anything new.
Looking closely though, I believe there is a third facet, without which both imagination and strategy are useless - it’s the ability to translate ideas into action. That is, making an idea become reality.
 
Yesterday we looked at a top London design agency’s quarterly newsletter. The design is OK and the strategy easy to understand - it’s a collection of stories written by different members of the business.  

The difference is that the ideas are realised without any compromises - raw ideas. Reading the newsletter, it made us laugh out loud, some of their ideas that stood out are some of the best and most original I have seen. The funny thing was that that these were creative ideas that were not accepted by their customers. 

There are probably hundreds of design agencies that produce ideas of the same quality, but because their ability to translate ideas into action isn’t good enough they may never have that sort of impact. 
 
My younger brother is a Graphic Designer, he gets annoyed when he shows me his portfolio and so many of the original ideas are no longer visible because the client or account manager demanded so many changes. His ideas start as fresh and raw but then become increasingly strategy led as the evaluation process goes on. 

As a designer myself, I hate seeing my original ideas become watered down. That’s why it is important to have a well balanced team where everyone understands their strengths and roles in the ideas process. 

I do not think that there are many marketers or designers who have the perfect balance of imagination and strategy but the difference will always be the in the ability to translate ideas into reality. 

Generate UK can help you find original ideas that communicate exactly what you want to your customers. We draw on experience from our knowledge of marketing strategy and our tuned imaginations. Additionally, we can show you how to take your internet marketing to the next level, making it more targeted.  Call us now on 01635 550431 involve us in your next marketing campaign.

Newbury Flooring Centre is an independent flooring solutions provider who specialise in supplying quality flooring products from leading manufacturers.

Until very recently, Newbury Flooring Centre had a limited web presence.  They were keen to change this and invest in a new platform that would enable them to reach a wider target market, whilst allowing them the flexibility to introduce e-commerce to their site in the future.

The brief was simple; to provide a web site platform that encouraged more conversations with potential customers. Due to the size of the investment, the platform also had to support the future needs of Newbury Flooring Centre, such as the ability to take orders via the web site.

Newbury Flooring’s new web site has been built using the Generate Shopping Cart System; a powerful e-commerce platform that is designed for non technical users. Simplistic and effective, it offers complete search engine optimisation support, one page check out, full integration with payment engines, delivery agencies and Google.

One month after the launch of the new web site, Newbury Flooring had received search engine traffic for over 200 different keywords and phrases. The site was also quickly indexed by Google, creating an Internet Footprint of over 100 pages in the first month. These factors have enabled Newbury Flooring Centre to quickly compete with more established web sites in their market.

The project was delivered on schedule and is a great example of a local business driving sales by using the Internet effectively. Generate UK are delighted to be working with Newbury Flooring Centre as they build their online reputation.

Michael Robinson, Managing Director of Newbury Flooring Centre stated

“If it’s been on your mind to launch a new web site for your business, now is the time to act. In this day and age, I don’t think a company can survive without a site - it’s an integral part to every business. I would also recommend using a professional agency such as Generate UK who will deliver a site that provides commercial results. If you’re worried about your business, you can’t afford to sit back. Get your new site today.”

Click to view the Newbury Flooring Centre web site

If you would like to discuss how an ecommerce shopping cart could help your business please do not hesitate to contact us on 01635 550431. If you’re already selling products via the Internet, why not let Generate UK provide a free of charge web site health check.

I’ve often wondered how any consumer-orientated business, large or small, can run a successful business without a web site. In this highly competitive, internet-based world, running a business without a web site is surely comparable to running a business without a telephone. 

And yet, as we conduct our daily lives we find business after business with no real internet presence. In fact, 44% of small businesses still do not have a web site. This is a staggering percentage given the advantages a web site can bring to your business and the relatively low cost of delivering a new site! 

For example, how else could a retail business sell their products to a global market or trade 24 hours a day, seven day a week without significantly increasing overheads? 

The anonymous nature of the Internet provides a huge opportunity for small and medium enterprises to close the e-business gap by competing at the same level as large organisations. The home-based office has become as important as a million-pound business park location. And of course, this has had a positive effect on the market for the customer by increasing competition and driving down prices. 

The message from the consumer market is very clear; the Internet is a necessity. In a recent survey completed by Plusnet, 92% of those questioned said they would keep their internet connection despite the current economic slowdown. In fact, 30% of UK broadband users would rather give up their magazine subscriptions, cigarettes and alcohol than their broadband connection. 

The availability of the internet across the UK is also set to improve with the governments Digital Britain report. Communications minister Stephen Carter laid out the government’s vision for the future of technology by pledging that every home in the UK will have access to broadband at speeds of 2Mbps or more by 2012. 

Consumer expectation has also had a major role to play. On the whole, if a business has a web site the consumer perceives increased confidence in that company. In fact, the opposite is potentially true. A web site is a much cheaper option than a retail premises with a high street shop front. 

When was the last time you made a medium (or large) purchase without thoroughly researching your product options on the Internet first? The research opportunities are almost endless: from consumer testing to forums, professional reviews to comparison sites, and that’s before you consider the manufacturers own web site. 

As more and more consumers research their purchases from the comfort of their home, I ask again; can your business afford not to have a web site? 

Can Generate UK deliver your new web site? If you would like to talk about our services and what we could do for your business, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01635 550431. Please feel free to post your comments.

OPISAS is one of the fastest growing international investment companies specialising in providing the latest overseas investments in the most profitable regions throughout the world.

OPISAS are a new business and as a result were keen to stand out in their market and differentiate themselves against their competitors. They were also determined that the web site should contribute to their growth in terms of new sales and marketing opportunities.

A major area of focus was the usability and navigation of the site; early on in the scoping exercise a “three click” rule was introduced, which meant that it should not take the visitor any more than three clicks before landing on a property page. It was also very important that there were plenty of opportunities for the visitor to engage directly with OPISAS, by way of call to actions.

Another important aspect of this project was that OPISAS wanted to make their own updates and add their own content to the web site. This was vital because the quicker a new development could be added, the quicker the details would be available to potential customers. The ability to update and make changes in accordance with their market conditions gives OPISAS a huge advantage in this competitive industry.

Generate CMS provides OPISAS with the ability to amend every page within their web site, and supports search engine friendly URLS. It also has the advantage of being able to provide up to date visitor information on the fly, as well as incorporating the latest Social Media icons to encourage visitor interaction.

Tom Berry, Senior Partner of OPISAS stated “The challenge for Generate UK was to build a brand new website that needed to meet a number of objectives, those were; a great design, easy to navigate, encourage call back and ultimately sell property. The website is fantastic and it meets all of our objectives and more highlighted during the initial project scoping meeting. Now it’s built we’ve entered into the second phase of marketing the website and Generate UK are doing an amazing job of increasing our presence in all the search engines to help drive targeted traffic to our site, we’re really happy with how things are progressing”

Click to view the OPISAS web site.

If you would like a demonstration of the Generate UK CMS or would like us to quote on your design requirements, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01635 550431. If you’ve already launched your site, why not talk to us about growing your Internet Footprint.