Castle Hardware report

January 2015

Digital Marketing Report

re-evaluation

This report has been prepared followinga meeting between Mr. Michael Redshawof Castle Hardware and representatives

of Shaw & Underwood Limited.

1

Currently, the main focus of the Castle Hardware

marketing programme, we are told, is the

company’s website. Through this, a successful

e-commerce site, the company generates online sales

and attempts to stimulate customers’ interest in visiting

the store in Park Road, Hockley.

The company operates on a trade-only basis, requiring

the registration of all customers and the allocation of

cards to specified holders within the member company.

Advertising and print activity undertaken on a business-

to-business basis, whilst susbstantial in the past, has

mostly diminished and what little material is now

produced, is done so in-house. The company is

currently not engaged in any social media activity or in

other online communication channels.

The initial contact with the agency, tended to suggest

that Castle Hardware’s main requirement was to

consider the revision of the website in order to improve

its performance and the analytic capabilities it provides.

It also became apparent that the company is actively

seeking the services of a company to provide digital

marketing support in general.

approach

2

www.shawandunderwood.co.uk

to date

3

refocus

4


One factor emerging from the initial discussions with Castle

Hardware was the belief that there is no ‘quick-fix’ solution to

the company’s marketing proposition. Whilst the website is working

relatively successfully, Shaw & Underwood is firmly of the belief that it

could be improved - in appearance, content and in functionality.

A newly designed, more visually exciting website with greater

emphasis on the current deals, could be created with the updated

messages either to be carried out by Shaw & Underwood or - if

preferred - in-house by Castle Hardware. A greater effort in keeping

the site up to date and topical is also required, demanding a much

more proactive approach than is currently apparent (e.g: offers

around present weather conditions).

5

In a busy and competitive marketplace, it is

imperative that sites are easy to understand,

navigate and use. They must look professional,

interesting and up-to-date. The existing Castle

Hardware site appears from our investigations to be

custom-built and not based on an e-commerce

template. It functions well but could be improved. It

could be made to be more visually exciting, appealing

and topical. Whether it is true or not, the site seems

to suffer from a lack of regular maintenance and

updating.

For instance, in the ‘NEW’ section under the heading

of ‘products added in the last 30 days’ most items take

a while to load or have no current image. In fact, one

criticism of the existing site is that it does not load

quickly. After running tests we found that Castle

Hardware’s speed of loading received an ‘F’ rating,

whereas a couple of competitor sites received ‘C’

ratings.

existing

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site

7

As discussed during the initial meeting, we believe that the site would benefit from a bolder, more

colourful, but simplified ‘header’. The ‘Search By Brand’ panel should also be brought alongside that of

the ‘Search By Keyword/Code’ facility so that alternative search methods are grouped together.

We strongly believe there should always be a main ‘themed’ sales panel supported by the main deals currently

available (such as the Winter Sales message and relevant offers shown in the home page we have mocked up).

It is our belief that ‘This Week’s Best Sellers’ have little value in persuading visitors to purchase items for which

they have not yet felt a need. This may be appropriate in certain markets - clothing, for instance - but when

the list includes insoles and paraffin, we believe this is not likely to spark an interest in the online shopper.

The space should, instead, be used for expanding the current - and hopefully relevant - special offers. We

would suggest that the main message or theme should be changed at least once a month, although other

topical and appropriate offers might be made sooner. The supporting offers could be changed weekly or

whenever Castle Hardware considers appropriate.

new site

8


9

Simplified header. Homepage icon. Search by Keywordor Item Code and search byProduct Brand

Themed sales message:Winter, Summer Sale etc.with special offers.We suggest themes tochange at least once amonth, although offersshould change morefrequently during this period.

Links to new pages to explainDelivery Costs and Click &Collect service.

About Us etc. moved tofooter.

There has, in the past, beenlittle attention paid to the roleof social media and otheronline communicationchannels as an increasinglyvaluable vehicle forcommunicating with existingcustomers, prospectivecustomers, specifiers and otherinfluencers/stakeholders.

We also advocate the implementation of new pages on the site

carrying details of different delivery methods and their costs

and the ‘Click & Collect’ service. Rather than the duplication of the

current home page where the drop-down menu headed ‘Products’

carries much of the same content of the vertical list on the left-hand

side, we suggest a pop-out vertical menu that reacts when moused

over to show a list of everything in that particular category. In this way

every product can be made visible and accessed in a single click.

The home page presently carries a section headed ‘Birmingham’s

Leading Hardware Wholesaler’. The information it contains is

repeated verbatim on the page ‘About Us’. We suggest the removal of

this section from the home page but would urge the avoidance of

repetitive material throughout the site. Even when there is nothing to

add, information should at least be re-worded to avoid irritating

visitors seeking extra detail.

It is suggested that links to pages containing information of less

interest (to the site visitor), such as ‘About Us’, ‘Terms & Conditions’,

‘Contact Us’ etc. are moved to a less prominent position on a coloured

footer at the base of each page.

new site


10

One, easy-to-use product list.Mouse over categories toreveal pop-out list of all itemsin selected category.See everything in category.One click to get page/productrequired.

11

The main sales message and the offers contained therein, we suggest would

constitute the main body of an email sent out to the entire database every

month as a concerted campaign.

In effect, the current website is expected to carry out two contradictory roles.

On one hand it seeks to make online shopping as simple and as convenient as

possible. On the other, it is expected to entice customers from behind their

monitor screens to the company’s store in Park Road.

As well as announcing the special offers available each month, emails containing

deals that can only be taken up by purchasers visiting the store, could be used to

increase footfall there. Really competitive deals which make it worthwhile for the

customer to make the effort would carry the phrase ‘Available instore only’ and

would be limited to a number of callers on a first-come, first-served basis.

As well as designing the new website in a way that it could be maintained in-

house, Shaw & Underwood is able to design an email in a similar way so that it

acts as a visual template. By following an established basic style using ‘generic’

components, it should be possible for competent in-house employees to create

emails in a similar style to a very basic original produced by us. (Unsurprisingly

however, we strongly advocate the use of professional designers and copywriters

wherever possible, if promotional output is to stand comparison with

competitors.)

We also feel an opportunity is being missed when customers register for the first

time. When their application is made, they simply receive a very plain email from

Castle Hardware in response. There are no images, no corporate identification,

no visual interest and no welcoming offers. One assumes that all emails from the

company are equally devoid of logos and corporate colours. We believe this

oversight should be addressed - and all outgoing material should, at the very

least, bear the hallmarks of the company’s corporate ID.

emailers


12

CLICK TO VIEW MORE GREAT DEALS

TELESCOPIC LADDER3.75M ALUMINIUM

WAS £107.94NOW£83.94Castle Code 40.035

DRILL MAINS 650WEIMHEL BT-ID650


PERSIL PROF NON BIO90W 6.3KG


PVA JERRY CAN 5LTRCONTRACTORS


ANTI FREEZE BLUESTAR 1LTR


DOG FOOD 12KGWAGG COMP CHICKEN


NOW ON

GREAT WINTER DEALS from Castle Hardware

FREE DELIVERY on orders over £50 CLICK & COLLECT buy online collect in-store

Click here to send to a colleague or friend

Prices correct at time of send and maybe subject to change.

Privacy Policy | Terms and conditions | Unsubscribe from Castle emails

Follow us

Themed sales message:Winter, Summer Sale etc.with special offers.

Plus an emailer to localcustomers for INSTOREOFFERS ONLy.

In order to increase the footfall within the store

itself, we would suggest the most competitive

deals, which might be limited in number, should be

advertised via email and on the site as “Available

instore only”.

As well as these general promotion offers, after a

thorough auditing of the database held by Castle

Hardware, the company could also undertake

targetted mailings to promote items to those

customers who had purchased similar things in the

past. In this way, tools and plumbing product offers

would be sent to whoever might have bought taps,

pet product offers sent to those who had bought dog

food etc.

13

Google loves fresh, high quality content. SEO is as much a content job as a technical one. As well as

making recommendations to improve factors ‘behind the scenes’ that will positively impact rankings,

there are numerous content suggestions Shaw & Underwood can make.

Pages need to be well written and have substantial quality content. In the case of Castle Hardware, we

would propose the introduction of ‘SEO landing pages’. These pages can be optimised to increase traffic

and conversion rates. Once you have grabbed the attention of the visitor, the next stage or call-to-action

should be clear. Using continuous improvement testing, AV testing and heat-mapping, the layout, design and

calls-to-action can be tweaked as we learn what is performing well and what needs improving.

Initially we would recommend a full SEO audit to identify weaknesses, research competition, consider

performance of keywords and make improvements accordingly. A monthly optimisation cycle would ensure

improvements would be tested, measured, reported and acted upon.

seowww.shawandunderwood.co.uk

14

Pay-per-click advertising can be effective when used alongside a considered SEO

approach. Advertisers can bid for their company to appear in the ‘sponsored links’

area of the search engine, when someone searches for a particular keyword. The aim of

PPC is to make sure that the fee of PPC is trivial in comparison to the worth of the visitor.

If you pay £1 for a click, but the customer spends £100 it is a worthwhile exercise. By

researching and organising targeted

campaigns, and setting up specific

landing pages that are optimised

to encourage sales, the more

intelligent a PPC campaign is,

the more cost-effective it is.

A PPC campaign would be

developed and proposed once

initial setup work has been

completed.

15

pay per click

As part of a holistic digital approach, Shaw & Underwood believes that social media

platforms can be invaluable in communicating with customers. In addition to promoting

offers and responding immediately to customer queries, a strong social media presence can

improve awareness and positioning.

We have pinpointed two of Castle Hardware’s competitors as Latif’s and JTF, both of which

have a social media presence. JTF is running a more effective social media campaign with

more than 1,000 followers on Twitter and 7,000+ on Facebook. However both brands could

improve their presence online by interacting more often with customers.

Castle Hardware could also build its online presence through social media. We believe both

Facebook and Twitter would be worthwhile platforms for the company to join. By offering

discounts and promotions online, it could keep its name at the forefront of customers’ minds,

as well as react quickly to current events. For example, after heavy snowfall, social media is a

quick and effective way of communicating snow-related offers without the associated costs

or time investment of an email campaign. This would also be an effective way of appealing to

a younger customer base. After all, there is an up and coming generation of young builders,

plumbers and company owners who - unlike their older counterparts - are already actively

engaged in social media.

Furthermore, messages can be targeted to reach niche markets that are already active on

Twitter, for example self-builders or small sub-contractors. .

social media

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At S&U we believe very strongly that all of our accounts

should be handled by a director of the business. The

proposal is that Simon Trott, Managing Director and Laurie

Prescott, Associate Director, both work with Joel Evans,

Web Developer, to implement the proposed changes with

other agency personnel providing a supporting role in

design and marketing functions.

client liaison

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Initial setup workWebsite overhaul

Create new designs for pages and apply them to the current site. To create initial

‘themed’ home page artwork and artwork for new pages (assuming client supplies

basic text) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£1,200

Developing site - including modifications to templates, CSS, image assets and

javascript. The site will be optimised for mobile, tablet

and desktop applications.

Website performance to be reviewed and optimised . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£2,600 - £3,600

Approximate* total: £3,800 - £4,800

Ongoing retainer workSeasonal theme changes

Create ongoing design changes for subsequent ‘themed’ pages and apply to the site

on a regular basis

(Expectations are this would involve changes to style sheets, image assets, templates -

primarily for home page traffic) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£500 - £750

Site SEO OverhaulTo produce a full SEO report

Identify weaknesses such as missing or poor keywords, duplicate content, broken links

etc. Create a list of actions required to fix the issues and implement these changes on

the website. Produce a list of relevant keywords suitable for Pay Per Click campaigns

and create recommendations for a targeted local campaign . . . . . . . .£1,500 - £2,000

costs

16

Pay per click campaignsPPC campaigns to be developed and presented after initial setup work has been

completed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£TBC

Continuous Improvement ProgrammeOne day per month to be spent implementing a continuous improvement

programme. Through user-testing, the use of third party tools and data analysis, we

can work with the client to provide a programme of improvements

to the website. New functionality for website e.g: product suggestions.

Heat mapping to measure usage patterns and create actions for improvement.

A/B and split testing to measure and improve conversion performance . . . .£500 pcm

Social media costsInitial set-up of Facebook and Twitter accounts and design of pages . . . . . . . . . . .£250

Daily updates, responding to customer enquiries as required . . . . . . . . . . . .£400 pcm

(Ongoing maintenance and daily updates can be carried out in-house by Castle

Hardware if desired.)

*Without more visibility on the site, we are struggling to be accurate in estimating costs. If appointed to

carry out work, we would require another round of fact-finding in order to confirm final prices.

All invoices are subject to VAT where applicable.

Terms 30 days nett.

A copy of our terms of business is available upon request.

15

Presumably the name ‘Castle Hardware’ hails from the time when the

company was more involved with the supply of predominantly

hardware or ironmongery products to local businesses. Shaw &

Underwood had considered the company name and has come to the

conclusion that, today, it does little to help the company in its marketing

efforts. We would respectfully suggest that consideration should be given

to amending it.

The name does little to communicate either the range of products or the

way in which it offers them. Indeed, the word ‘hardware’ is a term rarely

used these days - even by those old enough to realise its original meaning.

For, today, the word is used more in connection with modern technology

when differentiating between the devices and the software they run. The

logo - when used in everyday communications or displayed on the

company’s site - does not embrace the many different ranges that the

company now offers. As a result, it does little to stimulate customers to call

into the store, either as a planned or spontaneous visit. Time to change?

However, if considered, we suggest this is done in an evolutionary rather

than revolutionary way. We have considered alternatives and while

competitors such as JTF use terms such as ‘Shopping Club’ etc., we are

firmly of the opinion that something like ‘CH Discount Warehouse’ is far

more appropriate and communicates the right message. ‘Discount’ tells of

the selling ethos and the bargains likely to be had, whereas ‘Warehouse’

has the implication that the company deals on a trade-membership basis.

The change itself could be used as a marketing ‘event’ with offers and an

in-store promotion alerting customers to the change. It would also prove a

worthwhile PR exercise, as the change, to such an established name , would

be news in the building, ironmongery , electrical, plumbing etc. trade

magazines both in print and online.

change ofname?

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Shaw & Underwood Advertising Services Ltd

Suite 5, The Cloisters, 11-12 George Road

Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 1NP

T: 0121 454 5584 F: 0121 455 2094

W: shawandunderwood.co.uk

Castle Hardware report

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