I’d like to apologise to anyone upset by our current Radio Advert which features sleigh bells and festive overtones.  The fact that we started running it on September 1st (some 116 days before Christmas) has prompted a few people to question what we’re playing at…  “It can’t be Christmas already??”….

Listen to the advert

There is however a serious business message behind the advert -it’s not just a case of us wanting to be the first house in the street with fairy lights round the windows.

The fact is, billions are made by online retailers over the festive period, so anyone wishing to take a slice of that pie needs to plan well in advance….  Experienced online shoppers are already browsing their favourite ecommerce sites, and bookmarking (if not buying) their shopping list of gifts…  Leave it until the last minute before launching your new Christmas shop, and it’s unlikely your virtual tills will be ringing…  Get online now, and there’s still time to do some marketing, grab a few Google adwords, and actually generate some decent turnover… 

So what are you waiting for…  only 83 days left……..

3 of the NSDesign team were interviewed earlier for a special radio Clyde 1 feature to be aired on Saturday at 1pm.

Now, you might think that (given our expertise) we’d be interviewed about web standards, design, domains or something remotely connected to the internet or of a technical nature.  No.  We were interviewed about Madonna !!

Don’t ask..  and if you want a laugh – tune in to listen.  Remind me why we do these things again?….

I always find it amusing when I come across the “Top 10 Tips for…” articles that seem to be everywhere.  Most of the time they’re full of very obvious suggestions and lack any real innovative ideas that actually help you.  Flick through any of the web magazines or popular blogs and you’ll find “Top 10 Design Mistakes“, “Top Ten Client Attraction Tips For A Feng Shui Website“, “Top 10 Blogging Fonts“, “Top 10 Tips for creating Top 10′s”…  The list goes on.

I was therefore delighted to find not just a Top 10, but a “TOP 75″ related to useful & different ways of promoting your web business.  Expecting just yet another uninspiring list, I was pleasantly surprised to find it fairly interesting, with some novel and innovative ideas – many of which I’m proud to say that NSDesign have already tried and found success with.

Starting with the pretty obvious first tip of “Write a Press Release” (which I know many companies still do NOT do), to tip 75 – “Sponsor a local roundabout”, there’s a range of good ideas that might prove beneficial to your own marketing of your website and business, and a few we’d advise against also!!

Some of the 75 Tips that we currently do:

11. Get signage for your car showing your web address, it’s amazing how many people you pass on a daily trip to your workplace that will be intrigued and go on your site later that day – even more effective if you commute on a motorway.

22. Try to get local radio stations to give you and your staff a mention. And ensure you get the domain name in there too. Not that many radio stations will read out the full domain, especially the nationals, but the locals and inner London ones generally do without any fuss.

40. Sponsor a local event or sports team – www.uksponsorship.com has a list of all the current opportunities on offer in the UK

50. Advertising in new mediums is often a great way to get in front of new audiences. There is a form of advertising now available on London buses.

 And a whole load more….  But there’s a few we don’t do, and wouldn’t recommend anyone consider – mainly in relation to buying links and link farms – things like:

25. Create a links page and exchange links using a programme such as…

48. Text Link ads are also a cheap way of getting people to your site. Companies such as text-link-ads give further information

All in all, some interesting reading, and I’m guessing at least a few of the ideas may strike a chord with even the most pro-active company and their marketing. Have fun!!

Starting next week, we’re running an intensive Radio advert campaign on Rock Radio 96.3FM and as a wee incentive to listen out for the ads, we’re giving away a Free NSDesign T-shirt to the first person who calls the office immediately after every advert has played for the week. 

Admit it….  you want one!! 

With 30 adverts running from Monday – Friday, there’s plenty chances to phone up and win.  Just call 0141 585 6390 and ask for Gary.

NSDesign took full advantage of the recent Scottish Rocks basketball game, live on Setanta last month, using the opportunity for some brand infiltration on the tv!

As official web partner to the Rocks, we already benefit from some great courtside advertising and marketing opportunities, but we decided to really put in an effort for the first televised game of the season.

The above TV stills are just 2 quick examples of our logo clearly on display to the TV cameras.  Thanks to all our clients who came along to the game and for showing their support to NSDesign by wearing our T-shirts and caps etc…..

The stroke of genious that ensured maximum exposure, was handing our free “Thunderstix” to the crowd.  To explain what these are, and to highlight the effect they had – just check out the image below…

Nearly 2,500 fans, most with NSDesign adverts in their hands…  Just in case you’re interested in seeing the highlights of the game – View the 15 min video here.  Now…  I’m off to think about how we crash the next old-firm game….

On the 26th March, The Scottish Rocks will play the Milton Keynes Lions, Live on Setanta TV following an exclusive deal with the Basketball league. 

It’s a brilliant opportunity for both the team, and the sponsors, with everyone hoping for a record crowd to showcase the Rocks to the rest of the UK.

As an incentive, an “early booking” discount is available – From now through Monday 10 March only, you can book adult tickets for just £4 and child tickets for just £2! That’s more than half off the box office price.

These prices are valid only for on-line bookings and only through Monday 10 March for the Milton Keynes game (Wed 26 Mar) only.

http://www.scottishrocks.co.uk/Tickets/

I look forward to seeing you there, and if you’d like to support NSDesign (the Rocks Official Web Partner) at the game, please get in touch and I’ll send you out some very glamorous promotional T-shirts that I’m sure the TV cameras will love!