If you have a business then I going to go out on a limb and make an assumption: you want to make money.

Shock. Gasp in horror. Swoon if you must. 

I know in modern times the statement “I want to make money” seems a bit of a faux par, with businesses instead talking about their missions and how they want to change the world. 

But to have a big impact, you at least need to be making a living wage. And generally, that means making sales or securing clients. 

One of the best ways to do this is to get strategic with the type of content you are producing and sharing, focusing on four main types. 

Marketing mastermind Dave Chaffey has created the RACE framework to make this even simpler.

A word of warning though, you will need to understand how your customers find you and buy from you to use this framework successfully. 

Type 1 – Reach

This type of content is all about building brand awareness.

You can do this on your own site with a focus on search engine optimisation. However, its also worth thinking about places like your social media platforms, other websites or even offline marketing if you fancy going traditional.

Success Indicators For Type 1 

• Unique visitors to your site/profile
• Fans or followers on social media
• Audience share. 

Type 2 – Act

This type of content encourages your audience/potential customers to take action.

This could be adding your products to their basket for example. 

Similar to the content in ‘Reach’ you can share it both on your website or other places you have an online presence. 

Success Indicators For Type 2

• Bounce Rate
• Product page conversions
• Pages per visit

Type 3 – Convert.

It should be no surprise that this type of content is all about those conversions – kerching!

When the customer reaches this content, they should in an ideal world already be familiar with your brand due to your ‘Reach’ content and be ready to commit, after your ‘Act’ content has helped move them through the sales funnel.

Success Indicators For Type 3

• Unique visits & fans
• audience share
• revenue or goal per website visit

Type 4 – Engage

You may be thinking that the hard work is done once you’ve made the sale. However, now is not the time to rest on your laurels!

Instead, work on building your customer relationships as this can help transform them into repeat buyers and brand advocates.

This is important as retaining customers is a lot more cost-effective than finding new customers. Also, word of mouth from previous customers can be a great help in marketing your business. 

Success Indicators – Type 4

• Repeat purchases
• Brand loyalty
• Advocacy.

So in conclusion, when planning & creating content for your business it is important to target your ideal customers all the way through their buying journey – and even after they have made a purchase.

By targeting your content in such a way, you are giving your customers the best chance of converting and your business the best chance of making sales. 

1. There is no such thing as a digital marketing expert. The digital world is always evolving and updating, in a way that makes it impossible for one person to be an expert at it all. If someone does tell you they are an expert, they are lying to try and get your money.
2. Nobody cares about your product/brand/founder story as much as you do. Sorry but it’s true.
3. Some books that were written 100 years ago are still relevant. Methods change over time, but the human psyche rarely does. 
4. What you don’t say, can mean just as much as what you do say. 
5. You don’t need to be on every platform or be everything to everyone – stop people-pleasing, and focus on what you are good at. 
6. If you’re building hype for your product/event make sure you can deliver on it, don’t be the next Clubhouse or Fyre Festival.
7. If you’re going to be on social media, make sure you offer a good level of customer service. 
8. ‘Always Offer Value’ – how you treat this advice will make or break your digital marketing. 
9. Yes, marketing is creative but don’t forget to crunch those numbers. Data is our lifeblood. 
10. Marketers are not graphic designers – sure some individuals may have similar skills but they are two distinct practices. 
11. It doesn’t matter what your competitors are doing, all that matters is what your customers want & how you can deliver it. 

Or maybe you will – I’ll let you decide.

It’s hard to imagine an online world without clickbait headlines, but we may soon have to.

While it’s hard to establish when exactly clickbait headlines began, the term itself was first popularised in 2006 giving the sensational, emotive and often humorous style of writing an official title. 

This style of writing then gained momentum, due to sites such as Buzzfeed – and with good reason. For a while, these types of headlines were good at driving website traffic and encouraged social sharing. 

However, it seems the general public has begun to tire of the ‘over promise, under deliver’ nature of these headlines. 

Research carried out by Penn State’s Media Effects Laboratory and Institute of Computational and Data Sciences has found that Clickbait headlines (defined as relying on ‘linguistic gimmicks’ such as superlatives and curiosity gaps) are not any more effective in driving website traffic than traditional headlines. 

In fact, it found that the Clickbait headlines actually performed worse on occasion. 

The researchers carried out two studies, and each time they presented a group of 150-250 subjects one of eight headlines, featuring both Clickbait style writing and more traditional headlines. 

The headlines presented to the subjects were classed as Clickbait if they included the following traits: 

• Lists
• Positive Superlatives (eg Best, Greatest)
• Negative Superlatives (eg Worst, Least)
• Modals (eg Could, Should)
• Demonstrative adjectives (eg This, That)
• ‘Wh’ Words (eg What, When, Who)

They then monitored to see if the subjects would follow through and read the article or share it on social media. 

The study concluded that Clickbait headlines “did not dramatically outperform” headlines written in the traditional style. Whilst they could only speculate on the reason, they suggested that because are so common these days, they no longer stand out as intriguing. 

Interestingly, for the first study, the researchers used AI to identify which headlines were traditional and which were clickbait headlines. This AI was similar to the type used by social media platforms. 

They found that the AI systems frequently disagreed on what was classed as a Clickbait headline – in fact, they only agreed 47% of the time

This may not seem a huge deal if you’re not planning to research Clickbait with AI, however, it does pose a problem for social media platforms that are trying to clamp down on the spread of misinformation & fake news.

It is widely believed that due to its exaggerated nature, and social sharing potential that Clickbait headlines can help misinformation spread – especially as the topics tend to be trending and easily skimmable.

Therefore, many a social media platform has assumed that by reducing the reach of these articles that are shared, the less misinformation will circulate on their platform. 

As such, they were relying on AI to scan content and accurately determine which content was trustworthy and which were clickbait. If the AI struggles to do so, it could see some Clickbait titles slip through the net and feature on more people’s newsfeeds. 

It also opens the door for Clickbait to evolve. If, for example, Clickbait writers notice that their stories get more reach when including questions rather than lists it is only logical that the number of Clickbait headlines including lists will reduce, whilst the number including questions will increase. 

In turn, this will mean that the AI itself has to evolve to match, eventually leading to a cat and mouse style contest. 

So what does this all mean for us?

Well two things, firstly if Clickbait headlines aren’t your style you don’t need to worry. Writing in a traditional style won’t hinder your website’s traffic & may even improve it.

It also means that websites that intend to spread misinformation, may have to evolve constantly, to keep ahead of the AI trying to stop them. This may make Clickbait headlines harder for users to identify, making it even hard for digital novices to identify a trusty source

Ever a fan of gothic literature, I’ve always loved the idea of Whitby… sitting on a bench, overlooking the cliffs where Dracula famously came to England.

In my mind, I’m dressed in complete princess-core, with a parasol to boot, natch. 

With our annual leave clashing, the only week Craig and I could take off together, just happened to be around a month after we got our new puppy. 

I’m sorry, I’m going to have to sneak in a photo of her here because just look at that little Basset face!

Obviously, we were too smittened and she was too young to leave with family, so instead of heading abroad, we packed up our car and all three of us headed to the Yorkshire coast.

I had high hopes after visiting Scarborough in 2020, and Whitby did not disappoint!

I won’t bother listing our accommodation, as to be honest it wasn’t the best and I’m sure you could find waaaay better.

Townfolk

The town itself is so easy to navigate and has a bit of something for everyone. 

I loved exploring the winding streets, full of independent & alternative shops (think trinkets & incense sticks galore.)

There are also a number of great vintage shops here, with everything from clothing and accessories to furniture and decor.

However further down the prom, you get a sense of a ‘proper British seaside town’ with arcades sparking, doughnuts frying and bags of candyfloss dancing in the breeze. 

Pippa (the puppy) was a bit overwhelmed by the arcades and the crowds, so we didn’t explore that side too much. But I can tell you, if you’re looking for a dog-friendly break this is the place to go!

90% of pubs, cafes & shops let dogs in with staff often going out of their way to bring over treats and water bowls. The places that didn’t let dogs in, normally let you sit in their outdoor seating area though so even that wasn’t a great loss.

One woman we got talking to, told us how more often than not her dog was allowed in places and it was her pushchair that was refused entry on account of the old buildings being small and narrow at points. 

I feel like I should give a special shout-out to Jet Black Jewel Hotel & Cafebar – the interior was so, so gorgeous but sadly I didn’t take too many photos because I was distracted by the best cinnamon bun I’ve ever had.

It was soo good, I’m still thinking (and drooling) over it now one month on.

The staff were also, so friendly & kind – especially to Pippa who was just loving the attention. 

There was also a small market set up in the town, with stalls selling the normal fairs such as brownies & cakes etc, and there was one stall selling a wonderfully random assortment of historical/military paraganglia which would have made great steampunk accessories.

Step This Way

If you’re heading to Whitby, you have to do the 199 Steps – I’m sorry, it’s just the law. 

It can feel like a bit of a trek when the sun is beating down – especially if like me you are nursing a nice bout of morning sickness – but there are regular benches along the way. 

It also makes you appreciate just how religious the locals must have been back in the day, to schlep all the way up to access the abbey.

One good thing about taking regular breaks on your way up, is it gives you a chance to really take in the views. 

Whitby harbour looks stunning, and when the sun is shining these views make you wonder why you would ever go abroad for a beach break. 

Spirit In The Sky

Once you’ve conquered the steps, you can head on over to Whitby Abbey for your dose of history. 

Not only are the ruins worth exploring themselves, but the nearby St Mary’s Churchyard is renowned for featuring in Bram Stoker’s classic horror.

It’s said that Stoker got the inspiration for his character’s names after perusing the gravestones, but if you don’t fancy searching them out don’t worry the churchyard also offers great views of the harbour and seemed to be a popular place for people to rest with a book or two.

Beach Please

We were so looking forward to taking Pippa on the beach, but alas it turns out that is one place that isn’t dog friendly in Whitby.

Still, we walked out along the pier, taking in the views before settling down for a spot of people-watching and getting all nostalgic with a Tango Iceblast – I honestly cannot remember that last time I’d had one and now I’m questioning why I don’t have them more often. 

I wasn’t feeling too great one morning so Craig left me in bed whilst he & Pippa went to explore the lighthouse. 

I’ve been told this was a great walk, with both Craig and Pippa really enjoying it so I’m a bit gutted to have missed out on this one. 

Whilst I do miss going abroad – the last time was in 2019 which feels like a lifetime ago! I’ve really enjoyed exploring more parts of the UK.

I’ve been lucky enough to visit quite a few UK destinations over the past year or so, so now I’ve got more time on my hands I’ll get adding the write-ups on here just in case you fancy a UK break too.