After a year at Cognique, we speak to Kim about her first year working agency side, her love of people, storytelling and building relationships.  Have you always been interested in marketing? That’s a very good question and the answer is 'yes' (there’s a bit of a story)! When I was in Year 10 at school, doing my GCSEs I had a business mentor who worked as a Marketing Manager in a local business. It was such a great initiative and I ended up doing work experience with her and just found som...

Investing in our people and their development, is something we continually support. Kim & Amy headed to brightonSEO for two days, their first in-person conference since they joined Cognique last year. Here’s what they got up to in the fun packed city of Brighton… brightonSEO here we come We’d booked our tickets, found an Airbnb with a seaside view, figured out the tube to get across London so we didn’t miss our connecting train. We were ready… As we headed down to Brighton, cracke...

We specialise in providing bespoke website design and digital marketing for OMBs and SMEs. Winners of the Somerset Business Award Small Business Of The Year 2021, we are enjoying a period of business growth. In response to increased client demand, we have recently expanded the marketing team with Marketing Manager, Kim Barnard who oversees the marketing team and Amy Scriven, in the role of Digital Marketing Executive. Combining their skills and enthusiasm will help take Cognique to the next lev...

In May 2020, Mark Zuckerberg announced the launch of Facebook Shops. Since abandoning the development of a stand alone Instagram shopping app in 2018, Facebook has been developing what they claim will be 'a top tier shopping destination'. The Coronavirus pandemic has created a surge in online shopping and in reaction Facebook have brought forward the development of their Facebook Shops platform. So, is it something businesses should be embracing as part of their social media strategy?  What ex...

Since the UK lockdown, time spent online has increased exponentially. In fact, UK daytime internet usage has more than doubled. Consumers spending more and more time online will, and has, created opportunities for some businesses, notably ecommerce businesses. The key for these businesses is retaining new customers in the short term and beyond the lockdown period.  Email marketing Email marketing is an effective and cost effective channel for retaining new customers. There are a variety o...

In these challenging times, it’s essential that businesses keep talking to their customers; this really is not the time for marketing 'radio silence'. While cashflow may be a concern for many businesses, the great news is that marketing doesn't have to involve big budgets. In fact, there are lots of highly effective and impactful, low cost marketing activities businesses can (and should!) utilise.  Email marketing  Mailchimp offer free email marketing up to 2,000 subs...

In these uncertain and changeable times, businesses staying connected with their customers is critical. The Government's latest advice calls for longer periods of self isolation and increased social distancing, so the challenge of reaching your customers is only going to become more difficult. However, social media can help and now is the time to embrace all the functionality that each channel offers.     Facebook  Facebook Live is an ideal way of broadcasting to your customers in real time...

Social media is supposed to be free, right? Isn't good social media simply creating engaging content and watching it go viral? Why then would you want to pay for social media advertising?What is social media advertising?Social media advertising comes in many forms. There are three main types of advertising:boosting a specific post digital display advertising remarketingBoosting a postOn a crowded platform with a lot of accounts making a lot of 'noise', boosting a p...

“Social media isn’t rocket science and we’ve got a graduate who’s a dab hand with Instagram.” Sound familiar? It's true, social media isn’t rocket science! However, like all marketing activities, it is truly effective when utilised as part of a wider strategy. Whilst the office junior may have a great following on Snapchat or perhaps even be an emerging YouTube star, running, managing and growing social media channels for a business requires planning, quality content and t...

In 2019 it is estimated there will be 2.77 billion social media users worldwide. Social media marketing is recognised as a highly effective means to build brand awareness, demonstrate expertise and build engagement with existing and potential customers. The immediacy of social media requires social media channels to be nurtured with engaging content carefully created for them. Unfortunately, this takes time. With day-to-day operational business needs often taking priority over social medi...

Whilst bloggers have been promoting goods and services since the early 1990’s, the emergence of professional Influencers has been a more recent event. Professional Influencers do exactly what it says on the tin, they influence! Typically they post pictures and videos of their day to day life on their social media channels, sometimes focused around a specific subject (e.g. make up, fitness, parenting etc.) whilst growing their follower base. These followers are then, at times, influenced by the...

Instagram’s engagement rate is one of the best of all social network platforms, enabling businesses to quickly establish a healthy following. In the current social media era, where “Charlie bit my finger” can receive over 861 million views on YouTube, it's now easier than ever to connect with potential customers. Using social media businesses are no longer limited to advertising in their 'back garden' – they can now connect with customers from every corner of the world, especially with ...

Did you know that a third of all time online is spent watching videos? As internet speed has increased, so has the desire for video content. YouTube is the leader, with over a billion active users. Taking advantage of this huge audience to market your business is easier than you might think, especially as most smartphones and cameras can now film excellent quality video. Three types of videos to create Focus on creating videos that are helpful to your target audience, here's three ideas for s...

Social media might be an established marketing tool, but it’s changing all the time. The top channels, most used features and best practice are constantly shifting. Here’s what you need to know about two of the biggest new social media trends this year – live video and messaging apps – and how your business could take advantage.Live video Thanks in part to faster mobile internet speeds and better camera phones, live video has really taken off in the last few months. Now anyone with ...

It’s estimated that 90% of businesses are now on at least one social media channel. If you are in the 10% that aren't, unless you are Apple, you probably can’t afford to ignore it any longer. 1. People will talk about you whether you’re there or not Many businesses are worried about the damage a social media fail could do to their business. The risk is real, but not being on social media could potentially be even more damaging. People will talk about your business whether you are there...

Are you using LinkedIn for business? If not, why not? LinkedIn is used by over 15 million professionals in the UK and is often the first port of call for researching new business contacts. If you’re not using LinkedIn, you could be missing out on valuable business opportunities. What exactly is LinkedIn? LinkedIn is a professional social network where individuals can build a network of business connections and businesses can set up a company profile. Your personal...