Scoot Blog

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It’s safe to say that paper business directories are still proving their worth across the UK. Can’t reach the tops of those dusty kitchen shelves? Simply stand on top of a directory and hey presto, dust be gone! Can’t bring yourself to pick up that spider that’s been tormenting the household for a week? Your paper directory just became your number one weapon. There are countless other ways for people to really get the most out of these once invaluable marketing sources but unfortunately quickly searching for a local business just isn’t one of them.

The decline of print directory usage is in stark contrast to the rise of online directories. In today’s world people want instant information and with more people finding themselves attached to a monitor or mobile phone screen, the internet is the most popular place to find it. As well as being a quicker and more efficient way of searching for a local product or service, online directories provide businesses themselves with a clearer view of their return on investment. It’s almost impossible for a business to find out just how many people have viewed their advert in a magazine or newspaper however an internet campaign enables advertisers to track and measure the success of their ad.
Time and money aside, think about how many chunky directories you have had squeezed through your letterbox or left behind your plant pot over the years. Here is what the print of 75 million phonebooks in the UK costs:

• 680,000 barrels of oil (not including the wasted petrol used for their delivery)
• 2 billion litres of water
• Enough energy to power 112,000 3 bedroom houses for one year

If you have already spent part of your marketing budget on print media advertising do not despair! We’ve decided to make sure that businesses finally get something out of their print media advertising by holiday our first advert amnesty. Simply find your advert in a paper directory, newspaper or magazine, take a picture of it and send it to us via email, Facebook or Twitter. If you prefer you can even rip out your advert and post it to us! In return we will send you a voucher for £50 worth of Scoot advertising*, as one of the leading UK directories Scoot is the perfect platform to really make sure your business gets the attention it deserves!

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Email: Kathryn@scoot.co.uk

Post:
Scoot Marketing
Scoot House
19 Falcon Court
Preston Farm Industrial Estate
Stockton-On-Tees
Cleveland
TS18 3TU

*Voucher redemption is subject to a minimum spend of £100.

Can your business be found 24/7?

Over the last few weeks it has been hard to ignore the fact that iPhone fever has swept the country. After the sad news of the passing of innovative Apple CEO Steve Jobs, interest in the new Apple release sky rocketed. Apple fans were rewarded for their persistence, with many camping outside of Apple stores across the world to be one of the first to own the brand new iPhone 4s. Here at Scoot we know exactly how hard it is to try and prise an iPhone out of someone’s hand which is why we have developed the Scoot app for the iPhone and iPad, to ensure that your customers can find your business without having to take their eyes of the screen!
There’s an app for that!

Apps are designed to offer users a quick, efficient and useful service and the Scoot app is no exception. Whether on the move or just too far away from a computer, the app allows people to search for local businesses and lists contact details and a link to the business website. The app also provides users with directions to the business, so whether they are looking for a local taxi service, a great place to grab a meal or the nearest car garage, they don’t need to look too far!

With more and more people turning to the internet to search for local products and services, it is important to make sure that your business is always there to be found. Click for more information on the Scoot iPhone app

Tweet Tweet!

It seems like everyone is tweeting nowadays, celebrities, politicians, local authorities and most importantly your customers. If your business has yet to embrace the world of ‘hashtags’ and ‘retweets’ you are missing out on the millions of customers that are already finding local businesses and services through what is fast becoming one of the world’s largest social networks. The value of Twitter for a business of any size is immeasurable, the micro-blogging site enables businesses to interact and engage with customers whilst generating a buzz about the company through 140 character updates. Here at Scoot we absolutely love Twitter and our team are always on hand to help out with anything that you need plus all of the latest news and updates from the world of business.

Following Google’s completion of their Street View coverage in the UK, each business with an enhanced listing on Scoot, the online business finder, can now display to potential clients an exact location view of their business premises.

The Google Street View addition to Scoot’s products gives businesses a unique way to attract clients, allowing them to view the business premises and its locale. With Street View being an interactive window into the location of the business, the clients can navigate around the area finding places to park, the nearest tube station or bus stop or even local amenities.

In another move to make the business finder an even more attractive proposition to both the companies who advertise and their users, Scoot has also increased the gallery size allowed on their enhanced listings. Now any advertiser who decides to upgrade their listing can include up to 10 images in their gallery, increasing the previous amount by over 100%.

Scoot, the UK Business Finder, has announced a raft of new ways for their users to find the information they need. Using the popularity of the best social networking platforms Scoot has developed a range of exciting new products and avenues for businesses to advertise their products, services and special offers to a whole new demographic of customers.

These new innovations now allow users throughout the UK to find businesses on a multitude of new websites as well as the already popular buisness directories. It also allows businesses to access other methods of advertising which may have been beyond their know-how or budgets at a reasonable or even free cost. Innovative products such as the new Video Montage will push businesses onto the major video sites such as Youtube and Metacafe. The Special Offer add-on to the in demand listing product will advertise businesses on Twitter.

Scoot also has profiles on many other social networking sites including Facebook and MySpace. For more info and descriptions of the Social Network Advertising products please visit our site Social Network Advertising.

Many people are talking about 2010 being the year of online video advertising.  Indeed, according to industry analyst, comScore, 2009 saw online videos viewed in the UK around 5 billion times, up nearly 47% on the previous year.  Added to that, online advertising overtook TV advertising expenditure for the first time.  Viewing video online is still growing rapidly and 80% of Internet users have watched video adverts.

So why is this so important to small and medium-sized businesses?  For a start, online video advertising levels the playing field.  Where television advertising was only accessible to large corporations, online video advertising is more affordable than ever before, so it’s accessible to businesses of all sizes.

The bottom line is that online video advertising could dramatically increase the amount of business you get via the Internet.  The audio-visual nature of video communicates your message much more effectively than just text or still images alone, building trust with your audience and delivering a strong call to action.  Again, comScore recorded that 52% of people who viewed an online video advert went on to take action by visiting a website, a physical location or purchasing something online.

As well as appealing to prospective customers, search engines like video, too!  Businesses with a greater depth of online content and rich media (which includes video) are more likely to rank well with the major search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing, and a video attached to your listing will certainly help your business stand out from the competition.  You can also help yourself appear more often in the search engines by ensuring that your video is as widely distributed as possible. Don’t just stop at adding your video to your website: make sure it’s included in the top video websites like YouTube, Yahoo, Myspace and Metacafe, and features within your listings with online business directories.

Getting started with online video advertising, however, can be daunting for the busy proprietor of a small business.  That’s why Scoot, one of the UK’s leading online business directories, has introduced its Online Video Montage product.  Scoot will do it all for you: produce a 30-second video montage with professional voiceover, add it to your listing on scoot.co.uk and distribute it to the top video websites, some of which are mentioned above.  You can also add the video to your own website.  Click here for more details.

With Valentines falling on a Sunday why not make it a Romantic Weekend for your special person. To make the weekend extra special you can treat your partner to a special meal in a fantastic restaurant before
cuddling up in a beautiful hotel.

With quite a lot of hotels offering great deals throughout the Valentines period you can find that perfect romantic getaway, city break or even an international flight of fancy right here on Scoot. You could even add your own touch by ordering flowers, gifts or chocolates from a local business and have them delivered direct to your room.

Give The Gift Of Flowers This Valentines

With Valentines Day sorted why not turn your Saturday into a day to remember. With Scoot you can find something to suit everyone, for those who have a more energetic streak why not try some outdoor pursuits like a parachute jump, a surfing lesson or even a flying lesson. For those who like to relax you could treat them to a spa day, a theatre show or a city tour.

No matter what your loved one likes you can find it on Scoot.co.uk.

Why Not Treat You Loved one to a Teddy Bear Valentines Gift

Viewing video online is growing rapidly and 80% of Internet users have watched video adverts.*  Of those people who see an online video, 52% then go to a website, visit a physical location or buy something online.**

Online video brings your business to life and tells your story in less time.

Scoot’s Online Video Montage service is especially formulated for SMEs and includes the production of a 30-second Video Montage with professional voiceover.  The Video Montage really helps your listing on Scoot stand out from the competition and we make sure you get even wider coverage by posting your video on YouTube and other video distribution websites.

Click here to see some examples.

Video really helps your listing on Scoot stand out from the competition

For more information on video advertising, check out reelseo.com

* comScore 2007
** Online Publishers Association 2009

Did you know that if you are a user of Vodafone or O2 in the UK you can get Scootspoffers tweets sent to your mobile phone as a text message?  Log on to your Twitter account and go to ‘Settings’.  Select ‘Devices’ and follow the instructions on screen.  You will then be able to receive special offers from Scoot direct to your phone.

Earlier this month, US-based SEO authority, David Mihm, posted an interesting article about business categories in online directories.  Trying to match your business to the right category can be a challenge, especially if your activities fall into more than one category.  Check your business listing on Scoot and if your category is incorrect, let us know and we’ll change it for you.  We will also assign more than one category to your company if we believe your business activities justify this. 

Business categories on directories can look a little restrictive at first sight, but often there are a number of synonyms operating behind the scenes that ensure businesses appear in searches for common phrases associated with the category.  Of course, the best way to ensure your business comes up is to buy an enhanced listing on Scoot which will entitle you to a range of keywords that best describe your business!