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July 07 Newsletter

Hello , and welcome to a glorious Summer July newsletter, making up for the fact that you're still in the UK/Atlantis....

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  Studio 2 Online to Increase By 50%

This is an exciting time for Studio 2 Online, as we have realised the need for additional members of our little family will result in us outgrowing our current premises!

So by the end of this (non-existent) Summer we will be double the size and will have moved into spanking new premises – with parking!

We are currently on the hunt for:
An additional Account Manager to take on new projects and to allow our current account managers more time with existing clients and projects.

A Project Manger to create more efficient schedules and ultimately turnaround projects a lot faster.

A Technical Manager to advise Account Managers on all technical issues for new and old projects; resulting in a better understanding of your requirements and how to meet them.

An experienced Web Designer / Developer and Developer / Programmer to take on the more difficult parts of technical projects and ease the workload in the studio whilst passing on skills to our junior members of the team; creating an experienced team working hard for you.

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e-Newsletter Manager Logins now available!

Newsletters are an integral customer contact tool and we can make this contact even easier to manage. Using our e-Newsletter Manager you can:

  • Add subscribers
  • Delete subscribers
  • Manage/segment email lists
  • Send plain text or html emails

The new service will allow you to view the number of new subscribers and the number of un-subscribes each time you send a communication and should you have the capability in-house, to send your own newsletters – as many times a year as you like. Of course we are more than happy to design the newsletter for you if you don't have the in-house capability and indeed carry out the entire project; but this system allows you to have complete control if you want it.

For those that require further statistics on click through rates, (the statistics that show which articles are being clicked, by who and when) this report is available for a small fee. These reports will allow you an insight into who, where and what your recipients are interested in reading; always helpful when compiling future communications.

Your log in and password will arrive in your inbox by next Wednesday; should you have any questions about this service or would like to sign up for the clickthrough reports, please call your Account Manager on: 0116 2425811.

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Pointer Game


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Attention ALL E-commerce Customers -
Switch to Maestro

Like many UK brands that have been replaced by its European counterpart, (We still call it Jif -not Cif!) Switch has now been replaced with Maestro.

The reason for the change of course is synergy internationally for Mastercard; a spokes person for the company said:
"In a world where people travel more and do more business abroad, it makes sense for debit cards to have a single, internationally recognised name - that's why we decided to move to Maestro."

Unless you have a separate e-commerce agreement your terminal should be updated with new software, but if your site sports the Switch logo – it will need changing to the Maestro logo.

For help in making the change, call Studio 2 Online on: 0116 2425811.

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  Get Up Close & Personal

mattEach Month Studio 2 would like to introduce you to a member of the team to promote personal contact, so that you can really get to know the people behind the work we do;

This month Mechelle speaks to Matt Broadley, our lead programmer and developer on systems and e-commerce websites.

Mechelle: What's your Favourite film?

Matt: Too many choices to possibly just name one.  Fight Club, Superman II, American History X, Old School...You’re my boy Blue

Mechelle: What is a passion of yours/hobbies?

Matt: Football, football, football.  Playing it, watching it, reading about it, talking about it.  It’s all good.  I’ve also recently rediscovered my love for cricket and enjoy a bit of golf, but unfortunately the weather has held those back a bit this summer.

Mechelle: Who are you inspired by?

Matt: People who are successful in business, those who live their lives selflessly to make other people’s lives better.

Mechelle: Pet Peave?

Matt: A tough one! Yesterday my pet peaves were letting agents and mobile phone insurance companies but this list changes on a daily or sometimes hourly basis.

Mechelle: Songs on your MP3?

Matt: A wide variety of music from Indie to Drum & Bass.  This week I have mostly been listening to Wolf Parade, Klaxons and Kings of Leon.

Mechelle: Last thing that made you laugh out load - keep it clean!

Matt: Probably Sasha.  She amuses me most days with some sort of crazy antics.

Mechelle: What are your aspirations?

Matt: To retire by the time I’m 35. It used to be 30 but sometimes you need to be realistic.

M: If you were a superhero, who would you be?

Matt: Roy of the Rovers.

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 Large Brands Re-commission Studio 2 Online for Their Corporate Websites

Graham Gardner and Kookaburra Reader Ltd have re-commissioned Studio 2 Online to produce their main corporate websites after designing online catalogues for both brands.

Studio 2 Online's Managing Director, Giles Button said,
"We are delighted that two leading local brands have returned after completing online stores for both companies last year; it is an honour and a great compliment to us as a company and the team in the studio that two such companies entrust their main corporate sites to us."

Studio 2 Online produced Grahame Gardener's Vitalitywear website, (www.vitalitywear.co.uk) last year, which in technological terms was one the most ambitious e-commerce projects undertaken; and are now working to produce an online schoolwear store and the Grahame Gardner main corporate website.

Kookaburra Reader Ltd first requested an e-commerce store as an extension of their successful offline catalogue, 3d Sports www.3dsports.co.uk which then led to the development of 3d ground website www.3dgroundequipment.co.uk, (offering an array of ground cricket equipment) which has led to the re-design of the main corporate site.

Brett Elliott, Managing Director of Kookaburra Reader Ltd said:
…"We wanted to work with a professional, local business which had the resources of a larger agency and was able to deliver not only an excellent website that we could self manage but excellent Google page rankings."


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Cat-with-Bow Golf?

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 You won't find promotion like it – if you are spending cash on SEO, this is for you!

Studio 2 Online are launching their new Search Engine Optimisation packages, the first of their kind as we are offering guaranteed promotion packages.  The packages work on a category basis and will suit every budget.

Whether your aim is to be No.1 or just to achieve search results and brand awareness, we can help. We have packages starting from as little as £125 per month* and have already achieved excellent results.

Andy Lewis of Associated Stairlifts said:
"Even with our online sales increasing, we are now saving over £1000 per month on advertising.  All thanks to the fantastic work Studio 2 Online have done in getting our website to the top of the search engines…"

*Set up costs apply in addition to monthly payments.


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Soothing Star Shooting Fun


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 Boom Time on the Continent

Online marketing spending in Europe will double to €16 billion in 2012, from about €7.5 billion in 2006, according to Forrester Research's "European Online Marketing Tops €16 Billion in 2012" report.

The study covered France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the UK, and included surveys of both consumers and marketing firms.

Marketing spending had been slow in Europe, but over half of companies set their 2007 budgets higher than their actual 2006 spend. E-mail, search and display advertising were also projected to account for 18% of European total media budgets in 2012.

The shift in ad spending reflects changing consumer behaviour. Over a third of online Europeans are watching less TV because of their time online.
As for the ads, over a third of online consumers did not mind advertising as long as it was relevant to them.



This change in budget distribution will see a greater investment in online marketing in the next 5 years with a much more targeted approach mooted by marketing analysts; a prospect that excites agencies like Studio 2 Online.

The realisation that a website is no longer just an online presence; but is an important sales tool essential to the marketing mix will undoubtedly result in a requirement, (for most small-medium) companies to update and re energise their sites and search marketing efforts to stay one step ahead of their competition.

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  One in Four Web Merchants Do Not Know Web Shopping Laws

Most internet shoppers do not know about their right to cancel and 28% of UK-based online traders are not aware or only slightly aware of the laws applying to internet shopping, according to a report published by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) yesterday.

While 56% of internet shoppers surveyed did not know about their right to cancel under the Distance Selling Regulations, 29% did not know where to turn to get advice on their rights.

The OFT estimates that by searching more effectively, shoppers could save £150 million to £240 million each year. The report also suggests that shoppers are hindered by "unexpected additional charges which are sometimes added in the latter stages of a purchase." It reckons that shoppers pay £60 million to £100 million a year in unexpected additional charges.

Two-thirds of UK-based traders had never sought advice on internet shopping laws, according to the OFT's research. More than one-fifth of sites examined by the OFT failed to provide an email address, a requirement of the E-commerce Regulations.

The OFT also commented on the legal regime that derives from European Directives.
"These laws appear broadly fit for purpose at present," it said. "We did, however, identify a number of areas where they may need to be revised to take account of how internet shopping is evolving. We have brought these to the attention of the European Commission, who are currently reviewing how they might need to be improved."
Its report did not specify which areas need revision.
The UK internet shopping market is estimated to be worth over £21.4bn, and last year over 20 million people shopped online with nearly a third of them spending over £1,000, according to the OFT.
The OFT said it will announce a strategy by the end of 2007 to raise awareness of shoppers' rights, as well as other issues such as effective search, risks, redress and protections.

Taken from www.out-law.com

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  Case Study: Rutland Mobility

Rutland Mobility are a REAL Mobility store with an outstanding website.
A family run business with over 20 years experience in the mobility products market that prides themselves on excellent customer service and unbeatable product knowledge.
The firm offer a Price Promise guarantee that if you find any of their products anywhere else cheaper – they will match that price and a warranty on ALL products.
With plenty of products to view online and in store Rutland Mobility can provide excellent products and competitive prices with many satisfied customers.



www.rutlandmobility.co.uk

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Please note the mailbox this newsletter is sent from is non-responsive, hence please don't click reply to send us feedback. All feedback and enquiries should be sent to newsletter@s2o.co.uk

 


Studio 2 Online Ltd
Cathedral Chambers
2 Peacock Lane
Leicester
LE1 5PX

Tel:
0116 242 5811
Fax:
0116 293 8090
Email:
newsletter@s2o.co.uk
Web:
www.s2o.co.uk


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