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What's happening?

A behind-the-scenes look at life at Origin, our team’s favourite campaigns, what our clients are getting up to and a round-up of the marketing trends you need to know about.

Helping Over Selling

Last year was testing for everyone on professional and personal levels. As we continue to move forward, we are some way off from ‘normality’ - but we have done an amazing job of being agile and adapting to new ways of working and communicating. This, however, has naturally brought a number of questions to the table… When will in-person meetings come back? Will events ever come back? Are we going to stay virtual forever? In due time, I’m confident we will get back to ‘normal’, but I do believe that the acceleration of digital and the habits we’ve picked up are here to stay - which is not a bad thing. But as this blog is titled: What should sales expect in 2021? Well, I believe you should expect and prepare for the following…

I expect social selling to grow substantially in 2021!

It’s no surprise to say that 2020 has brought with it a lot of change. Over the year, the global pandemic has led the business world, education and health sectors, as well as general daily life, in directions we could have never thought possible. The situation has led businesses into an accelerated form of digital transformation, adopting digital-first strategies at breakneck speed in order to adapt to the newly digital world. Who would have thought at the start of 2020 that Zoom and Teams calls would become a thing of the norm?

What Jeff Bezos taught me about growth

Amazon had just launched as an online bookseller, and many people weren’t convinced it would last. But Jeff had other ideas, and wrote to shareholders explaining Amazon’s philosophy which has stood the test of time since 1997, as now Amazon’s stock share price has risen from $5 per share to around $1,800 per share.

The Power of Personal Brand

Personal branding refers to the practice of people marketing themselves and their careers as brands. It’s the building of your personality in an online format. According to “Brand Yourself”, a personal brand should reflect your actual personality and should not be an idealised version of who you are.

Define your digital opportunity

As more events and meetings continue to be cancelled, and our social lives become impacted, it’s time for businesses to adapt and change to move into a “new normal.” COVID-19 has swept across the globe, leaving uncertain times ahead for both individuals and businesses. And, with many of us taking on remote working, and following advice from healthcare and government professionals to limit our social interactions, it’s time for organisations to adopt their approach to suit the needs of their employees and customers.

Sales professionals: to close you must first write!

Sales professionals should be writing if they want to close a deal, and if you can’t write, get the support of a marketing professional but give them your insight. Conduct a brainstorming session, record sound bites, keep a journal, and capture your insight and transfer it to words.

The importance of brand advocacy

Social selling is all about using social media platforms to build trust, but nobody will listen to a brand that blows its own trumpet. This is where brand advocacy comes in.

Harriet joins the Blurbs team, to drive social advocacy

Harriet Edwards, joins our graduate scheme as part of the Blurbs Advocacy team.

My journey has not been easy, but I'm here now...

When tragedy strikes and a trauma shakes our world we have no idea how we are going to react, how we will cope, how we will prevail.

Blurbs continues its expansion with new Head of Social Marketing & Communications

We are extremely excited to have a new senior member of staff join the team this month.

[News] Global webinar for our client Loqate and Rapyd

We helped deliver a great webinar yesterday for our Client Loqate, a GBG solution and their partner Rapyd in the U.S.

[News] Origin create new site for Micralite

We’ve been working with Silver Cross since 2008 and in that time have seen their online sales blossom. Their recent quarter’s sales have tripled, and the new site is performing magnificently, converting lots more visitors into sales, through the new and improved customer and experience.

[News] Our client Wesleyan are shortlisted for two prestigious awards

Wesleyan Assurance, based in Birmingham, appointed Origin in 2008 to create a new and improved website that enhanced online customer experiences and has been a loyal client ever since.

Search vs. navigate: How people behave on websites – do they search or do they navigate?

We live in the age of search engines and modern browsers that implement built-in search bars. Search engines, like Google or Bing, allow us to quickly find answers to any question we have. Do you really need an internal search box on your site, when people already have Google?

Introducing: the Blurbs Cares pack from Origin

Uncertain times call for businesses to focus on building clear and transparent communications, both internally and externally – and it’s no exaggeration to say that right now, it seems the whole world is on social media.

It's official - Origin is a Cludo Certified Partner

Everyone loves badges and we are no exception. We received our new and sparkly Cludo Certified Partner Badge today, and we're rightly chuffed! Very proud to represent Cludo in the UK and integrate their fabulous AI based on-site search into our digital customer and visitor experiences.

[News] One week, one website, one mission: How Origin created Wesleyan’s coronavirus website in record time

Wesleyan Assurance, based in Birmingham, appointed Origin in 2008 to create a new and improved website that enhanced online customer experiences and has been a loyal client ever since.

[News] Origin launches new website for luxury nursery manufacturer Silver Cross

Silver Cross, a nursey specialist based in North Yorkshire, appointed Origin this year to create a new and improved website that enhanced online customer experiences.

Eight steps to make the LinkedIn algorithm work for you

LinkedIn is the most valuable tool in a sales rep’s arsenal to find, connect, and build relationships with leads and prospects in hopes of driving sales, as research shows 80% of B2B leads come from LinkedIn (Foundation Inc).

In the news: Content marketing strategy advice for eCommerce businesses

Today’s consumers live in a digital world and can independently research products and services. They also expect brands and businesses to tailor their messages based on customers' individual needs and preferences.

Posting social selling content on different channels

Having a social media presence is, without question, essential. Social selling goes a step further to help validate your brand or position as a thought leader in your industry and establish genuine relationships.

The importance of employee advocacy

Employee advocacy, like brand advocacy, is another way to promote your business without singing your own praises.

The benefits of nano-influencer marketing

It’s commonly thought that the more followers an influencer has, the better. But this isn’t always the case, as a small influencer or nano-influencer can have a more significant impact on their audience.

TikTok - What's all the fuss about?

Have you jumped on the TikTok bandwagon? If you haven’t, or don’t even know what it is, TikTok is a video-sharing app that allows users to create short comedy and lip-sync videos. The concept of the app is similar to Vine, but it has additional features such as allowing users to overlay music, which I think makes it more accessible.

The social media metrics that count

Maintaining social media channels is a key part of your marketing strategy because it shows you’re up to speed and helps to increase brand awareness and loyalty.

5 top social media engagement tactics for B2B businesses

Having a social media presence as a business is no longer good enough. You also need to actively engage on channels and have a content strategy in place to build trust and make your offering attractive.

Top five social media trends for 2020 - What you need to know now

There has been a buzz around social media developments this year, with Facebook emphasising its customisable privacy settings, Twitter updating to support iOS 13 Dark Mode, and Instagram removing its infamous following tab.

Social Commerce - What is it and why should you care?

People are increasingly using social media as a platform to research products and engage with brands more interactively, so it’s a no brainer for brands to use social media to sell.

Inbound marketing vs. outbound marketing - What's the difference?

The distinction between the two marketing methods comes from the evolution of marketing over the past decades. The customer is now in control and has access to independent information about products and offerings.

The benefits of research in marketing

In marketing, it’s important to communicate the right message, to the right audience, on the right channel at the right time. And to ensure you get it right, you should conduct and use research in your marketing activity.

Five top marketing automation tools you need to know about now

Marketing automation essentially makes the sales and marketing process easier. Salesforce defines marketing automation as the process of utilising technology to streamline marketing efforts and make them more effective.

Direct mail isn't dead

Direct mail doesn’t work anymore. This is a phrase you might have heard a few times most recently, and in some cases it is true.

How to use social media to boost your inbound marketing strategy

Inbound marketing is a business methodology that attracts customers by creating valuable content and experiences tailored to them (Hubspot).

How to generate sales in the technology sector

In many businesses, marketing and sales teams work separately and this makes sense in one way as they have different roles. But, this isn’t a sustainable way of generating sales due to the quality of leads.

Five inbound marketing examples that will help you grow your client base

There are many different types of content that can be used as part of an inbound marketing strategy, but which have the greatest impact?

Snowdon countdown: team training

The Origin team is climbing Mount Snowdon on the 19th October to help raise money for St Peter’s Hospice. When we began working with the charity, its dedication to caring for adults with life-limiting illnesses free of charge inspired us to take on the challenge.

The importance of UX

User Experience (UX) is the overall experience that people have whilst navigating a website, mobile app or a digital product, and is critical to its success. Providing a product to audiences isn’t enough, and it needs to be centred around users and tailored to their needs.

The business benefits of APIs

An Application Programming Interface (API) is a set of functions and procedures that allows the creation of applications that access the features or data of an operating system, application, or another service. They allow for an application to withdraw information from a segment of software and use that information for data analysis.

Generating sales in the technology sector

High quality sales leads are the backbone of any thriving tech business, however, there are many definitions of what a “quality” lead is.

What is an MVP and why should you care?

A minimum viable product (MVP) is a concept which was publicised in Eric Ries’ book Lean Startup and is defined as a product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning from it as possible. And, it requires minimal effort from its users.

The top five AI technologies you need to know about

The beauty of artificial intelligence (AI) is that we don’t think about it despite using AI technologies daily.

How to increase website traffic with content marketing

You’ve written a piece of killer content, you’ve had the design assets created and now you’re ready to push it live. Mission accomplished. But, did you know that once you publish a blog post, case study or news item on your site it continues to “work” for your company?

What's your story? The importance of storytelling in communications

Presenting facts and statistics to your audience is a useful strategy to engage your audience, but storytelling creates unmatched authenticity and improves trust.

Instagram – How you can benefit from using 2019’s most influential channel

With more than 500 million active users, which places it ahead of Twitter, Snapchat and Pinterest, Instagram is leading the way when it comes to social media channel engagement.

Zero waste marketing and the evolution of sales

The Sales and Marketing landscape has evolved as traditional marketing methods have given way to strategies such as Account Based Marketing (ABM).

Marketing trends to boost customer engagement

New technology trends are continually emerging and contributing to the collective noise around marketing and advertising. This makes reaching and engaging customers difficult for businesses.

Hiking boots at the ready! - Origin set to take on Snowdon

On October 19th the Origin team will be setting off to climb Snowdon to raise money for St Peter’s Hospice, a charity for adults with life-limiting illnesses.

Five things we can learn from Meghan Markle’s PR disasters

Have you seen the headlines recently about one of the newest members to the Royal family? (And no, we’re not referring to baby Archie).

You can now schedule Instagram posts through Creator Studio

This desktop feature will allow Instagram creators to post, measure, manage and monetise content across all pages and Instagram accounts, all in one place.

Why your business needs a growth stack""

There’s a wealth of software and tools available for businesses to simplify marketing, so much so that implementing too many tools begins to complicate processes. This is where a growth stack comes in.

Four steps to generate quality leads

There are many definitions of what constitutes a quality lead to different businesses, but for us, any prospect that has shown interest in your offering and has a valid form of communication should be considered a good lead.

Zero waste marketing: what is it and why should you care?

Over the years, marketing has shifted from a blanket approach to a targeted strategy, with the help of technological developments such as automation tools and CRMs.

How to differentiate your business in a competitive market

Marketing has become increasingly competitive with the development of technology such as automation that enhances the process. And, many businesses have scrapped traditional marketing in favour of Account Based Marketing (ABM) to remain competitive.

A perfect storm for JLR?

The media are not pulling any punches. The headlines are pretty much the same everywhere; “Jaguar Land Rover to slash 4,500 jobs as part of £2.5bn plan to reverse losses”. And it’s a shame really, as JLR is a UK brand (although owned by Tata) and we’re always behind anything homegrown.

The secrets of engagement

As we progress into the second half of 2019, we’ve seen many new developments and trends in digital marketing and advertising.

What I learnt at Origin

Phoebe, a foundation degree Graphic Design, Multimedia and Illustration student, joined Origin as an intern in February 2019 to gain agency experience and learn transferrable marketing skills.

Digital marketing trends for 2019

Technology and marketing tools are constantly evolving, and to remain current and gain a competitive edge, it’s essential to keep up-to-date with the latest developments. And, this knowledge will help you discover new ways to grow your business, generate leads and enhance your relationships with your existing customer base.

Kicking Off New ABM Campaign in The City by the Bay

The beginning of May 2019 saw James and Sud take a trip to San Francisco to visit our clients at the US Loqate office. This was to get the ball rolling for our next big Account Based Marketing Campaign with Loqate, a GBG Solution.

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