Archive for the ‘Company News’ Category

2607.10

We build and write blogs in Exeter . . . oh yes we do!

Posted by Optix in Company News, Design, News, Social Media

3 blogsThere’s no denying that one of the biggest shifts online in recent years has been the uptake of Social Media. In fact, it’s estimated that 1 in 6 minutes online is spent on Social Media Sites. Blogs are a fantastic part of the Social Media landscape. They are an invaluable tool for forward-thinking organisations looking to attract new interest in their products and/or services.

 Interested in a blog?

We’ve put together the following packages to make the process of setting up a blog as quick and easy as possible. Each package is powered by the state-of-the-art publishing platform WordPress, which is renowned for its focus on aesthetics, web standards and usability.

 Standard Features on all blogs by Optix

  • Multiple author support – allowing multiple contributors to add content (including photos and videos to enhance the user experience) to the blog. This can be restricted so some users are unable to post blogs without an administrator’s approval.
  • Ability to categorise posts – allowing new visitors to easily find post relevant to their needs.
  • Comments – visitors to your site can leave comments on individual entries and, through Trackback or Pingback, can comment on their own site. You can enable or disable comments on a per-post basis.
  • Users – WordPress has a built-in user registration system that (if you choose) can allow people to register and maintain profiles and leave authenticated comments on your blog. You can optionally close comments for non-registered users.
  • “widget” which blocks spam comments and trackbacks managed by Disqus
  • Blog stats – letting you see how your blog is being accessed and used
  • Disqus comments – allows you to manage and reply to comments on your blog and for users to track comments via email
  • Share & Facebook button – allowing visitors to share your posts on their social networks

 

Standard Design Option

This entry level solution will see you have upto 2 hours for theme personalisation – this is generally taking a current free theme and working with this.  We can provide you with a selection of sites to choose your theme from, if needed.

 Professional Design Option

Let our award winning design team create a custom design for your blog, ensuring the overall look and feel is in keeping with your Brand. A member of our design team will meet with you to ascertain what you would like to achieve with the design and provide you with a proposed look and feel for the site. Up to two design alterations (if required) are included.

Additional Services

We can help in other areas too…

Social Media integration

A blog should just be a part of your social media plan; we can work with and design Twitter, YouTube and other social media profiles. We have some great examples, so please just ask.

Copywriting 

We have a dedicated copywriter who can provide, edit or write full articles for your business, he is a professional journalist who has written for many of the Nationals including the Guardian.

Email Marketing 

With our proprietary Email Marketing System, you can quickly create professionally branded and personalised emails, manage your contacts, target distribution, and evaluate campaign success through an intuitive interface. We have a plugin that can integrate data collection from your blog.

Blog Admin Training

Learn how to get the most out of your blog with our Blog Admin Training course. Taking place in Exeter, your trainer will talk you through how to add, edit and remove blogs, schedule posts and administrate comments. You will also be provided with practical tips and advice for getting the most out of your blog and how to attract and retain a following.

Get Started Today!

Call us now on 01392 667766 or email info@optixsolutions.co.uk

2506.10

Gaining insight into how organisations are using Social Media

Posted by ksousa in Company News, News, Online Marketing, Social Media

Onwards & Upwards for OptixFROM huge multinationals to small start ups, confusion still reigns in business as to how to join the social media revolution and tap into its vast marketing potential.

Just as social media is transforming the way individuals communicate with each other, the business community is increasingly asking itself just how to it can best harnessed social networking in order to drive everything from brand promotional and increased sales to improved customer services.

The potential for Social Media – Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Linkedin etc… – to open up previously untapped markets, promote products, keep in touch with existing customers and build partnerships with other businesses and organisations is the subject of constant debate.

However, evidence on exactly how businesses are using social media and which sectors are embracing it and which are not is still sketchy.

Devon-based Online marketing specialists Optix Solutions recently launched a comprehensive survey aimed at gathering an accurate, up-to-the-minute picture of business’s experiences of social media, both good and bad.

The multiple choice questions look at areas such as why your business does or does not use social media, how many employees are engaged in it and what problems your organisation has experienced in implementing a social media strategy.

Optix’s comprehensive online survey will provide the basis of a White Paper report on how effectively businesses are harnessing social networks as part of their online marketing strategies and internal communications, to be published later this year.

“Using Social Media effectively requires businesses to engage with potential customers in an entirely new way,” explains Optix director Alastair Banks.

“Social networking is very different from conventional marketing. It’s not about hard sell, it’s about opening up a dialogue with people, not just to let them know about your products, brand or what you do, but also to let them tell you what they want and learning and adapting accordingly.

“When properly employed, Social Media provides a vast opportunity to business to reach new audiences, nationally and globally, and with it increase profits.

“But it has to be done right. It is no good adding social media technology to your website if you don’t really understand how to engage with it. We want to find out exactly how businesses are rising, or otherwise, to this latest technological challenge.”

All businesses are invited to take part, even if they are not currently using Social Media at all. Reasons for not getting involved in social networking are of just as much interest as the experiences of businesses that have made Social Media part and parcel of everyday operations.

The idea for the report came from the Like Minds conference held earlier this year, of which Optix were proud sponsors, which brought together some of the country’s leading Social Media and Online Marketing experts.

Optix have received responses from the likes of Microsoft, Hospiscare, Devon and Cornwall Police Authority, South West Water and the Big Lottery Fund, but would like to hear from as many businesses and organisations as possible nationwide, regardless of size, industry or location.

To participate in the Optix Social Media Survey, please visit www.likemindssocialmediasurvey.co.uk

2406.10

Optix Solutions day out at the Photographers

Posted by Dan Cave in Company News

Organised by thebestofexeter for their members, Optix Solutions were dispatched to The_studio for a couple of mug shots and a creative picture for their thebestof profile.

We had some fun with making an interesting image based around the ever present ‘Optix Rubber Duck’. We wait with baited breath to see the final results, after some photoshop tom foolery to make us all look beautiful! Whilst there, Dan snapped a few pictures on his mobile phone and has offered to share them with the world.