Why have I set up Ellard Outloud? And why now?

Good morning LinkedIn community. You may have been noticing some changes to my profile over the last few weeks. The news is that I have set up a new business called Ellard Outloud Ltd.

Why have I set up Ellard Outloud? And why now?

After spending 15 years as a director of Urban Element, you may be wondering why I’ve decided the time is right now to set up Ellard Outloud, and the answer is simple. I’m frustrated with seeing businesses make the same mistakes again and again when it comes to digital strategy. I believe everyone should get return on investment on their digital marketing – but you’d be surprised by how often that’s not the case.

I clearly see the need for an independent digital marketing consultant to take a step back and review how a business’ digital presence is working in conjunction with their overall business plan. Whether it is their website, search engine optimisation or social media campaigns.

How I’ve seen businesses getting it wrong:

I have a passion for helping businesses get it right, and one of the most common issues I come across is an internal digital marketing team who are doing what they can on a tactical level, and yet are directionless in terms of the big picture.

I’ve witnessed first-hand the complete disconnect within a business between the company’s goals in terms of growth and progression, and their digital strategy. I’ve also seen the magic that can happen when the two work hand in hand, and I want to awaken others to the notion that digital needs to be invested in to achieve long-term business growth and success.

To give an example of this disconnect, one client I’ve worked with in the past enthusiastically told me all about their promotional activities for their range of recently released marble kitchen worktops. They were exhibiting them beautifully in store, showing them off at events, and had trained their sales team to knowledgeably inform customers about them. And yet when I looked at their website the sparkling new worktops were only mentioned once briefly on a hidden page of their site – completely missing the digital opportunities such as promotional banners, an email campaign and a social media push.

Another example and this can be said of multiple clients, is when I am told that 75% or more of their revenue comes from B2B (Business to Business) and that they want this to increase. B2C (Business 2 Consumer) is not their focus and yet when you go to their websites the tone of voice, case studies and blog posts is all aimed at B2C. The icing on the cake is when I find out that they are not active on LinkedIn. The same can be said for clients I have worked with who target B2C.

It exasperates me to see companies investing so much time and effort bringing exciting new products or services to market yet remaining digitally silent, or else promoting them digitally in a way that’s not engaging or captivating to the customer.

During my 15 years at Urban Element there have been regular occasions when a digital / website project has started without the senior decision maker present. When asked what the commercial goals of the company are the question usually goes unanswered.

I no longer want digital to be an afterthought – I want to bring it to the forefront of directors’ meetings to be properly nurtured and considered along with every other aspect of the business.

And rather than being in denial or fearful of digital technology and the full scope of its importance, I want to help businesses embrace the digital world and place themselves firmly ahead of the competition.

Get in touch:

We should have a meeting if you answer NO to any of these questions:

• Do you know what commercial benefits you are receiving from your social media activity?
• Is your website ranking high enough on Google and are you getting a good conversion of traffic to enquiries?
• Do you have a digital marketing strategy?
• Do you have a 12 month digital plan?
• Is digital strategy the elephant in your room?

Thank you for reading and please share.

Jon