10 Tips To Make Your Blog Attractive

Hi Friends, Today I thought to give you guys some tips about how to create your own blog more attractive.

• Decide your target audience in advance and put a suitable name for your blog which matches with that particular audience.

For an example if you are interested in blogging about the digital marketing area, you should select such a name for your blog that has a connection with that field. Since I've dedicated my blog to my study purpose, I have named it as "Prashani's Locker" 

• Create your blog more user friendly.

You must design your blog user friendly, and it should be easy to navigate as much as possible. If your blog is not user friendly and it is hard to navigate, you will most probably lose your audience.

• Install social media plugging.

By installing social media plug-ins you can share your blog posts with your friends and family members. Not only that it will also allow your visitors to share your thoughts among their friends and family members also. It will give you more exposure to your blog. You have to create, maintain and cultivate relationships through this social media.

• Post your content.

When posting the blogs, make sure that the content is interesting and more appealing to your target audience. Don't forget to share it on social networks.

• Cultivate relationships.

As mentioned earlier also you should cultivate the relationship with your audience. You should encourage them to give their feedback and comments on your posts. To encourage commenting you should try to ask some questions at the end of every post that you create.

• Make your posts attractive.

Use a font that is easy to read and make sure that you use an appropriate font size that can be easily read by the audience. Always use a clear and simple designs in your posts. Bold important points to highlight the facts that you need to get more attention. Bulletting the key points is also one of the best way that can be used to get more attention on the key areas.

• Make sure that you put a good headline to your post.

Putting a head headline is more critical because it will attract the audience to your posts. You can use numbers in your headlines. For an example: "10 Tips To Make Your Blog Attractive". And use adjectives also. "5Ways Of Getting a Healthy Skin".

• Use images to enhance your posts.

Images catch the eyes than words. So you should use appropriate and matching images for your blog posts. Images, photographs, screenshots illustrations or even cartoons will enhance the attractiveness of your blog posts.

• Put quotes of expert people into your posts.

Whether it is funny, educational, inspirational you can use famous quotes by different experts as long as it matches with the content of your blog content and trustworthy. Give the authers the credit, that they must receive.

• Use a good theme for your blog.

Use a theme that matches with the content, if you select the right theme it will catch the eyes of your target. Use the best template that fits with your blog.

So those are the 10 simple tips to make your blog more interesting. So if you find those tips were useful to you please feel free to leave a comment. :)

How FMCG Brands Can Reach the Right Target Markets Using Google Display Network

How FMCG Brands Can Reach the Right Target Markets 

Using Google Display Network

“One in five consumers exposed to a business’s display ads perform related searches and one in three visit their website”

Source: Online Publishers Association, “The Silent Click: Building Brands Online", June 2009

Hi friends, this week i'm hoping to give you a little idea about the Google Display Network and how FMCG brands can reach their target audience by using it.

First of all we need to have a basic idea about what Google Display Network means and what it does.

Now a days almost all the consumers in the world have become Digitalized. We spend most of our time surfing the net. Reading and engaging in the activities on the web. So by using this Google Display Networks, Companies can reach their target audience as well as potential consumers effectively and efficiently.

What Google Display Network does?

• It increases awareness among the consumers by displaying company ads among its target consumers. Increasing clicks on this display ads will generate more awareness about the company. Potential consumers can get an understanding about the company as well as their products.

• It generates more sales for the company by displaying ads to the relevant audience. Google Display Network suggests the sites that a company must display their ads based on the consumer preferences. So it has a more potent of having more sales.

• It creates loyalty among the consumers. The Google Display Network helps to re advertise and reach the audiences that have already clicked on the company web site or has searched information on the web. That will keep reminding them about the brand ultimately that brand will become the TOP OF THE MIND BRAND within their target audience.

What Companies Can Do With Google Display Network?

• Can create different types of advertisements. EX: Text only, image or video.
• Can display these advertisements on the right website where a company can target their right target audience.
• Can manage company’s budget and the ad campaign as well as its results.

Different Ad Formats Offered by Google Display Network

Companies should use Google display network if their products match with the content of the websites in the Google display network. Also it is very important that companies should experiment with the Google display ads on websites with a smaller budget to see if the company can have any success.

If a company is interested in Google Display Ads, their ads will appear on websites that feature content related to their ad. But the challenge when advertising on Google display is that sometimes people tend to ignore this ad and then effectiveness of this ad campaign will reduce.

Therefore if a company considering advertising on the Google display, they should strongly consider starting with a lower budget and experimenting to see whether their ads are getting relevant placements and achieving a sufficient click-through rate. The company can also choose to manage the websites that the ads will appear based on their own preferences on the Google display network.

How Facebook helps to target a niche audience with Facebook Advertising

How Facebook helps to target a niche audience with Facebook Advertising

Why you should consider advertising in Facebook

• 1 billion total monthly active users
• 58% of users return daily to Facebook
• 6:35 hours spent on Facebook desktop per person per month
• 600 million monthly active users on mobile (60% year over year growth)
• 3.2 billion likes and comments every day in the world

Facebook advertising has become the most popular and most effective communication tool now a days among the brands. The reason for that is Facebook advertising helps the brands to reach their exact target audience in a very cost effective manner. Facebook will select the exact target audience that should be targeted by a particular brand among one billion of Facebook users.

A particular brand can promote their brands in Facebook by following three simple steps.

1. Create a Facebook page for the brand
2. Connect with the right target audience
3. Engage with that audience regularly

Creating a Facebook page is a really easy task for anyone. you have to follow very few simple steps in order to create a page and most of all its a free way to communicate with your customers.

After creating the page you should invite the right audience to like your page. you must create several advertisements and target your audience based on gender, location and specially based on their interests.

Finally you should regularly update your posts and create advertisements that attracts not only your customers but also their friends. You should encourage your audience to actively participate in your Facebook page too.


There are few targeting options available at Facebook that helps the brands to reach their exact target audience.

1) General Targeting
Here a brand can choose whether to target a small audience with specific interest or larger audience with general interests.

2) Location
You can target the fans from specific city or a country.

3) Age and Birthday
You can target the fans based on their age groups.

4) Interest targeting
You can target the consumers based on their likes and preferences.

5) Education Targeting
You can select based on the fans' educational qualifications or you can select specific organizations or institutions to target your fan base.

6) Connection Targeting
You can make the ads visible to the fans that you have already connected or the once that you do not have a connection still.

Benefits of using Facebook advertising.

• It creates more awareness, more reach to highly targeted audience.
• It is a really quick and a simple way of attracting new and potential consumers.
• It creates more interest among the fans and create conversations and interaction among the brands and the audience.

My First Web-Based Distance Learning Experience

My First Web-Based Distance Learning Experience

Hi Friends!!!

This is my third blog post and I’m going to explain you about my first web based distance learning experience.

 As we are final year undergraduates of the Department of Marketing Management, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, we are lucky that we have to follow the Digital Marketing course unit. Because of this subject I had this great opportunity to experience the web based distance learning.

 Last Wednesday (8^th May) we had this wonderful opportunity and the lecture was conducted by Mr.Suranga Priyashantha (Senior Online Marketing Consultant at Netstarter - Australia) who is also a proud product of our very own department. He conducted his lecture from Sidney, Australia. The lecture was regarding the Search Engine Optimization and it was conducted by using webinar facility.

 According to the “Webopedia”, webinar can be defined as “Web-based seminar, a presentation, lecture, workshop or seminar that is transmitted over the Web”. It’s kind of similar to the Skype Video Chatting but for all most all of us it was a totally new experience.

 Webinar can be also defined as a way of attending a conference in a convenient place for everyone who engages in that. Here we can hear and see the presentation as well as the presentation slides used by the facilitator by using a computer and a telephone or an internet connection. The presenter will not be physically present at the location but we can see and hear all the things that he presents through the internet.

A key feature of a Webinar is its interactive elements such as the ability to give, receive and discuss information. Contrast with Webcast, in which the data transmission is one way and does not allow interaction between the presenter and the audience.

Benefits of Webinars

• Time Saving

It saves the travelling time of all the participant and we can have the lectures from anywhere in the world.

• Cost effective

Webinar is the best option to gain more knowledge without spending lot for travelling.

•   Convenient

We can attend the lectures from any place that is suitable for us. It is not a problem that whether you are in your home, office or the lecture hall.

• Easy to use

It is very user friendly and all you need is a computer, a high speed internet connection and a high quality microphone.

• Hot and applicable topics 

           Can gain all the required information on most up-to-date topics by the reputed and trustworthy sources or else experienced presenters.

• Interactive

This is a very interactive method since we can ask questions from the lecturer at the end of the session and we can clarify our questions also.

Adopting new forms of technology like webinars can feel somewhat scary. But the cost of providing programming like this is quite economical compared to planning a "live" lecture in a typical lecture hall, travel costs and energy expenditure required by the lecturer and the students to attend the lecture. So I hope that we can have more lectures by using this webinar facility in future, not only for our Digital Marketing subject but also for other subjects too. Hope my friends from other departments may have this kind of experiences in near future. Finally I would like to show my gratitude to Mr. Amitha Amarasinghe and the Ogilvi team for all the support that they have given to create this wonderful opportunity for us. 

Website Usability Checklist- Central Bank of Sri Lanka

Website Usability Checklist- Central Bank of Sri Lanka

Hi friends!!

This is my second blog post and I’m going to evaluate the website usability of Central Bank of Sri Lanka.(http://www.cbsl.gov.lk/) The reason for choosing this web site for evaluation is mainly due to high usage among internet users in Sri Lanka.

First factor that I’m going to evaluate is the Accessibility.  The Site loading time is relatively reasonable. Also the texts are adequate to background contrast. Also font size and spacing in the site is easy to read. Flash images have being used to important links such as CBSL SMS Alerts and Coin packs publications.

 Appropriate images have also being used to enhance the appearance of the site.

When evaluating the web site Identity, CBSL logo has prominently placed in the top of the site. Tag lines that they have used in their site have the clear purpose for what CBSL stands for. There is a very clear path of receiving information from the site and home page can be observed very quickly.  There is a site map in the site and contact details are visible very clearly.

Third factor that I’m going to evaluate is the Navigation of the CBSL site. Main navigation of the site is very easily identifiable. Navigation labels are clear to the site viewers. Since the site can be loaded in Sinhala and Tamil language as well, it is very easy to every site viewer to understand the content and navigation of the CBSL site. CBSL carries lots of information it carries lots of links but it is reasonable when compare it with the information they carries.  Hence there is an information search button also site search is very easy to the viewers. Every link they posses in the site are consistent and easy to identify.

Final evaluation factor is the content. In the CBSL site major headings are clear. It has used nice blue colour for the background of the site so it makes very user friendly and pleasant also. Their font styles and colours are very consistent throughout the site. They have used flash images to highlight the important information and links. URLs (http://www.cbsl.gov.lk/) are meaningful and user friendly.

My final overall evaluation considering Accessibility, Identity, Navigation and Content about the CBSL web site is very good.

Permission vs. Interruption Marketing

Hello everyone!!!

This is my first blogging experience and since this blog is devoted to Digital Marketing subject I thought of writing my first blog about the Permission Marketing and the Interruption Marketing.

First we’ll look at what Interruption Marketing is

According to the Wikipedia, Interruption marketing is a pejorative term that refers to promoting a product through continued advertising, promotions, public relations and sales. It is considered to be an annoying version of the traditional way of doing marketing whereby companies focus on finding customers through advertising. This can take various forms such as, Telemarketing, Print advertising, Direct mail, E mail spam and television and radio advertisements.

Then what is Permission marketing?

Permission marketing is a term used in marketing in general and e-marketing specifically. Marketers obtain permission before advancing to the next step in the purchasing process. For example, they ask permission to send email newsletters to prospective customers. It is mostly used by online marketers, notably email marketers and search marketers, as well as certain direct marketers who send a catalog in response to a request.

Since there is a strong backslash consumers regarding this interruption marketing more companies have adopt this permission marketing to promote their brands. Here the information about the products is sent only to the consumers who are really interested about the product effectiveness and the response rate of this method is really high because consumers are receiving the information they are asked for. Permission marketing can be offered via the internet, telephone or through the direct mail. These high results of permission marketing can be further enhanced by utilizing database technology and well segmenting the consumer.

There are five steps in permission marketing.

1)  Obtain permission from consumer 

•  Permission is obtained mostly by providing incentives to the consumers such as information, entertainment, gifts or cash.

2)  Offer the consumer an ongoing curriculum that is meaningful.

3)  Reinforce the incentive to continue the relationship.

4)  Increase the level of permission

5)  Leverage the permission to benefit both the parties.

Permission marketing programs have the potential to built strong and ongoing relationships with customers when the program offers something of value to the customer. By featuring Empowerment and Reciprocity the results of the permission marketing can be optimized. Empowerment means consumers believe they have power throughout the relationship and not just the beginning when they agreed to join the program. In order to maintain the positive attitudes consumers should be given the instant rewards along the way. This creates the feeling of reciprocity. One mistake that most of the companies do is rewarding consumers only for joining the company’s permission marketing program. Empowerment and Reciprocity lead the consumer to believe the company values the relationship. This enhance the quality of the program and increases the chances that the consumer will remain an active participant in the program.

Permission vs. interruption marketing

• Permission marketing is more about getting found by customers. The main components of permission marketing include content, search engine optimization and social media.
• With permission marketing, the company is encouraged to build up a long term relationship with   customers which can be beneficial in the long run.
• It allows for a more targeted traffic on websites
• It increases the conversion rates.
• With technology, permission marketing is often considered to be more effective and less costly.
• Interruption marketing techniques are becoming less effective.
• Most people are more accustomed to interruption marketing and this often results in companies spending more of their marketing budgets on outbound marketing. To be able to gain additional advantages, some companies are combining both inbound and outbound marketing and making use of multiple channels to reach a larger audience.

The challenge for marketers

The challenge for marketers is to persuade consumers to volunteer attention - to "raise their hands”. “Permission marketing turns strangers into friends and friends into loyal customers”. “It’s not just about entertainment - it's about education."