What We Say

At the end of last year Tshikululu approached Virtuosa with a desire to reinvent their online presence and to create a position of thought leadership in the industry.

Last month the world watched with concern as this tragedy unfolded in Haiti. As social media and the Digital World took center stage it reminded us of our humanity.

Crowdsourcing might sound like another one of these jargon words that only the digital guys use to try and impress everybody else around them. But it’s actually a very real and important business idea.

"Thanks to Virtuosa our school ended the year off on a great note" - Witkoppen School, Principal

The big question for the year to come is how will real time search affect the internet? Our Search Marketing team looks at this and other trends for 2010.

Is this the year for big things in design and development? Will we finally be saying goodbye to IE6? Our team shares some thoughts on this topic.

In 2009 we saw the continued growth of social media with Twitter becoming increasingly popular and Facebook surpassing 150 million monthly active users. What can we expect in 2010?

Great news for all South Africans is that Google officially launched its Maps service in South Africa.

The pace at which Search Engine Optimization is changing is enough to make anybody's head spin. Well, it is probably not as bad as that, but in our fast paced technological world, we are constantly finding it hard to stay ahead.

If you look at the history of pay per click as a medium for online marketing one realises just how rapidly things have changed and are still constantly evolving. The good news is that this evolution is positive and making life easier for the PPC specialist (like myself). It is through this ever developing landscape that a harmonious and fruitful partnership between marketer and client can begin.

As specialists in online strategy and eMarketing we recognize the need to provide this credibility and are proud to say that Virtuosa is now an accredited Adwords Company, this means that we are officially qualified by Google to advertise online

Virtuosa presented to Heronbridge College about eMarketing careers. Watch the presentation here

Life is impossible without the internet! Well, maybe our opinion is a bit subjective considering that our business is digital marketing. But think about it, at least 5 years ago this phrase sounded shocking. Life is impossible without parents, friends, and relationships many would tell you. But the reality is most people can’t live without their families and whether they would want to admit to it or not, without modern technologies as well.

Any business owner will confess to the fact that regardless of all the other marketing tools around word-of-mouth is one of the most powerful forms (good or bad) a business can get. The experience of one customer can have a strong influence on your reputation with any number of potentially new (or even existing) customers.

So you have realized that there is definitely value in tracking your brand or company online, but you don’t know where to start. What do you track, who do you track to get the right information that will provide you with valuable input? We look at some key influencers that every company should keep an eye on

Sounds like something out of a Steven Spielberg movie? Don’t worry you are not alone in your thinking, this is brand new technology that has finally stepped out of the box. It’s being written about more and more, especially by marketing people and in the last month it has been mentioned at least 5 times an hour on Twitter. So what is Augmented Reality and why should you care?

Augmented Reality is still quite new, but that hasn’t stopped some innovative agencies tapping into the technology to promote their client’s products.

So why does a company or brand need to be visible online? We look at several reasons that make it essential to play in this space

How do you build cost-effective Internet marketing strategies? Given that the Internet is such a young advertising medium, it’s possible to take many wrong steps but it’s also possible to be innovating and radically change how consumers perceive and interact with your brand. We give you some advice on how to make it work in a tough economy for your brand or company.

Recently, one of our clients asked whether the cost of banner advertising is feasible and whether we are receiving “bang for our buck”. This question arises mostly when the standard online display advertising reporting figures are analysed, such as impressions, clicks, click through rate and even cost per click.

Digital marketing has brought along many changes and at the top of the list is consumer behavior. This change in behavior is providing the opportunity for the consumers to engage with the brand irrespective of the advertising message. So when putting together your digital strategy you need to consider the expectations and habits of your consumers. Here are a couple of important things to remember

Hospitality Property Fund, which own over 20 properties in South Africa have embraced online as a key component of their marketing mix especially for their internationally branded properties, Crowne Plaza Johannesburg -The Rosebank and Holiday Inn Sandton.

Online marketing can transform the profitability of a business, but many marketing directors are so confused by the massive range of marketing techniques and technologies they’re unable to get started. So let's take a step back, the starting point of what you want to do online needs to be a plan based on what you want to achieve. Do you want to build Brand awareness? Are you trying to generate leads? Or is it to find out what consumers are thinking about your product that is being launched?

The experts, it turns out, were right. The internet continues to spread across the world with incredible fervor. It’s not just a matter anymore of having a presence online but you have to carefully consider who your target market is and how the best way will be to reach and engage with them.

There are many factors that play a role in search engine rankings some mentioned in our summary introduction to SEO "The Basics of Search Engine Optimisation". Here are a few "on-site" optimisation factors that are critical for better search engine rankings that could help you increase your chances of success.

Nick de Klerk, responsible for Business Development & Strategy chatted to one of our clients Joe du Plooy (Marketing Director of Tiger Wheel and Tyre) about their online marketing efforts and especially the role of Search Engine Optimisation.

SEO is an extremely cost effective way of generating new business to your site. This method rewards relevant, proactive websites that add value to a consumer. With the incentive of a top ranking spot on Google, time spent optimising is of immeasurable value.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is essentially a marketing technique modifying websites to enhance their chances of being listed in the top results of search engines – the higher a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine. Wikipedia describes SEO as the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a website from search engines. Quite a few factors need to be taken into account when optimising a website.

Melt du Plooy our Search Marketing Manager sat and chatted to Edwin Swan , one of our Clients to talk about a recent campaign, Smitten with Football, we ran for Edwin. (Edwin Swan is the SA Country Manager for VisitBritain).

When using PPC, you'll be able to reach your customers at the precise moment they're looking for your products and you only reach people interested in your products. It is versatile in application and can be used for a variety of campaigns depending on the objectives.

First off you may not really know what PPC is so we start with a short description from Wikipedia: "PPC is an Internet advertising model used on search engines, advertising networks, and content sites, such as blogs, in which advertisers pay their host only when their ad is clicked. With search engines, advertisers typically bid on keyword phrases relevant to their target market. Content sites commonly charge a fixed price per click rather than use a bidding system."

Although we love to talk, we believe that it's also important to show you some examples of our work including client feedback and actual results! We have been involved with the Chef Direct project from conception, working very closely with the client, Jonathan Akal and Master Chef Regev Afek to produce the best creative solution for their Brand.

There is one thing that all websites have in common and that is content. The manner in which you present your content however is critical in terms of retaining the visitor and converting that visitor into a buyer

In 2008 Reputation Management emerged as a key focus area for companies and individuals alike to consider. Do you know if you have an online reputation? If you have an online reputation, did you manage it during the year? If you don't know if you have one, well, that's probably not good either.

How many South African users are visiting local sites? Would it surprise you to know that almost half of the total traffic on domestic sites is actually from international visitors?

It is astounding to see the amount of bad copywriting that exist online, ranging from content on websites to PPC adverts. The importance of producing high-quality copy can never be underestimated in the online world. But how do you go about creating effective attention-grabbing copy?

Adobe´s Flash is one program pushing the boundaries of interactive design. Gone are the days where Flash was simply used to develop boring and often irritating introductions to sites. It allows designers and developers to build truly interactive sites, draw content from content management systems and therefore has become much more than just a simple aesthetic element in sites.

Gone are the days that the way you dress or greet a person helps to form a first impression. These days the odds are that your one shot of making that all important first impression have been shattered before you even walk through the door of a prospective new client or business colleague.

Pixel8 Studios has undertaken a recent project together with Luisa Mazinter that pushed the boundaries of design in many ways. This resulted as possible one of the most technically challenging projects that we have undertaken.