by Yannis Marcou 
|June 14th, 2010
Offering full support to management teams is how Montagu Private Equity creates strong partnerships that lead to successful deals.
Montagu hired digital B2B agency Skyron and branding consultancy To The Point to take this message to its diversified group of audiences, by creating effective digital touch points through a new corporate website and an appropriate digital communications strategy. A targeted tone of voice, video testimonials, portfolio news aggregation and an introduction to the unique Full Potential Plan, will form components of the communication strategy that will help Montagu find new opportunities and secure management backing.
Together, Skyron’s results-driven approach to digital communications and To The Point’s brand expertise will ensure that Montagu receives maximum value from this partnership.
by Yannis Marcou |June 12th, 2010
Skyron is a busy and growing digital communications agency in SE1, London. We have a fantastic client list and a great portfolio. Our services include web development, online marketing, SEO and analytics.
About the role
- You will work on a variety of web projects including campaign sites, content management systems and bespoke online business applications.
- You will be developing, implementing and maintaining .NET Content Management Systems including open source solutions (e.g. Umbraco).
- You will ensure that solutions are implemented according to the functional and technical specifications as well as development standards and best practices.
- You will work with the creative team and help generate original ideas and you will get the opportunity to explore, experiment and implement diverse technical solutions.
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by Yannis Marcou |May 30th, 2010
Crossing arms has never been the same since I read Persuasion (James Borg, 2007, Pearson Education). I strongly recommend the book for its great insights into body language, memory control and conversational dexterity.
This great infographic is another reminder of how important both mastering and interpreting non-verbal communication is and also how many times we come across people in meetings who get it so wrong. Showing some renewed interest in the topic, I also dug up this recent and fascinating BBC documentary on persuasion – remember S.P.I.C.E.!
by Yannis Marcou |May 25th, 2010
Good branding, relevant content and clear navigation lead to valuable user experiences that can drive revenue generation.
Within two months from launch, the Baker Tilly International website (designed, developed and supported by Skyron) landed a substantial new business opportunity. A Global FTSE 100 company looking for tax compliance and advisory services in 25 European countries reviewed Baker Tilly International member firms’ relevant credentials on the new website. The experience and content provided on the website were compelling enough for the prospect to contact Baker Tilly International and initiate discussions, despite having little previous knowledge of the accountancy network.
The purpose of the website is to capture new business and interest and channel these to the appropriate Baker Tilly International member firms around the world.
by Yannis Marcou |May 9th, 2010
Your organisation is an unstoppable content generation machine. Whether you are in technology, telecommunications, publishing, financial or professional services, think about how much content you produce: news, press releases, research reports, white papers, case studies, insights, sales presentations, proposals, copy for your brochures, websites, products, solutions, manuals and the list goes on. Usually, content appears to just happen; nobody plans it, nobody owns it and nobody is checking to see if anyone out there is reading.
Typical pains associated with arbitrary content generation are:
- Product managers focus on feature jargon only they can understand
- Strategy people tend to turn thoughts into dissertations
- The company website’s copy was more or less copied from the previous website
- No one knows if anyone reads the case studies on the website and if they add any value
- Is a white paper better off as a registration sweetener or reward?
- The PR agency is writing some stuff for the news section, but they don’t understand SEO
- A work experience person wrote the LinkedIn company description; he even misspelled the company’s name
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by Robert Anderson |April 25th, 2010
RingRing Media, the fast growing international mobile media agency, has appointed Skyron to shape and promote their brand, proposition and services to a global audience with a new website. The website will convey the company’s ethos, global reach, multinational clients and focus on delivering value via a visually rich interactive experience.
RingRing Media manages international multi-million dollar mobile campaigns for some of the world’s largest brands.
by Yannis Marcou |April 23rd, 2010
I used to like the sales funnel. It made sense, was easy to understand, and had universal appeal. Unfortunately, the sales funnel has had its day. The world of marketing and business development has moved on and the funnel is not an accurate representation of the sales process anymore. Here are 3 reasons why:
It’s a one way process
Some people do remember to add the last bit at the bottom that says “repeat”, but very few remember to act on it. And considering the comment we often hear from marketing directors, “we could do a lot more to reduce churn”, the funnel definitely points in a single direction, and that’s down.
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by Yannis Marcou |April 16th, 2010
The website of News International Commercial (NIC – the trade marketing arm of NI) is a typical B2B exercise. It promotes the brand, showcases products and features case studies, news, insights and contact information. And like a lot of other B2B websites it could easily be left to its own devices condemned to a sad life of brochureware insignificance. Such neglected B2B sites, and there are quite a few around, act like a black hole where an unspecified number of users go in and out, but nobody knows what they get up to – and consequently nobody has with any idea how to make any money from them. So when the strategy behind the NIC website was drafted, Skyron advised the marketing team on the commercial benefits of analytics. Everyone agreed that to extract maximum value from the effort and money invested, a closer monitoring of the website’s performance would be the way forward.
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by Yannis Marcou |April 9th, 2010
What adjectives would you use to describe Alexandr Orlov (the meerkat)? Probably something like: charming, endearing, chatty, witty, strong-minded, cultivated, accomplished. Exactly the person you would want to front your social media activities. Someone who blends the right personality, aptitude, status and knowledge to get out there and write your company blog, discuss on twitter, debate on LinkedIn, or charm the cameras on YouTube. Just like Alexandr, these mythical creatures are hard to come by. So what choices do you have?
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