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Workload & Capacity July 31st 2020

Workload & Capacity
A quick update on our workload for website design.
Some of you may have noticed across some of our media channels that we are slowly changing direction and some of the services that we offer are going to be withdrawn. Website design is one of these.

We have currently got seven website projects in the pipeline and we are not going to be taking on any more from the end of this month.

Our focus is now on content marketing, SEO and Social. We are still offering website management and hosting for clients as this fits in with our content and media services.

If you need any help with anything to do with your online content marketing, get in touch, and I’d be delighted to talk to you.

Thank you

Phil Aston
Genius Loci Media
Insight Backed marketing without the noise
www.geniusloci.co.uk
+44(0)1736 719342

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Hackers Don’t Work 9-5 and Neither Should your Hosting Company

If your website gets hacked in the evening or weekend, will your hosting company or your website agency be there for you? Or will you get a message saying they will look at it during regular office hours?

Last night we had a luxury hotel that came under sustained attack, the result being they lost control of their website. They found themselves locked out and that their home page was now the doorway to spam downloads.
The website had a premium WordFence security Plugin already in place, but still, it was compromised. Wordfence, when contacted, said they would look at the issue in the morning for a fee of $125!
The hackers had covered their tracks well, and it looked like they had got in via another user account. They had then added additional scripts and set up a ring of protection for themselves.

With the client getting inundated with worried guests and the concern that Google could quickly blacklist them for Spam they got in touch. It was 11.30 pm.

We had a look at the log files on the server and could see suspicious activity had taken place in the previous 24 hours. We quickly decided to roll the website back seven days, including the Database and all files.
Within 30 mins we back in the website.

With this done, we quickly logged in and changed all the passwords and installed two-factor authentification protocols using separate phone apps. Our IT support team then monitored the website through the night. IP addresses were blacklisted, plugins checked and by 1.30 am; everything was fine with any website changes back in place.

By the time the client came back in this morning, everything was back online and working.

I have mentioned many times that some people are surprised that we also offer website hosting. It was never our intention in the beginning but having worked with so many client websites that were underperforming due to cheap shared hosting or had dire support. We started to offer our own.
Our dedicated servers are hosted in the UK, and our IT support is available 24/7 365 days per year. We run a dedicated high-performance server that can text us if someone even looks at it the wrong way!

Your website is at the centre of your online world, imagine what you would do if you lost it all and had to start again? With Genius Loci Media we are already ahead of you, with daily backups kept for a rolling seven days, together with monthly backups kept offsite on separate servers.

  • As you read this are all your plugins up to date?
  • Are all of your Plugins still valid?
  • Are you running the latest version of WordPress?
  • When was the last time you updated your passwords?

Do you even have time to even think about these issues?

Our solution is you won’t need to as our approach is to let you get back to what you do best, while we do the rest.

Phil Aston

Find out more about our hosting packages or call +44(0)1736 719342

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Zoom Weddings with HD Sound

virtual weddings with Zoom

Virtual Weddings

We are working with Classical Strings to help set up high-quality HD audio for Virtual Weddings using Zoom.
This is being achieved using Beyer Mics via a Focusrite audio interface. The sound is then channelled into Logic Pro X and out via Zoom.
Depending on the room the couple is getting married in we can add reverb and EQ to mimic a Church or Cathedral.
For the visual aspect, we will be using a green screen with a projected background to suit the occasion. A high-quality recording will also be made at the same time to be used as a wedding gift.

Phil
Genius Loci Media
Digital Marketing Support
www.geniusloci.co.uk
+(0)1736 719342

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A situation only becomes favourable when one adapts to it

Cornwall SEO Agency

 

“A situation only becomes favourable when one adapts to it”
In May 2004 we started our own business in Cornwall.

When we started we saw our initial business plan collapse within weeks and we had to quickly pivot to ensure we did not lose our business and our house. This taught us a lot and gave us the tools and skills to adapt quickly to change.

With Covid-19 appearing, we thought we were facing a similar dilemma.
However, a phrase that worked back then also worked this time around.

“A situation only becomes favourable when one adapts to it” ( I Ching)

Now as we head towards our anniversary date we are thankful to our current clients for their support and happy to say we are now expanding the business globally with new clients, ideas and services.

NB: Although Genius Loci Media is our main business name, as well as the Digital Agency it also includes Classical Strings Weddings, Sue Aston Music, Now Spinning and Yoga at Work.
One day we will write our story to help others who may be thinking of starting their own business.

Phil Aston

Genius Loci Media | Digital Marketing Support | +44(0)1736 719342

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Digital Marketing Masterclass with Phil Aston

Very honoured to have been asked to be on ‘The Thaducation Podcast’ with Thad Cox

In this podcast, I tell our story about how Genius Loci Media was set up, the risks we took, the mistakes we made, how we learnt to pivot when required and then go on to become a very successful Digital Agency.

I also cover lots of tips on how to use Social Media and promote yourself using digital media.

Phil

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Get Back To What You Do Best – While We help with The Rest

Ideas are easy; it is the execution and implementation that is harder.

It is the same when creating content for your website and social media. You might type your thoughts into a Facebook or Linkedin post, but when it comes to your website, I see many people just put this off.

This approach results in a mixed message where your website seems to be behind your other online activities and can be confusing to your customers

One of our clients said “I have the ideas, but I don’t have the time to think about the SEO elements, source or resize images or worry about layout.”

We take your ideas, publish them on your website (and social media), look after the SEO, layout, and can even suggest subjects for you to write about if you need them!
Our approach is to take away the worry so you can be creative, look after your customers while we look after your online world.

Please give me a call to see how we can help you and your business.

Phil Aston

T : +44(0)1736 719342

blogging advice - website and wordpress management

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Hacking Working From Home with Phil Aston

I have been working from home since 2004. In this interview with Timothy Hughes, I talk about my approach, self-discipline and the equipment I use to create our online content and video.

In the video

  1. The routines

  2. The tools

  3. The hacks

Phil Aston

Genius Loci Media

01736 719342

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Don’t Put All Your Marketing into one Social Media Platform

Don’t Build Your Empire on Rented Land
I work with a lot of clients who have started out on several platforms and then through seeing initial success ended up putting all their efforts into one.
This is never a good idea, algorithms can change, the rules can change and the audience may go elsewhere.

It is very important to spread your content and energy across several platforms and most importantly keep your website at the centre of operations.

I am currently working with a client who has nearly 100% of their business on Instagram and has had their account blocked for a few days due to using a 3rd party App. Their engagement had dropped considerably due to changes within Instagram already and now they need to build their brand elsewhere and really focus on SEO and getting a more professional website in place.

Putting all your marketing eggs in one basket is not a good idea

The point to remember is if you lose your presence on a social media platform you lose all your content, connections and history. Remember Google Plus!
Your website should always be where your content is shared from or at least also available.

From experience, many social media posts could easily be tweaked to be Blog posts.

Don't Build Your Empire on Rented Land

Social Media Marketing Support | SEO for Your Website

by Phil Aston Phil Aston No Comments

Instagram Least Interacted With Category

Instagram Adds New Category Listings Under ‘Following’

(Video 2.5mins)

This lets you see who you have ‘Least Interacted With’ and which accounts get the most visibility in your feed. It does not tell you who has stopped following you but you can tidy up your account by disconnecting with accounts that are no longer active.

Phil Aston
Genius Loci
Media Digital Marketing Support

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Don’t Build Your Entire Business on one Social Media Platform

In the last few weeks, I have seen and heard of various Instagram, Facebook Pages and Twitter accounts being blocked or disabled for various reasons.

The support these platforms give is next to zero so it can be very hard to get an account back online. As the platforms start to block third party Apps and any form of automation the social media platforms can easily mistake your activity as gaming the system.

For example on Instagram if you like too many posts too quickly you can have your account disabled for being spammy or get asked to change your password as it will think you are using third party Apps. In fact, even logging in form from a different device or app can trigger a warning now.

Another client came to me after their Facebook Ad Account was disabled and their page was taken down. There is no explanation when this happens and no support. The only thing we could see is that the wording on an offer was slightly different on the landing page. It could have been Facebook or a someone just reporting the Ad, that is all it takes. Facebook’s response was to delete the page and start again.
Eventually, I was able to get the account back online but it took over 3 weeks.

I see more and more business putting all their efforts into one platform, this is very dangerous as you are building your business on borrowed land. All it needs is the algorithm to change and your traffic could reduce dramatically. A good example is again Instagram who have now stopped showing posts in order and given more emphasis on paid Ads. The removal of likes will also have an effect on how people interact with you.

What Should You Do?

My advice is to keep your website updated, do not forget to share from there. If you have written a post on social media then create a blog post. It takes time but nurture your audience on several platforms, include video and ensure you invest in SEO for your website.

Do not put your eggs (revenue streams) in one basket.

Phil

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