31/10/17 o

14 Things That Terrify The 21Digital Team ?

halloween blog

Halloween is here! Amongst all the zombies and witches, ghosts and ghouls, the team here at 21Digital Agency is getting into the spirit of things (if you’ll pardon the pun). We’ve searched through our own nightmares for this special Halloween blog post, which reveals all our deepest fears – as well as the scariest facts about our industry.

sam fletcher

Sam Fletcher – Marketing Director

Deepest fear:

Since the childhood, I’ve been terrified of bulls. It all stems from a family holiday I took – I was hiking with my family in the Pyrenees (a mountain range between France and Spain) when I got too close to one of them. It ran toward me and stabbed me in the back with one of its horns. Obviously I got away OK, but I’ve still got the scar!

Scary marketing fact or statistic:

The average business loses 14% of its customer base each year. It might seem incredible, but it’s true! It’s not as frightening as it first sounds, though; mainly, this statistic underlines the importance of retaining your existing customers by constantly finding new ways to communicate and engage with them. Alongside that, it’s vital to invest in solid, effective marketing strategies so that you’re always attracting new customers.


steven taylor

Steve Taylor – Creative Director

Deepest fear:

I’d say I have a phobia of clowns. I had my appendix out at the age of 10, and while I was in hospital my dad recorded a film for me to watch when I got back home. Little did I know that it was the film IT, based off the book by Stephen King. I still have the odd clown-based nightmare, and to be honest, the release of the remake hasn’t helped.

Scary marketing fact or statistic:

For me, it has to be the fact that 94% of first impressions are design-related. This really means the pressure’s on for designers like Ryan and myself to craft stunning, quality websites that capture the user’s attention right from the very first second. No matter what kind of site it is, good design should never be a secondary concern.


michael cain

Michael Cain – Technical Director

Deepest fear:

I wouldn’t say I’m scared of anything as such, but if I was forced to put my finger on something I’d say that I’m not particularly fond of heights. Apart from going upstairs, day-to-day life doesn’t force me to come face-to-face with heights very often, so all in all I’d say I do quite well in the Halloween season.

Scary marketing fact or statistic:

According to a study by a leading industry authority, 40% of customers will leave a website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. Countless business owners underestimate just how much of an effect this can have on bounce rates to their websites, and this statistic underlines how important it is that a site looks and functions beautifully well right from the word go. When you think about this together with Steven’s statistic, it goes to show how crucial first impressions are online!


ryan coe

Ryan Coe – Graphic & Web Designer

Deepest fear:

I’m fine with most creepy crawlies, but I definitely don’t like spiders all that much. We caught one scuttling quite recently around the 21Digital Agency offices, and though I didn’t have nightmares or anything, it did mean we were all checking under our feet for the next few weeks afterward!

Scary marketing fact or statistic:

75% of judgements on a website’s credibility are based on its design. Once again, it shows that out of all aspects for a website, its design comes first. If your website is poorly designed or difficult to navigate, customers will dismiss your credibility. That’s not to say copy, functionality and similar factors aren’t important, but if the design isn’t up to scratch, other factors won’t be enough to recover your customers’ perception of your business.


ben earnshaw

Ben Earnshaw – Marketing Executive

Deepest fear:

I’m lucky enough never to have encountered my worst fear up close and personal, but for mine I’d have to say snakes. I don’t know where it comes from as I’ve never actually seen one in the flesh, but I absolutely can’t stand them. There’s not that many here in England, thankfully, but we’ve still got the occasional adder lurking in the English countryside. I always watch where I’m walking on grass, just in case.

Scary marketing fact or statistic:

This is one for business owners; since June 2016, Facebook’s algorithm has been prioritising personal posts from friends and family in your newsfeed, rather than those of businesses. Meanwhile, organic posts by businesses have been slowly sinking down the hierarchy, replaced by boosted posts instead.

Effectively, this means that it’s getting more and more difficult for companies to engage with Facebook users through organic posts, and Facebook’s steering them toward investments instead. Not everyone’s happy about that, but the fact remains; it’s increasingly true that the only way for businesses to engage with Facebook users is by investing a little.


ashley chaplin

Ashley Chaplin – Head of Search Marketing

Deepest fear:

It’s perhaps not one everyone would choose, but I absolutely hate frogs. They look horrible, they feel horrible, and very occasionally they’re poisonous. When I was younger I used to work in maintaining people’s gardens, and when I was using the hedge strimmer I sometimes used to accidentally disturb them. Startled, they’d leap into the air, sometimes toward the strimmer’s blades, and… I’ll leave you to work out the implications of that one.

Scary marketing fact or statistic:

75% of people never scroll past the first page of search results. This is quite a well-known one, but it’s still as relevant as it always was! This stat emphasises just how much business you could be losing unless you invest in a sound SEO strategy. Google releases new updates and algorithms all the time (often without announcing them), so a good SEO strategy is constantly evolving to keep up with market trends.


jack stocker

Jack Stocker – Copywriter

Deepest fear:

My deepest fear is particularly literal for me; sharks were the bane of my existence when I was younger. I’m not quite sure where the fear originated – I’m guessing a documentary I saw in passing, since I never saw Jaws (and still won’t). Whatever the case, I couldn’t be left in a swimming pool alone throughout my childhood, as my overly-active imagination would always conjure a phantom shark, powering towards me from the murky blueness of the pool’s deep end…

Scary marketing fact or statistic:

Marketers who maintain an active blog are 13 times more likely to generate an excellent ROI (return on investment) for their marketing spend, since constantly updating your site with fresh new content is a great way to engage with your users. What’s more, consistently providing value to your users is also great from an SEO point of view, as it’s one of the factors that Google takes into account with its Quality Score, which affects your rankings in its search results.

Don’t worry though – if there’s anything about the digital world that still scares you, you can count on our team here to provide a helping hand. 21Digital Agency all-under-one-roof service offering allows us to handle any and all of your marketing needs. Our services include Web Development, Web Design and Google AdWords (PPC) – and that’s just a few! Be sure to give the office a call on 01254 660 560, or email us at hello@21digital.agency to find out how we can help you make it on the web!

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter: @21Digital_Ltd

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