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UKFast Websight - May 2009
Dear Newsletter Subscriber,
Welcome to May's Websight. To stay on top of our game we are always reviewing our procedures and this goes for our newsletter too. So this month we have made a few further changes to its look which we hope will enable you to garner more value in less time.
So this month we have the usual mix of UKFast and industry news to keep you up to date plus more insight from our experts on how to boost your business further. Our new 'enhance your solution' section gives you the insider knowledge on how to maximise your UKFast service, while the 'expert opinion' reveals the under-appreciated value of sponsorship as a marketing medium.
We hope you enjoy May's new look Websight.
Best regards,
UKFast
- UKFast news - Sale Sharks complete world-class signings with UKFast In the largest deal in their history Guinness Premiership high-flyers Sale Sharks have added hosting star UKFast to their stable as main sponsor.
- UKFast blog - twitting money - chapter two About a month ago I blogged about the possibility of Twitter becoming a viable commercial venture for its owners.
- UKFast blog - Google forges on as Yahoo throws in the towel In the past week it has been suggested that search goliath Google is ready to anger some of the business world all over again by ramping up the ante on its controversial Adwords rules.
- data breach costs swell The cost of data breaches for UK firms has risen from an average of £47 per record in 2007 to £60 in 2008, according to a new survey.
- phishers hit Twitter The microblogging service was hit by two different rounds of phishing, as criminals tried to take control of user accounts and then use them as a springboard to attack others.
- broadband "notspots" revealed by BBC The BBC has commissioned research and has found that about three million homes in the UK have broadband speeds of less than two megabits per second (2Mbps).
security audits
Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance is becoming more prevalent for online businesses, especially for ecommerce sites. So having effective auditing in your hosting infrastructure has become a key requirement.
The UKFast ProProtection package incorporates a yearly security audit to help you tick the relevant boxes within your PCI Compliance Self-Assessment. Our bespoke audits are fully supported by our expert technicians who are on hand to go through the report and make recommendations on what changes you need to ensure full compliance.
The report will give you a breakdown of what ports are open to your solution from our systems, what software is running on these ports and any potential vulnerabilities that may be exposed. Engineers will then work with you to ensure that only the necessary services are running on your solution - bringing you closer to full compliance. They will also make sure that identified enhancements will be implemented without affecting your service.
Get more information on enhancing your solution with PROprotection security audits.
sponsorship - dynamic advertising
Following the signing of a three year headline sponsorship deal with the Sale Sharks, UKFast communications director Jonathan Bowers explores the virtues of choosing sponsorship as a key marketing strategy.
A sponsorship of this scale doesn't come cheap but when it equates to effective marketing and advertising it is worth the venture. One of the key reasons for UKFast employing a strategic accountant last year was to make calculated decisions about investment into future growth. Our deal with the Sharks comes at a time of tightening budgets for many but those who have saved over the years and have positive cash flow can now gain valuable exposure that puts them ahead of their competitors.
We are always talking about gaining a competitive edge through your hosting and this opportunity represents another way to 'get the edge.' We mustn't forget that those who emerge from this recession tunnel the strongest will be the businesses of the future.
so why invest in sponsorship?
Our deal with the Sharks is a dynamic, multi-faceted advertising tool that offers excellent exposure and return on investment. Unlike conventional advertising media, sponsorship offers a huge variety of opportunities to get your brand out there. It provides the means to connect with partners and potential clients in engaging ways that highlight our own core attributes and values and generate the spark that sets us apart.
what do the Sharks offer to UKFast?
We have partnered with the Sharks for nearly a decade, initially as a technical sponsor and then growing this involvement gradually. We therefore know the huge benefits that come from the association and have experienced the opportunities afforded by a relatively small financial investment on our part. The new deal grows this exponentially.Firstly, we will have the opportunity to host around 400 guests at Edgeley Park each season, enabling us to cement stronger relationships with more clients than ever before. The prestige of main sponsor will also allow us to connect face-to-face with 500 other guests across the hospitality suites every game. All theses people are potential future clients and a large percentage are business decision makers (MDs, CEOs, CFOs, directors, owners etc.).
Secondly, there is the exposure of our brand. As main sponsor the UKFast logo will be prominently placed around the Sharks' Edgeley Park stadium on advertising hoardings in clear view to the 10,000 strong crowd. Our name will also be emblazoned on the chests of the players, making it clear to fans in the stadium, to TV audiences, on any pictures taken of the players and of course to anyone who buys a replica shirt.
Thirdly, there is the online exposure. As part of our long-term partnership we have built and maintained the Shark's website for some time and we have just launched a brand new site to coincide with the sponsorship deal. The benefits of this arrangement are also considerable. Our name will be highly visible on salesharks.com with links back to our site, enabling us to draw on the core ABC1online traffic visiting the Sharks.
what is the potential audience?
Further to the live stadium audience, the potential exposure of our brand through the Sharks sponsorship is immense. In addition to the regular 10,000 at Edgeley Park, the UKFast logo will be seen on pitches across the British Isles and in France and Italy. And if they make a final the stadium audience could be up to 80,000 people.
In terms of TV, up to a quarter of a million viewers will see our brand each time the Sharks are featured on Sky Sports in the Guinness Premiership or Heineken Cup. The audience is also international, with coverage in Ireland, France, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and USA.
In recent years the Anglo-Welsh cup on the BBC has also offered peak audiences of 1.2 million and further exposure is achieved through ITV's Tuesday night Premiership highlights package. This equates to being seen by 10 million viewers each season.
And things are on the increase. The average Premiership attendance was up 10% last season. In addition, the average audience for a live Guinness Premiership match on Sky Sports is up by 15% on the figure in season 2006/7.
Complimenting TV coverage is of course print exposure. As main sponsors we will enjoy prominent positioning in the Sharks' match programmes. The Sharks regularly feature in the Manchester Evening News, which has a circulation of around 180,000, and get back page pride of place in the Sale Messenger and both Stockport local papers.
In terms of national exposure, the Sharks feature regularly in the broadsheets as well as a plethora of rugby magazines, including England Rugby, Rugby World, International Rugby News and The Rugby Paper. Of these, the biggest, Rugby World, has a regular readership of 50,000 per issue.
so have we made the right decision?
While we have happily invested a sizeable part of our marketing budget in sponsoring the Sharks, all the reciprocal exposure we will achieve over a three year period actually brings to mind the phrase 'publicity money can't buy'.
Sponsorship, particularly in rugby, offers a fantastic return on investment that other forms of marketing cannot touch. I highly recommend considering it and don't just take my word for it. The Sharks' previous main sponsor, international anti-virus software developer McAfee, said it was the best marketing decision it ever made.
UKFast, the UK's speediest online network, has this month discovered that the fastest ever:
Human is Jamaican Sprinter Usain Bolt who broke the World Record in the 100 meter dash at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing with a time of 9.69 seconds.
Vehicle was The Thrust SSC (Supersonic Car) which achieved a speed of 763 mph in 1997.
Spacecraft was the Apollo 10 capsule which achieved a record of Mach 36 or 24,790mph in 1969.
We hope you found that this month's redesign offered you more value. We'll be back next month with more helpful tips and all the major June talking points. Until then...
Best wishes,
UKFast
