Are you tempted to start a business?

This appeals to me a lot.  If something seems impossible then you just need to try harder to find a way to make it work.

These great sentiments and graphics are from the Be Your Own Boss programme fronted by Innocent entrepreneur Richard Reed. http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/beyourownboss

Interestingly they have set up an investment company - so if you are struggling with funding from a bank, try these guys.

I tripped over all this on Twitter and need to share with you a first in my Twitter usage.  It is the first time that I have ever paid any attention to a promoted tweet.

I don't follow many links on Twitter, unless I know the person/business that has posted the link.  So there you have it - a perfect example of how powerful a brand can be.  Will I watch the programme?  

Well, I missed the first one .... but I am definitely following @jamjarinvest

Small business web sites - bite sized pieces

Yesterday I gave a workshop to a few WiRE members who wanted to get to grips with their websites. The desired outcome was a list of changes they could brief their web designer on. During the session I was reminded again how important it is that a business owner considers a web site as a three part project.

Content - Look - Build
(navigation is a core consideration of each of these).

• content falls into the realms of 'marketing communications' . I would urge clients to bash some wording about in a word processing package before they even consider contacting a 'web designer'. Start to section it in a way that makes sense to your reader to help them navigate through your information. 
• the look of the site requires design and branding skill. Your web site is a highly visible application of your brand. Select some images or take some photos that will resonate with your readers. 
• Building the site is the techy bit, which is where most 'web designers' (in most cases web technician is a better description) are most comfortable. Web technicians are brilliant if they have a great brief they can comment on - hence the importance of business owners taking responsibility for the two points above. 

A website needn't be a huge elephantine project. Break it into these bite sized chunks. Contract the support or learn the DIY toolset to help you put it together and manage it. Conduct a strategic review to ensure it meets your marketing needs.

If you would like to join our next group 2 hour strategic review workshop or have your own private review session please email us.

advertising with AIDA impact

We'll make your advertising work hard . . . here's how!

Have you heard of AIDA?

Your advertising needs to be eye-catching with something that grabs attention, like an image or a bold statement.

random image - made you look tho

Once you've caught someone's attention, you need to stimulate their interest to delve deeper - key messages in bold text and in image captions often work well.  These teasers need to mean something to the readers or they will quickly lose interest again.

The idea is that they quickly understand what it's all about and engage with what you are saying.  This is the make or break moment for your copy.  What you are saying has to resonate enough with the emotions of your potential buyers for them to take action.  This means that you have to create a sense of desire that motivates them.  You need to share the joys that the benefits of your product or service will bring.  At the same time they have to have a clear understanding of all the facts.  So think about exactly what they need to know.

By this stage they have breezed rapidly along an emotional journey, supported by fact, and have alighted at the point of decision.  To take action now, or not to take action?  Yikes - you don't want to mess up now!  Keep them on track . . ..What will swing the reader to jump into gear and not leave it til later?  Quick, can you think of a limited offer, a consequence, some way to motivate them to start loving the thing you are offering ...soonest?   If you can't quite think of something, I know for certain that we can.

We have ideas aplenty, and lots of experience to back it up.  So email us now at marketing@henmore.co.uk and let's put some refreshing sparkle into your advertising.

Marketing and use of Social Media

Henmore's virtuous circle of marketing communications diagram illustrates the marketing challenges businesses need to address.

During the workshops this week we helped businesses with the use of Social Media in their marketing.  Participants came armed with laptops and applied changes to their online presence during the workshop.  I am driven by a determination to help businesses translate ideas into workable strategies, that they succeed in putting into action, gaining desired results. It is not enough for me to see people scribbling notes of their good intentions, because I have experienced those intentions myself and subsequently lost the piece of paper (or the good intentions).  We all know about this inevitable loss of momentum.  That's why I like interactive workshops and year plus programmes like our Marketing Club.

Last week people in the room were there to make changes.  But of course we worked our way towards that part of the workshop.  First of all we looked at the challenges faced by businesses in generic terms, referencing Henmore's much-referred-to trademark diagram (as shown above).  Each workshop participant in the room articulated the particular marketing communications challenges that were a priority for them.  Then we took action on the laptops.

I am sure someone once advised it is high risk to present live in an environment of children, animals and IT.  We only had live IT, and it seemed to work OK on this occasion.

As presenter and facilitator I really enjoyed the sessions and the enthusiasm of the business owners in the room.  I would like to thank everyone for all the positive comments and the reviews and recommendations that we have received as a result.  And I would like to thank Jane Stretton at Dove Studios for the refreshments and the perfectly functioning IT connections.

If you would like to join one of our marketing and social media training courses in Staffordshire or Derbyshire please check our upcoming events or sign up to receive email invitations.

pdf downloads

We have spent the week reviewing and revising most of the pdf download materials for one of our clients. It was quite a fiddly job, with close collaboration between client, copy writer and graphic designer (our web designer has yet to do his bit and upload them all to the client's site).

Many of the pdfs had been in circulation for a while and needed the content editing to reflect new sales messages. To complete the set we researched and wrote new copy for both fact sheets and case studies. Meanwhile on the design side, the client's corporate image has evolved over the years and the pdf fact sheets and case studies now looked dated. It was time for a new template style to be designed and implemented across the whole set. They are now all proofed and with the client for approval or amendment.

Whilst working on this project we received a call from one of our printers wondering if there were any printing projects on the way. I confessed that these pdfs are unlikely to be printed because our client makes them available from their web site and uses them to email to potential clients. Posting printed material is a bit last century.