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#MarketingTitbits – Small Biz Saturday, Cow Waterbeds, Stats

SBS-Waterbeds-stats-small1. Small Business Saturday comes to the UK
Small Business Saturday is already a $5.5 billion phenomenon in the United Sates, which began in 2010. Despite this, it has only just made its way over to the UK. It’s UK debut was last Saturday (7thDecember) and it hopes to raise the profile of local UK business, encouraging shoppers to consider local businesses when purchasing.

The idea was launched by American Express who helped to introduce it to the UK. They worked hard with digital marketing alongside local authorities to promote it throughout the UK. James Caan and David Cameron are backing Small Business Saturday and we think it is a great concept! To read more, click here.

2. What you can learn from a cow waterbed company

Dean Throndsen is an American dairy farmer who has dedicated his life to the comfort of cows. Dairy cows lie down for up to 14 hours a day and in the past it has been difficult to find a way to protect them from the weather as well as giving them the ability to lie down, without getting sores on their legs.

Dean then came up with the ingenious idea of cow waterbeds. They are long lasting, practical, comfortable for the cows and hygienic. Now, we’re obviously not suggesting that you start up your own cow waterbed business, although it might not be a bad idea. We found a great article from Entrepreneur about the things that you can learn from DCC Waterbeds, to read more click here.

3. 20 impressive social media statistics

Last week we found a great article from Econsultancy, which highlighted 20 mind blowing social media statistics from 2010 compared to 2013. Did you know in 2010 Twitter had only 75 million users, it now has 883 million. To read the other 19 statistics, click here.

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TLC Business Marketing Seminar 2013

Last Thursday, TLC Business hosted our annual marketing seminar at Southampton Science Centre. This year, we focused on ‘Marketing for SMEs in 2014’. The guests were treated to a working lunch, tackling topics such as:

 

  • Digital vs. traditional marketing
  • SEO – what Hummingbird means for marketers
  • Why your marketing isn’t working
  • Moving with the times
  • Top marketing tips all SMEs should know

 

TLC Business Director, Joshua Spencer, said “Each year we like to tackle the marketing topics our clients and contacts are most interested in, this year this was overwhelmingly digital marketing and all that it entails. We try to translate the information into an easily accessible format, which is relevant for SMEs. I hope we achieved this. ”

 

We were delighted to receive excellent feedback, below are just a few examples and 100% of people stated they would recommend attending future TLC Business events.

 

‘Very informative, covered many aspects’

‘Excellent’

‘Very good contrast information and education’

‘Very good event – very thought provoking’

‘Very informative presentation. I learnt so much on how to develop our marketing further. You were very knowledgeable and explained many things in ‘English’. Thank you.’

 

If you were unable to attend the seminar, but are interested in the topics covered, please contact us on 01962 600 147 or email anna@tlc-business.co.uk.
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#MarketingTitbits – ‘Selfie’, Pinterest and Coke Zero

OFD-Pint-coke-smaller1. And the Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year is…“Selfie”Every year, The Oxford Dictionary announces their International Word of the Year, in previous years we’ve had “bovvered”, “simples” and “credit crunch”. Arguably each year’s word tells a lot about society and the culture at the time. In 2011 “squeezed middle” was the Word of the Year and in 2007 it was “carbon footprint”.

2005: sudoku
2006: bovvered
2007: carbon footprint
2008: credit crunch
2009: simples
2010: big society
2011: squeezed middle
2012: omnishambles
2013: selfie

Despite the fact that the word ‘selfie’ first appeared in 2002, where it was used in an Australian online forum, it has taken 11 years to make it to into mainstream culture. Social networking apps and sites such as Instagram and Snapchat are a large part of the cause and we’re not sure what this says about today’s society; we’ll leave you to be the judge!

2. Inspiration for integrating Pinterest into your email marketing

Over the last few years Pinterest has become one of the fastest growing social networking sites in the world. Since the site launched in 2010 they have grown to have over 70 million active users.

Many brands, big and small, are catching on and beginning to use the platform more intensely and if you haven’t already thought about whether or not it could benefit your business, then you probably should. For businesses where the ‘visual’ is less intrinsic, it can be harder to use Pinterest in an effective way but for those of you whose business embraces ‘imagery’, here is some inspiration for you.

This week we found a great article from Econsultancy which showcases 20 retailers integrating Pinterest in their email marketing. To have a look, click here.

3. Coke’s hideous Christmas sweaters

 As the run up to Christmas begins, the shops are full of gifts for family and friends. Christmas decorations are starting to emerge and festive food fills the aisles in supermarkets. The competition for the most loved Christmas advert starts again, with John Lewis, Marks and Spencer and Waitrose amongst the usual favourites. Their classic Christmas adverts can be seen on television during nearly every advert break; however, this year Coca-Cola decided to do things a bit differently.

In recent years the hideous knitted Christmas jumper has made a comeback, appearing in shops everywhere. Coke Zero’s latest marketing campaign is in homage to this traditional Christmas apparel. The drink’s brand have launched a campaign to design of the ugliest Christmas sweater. Users design their jumper and then vote for other peoples. The 100 best tacky sweaters will win their very own custom-made hideous Christmas sweater. To enter, click here.

 

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#MarketingTitbits – Ron Burgundy, Tikker, company growth

RonB-Tikker-Growth-smallerRon Burgundyis Chrysler’s new spokesman and “it’s kind of a big deal”If you’ve never heard of Ron Burgundy then now is about time. The fictional character played by Will Ferrell has been announced as the new spokesman for Chrysler’s new model, the Dodge Durango. Mr Burgundy has made an appearance in a series of television adverts and short films online in a bid to advertise the new Chrysler car where he describes it as “360 times better than a horse” and emphasises the glove box which can hole “2 turkey sandwiches” or “70 packs of gum”! To have a look at some of these hilarious adverts from Chrysler, click here.

‘Watch’ the countdown of your life with Tikker

A new digital wristwatch called Tikker has been designed to tell the wearer exactly how much time they have left to live. On buying the watch, users must fill out a personal health questionnaire which will give them a number, they then have to subtract their age from the number and the countdown begins. Feeling sceptical? Each watch comes with a handbook which explains the exact process that goes into working out how much time a person has left to live.

We have to admit when we first heard about this we thought it sounded a little bit depressing but Tikker claim that the idea is to stop people from wasting their lives. If you want to ‘stop wasting your life’ and get yourself a Tikker watch, or even if you just want to read a bit more, click here.

Grow your business in 5 easy steps

According to Entrepreneur.com, too many start-ups today are staying in start-up mode and failing to take actions to promote ‘real’ growth. If you thinkthis might be something that applies to you and your business this article is definitely worth a read. To have a look at the five easy steps every company must take to grow their business click here.

 

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TLC Business Hampshire Business Awards

TLC Business’ 5 top Hampshire businesses to watch out for
The team here at TLC Business has selected 5 Hampshire-based companies that we believe deserve recognition for the way they have gone about their marketing to build successful and growing businesses.

It was a difficult process settling on just 5 companies because Hampshire contains many fantastic businesses, however, after much deliberation the team came up with these five businesses. Let us know if you agree with our choices.

Our First award goes to….
 
1. Plum Baby – All Round Performer

Plum Baby is passionate about two things in life – children and good food.

They follow their ‘Plum way’ to deliver organic food that is not only tasty for growing tots but contains no additives or unnecessary fillers. They deliver ‘real food for parents that want the best for their little ones.’

The company was launched in 2006 by Susie Willis, a former chef and mother of three.  Having been bought out by Darwin Private Equity early this year, Susie Willis will stay on board as Creative Director to ensure that the ‘Plum Way’ is followed in the future.

Plum Baby is now on track to achieve a retail turnover of £15m in 2010. Even IKEA have selected Plum as their recommended baby food partner.

Plum Baby


2. The Hambledon – Excellent Press Coverage

 The Hambledon has been described as a hub of pure chic and we here at TLC Business agree.  Set up ten years ago, the Hambledon is an independent boutique nestled in the heart of Winchester.

The Hambledon has gone on to feature within Vogues ‘Britain’s Best Boutiques 2010’, as well as Drapers, The Telegraph, Red and The Times.

 “The Hambledon in Winchester. It’s great to see a shop like this outside London. The owner has an excellent eye and buys toys, furniture, clothes, and kitchen stuff that you don’t see anywhere else” Telegraph Magazine

Over the years The Hambledon has grown to be a popular shopping haunt and I’m sure 2011 will bring further success.

The Hambledon

3. Caracoli – Experience in Service

Caracoli has to be one of TLC Business’ favourite places to eat within Hampshire.

Caracoli describe themselves as a high-quality coffee house with a passion for great food and drink. The General Manager of Caracoli has extensive experience in the hospitality trade, having been General Manager of Hotel du Vin both in Winchester and Henley-on Thames. Not only do you get great food in a great atmosphere but you also receive brilliant service.

Caracoli is making a name for itself in 2010 having received two gold awards this year in the Great Taste Awards, accredited by the Guild of Fine Food.

Caracoli is not only a one to watch but also a one to try….yummy.

Caracoli

4. Wickham Vineyards – Top Quality Produce

Wickham Vineyards has placed itself firmly on the wine making map, by producing some of the best wines in the country. Founded in 1984, Wickham has gone on to scoop major awards across the world of wine in 2010.  From the United Kingdom Vineyards Association to the International Wine Challenge, Wickham is making a real impact not just in the UK but increasingly, within the international wine market.

The well established Hampshire vineyard grows a variety of different vines which include Pinot Noir, Rondo, Triomphe and Dornfelder for the reds and Bacchus, Reichensteiner, Faber Schoenburger Seyval Blanc for the whites.

Wickham definitely deserves an award for its top quality produce.

Wickham Vineyards

5. Charters Estate agent – Excelling the Competition

Our final award, for one of our Top 5 Hampshire companies to watch out for is…

Charters estate agents in Winchester.

Having just celebrated their first birthday, Charters has been ranked among the top 5 estate agents in Hampshire.

Charters were awarded third place in the regional round of the renowned Estate Agent and Letting Agent Awards 2010. The award is based on what consumers really think and it looks like Charters know their client base very well.

Top three in 2010, maybe 2011 will bring first place? Let’s wait and see.

Charters

We think you’ll agree that all our choices are inspirational businesses and highlight the high quality organisations that exist within the county.

Let us know your thoughts and any businesses you think deserve to be in our top Hampshire Businesses list.

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