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Meet the Founder: A Conversation with Josh Spencer, Managing Director of TLC Business

At TLC Business, everything starts with people – and that includes our founder, Josh Spencer. With over 20 years in marketing and more than a decade supporting SMEs, Josh has built TLC Business around practical thinking, strong relationships and results that matter.

We caught up with Josh to talk about his journey, his approach to marketing and what keeps him motivated…

Q: Can you tell us a bit about your background and how TLC Business came to life?

“It’s a fairly typical story in some ways; I didn’t set out thinking I’d run my own business. I started out in corporate marketing with BT, then moved into agency life at APCO. Both were brilliant experiences, but very different.

What I found over time was that I really enjoyed working more closely with businesses (particularly SMEs), where you can actually see the impact of what you’re doing. That’s really where TLC Business came from. I wanted to create something that felt more hands-on, more personal and ultimately more useful to the people we work with.”

Q: You’ve worked both in-house and agency-side. How does that shape the way you approach marketing today?

“It gives you a bit of balance. Corporate roles teach you structure, process and how to think strategically over the long term. Agency life teaches you to be adaptable and to deliver – often quickly!

With TLC, I try to bring the best of both worlds. We’re strategic, but we’re also practical. There’s no point producing a beautiful strategy document if it just sits on a shelf. It has to work in the real world.”

Q: What do you think are the biggest marketing challenges SMEs face right now?

“Time and clarity, without a doubt.

Most SME owners are juggling a hundred things at once, so marketing can end up being reactive, or pushed down the list altogether. The other issue is knowing what works. There’s so much noise out there, so many channels, so many opinions.

A big part of what we do is simplify things. Get clear on the message, the audience and the priorities, then focus on doing a few things really well rather than trying to do everything.”

Q: How would you describe the TLC Business approach in a nutshell?

“We are your outsourced marketing department – practical, honest and collaborative.

We don’t come in with a one-size-fits-all solution. Every business is different, so we take the time to understand what’s going on first. Then we build something that fits, whether that’s strategy, campaigns or ongoing support.”

Q: What’s been one of the most rewarding parts of running TLC Business?

“Seeing clients grow – it sounds simple, but it’s true.

When you’ve worked with a business a number of years and you can see the progress they’ve made, it’s incredibly satisfying. Especially when you know you’ve played a part in that journey.

Also, the relationships. That’s a big one for me. We’ve worked with some clients for a long time now and it genuinely feels like a partnership rather than a supplier relationship.”

Q: You’ve been in marketing for over 20 years – what’s changed the most?

“The pace, definitely.

Everything moves faster now – new platforms, new tools, new trends. But interestingly, the fundamentals haven’t really changed. It’s still about understanding your audience, having a clear message and communicating it well.

The tools evolve, but the core principles stay the same.”

Q: Finally, what advice would you give to business owners trying to improve their marketing?

“Don’t overcomplicate it. Start with the basics – who you’re trying to reach, what you want to say and why it matters. Be consistent, be clear and give things time to work.

And if you can, don’t try to do it all on your own. A bit of external perspective can make a huge difference.”

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Short-Form Video That Converts

By Emily – Marketing Executive, TLC Business

Short-form video is everywhere.

Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, LinkedIn video – brands are posting constantly. But there’s a big difference between content that gets views and content that gets results.

As marketers and designers, we see it all the time: great ideas held back by poor structure, weak visuals, or videos that don’t guide the viewer anywhere.

Here’s how to approach short-form video so it works for your business.

The biggest mistake brands make with short-form video

Most businesses focus on what they want to say, not how people consume content.

Short-form video isn’t about:

  • Explaining everything
  • Being overly polished
  • Going viral at all costs

It is about:

  • Grabbing attention quickly
  • Making one clear point
  • Giving the viewer a reason to stay, save, or act

If your video doesn’t hook someone in the first 2–3 seconds, it’s already lost.

The 3-part structure every short video should follow

1. The Hook (First 3 Seconds)

This is non-negotiable.

Strong hooks include:

  • A bold statement
  • A relatable problem
  • A visual interruption (movement, text, jump cut)

Pro-Tip: Big, readable on-screen text matters more than fancy animation.

2. The Value (next 5–15 seconds)

This is where you deliver one clear takeaway.

Good short-form videos:

  • Focus on a single idea
  • Use simple visuals
  • Avoid jargon

Design Pro-Tip: Clarity always beats creativity. Clean layouts, high contrast text (subtitles) and consistent branding make videos easier to watch, especially without sound. Around 79–85% of social media videos are watched without sound, meaning subtitles hold a huge value.

3. The Direction (The end)

Every video needs a purpose.

That could be:

  • “Save this for later”
  • “Follow for more tips”
  • “DM us to chat”

If you don’t guide the viewer, they’ll just scroll on.

A simple short-form video checklist

Before posting, ask yourself:

  • Is the hook clear in the first 3 seconds?
  • Can this be understood with no sound?
  • Does it make one clear point?
  • Is the branding consistent but not overpowering?
  • Is there a clear next step for the viewer?

If the answer is yes across the board, you’re in a good place.

Final takeaway

Short-form video isn’t a trend – it’s a skill.

Brands that take the time to understand structure, design and audience behaviour will always outperform those chasing formats without strategy.

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AI, AEO & the New Rules of Search: What Marketers Need to Know in 2026

By Shannon – Marketing Director, TLC Business

Search is changing fast.

Not gradually. Not quietly. But fundamentally.

Between AI-powered search results, voice assistants and platforms like Google and LinkedIn prioritising answers over keywords, businesses can no longer rely on “old SEO” alone. This is where AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) comes in and why AI is now a core part of modern marketing strategy.

Here’s what it all means and what you should be doing about it.

SEO and AEO: What’s the difference?

Traditional SEO focuses on:

  • Keywords
  • Rankings
  • Traffic volume

AEO, on the other hand, focuses on:

  • Clear, direct answers
  • Structured, trustworthy content
  • Being the source AI tools pull from

Instead of asking “How do I rank #1?”, the better question is now:
“How do I become the answer?”

Why AI is accelerating this shift

AI tools don’t browse the internet like humans do. They scan for clear, authoritative information, prioritise concise explanations and favour structured content and credibility.

If your website content is vague, over-stuffed with keywords, or written purely for algorithms, it’s far less likely to surface in AI-driven results.

Well-written, human-first content now wins.

What this means for your marketing content

Clarity beats cleverness

Content needs to say things clearly. That means:

  • Short, direct paragraphs
  • Clear headings
  • Straight answers to common questions

If a client asks it in a meeting or a sales call, it should be answered plainly on your site.

FAQs are no longer optional

FAQs aren’t filler anymore, they’re strategic. Strong FAQ sections help AI tools understand your expertise, voice search picks up your content and users get quick confidence in your offering.

Pro tip: Write FAQs exactly how people ask questions, not how brands like to phrase them.

Authority is everything

AI prioritises trusted sources. That means:

  • Clear author names and roles
  • Consistent messaging across platforms
  • Content that shows real experience, not generic advice

Blogs, case studies and insight-led posts now matter more than ever.

How we’re approaching this at TLC Business

When we create content strategies for clients, we’re now asking:

  • What questions do your customers actually ask?
  • Can this page stand alone as a clear answer?
  • Would this make sense if read aloud by a voice assistant?

We’re combining:

  • AI-assisted research (to spot gaps and trends)
  • Human-led writing (to keep it natural and relevant)
  • Structured formats that work across search, social and AI tools

The goal isn’t to chase algorithms – it’s to stay useful.

Simple actions you can take right now

If you want to future-proof your marketing content, start here:

  • Review your core service pages – do they clearly explain what you do, who it’s for and why it matters?
  • Add or improve FAQ sections using real customer language
  • Publish insight-led blogs that answer one problem at a time
  • Make authorship visible – people (and AI) trust people

Final takeaway

AI isn’t replacing good marketing, it’s rewarding it.

Brands that communicate clearly, consistently and honestly will continue to win, regardless of how search evolves. AEO isn’t a trend to panic about; it’s a shift towards better content.

And that’s something worth investing in.

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What are the most powerful social platforms for SMEs?

Navigating the world of social media can be overwhelming for SMEs. With countless platforms to choose from, it can be challenging deciding which ones are worth investing time and effort in.

In this blog, we’ll look at which platforms could be best for your business. But first, think about your target audience, as that will be key to deciding which platform is right for your brand:

Target your demographic

Understanding who your audience is will guide your social media efforts:

Facebook: Most popular among 25-34 year olds, who are Facebook’s largest UK audience, accounting for 24.7% of users. Facebook users aged 35 to 44 were the platform’s 2nd largest demographic, followed by those aged 18-24.

Instagram: A favourite among younger audiences, particularly 25-34 years old (making up 29.7% of UK users), closely followed by 18-24 year olds.

X (Formerly Twitter): Appeals to a diverse age range, but nearly 40% of X’s UK users are aged 25-34 years.  

LinkedIn: Ideal for professional and B2B audiences, particularly those aged 25-34 (accounting for 47.1% of UK users).

YouTube: In the UK, YouTube is most popular amongst 25-44 year olds, accounting for 44% of its users.

TikTok: Dominated by younger users, 76% of users in the UK were aged 15-24.

Pinterest: Favoured by young adults aged 18-24 (39% of UK users). Predominantly used by women, who account for 70% of Pinterest’s users.

What type of content will you be sharing?

Different platforms excel with different types of content. Here’s where to share: 

Visual content: Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok.

Text and links: X, LinkedIn.

Videos: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram.

Consider your brand and industry

Think about which platforms align best with your industry and brand. 

For example, LinkedIn is ideal for B2B and professional services, while Instagram and Pinterest are great for B2C, lifestyle and retail brands.

Next up, we’ll be delving into the best platforms for B2B and B2C businesses:

Best platforms for B2B 

  1. LinkedIn 

   – Ideal for: Professional networking with 1bn users

   – Strengths: Ideal for lead generation, industry networking, and content sharing

   – Audience: Professionals, decision-makers, and businesses

  1. X 

   – Ideal for: Real-time news and updates 

   – Strengths: Great for sharing industry news, engaging in conversations, and reaching influencers

   – Audience: Broad but often includes professionals and industry leaders across its 600m worldwide users

Suitable for B2B

  1. Facebook

   – Ideal for: Social networking, Facebook is the largest social media platform with 2.9bn active monthly users

   – Strengths: Offers targeted advertising, community building through groups, and content sharing

   – Audience: Broad, including some professionals and business pages

  1. YouTube

   – Ideal for: Video sharing amongst 2.49bn users worldwide.

   – Strengths: Useful for product demos, webinars, educational content, and brand storytelling

   – Audience: Wide, including business professionals seeking informative content

Less Suitable for B2B but can be used strategically

  1. Instagram

   – Ideal for: Photo and video sharing with 2.4bn users worldwide

   – Strengths: Effective for brand awareness, showcasing company culture, and visual storytelling

   – Audience: Primarily younger demographics (25-34), but businesses can reach professionals with the right content

  1. Pinterest

   – Ideal for: Visual discovery and bookmarking with 518m global users

   – Strengths: Suitable for industries like design, fashion, and lifestyle to share visual content

   – Audience: Primarily women, with business and creative professionals

  1. TikTok

   – Ideal for: Short-form video content with 1.58bn users globally

   – Strengths: Can be used for creative and engaging content, brand awareness, and reaching a younger audience

   – Audience: Mostly Gen Z, but B2B use is emerging with innovative content

Top Tips for B2B Social Media Strategy

Follow our top B2B tips to help drive success across your chosen social media platforms:

  • LinkedIn: Focus on sharing industry insights, company news, case studies, and whitepapers.
  • X: Engage in industry conversations, share news, and use hashtags to reach a wider audience.
  • Facebook: Create a business page, run targeted ads, and engage with followers through groups.
  • YouTube: Produce educational videos, product demos, and thought leadership content.
  • Instagram: Showcase company culture, behind-the-scenes content, and visually appealing product features.
  • Pinterest: Share infographics, design inspiration, and visual content related to your industry.
  • TikTok: Experiment with creative and engaging content to reach younger professionals.

Best Platforms for B2C Businesses

  1. Facebook

   – Ideal for: Social networking

   – Strengths: Offers targeted advertising, community building through groups, and versatile content sharing (text, images, videos

   – Audience: Broad, with strong engagement across various age groups, especially Millennials and Gen Z

  1. Instagram

   – Ideal for: Photo and video sharing

   – Strengths: Excellent for visual storytelling, brand awareness, and influencer collaborations

   – Audience: Primarily Gen Z and Millennials

  1. TikTok

   – Ideal for: Short-form video content

   – Strengths: Ideal for creative and engaging content, viral marketing, and reaching a younger audience

   – Audience: Mostly Gen Z 

  1. YouTube

   – Ideal for: Video sharing

   – Strengths: Useful for product demos, tutorials, brand storytelling, and reaching a wide audience

   – Audience: Wide, including younger viewers and adults seeking informative and entertainment content, especially Millennials and Gen Z

  1. Pinterest

   – Ideal for: Visual discovery and bookmarking

   – Strengths: Suitable for lifestyle, fashion, DIY, and creative industries

   – Audience: Primarily women, Millennials and Gen Z, looking for inspiration and ideas

Moderately Suitable for B2C

  1. X

   – Ideal for: Real-time news and updates

   – Strengths: Great for sharing quick updates, customer service, and engaging in trending conversations

   – Audience: Broad, but often includes professionals and news-seekers, especially Millennials and Gen Z

  1. Snapchat

   – Ideal for: Multimedia messaging, there are 414m Snapchat users worldwide

   – Strengths: Effective for engaging younger audiences with ephemeral content and behind-the-scenes looks

   – Audience: Mostly younger demographics, mainly Gen Z

Top Tips for B2C Social Media Strategy

We’ve put together some top tips for B2C businesses to include in their social media strategy across different platforms: 

  • Facebook: Create engaging posts, use targeted ads, and build communities through groups.
  • Instagram: Share high-quality visuals, use Stories and Reels, and collaborate with influencers.
  • TikTok: Produce creative and engaging short videos, participate in trends, and use hashtags.
  • YouTube: Create tutorials, product reviews, and brand stories to engage and inform your audience.
  • Pinterest: Pin visually appealing content, use rich pins, and create boards around popular themes in your industry.
  • X: Share quick updates, news, and engage with customers in real-time.
  • Snapchat: Use Stories and Filters to create engaging and exclusive content for younger audiences.

What are your competitors doing?

A good way to check you are investing in the right platforms is to look at your competitors and analyse which platforms they are using and getting good engagement on. This will be a good indicator of where you can receive similar success.

Ultimately, the key is to understand where your target audience spends their time and tailor your content to each platform’s strengths. Don’t forget, our friendly team is always happy to offer advice and run your social media for you.

For a free virtual marketing ideas session with marketing experts, call us on 01962 600 147 or email info@tlc-business.co.uk

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Why blogs still matter

With so much content out there demanding our attention, it’s easy to wonder whether creating blogs is worth the effort, or if it’s a thing that should be confined to the past. But blogs are way more powerful than you may realise!

Let’s dive into why blogs are still relevant and essential to include in your marketing plans:

Drives web traffic

Regularly featuring new blogs on your website is a great way to attract attention and drive more visitors to your site, boosting your online presence.

Improves search rankings with SEO

Blogs are perfect for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). By including keywords and keyphrases (words that your audience will be searching for), and long-tail keywords (longer phrases that target specific queries), you can make your website rank higher in search results. Basically, the more valuable content you offer, the higher you will climb in the search results. 

Establishes expertise

Blogs give you the creative platform to share the latest innovations, information and ground-breaking research. This helps to establish yourself as a thought leader and industry authority that customers can trust.

Provides content for sharing 

Creating relevant and engaging blogs gives you the opportunity to share this content on social media and use snippets in newsletters, to attract a global audience.

Attracts potential customers & staff

Sharing blogs will mean you can attract like-minded individuals who share the same passion, potentially turning them into customers. This also works for attracting employees; by sharing content of your latest initiatives or team-building events, that makes your company stand out as a great place to work.

Encourages action

Blogs give you the opportunity to encourage your readers to take action, whether that’s signing up to your newsletter, or investing in your latest product. 

Builds communities 

Writing and sharing blogs will expose your brand to new audiences, helping you connect with a wider audience and build followers. This can often lead to collaboration and potential revenue opportunities.

No limitations 

Unlike social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), where you are restricted by character limits, blog writing allows you to share thoughtful pieces and in-depth articles that will engage with your audience and make your business stand out from the competition.

Next steps

Businesses can often be put off including blogs in their marketing plans, as they don’t feel they have the skills, or time to invest in them. That’s where we come in. Our experienced team can put together a content plan full of engaging content ideas and create the blogs for you!

For a free virtual marketing ideas session with marketing experts, call us on 01962 600 147 or email info@tlc-business.co.uk

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How to master email marketing in 2024

In the digital age, emails remain one of the most powerful tools for direct communication with your audience.

But, users are becoming more selective about the emails they open. In this blog, find out how to create standout email campaigns in 2024:

1) Understanding email marketing today

People expect more from email marketing today, it’s not just a case of typing a quick email and pressing send. Personalisation, relevant content and a great design is needed to catch your audience’s attention and encourage them to read more.

2) Write attention-grabbing subject lines

The subject line is your first and sometimes only chance to engage your audience. We find that clear, concise subject lines that spark people’s interest will encourage people to open your emails and read on. A/B testing can be used to see what works well for your email campaigns.

3) Personalisation

Personalising your emails to deliver more targeted and relevant content works really well. Including their name is a great start, but going beyond this you could segment your email list based on purchase history, location, or behaviour and really personalise your approach and increase engagement.

4) Send at key times

Make sure you are sending your email campaign at a time that is most likely to reach your audience. This varies by industry and demographics, so it is about getting the right time for your business. A key thing to avoid is clashing with any industry events, or sending at times when no one will be checking their emails.

5) Optimise for mobiles

With the majority of emails now being read on mobile devices, it’s essential that your emails look great and function seamlessly across all devices. This can significantly impact open and click-through rates. By prioritising mobile optimisation, you can effectively reach and engage your audience wherever they are.

6) Engaging content

The era of static emails is behind us. Today, consumers crave interactivity and engagement. This includes interactive elements such as polls, surveys, or clickable buttons to capture attention. It has also been found that interactive content builds a deeper connection with your audience.

7) Review results

Understanding how your email campaigns got on by looking at open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates is essential for refining future campaigns and making sure your audience engages with your emails. But if you get stuck, we are always here to help!

For a free virtual marketing ideas session with marketing experts, call us on 01962 600 147 or email info@tlc-business.co.uk

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Best Length For a Blog Post

Producing blogs is a great way to share expertise, drive traffic to your website and build engagement. If this sounds like something you want for your business, the next question people typically ask is, “what is the best length for a blog post?”

 

Getting the answer to this right is important because it has implications for SEO, engagement and more.

Before starting to write a blog, you must consider the collection factors that will influence how well your blog performs. Your audience, the structure of the post, the topic and the promotional channel are all elements that will determine the ‘perfect’ length for your blog.

You are probably now saying, “that is all great, but how many words should I write?” If so, let’s dive in deeper and determine what the best length for a blog post really is.

 

Is there a perfect length for a blog post?

You probably already knew this, but the truth is, the best length for a blog post completely varies depending on the content you are producing. Sounds like a cop out, right? But a word count does not define how meaningful (and effective) a piece of text is.

 

For example, if the topic is frequently asked about and searched for by many users online, a substantial (we’ll get on to what this actually looks like in a second) blog is ideal. Whereas, if it is a quick promotion of a service or a product you are advertising, it is best to keep it short and simple.

 

“Give us a number!” we hear you shout….

 

Blog word counts and what they are best for:

  • 50-300 words: These are short and snappy posts that tend to get more of the comments. Shorter posts are great conversation starters. They are straight-forward, and although they might not get many shares online, they are easy to read and create on a regular basis. 50-300 words are most effective for selling a product or a service and getting a reader to take a specific ‘Call to Action’ (CTA) i.e. downloading an e-book or signing up to an email list.
  • 300-600 words: These posts are the most common blogging length. They are still quick, easy to read and to the point. This length is a popular middle-ground for social media shares and engagement.
  • 750 words: This length is typically used for professional journalism, especially for newsletters. The length is great for shares on social media.
  • 1000-1600 words: This length is the most popular for blogging platforms and mostly used to address audience questions and solve someone’s problem. According to Medium, a collaborative writing platform, the ideal length for a blog is 1,600 words (or takes 7 minutes to read). A 1,600-word blog can be the perfect length as it gives the writer enough leeway to explain the chosen topic in detail, whilst also keeping the reader engaged. There is an opportunity to get lots of engagement on these posts and a high number of shares on social media. The most significant factor for this length is making sure the topic is interesting and solves a frequently experienced problem.
  • 1,600-2,500 words: The highest-ranking articles on Google are typically around this length. These posts can rank well on search engines. They help a website’s SEO by increasing the time spent on page. They can also encourage a new reader to join your mailing list to receive future insightful content. If the chosen topic is interesting to your audience and addresses a topic that readers are continuously searching around, the blog has a good shot at being a hit.

 

What is more important that blog length?

Relevance to your audience! It is irrelevant how many words your blog is, if it doesn’t address a relevant issue or topic to your target audience. We could write the most wonderfully researched 2,500 word blog on cultivating roses in a small garden, but if we are looking to engage with and build an audience of small business owners, the blog just won’t cut it.

 

So, what is the best length for your next blog post?

Well that depends on what outcome you are trying to achieve. Shorter content (at least 300 words) is the ideal blog post length if you are looking to create regular content on a wide range of topics that encourages visitors to take some form of call to action. It also makes it more practical to create on a regular and consistent basis.

 

Whereas, if you want to create a piece of content that will significantly improve your SEO and position you as an expert on that particular topic, you should consider devoting additional time to creating quality, long-form content of 1,600+ words. Less frequent posts, with deeper, more detailed content, can help you win at the SEO game.

 

All that being said, whilst we understand that having a word count target can be helpful, the bottom-line is, write what you are passionate about. Don’t focus on the length of your posts too much. It is better to produce high quality text with fewer words, rather than ‘rambling’ on for the sake of a higher word count. And with that in mind, I’ll shut up now!


To arrange a free virtual marketing ideas session with our friendly marketing team, call 01962 600 147 or email info@tlc-business.co.uk

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Marketing: 5 ways to make the most of working from home

We all have them – those tasks that you never quite have the time to complete because they’re always getting pushed down the to-do list. That is until now…

If lockdown has freed up some of your time, now is the perfect opportunity to give your business a marketing spring clean and make constructive use of the new ‘normal’. Here’s how.

Take your business digital

You may have embraced working from home – but have you made it work for you? Organisations big and small have been adapting their usual offering, with many going virtual to ensure they can still provide a level of service to customers. Some have taken smaller measures and are embracing what social media can do to connect them with new and existing customers, for example, while others have completely flipped their services to fit the digital space.

Here at TLC, many of our campaigns are managed and implemented digitally already, but we’ve also recently gone a step further by switching the delivery of our Marketing Ideas Sessions over to Zoom video calls. You can book your free slot with us here!

Review your marketing strategy

Creating content, executing campaigns and making your way through your marketing plan is all well and good – but only if it’s generating results. Ideally, you should be reviewing your marketing strategy on a regular basis in order to identify what could be tweaked to encourage more bang for your marketing buck.

Some key areas to review are:

  • Email marketing
  • Social media
  • Paid advertising
  • Conversion rates
  • Google Analytics

So that you can continue to monitor performance consistently, set up reports to monitor conversions (sales, enquiries etc.) in line with individual campaigns. Google Data Studio can help.

Audit your website

In a world where Google’s increasingly stringent requirements can make it difficult to keep up with rules and guidelines, you want to make sure you’re doing all you can to maximise the benefits of your website. An audit will allow you to identify if your website is optimised to achieve your business goals and what areas could be improved upon.

HubSpot’s Website Grader is a great free tool that can help you with your initial assessment and will grade your site on various criteria, including:

  • Website performance – page speed, browser caching, image sizes etc.
  • Mobile optimisation – font sizes, responsiveness and tap targets
  • SEO metrics – meta data, permission to index etc.
  • Security – HTTPS and javascript libraries

Another useful tool is Google Search Console, which helps you to:

  • Confirm that Google can find your site
  • Fix indexing problems
  • Review search traffic
  • Troubleshoot errors
  • Identify backlink sources

Upskill your team

If you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of businesses to sign up to the government’s newly-introduced Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – or your employees simply find they have more time on their hands during lockdown – consider ways in which you can upskill your team and boost their knowledge.

There are plenty of eLearning courses available for industries of all shapes and sizes, varying from free 20-minute how-to videos to longer, recognised qualifications. Taking the time now to get your employees up-to-scratch will pay dividends in the long-term.

Get involved with local initiatives

Very few companies prioritise community work but demonstrating the conscientious side of your business is actually a simple and effective way to strengthen your brand. Those that do so are more likely to win customer loyalty and even attract talent.

Whether you fundraise for local food banks or the NHS, or even get involved with a volunteer scheme to deliver medication and essentials to vulnerable members of the community, your actions will have a lasting positive impact for months to come.

By using your time wisely, you can ensure your business stays connected and relevant for when life returns to normal. If you’re looking for some help and advice on how to get on top of your marketing whilst working from home, give the TLC team a call on 01962 600147 or email info@tlc-business.co.uk.

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Annual ‘Marketing for SMEs’ event enjoys a great turnout

TLC Business Winchester Marketing for SMEs seminar
The team at TLC Business extends its gratitude to the guests who attended our ‘Marketing for SMEs’ event on Thursday 13th February at Holiday Inn Winchester. We hope we achieved our aim and created a useful and enjoyable session full of pointers to help you improve your marketing in 2020.

During the event, TLC Business’ Managing Director, Josh Spencer, presented the latest marketing trends SMEs can use to help increase enquires and grow their businesses. Josh touched upon topics such as effective use of social media for SMEs, changes to SEO and how to rank in search engines, and why remarketing should not be overlooked as a conversion strategy.
 
We saw SMEs from across Hampshire and beyond, from a diverse range of sectors, attend the event with a view to discover how their marketing can be improved in 2020. Sectors included accountancy, IT, PCB assembly, marine engineering, and insurance.
 
If you missed this year’s seminar and would like more information on future events including our free marketing ideas sessions, let us know by emailing Sophie at sophiewells@tlc-business.co.uk or give us a call on 01962 600 147. 
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B2B marketing strategy: What marketing methods should you be using in 2020?

Introduction

Every successful business in 2020 should have a marketing strategy. A marketing strategy will define the marketing channels you will use as a business to reach, connect and engage with your customers and prospects to generate leads. The marketing channels you use should be appropriately chosen to get the biggest bang for your buck and specific to your business and the sector you’re in, but also, your choice should take into consideration your goals as a business. Ask yourself what do you want to achieve through your marketing? Is it growing your customer base and expanding your audience? Is it to generate more leads? Or for customer retention purposes? Whatever your aim is, firstly you must have a good understanding of your market, where you sit in that market and who your audience is, in order to identify the right marketing channels for you.

Where do I start?

First-things-first, a review of your competitors will help you to establish your company’s positioning and determine where you sit in the current market. If the market seems very crowded and everyone (including you) looks more or less the same, offering the same products or services, you need to consider how to stand out (in a good way!) and offer something unique to attract your customers, or as we call it – a USP (unique selling point). Whereas, you might discover you operate in a gap in the market, in which case you have something unique that nobody else is offering.

When you have reviewed your competitors and established your position and any USP you might have, you can then identify your target audience. You may have multiple customer profiles that you wish to target for your business, based around different products or services. You will need to consider your audience’s business type, age, gender, location, sector, job role, interests etc., to have a better understanding of what marketing channels you need to introduce into your marketing strategy. Your audience will also determine the type of messaging you use and what your marketing should look like.

You should use your review of your competitors to assess what marketing channels and techniques other businesses are using, as well as to find out which ones they are using well and which are not so effective. For example: what is their website like? Are they publishing new content regularly? Are they using social media? If so, which platforms are they using and how often are they posting? Do they send a newsletter? Have they got re-marketing ads set-up? Do they have pay-per-click adverts on Google? And so on. This will benefit you when you come to planning your marketing strategy and deciding which channels and techniques you should be using or could be doing better on, as well as which ones to avoid.

What’s next?

There are a multitude of effective marketing channels and techniques you can use within the B2B sector to connect with customers and prospects, but before you jump into doing all of them at once, you should create a marketing plan and select the channels that are going to be the most cost effective and beneficial for the results you want.

A marketing plan will also help you to plan for the costs and resources associated with each component and establish whether you will need to hire someone or outsource a marketing specialist to help you. Remember, just because one competitor might be doing everything, this does not mean you should and doing so could be a major waste of your time and money. Find what works for your business.

Some examples of marketing channels to consider for your 2020 strategy

To explain further, we’ll be putting together a series of informative blogs focusing on different marketing channels you could consider, including website & content creation, all things Google (SEO, paid search and remarketing), email marketing & telemarketing, social media and last but not least offline advertising and direct mail.

Keep an eye out on our blog and follow us on social media to make sure you don’t miss which channels will be best for you, to help you deliver your 2020 marketing strategy!

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