9 South Albany Road, Redruth, Cornwall TR15 2PE | Tel: 01209 213784
Official Opening of Pool Innovation Centre
The Duke of Kent came to the Innovation Centre on Monday to declare it officially open.
Not only did he met the organisations that were part of the design and build; those that funded it; but also some of the new Tenants. I am delighted to say he came into the Formation Zone and spoke to us and was very interested in it.
A series of photographs of Shop Keepers/Assistants in Redruth, taken as part of Mark Hooper’s Final Major Project for his FdA Digital Imaging.
Currently on display at the old Boots shop window in Redruth, as part of Redruth Action Plan Project to improve the appearance of Redruth.
It actually fits well into my recent blogs about excellent customer service – because what do all these shops have in common? They offer that personal service that you don’t often get in shops these days.
So if you want some advice on the best cut of meat — Brian Piddock is the man. Not feeling well? You have a choice of The Health Food Shop or Superdrug the chemist, pop in and have a chat.
Other shops in Redruth also offer that personal, friendly service. You can pop in for a chat and don’t get pushy sales people. I think it is what makes Redruth special.
Here are some helpful hints you should think about for your own website.
Line Length
Keep your line lengths short – whilst people might have large screens, it is really hard to read one that is too wide. This needs to be thought about in the design (that’s my job). Also keep sentences short and sweet.
Stock Photography
Whilst stock shot photography (businessmen jumping over hurdles, two hands shaking or a boardroom full of square jawed execs) is a cheap option – does it really reflect your company or business? They are clichés and people are bored by these images. Photographs are a huge opportunity to make a powerful statement about your company and what you are selling. Make every image unique and stay away from stock shots.
News/Blog Sections
They need to be kept up-to-date. Clicking on the News section and finding it was last updated 9 months ago could suggest your company is lazy at best, out of business at worst. A brief statement saying how busy you are is better than nothing at all.
Whatever you are working on, whether it be a brochure, website, catalogue etc etc remember to keep in mind your customer.
You need to reach him, you need to talk his language. Set aside your own thoughts, likes and dislikes – it is what your customer likes that matters.
Its a bit like me with my garden.
You can see four flowering plants – or are they weeds?
I like the yellow one and the pink one, so they are plants. The small lilac one is also a plant but as it has taken over my garden and choked everything in reaches, I regard it as a weed. I think the brown/red/yellow one is definitely a weed!
However that is just my opinion and I could be wrong – but it doesn’t matter because it is my garden! So I am the customer and what I think is more important than what I might read in a garden book.
If you want a website, whether it be for a hobby, business or personal here is a checklist of things to consider.
If you more information why not give me a ring or send an email – my advice comes free.
I am currently studying Marketing for Stakeholders, as part of my Chartered Institute of Marketing Professional Certificate in Marketing.
What is a Stakeholder? Freeman (1984) defines is:
Any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of the organisation’s objectives.
Stakeholders can be shareholders; employees; customers; creditors; distributors and suppliers (to name but a few). Management must strive to meet the needs of all of these people, even though they all have different expectations.
Employees can be a difficult topic, especially in this current economic climate, but today I heard of an excellent example of keeping a stakeholder happy.
My daughter works for a large multi-national corporation in London and she was going straight to a Ball from work. The weather is boiling and she wasn’t looking forward to the tube travel in her posh frock. So her manager organised (and paid) a taxi to take her door to door after work. Wow – did that make her feel special.
In reality it was a small financial outlay from a large corporation and she does work long hours for them, but it sent her a message that she is a valued member of staff. Very good.
Freeman, R.E. (1984) Strategic Management: A stakeholder approach, Boston: Pitman.
I have had excellent customer service from David Jones of PSP Insurance & Financial Solutions.
Because I am going into an open plan office my existing business insurance wouldn’t insure me anymore, due to security risks. Even though Pool Innovation Centre has got a far higher security spec than my little office at Forth Kegyn – however I digress.
So PSP have my home insurance so I got in contact with them for a quote. It took him 3 days to find someone to insure me (good old Norwich Union). But what really impressed me, was he phoned me up every day to tell me the latest updates and keep me in the picture.
I had tried loads of other people, including the FSB Insurance people, as I am a member, but all to no avail.
So thanks David for being so helpful, I am very impressed.
Matthew Clarke (ex-Pirate FM) came to Pool Innovation Centre to do a podcast about what is so special about the building.
Bernard Current, Interm Director, and Mark Smith of CPR Regeneration gives their views, but Matthew also interviewed several of the new clients – and I am one of them.
So your logo is designed – now the next step is to implement it — or is it?
I believe that before you give your new logo to go ahead you should try it and others to see how it works, you may find its not right after all. This is what happened to me — I thought I had chosen my logo but when I came to use it I changed my mind. Here is my story.
This is my old business card with the previous logo.
So first of all I looked at using the new logo and colour scheme, but with the old tint background.
Does it tell people I now offer digital as well as print design?
Perhaps the circles are not big enough — can people see it is ASCII code? Lets make it more prominent.
That is ok but I am not happy and need to try something with a more contemporary feel.
Ok but lets try some other ideas.
Is there too much white space? Lets try a coloured panel . . .
From the feedback I am getting no-one really likes the new logo, so I go back to some of my previous ideas and decide to use a different logo.
Looking at it again I prefer that logo, but I feel it needs something else — I quite like the idea of a simple drawing, but what to use? My inspiration is taken from my surroundings — Carn Brea, which dominates the skyline of the Camborne/Redruth area.
I am liking Carn Brea but the middle panel is a bit distracting, perhaps try it on the edge.
In the end because I have the business card printed on Mirra Stock I keep it simple. Mirra stock resembles a mirror and the card is very reflective.
The new cards are double sided, and I have two different versions printed on the reverse. One showcases my painting,
the other uses a message for my potential customers.
I had interesting feedback from people about my business cards. Whilst most people loved the Mirra stock, some people said they found it hard to read but it was very expensive. So was it worth it? Let me know.
As I am about to get some new businesses cards printed for my move into Pool Innovation Centre I am thinking I should move to using a printed paper stock that is more sustainable and use a recycled board. But I will miss the Wow factor that I always got handing out my old cards!
