Articles about Marketing

Frustrating Website

Monday, January 10th, 2011

Any website should contain a few basic MUSTs, as far as I am concerned

  • 1. Phone No
  • 2. Email

and if shown

  • 3. Correct working hours

Sounds simple doesn’t it.

stairlift

Unfortunately over the Christmas period I discovered a website that didn’t have that information correct.

My Mother-in-Law’s stairlift broke down, she phoned her contact number and there was no reply, we went on to the website phoned the number given but also no reply.

Tremorvah home page

We eventually found the opening hours (under Stairlift), according to the website the only day they were closed was Christmas Day, so we tried the email address that was on it. We didn’t get any response on any of it.

Tremorvah contact details

Eventually on 4th January we managed to speak to someone on the phone, who said the phone number was incorrect. So it is a mix of a very frustrating website, with incorrect data and not very good customer service.

To be fair, once we managed to speak to a human being, they came out within 4 hours and repaired it, the battery had gone flat. Unfortunately after a period of over a week walking up and down the stairs not sure my Mother-in-Law will be “repaired” quite so quick.

VAT increase

Tuesday, January 4th, 2011

Today the newspapers have been full of news articles on the VAT increase and how it will affect people.

Here is some good news for you – Hooper Graphics is not currently VAT registered, so this means no increase on my prices!!!

It is a bit like having a January Sale where you can save 20% on ALL your design work.

Composite Bank Notes

In real terms this means if the design cost is £500, then with VAT that would be £600, or a £1000 design fee would be £1200.

So by using Hooper Graphics the total cost of your work will go towards the design fee and not the Tax man, which helps if you cannot claim back your VAT.

Now that would be a nice January Sale feature, but of course in order to have an item classed as a Sale Item, it needs to have been sold at the higher price for a certain period.

Good value all year round – not just at Sale time.

Marketing Qualification

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

I am delighted to say I passed the Marketing Information and Research Assignment module of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Professional Certificate.

I am now halfway through the course. My Stakeholder Marketing Assignment is nearly ready to be handed in at the beginning of September, then just one final exam to go.

Social Media Marketing Advice

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

Just read this excellent entry on Doug Richard’s School for Startups blog. It is all about using Social Media to correctly target your audience.

Again it is offering basic marketing advice, which is finding and  targeting your customers correctly, but using Social Media like Facebook etc.

I found it useful and hope you do to.

Excellent Customer Service 2

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

Another brilliant example of listening to and keeping your customer informed.

Last year as it was my 25th Wedding Anniversary we visited the beautiful Isles of Scilly and stayed at the St Martin’s on the Isle. It was first class and we had a lovely few days.

Incidentally we choose this Hotel before other top quality hotels on Scilly, purely because they were so helpful when I was enquiring. I like to ask a lot of questions and do a lot of research before choose where to spend my well earnt money. The receptionist at St Martins on the Isle deal with all my queries in a very friendly but professional manner. (Unlike the others who didn’t even respond to emails).

Jane with St Martins on the Isle Hotel in the background

Anyway I digress, the Hotel is to undergo a major redevelopment to add extra leisure facilities but also convert it to an “all-suite hotel”. This will mean self-contained suites with 1 to 4 bedrooms. The original plan was to close for a whole year whilst the conversion took place, but having listening to their customers they are now  phasing it over two winters, so that they stay open but for a shorter season in 2011.

Looking at Tresco from St Martins
But they are keeping everyone fully informed and are asking for more feedback. Well done St Martins on the Isle.

Shopkeepers in Redruth

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

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.

The Customer is King

Friday, July 16th, 2010

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.

Flowers in the garden

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.

Stakeholder Marketing

Saturday, July 10th, 2010

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.

Excellent Customer Service

Friday, July 9th, 2010

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.

Listening to Customers

Monday, June 28th, 2010

I visited Lanhydrock House last Saturday – what a beautiful house and grounds.

The drive leading to Lanhydrock House

But this blog is not just about this picturesque house. No it is about listening to customers. I have been around other historic old houses in Cornwall and Lanhydrock exceeds the others, even with a second visit. Is it because it is the grandest? Not sure, but one thing I do know is how interesting it is, so many rooms are open. They make a real effort to listen to their visitors and implement requests.

Lanhydrock House

Well worth a visit but I think we all need to listen to our customers – or potential customers. So what do you want from a Graphic Designer? Please tell me, either leave a comment or go to my contact page and leave a message.