K2 Conferences Blog

December is a month of mince pies, freezing temperatures and parties that require sparkly dresses and mulled wine. December is also a month for planning. We all make New Year’s resolutions, what are they for your business? With many of us winding down mid December in anticipation of a relaxing Christmas break, now is the perfect time to think about how you will market yourselves next year. 

Here are a few tips for reaching your goals through effective marketing:

• Decide what you can do in-house, and what you need to outsource to a marketing agency. For example, you can probably keep up to date with writing your own blog posts and news articles for your website, but may need to use an external company for designing your brochure and website. Knowing what skills you have and you need to outsource will help you budget too.

• Budget. Innovative marketing material does not have to be expensive, but you do need to know your target market and what message you want them to hear. For example, glossy full colour brochures look fantastic, but make sure the benefit of printing them outweighs the cost – if you are a small business this is particularly important-there may be more cost effective ways of showing potential clients how brilliant you are.

• Think INSIDE the box. That is, before you can think outside the box you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve. Only then are you ready to really go for it with the innovative marketing ideas. I once received a marketing letter with a tea bag attached to it, inviting me to make a cuppa whilst I had a read. It was a nice touch, and I have kept the letter in case I require their services in future. (This won’t work for everyone, call me 01455 845 867 for ideas)

Quote of the week is on a slightly different tangent, written by my favourite artist, author, philosopher and poet and inspired by ambition, aspiration and desire to succeed….prizes again for the first correct answer (even though I’m making it very easy for you!)

Great things are done when men and mountains meet.

Until next time, keep warm and keep focused,

Hannah

Hello again,

Wow, what a busy few weeks it has been. It is all too easy to get bogged down in admin work, especially when it is cold and dark outside and the office is warm and snug. I for one have been guilty of spending too much time at my desk and not with my favourite people, my clients.

Do your clients know you love them?

To remedy the fact I have been hibernating in my office, I endeavour to spend a little time with all of my clients before Christmas, whether it is just to pop in for a cuppa, a phone call to ask how they are getting on, or a meeting to discuss marketing plans for next year.

We all send Christmas cards to clients and potential clients (…well you should do if you don’t!) but do they know how much you value them and their business?

Last year we sent personalised calendars to everybody who had been instrumental in making the year a success for K2. They went down a storm, and are still sat on people’s desks nearly 12 months on.

We also treat our longest standing clients to a bottle of their favourite tipple, which always goes down well when hand delivered with a mince pie!

It’s not about how much you spend, but the gesture that says you acknowledge and are grateful for their role in your success. So, if you can make time to go and see those clients, referral partners, even suppliers who have helped you to have a great year, it will be time well spent, I promise.

So what are we giving this year? You’ll have to wait and see, wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise!

PS – Remember folks – The man who stops advertising to save money is like the man who stops the clock to save time.
Prizes for the first person to correctly locate the quote’s owner!

Hello and welcome to the K2 Conferences blog. I’m Hannah and will be the primary blogger in the K2 team. As this is my first post, I’ll keep it short and simple to keep you all interested! Watch this space for news, tips and other stuff that makes me laugh, makes me think or inspires me to share with the world.

Having just read David Ogilvy’s ‘Confessions of an Advertising Man’, it amused me that many of the messages relevant to advertising in the 60′s still ring true. Admittedly a lot of it is dated, especially in attitudes towards gendered advertising, but overall still a must read for anybody who is involved in advertising or marketing in any capacity.

So, first tip then:  A good advertisement has this in common with drama and oratory, that it must be immediately comprehensible and directly moving.

Until next time,

Hannah