CProject has been voted one of the best loved businesses in Guildford, and second nationally as a PR and Marketing Consultants, according to a massive nationwide search run by TheBestOf to find the best local shops and companies in towns and cities across the UK.

The results of the two-week campaign reveal that Vanessa Lanham and CProject came a close second (by just one vote!) to Boo Design, a boutique design business based in Peaslake.

Vanessa Lanham from CProject said,, “When you are a small business so much of your own personality and energy goes into each project and it is fabulous to hear that clients really appreciate the efforts you make. In difficult days for many businesses, testimonials can make all the difference between clients choosing one supplier and another.”

As an example, one testimonial described Vanessa as “...a powerhouse of energy and enthusiasm”. As well as winning in Guildford, CProject also came second the National category for PR & Marketing.

Social networking in business is becoming increasingly popular – the number of available seminars and discussions on this subject alone certainly testifies to that! But does it really stack up in practice or is it just an excuse for not doing any ‘real’ marketing?

Martin Bamford from Informed Choice in Surrey talked to us about the results they have been achieving - and it makes persuasive reading. In fact, Martin can tell that, just a year ago, just 3% of their business came direct from the internet and social networking – today it is an impressive 17%.

Integrating your marketing is fundamental – not an optional extra. If your prospect reads one thing in the newspaper, finds an alternate message on your website and is taken on another tangent when you direct mail them, don’t be surprised if confusion abounds!

On the other hand, if all three elements support one another and reinforce the client’s buying decision, you’ve suddenly breathed life and energy into your marketing with a simple case of one and one equalling three.

Yet despite this obviously beneficial formula, why do so few businesses employ the simple principles of integration.

I’ve introduced loads of connection to LinkedIn and they all think it’s a great idea – but when I check up to see how they are doing I’m met with incomplete profiles and no photographs. So why would anyone want to get to know them better?

And Linked In is a hugely powerful search tool – the words in your profile are what it will use to help people find you and the services you provide.

Quick tips for building a better profile...

The answer seems obvious. Yes, a page 1 listing would be most desireable! But is search engine optimisation – SEO in web jargon - to achieve this really the black art that many specialist consultancies make it out to be? It is quite likely that you will have received email flyers and telesales calls from various SEO experts offering to get your website listed on page 1 of Google.

These companies present an impression that SEO is some sort of back office technical function - a dark art even! - that will transform your website and your business with some clever technical jiggery pokery. But what they conveniently forget to mention is that the fundamental building block of genuine SEO is good old fashioned marketing intelligence and research information. Using this as a sold basis you can quickly get to the bottom of how SEO can work for your business.

Earlier in 2009, I decided that CProject needed to know more about the world of social networking and how it relates to business. In my head I just couldn’t see how Facebook or Twitter had any relevance to me or my clients ... but then I got an invite to join LinkedIn and I decided to take a closer look.

I have since become quite a convert and now have 150 or so first level connections, 20+ testimonials and access to thousands more contacts. Yet, each time I invite contacts to join me I am nearly always met with the same response – “It seems like a really good idea, but what do I do now?”

So I am writing a series of short articles on the basics behind LinkedIn and other social media, and each month (staring from January) there will be a simple step for you to build your knowledge and experience. So if you fancy being part of LinkedIn – do join me on the journey.

If the 'recession' has achieved anything useful, it has been to force many businesses to stop and think very carefully about their marketing habits. Complacency and habitual patterns – ‘we always do it like this’ – are easy traps to fall into. Nowadays, it’s the people thinking or doing things differently that are succeeding against the odds.

There are all sorts of examples … Harley Davidson is now marketing bikes specifically to women. Restaurants are setting up wine clubs, cocktail groups and cookery classes to fill down-times, boost trade and promote their business all in one go.  Hyundai cars in the US are offering a 2 year moratorium on lease car deals if the customer loses their job – the buyer can walk away from the deal with no impact on their credit rating. In one stroke they made it OK to buy in a difficult marketplace.

Two of the most popular topics I get asked about are blogging and email newsletters. But one question that really stands out in popularity is the "Should I be blogging or sending out email newsletters?"

So, if you are a little confused about what to focus your efforts on and which to get up and running in your business, here are some points to consider.

 

Continue to invest in marketing and your company will be well placed when the upswing comes. Everyone is saying it, everyone believes it … but very few tell you “how”.

How can this difficult business goal be achieved?

Budgets are under pressure and customers aren’t buying. Where can you find the resources which will make the essential difference to your business?

We recommend to clients that they get back to basics.

Use this downturn as an opportunity to take a fresh look at the business. Where is it now? How did it get there? What was it that originally made it successful?

Taking a step back from the cut and thrust of business life really helps you understand where your business is now, how it got there and what needs to change for you to thrive in challenging market conditions.

For any expanding business, there is no more exciting phrase than 'unfulfilled potential'. Those words often go hand-in-hand with the internet and now, with the medium well and truly established as mainstream, the opportunity has changed. The question is no longer: "Are we on the web?" but: "Why are we on the web?"

In reality, most company websites are still largely static; just e-versions of their existing print-based marketing materials — a passive, lifeless approach which serves only to satisfy their own need to feel part of the electronic revolution. A website that presents basic information is no more effective as a marketing tool than a business card in a huge shop window. The time has come for every firm to fully exploit the investment they have made in their website.