FOCUS | Marketing your business
produced at different times and by different people and didn’t match up.” He continues: “The team then worked on the new brochure, an 86-page handbag-size version that includes lots of images and professionally-copywritten project information, which can also be down- loaded as a digital file. The website reflects the style of the brochure, ensuring that my branding and messaging is now similar across every platform, including social media.” Taylor concludes: “I now use digital advertising to pro - mote my business, but I still value print advertising for brand awareness – it’s all
about sowing seeds for the future.” Of the kbbreview 100 who answered our survey, all said they use social media, a third said they send out regular newsletters and two-thirds use print advertising in some form. So how do you measure the effectiveness of your marketing strategy?
A large number of our kbbreview100 used the phrase “trial and error” when asked this, and some very successful businesses among them!
Many like social media, as it is
I now use digital advertising to promote my business, but I still value print advertising for brand awareness – it’s all about sowing seeds
for the future Simon Taylor, MD, Simon Taylor Furniture
possible to monitor success in terms of followers and engagements, although many will tell you that followers do not necessarily equate to sales down the line. Bullock at The Tap End believes it “gives companies a strong platform (free of charge) to use as an online portfolio, and prospective clients like to see that companies are active, and posting current work, so it contributes to building client confidence pre- purchase”.
Crow at Ripples admits it is not always easy to gauge marketing suc - cess. He adds: “We know 50% of the money we spend on mar -
keting works, we don’t always know which 50%.”
One way many of the kbbreview100 keep track of this is by asking every customer who phones in or visits the showroom where they heard about their business.
Online and digital marketing, such as social media, websites and email newsletters, all allow a direct monitoring of the response you are getting to your marketing.
Many of the kbbreview100 admit that you just have to see what works
TOP TIPS:
Know your target audience
DIGITAL
Communicate your brand values and service Website loading time is critical
best for you. Goodwillie at Billingham adds that he tries to aim certain messages through different media, so that he can better judge which is working best.
ANALYSIS
LaRosa in Leicester shares his method of getting on top of what works: “By analysing the months when more leads come in, and comparing that to the marketing I do at that time, I can then work out the best times to increase the reach.” Not everyone is convinced of the power of social media, however, and of course many long-established businesses still get the majority of leads through word of mouth. John Pelosi, owner of Caldicot Kitchen and Bathroom Centre in south Wales, tells kbbreview: “A good website was always going to be important, given how people start their searches these days. And while we’ve experimented with the various social media and online options, we’ve realised that often they are expensive
Create a virtual showroom online Use regular blogs to engage customers Make sure your website is mobile- friendly
ways to generate poor quality leads.” Kristjan Lilley, sales manager at H Lilley and Co in London, believes the best results for them come from the local magazines they have advertised in for years and again cites word of mouth as a major factor. He adds: “I am still never certain if we have found the perfect way to market ourselves.” But how did the pandemic affect our retailers’ marketing strategies? For many, not at all. In fact, they were equally split between those who carried on as they did before, and those who took the decision to ramp up their digital and online marketing. Joel LaRosa says: “Keeping in contact with those clients through WhatsApp, Zoom and social media built a great relationship. They knew we were still active.”
Many retailers of course made use of Zoom consultations, but some went one step further by creating a virtual showroom on their websites. Urban Kitchens was one. Holderness explains: “We installed virtual showroom tour tools on the
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· July 2021
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