Experts Blog

Knowledge is power

The Marketing Donut is a truly collaborative project and we’ve used some of the best people available to create this fantastic new resource. Central to this is the involvement of more than 100 expert contributors.
 
We’ve always worked with experts at BHP and believe their involvement is key to the practical and unbiased nature of the content we produce. It can be a challenge to incorporate feedback from different experts, each with their own views. But there’s a real sense of achievement when after the umpteenth round of corrections, you end up with a piece of content upon which everyone agrees – and that still reads well.
 
We’ve struck gold with the Marketing Donut and have some great people working with us. From high-profile marketing writers through ex-marketing directors of blue chips to well-known social networkers, plus, all the key marketing bodies – they’ve all given their time, knowledge and support. We’re very grateful for this.
 
Currently, we’re recruiting for the next Donut – so if you’re an expert in start-up issues, please get in touch.

Give a gift, boost your business

You might perceive businesses’ use of merchandise, also known as promotional gifts, to be one of two things: a desperate ploy by large corporates to con their customers into buying even more stuff they don’t need, or a tacky technique used by fledgling small businesses that don’t know any better. But although it can often be used for the wrong reasons, there is in fact a third way to use it; as a successful, targeted marketing campaign to build customer loyalty, drive more people to your website or inspire new customers to make a purchase.

Speaking to sales expert Andy Preston of Outstanding Results for a recent Small Business Update feature, I found out that some firms have ditched the cheap stationery and garish wall calendars for an altogether more thoughtful variety of merchandise. He told me about an outdoor clothing company that once produced a compass displaying its name and the words ‘helping you find your way to the best clothing supplier’. Their existing customers might already have a compass – hardy, all-weather hikers that they are - but the point is that they will feel valued by that business because it has actually presented them with something that is not only in tune with their interests but could also come in handy in the future. As the item is relevant and quirky, it is also likely to attract potential new customers to find out more about the business.

It might sound more costly, but if you sample small quantities of different types of merchandise and measure the outcome, you could be surprised by the difference in the return you get for each. Investing a bit of effort and money in an unusual gift for a smaller group of recipients is likely to give you a far better return than mass producing a luminous-coloured biro or an ugly soft toy, neither of which would add much to people’s lives or to their opinion of you.

Think about your industry and your target or current audience, and match your merchandise to the message you want to communicate and the customer’s interests or needs. It doesn’t have to be complicated - if you run a bar, printing beer mats instead of bog-standard flyers could do the trick, and if you’re a florist a packet of seeds or a flower pot might appeal. With a bit of imagination, merchandise can be a rewarding way of boosting your business, however tight your budget.