Connect WM - Connecting the West Midlands

Marketing in the West Midlands is it ...

by ConnectWM.com on 26/08/2011 - 07:03 pm |

Tags: Business WM, Marketing WM, Online WM, Sales WM, Supply WM

Marketing in the West Midlands is it all about perception and / or digestion?

Met up with Edward van der Kleijn from Partnerships for Marketing

Marketing is a word which is used to mean many things by many people.

It’s probably fair to say that there is in the business world undoubtedly not only a divide in the theory of its use - but also to the effectiveness and purpose per say.

Marketing is used to connect with businesses and consumers in the identification of a company via brand awareness as well as driving home a product or service.

The view for many a small businesses is that marketing is simply a case of handing out a business card, or getting a leaflet done and either shoving it through the door or into someone’s hand…..job done…!

Others, such as well established small businesses or those who have personnel with corporate type backgrounds as well as medium and larger sized business will use the phrase ‘Marketing Strategy’……often asking themselves “what is our marketing strategy” perhaps a blinding oblivious question to ask – but you’d be surprised on the answers.

Whether you as a business like to admit it, marketing is a paramount importance to any business if you don’t do it you can bet your bottom dollar than your competitors will be marketing themselves widely.

As a local business in the West Midlands you really need to ‘Connect to Marketing’ forget the ‘Connect to Hope’ ethos or the ‘Connect to a Wing and a Prayer’ strategy which many business adopt.

For local businesses marketing in the West Midlands is a good a place to start as any, being focused as to the need for it, more so, being targeted as to the results expected and what is to be achieved overall.

Ask yourself “is your marketing for perception?” Making your company look bigger and better than anyone else’s or “is it about digestion?” Sowing a seed on a product or service looking for that ultimate sale….!

Marketing for perception is a wonderful thing allowing marketing companies to get all creative and artistic – but let’s not forget that if the perception given is bigger and better, then you as a business certainly need to ensure that the mechanics within the business can facilitate such a mantel.

Marketing for digestion is something different all together….or is it?

Today I had a meeting over in Shirley in Solihull with Edward van der Kleijn from Partnerships for Marketing, if nothing more it was a meeting to introduce ourselves to each other and explain a little about our respective businesses, what we’ve done, are currently doing, and where we’re aiming to be.

The conversation lasted about an hour and we batted about a number of views which we as independent businesses hold on how marketing can be done to help locally based businesses. How social media now plays a part in the heads of many businesses although they are seemi ...

47.6 percent of business sales come f...

by ConnectWM.com on 18/08/2011 - 07:54 pm |

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Tags: Connect WM, Marketing WM, Online WM, Sales WM

47.6 percent of business sales come from online.

47.6% of business sales come from online.

You may think blimey let’s get me a user-name and password and get posting - because of the staggering fact that nearly 50% of business sales are now being done online.

Before we go too far down the wrong road let us just say that we haven’t got a clue what the real percentage is - because we’ve made that figure up or should we say inadvertently been miss guided, just like a lot of other people are when trying to sell something.

The point being, that the eye catching statements when appealing to the need and want and even the desperation of others will always stand a better chance of being believed.

You’ll hear many businesses say that a lot of their business is done online through the likes of Twitter and Facebook. But have you ever analysed what the vast amount of this business being done is? Well, surprisingly enough the vast amount of business being done is the sale of the service to others for online promotion, marketing, social media, advertising…… you get the drift!

In reality the exact amount of business sales (excluding e-commerce shops and web marketing companies) being done is assumingly quite low, in comparison for the time and money spent remember we’re talking sales here, honest to goodness receipt of some Wedge, some Wonga or as the bank would say credits to your bank account.

Sure you’ll get some brand awareness, sure you’ll get some quotes to do, sure you’ll be asked to provide samples for free….but how much of it will turn into a sale?

Don’t get us wrong we’ve had sales from people and businesses on Twitter and even Facebook…..but nowhere near the volume of what businesses are lead to believe when compared to the time spent in posting and commenting online.

Perhaps some people will say to us “oh mate” you’re doing it all wrong – you should be posting at 17.15pm every evening because that’s when commuters are on the train home looking at their blackberry’s because their board stiff.

There is a need for your business to get online, there is a need for your business to become online savvy – but please do not do so at the detriment of other traditional methods like talking to people either on the phone or face to face…you know the real old way of doing things.

Concern is that many businesses are heading online in the hope of it being an immediate answer to their prayers, reality is that it’s going to be far from immediate.

There are some businesses now that employ people in the role of a Social Media Manger (or even a bigger and better fancy job title) because they can afford to do so, plus their eyes are still firmly on the transitional methods of sales.

There are some businesses that employ the service of an online marketing company or agency again because they can afford to do so and t ...

Are there any similarities between yo...

by ConnectWM.com on 18/08/2011 - 07:37 pm |

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Tags: Business WM, Connect WM

Are there any similarities between you and a Fly?

Perhaps a little bit of a weird question you may think – but as I was standing in the kitchen waiting for the kettle to boil, for a well earned cup of afternoon char, I watched a fly come flying in through an open window as sweet as a nut with not a care in the world.

Then for the next 2-3 minutes I watched the fly go against the wall with a thud, then repeatedly hit the pain of glass in the window numerous times with such force it made me think ‘crikey….! Panic has set into this guy and he just doesn’t know which way to turn’.

Now if you covert the same scenario to that of your average business person, how many times have you sailed into a situation or a deal as calm as you like, only to realise soon after that all is not what it would seem and you’re fast looking to backtrack your steps, or go back in time to get the hell out of there?

If you say “never” then you’re lying, if you say “just a couple of times” then you’ve got a memory problem.

Your average fly lives for only about 2 weeks, so clearly the guy I seen hitting his poor head and wings against the walls and windows didn’t have much time to waste – he needs to get out there and live a little, he certainly hasn’t got time to get caught up in all that ‘stuck in a rut’ stuff…

Are you ‘stuck in a rut’? rest assured if so you’re not alone as many of us are, only we don’t know it as we haven’t stopped to think about it – and those of us that know we are, do nothing about it or rely on others to dig us out – either that or the blame for the situation will always be rested firmly on someone else’s shoulders.

Metaphorically speaking -a fly will only read a newspaper or magazine once, and even then it will be quite a flattening experience for them,- however many business folk tend to read books, again, and again and again never putting what they’ve read into action or to good use therefore a possible flattening experience for them also.

Short of a fly not going anywhere near a newspaper or a lizard - it’s a safe bet that they’ll live the full term of their life, for us humans however it’s a little different as there are many actions, results, or misfortunes which can impact on our existence, whether it be us as individuals or the live of our respective businesses.

I opened the window fully for the fly to be freed, yet he (or she) seemed to fly into everything such as the window frame, the handle, the blind, even the glass on the open window – never really heading towards the open freedom until coerced to do so.

Could the same be said for you? In your business can you see the wood from the trees? Can you see the open space? Surprising to know that many of us can – it’s just that we can’t be bothered to head to ...

Has Birmingham 2011 somehow connected...

by ConnectWM.com on 09/08/2011 - 07:15 pm |

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Tags: Connect WM, News WM, Online WM, Visit WM

Has Birmingham 2011 somehow connected to the Birmingham of the early 80’s?

Trying to connect to a bigger and better local economy is what local businesses strive for; doing an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay is all that they ask for.

Those that can remember only recently said that with the way the economic climate is going at the moment, it won’t be long before riots start just like they did in the early 80’s.

Last night the prediction came true as West Midlands businesses and residents felt and experienced the news of riots in Birmingham City centre starting.

Those who only predicted something like this happening only a few weeks ago said “see I told you it wouldn’t be long before people took a stance” others would say “it’s long overdue, the government needs to know how we all feel”.

As we were all glued to either our TV’s, Laptops, or Smart phones for news updates we started to become fully aware how organised the riot gangs seemingly were, how they’d avoid the police to re-group somewhere else within the city centre to wreak havoc ……sorry meant to say “make a statement”.

Many of us not being directly involved no doubt we all had and still have a view whether it be either for or against what we all were witnessing.

The Chinese wipers of social media had us all commenting on that supposedly Primark in New Street was on fire, the Bullrings bronze statue having its head sawn off, and a mass march to target the Children’s Hospital.

This then led to the posting and blogging as to what the ethos of the riot meant, how deep and philosophical the message was and how that perhaps a few would think that finally this is the start of the end of the worst economic struggle we have seen.

So what does the fact that the police are calling for parents to keep their children in tonight say about the reason for the riots – what does it say about the rioters themselves and their upbringing?

As things were evolving last night were people thinking although perhaps a little naively, that the government and organisations will now listen, how do they feel today looking back at the events and realising that the statement they thought was being made was being done by a high percentage of children in the looting mobile phone and sports shops.

Fact is like anything it’s hard to quantify or reason with; just like in business we do not know or understand why things happen – often when they do, it’s not what was planned or what the real intention was.

No one in their right mind could really condone the riots seen yesterday as they only go to worsening the local economy through the loss of business, and livelihoods. Remember it’s not just the businesses themselves that suffer - it’s the people who work within and utilise such as employees and customers who suffer also.

The rallying ...