1.  Using QR codes on branded items is an extremely effective use of the print area providing  the recipient with the maximum information on a product/service or company.

2.  Promoting social media links via promotional merchandise allows a business to join up its offline and online marketing activities, encouraging your customers and prospects to engage with you online and driving traffic to your website. Traditional calls to action in other media are being replaced by social media calls to action, allowing the brand to interact regularly with their audience. This will certainly be the case for merchandise, which will also act as a reminder for the person to engage when they are ready to do so. According to a recent British Promotional Merchandising Association survey, over three quarters of recipients said they kept a promotional gift for longer than 12 months – thats effectively a 12 month reminder to connect with a company online!

3.  There will be a greater personlisation of products this year, as a result of more accurate data capture and retention. For example notebooks, calendars and mugs lend themselves perfectly to this. However, digital printing techniques further increases the possibilites for personalisation across an even greater number of different product ranges.

4.  Smart phone and tablet accessories will become increasingly popular this year with the continuing increase in sales of smart phones. According to figures published in the Guardian in July 2011, smart phone users in the UK will make up more than half of all mobile phone users in 2012. Items such as smart gloves, touch screen pens, cases and holders will help improve the user experience and provide a strong brand presence.

5.  Augmented reality may seem a little unattainable presently for smaller brands as cost is a factor, however this will likely come down over time and the potential wow factor for the user is undeniable.  With some potential self managed solutions, a “desktop” where products come to life with additional info and imagery using smart phone apps is an exciting prospect.

Developments in technology are certainly a common theme affecting trends in promotional mechandise and marketing techniques in general for 2012 and no doubt for years to come.

Integrated Marketing Communications

Putting together a 12-month marketing communications plan can seem a little daunting at first but failing to plan is planning to fail! Producing a list of all your activities on one A3 sheet of paper or if you prefer in an excel spreadsheet will help keep your budget spending under control as well as making it easier to measure the effectiveness of your marketing spend.

Across the top split the sheet into 12 columns, one for each month, with the annual quarters clearly indicated. Divide each month into 2 further columns, titled ‘Committed’ and ‘Invoiced’. This will enable you to view at a glance how much of your annual marketing budget has already been committed and what is remaining.

Down the left hand side of your paper/spreadsheet list all the marketing activities you plan to undertake over the 12 month period. Group them in categories for example:

Exhibitions, conferences and events; Public Relations; Design; Media; Social Media; Promotional Merchandise; Print; Database Management; Website; Product Launch

Once the list is complete, fill in the projected marketing spend for these activities in the monthly columns in which the activity is expected to take place bearing in mind that this is not always when the activity is due for invoicing. At the end of each line calculate the total ‘Committed’ and ‘Invoiced’ for each activity. At the bottom of the sheet calculate the total ‘Committed’ and ‘Invoiced’.

Having all your plans for the year in one place means working smarter and more efficiently. If you know you have a golf day planned in May, a trade show in September and a sales conference in November, you can plan your PR, design, print and promotional merchandise requirements etc well in advance without any last minute panic, which can often drive up the costs. Integrating your marketing communications will achieve better results as the different activities support each other.

Throughout the year, monitor and update the sheet, taking care to move any ‘Committed’ values to the ‘Invoiced’ column as soon as these activities have been invoiced. Of course, even the best laid plans change or may require a little tweaking, especially in the event of budget cuts or changes to the overall business strategy. However, having a plan to hand will make it easier to incorporate these changes into your marketing strategy.

Marketing and Real Ale

The growing popularity of real ale highlights the value of a fundamentally good concept. Despite immense pressure from global brands and massive corporations, real ale has survived and is indeed thriving. Lifestyle trends, product quality and market influences have all contributed to its continuing success.

Friday 2nd December The Hop finally opened its doors to the people of Sheffield, and what an opening night it was! I was one of the lucky few to attend the launch party the previous night and here’s a quick review…

The Hop is a Real Ale bar with a twist, the brainchild of Jamie Lawson director of Ossett Brewery, Mike Heaton drummer from Yorkshire Indie band Embrace and ex-Virgin Japan MD Mike Inman.

If a real ale establishment conjures up images of an ‘old man’s pub’ complete with a token smelly dog sulking in a corner, then think again! Set over two levels the Hop has been designed to reflect a contemporary, spacious and yet cosy feel, with a mixture of exposed brickwork and cool images – check out the old videotapes pictured on the wall next to the upstairs bar.

The stage on the ground floor will play host to bands performing Classic Rock, Soul, Blues, Funk, Metal and of course Indie music. Open mic sessions will provide new artists the opportunity to showcase their talent to crowds of discerning Sheffielders.

The Hop serves a range of real ales from the Ossett brewery and guest ales as well as an impressive selection of lagers, wines and spirits from around the world. Stuck for choice? Ask the experienced and friendly bar staff to recommend something and ‘try before you buy’. I’m no conoisseur but I thoroughly enjoyed supping on the Excelsior, a strong pale ale, and the Yorkshire Blonde (I couldn’t resist!), a fruity lager-style beer.

So can real ale successfully cross over into the mainstream? The concept certainly has legs with the growing popularity of real ale festivals and books, and of course breweries as popular venues to host business conferences with the added benefit of the traditional brewery tour. Lets just hope the micro-breweries continue to flourish along with their ability to produce great quality products that serve specialist local needs, something the big corporations struggle to offer.

Strategic Marketing for Start-Up Businesses

There are so many things to consider when setting up a business, it can be pretty daunting, especially if its your first (like mine!).  Are you a sole trader or a limited company, should you be VAT registered, do you need funding, should you work from home or from rented workspace?

Of course, all of these elements require careful consideration and form an important part of the business plan.  Just as important, however,  is the market in which your company will operate and often this is an area which is taken for granted or even overlooked.  Here is a brief summary of how to put together a strategic marketing plan for your company…

Research your market

Who are your customers/stakeholders?  Is there a requirement for your products/services? Where are you customers and who are they? Who are your competitors?

Undertake a SWOT analysis 

Define any potential strengths andweaknesses within the business and identify the threats and opportunities facing it by external elements such as social, environmental, politial, technological, economical factors etc.

Create a Mission Statement

A mission statement should be no longer than one or two sentences and should sum up your company’s main goal(s) and how this will be achieved.  For instance a law firm’s mission statement might be as follows:

“Our Mission is to  provide individuals and small businesses in the UK that have been injured or wronged in terms of personal injury, with the most effective ethical representation possible.”

Identify your marketing objectives

The marketing objectives should be derived directly from the business objectives.  Marketing objectives can relate to profitability, market share, growth, survival, branding and promotion.

Marketing objectives must be SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timed.

Develop a marketing strategy

How are you going to achieve your business and marketing objectives? Consider each element of the marketing mix – product, price, place, promotion (and people, physical evidence and process if your business provides a service).

Planning how to promote yourself and your business is vital. Do you have a budget to spend on activities such as advertising or exhibiting and will this be the most effective way of getting in front of your customers? If you have a limited budget or no budget at all, consider online social media marketing as a way of getting your name out there, although this can take up more time.

Produce a budget and schedule of activities 

Costs should be detailed throughout the financial year to establish what is required to successfully set up the business and more importantly, to sustain and hopefully grow your business.

Monitor and evaluate

Put measures in place in order to evaluate the effectiveness of your marketing strategy.  For example, if you decide to exhibit at an event, record the number of visitors to your stand, how many leads you received and the return on investment i.e. profit made from the show after the totel costs of exhibiting.

Will you be able to achieve your objectives or do you need to make some changes to the original plan?

And finally…..enjoy and good luck!