A fantastic digital marketing seminar hosted by our MD, David

David Mitchell hosting a seminar to regional business owners about digital marketing

On behalf of the Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Growth Hub, our MD David Mitchell, hosted an insightful and informative seminar on digital marketing last week.

Presenting to local and regional business owners and managing directors, David led attendees through the process of developing, planning, implementing, and assessing an effective digital marketing strategy.

David presenting to regional business owners & MDs

Delving into the processes and disciplines involved in digital marketing, this gave the attendees the knowledge and understanding they require to make impactful decisions, enabling them to efficiently create, implement, and continuously improve their digital marketing strategies.

A big thank you to all who attended last week, David is very grateful that the seminar received great feedback and obtained an average satisfaction score of 9.4. Some positive comments on what attendees liked most about the training were; “the credibility of the trainer” and that the training session “covered the essence and trends of digital marketing and its relationship with branding, so we have the right mindset to build strategies- rather than focussing too closely on tactics and details”.

Due to the fantastic response to the event and after receiving great feedback from the first group of attendees, there may be another seminar hosted by David on behalf of the Growth Hub in the future. As the Growth Hub independently organise these free events, we will share the details as and when they are confirmed.

A successful day of business 1-2-1 support clinics

The first face-to-face 1-2-1 business support clinics since lockdown were a great success!

Today was a great success as the Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Growth Hub hosted their first face-to-face business support clinics since lockdown in collaboration with Jonathan Percival of Lichfield District Council and Maxine Darrock of Cannock Chase Chamber of Commerce. Hosted at our Burntwood offices, the event brought together a range of local business owners seeking support and advice, and the 1-2-1 support clinics aided attendees to leave this afternoon with ideas and strategies for future growth and development.

Part of our job at the marketing people is helping clients with more than just their marketing requirements, and to help them from an overall business perspective. It was great to see two of our clients attend the support clinics today, and both left this afternoon finding the 1-2-1 session very useful. Not only did our two clients take great benefit from the support clinics, but they have both joined as new members of the Cannock Chase Chamber of Commerce. As a vice president of the Chamber, David is pleased to see the Chamber growing and have the chance to give our clients more opportunities and connections in the local region through the Chamber of Commerce network.

 

The next FREE business support clinics

If you missed today’s event, don’t worry! The Growth Hub will be continuing their FREE 1-2-1 business support clinics and returning to the marketing people’s head offices in Burntwood on Tuesday 30th November 2021. Book your place early directly with the Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Growth Hub here: https://stokestaffsgrowthhub.co.uk/event/free-business-1-2-1-support-clinics-face-to-face-appointments/

Wondering if you should attend the next event? The FREE support clinics can help you with a huge variety of topics including: growing your business, finance and funding support, developing your marketing strategy, improving productivity and profitability, exporting and international trade, recruitment, regulations, environmental efficiency, rural business issues, and premises/land issues.

The Growth Hub advisors understand the day-to-day pressures of running a business. They work with you to overcome barriers, solve problems, and develop a strategy for growth. With specific knowledge of Staffordshire and close connections with local authorities, the advisors can signpost you to ensure you receive the best business support.

The details:

Location – The Marketing People, 3 Newlands Court, Attwood Road, Burntwood, WS7 1FG

Date – Tuesday 30th November 2021

Time – 09:30 – 14:00

 

We look forward to seeing you at this fantastic FREE event.

The Marketing People celebrate #StaffordshireDay

The Marketing People and many businesses across Cannock Chase and the surrounding areas will celebrate the 6th annual Staffordshire Day on 1st May 2021. Our MD David Mitchell, also vice president of the Cannock Chase Chamber of Commerce, was honoured to be asked by the Chamber to produce a short video exclaiming his love of our county in light of the Staffordshire Day celebrations.

Staffordshire has really got it all from castles to theme parks, museums to universities all seated in a fabulous landscape; just a few great parts of Staffordshire that make it a wonderful place to live, work, and explore. But what makes Staffordshire special is the people, the everyday hardworking, friendly, and welcoming people that make this such a fantastic county. Kind people that say “hello” to strangers and make everyone feel at home, that’s what makes Staffordshire.

This annual event recognises Staffordshire’s community pride and for the 2021 celebrations there is a focus on the resilience of Staffordshire-based businesses. Take a look at enjoy Staffordshire's website to see the events that are happening throughout the day.

As proud members of the Cannock Chase Chamber of Commerce, we are delighted to be celebrating with fellow local & regional businesses. Check out the Chamber of Commerce’s social media pages for updates from across the region: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Want to know how you can get involved too? The event is being held on social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter on Saturday 1st May. All you need to do is use the hashtag #StaffordshireDay to be a part of the conversation.

Let Us Get Round to the Marketing For You

How many times have you tried to tackle your own marketing and ended up giving up after 10 minutes because something else in your business required your attention more? Don’t worry, you’re not alone.

Sometimes it can feel impossible to find the time to start an email campaign, or send off those leaflets that are now covered in an inch of dust on your desk, or even check on those ads you’ve had running in the background for months on end…

The point is, you’re good at running your business but we're good at marketing… so let’s join forces.

Don’t forget to plan time for marketing

In light of February being National Time Management Month, we thought this is the ideal opportunity for you to assess what’s going on in your business and plan in some time for marketing. As we do this all day every day, we know how much time this can take up, time you may not have yourself.

We know after years in the business that rushed marketing is very unlikely to be successful. Successful marketing that gets results takes time, experience and knowledge- luckily, that’s something we have plenty of! Don’t let your marketing take a back seat in 2021, why not let us take care of it whilst you focus on the things your business requires from you.

The Marketing People, three stage process to marketing. Step 1, pre-marketing

Our strategy

Over the years, we have developed a strategy to help clients identify the best way to use their marketing and budget. This comes as a part of our three-stage process. One fundamental step, but often the most forgotten step, is pre-marketing. If you don’t already know about our three marketing stages, check out this video from our Managing Director, David Mitchell (FCIM), where he simply explains how pre-marketing can stop you from wasting money on marketing that doesn’t work.

So, before you print those thousands of leaflets, or hit publish on your Google Ads, just take a second and think; “Why am I saying this message? Am I directing my customers to the right place to convert? And, is this what my target audience need or want to see in order to convert?” They can be hard questions to answer, we know.

A positive change for your business

There is a lot of change going on in the world right now, so why not turn this change into a positive one for you and your business. We can help you take a step back and look at your business goals and direction to ensure your branding and positioning is appropriate for the market you’re in. This will help you to utilise your budget effectively and engage in marketing that works.

We know marketing may not be your top priority, but it should be one of your business’s priorities. Let us take the job off your hands and see what growth we could make for your business.

Working with you to improve your business

If this sounds like something of value to you, get in touch and we can organise a free, no-obligation meeting to discuss how we can help you.

Our Top Five Moments of 2020

To welcome in the New Year, we wanted to take a look back at our top moments of 2020 to celebrate everything that the team here at The Marketing People has achieved.

We tend to spend so much time celebrating our client’s achievements that we sometimes forget to pause and appreciate how far we have come as a team. So, on that note, please join us as we look back at our favourite moments from 2020.

1. We Started Live Streaming

We went Live for the first time in early November over on our YouTube Channel. After releasing weekly content for around a year we knew that the natural progression was to begin live streaming. So far, we have hosted our Digital Marketing Tuesday series on YouTube Live, and enjoyed bringing guests to the channel too. We look forward to inviting more guests to our YouTube Live in the coming months.

If you missed out on our live streams, then you can easily catch up on our channel! If you want to be alerted of any future live streams simply subscribe and click the notification bell. Click here to visit our YouTube channel.

2. Shortlisted for Small Business of the Year Award

In December, we were delighted to find out that we had been shortlisted for the Cannock Chase Chambers of Commerce Annual Small Business Awards.

We are proud members of the Chamber and this shortlisting is a testament to our team’s dedication, professionalism, and hard work. Typically, entering for awards is not something we do. Seeing our clients grow and achieve their goals is already something worth celebrating. Our personal thanks go out to all the businesses we have and continue to work with, as we would not be in this position without you.

We feel honoured to be shortlisted against many well-deserving companies and the virtual ceremony at the end of January will be something for our team to celebrate and look forward to.

chase chamber of commerce awards 2021

 

 

3. Our Team Grew Bigger

In 2020, we also welcomed a new member to the TMP team. Danni Jupp graduated with a first-class honour’s degree from The University of Derby after studying Marketing and Consumer Psychology for four years.

Danni has quickly settled into her role as a Marketing Assistant and has already provided such valuable insights from her previous experience in the B2B and B2C sectors. We look forward to her growth and progression with The Marketing People during the course of 2021.

4. We launched our new website

The year 2020 provided us with the opportunity to focus on our own marketing, which is something we probably don’t do enough of as naturally, our clients always come first.

We completely remodelled our website allowing it to better promote our services. We took the time to update all of the content to ensure it portrayed our business values and conveyed what we can do to help other businesses achieve their goals.

If you haven’t already visited our website then take a look here. Make sure to visit our services pages and find out what we could do to help your business grow in 2021.

 

5. Our Clients

Finally, during such a strange and difficult year for us all, we could not do any of this without the love and support from our clients. From adapting to online consultations and meetings, to sending us heart-warming gifts in the post, our clients have been amazing during such unprecedented times.

We are so grateful for everyone’s ongoing support and we can’t wait to see what 2021 has in store for all of us.

Cannock Chase Chamber Awards – We are Shortlisted

chase chamber of commerce awards 2021

Typically, entering for awards is not something we do, helping our clients establish and grow their business, obtain their goals, and for them to win awards is something worth celebrating for us.

This shortlisting is a testament to our team’s effort, dedication, and professionalism towards our customers and themselves, and the hard work they put in every day. And of course a special thanks to all the businesses we have and continue to work with.

Our focus is on helping our clients make the most out of their marketing investment, and in our way, help sustain and grow the regional economy.

 

As proud members of the Chamber, we are thrilled to announce The Marketing People have been shortlisted for the Cannock Chase Chambers of Commerce annual small business awards following the submissions by many well-deserving local companies.

We have heard some of our clients have submitted applications for this year’s awards, and it is great to see those we have helped in the past be shortlisted alongside us.

“Good luck” to everyone shortlisted for an award in whatever Greater Birmingham Chamber area or category you are in, and we are looking forward to being a part of the virtual ceremony in January.

#SLTCAwards21

 

proud member of the chase chamber of commerce

3,000 Push-Ups in November for Teenage Cancer Trust

Ashley Mitchell, Web Developer/Designer at the marketing people, is raising money for Teenage Cancer Trust by doing 3,000 push-ups this November.

 

The Teenage Cancer Trust is the only UK charity dedicated to giving young people the specialised nursing and emotional support they require. They state “Our vision is a future where young people’s lives don’t stop because they have cancer. We make sure they’re treated as young people first, cancer patients second and everything we do aims to improve their quality of life and chances of survival”.

Since the start of November, Ashley Mitchell has been working towards doing 3,000 push-ups to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Remarkably, Ashley managed to reach his goal of £150 in under 24 hours thanks to the support from his friends and family and donations are continuously being made meaning a total of £321 has currently been donated!

Ashley will be uploading a video each week to his Fundraiser Page on Facebook which shows him completing the challenge. Make sure to follow along on his progress and if you are able to make a donation, big or small, we would greatly appreciate it. Any contribution will make a huge impact.

Black Country Women’s Aid: Christmas Appeal Success

The Marketing People Black Country Women's Aid

The Marketing People Black Country Women's Aid

Client Account Manager Emma Kempson has kindly donated, collected and wrapped over 200 Christmas gifts for Black Country Women’s Aid (BCWA), to give to the women, children and men who are victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse and benefit from their services.

On Monday 16th December, Emma and her mother, Julie, visited one of BCWA’s refuges to meet Deborah Slater, BCWA Fundraising Officer, to see first-hand the amazing and selfless work the charity does on a daily basis, and to wrap all of the gifts.

Emma says, “It was an extremely eye-opening and rewarding day we had. The facilities are beautifully kept, every single member of staff is absolutely wonderful, and the services they provide are essential to support these victims and help them look towards a safe future. To hear stories of what the women, children and men have endured, through no fault of their own, is utterly heartbreaking, so it felt nice to know that we can help make Christmas a happier time for them.”

The Marketing People BCWA
Just some of the gifts wrapped and ready to be delivered

The Marketing People first became aware of BCWA and their services in October through an e-mail via the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. We knew immediately that we wanted to support this worthwhile cause, so we held our Wear Purple Day on Wednesday 9th October, where we all wore purple and entertained clients with tea and cake in exchange for donations.

The £225 we raised on that day has paid for counselling for children who have suffered sexual abuse and we hope it helps them in their recovery.

TMP Charity
TMP team on our Wear Purple Day

Wanting to do more to help, Emma set up a Christmas appeal. Buying gifts herself to begin with, Emma’s family, friends and neighbours soon got involved. The Marketing People also kindly donated a variety of presents, and Morrisons in Aldridge gave Emma their entire toy collection that shoppers had contributed to for the past few months.

Emma tells us, “We were so overwhelmed by peoples’ kindness and generosity. We were hoping to buy and collect a variety of gifts; never did we think we would have three shopping trollies’ full!”

The Marketing People BCWA

TMP BCWA
The car bursting with kind donations

For most people, Christmas is a time spent with loved ones, in a safe home, with lots of food, drinks and presents. For victims of domestic abuse, sexual violence, child sexual exploitation and modern slavery, their reality is a far cry from this. Thanks to the gift collection, these women, children and men will now have special gifts to open on Christmas day and we hope this will make the festive period a happy time for them all.

TMP BCWA

A huge thank you to all involved in helping those less fortunate, and please know your kindness has really made a difference. Moving forward, The Marketing People will continue to support Black Country Women’s Aid in any way we can.

A Charitable Cause: Thank You

TMP Charity

TMP Charity

The Marketing People have proudly raised money for Black Country Women’s Aid, by organising a Wear Purple Day. Thank you so much to everyone who supported us and helped us raise a fantastic amount of money to help the deserving charity.

On 9th October we held our Wear Purple Day at The Marketing People’s offices in aid of Black Country Women’s Aid (BCWA). We all wore purple and welcomed clients and friends with tea and cake in exchange for a small donation.

Client Account Manager Emma Kempson collecting the money raised

BCWA supported over 8000 women, children and men last year who were victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse. Many of these fled home with nothing but the clothes on their back, and scars from their trauma.

The charity offers refuge accommodation and counselling, plus love and support to help the victims look towards a safer future.

With over 24 calls an hour to BCWA’s helpline and their 6 refuges almost full, we knew we needed to do something to help, and we encourage you to do the same.

How the money raised is used by the charity

Thank you so much to everyone who supported our Wear Purple Day and, with your kind donations, we have raised an astonishing £255 for Black Country Women’s Aid. We know this money will make a huge different to the lives of those less fortunate than us.

Thank you from the children who have benefited from BCWA

 

MD David Mitchell Elected as Cannock Chase Chamber of Commerce Vice President

David Mitchell TMP Vice President Cannock Chase Chamber of Commerce
David Mitchell TMP Vice President Cannock Chase Chamber of Commerce
Vice President David Mitchell & President Martyn Jupp

The Marketing People are proud to announce that MD David Mitchell FCIM has been elected as Vice President of the Cannock Chase Chamber of Commerce for a two-year tenure.

Following David’s experience on the Chamber’s council, this role will see him step up to celebrate the achievements of the businesses who are at the heart of the Cannock Chase area. He will also support Chamber members during the exciting development of the McArthurGlen West Midlands Designer Outlet, located in Cannock.

As proud members of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, The Marketing People regularly attend Chamber networking events and exhibitions and always support the fantastic work that the Chamber does. David’s Vice President role will enable us to encourage local businesses to get the most out of their membership, which includes networking opportunities and business support.

In attendance at Cannock Chase Chamber AGM supporting David's election L-R Amanda Mitchell & Emma Kempson from The Marketing People and Nicole Jupp
In attendance at Cannock Chase Chamber AGM supporting David’s election L-R Amanda Mitchell & Emma Kempson from The Marketing People and Nicole Jupp

David’s appointment comes after the Chase Chamber of Commerce unveiled its new name as Cannock Chase Chamber of Commerce, to give it a stronger geographical standing. David has campaigned for this change during his time on the council, and believes it is essential to have a central location to clarify the business community this Chamber represents. Their new offices were also revealed on Queen Street in Cannock town centre.

Cannock Chase Chamber of Commerce new offices
Cannock Chase Chamber of Commerce new offices

Following his election, David says, “Now we have our own identity and touchpoint in Cannock, it’s great to know these things are in place as I start my tenure as Vice President. I’m looking forward to helping as many people as possible, in the right way, in the local area.

David’s new role was revealed at the Chamber’s AGM, held at the Roman Way Hotel on Friday 8th November, by Chris Plant, Director of the Chamber. David will work alongside the Chamber’s President Martyn Jupp, who confirmed he will be extending his tenure for another two years, and fellow Vice Presidents Gill Durkin from Performance Through People and Chris Wheeler from Auditel.

The Marketing People look forward to working with Council members and, as always, we will continue to support the Chambers of Commerce and its regional business members in every way we can.

Case Chamber of Commerce

To read the Chamber article click here.