techSPARK, the South West’s largest tech network, has published its inaugural Chair’s Report, outlining the state of play in the Bristol and Bath tech space.
The inaugural report celebrates the recent achievements of those within the cluster, which now features over 1200 businesses across the likes of fintech, greentech, digital, cyber and deeptech. But the report also delves into how the cluster could be improved, as both Bristol and Bath are beginning to feel the growing pains of ecosystem maturity.
It highlights policymaking and political leadership, the diversity and depth of investment and venture capital funding as well as the need to build upon the collaborative culture, cementing the cluster’s identity and bridging the gaps between competition and collaboration as some of the key areas to assess.
Regional identity is one of the major strengths of the two cities. But also, the source of its greatest potential weakness – as techSPARK Chair, Nick Sturge MBE, explains:
“Bristol and Bath are passionate cities, with purpose at their hearts. But the often-cited humility of those within the tech space, may in fact be hampering growth. The level of humbleness within the space seems to be at odds with global brand building and big acquisition routes. What do we want to be known for?”
When it comes to acquisition and investment, the report highlights that the two cities are seeing less venture funding being deployed in 2023, particularly at pre-seed and early-stage levels. Though Bristol and Bath are still seeing strong equity investment levels, with a total of £975,000,000 raised in 2022.
In the past, Bristol was cited as the strongest cluster in the UK outside London for the availability of growth capital. In 2021 Atomico reported Bristol was 3rd in Britain behind London, Birmingham and Manchester. The city went on to drop out of Atomico’s top 20 European rankings in 2022.
This picture is compounded by the recent success of other UK regions, in receiving government funding via innovation accelerators and investment zones. The funding itself has been distributed in line with the levelling-up agenda. But while this will de-risk and unlock additional private and public sector funding, it could see Bristol and Bath struggle to keep pace over the next five years if we choose to measure ourselves as such.
Positioning the cluster politically to ensure policy is well positioned to support the tech sector is also cited. The efforts of the region’s research institutes have led to a growth in the number of spin-outs, when compared nationally, with all four local universities offering great strengths and benefits to the sector.
However, political leadership and political interest was one of the most widely raised topics, during the consultation and creation of the report, as Nick continues:
“During the consultation for this report, the lack of political interest in the sector and poor leadership frequently emerged. The consensus is that political leaders don’t fully comprehend or champion the sector in a way that leaders in other clusters, like the Midlands and Manchester, do.
“It was noted, by those we consulted, how the West of England Combined Authority has grown in size in recent years making it appear harder to influence strategy and priorities. This leaves a sense that public and private sectors aren’t pulling in the same direction nor championing the sector on the national stage. techSPARK has been able to engage with officers at the Authority and so this report gives us an opportunity to push for ambitious and innovative new approaches”
The report highly praises the human capital within the cluster. A highly skilled workforce with strong mentorship and governance are key strengths of the sector. A positive and forward-thinking incubator mentality is also greatly contributing towards overall health.
However, concerns have been raised over the risk of entrepreneur drain, leading to a limited community of more experienced entrepreneurs and a reduced appetite for individuals taking on ‘higher risk’ jobs.
The cost-of-living concern also looms large, with Bristol now being named as the most expensive major city to live in outside of London, as the city becomes less affordable to live in, could limit the local talent pool, diversity and social mobility.
techSPARK’s State of Play report was prepared by Rocketmakers Special Projects Lead Briony Phillips and techSPARK Managing Director Ben Shorrock, alongside key partners WECA, Invest Bristol Bath, Cintra Global and Burgess Salmon. As well as Hargreaves Lansdown, MAINstream, Firehaus and Morton Property Consultants, it can be read in full here.
B2B and corporate PR and communications specialists, AMBITIOUS PR is celebrating the second year of achieving 50% year-on-year revenue growth.
Now, the agency is setting its sights on £1.65million revenue in 2023, securing its position as one of the largest independent PR agencies in the South West.
The agency’s expansion over the last year came from new retained clients including Acorn Property Group, Albert Goodman, BGF, Lifetime, Neighbourly and Truespeed. Growth also came from the agency’s existing client base expanding their remit.
To drive forward further development, AMBITIOUS is investing in marketing technology to deepen the insight they can provide to clients through data and analysis.
The agency will also be launching a dedicated digital PR offering and an end-to-end content strategy, creation, and marketing service.
Based on client demand for international PR support, AMBITIOUS has joined the IPRN (International Public Relations Network) – the international network for independent agencies. This will provide clients with access to a global network of PR agencies as well as driving new business and international knowledge transfer.
In the last year, AMBITIOUS owners Lis Anderson and Sarah Woodhouse have promoted four team members and have now created four new positions which will represent a 22 per cent growth in headcount, taking the agency to a 22-strong team.
Sandra Hodgson has been promoted to Finance Director, Joe Wright to Strategy Lead, Katy Barney to ESGLead and Joanne Wilson to Office Manager.
AMBITIOUS is now hiring for an associate director, senior PR consultant, PR executive, and bookkeeper. Working with UWE Bristol and The Strive Internship Programme, the agency is also committed to a comprehensive internship programme to support entry level talent.
The agency, which has experienced no staff attrition in the past three years, has invested in a competitive benefits package designed in consultation with employees and created to be industry leading.
Lis Anderson, Founder & Director, AMBITIOUS said: “Our growth has been fuelled by investing back in the business – investing in our employees through personal coaching and development, through our competitive salary and benefits package, through new hires, new software and new technology to constantly develop and move our business forward.”
Sarah Woodhouse, Director, AMBITIOUS said “Many of our recent new business wins have come from large companies based in the South West or companies with a regional office here, procuring the national, regional and sector PR and communications support they need on their doorstep.”
AMBITIOUS focuses on b2b and corporate PR in core sectors including technology, ESG, property and placemaking, professional services, financial services, education and skills, healthcare, and the public sector.
Core services include strategic planning and communications, media relations, digital PR, press office management, thought leadership campaigns, issues and crisis management, stakeholder mapping and engagement, employer brand communications and media training. Content services include content strategy, creation, and marketing.
Female-founded, owned, and run, AMBITIOUS celebrated its first decade in business in 2022.
Interested in working for or with AMBITIOUS? Please email Sarah or Lis at [email protected]
If you want your business to succeed, you must consider the relationships you have with your consumers.
Creating and nurturing customer relationships has changed in recent times along with client expectations.
Having a physical site was necessary for consumers to shop there. Now almost everything can be bought at the click of a button. So, how do you keep a customer coming back to your website?
Audience members can feel entirely cut off from a company, even in today’s hyperconnected environment. Because of this, more companies are investing in ‘community management’.
Community management definition
Creating a community among brands and customers through online interactions is community management. Brands can recapture the human element of consumer brand loyalty, that technology advancements have deprived them of.
It connects to other marketing and PR aspects, such as social media, content, and search engine optimisation (SEO). It must complement your overarching marketing, public relations, and communications strategy.
Why do businesses benefit from an online community?
For organisations, community management is not only useful but essential. Adopting a community management strategy can improve consumer satisfaction by boosting brand recognition and loyalty. A community management plan that is effective can:
One excellent option for brands to build authentic relationships and get customer feedback is through a community that facilitates actual discussions. Even effective word-of-mouth marketing campaigns may benefit from it. 83% of customers believe that word-of-mouth advertising directly affects their purchasing behaviour.
What distinguishes community management from social media management?
Although there are many similarities between social media marketing and community management, their agendas are significantly different. The focus of social media marketing is on sharing social posts on social media channels. This is done to expand the brand’s client base and increase traffic and interaction.
A community manager will interact with your community across all online channels. The activity incorporates aspects of social listening, customer service, and community rules for participating in online forums. Intimate connections are developed through careful management. They also create communities both inside and outside of social media.
Community management techniques
Customer service is only one aspect of community management. There are, in reality, six main categories of community management efforts. The acronym SPACE makes it simple to recall the methods of community management:
Internal engagement is another method of community building and management that is frequently utilised to create an online community. Your team members, partners, and vendors make up your internal audience. Your consumers, fans, supporters, brand advocates, ambassadors, and followers make up your external audience.
Developing a community management strategy
Building effective networks that foster sincere, lasting relationships requires a solid plan. A successful community manager will organise all of your happy consumers in one space and look after them by encouraging good interactions.
These are step-by-step instructions for creating an online community management strategy:
When it comes to deciding how community managers measure success, there is no right or wrong way. The metrics depend on what’s important to you. Maybe you want to gain more followers on social media, or perhaps you’d like to enhance sales and conversions. Possibly you require greater brand recognition or more website visitors.
Clearly identify your aims and the tactics you need to measure your success by setting goals.
Before developing your plan, you must identify your primary audience. For instance, knowing the demographics of your target audience will enable you to focus your efforts on engaging that group.
Construct customer personas to understand your customers’ interests, preferences, etc. Find out where your audience is and then create content for them; they tend to be more active on one or two social media platforms, sites or forums.
Keep in mind that community management provides opportunities for small and close interactions. With a better understanding of your community’s members, ensure your content will interest them.
A great place to start creating your brand’s reputation and online community is on social media. Your community will know what to expect from you if you consistently release new content on social channels.
Social media platforms are fantastic resources for learning about your target audiences’ demographics and finding out what interests them. Encourage the sharing of user-generated content, a great way to share the love with your audiences and show that you value their interactions with your company.
It may even inspire creativity and generate suggestions for improving goods or services. In fact, 90% of online communities regularly share ideas about how to make changes to products.
Keep track of your progress while you work; test and learn to understand what works and what doesn’t. It will constantly change as your brand grows and your community expands. Adapt your goals and the KPIs monitoring your success to ensure they reflect your community’s continued growth.
There are plenty of analytical tools available to help you monitor and encourage growth of your social media channels. choose the ones that will work for you.
What does a community manager do?
They are experts with the knowledge and qualifications to put effective community management strategies into practice. Four different strategies are used by community managers to manage interaction across numerous platforms, including social media:
As social media becomes more and more important to a company’s success, ensure that you have an active community manager who can help build and grow your audiences.
The iconic free family event of the summer, Bristol Harbour Festival returns from 14th – 16th July 2023, with newly imagined entertainment zones, Circus Playground moving to College Green and an inclusive water programme that celebrates the city’s harbour.
On Wednesday morning, organisers launched the return of the 2023 event with Mayor Marvin Rees and aspiring artists from Access Creative College.
For the launch, 18-year-old singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Madara Plusa performed Massive Attack’s Teardrop, accompanied by 17-year-old guitarist, Jack Isgrove.
The performers were also joined by fellow students 21-year-old Shaye Stewart, a gospel musician, pianist, and producer currently studying Access’ Artist Development course, and 18-year-old DJ Fitz, a music producer and DJ studying Music Production.
Attracting over 250,000 visitors to enjoy over one mile of entertainment, the festival will feature a huge range of local talent, world-class circus, music acts and on the water activity from cardboard boat races to high octane jetpack stunts.
With five areas filled with music and entertainment, Bristol Harbour Festival fans can look forward to five performance platforms, bringing beats, boats and backflips to the summer extravaganza. Cirque Bijou will once again be bringing tricks and trapeze, children’s entertainment and pop-up performances at the Circus Playground which will now take pride of place at a brand-new city green space, College Green.
The Jelli Shack will take over Millenium Square, providing chill-out beach-bar vibes with an acoustic programme brought to you by the team at Jelli Records. Featuring an abundance of Bristol talent, the Jelli Shack will also have dodgems and refreshments, making this a ultimate spot to bask in the sunshine.
The Amphitheatre will become a great spot to enjoy a bite from the Food Court with music from Access Creative College, Ujima Radio and BCFM Radio as it becomes Harbour View. The perfect place to promenade alongside moored vessels and look out onto the stunning setting of Bristol’s floating harbour. It’s time to pull up a picnic bench and soak up the summer vibes.
On the Water entertainment will return to the Harbour Festival, bringing the water at the heart of our city to life with activities showcasing maritime magic from jet ski stunts to the iconic Pyrounaut showing off its skills.
Bristol’s Georgian Queen Square will transform into the Music Quarter; curated by Harbour Festival programming legend, Tony Benjamin. This space will kick start the festival on Friday night and will also feature the brightest talent from Access Creative College alongside established acts.
The festival has opened its annual Expression of Interest for those wanting to perform and get involved with the festival this year, hoping to attract the newest and coolest into the festival from all over corners of the city once again. With a large number of performers coming through the EOI form last year, applications are open to everyone and anyone looking to share their talent.
Access Ceative College has been providing creative education in Bristol for more than 20 years, offering full-time vocational courses in music, events, games design, computing, Esports, graphic design, film, and photography.
The college has a strong focus on diversity and inclusion, ensuring students, irrespective of background, successfully develop the knowledge, skills, and behaviours to thrive in the creative and sporting sectors.
Achievement rates are above national benchmarks and progression to higher education from socially disadvantaged backgrounds are double the nation average.
Bristol Harbour Festival’s new and reformed festival is brought to the city by Bristol City Council. The Circus Playground is supported and funded by the High Street Recovery Fund.
To keep up to date with all Harbour Festival news and updates, follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter or visit the website.
ENDS
The number of start-ups, consultancies, and platforms that help companies on their ESG journeys has increased dramatically in recent years.
Determining which service is best for you as an SME can be extremely overwhelming if you don’t have a committed team to focus on these challenges. Big issues like environmental issues, governance factors and inclusion and diversity can take up lots of time.
As a PR consultancy, we’ve been trying to work through this landscape for our own activities, as well as aiding our clients through the same process. We want to share what we’ve discovered thus far.
When it comes to ESG and sustainability PR, it’s of paramount importance for your communications around these topics to be founded on genuine data and concrete commitments.
ESG for SMEs
ESG strategies are still in their beginnings for the majority of businesses. Using data from an ESG survey or materiality assessment, or setting up sustainability software can be a challenge without professional help.
It’s key to research the top ESG platforms for SMEs, learn what each one offers and consider what you should think about when making your choice. There isn’t a fix that works for everyone. Engaging a specialist firm to create an ESG roadmap may be the appropriate first step for larger SMEs with a complex supply chain or stakeholder network.
Becoming a sustainable business
Choosing to invest in a platform in your ESG strategy, such as those covered here, can have clear benefits for your company in a number of ways, including data collecting, improving sustainability reporting standards, risk management, sustainability education, staff engagement, and many more.
It is difficult to classify these platforms, as they offer various services. This is a quickly changing and dynamic market, with everything from employee participation to carbon footprint estimates, and product surplus distribution to sustainability issues.
Discover a selection of sustainability software providers and ESG platforms that may benefit your ESG operations below.
A startup situated in Bristol, Spherics, assists SMEs in comprehending their supply chains’ and their own carbon emissions. The application uses what is referred to as a “spend analysis” to establish your carbon impact and interfaces with the accounting software used by businesses.
This procedure is appropriate for smaller companies to follow and complies with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. It might be difficult to manage the necessary data collection without a committed sustainability staff. Therefore, it’s essential to use an automated system like Spherics to construct a footprint and access recommendations for emissions reductions.
Data collection is paramount to be able to have the right conversations about sustainability with your stakeholders.
Ecologi began as a platform dedicated to assisting individuals in making a positive effect on the environment. Ecologi customers may do their part to protect the environment by using carbon reduction strategies and encouraging tree planting.
Since then, the company has developed and is now able to provide both global corporations and small and medium-sized companies with solutions. A Climate Positive Workforce solution, which aims to involve employees in carbon reduction, is an option for businesses.
Ecologi also introduced Ecologi Zero this year, which is designed specifically for small and medium-sized companies. The platform, like Spherics, enables data collecting, interfaces with accounting software used by companies, and helps carbon footprint creation and development. The technology, which is presently under beta testing, will be compliant with industry-leading standards for carbon reporting and target-setting.
Additionally, Ecologi Zero will work to keep expenses down for SMEs by offering a free option.
Giki, which stands for “Get informed, know your impact,” strongly emphasises knowledge in all of its offerings. Displaying your individual carbon emissions and offering advice can help you perform better and achieve your personal and professional ESG goals. The main platform has been created to support change on a smaller scale for customers.
Giki Zero Pro is all about increasing employee engagement for businesses. Additionally, this sustainability software creates statistics that companies may utilise to show their dedication to ethical environmental policies. This website demonstrates that ESG good practices do not have to be dull or reserved for senior management by using behavioural insights from study findings to ensure the sustainability journey for employees is interesting and enjoyable.
With the use of the data platform, Eevery, small businesses can be given the tools they need to enhance their performance in governance, economics, and the environment.
The creators of Eevery recognised that while SMEs are frequently dedicated to enhancing their ESG efficiency, they frequently lack the capacity and ability to comprehend intricate frameworks like the GRI standards or the EU Taxonomy.
Users then enter non-financial information regarding their ESG performance and influence on Eevery. After that, they get templates, advice on where to make improvements, a reporting dashboard, and other things.
The main principle behind Neighbourly is that local transformation leads to global change. Companies can join Neighbourly and offer money, employee time, or surplus items. Then, these resources are directed toward the areas of the neighbourhood that most urgently require them.
The platform enhances transparency and aids ESG reporting in addition to ensuring donations and support get directly to communities in need. The specific results of the involvement, such as the number of meals donated, the amount of CO2 associated with avoided food waste, or the number of volunteer hours provided, are fed into ESG data tools by the Neighbourly web platform. The portal offers public case studies in addition to statistics, allowing businesses to showcase their influence.
Another startup is prioritising local action is YouDoo. Six areas are used to break down sustainable living into manageable steps: voice, food, use less, travel, home, and money.
While the platform is focused on individual actions to progress towards a more sustainable world, there are lots of tips and approaches that can be used in business ESG strategy too. By spotlighting local projects, suppliers and opportunities to get involved, YouDoo also helps keep value and investment in the local community.
The team behind the Couch to Carbon Zero, Every One of Us, wants to empower employees and assist organisations in creating a workforce that is climate-positive rather than serving as a provider of sustainability software or ESG data. Like some of the other platforms on this list, they offer a fund to promote neighbourhood grassroots initiatives.
Getting started with your ESG strategy
ESG data, sustainability research and reporting, and platforms for responsible business operations are much more than just financial data and ESG disclosures. There are several methods for smaller businesses to obtain accessible support for your strategy, whether you’re striving for net zero or seeking to reopen the dialogue about sustainability with coworkers, it’s possible.
Share of voice is one of the most important things in the PR toolkit. It’s also one of the oldest principles employed by PR professionals.
Ever since we’ve been able to monitor mentions, be it print, digital, social and everything in between, PR professionals have had the ability to compare their clients to their main competitors.
But this is far from an exercise in ego measurement. It’s a way of benchmarking, setting KPIs and gleaning insight into the topics that really matter to a specific business or industry.
When it comes to share of voice, digital transformation has taken over, like it has in most industries. Now, traditional marketing and PR efforts have shifted into digital ones. There really is no way of getting around the digital revolution.
And when it comes to analysing share of voice, we now have a whole host of powerful tools to optimise the process and make what we do even more valuable to our clients.
Share of voice: a binary approach
While share of voice within media has its value, its results are ultimately a linear numerical outcome.
Also, if the quality of your brand mentions within any given media is low, or if coverage about them in unfavourable; then even if your share of voice is higher than your competitors it will be for all the wrong reasons.
Relying too much on that number on a macro level could be detrimental to your wider strategy. Your share of voice could skyrocket off the back of one crisis, so the percentage figure itself is something of an anomaly.
Instead, you need to look at the key conversation topics and how those are showing through your mentions and coverage.
To achieve this, every business should be an authority on a set of subjects. If a business doesn’t have this, then their approach to profile building and thought leadership will be a scattergun one.
With pre-determined topics and targets, you can hone in on the issues that matter most to your business and turn up the dial on your brand reputation.
The most likely way to turn that dial in the right direction – and for the right reasons – is to have a strong share of voice on the matters which really matter to your business. If you can demonstrate the right experience, on the right topic then you’re more than likely to find resonance with your target audience.
Key media trends
Riding the wave of trends is one way to drive converge and crease the volume and value of your business’s media mentions. Assessing these trends and knowing which ones to jump onto and which ones to leave is a critical task.
But, as much as you’d like to, you can’t go for everything. Just like Goldilocks, you need to find those trends and opportunities that are ‘just right.’
This is where PR professionals show their worth. Identifying the most appropriate and achievable opportunities and going after them. They may even land upon trends and areas which are completely untapped by you or your competitors, which would not have been discovered were it not for that share of voice analysis.
Sentiment: more than just a number
When it comes to ranking sentiment within your share of voice, there are three options: positive, negative and neutral.
Your business may have the largest share of voice within your industry and competitor set, but if three quarters of that coverage is overwhelmingly negative in sentiment, that really isn’t a good position.
Your competitors will gladly let you have the lion’s share of the media if it is to the detriment of your business. People will say all publicity is good publicity. Anyone who works in PR knows that this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Negative publicity can be destructive, professionally and personally. Because of this, assessing the sentiment of coverage is critical to the wider assessment and strategy around profile and brand building.
While many third-party tools will claim to rank sentiment through automation, this really ought not be relied upon. Much of sentiment analysis lies deep in context of the wider piece. Automated services are programmed to pick out keywords which the programming deems as negative, cutting out all context and subtext.
While it is more time consuming, a manual approach is ultimately far more effective in gauging sentiment in share of voice.
Where are you featuring and how are you being featured?
If your coverage reports are filled with fleeting mentions within titles which are in no way relevant to your business, then really there is no value to having a high percentage share of voice, as the quality and relevance will be sorely lacking.
One well-written, topical, favourable piece of coverage in a title which is relevant to your industry is far more valuable than 50 low value mentions in irrelevant titles.
How does social media effect share of voice
Social media has added a whole new level to the share of voice spectrum.
Where traditional media mentions can be seen through the filter of layers of editorial process, social media is raw and unfiltered. It might be hard to read, but often social media mentions offer the most useful insights
Whether you’re looking through the comments sections, your direct mentions or replies, social media networks are where we will find the true views on your brand.
A social media platform doesn’t have to conform to the same standards as a traditional media platform. This lends itself to being a source of, often unbridled, truth.
How share of voice impacts Google search.
What is the first thing you do when you’re trying to find out more about a business?
A Google search is now the first thing any stakeholder does. That could be a potential customer, team member or even a detractor to your business.
The annals of the internet are infinite, as such anyone can unearth anything about you and your business. If negative information is coming up on page one of Google’s search results about your business then that’s not a great position to be in.
It should be added that this isn’t specifically linked to having the best media profile. We must now consider the whole picture and Google search and social media are now crucial tools and resources for businesses in the reputation building game.
Consider if you will, a potential candidate searches for your business and finds a litany of negative reviews on Glassdoor. Through share of voice activation you can assess the issues which may be causing this and remedy the situation in the long term.
The Grand Appeal is gearing up for another fortnight of streaming fun in partnership with Jingle Jam, the world’s biggest charity gaming event.
From the 1st – 14th December, Bristol-based gaming company, Yogscast host Jingle Jam on Twitch – the popular gaming streaming platform – to raise funds for The Grand Appeal and other charitable causes. The event attracts more than 250,000 unique views annually for the live 14-day programme of Christmas festivities.
This is the sixth consecutive year The Grand Appeal and Jingle Jam have partnered up for the festive fundraising appeal, raising £1.4m to date, and this year there are multiple ways the public can support The Grand Appeal, the dedicated charity for Bristol Children’s Hospital.
Supporters of the charity can purchase the now iconic Jingle Jam Games Collection.
This year’s Jingle Jam Games Collection is the biggest yet: with almost 90 games worth over £1,000 and is available to anyone who donates over £35 (about $42).
People can also support The Grand Appeal by tuning into live streams and donating. There are many live streams happening during Jingle Jam 2022. But highlights include a live model making session, with Aardman veteran Jim Parkyn on Friday 9 December. Joining Jingle Jam streamers, Briony, Osie and Boba, Jim will present a live Christmas crafts stream where they’ll re-create some of Yogscast’s iconic characters.
This year, fundraisers can also run their own live streams, but it doesn’t have to be related to gaming.
Fundraisers can stream anything they like. It could be painting, a sing-along, cooking, baking or even a quiz. Anything you love, or have a talent for, can be turned into a stream, and for those needing a little help to get one started, can do so with the support of The Grand Appeal and Jingle Jam.
Fundraising for The Grand Appeal through Jingle Jam will fund the creation of a unique facility in the city. With the help of the incredible Jingle Jam community, The Grand Appeal plan to build Jingle Jam Building. This ground-breaking project will allow patients who require long-term rehabilitation and therapy, following an accident or major surgery, and who are not quite yet ready to go home, to stay free of charge and receive the further rehabilitation they need while being able to stay with their family. Jingle Jam Building will be the first of its kind in the UK.
“Choosing to support The Grand Appeal through Jingle Jam helps build a better future for sick children from across the South West”, says Sarah McBride, Head of Philanthropy, at The Grand Appeal.
“Many families from outside Bristol arrive at the children’s hospital with nowhere to stay in an unfamiliar city. Some stay for days, but many stay for weeks or even months while their child receives specialist care. This proposed facility will mean parents can be together with their child during the last steps of their recovery.”
“Whether you tune into a stream, start one of your own, or just pick up the Jingle Jam Games Collection, it all goes to support the young patients of Bristol Children’s Hospital and their families.”
Lewis Brindley, co-founder, The Yogscast and Jingle Jam Trustee said: “Once again, we are humbled by the generosity and passion of the global games industry. Jingle Jam is always the highlight of the year for us here, and with this collection of games we’re confident we’ll top last year’s enormous figure.
“This year’s charities span a range of diverse, important issues – we urge you to find out more about each and every one of them. We know times are tough right now for a lot of people, so if you are not in a position to donate this year, please don’t worry about it, come and watch the live streams online and join in the fun. But if you are in a position to donate and can find it in your heart to donate generously, you’ll be raising funds for some hugely important causes.”
Since 1995, The Grand Appeal has raised over £70m to ensure that the young patients and their families at the children’s hospital receive the very best care by funding life-saving medical equipment, specialist staff, accommodation for families, and a programme of art, music and play therapies.
To join the official Jingle Jam live streams from Thursday 1 December on Twitch visit www.twitch.tv/yogscast and to donate and or purchase the games bundle visit jinglejam.co.uk.
For more information about The Grand Appeal and JingleJam visit www.grandappeal.org.uk/jinglejam
In our increasingly data-centric world, organisations now have the ability to apply an intense focus on the changing motives and preferences of its current and potential customers in a bid to attract, engage and retain.
Growth marketing applies to the highly personalised approach of using a multitude of channels to deliver individualised messages aligned to customer needs.
A growth marketer employs the full marketing funnel to spot trends, hone tactics, and achieve sustainable growth. The customer-centred, data-driven strategy that takes into account the entire customer journey, from awareness to activation. Public relations compliments this approach.
Traditional PR and marketing strategies are acquisition-based rather than retention-based, with a focus on the firm or organisation. Growth marketing, on the other hand, focuses on both acquisition and retention while being totally consumer-centric.
Growth marketing tries to collect and analyse as much data as possible by utilising engagement tactics like A/B testing. The most effective strategy to consistently target the right audience and accomplish growth is then determined using this data.
Where does PR come in?
Public relations benefits growth campaigns by fostering strong relationships with the public, expanding a brand’s reach, and connecting more people with the company. It works well with growth marketing because both approaches are customer-centric. Additionally, they both work to engage clients through a variety of channels to establish long-lasting, solid partnerships.
Benefits of using PR as part of a growth marketing strategy:
Public relations fuels marketing activity by making sure your brand appears in the optimal locations to reach your target audience. There are several ways that public relations professionals achieve this including increasing online presence, strengthening connections with the media, and leveraging the influence of events.
Growth marketing focuses on increasing a user’s lifetime value. To engage and keep your audience throughout the entire funnel, content creation and content marketing are essential. Growth marketing strategies use a variety of marketing channels to get the correct audience to see appealing content.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is an essential part of a wider marketing approach. SEO encourages more website visitors and offers opportunities for lead generation by ranking your content higher on Google. Public relations can impact SEO results by creating newsworthy content, creating referral traffic and building links.
Growth marketing benefits
Organisations can gain clients, reach milestones, and experience growth at a rate that is unheard of by using a growth marketing strategy. To obtain client information, growth marketing teams engage in creative innovation. They then create optimised plans for each user category using this data.
Growth marketing, with a focus on whole funnel marketing, may hold the key to creating long-term success in a shifting market. In effect, full-funnel marketing methods see up to a 45% higher ROI and 7% increase in offline sales. It has the benefit of producing more informed decision making as well as generating loyalty and repeat customers.
What does a growth marketing strategy look like?
Growth marketing experts have numerous in-demand skills, such as data analytics, optimisation, analytical thinking, experimentation and even creativity.
Here are just some of the tactics and strategies used by growth marketers today:
Conversion rate optimisation: This is a powerful digital marketing strategy used to draw new visitors to your website or landing page. Your website will be optimised and improved by a growth marketing team to maximise the number of leads you produce.
Split testing: Growth marketing campaigns are all usually rooted in creative experimentation. A/B testing is fundamentally about experimenting across a number of formats, such as social media ads and emails. Split testing divides your audience into two varieties so that you may compare a website or marketing campaign. You can collect statistics by dividing your audience between the two versions and analysing the results to see which version performed better.
Referrals and customer acquisition: A referral programme is a word-of-mouth marketing tactic that involves gaining clients by way of referrals from existing clients. It’s a reliable growth marketing strategy that aims to generate recommendations using straightforward tools like referral links or codes. Word of mouth will automatically start to have an impact as you establish your brand and raise awareness.
Paid advertising: Paid advertising campaigns using tools like social media or Google ads, provides some of the best methods of experimentation. It’s one of the best ways to bring in a new audience while increasing the lifetime value of your customers. Generally, paid campaigns are often the best way to reach people when organic reach is down.
Customer experience is a critical component of your approach. Potential customers want to feel connected to your brand in addition to feeling like they are getting an excellent product or service. Customers who stick with a brand are just as important to a company’s growth as new ones.
Experts in growth marketing are always looking for ways to gauge client satisfaction and enhance the customer experience. And there’s a valid justification for it. It seems that it could cost around 5 times more to acquire new customers than to retain old ones. According to Harvard Business School, profits could also rise by a startling 25-95% with just a 5% retention increase.
Growth marketing can provide brands with a way to stand out from the competition and build a sustainable future.
The names Kardashian, Musk, Rogan and Winfrey are now just as well known as the likes of Apple, Microsoft, Coca Cola and Nike.
Whether you love them or hate them, their fame, notoriety and adoration are unquestionable. The Kardashians boast hundreds of millions of social media followers, Joe Rogan is the world’s most listened to podcaster and Oprah Winfrey is the very definition of the word mogul.
Individuals now hold just as much value, as leading brands… and this is all achieved through the power of personal branding.
On this, there is much debate as to who conceived the idea of personal branding. Many claim it to be Tom Peters in a 1997 article The Brand Called You. However, history shows us that the ideals around personal branding existed long before the two words were coined together.
It was once written about Henry VIII that what he sought was not gold or gems but virtue, glory, immortality and Alexander the Great conquered nations and brought along with him his own scribe to publicise his ‘great deeds.’
It is often thought that ideals around personal branding are a modern phenomenon, turbo-charged by the ideals of social media. This is not true. You need only look to the history books to see how the ideals of personal branding have been interwoven with historical leaders.
Personal branding is the practice of building an identity for oneself, based on a number of elements such as knowledge, background, experience and values. Once established, this identity is then strategically projected to the outside world.
This is very much like brand-building for a business, it’s something that takes time, dedication, know-how and lots of time and patience.
Personal branding in action can range from overt to covert. We see it in day-to-day life more than we think. Magazine covers, newspaper articles and social media streams are filled with personal branding activities, and these are some of the most overt examples of it in action.
But the more subtle elements of personal branding can fly under the radar, being noticed only in a more subliminal manner.
Simply put, strong brands help you attract more customers, it helps with longevity and helps to tell your story, and build authenticity and trust. This is a strategic process with many benefits for both the individual and any brand or business they may be affiliated with.
Consider the personal brand of Steve Jobs. At the peak of his powers and the resurgence of Apple as a brand powerhouse. Brand Jobs and brand Apple were intertwined and interchangeable. Apple’s success could not have happened without Jobs.
Building a personal brand is a strategic process with an array of benefits for you and your business. A strong personal brand increases your authority and trust, shapes the way you’re perceived, boosts your competitive advantage and can provide great credibility and trust.
Creating a personal brand takes time, effort, and dedication. Having a distinct and well-thought-out personal branding strategy is key.
1. FIGURE OUT WHO YOU ARE
Every strong personal brand is routed in a unifying identity. This is built around the core drivers, motivators, interests, and beliefs of the individual. This is the keystone of building an authentic brand
Example: David Attenborough is perhaps the shining example of a personal brand in action. A man who has used his passion and his knowledge to tremendous educational effect, endearing himself to a global audience in the process.
Once you have the who, think about that what… namely ‘what’ do you want to be known for.
Example: Margaret Thatcher wanted to be seen as a leader, so the image of the Iron Lady was created. A change in physical appearance and numerous photo opportunities reinforced this. The famous Tank driving image was one of the most powerful in setting the tone for The Iron Lady.
Trying to appeal to the masses straight from the get-go does nothing more than dilute your brand.
Instead, try focussing on defining a specific niche that’s well-aligned with your ethos and what you want to achieve. You can build your audience over time, but don’t make the mistake of trying to go too large too soon.
Example: Joe Rogan didn’t become the world’s biggest podcaster overnight. He started in the world of mixed martial arts and stand-up comedy, building a fanbase over years before branching out to podcasting.
People want to connect with people, and sharing your personal story and your professional success is one of the best ways of endearing yourself with a consumer base. If you don’t want to mix your personal and professional life, then talk about your business journey instead.
Example: Gary Vaynerchuck famously ‘holds up five’ in his photographs. This is a link to his personal story. As a child, he longed for a New York Jets jersey, but his parents couldn’t afford one. So his mother knitted him a jersey, with his name and the number five on the back.
Corporate responsibility and empathy are important traits in personal branding.
Now, as consumers shift focus away from praising multi-millionaires and billionaires for their achievements. Gen Z and millennial consumers are particularly concerned with brands and individuals who are mission-focused and have ESG on their agenda. This is why it’s important to cultivate an ethical and trustworthy image that sets you and your business apart.
Example: Bill Gates is perhaps one of the most high-profile examples of celebrities giving back. To date, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has given more than $50 billion dollars to causes throughout the world.
An important aspect of building a strong brand is owning your domain and building a strong personal website. Creating a site under your own domain name gives people an opportunity to get to know you, associate more with your brand and in time and if applicable take up services you may offer.
Example: simonsinek.com is a great example of using an online presence to boost personal and company brand. Sinek’s site is not only an extension of his own brand, but an effective vessel for his numerous coaching, classes, and written materials.
Creating and promoting content online is a great way to build and maintain your brand, as well as engage in various touchpoints which link to your brand and audience.
You may choose to write articles or guest posts, contribute to online publications or start your own blog. But it must be noted that content needs to be maintained, as stale old content will reflect negatively on your brand.
Example: Martha Stewart’s personal brand has had its ups and downs, but the fact that it remains strong and trusted is a testament to her own brand. Marthastewart.com is a great example of using content that’s reflective of an individual brand. The site is diverse and varied but all content featured is what we’ve come to expect from the perennial homemaker.
Speaking engagements are fantastic opportunities to amplify your personal brand, and in some cases, your personal brand can be hinged around public speaking opportunities.
It’s important to tailor the talk to your brand, speaking at an irrelevant event that brings nothing to your brand value is of no worth. Research the opportunities that are right for you and right for you and your brand.
Example: Tim Robbins is perhaps the ultimate example of public speaking in action. His brand has been leveraged entirely around public speaking centrepieces. Robbins himself is an example of changing brand identity with the times, discarding the flash and brash of the 90s in favour of a more subdued and contemporary brand style.
If you want to build a personal brand to complement your business, PR is a powerful tool. PR and personal branding go hand in hand, PR experts and agencies can utilise an array of tools and skills to promote a public image. And they can also prove vital in crisis management scenarios. PR can also be a strategic tool in advising and developing the strategic elements of brand strategy.
Example: Like them or loath them, there’s no denying that the Kardashians have played a masterstroke in aligning public relations and personal brand. At every step, they have utilised and capitalised on media moments to advance their brand value… and their bottom line
A lot of business owners disregard personal branding as nothing more than a vanity project, designed to game the metrics favoured by social media channels. But this is an underestimation of the power of a personal brand.
Strong brands can help businesses grow, build and retain audiences and in-time increase the bottom line.
Martha Stewart’s personal brand allowed her to navigate difficult waters and even a prison sentence and come out the other end in a strong and healthy position. Gary Vee’s rags to riches story has been utilised to build his brand and increase his own wealth and Bill Gates has taken every advantage of his charitable givings to generate positive brand publicity.
Every brand has an online reputation, and a quick Google search may reveal more about your business than you’d like.
Digital accessibility has made it easy for potential customers to find out more about a brand online. This is why your brand’s online reputation matters.
Online reputation management is also known as ORM. It’s the process of monitoring and managing the public perception of your brand by taking control of online conversations.
You can do this in a variety of ways, from encouraging positive reviews to dealing professionally with negative feedback. Your brand’s reputation is not just manageable, but it’s also malleable and now your customers can do more than search for information, they can add to it.
Business owners are becoming increasingly aware that their brand is almost entirely shaped by the consumer. The best marketing and PR agencies understand that it’s not only important to include the consumer but to work with them to cultivate a positive brand image.
Online brand reputation management can help you deal with negative search results and strengthen a positive reputation for your brand. ORM can also modify the way you appear in search results.
This is what the strongest brand management strategies do best.
The first step to boosting your reputation online should always be to conduct a brand audit. This involves conducting online research to help understand how your brand is perceived.
This will help you:
ORM involves using tools to actively monitor your brand mentions, attempting to eliminate as much online criticism as possible. It broadly falls under the influence of search engine optimisation (SEO).
SEO attempts to build a strong portfolio of optimised content to increase the visibility of your brand on search results. Optimising your online content so that it appears on the first page of results is now a crucial requirement, 75% of searchers won’t look past the first page of Google search engine results for any queries.
More customers than ever before are relying on online reviews, as a form of third-party endorsement, to help them make purchase decisions.
While it’s always great to receive positive customer feedback, negative reviews are an inevitable part of online visibility.
It’s always easy to become defensive but it’s always best practice to answer a negative comment quickly and professionally. 93% of customers read online reviews, and 89% of consumers read company responses to reviews.
Being seen as being responsive and proactive in the face of criticism is an excellent way of building endearment and loyalty towards your brand.
Social media marketing is an essential part of ORM strategy.
Social media channels and PR are based on communication and engagement. This is why they are so effective when used together. As social media presence grows, so does the opportunity to cultivate a persona that will satisfy target markets.
There are plenty of opportunities for online reputation management on social media. Simply cultivating social media interactions, and being present and visible, will allow you to create and grow your online visibility.
ORM and public relations go hand in hand. While traditional media is still very much a part of Public Relations, PR’s remit very much covers online reputations.
Using a combination of methods, not dissimilar to digital marketing, PR utilises online platforms to manage your online reputation. Services include content marketing to improve ranking in search results, SEO, influencer marketing and crisis management.
PR’s central focus is the strategic planning of communications. Be it through media relations, social media and digital platforms, a strategic approach to PR can help develop better relationships and do more to protect your brand reputation online.
Brand monitoring is an incredibly effective way to manage your business online. By setting up alerts for your brand name, and related keywords, you can monitor any mentions as they happen.
Knowing where and how your brand is being mentioned online, allows you to react quickly and be responsive on social media, review sites, blog posts and forums.
The faster you can contain and respond to online negativity, the better. It’s perceived as more professional and more caring. But it isn’t all negative, monitoring brand mentions will also help you share and promote any positive content that might come through from third parties.
Online reputation management is constantly evolving as digital channels grow and change. To ensure business success, your online reputation must be cultivated, maintained and monitored constantly.
Executing your online brand reputation management strategy is far more straightforward when you have a host of tools to help.
Google Alerts, Buzzsumo, Brand Watch, Meltwater and Semrush are some of the tools used by ORM professionals for maximum results. Like any tools, of any trade, they are most effective when in the hands of an expert.
Online reputation management is constantly evolving as digital channels grow and change. To ensure business success, your online reputation has to be cultivated, maintained and monitored constantly.
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