TikTok has come a long way from its humble lip-syncing video beginnings.
In just a few years, the app has gone from relatively niche to 8.9 million active TikTok users in the UK alone. Currently, TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users.
Its ability to hook users in has made it a staunch competitor to its rivals in social and search. We’re now seeing data suggesting YouTube is losing its grip on younger audiences to TikTok and a Google executive revealed that they’relosing users as well.
We’re seeing established and esteemed organisations, such as the Financial Times, joining the platform to great success. Its first post received over 530,000 views – that’s five times the paper’s weekly print circulation… in one short video.
TikTok ads have proven to be highly effective in enhancing brand performance and exceeding key performance indicators (KPIs).
If you haven’t already, it’s time to create your TikTok channel and get acquainted.
But before you can create videos and exciting content to leave a mark on TikTok, you need a comprehensive understanding of how the app works. It is also important to build up your TikTok presence using your knowledge and brand to unlock the marketing potential that TikTok offers.
TikTok content is integral to shaping a brand’s presence on the platform and scaling content activities over recent years.
Let’s take a look at why TikTok should be in your social media marketing strategy.
What makes TikTok so powerful?
The answer lies in its highly engaged communities and unparalleled viral potential.
Take #FinTok, a financial advice community boasting nearly 5 billion views. Creators like @Financielle (350k+ followers) and @PokuBanks break down complex financial topics into educational, bite-sized videos.
Then you have FarmTok, SutainabilityTok and BookTok, which has led to the soaring success of authors like Sarah Jane Maas.
No matter your industry, chances are there’s a thriving niche community waiting to be tapped into on TikTok. These communities offer a captive audience hungry for relevant, entertaining content from brands and creators they trust.
Understanding the TikTok community and its diverse subcultures is crucial for creating content that resonates with these specific groups, enhancing engagement and connection. Influencer marketing plays a key role in reaching and engaging with these niche communities on TikTok, leveraging the trust and reach of relevant creators to drive successful marketing outcomes.
When it comes to TikTok, video reigns supreme. Short-form video content continues to dominate in terms of engagment and virality.
To succeed on TikTok, creating engaging content that is not only authentic but creative, entertaining, and informative should be the cornerstone of your content strategy.
Embrace experimentation, authenticity, and a willingness to learn. The algorithm can be fickle, so an open-minded approach to testing trends and themes is crucial. If one video doesn’t fly, don’t be disheartened just move on to the next one.
Beyond content marketing, TikTok has become a powerful tool for attracting Gen Z talent.
As the largest demographic on the platform (36%), this audience is a crucial target for businesses battling the talent crisis and skills shortage.
TikTok’s ability to attract young talent into business is already being proven.
Leading agencies like Battenhall, Here Be Dragons and Emerge are leveraging TikTok to drive significant spikes in job applications, new business inquiries, and brand awareness with Gen-Z candidates.
By showcasing their company culture and values through engaging videos, they’re resonating with potential recruits in a way traditional and linear channels can’t match.
While your specific content will depend on your brand’s unique voice and values, some universal tips can help guide your TikTok approach as part of a comprehensive digital marketing strategy:
Authenticity Matters: TikTok users crave genuine, unfiltered content that reflects your brand’s true values and personality. Understanding the TikTok community and audience is crucial to creating content that aligns with their interests and values, capturing the spirit of TikTok to build a brand authentically.
Share Your Story: every business has a story to tell. Use TikTok to showcase your unique journey, knowledge, and experiences.
Spotlight Your Team: user-generated content (UGC) from employees tends to perform very well. So consider how you can shine a light on your team.
Educate and Entertain: teach your audience something new while keeping them entertained – the key to hooking TikTok’s short attention spans.
Hook them in fast: perhaps one of the most important TikTok marketing tips is don’t linger. The first few seconds are vital, get straight to it.
Posting Natively: Third-party scheduling tools are common and useful. But in the case of TikTok, posting natively is often best. Native posting grants access to the latest features and some third-party schedulers may limit things like copy and hashtags, which can impact reach.
Collaborate with Creators: Partner with thought leaders and industry experts to amplify your reach. Interestingly, Sprout Social’s data reveals that smaller creators (5k-10k followers) yield the highest engagement rates at 76.23%, surpassing mega-influencers. This presents a prime opportunity for cost-effective collaborations that drive real results.
With its low barrier to entry and massive reach, there’s never been a better time for content marketers to embrace TikTok for business. All you need is a smartphone an open mindset… and a content strategy.
Harness the power of short-form video, TikTok communities and creator collaborations. By doing so you can heighten your online presence, build brand loyalty, and tap into valuable target audiences.
It’s time to join the TikTok revolution and unlock a world of viral content marketing opportunities.
If you need help developing a winning TikTok strategy, then get in touch – our expert team are here to guide you every step of the way.
So, what are you waiting for?
In the fast-paced digital landscape, trends come and go.
It makes staying on top of timely topics and content an almost round-the-clock task.
Evergreen content is content that retains its relevance and continues to attract traffic long after its initial publication. Unlike seasonal or trending content, evergreen content covers topics that are always of interest to readers.
From how-to guides and tutorials to comprehensive resources that address perennial problems or questions, evergreen content can take many forms. But it should not be ignored, as it plays a crucial role in remaining seen and relevant.
Evergreen content plays a crucial role in a successful content strategy for several reasons:
Before we get into the practicalities of creating the content itself, it’s vital to address some of the strategic elements of content marketing strategy.
Focus on Timeless Interests: Topics that are universally relevant and do not change quickly. Take the time to research universally relevant topics
and focus on creating content that matters.
Research keywords, search patterns and channels: once you have your topic ideas and themes, conduct keyword research to learn how your audiences are searching for these terms. Whether it’s on Google, YouTube or even TikTok, you need to know how and where people are searching.
Consider Different Formats: how-to guides, listicles and tutorials are some of the most effective evergreen content. They are easily digestible and sought after by audiences. When planning your content approach, prioritise these formats.
Solve Problems: content that addresses these universal themes helpfully and practically will always be the most successful. When creating evergreen content, look to offer aid, assistance or advice to problems and pain points. Plan your content accordingly.
Headlines are the first thing readers see. A well-crafted headline is critical to search engine optimisation. It can impact the longevity of your content. When it comes to crafting headlines, consider the following:
Include Keywords: Use relevant keywords to improve SEO and help readers find your content.
BeClear and Direct: Avoid using trendy language or references that might become outdated.
Promise Value: Clearly state the benefit or value the reader will get from the content.
Some formats lend themselves better to evergreen content than others. Here are a few to consider:
How-To Guides: these are often detailed instructions on completing specific tasks.
A how-to guide is perfect for tasks that require detailed, step-by-step instructions and where the reader might benefit from additional context, tips, and comprehensive coverage of the topic.
Tutorials: are perfect for audiences looking for a quick, practical guide to accomplishing a specific task without needing extensive background information.
Listicles: a short, snappy list related to a specific topic or issue. For example, 7 Things You Need To Know About Mortgage Renewal or 14 Tips for Crafting a Winning Job Application.
Resource lists: are compilations of valuable tools, articles, or reference materials that a user would find helpful. This could be anything from the best social media marketing tools, the ultimate guide to learning Python or even a list of reputable plumbers in your area.
Ensuring your content is accurate and thorough is essential for its longevity. Here are some steps to follow:
Use Credible Sources: referencing authoritative and reliable sources to back up your information will help your search engine rankings.
Provide Comprehensive Coverage: address the topic in-depth. Try to answer the burning questions practically and helpfully. Give the people what they need!
Repurposing your evergreen content into different formats can hugely extend its reach and lifespan.
Google was once the defacto go-to for most people. YouTube and even TikTok are now as important in content marketing strategy as blog posts and web pages.
You should create great, written, evergreen content for your website. But that doesn’t mean you should solely be doing that.
Google now pulls YouTube videos and social media content into its search rankings. So consider how you can create evergreen content that fits this.
TikTok is now the most popular search engine amongst younger audiences. So consider how you can manufacture content for this channel to your advantage.
We’ve mentioned previously that evergreen content requires less effort to maintain than constantly creating fresh content. But this doesn’t mean it can, or should, be left alone entirely.
You’ll need to be updating your evergreen content for many reasons. The main one is the competitive edge.
In search terms, everyone’s competing for those top slots. You may create content that ends up on top of the search, but rest assured the competition will have seen this, and they’ll be working to knock you off that spot.
For written content, it’s vital to review and re-optimise regularly. For a channel like YouTube, you can do the same by tweaking things like hashtags and link descriptions, as well as changing up thumbnails.
Beyond just re-optimising for keywords, consider also how you can add new insights into your evergreen content. For example, here at AMBITIOUS, we use the PESO model and recently its Founder, Gini Deitirch, updated the model.
Rather than create an entirely new blog post, we updated the existing, and already well-performing blog, with these news insights. This keeps the content fresh and also avoids the risk of creating a self-competing piece of content within our content ecosystem.
Creating evergreen content means developing material that remains relevant and valuable. This will continually attract traffic over time.
Here are some real-life examples of effective evergreen content, along with explanations of what makes them so successful:
Lifehacker’s How-To Articles provide a wide range of practical and actionable advice across a range of topics, ranging from how to transfer your photos from Google Photos to iCloud, how to create your own RSS Feeds and even how to make the most out of leftover celery.
It is a broad church. The site covers diverse subjects, ensuring there’s something for everyone and doing it in a practical and actionable way.
Articles often include step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow. It often features user-generated content from community involvement and contributions, which adds variety and keeps content fresh, while regular updates and new how-to articles ensure ongoing engagement and traffic.
Moz’s Beginner’s Guide to SEO covers everything a beginner needs to know about SEO, from basic concepts to advanced strategies. It’s organised into clear sections and chapters, making it easy to navigate and reference.
Moz ensures the guide is up-to-date with the latest SEO practices and algorithm changes. Moz is a respected authority in the SEO industry, lending credibility to the content. The guide includes visuals, examples, and links to additional resources, enhancing its value and engagement.
BBC Good Food may seem like a strange addition, but this site excels in both content and delivery.
It offers some of the most comprehensive content relative to its subject matter, providing in-depth information that thoroughly addresses the topic.
It offers practical, actionable advice that readers can implement immediately. Recipes always include clear instructions, ingredient lists, and cooking tips.
Beautiful food photography makes the recipes more appealing and easier to follow and allowing users to leave reviews and ratings creates a sense of community and trust.
This comprehensive approach not only drives consistent traffic but also builds a loyal user base, making this site a model of SEO and evergreen content excellence.
Creating and activating evergreen content is a strategic investment that pays off in the long run.
By following the tips and strategies outlined in this guide, you can develop content that remains valuable, engages your audience, and continues to drive traffic over time.
Remember, the key to evergreen success lies in regular updates. Evergreen content is so-called because it can have a longer life span and value, but that doesn’t mean you should just ignore it once it’s live.
Bristol creative agency SIM7 has taken home a prestigious ‘Búho’ award for Brand Strategy at Spain’s Educafestival. The agency was recognised for its work creating the Real Leadership brand campaign for IESE Business School.
The Búhos (Owls) are awarded to the best global creative campaigns in the education sector, welcoming entries from Europe, Latin America and the USA. They are part of Spain’s Educafestival, an annual event (20 June 2024) held in the Centro CaixaForum de Madrid.
Simeon de la Torre, owner and creative director of SIM7 says, “As an agency that works with higher and business education clients around the world, winning a Búho is a huge honour for us. And we did it by creating something really different with a big dollop of humour and heart.
“The Real Leadership campaign for IESE has been a huge strategic branding exercise that brought together all our skills in messaging, design and positioning. It spawned a slightly insane video featuring unicorns and gorillas that has been watched over two million times, a hit podcast, billboard ads in Germany and Spain, and more.”
The Real Leadership brand campaign was conceived as an antidote to the clichéd ‘business speak’ creative that has dominated the sector in recent years. By using an authentic narrative and tapping into the genuine concerns and motivations of business leaders, it resonated with IESE’s
core audiences and has delivered substantial results in the form of awareness, enquiries and admissions.
Oriol Gil, IESE’s Brand & Content – Senior Manager (pictured, above) says: “The world of MBA and executive education is changing fast, with a more nuanced audience profile and expectations. SIM7 created a major campaign for us that pushed the boundaries of our brand guidelines and created a completely new strategy. The Real Leadership campaign features an honest, authentic and human approach that playfully mocks the outdated ‘hustle’ culture.”
SIM7’s Búho award was judged by a panel that included celebrated Spanish film director Daniel Sánchez Arevalo, as well as creative leaders from Google, Coca-Cola and Clear Channel. The Real Leadership campaign was scored for:
• Educational value and content
• Developed strategy
• Idea and execution
• Obtained results
Says SIM7’s Simeon de la Torre, “We knew from the start that this had to be a campaign with cut-through, and that pure creativity wasn’t enough. It had to be built on the foundations of solid strategy and an understanding of the sector. This is what our team does best and it’s superb to see all our hard work recognised. On a personal level, it’s been great working on something that my Spanish father can be proud of and talk to his family in Spain about – he’s always been a bit clueless about what I do for a living!”
Notes
SIM7 is a Bristol-based creative agency that works with clients around the world in sectors including education, property, technology and more: sim7creative.co.uk
Founded in 2017, the agency uses language to empower design and drives growth by creating brands, campaigns and strategy. SIM7 currently employs six people, has increased its turnover significantly in the past 12 months and is set to build its international client base even further in 2024/25.
IESE Business School is ranked #2 in the world (Financial Times).
For interviews, quotes and further images contact: Simeon de la Torre, [email protected]
For more information on the awards, visit educafestival.org/2024-edicion (Spanish language)
SPACES LIMITED BOOK TODAY!
Projects – of all sizes, in all sectors and with various budget constraints can put the most cool headed staff member under pressure. With various stakeholders involved, tight deadlines, organisation management and staff availability alongside budget and time constraints; the presence of a skilled project manager to guide the effort and ensure alignment among all participants is crucial for project success. Organisations employing various project management methodologies excel in sticking to budgets, adhering to schedules, meeting scope requirements, upholding quality standards, and realising the benefit of how a successful outcome can make to a business.
Develop your staff in project management, and drive your business forward through a part funded Project Management Skills Bootcamp.
Course: Skills Bootcamp in Project Management
Option 1 Course start: 13th September 2024 (2 week break in learning for half term 25th of October and 1st November)
Option 2 Course start: 10th January 2025 (1 week break in learning for half term 21st February)
Duration: 10 weeks
Cost for Large Employer: £681.75 per person (30% contribution towards the cost of training)
Cost for SME Employer: £227.25 per person (10% contribution towards the cost of training)
Delivery Location: Bristol Training Institute, 12 Colston Avenue, Bristol, BS1 1XH
Eligibility: Funding is ringfenced for Employers based in the West of England Combined Authority region of Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
Course Content: This course is suitable for employers to upskill their staff. The course content is under pinned by the Association for Project Management (APM), Project Management Qualification (PMQ) and will reference the APM Book of Knowledge (BoK) 7th Edition.
Units covered include:
Evidence from employer to confirm that the training provided via the Skills Bootcamp has resulted in either a new job role or an enhanced role for the employee that now utilises their new skills gained via this Skills Bootcamp.
Contact us today to register your interest on [email protected] or visit our previous bootcamp information page: https://www.weston.ac.uk/ProjectManagementEmployers
Happy National Freelancers Day!
The UK’s creative industries are jam-packed with small businesses and self-employed individuals.
Government data shows 95% of the sector’s companies are micro-businesses, while self-employment accounts for 32% of employment, compared to 16% for the economy more broadly.
With that in mind, Dan Martin asked individual and startup members of Bristol Creative Industries to share their tips for running a successful freelance or small business. We received some brilliant responses which we’ve highlighted below.
Become an individual and startup member of Bristol Creative Industries for only £4.95 a month or £49+VAT a year and enjoy many business-boosting benefits. Sign up here.
To meet fellow freelancers and companies that employ them, join our regular freelancer networking drinks events at the Square Club in Bristol. It’s free including a complimentary drink if you’re a member. The next event is on 10 September. Sign up to our newsletter to be notified when tickets are available.
Bristol Creative Industries members share their tips below. Click their BCI profile links to find out more about them and to see if there are opportunities for collaboration. We love to see members working together!
Build a network
Working for yourself can be a solitary pursuit and the idea of networking can be intimidating. But it starts with making friendly connections. That can create the basis for future partnerships, referrals and support.
We’re lucky to be spoilt for choice with a wonderful community in Bristol and the South West and Bristol Creative Industries is at the heart of that. I’ve enjoyed every minute of making like-minded connections and friends in the process.
Sell yourself with confidence
Don’t be shy. Remind people of your experience and expertise – don’t assume they know that already. Make it an easy choice for them to buy your services. If you keep it authentic and make a personal connection, selling doesn’t have to feel awkward.
Take time to contract with a clear brief
Over the years I have been eager to make it as easy as possible to get started on a scope of work by writing a proposal from a loose verbal brief. That means doing a lot of the scoping myself which, as well as a lot of time and effort unpicking the client’s needs, can leave room for (mis)interpretation. I find the most successful partnerships involve the client putting an equal amount of work in up front to shape a really clear brief.
Having a good support network is key. In my experience, this goes beyond family and friends. Of course, you need people around who love you unconditionally. You also need those people who, being self-employed, just get it. People who understand the ups, as well as the downs, and who can give you a boost with some sage words of advice. You never know when you might need to call on those freelance friends – whether it’s celebrating a big win or simply asking, ‘How do I do that thing on Mailchimp, again?!’ Don’t go it alone, you’ll travel farther with trusted, supportive people at your side.
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The freelance life is full of many highs and lows, and it can be easy to focus on the negative, worries and stresses. When things have felt stressful or a bit bleak, which I know it has done for the freelance community over the last 6 months or so (everyone is feeling it, it’s not just you!), then put the work in, get your head down, send out the emails, chase the leads, get back in touch with previous clients and trust the process. It works. Work comes in, clients get back in touch, and those invoices (finally!) come through.
Being part of a community of likeminded freelancers and solo workers really helps. I created a Slack community for freelance and solo workers in the South West, which has been a great place for us to share briefs, get advice. We also share the wins. It feels great to celebrate your milestones with others as they know the importance of them too!
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Work out who you are before you offer services
The creative industry is becoming more and more specialised, so we (as companies or individuals) need to move with that trend ourselves. It’s good to have multiple offerings and skills but you open yourself up to more competition. So when it comes to marketing yourself, it’s better to be amazing at a couple of things than being ‘just good’ at too many things. Maybe you focus on editorial design or you might be an illustrator in the sports sector. This doesn’t mean turning away work that doesn’t suit your marketing; it’s just simply good to have a focus. This makes branding your company far less complicated and helps with consistency.
Create a content strategy
It’s important to show up to work. If you don’t, you get fired. The same thing happens if you’re freelance or a small business but instead, the clients forget about you. Building a consistent content strategy keeps you at the forefront of your audiences’ minds. Write short blogs about your sector, interact with your audience by having competitions or you could even do peer shout-outs. Just make it relevant and consistent.
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Invest in your own brand
There are so many businesses out there doing the same or similar to you, so make sure you are really clear about who you are. Not just your services, but really what makes you tick, what makes your business individual and why clients should come to you. Look at what you are incredibly skilled at, knowledgeable about, understand and enjoy. Then build on it.
Keep moving forward
Stay relevant, understand the market, keep talking to people to learn more. Just don’t get caught up in the jargon and hype. Your customers and clients won’t understand it, or care.
Be inspired by your own creativity
It’s your business so you should be excited by it. If you’re not then you’re probably on the wrong path. Look for the type of work you want to do and reflect it in your work. Talk to businesses that hold similar values. Follow people, brands and businesses on social media that give you fire in your belly.
Care about what you do
Actually give a damn. Care if you get back to someone, care if it is right, care if you think it could be better. Care about what you do and others will too.
Face reality
Running your own show isn’t easy. Always be ready to change the plan, surround yourself with people that are genuinely on your side and want you to succeed. Above all, have the right mindset, stay positive and believe in your own ability. Then just when you’re about to give up, that’s when you need to push even harder.
Give back
It may be a portfolio review, your time, your advice, your energy, but give back when you can and do it genuinely and generously.
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Find yourself an accountability partner. When you’re running your own small business it’s important to have someone to talk to. When you don’t have a team of your own, find someone that understand’s the highs and lows of running a similar business. I have a weekly Friday afternoon Zoom call with another marketing consultant and we use it to share what we’ve been working on, what we’ve seen on social media and what we’re planning to work on next. Setting this up during Covid lockdowns, and continuing it since, has been one of the most valuable things I’ve ever done for my business and me personally.
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Actively and regularly seek out your ideal clients
Sometimes money can overrule your decisions, whether on a practical basis of needing more of it, a big project that sounds too good to be true or it doesn’t quite feel like the right fit with your values and expertise. Working when you feel any kind of conflict (internally) can be really hard work for all involved. Don’t underestimate the strength of a long-term client that you align with and have trust and respect on both sides. Working with the career mentoring charity Ablaze for five years has been my biggest reward in terms of the value of the work they do and I support them with, and in being so consistent long-term.
Be alive to all opportunities
You never know what opportunities are behind someone’s ask for help on social media such as LinkedIn. I stepped in to some really interesting research work with Projects by IF through answering a last minute call for help when a team member got Covid. Plus chatting to a client via an introduction (thanks Constance Fleuriot!) at the Data Science Conference last year turned out they wanted help with a project researching the mental health ecosystem for their mental health app. Keep exploring and don’t miss opportunities on your own doorstep.
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Climate/environment: Often an overlooked part of the business, it is important for you and your team to know where you stand. We are not talking about addressing global climate change, but rather what approach your business takes. Using something like the UN Global Sustainable Goals (SDGs) can be a useful tool to measure and monitor on-going improvement. Delegate this to one of your team who is passionate about climate and the environment.
Finance: Keep a close eye on financial health. Are you equipmed to do this yourself or should you delegate this and get someone to oversee this for you? Regularly analyse cash flow, manage expenses, and invest wisely to maintain stability and fuel growth.
IT/tech/web: Embrace technology to improve productivity and customer experience. An effective online presence and streamlined IT systems can enhance efficiency. Again, this can often be delegated to specialist that will advise, set up and keep your system safe. Don’t wait for the headache, scam, fraud, breach to hit you – anticipate and get an expert in to set you up.
Marketing: Develop a targeted marketing strategy to reach your ideal customers. Will you do this? Will one of your team? You know your business best, but are you best equipped to deliver this? Focus on cost-effective digital marketing channels that yield a high return on investment and consider whether you should do this internally or delegate it.
Mindset/culture/vision: This is so important and your team (and partners/freelancers) should be fully briefed on this. Keep an eye on it and cultivate a growth mindset and a clear vision for the business to share across your business, peers and clients.
Sales: Nurture a strong sales team and develop effective sales strategies. Consistent revenue generation is vital for business sustainability and expansion, and, a with ops and delivery, this is key to business growth. But should you be doing sales, or one of your team or outsource this? Only you can decide.
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Be true to yourself, and be authentic. Take small steps if needed, celebrate all your successes, and try not to compare yourself to others. Set realistic goals, build a support network, and consider finding an accountability partner – someone who will listen impartially, remind you of your goals, and help you stay on track.
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The key to doing what I love and building great creative relationships is forging a true connection at a personal level – getting as close as possible is where I do my best work because then I’m fully invested in both head and heart.
Time and time again it’s over a coffee or a wine that the no holds barred honesty chats happen and reveal the truth of what is on the table and why you are the best person to help bring it to life. People love to talk so offering them the opportunity to be heard is where the magic happens. I’ve often thought I should list in my proposals: two, three, four hour coffee chats as a key stage in the creative process.
As human beings we love to find connections and then tell a story about how that relates to us – and as designers that’s how we create beautiful solutions by listening, understanding and simplifying the story to make it easier to understand.
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Always deliver on time or slightly early.
Be clear and proactive with the client, especially about what they said they would do/by when. If their lateness impacts you, say so right away – in writing.
Always assume there will be some fallow months. Take out money that you need not what you want!
Build a nest egg – the bigger the better.
If buying in services, such as print, get payment from the client upfront. Always mark up such services.
Keep personal drawings and money separate from business revenue – they are not the same.
Always keep money in the business account for a rainy day – cash flow is king/queen and the tax authorities will need paying!
Consider a limited company but understand the differences versus self employed.
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If you come up with a great name for your creative business, you must do due diligence to make sure it’s available. Check on Google, check domain names, check Companies House and, most importantly, check at the Intellectual Property Office as a trademarked name trumps a limited company name. If it is available, trademark it.
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Become an individual and startup member of Bristol Creative Industries from only £4.95 a month and enjoy many business-boosting benefits. Sign up here.
To meet fellow freelancers and companies that employ them, join our freelancer networking drinks on 23 November at the Square Club in Bristol. It’s free including a complimentary drink if you’re a member.
In summer 2021 we ran an event discussing funding for creative businesses with the south west team at Innovate UK EDGE and a group of Bristol Creative Industries members.
During the discussion, attendees said it would be useful if we could provide regular updates on the finance schemes that are available for creative companies in the south west and beyond. This guide is our response.
The guide is one of Bristol Creative Industries’ most popular ever blog posts. We keep it updated with the latest funding schemes for creative businesses so check it regularly. We also include the post in our monthy email newsletter, BCI Bulletin. To sign up, go here.
The British Business Bank, the government-owned business development bank, has launched the £200m South West Investment Fund (SWIF) “to help address market failures by increasing the supply and diversity of early-stage finance for UK smaller businesses, providing funds to firms that might otherwise not receive investment”.
Aimed at businesses in Bristol, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire, the fund provides:
SWIF is managed by four fund managers:
The region is split as follows:
North of the region:
South of the region:
The funding is split as follows:
Businesses can apply for funding directly to the relevant fund managers here.
Bristol Council is offering grants of between £2,500 and £10,000 to organisations taking on a new city centre or local high street commercial property.
The funding is open to businesses, charities, CICs, sole traders and arts and culture groups for both long term and temporary/meanwhile use.
Organisations must employ fewer than 50 people, have a turnover of £10.2m or less, and a balance sheet showing £5.1m or less.
Funding can be used for structural works to a property or equipment to be used in the property (capital expenditure). The funding needs to be matched by 20%.
Applications are open until 11.59pm on Monday 30 September 2024.
Successful applicants must start trading from the funded property by Friday 31 January 2025.
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £25m for “game-changing and commercially viable R&D innovations that can significantly impact the UK economy”.
Applications for the latest round of funding close at 11am on 23 October.
As part of a National Heritage Lottery-funded project on protest, Bristol museum M Shed has commissioned Curiosity UnLtd, run by Bristol Creative Industries board director Julian Davis, to lead the delivery of an artistic intervention to be displayed in its transatlantic traffic in enslaved Africans (TTEA) gallery.
The intervention will be co-produced with the support of six paid “Rebel Curators” from Bristol’s African Caribbean communities.
To be a Rebel Curator, apply here by midnight on Friday 13 September.
This £35m Creative UK and Triodos Bank investment fund provides loans of £100,000 to £1m.
Finance is directed to post-revenue creative businesses presenting promising growth potential and who:
Grants of £50,000 – £150,000 are available for UK registered small and medium sized enterprises with PAYE employees engaged in games development work in the UK.
Established UK-based companies with a game development project at an early stage in the pipeline can apply for grants of up to £30,000.
Applications are open for this government fund which supports rehearsal and recording studios, promoters, festivals, and venues for live and electronic music performance.
Grants of £1,000 and £40,000 are available for projects up to three years in length. The fund runs until March 2025.
This fund from Arts Council England supports individual cultural and creative practitioners in England thinking of taking their practice to the next stage through things such as: research, time to create new work, travel, training, developing ideas, networking or mentoring.
Grants of up to £12,000 are available.
The next round of funding opens for applications at12pm on 14 November 2024, and closes for applications at 12pm on 12 December 2024. Funding decisions will be announced on 6 March 2025.
Travelwest provides match-funded grants for initiatives that improve sustainable travel provision in a business.
The aim is to provide financial support and incentives to employers to enable them to encourage sustainable modes of commuting or in-work travel (including site visits and meetings) amongst their staff.
The grants can be used for the implementation of physical measures, promotional events or any other measure that will encourage mode change amongst staff.
Grants are currently availables for businesses in Bristol and North Somerset.
Innovate UK’s £100m BridgeAI programme aims “to help businesses in high growth potential sectors such as creative industries, agriculture, construction, and transport to harness the power of AI and unlock their full potential”.
The programme offers funding and support to help innovators assess and implement trusted AI solutions, connect with AI experts, and elevate their AI leadership skills.
This fund supports organisations who work at the intersection of art and social change. It offers grants between £90,000 and £300,000 over three years.
The fund is open for applications from 14 August until 14 October.
This new £23m social impact investment fund is for socially driven arts, culture and heritage organisations registered and operating in the UK. It offers loans between £150,000 and £1m repayable until May 2030.
The Elephant Trust says its mission is to “make it possible for artists and those presenting their work to undertake and complete projects when frustrated by lack of funds. It is committed to helping artists and art institutions/galleries that depart from the routine and signal new, distinct and imaginative sets of possibilities.”
Grants of up to £5,000 are available.
Grants of up to £100,000 are available for arts, libraries and museums projects.
The grants support a broad range of creative and cultural projects that benefit people living in England. Projects can range from directly creating and delivering creative and cultural activity to projects which have a longer term positive impact, such as organisational development, research and development, and sector support and development.
A Start Up Loan is a government-backed unsecured personal loan for individuals looking to start or grow a business in the UK. Successful applicants also receive 12 months of free mentoring and exclusive business offers.
All owners or partners in a business can individually apply for up to £25,000 each, with a maximum of £100,000 per business.
The loans have a fixed interest rate of 6% p.a. and a one to five year repayment term. Entrepreneurs starting a business or running one that has been trading for up to three years can apply. Businesses trading for between three and five years can apply for a second loan.
If you’re running a creative social enterprise you may be able to access funding from UnLtd.
Finance of up to £5,000 is available for starting a social enterprise and up to £15,000 for growing a social enterprise.
Successful applicants also get up to 12 tailored business support plus access to access to expert mentors and workshops.
Businesses can apply for up to £3,500 to cover the costs of installing gigabit broadband.
Check if the scheme is available in your area here.
If you know of another scheme that we haven’t listed and you’d like to share it with other creative businesses, email Dan to let us know.
People don’t just buy products or services
People buy people… and people are made up of stories.
Studies have shown that 55% of people are more likely to buy a product if they love the story behind a brand.
But why do brand stories matter? What makes a brand story compelling and engaging?
As a business, or individual, your brand’s story should be a complete picture of who you are and why you do what you do – what is your mission and vision.
It encompasses the facts of your brand, but also the feelings created by your brand. It should be the foundation of every aspect of your content marketing. Without a brand narrative, your marketing will be typically vague and inconsistent.
Notice how we’ve not mentioned what you do here.
In his book and hugely popular TedTalk, Start With Why, Simon Sinek argues that most organisations communicate from the outside in.
They start with what it is they do, before going into the how. They rarely address the why. But the why is so important when it comes to telling stories and leveraging human appeal.
Sinek argues that inspired leaders and organisations communicate from the inside out, starting with the why, and then moving to how, before finally addressing what it is that they do.
“With everything we do, we aim to challenge the status quo. We aim to think differently. Our products are user-friendly, beautifully designed, and easy to use. We just happen to make great computers. Want to buy one?”
This example, from Sinek, concisely shows this process in action. It is a reference to Apple and the way it starts with Why in its communications.
The theory emphasizes that people don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.
By starting with the “why,” organisations can differentiate themselves from their competitors, attract like-minded individuals who share their beliefs, and foster a loyal customer base or following.
This is where storytelling comes into play.
Brand storytelling is an art form that can be traced back to as early as 1895.
This was when a farming magazine called ‘The Furrow,’ leveraged compelling brand stories as a way to connect with their target audience.
John Deere’s magazine is considered to be the first example of corporate storytelling. But since these early days, brands have continued to recognise the amazing power that stories have.
Fundementally people like stories, because they can create emotional connections with them. This connection then creates brand differentiation, humanisation, memorability and engagement.
These are incredibly important elements not only for building brand authenticity but for keeping a steady pipeline of engagement in a world where a lot of businesses are pushing a product or service.
As more people are driven to make connections online, more brands and businesses use that online presence for reach and engagement.
This kind of activity would previously have been referred to as the marketing funnel. But that’s something of an outmoded term now.
The funnel is now more of a web.
The sheer volume of marketing communications coming the way of a consumer is staggering. From Google Search, to Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Blogs, News and more the consumer has never been bombarded with more information.
The term web is quite an apt one in this sense. Because the web of social and marketing comms is now so laden with competition, it easily becomes overly exhausting for the potential customer.
All it can take is one element of that web to break, for the whole thing to fall down.
A lot of brands have a story to tell. But the only way to create a story that will resonate with your customers is to understand the art of storytelling.
Great stories are considered as such for several reasons. They take you on a journey. Great stories are relatable, they can inspire, engage, can even affect change. A good story is always:
Successful brand storytelling always has several key elements that create a compelling narrative.
An authentic story will help you articulate brand messaging, brand values and your brand’s mission.
How can you leverage the power of storytelling for your brand? Let’s start with the basics
Before you can tell your story, you have to know your story. Many organisations try to tell their brand story before they understand who they are and why their audience should care. It’s much easier to tell your brand’s story when you figure out:
An essential part of any brand story starts, as you’d expect, at the beginning.
What is your brand’s purpose, why do you do what you do? Why does your brand exist in the first place?
Identifying the answers to these questions will help you understand more about your brand. Once you establish your own brand’s identity, you can begin to tell your story.
It’s important to have a clear and consistent message that emanates throughout your communication. But try to stay clear of sounding like you’re selling something… show, don’t tell.
When you show who you are as a brand vs what you’re selling, you’re creating that emotional connection and brand differentiation. So, when it does come the time to drop a sales message, you have that preexisting engagement and customer motivation.
You can really only achieve this if you know your audience. To craft a compelling story that will speak to your customers, you need to properly understand them.
What motivates them, what inspires them, what moves them
Ask yourself who your customers are and why they should care about your brand. Define your buyer personas and think about the kinds of stories they want to hear.
Understanding your audience is imperative to not just your brand story, but your marketing strategy as a whole.
With your messaging shaped and your audience profiled, it’s time to define your narrative.
How do you want your audience to react? Do you want them to feel entertained? Informed? Educated?
Understanding these points will help you form your narrative and allow you to paint a picture of the kinds of stories and content that you should be producing.
Telling an authentic brand story goes beyond the ‘about us’ page on your website.
Instead, it’s interwoven into every aspect of communications
You’ll find that great brand stories are permeated through a brand’s social media posts, blogs, emails and website.
In today’s competitive and crowded marketplace, brand storytelling has become a powerful tool for companies to create meaningful connections with their customers, differentiate themselves, and establish a strong and memorable brand identity
Do you want to experience the value of great storytelling? Talk to the team at AMBITIOUS to discover how we can get more people talking about your brand [email protected] or call us on 0117 905 1177.
Why you need a brand review before you even start thinking about rebranding (and how to do one)
I often find myself being invited to assess a brand identity; the meeting we have might go something like this: The client knows they have a problem and sometimes they’re able to articulate, at least in part, why that is. But, having already gone through an extensive branding process, maybe as recently as within the previous three years, they’re cautious about what should happen next.
There’s understandable anxiety around throwing good money after supposedly bad. After all, something hasn’t worked out with the not-so-long-ago completed branding. There’s also an awareness that they might not want to scrap everything and start again – throwing away what’s valuable (their brand baby) out with the bath water.
And it’s not as if I haven’t been at the sharp end of this myself…
As well as being the brand consultant brought in to assess a supposedly faltering brand identity, I’ve also found myself on the receiving end. I was recently told that a rebrand we’d completed no more than six months earlier, following months of research and discovery, and an extensive design process, was being scrutinised by an agency owner invited in by the company group.
Confident that this was a definite case where the client would have done better to steady their nerves and give the rebrand more time and support, I thought the experience presented an opportunity to write about the subject of how you can achieve a level of certainty about determining what the problem actually is, and the solution that’s called for.
The question is, do you actually need that full-scale rebrand or something altogether more nuanced?
First of all, it’s important to remember that the sort of changes a successful rebrand can yield don’t happen overnight. Chopping and changing things only causes confusion and damages your brand equity. Branding is never a case of ‘done and forgotten’ because you shouldn’t leave your brand to fend for itself out in the wild.
A brand not only takes time to bed in, it also requires you to actively check in on it. Checking-in might include a number of elements such as examining whether the intentions set at the outset are being realised and assessing how the rebrand is landing with audiences. It’s an important exercise because all sorts of outside influences, from the wider economic and cultural, to the sector-specific, will be having an impact on the fortunes of your brand.
But of course, when doubts remain and the checking-in exercise yields more questions than answers, it’s probably time for a brand review.
A brand review is a comprehensive, 360° audit of the state of your brand. It asks a whole range of questions, from those that are external-facing (Has the world shifted? Do you need to evolve with the changing cultural landscape?), to those that concentrate on looking at what’s going on inside your organisation (Have you developed a new service? Has your business strategy or positioning, i.e. where you stand in the market, changed?).
A brand review will help you find out if there really is a problem and will articulate any issues precisely. This means that you’ll discover if a full rebrand is on the cards or whether something more nuanced is called for – a minor adaptation perhaps, or maybe just more time for your brand to become known in its new guise. And, if there is a fundamental problem, it’ll help you determine the direction your rebrand should take you in.
So, if you’re being plagued by doubts about how your brand is doing, particularly if it’s not that long since you last rebranded, or if you’re worried that you seem to head for the drawing board at the first sign of trouble, read on to find out how taking stock and conducting a brand review worked out for one of our clients.
Recent months saw us working with a charity client that had fundamentally changed their way of working, from focusing solely on end-user beneficiaries, to expanding their focus to take in both end-users and service commissioners and partners. Their existing brand identity wasn’t able to accommodate or resonate with these two distinct audience groups.
In addition, the client was experiencing issues with brand application – brand rules were being broken and they didn’t know why. We were tasked with finding out how the changes that were necessary (i.e. evolving existing branding so it was meaningful to both its distinct audiences) could be introduced as smoothly as possible, ensuring the sort of consistency that would build the brand awareness they were after.
Having dream clients is not just pie in the sky. Giving you and your team permission to define your dream client is a crucial element of nailing your brand positioning. When you take that leap into niching, you not only build your proposition around the value you add to specific clients but you give yourself a razor sharp new business strategy.
Saying who you’re for (and so, by definition, who you’re not for) gets you halfway there. Once you’ve established that, everything else starts to fall into place. Not just in how you market your brand but also in how you work. You’re able to hone your expertise because your processes, ideas and solutions flow from a deeper focus and you can take advantage of, and build on the patterns and themes you encounter time and again.
Of course positioning isn’t just about what you do and who you do it for, but these are an essential part of the wider equation that encompasses the thoughts and feelings people associate with your brand. These other positions are ‘softer’ (but still essential) associations around brand personality, story, values and promise. For the purposes of this post however, I want to focus on the what and in particular, the who.
When I discuss this with my clients there’s often a reticence, a fear of so tightly (and even loosely, in some cases) defining the ‘who’. This can take the form of, “Surely if we say we work with X we’ll miss out on working with Y (and all the other letters in the alphabet)’. But defining a strategy is all about making choices – it’s the reason I share this Michael Porter quote in every workshop I do:
“Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it’s about deliberately choosing to be different.”
By allowing yourself to become selective, you become sought after. You become known for a specific and readily identifiable value proposition expressed with a clarity that’s integral to attractive positioning.
Once you’ve defined your perfect client you can qualify opportunities as they arise – YOU can choose as well as be chosen.
Sadly it isn’t as simple as simply qualifying a prospect by the 3 Fs: Fun (your team will enjoy the work), Fame (they’ll make a great case study or PR) and Fortune (they’ll pay the bills, and then some). These are definitely worth considering but a highly prescriptive client definition, and being clear on your non-negotiables, will give you far more, including being able to justify whether a prospect is the right fit for your organisation.
People came to my last agency wanting a range of services. We offered brand identity, web design and development, retained graphic design, illustrated books, pretty much anything other than packaging. Over time, I realised that I wasn’t enjoying the work as much as I should have been, and that I wanted to focus on brand identity and strategy more. I had to make some tough choices, one of which was to drop a whole revenue stream of web development work. When I came to reposition my agency I started with what we did or rather, what we wanted to do more of. And that meant dropping a few things. By going ‘niche’ you can go deep, extend your knowledge, build a specialism and develop expertise that is appealing as well as effective. It also changes who might be looking for those services.
Work is a big chunk of your day. It’s said that the average person spends 90,000 hours at work, so knowing what gets you up in the morning and understanding why you’re driven to help a certain group of people is hugely important. The Co-Foundry’s ‘why’ or purpose is to help organisations that strive, to build brands that thrive. Knowing that, means knowing who I want to help – the strivers, the purpose-led people.
One of the most powerful and immediate ways of defining a position is by picking a sector. This isn’t always easy. It might even mean dropping an area you’ve done a fair bit of work in, something that can feel risky. However, the benefits of niching down to a particular sector are many. Not only will you gain a deeper understanding of the problems and desires that run through the sector but you’ll build marketplace intelligence and become known by, for example, attending specialist conferences and being active on industry-specific media. Your new business strategy may benefit too, as people moving organisations will take you with them.
Another way of selecting a client type is by focusing on their issues, needs or traits. I took the decision to focus on creative and tech founder-led brands as I already had a lot of experience and knowledge in that space. As well as working with these clients, I’d personally experienced a lot of the pains and gains of creative and tech founders for myself so had a natural affinity with them. As time has gone on I have extended that criteria to encompass chief execs of charities. These two areas of focus have so much in common – namely, a genuine desire to make an impact and while the latter may not have skin in the game financially, they do, emotionally. Both groups care about their people, something that works well with another fundamental aspect of my proposition – co-creation which sees teams involved in decisions throughout the process.
It sounds so obvious when you read it but, and this is fundamental – find people who energise you.
The late great Milton Glaser (in his talk entitled ‘Ten things I have Learned’) put it perfectly, exhorting us to avoid the people we find toxic:
“You have spent some time with this person, either you have a drink or go for dinner or you go to a ball game. It doesn’t matter very much but at the end of that time you observe whether you are more energized or less energized. Whether you are tired or whether you are exhilarated. If you are more tired, then you have been poisoned. If you have more energy, you have been nourished. The test is almost infallible and I suggest that you use it for the rest of your life.”
The human touch has returned as a top prospecting priority due to digital lead generation marketing automation overload, a major new survey of UK new business and agency leaders has revealed.
The seventh annual UK New Business Barometer by specialist new business consultancy jfdi and strategic insight agency Opinium found that 88% of respondents used management connections to prospect, with 44% citing this a top strategy.
Another 68% said they asked clients for referrals and 67% formed alliances and partnerships. The report said the change is likely driven by email overload and an explosion of pushed content in an over-supplied agency market.
Camilla Honey, CEO at jfdi, said:
“In our challenging new business market, competitive edge is everything and it’s interesting to see the human touch is overriding overwhelming digitally-based automated approaches. AI watch out!”
The survey, which included responses by several Bristol Creative Industries members, also found that ideas that deliver, are practical and affordable are winning pitches. Ir revealed that in the current difficult economic environment, the proportion of respondents saying they commonly win projects because of ideas that are deliverable, practical and affordable rose eight points to 33%.
Another trend highlighted by the study was that only around 50% of the ideas and recommendations presented in pitches are executed, which jfdi said confirmed winning pitches requires more than answering the brief.
When asked about the reasons for winning pitches, 73% said relevant and expertise was important, a figure that was 6% up on last year. Another 69% said it was due to good chemistry.
For unsuccessful pitches, more than two fifths (43%) of respondents reported client withdrawal of budget as the most common reason for not winning a pitch. This was up up 10% on the 2023 study despite having been broadly stable for the past six years.
Other reasons include “rarely given a reason” (41%), “economic uncertainty”, (33%); “ideas not deemed affordable” (20%), and “agencies failed to demonstrate relevant expertise/capability” (18%).
The cost of losing pitches escalates exponentially by size of agency, the study revealed, with every agency spends more annually on losing pitches than they do on winning ones.
The report showed small agencies are spending on average £86,000, medium agencies spending £350,000, and large agencies are spending £1.4m on losing pitches.
“This shows how a marginal gain in conversion can feed down to the bottom line with more budget available to spend elsewhere in the business,” the study said.
The study warned of a “ticking stress bomb”, with 70% of new business practitioners reporting their role becoming more stressful over the last 12 months. The report said “this worrying trend signals the need to ensure mental health welfare and wellbeing in this space”.
Josh Glendinning, research director and partner at Opinium, said:
“The New Business Barometer’s unparalleled insight shows how the pressures of a tough economic environment are cascading through the marketing industry. Clients are demanding more than ever during the pitch process but finding it more difficult to provide concrete assurances to agencies that work will be commissioned.”
Additional findings in the report included:
For a full summary of the report, email [email protected]
Don’t lose sight of your new business pipeline
10 top tips for getting the pitch over the line
How to prospect for new business without losing your soul
How creative businesses can write the perfect positioning statement
Mental health in the workplace: Why we need a culture change