Working closely with agencies every day, we’ve had a front-row seat to the start of one of the most significant transformations our industry has ever experienced – the transition to a world with AI. Through our recent research holding detailed interviews with 30 creative agency leaders, and working alongside more than 20 agencies in their AI journey in 2024, we’ve seen firsthand how AI is reshaping not just how we work, but what’s creatively possible.
Let’s be honest – when generative AI first emerged as a serious tool for creative work 2 years ago, many of us had concerns. Would it diminish the value of human creativity? Could it compromise the quality of our work? Will it make our hard won skills redundant? These were natural reactions. But what we’ve discovered through our research and hands-on experience is something far more nuanced: while the potential for semi-automating some tasks is there, the more impactful use of AI is as a powerful creative amplifier.
The most inspiring moments in our research came from agencies that have moved past the experimental phase. These AI Pioneers – about 20% of the agencies we studied – are building new ways of working that combine human creativity with AI’s ability to condense and recombine huge amounts of information to deliver more impactful results for their clients.
One agency leader put it perfectly when they described how AI allows creatives to “more easily access their creativity.” We’re seeing teams explore more creative directions, push boundaries further, and deliver higher quality work – not because AI is doing the creative thinking, but because it’s removing barriers to expression and expanding what’s possible.
The efficiency gains for certain tasks are real (think content localisation, for example). But the real win for agencies is using AI to help them what they do best – strategic thinking and creative innovation. When creatives can quickly explore multiple directions and “get all of their crap ideas out quickly,” as one leader put it, they have more time and mental space for the kind of deep creative thinking that leads to breakthrough ideas.
From our conversations we’ve learned that successful AI integration isn’t just about having the right tools – it’s about having the right approach. Here’s what’s working:
The agencies seeing the best results are those investing heavily in their people. They’re equipping their teams not just with AI tools, but with the skills and confidence to work with AI as it evolves.
Rather than making AI a point solution for doing a handful of identified tasks, the AI Pioneers are weaving it throughout their core processes. They’re rethinking workflows, team structures, and even their business models to leverage AI’s strengths.
The most forward-thinking agencies are bringing their clients along on the journey, having open conversations about how AI enhances their creative options and encouraging their clients to take advantage of them.
We are at the beginning of the AI transition. The agencies that will thrive aren’t those using AI to simply work faster – they’re the ones using it to push creative boundaries and deliver ideas that were previously too complex, too expensive, or too time consuming to be possible.
The future we’re seeing emerge is one where:
To our fellow agency leaders: this is our moment. The technology is ready and the opportunity is clear. Yes, there are challenges to navigate – from skill development and agency growth, to client education to data privacy. But the rewards for those who get this right are many.
As the creative industry embraces AI, we’re constantly finding new ways to augment creativity and increase the value we can add to brands. But it’s not enough to just give people the tools – it’s about equipping people with the skills and confidence to work with AI as it evolves.
The question isn’t whether AI will transform our industry – it’s already happening. The real question is how will you integrate AI in a way that augments the value to bring to your clients, and aligns with your agency’s creative vision? Every agency’s journey will be unique, shaped by their particular strengths.
For those ready to embrace this change, the path forward is about building teams that are confident with AI, developing processes that leverage its strengths, and creating work that shows clients the enhanced value we can deliver.
The future of creativity is human + AI, and for those of us willing to embrace this change, the creative possibilities are exciting..
To dive deeper into how creative agencies are successfully navigating the AI transition, download our full report. Drawing on conversations with 30 creative agency leaders and our experience helping over 20 agencies embrace AI throughout 2024, it offers practical insights on everything from building AI-confident teams to developing new client service models. Whether you’re just starting your AI journey or looking to accelerate your adoption, you’ll find actionable strategies and real-world examples to guide your next steps.
Visit wearespark.ai to access the complete research and join the conversation about the future of creative work.
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.
A funding and support programme for UK-based artists, designed to help them develop their art by using immersive technologies. The partners of the scheme include Bristol organisations UWE Bristol, Watershed and University of Bristol.
A total of £3.6m in funding is available through three rounds until 2027. Immersive Arts expects to fund over 200 artists.
There are three strands which are designed to support artists at different stages in their creative development. Eligible artists can apply to ‘Explore’ for £5,000, ‘Experiment’ for £20,000 and ‘Expand’ for £50,000.
The round one application deadline is 2 December 2024.
Businesses can apply for grants of between £150,000 and £200,000 for projects that develop new innovative products and tools for the UK creative industry.
To lead a project, an organisation must:
Applications open on 9 December 2024 and close at 11am on 29 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 25 January 2025.
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:
UK research organisations eligible for Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funding can apply to form a community-driven research network to enhance access to culture. Funded networks will create partnerships across communities, researchers, and policymakers, to promote urban cultural renewal.
The full economic cost of your network can be up to £100,000 and AHRC will fund 80%.
The deadline for applications is 4pm on 10 April 2025.
Grants for established UK-based companies with a game development project at an early stage in the pipeline.
The funding allocation has now been fully committed, but you can express interest in case any further funds are provided for projects from 1st April 2025.
The fund is an open access programme for arts, libraries and museums projects.
Funding of between £1,000 and £100,000 is available.
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 latest round of funding closes for applications at 12pm on 12 December 2024. Funding decisions will be announced on 6 March 2025.
The £5m Supporting Grassroots Music fund supports rehearsal and recording studios, promoters, festivals, and venues for live and electronic music performance.
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.
As part of the BridgeAI programme, UK registered organisations can apply for funding of between £50,000 and £100,000 for artificial intelligence solutions to support AI upskilling in:
Applications open on Monday 11 November 2024 and close at Wednesday 29 January 2025 at 11am.
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 next round of funding is open for applications from 4 November 2024 until 31 January 2025.
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.
This fund aims to grow exports and global demand for UK independent film by supporting the UK film industry to achieve measurable results which would not have been achievable without the support.
Applications close on at 11.59pm on 31 March 2026.
This scheme supports the festival launch of UK films in order to enhance their promotion, reach and value internationally.
Applications close on at 11.59pm on 31 March 2026.
This scheme supports UK sales agents to increase their international promotion and sales of UK feature film projects.
Applications close on at 11.59pm on 31 March 2026.
Apply for funding to form a community-driven research network to enhance access to culture. Funded networks will create partnerships across communities, researchers, and policymakers, to promote urban cultural renewal.
You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funding.
Applications close at 4pm on 10 April 2025.
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.
Grants to provide support towards the costs of the purchase, installation and infrastructure of electric vehicle chargepoints at eligible places of work.
The scheme covers up to 75% of the total costs of the purchase and installation of EV chargepoints (including VAT), capped at a maximum of £350 per socket and 40 sockets across all sites per applicant.
The deadline for applications is 11.59pm on 31 March 2025.
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.
In the U.S. there are over 3 million B2B businesses, 86% of which use their website as their primary source of lead generation.
Yet, 48% of customers have described B2B marketing as ‘boring.’ So where does that leave your site? And what can you do to stand out as one of the interesting ones?
According to a Forrester report, 94% of survey respondents use at least one search channel for consideration/purchase, so the importance of having an engaging and appealing website should never be underestimated.
By creating a memorable digital experience, you can ensure your website users will remember and return to your website when they’re ready to buy a product or service.
The term ‘website design’ has 49.5k searches monthly in the U.S. according to Semrush. Clearly this is a topic on plenty of people’s minds – and for good reason.
In fact, it’s reported that first impressions of a website are 94% design-related. And to top that off, these impressions can be formed in as little as 50 milliseconds.
People often see B2B website design as corporate, outdated, or just plain boring. Whether it’s because the products B2B companies sell are more specialist or niche or because of complex sales cycles.
But times are changing. With digital designers and web design evolving hand in hand, website design has never been so full of possibility.
However, it goes deeper than designing for appearance alone. The most successful websites also apply user experience (UX) best practices to ensure their functionality matches.
Peter Morville, President of Semantic Studios, coined the 7 principles of UX. These principles outline what affective UX should be:
If you can make your B2B website tick all these boxes, your site is much more likely to succeed in the marketplace.
This is because you should always be thinking about the user when it comes to your digital presence. This is how you make your audience feel valued and provide them with a stress-free digital experience.
Many business-to-business companies aren’t aware of the capabilities of their website, so they haven’t made moves to update their digital presence. This means if you take these steps, you’ll be setting yourself apart from the competition, and will stick in the mind of your customers.
After all, if 38% of consumers will bounce from a website if they find the design unattractive, ensuring yours is top-notch can help secure more business.
What’s more, user experience is a big factor in Conversion Rate Optimisation – meaning the better your UX design, the more likely people will take actions that benefit your business. That could be booking a call or product demo, filling in an enquiry form, or making a purchase.
The content that sits on your website is important for so many reasons. If the content on your site isn’t clear, relevant or well thought out, you stand to lose customers.
Your website content also reflects who you are – your personality as a business. It gives you the opportunity to add a personal touch to your buyer’s journey and build a connection with your audience.
It also tells prospects exactly what you do and the services you provide. So, ensuring your website content is optimised is key.
Your content may include headings, body copy, blogs, product descriptions, reports, whitepapers/ebooks, videos, and an array of other assets.
Content isn’t just about entertaining and informing your visitors. It’s also key to boosting your search engine optimisation (SEO) score.
As Google Search Central puts it, SEO is ‘about helping search engines understand your content, and helping users find your site and make a decision about whether they should visit your site through a search engine.’
One of the main aims of boosting your SEO is to rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs). This means your website will appear higher on the google search page when people search for certain terms.
The terms you want to rank for could be down to your industry, your services, your location, and more. These terms are known as ‘keywords’. The higher you rank for your chosen keywords, the more likely you are to get page visitors.
A hurdle that many B2B companies face is getting ahead of competitors who may be operating in the same industry or selling similar services. But, by harnessing the power of SEO, you can increase your chances of outranking them and being discovered by more potential customers.
When deciding on the keywords you want to rank for as a business, it’s important to look for words that have a high monthly search volume, but low competition. This means people are actively searching for it, but not many other businesses are focusing on ranking for this term.
Ensuring your website content is helping your site stand out isn’t purely about technical optimisation and analytics.
Making your content engaging and unique goes a long way when it comes to differentiating yourself. And with the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT, originality is set to become even more important (and more rare, perhaps).
When planning the content you want to include on the website, you need a strategy. This strategy should consider elements such as:
By combining these personal aspects of your business, you are creating a recipe for a one-of-a-kind content plan.
Having unique content is so important because 40% of all final decision makers in the B2B marketplace say there is more thought leadership content than they can manage.
So, you now must work even harder to capture the attention of your prospects without drowning in the sea of generic thought leadership.
Business-to-business companies get an unfair reputation for being overly corporate and boring. It’s time to change that perception and start bringing more innovation and design flair to these markets.
Your website says so much about you as a business, so you can’t afford to let yours simply be ‘middle of the road’.
Using a combination of outstanding design and groundbreaking content, you can get ahead of the competition in a saturated market and gain new customers.
So, if your B2B website is looking like it needs a boost, get in touch with us at [email protected].
Happy Global Entrepreneurship Week!
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.
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.
By Tracie Leahy, Assistant Principal for Apprenticeships, Weston College
In the evolving landscape of workforce development within the creative industries, businesses are constantly seeking innovative ways to attract, develop, and retain top talent. Degree apprenticeships have emerged as a powerful solution, offering a unique blend of practical experience and academic learning. At Weston College and University Centre Weston, we have witnessed firsthand the transformative impact that degree apprentices can have on businesses. Here’s why integrating degree apprenticeships into your talent strategy is a game-changer for the creative industries.
Secure the Best New Talent
In a competitive job market, securing top talent is more challenging than ever. Degree apprenticeships provide an opportunity to attract high-calibre candidates who are eager to learn and grow within your organisation. These individuals bring fresh perspectives and are equipped with cutting-edge knowledge from their academic studies, combined with practical skills honed through on-the-job training. By investing in degree apprentices, you are investing in the future leaders of your industry.
Upskill Existing Employees
Degree apprenticeships are not just for new hires. They offer a valuable pathway for upskilling your existing workforce. Many employees have untapped potential that can be unlocked through further education and training. By supporting your employees in pursuing a degree apprenticeship, you are fostering a culture of continuous learning and development. This not only enhances their skills and job satisfaction but also improves overall organisational performance.
Build a Culture of Learning and Development
A learning-oriented culture is a cornerstone of innovative and resilient organizations. Degree apprenticeships instil a commitment to personal and professional growth within your team. Apprentices bring new ideas and approaches, inspired by their academic learning, and share this knowledge with their colleagues. This creates a dynamic environment where learning is valued, leading to increased engagement and retention.
Reduce Recruitment Costs
The traditional recruitment process can be costly and time-consuming. Degree apprenticeships provide a cost-effective alternative by allowing you to train and develop talent tailored to your specific business needs. Apprentices are often more loyal to the organizations that invest in their development, reducing turnover and the associated recruitment costs. Furthermore, you can evaluate an apprentice’s fit within your company culture and operations throughout their apprenticeship, ensuring a smoother transition to a permanent role. Also, we do all the advertising, shortlisting, and recruitment support for your vacancies – saving you time and expense.
Maximise Government Funding
One of the significant advantages of degree apprenticeships is the availability of government funding. This financial support can substantially offset the costs of training and development. By leveraging these funds,
you can invest in your workforce without straining your budget. It’s a smart financial decision that benefits both your business and your employees.
Meeting the Demand
Weston College and University Centre Weston offer a diverse range of degree apprenticeships tailored to meet the needs of modern businesses, including those in the creative industries. Our programs include:
Attracting the Best: The Appeal of Degree Apprenticeships
There is a growing trend among students to choose degree apprenticeships over traditional degrees. This pathway allows them to avoid substantial tuition fees and student debt while gaining practical experience and earning a salary. As a result, employers have the opportunity to access ambitious, motivated individuals who are eager to start their careers sooner. By offering degree apprenticeships, you can attract the cream of the crop—talented individuals who are ready to contribute to your business from day one.
A Proven Pathway: From T Levels to Degree Apprenticeships
We are seeing a growing trend where employers begin by offering T Level student placements, which involve 315 hours of work experience annually, before progressing these students to degree apprenticeships. This approach allows employers to identify and nurture talent early, providing a seamless transition from education to full-time employment. It’s a strategy that not only ensures a steady pipeline of skilled workers but also strengthens the bond between the employer and the apprentice.
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Investing in degree apprenticeships is a strategic move that delivers long-term benefits for businesses. By securing new talent, upskilling existing employees, fostering a culture of learning, reducing recruitment costs, and making the most of government funding, you position your business for sustained success. We are committed to supporting businesses in unlocking their potential through our comprehensive T Level and Apprenticeship programs.
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Digital PR and traditional PR have the same goals and objectives; they both are about increasing brand awareness and building a brand’s reputation.
The difference between digital PR and traditional PR is in the inputs and tactics.
A digital PR campaign will use all the opportunities and channels that digital offers, from simple social media strategies and tactics to more technical and complex strategies like SEO and technical SEO strategy.
Consistency is key
A key part of digital PR is to have consistent messaging across all platforms to have coherent communication and brand recognition. Digital PR allows brands to reach more people and build more authentic relationships with an audience.
As long as you approach with authenticity and develop strategies that engage and enable the consumer to access your brand online.
So brands can build credibility, brand awareness, relationships and trust. Digital PR is no longer a nice to have for brands. It’s a must-have to raise awareness and grow.
Digital PR Benefits
Digital PR is powerful.
It can help you reach your audience, increase brand awareness and boost your reputation and visibility in the digital age. Digital PR is built to improve your brand’s presence in the digital age and this is how:
More website traffic
By increasing your website traffic you’re widening your scope, growing your audience and generally increasing your brand awareness. More traffic means more digital footfall which can bring in new customers and brand awareness.
More traffic means more digital footfall and more footfall and web traffic means more chance of conversion.
More engagement on social media
Real-time messaging, direct interaction with audiences and plenty of opportunities to build credibility and monitor social media channels and brand mentions helps to make your PR stronger. An engaged social media presence and positive following is a great trust signal to new prospects.
More leads more sales
Digital PR isn’t about selling your products but it can create the environment to nudge customers to buy. PR can increase brand awareness and build brand trust which is key to increased customer loyalty and sales. Trust is the key to sales.
Better brand image
A good reputation and online presence is good for you. People like to engage with businesses and brands. They don’t like faceless organisations that don’t care about their audience or user groups.
Digital PR Strategy & Tactics in Action
So we’ve looked at the outcomes of digital PR strategies. But what does it look like, in terms of tactics and deployment
Social Media
You need an active social media presence to maintain and grow your brand reputation. It’s part of building your online identity and part of your digital PR strategy.
While also being a major part of your digital PR strategy, social media is a major part of your overall customer service arm.
It’s your shop window. But it’s also more than that.
This is a place where potential customers can be influenced by your existing audiences. So positive, honest and authentic engagement is a must.
Content Creation
What does content creation mean to you? White papers? Blogs? News stories? writing press releases? Producing video content? Tweets (or should we say X’s) Instagram posts, even TikTok content?
To us, it means all of the above.
Content helps to build emotional connections with your audience. Great content engages, entertains and ultimately converts prospects into loyal customers. Building campaigns around great content, leveraged across multiple channels and formats is the most effective way to engage with your tribe
Link building strategies
Digital PR and link building go hand in hand. But this is a long-term game.
These strategies also help to differentiate your brand from other businesses in the industry.
These strategies increase overall visibility of your website through the placement of backlinked content on third-party sites with relevant links. This could be a simple press release, a news story on relevant websites and online media, or thought leadership in key sector titles.
It’s a traditional PR approach, engaging with media through press releases and putting a digital PR spin on it.
But the content and placement have to be relevant. Credible, high-quality backlinks – meaning backlinks to relevant and trustworthy – quality links will build brand credibility and authority.
Content and Channel Optimisation
Effective brand communications means all channels and assets are optimised for maximum visibility.
Everything needs to be connected for maximum online visibility. Whether it’s your Google My Business Profile, or making sure your social tags and handles are on your site, your social media presence is also optimised to boost organic rankings and increase your presence in the SERP.
You can’t build on your search ranking score if your owned channels aren’t optimised. To get more awareness and reach online PR requires a holistic approach, everything needs to be in sync.
Showing up to Google
This could get lengthy so we’ll try to keep it brief.
Google monitors and ranks online publications, websites, pages and content against its own set of rules. These are the E-E-A-T guidelines, they are a set of indicators that determine whether any given piece of on-page content is experienced, expert, authoritative and trustworthy – hence E-E-A-T. Consistent messaging across all content is key to meeting Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines.
E-E-A-T — or Double-E-A-T became part of Google’s search rater guidelines in 2022.
The main challenge with Google is it likes to move the Goalposts.
Core updates and other changes to the practice and protocol can make it hard to keep up with the latest best practices and requirements around search engines and content.
You can spend all the time in the world developing a digital PR strategy and digital marketing strategy. But if you’re creating content that Google won’t or doesn’t like, all that work will be for nothing. The further down the SERP you go, the more your website, organic traffic and brand visibility suffer.
This is where it pays to have an expert in your corner.
Conclusion
Ultimately, digital PR is a key part of any PR strategy.
Digital PR can lead to customer loyalty by building trust and credibility.
It may seem like a big ask to keep up with the ever-changing search engine algorithms and best practices. But the rewards of well-executed digital PR campaigns and strategies are worth it.
Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines say to create content that is Experienced, Expert, Authoritative and Trustworthy.
Build brand credibility, build relationships and build trust with your audience. By producing high-quality, relevant content and earning links from other reputable sources you’ll increase your website visibility, authority and overall search engine rankings.
But digital PR needs a long-term approach. It is not a quick win.
It requires a strategic and sustained effort. Which in turn requires patience and an ongoing commitment to the overall process on online brand building.
Bristol creative agency SIM7 has swept the board this awards season, scooping three prestigious international prizes for a brand campaign which ‘redefines executive education marketing’.
The trio of awards, all won for the IESE Business School’s Real Leadership brand campaign, include first place in the Brand Campaign category at the Digital Communication Awards, Best Integration of Purposeful Marketing at the CMI Content Marketing Awards, and a ‘Búho’ award for Brand Strategy at Educafestival.
Each welcomed entries from around the world. Fierce competition for the top spots came from Ketchum, MSLGROUP, Weber Shandwick and a rollcall of other major global agencies.
Says Professor Dr. Ana Adi, Chair of the Jury for the Digital Communication Awards 2024, “IESE Business School’s Real Leadership campaign redefines executive education marketing. Through digital platforms, it boosts global visibility and underscores the school’s core human values, cleverly critiquing the past decade’s ‘hustle’ mindset. This campaign establishes a new benchmark for the future of leadership training”.
Campaign rationale
The brand campaign takes an honest, authentic and human approach which was conceived as an antidote to the clichéd ‘business speak’ creative that has dominated the sector in recent years. Assets include OOH adverts deployed across the world in Europe and Latin America, a major podcast, landing pages, brochures, Google Max ads, campaign videos and more.
Oriol Gil, IESE’s Brand & Content Senior Manager 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”.
Results
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. Its main campaign video has attracted 3+ million views, and season one of its podcast consistently ranks in the top 30 of the Spotify/Apple leadership and management charts.
SIM7’s Simeon de la Torre is proud of the campaign and the recognition it has earnt, “ As an agency that works with higher and business education clients around the world, winning these three awards is a huge honour for us. We knew from the start that this had to be a campaign with cut-through, and that pure creativity wasn’t enough.
“It was a huge strategic branding exercise that brought together all our skills in messaging, design and positioning, which ultimately spawned something really different with a big dollop of humour and heart”.
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.
Being an Employer of Choice: Mental health and financial wellbeing are inextricably linked!
Sometimes, all it takes to drastically improve your employees’ quality of life is a conversation and guidance that can lead to a positive impact that they feel every day. Nobody is immune to money worries and financial stress. So, let’s get talking, break down taboos and change lives.
Poor mental health and financial problems are often closely tied. Fixing one can often help fix the other. Talking about money worries is a bit of a taboo subject in the UK. The topic is surrounded by stigmas such as debt, poor mental health, and absence from work, so we avoid it. But sweeping things under the rug doesn’t work. Long-term, if we don’t break taboos, taboos can break us.
Financial education plays a huge part in increasing preparedness and reducing stress. But stress and worries can build barriers in people’s minds, a powerful resistance to engaging. They may have the answers but feel overwhelmed or unsure where to start. So, to forge a path forward, we need to be there with them.
To help people see through the haze of financial stress, we need to connect with people as individuals, on their own level.
A vicious cycle
Poor mental health can lead to money problems:
And money problems can lead to poor mental health: Stretched budgets could mean less food, heat, or medicine. Financial communications might trigger feelings of anxiety and panic and persistent worrying could lead to sleep problems and burnout
This cycle can get out of control, spiralling downward and affecting relationships, work, and every other part of an employee’s life. It’s critical we let them know that help is at hand.
Breaking the taboo
If you don’t offer much support yet, it’s a good opportunity to get employees involved. Ask them what they want and need and build around their answers.
Maybe some want private 1-2-1 meetings, while others would prefer group workshops or an anonymous online forum. By starting the conversations here, you’ll already be taking steps to normalising talking about money and financial stress and showing that it’s important to your business.
Why employers should care
Why dedicate resources and people to tackling financial stress? According to UK charity Mental Health At Work, 66% of employees feel like their company doesn’t care about their financial situation, making them more likely to salary hunt elsewhere and less productive in the working day.
In other words, beating financial stress is in your business’ best interests too. And if you have limited resources, you can partially rely on the government’s Money and Pensions Service.
Can you respond, with impact, to those big industry moments when projecting integrity, trust & credibility becomes key?
On Friday 19th July 2024, the biggest global IT outage to date caught leading service and security providers completely off-guard. Banks, manufacturers, media firms, airports, airlines, rail services, payment systems, the London Stock Exchange, multiple news organisations, and many public and emergency services platforms held up by Microsoft all reported severe interruptions.
Put simply: because resilience is a growing buying priority.
The world’s largest and most industry-critical enterprises are held up by increasingly complex supply chains and vendors.
In the wake of the debacle, thousands of buying groups (including downstream suppliers, partners, industry ecosystems and less-affected but increasingly cautious organisations) will be questioning the reliability of their current IT systems.
And they’ll be asking themselves one thing: do they have the capability to keep the lights on when the next Big Moment hits?
Cutting-edge data from 6Sense reveals that B2B buyers spend 70% of the buying journey doing their own research before talking to vendors.
(view image in blog here.)
Here are the biggest headlines steering optimised B2B content performance in 2024:
Source: 6Sense Point of First Contact Research Summary
If your content and campaigns rely on buyer conversion via a landing-page form or traditional lead generation it’s time to rethink. You won’t be getting your brand in front of key decision makers and influencers when they’re gathering the information that will heavily influence their purchase decision.
It is urgent for B2B sellers to increase their roster of ungated, educational content. You need to remove as much friction as possible for potential buyers wanting fast insights without a form.
Blogs, external product validation, helpful articles, videos, even some higher-value guides/buyers guides should be readily available to your audience without requiring an email. Concerned about tracking conversions when using more ungated content? We can help!
Whether you’re a fledgling startup or an established technology vendor selling into enterprise, Google and LinkedIn are likely your hero channels for paid media. Most organisations have not activated a key superpower: using the two platforms in combination. Deployed correctly, you can build trust with your audience and maximise awareness of your brand during that crucial first 70% of the buying journey.
Installing the LinkedIn Insights Tag on your website pages means you can track visits to specific website pages from your upper-funnel traffic-driving activity. And funnel those people back into LinkedIn. Now you can filter that audience down to your ICP profile (specific companies or industry, job function + seniority), and offer higher-value site visitors a better-connected content experience. Showing them the most relevant assets based on what they have seen and the strength of their engagement. That builds trust faster and accelerates the time between browsing and buying. And it can keep customers loyal when that next big crisis hits.
It this all sounds incredibly complicated, we get it! You want to make sure your content is making an impact on today’s buying journey. That you’re getting the most out of B2B paid media in the do more for less era. And that your digital communications are robust enough to achieve the right impact in a global emergency! That’s where we come in. Talk to us and find out how we can help build you a robust B2B platform.
Looking for a new jacket? According to Ibis World, there are 298,036 apparel manufacturing businesses globally. So how do you choose where to buy?
There’ll be several elements that affect a purchasing decision – particularly cost, quality, and/or location. But other factors that play a major role in where consumers shop are values and authenticity.
In fact, 90% of consumers say that authenticity is important when deciding which brands they support. In addition, 75% say they are likely to buy a product from a company that shares their values.
So, why are values and authenticity in marketing so important?
We’re now in an age where fake news, deep fakes and influencers peddling products they don’t actually use is the norm. And with the rise of e-commerce, we’re constantly being sold items and services every hour, of every day.
This bombardment of false promises and shallow marketing has driven customers to look for companies with more substance; companies that support their claims with actions.
Customers typically see straight through – and don’t appreciate – inauthentic and impersonal marketing tactics.
So how can you ensure your business doesn’t make these mistakes? It all starts with ‘why’. Why do you do what you do in the first place?
Being authentic and having strong values go hand in hand. But there are some important distinctions between the two.
AUTHENTIC: According to Oxford Languages, the definition of authentic is ‘of undisputed origin and not a copy; genuine’.
VALUES: The definition of values is ‘principles or standards of behaviour; one’s judgement of what is important in life’
While values are about beliefs and one’s outlook on life, authenticity is about who you are as a person (or in this case, business).
Unfortunately, an all-too-common occurrence is businesses falsely claiming they have certain values and beliefs to gain social clout and more customers.
This is also known as colourwashing (which we’ve written a blog about here). Not only can colourwashing slow down progress towards positive and important changes, but it also creates distrust in your company.
Stretching the truth about your values, and not being transparent in your marketing activities, will weaken the connection you have with your customers.
Not convinced?
According to a 2016 study, almost 94% of all consumers are more likely to be loyal to a brand when it commits to full transparency.
And when you obtain loyalty from your audience and customers, you’ll see business growth, more people making repeat purchases, and an enhanced company reputation.
Almost 94% of consumers are more likely to be loyal to a brand when it commits to full transparency.
You may be wondering where to start when conveying your values truthfully to your audience.
First you need to establish what your values as a business are.
Next, start showing you mean what you say through action.
For example, you could raise awareness of issues and organisations that align with your values, or donate some of your business’ profits to relevant causes.
It’s also important to note that this action isn’t a one-and-done situation. You need to continuously back up your claims to build audience trust.
Now, it’s time to tell people about it!
Communicating your actions and values both internally to your team and partners, and externally to your customers and stakeholders, is vital for a business. It deepens connection and understanding between your company and your audience.
Communication examples include:
What to do: Mind Corporate Partnerships
Mind is a mental health charity that stands up to injustices in healthcare, work and law which make life harder for people with mental health problems.
A section of their charity is dedicated to corporate partnerships so businesses can work with Mind to support their work and help fight for mental health.
This feature is so effective because not only are they starting a conversation with individuals, but they’re opening connections with businesses so even more people can get involved.
Their website contains plenty of resources and support for those struggling with their mental health, including workplace wellbeing.
By pairing their business statements with tangible resources, more people are likely to work with them and recommend their services.
What not to do: Naked’s lack of transparency
For this example, we’ll look through a more B2C lens, although the principles still apply to B2B businesses.
Naked offers a range of juice drinks, manufactured by PepsiCo. These products are marketed in such a way as to lead consumers to believe they’re a healthy option.
Statements on its packaging once included ‘only the best ingredients’ and ‘no sugar added’, but the Centre for Science in the Public Interest filed a lawsuit in 2016 because they were misleading.
In fact:
Following the lawsuit, Naked amended the erroneous claims and offered compensation to those who purchased products between a certain timeframe.
But despite its attempts to rectify the situation, both trust – and therefore loyalty in the brand – was lost.
Authenticity and values are interlinked – being authentic is about staying true to said values and being intentional about them.
However, authenticity is about also showing people who you are as a business. It’s about transparency in your marketing. It’s about being open with an audience, even if you’re not perfect.
This vulnerability leads to brand trust.
“Your audience is used to ignoring inauthentic marketing attempts from other businesses. Differentiate yourself by being genuine.”
So how do you go about being authentic as a B2B business? And how do you share this with your audience?
It’s crucial you remain honest in your statements and efforts.
Establishing brand guidelines early on also plays a key role in exhibiting your authenticity. This is because it will help you stay consistent in your messaging, your marketing materials, and your goals.
A major part of authentic marketing is having direct communication with your customers. This may be through:
By opening the door to discussions in real time, you’ll receive invaluable feedback that will allow you to make profound improvements.
In fact, according to a report by Microsoft, 77% of customers have a better opinion of brands that ask for and accept customer feedback.
Another interesting method to show authenticity and gain brand buy-in is through ‘behind the scenes’ materials. Whether this is showing your audience where / how your products are made, the team behind the business, or a Q&A session.
And finally, testimonials are a great way to offer transparency. Sharing feedback from those not necessarily invested in the company itself – i.e. objective opinion – creates believability. This is known as social proofing.
Social proofing is:
“the psychological concept that people are influenced in their decision making by others, compelling them to act within societal norms or expectations.”
Social proofing done well
Airbnb utilises the power of social proofing in their marketing brilliantly. In fact, as a platform that’s built to both enable people to host strangers in their properties, and for people to stay in strangers’ properties, their business success depends on it.
Airbnb includes reviews from guests and hosts which can include photos, stories about people’s stays, and their names.
This adds a personal touch to the platform, which increases trust from users. But it also provides details of others’ experiences using the service, giving clear evidence of customer satisfaction.
Authenticity and value-based marketing ultimately comes down to 4 things:
It’s as much of a benefit to you as it is your audience. In return for your honesty, and so-called vulnerability, your audience will be significantly more likely to invest time (and money) into your brand.
With a loyal customer base, you’re increasing your chances of seeing more growth in your business as people recommend your products/services to others.
And it’s important to remember – this isn’t just for B2C companies, B2B companies should be doing the same.
We’re now in an age where businesses are trying to sell as much as possible and advertise wherever they can. So, when 57% of consumers think that less than half of brands create authentic content, make sure you’re standing out for the right reasons.
After all, people now value quality over quantity, and neither you nor your customers should settle for anything less.
Looking to find out how you can tell your audience about your authenticity and values? Get in touch at [email protected] to find out how we can help.
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