Marketing

When I returned from maternity leave after 9 months, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect in the world of marketing, social media and digital marketing.

Apart from coming back to work and remembering how to write an email (to name but a few basic functions), I was apprehensive about the pace and would change be so great that it’s completely new and different. Would there be more social media platforms, would email marketing end, and would automation define everything?

Firms who invest in effective digital marketing such as social media, pay per click (PPC) and search engine optimisation (SEO) can often see great results within a relatively short space of time. Through easily trackable analytics, it is easy to see the actual impact of this increased marketing activity. In turn, brand awareness grows, the number of new enquiries increases and the business expands.  But what happens if you stop marketing because you're too busy?

“I’m too busy doing the day job!”  “I haven’t got time for networking!” People have different views on taking time out from fee earning to meet new prospects and build on business relationships. In this blog, we talk about the advantages of networking for your professional services firm.

Blogs and articles take time to research and craft, so why not maximise that effort by ‘repurposing’ them?  Repurposing doesn’t only apply to blogs or news articles, though.  Tweets or Facebook posts might feel more throwaway, but they don’t have to be.  And what do you do with client feedback, testimonials or slide decks and notes you may have spent hours putting together for a presentation?

At the inaugural North East Marketing Awards 2018, Cal Partners won the Agency of the Year (under 20 employees) category. The event took place on the evening of Thursday 18th October at The Biscuit Factory, Stoddart Street, Newcastle and was attended by marketing industry leaders from across the region. As well as being finalists for the Agency of the Year Category, Cal Partners' founder and director, Chris Lucarelli, was also a finalist in the Marketing Director of the Year category.

The team at Cal Partners is celebrating being shortlisted as finalists for two categories at the North East Marketing Awards 2018.  Cal Partners are finalists in the Marketing Agency of the Year category, and founder, Chris Lucarelli has been nominated for Marketing Director of the Year category.

If no one person or department is leading the way, does ‘marketing’ get pushed aside because the day job and billing take priority?  Many professional services firms find that marketing activities become disjointed and ad hoc and people think they are a hassle and a waste of time. 

Client reviews can be a powerful influence and help towards the success of a business through its reputation, profile and brand.  Reviews are particularly useful within the professional services sector.  With a lot of firms offering and selling the same or similar service, it can be a very competitive market and difficult to differentiate.  Client reviews provide credibility, proof that what you are saying is true and promote the added value that you offer – reducing the risk that the potential client is taking in using you.

These days it’s increasingly difficult to stand out in the professional services sector, when more and more firms appear to be offering the same (or similar) services.

One way to make your business really stand out is to develop a niche. This entails laser-focussing your efforts on a specific area of expertise, rather than settling on a one-size-fits-all approach. This specificity of service then allows you to pull ahead of your competitors, establishing you as a leader of your chosen niche.

With the looming deadline for the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) now only a couple of months away (25th May 2018), businesses are frantically trying to get their heads around the new legislation. There has been a lot of scaremongering and so many news articles, seminars, presentations and workshops about the new regulations with worrying statistics and consequential fines. It is important to remember that being GDPR compliant can bring so many benefits, not only for your clients and potential clients but also for your business.