With the world steadily moving toward a digital future, and with an increasing popularity for remote working, the value of getting a team together to have a frank discussion and think about their field is at risk of being lost. When done correctly, workshops can formulate innovative solutions, encourage team building, and instil some creativity and openness into a team or organisation.
In no particular order, here are 4 ways workshops will provide value for businesses and companies:
1. Workshops Provide Expertise and Innovation
The first way a workshop can add value to your company is by providing some expertise and innovative ideas in your field.
For example, here at Blumilk, our expertise spreads over a lot of fields such as graphic design, social media, website development, and both physical and digital advertising. Other agencies may specialise in very specific, niche areas. Whatever you do, make sure you research agencies to choose the right one – after all, you won’t want financial advice from a photography agency, and vice versa!
As an example of this expertise, a workshop we recently carried out for Blue Light Card (the organisers and providers of blue light discounts) centred around key developments and changes with digital marketing. We covered areas like voice search, TikTok, the metaverse, and NFTs and encouraged our client to think about how they could be incorporated by the organisation.
Just make sure you aren’t too over-ambitious and make sure the advice and suggestions you’re receiving are realistic and practical. Innovative ideas are only useful if they can be built on in a meaningful way. There’s a reason the wheel hasn’t been reinvented after all!
2. The Need for Honesty and Openness
Before expertise and innovation can be embraced, a company must be prepared for honest, open conversations, and this is the second key benefit for workshops.
It’s important in any workplace that employees feel free to express their genuine thoughts and feelings. A great way to do this is to get out of the office and in a new environment that provides a creative space for thought-provoking discussions – like a workshop!
We understood the importance of openness when we were creating workshops for Access training, an award-winning training provider in Gateshead, to help them devise a marketing strategy. In the workshops, we encouraged employees at all levels to think carefully about the company’s identity, short-term objectives, future aspirations, and challenges and successes.
Ultimately, having honesty and openness in a team will result in clearer aims and objectives that everybody can genuinely get behind.
3. Team Building and Collaboration in Workshops
A lot of companies find that, over time, teams and individuals within those teams become more and more one-dimensional as they plug away at their specific area or tasks.
A workshop offers the perfect space to blow away those workplace cobwebs and reconnect with other teams and colleagues. However, the important thing is to ensure that a colleague’s contributions are seriously supported and considered, regardless of their position or responsibilities.
For example, Blue Light Card approached when trying to figure out how they could empower their employees to feel part of the organisation. The goal was to ensure the member services team understood the brand to the same extent as the communications team. Finding a workable solution required collaboration, understanding, and effective communication; all of which were encouraged through the bespoke workshop we made.
4. Workshops Encourage Creativity and Enthusiasm
Just as important as the other factors, workshops also inject creativity and enthusiasm into a team. Burnout is a very real threat for a lot of companies and it can quickly bring about other issues, whether it’s customer satisfaction, financial spreadsheets, or important company messaging, for example.
Getting the team involved in coming up with some ideas based on research-driven suggestions is a great way to get everybody enthused about your current aims and objectives. Hopefully this enthusiasm will be a long-term injection so that your company will be reaping the rewards of the workshop six months down the line.
When CCW came to us looking for help with a complete branding refresh, we ended up delivering their brand launch, organising guest speakers on the importance of brand, launched the brand internally, and then also facilitated the day on their behalf.
It should now be obvious that workshops can provide a lot of value to your company or business. Not only do they provide expertise and innovative ideas but they encourage openness and honesty within teams. They also encourage greater collaboration and team building by providing opportunities to be more creative and to instil enthusiasm amongst colleagues.
If you think your company requires a workshop to meet any of these ends then our experts here at Blumilk would be more than happy to help. From public relations to internal communications, from social media management to advertising campaigns, and from animation to hand-drawn graphics, we’re here to help every step of the way. Make sure to get in touch today if you have any questions!
On Tuesday, Lauren and Alex took the 286 mile trip to Llanelwedd in Wales to support Western Power Distribution (WPD) at the 2022 Royal Welsh Show. It’s safe to say they were very impressed with our graphics for their stalls, and Lauren and Alex had a great time looking around!
After a long drive, they finally arrived at the enormous agricultural business fayre, which has in recent years morphed into a fun family day out as well. Celebrating Welshness, there were livestock shows, tents selling farming equipment and tractors, and even the army and navy had stalls too.
Who Are WPD, What Did They Want, and Why Us?
WPD play a significant role in this fayre as they supply energy to the area. In fact, WPD supplies power to the Midlands, the South West, and Wales too!
The aim of their stall was twofold: education and safety; and they wanted us here at Blumilk to make some creative designs to be used for the inner and outer walls of their stall, to create some videos to be played on the TVs in the stall, and to create the quiz and competition posters too.
The purpose of these graphics was to educate both adults and children on power and safety and to help WPD get their aims out there and fully understood by their audience. More specifically, they wanted to drive home the message that WPD has a number their customers can ring (105) in the event of a power cut. This is particularly important given the current energy situation and the fact that winter is steadily creeping up on us.
They also wanted more of a focus on Net Zero as this is an increasingly important problem for the world. Rather than following the in the wake of Net Zero awareness, we encouraged WPD to embrace the change and incorporate it into their messaging, setting an example for their competitors.
Graphics for Stalls: What We Decided To Do
Getting right to work, there were two factors we took into consideration regarding demographics:
We decided to create the graphics in Welsh so the messaging would resonate better with WPD’s target audience
We understood the importance of making this information accessible to both adults and children given the event’s family-friendly nature
Taking these insights on board, we hired a Welsh translator to ensure the information was accurate and genuine. Then we created two versions of the information: a cartoon-style version which used the Pyloman character, and an adult version which, in comparison, was more corporate and serious.
Here are some examples of what we created:
Looking Forward
All in all, we were very happy with WPD’s presence at the fayre and we could see how integral they are for the local area, as well as how much they care for their customers. We’re also very proud of the work we created and we have some great ideas to make next year’s event a success story too!
Here at Blumilk, we pride ourselves in making sure we can find innovative and creative solutions for businesses and projects. Regardless of the purpose of your campaign, the mediums you want to use, and the objectives you want to achieve, we will always find the most appropriate solution – it’s just what we do! If you have any questions about how we can help, whether it’s for graphics for stalls or anything else, then don’t hesitate to get in touch here!
In 1999, Blumilk was conceived in a small creative office on Pink Lane by brothers Colin and Adam Robinson. 23 years later, and with a reputation as an innovative northeast branding agency, we are proud and excited to move to Grey Street in the heart of the toon rather than being pestered by seagulls along the Ouseburn!
Whilst moving can be particularly stressful, it is usually for the better. When we decided to move from our fabulous office space in the Ouseburn and into the city centre in the autumn of last year, we knew it would be worth it in the long run – for our clients as much as our staff.
So far, Grey Street has definitely lived up to our expectations! With one of the most desirable postcodes in the northeast and a new spacious office to match this, it comes with more suitable areas for client meetings now that we are moving away from social distancing and home-working.
The new location will also ensure a better work life for our team who 100% deserve it after the past couple of years. Not only is Grey Street better suited to flexible office working and regional commuting, but it is also more involved in the city centre with a bigger range of options for lunch and socialising!
Ultimately, as a leading branding agency, it is important to us that where we work reflects the work we do. The new Grey Street office is packed with modern touches and dynamic meeting spaces, and we have an ambitious and hardworking team to make the most of it.
If you have any upcoming campaigns or projects that you think would benefit from our digital and creative experts, then don’t hesitate to get in touch to arrange a visit to our new home at 60 Grey Street.
The UK, together with their partners Italy, are currently hosting COP26 in Glasgow where Net Zero will be discussed and plans laid bare.
The United Nations have been bringing together world leaders from nearly every country on planet earth for more than three decades to discuss and reach an agreement on how to tackle climate change once and for all.
The race to Net Zero, Blumilk believes, is everyone’s responsibility. Whether you’re a global organisation or Sandra at number 22 you must ‘do your bit’ to lower your carbon footprint and leave a healthier world for future generations and the nature with which they’ll share our world.
What is the Paris Agreement?
At COP21 held in Paris in 2015, an historic agreement between every country involved was made to fight global warming together to achieve well below 2 degrees, aiming for 1.5.
It was at this summit that the Paris Agreement was born.
(Video credit: United Nations)
Under this agreement, each and every country involved made a commitment to bring forward national plans on how they will play their part in reducing emissions. These are known as the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
These NDCs are set to be presented at the summit with countries clarifying their plans to reduce their emissions.
Sadly, the Paris Agreement has not made enough necessary changes to limit global warming so now is the time for the world to pull up its socks and take action now before it’s too late.
COP26 Goals
Yes, the commitments laid out in the Paris Agreement are ambitious with reducing global warming by 1.5 degrees by 2050, however, by following the steps below, we can still aim for this crucial result:
Accelerate the phase-out of coal
By making the transition to zero coal burning, an incredibly damaging fossil fuel and most carbon-intensive will play a huge role in keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees.
Curtail deforestation
The lungs of the world, forests are crucial in the fight against global warming by absorbing the damaging carbon dioxide from the air. Crucially, when forests are cleared or disturbed, that carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
Speed up the switch to electric vehicles
Electric vehicles emit far fewer greenhouse gases and air pollutants than their petrol or diesel counterparts. ‘Battery solutions are the catalyst that will drive our society to an electrified, zero-emissions future. It is the next industrial revolution; some call it the green revolution. The next decade will see unprecedented change’ (Orral Nafjari, Britishvolt CEO & Founder)
Encourage investment in renewables
Aside from the economic benefits of using renewable energy, the environmental impact is enormous. Generating energy using methods that produce zero greenhouse gasses will significantly reduce air pollution.
(UN Climate Change Conference UK 2021)
Adapt our efforts to protect communities and natural habitats
Some argue that global warming began with the Industrial Revolution as early as the 1830s with the last seven years being the warmest on record.
More than a million species are at risk of extinction by climate change (earthday.org).
Climate change can’t be ignored and COP26 is encouraging countries to adapt their ways to ‘protect and restore ecosystems while building defences, warning systems and resilient infrastructure to avoid loss of homes, livelihoods and even lives.’ (www.ukcop26.org)
How much will the fight to net-zero cost?
OK, we know what needs to be done but how will the world afford it? In order for countries to follow through with their commitments, at least $100bn in climate finance must be mobilised.
International financial institutions are receiving pressure to unleash trillions in private and public sector finance required to meet the global net-zero targets.
We must work together to deliver on our net-zero promise.
For organisations, lowering your carbon footprint can sometimes feel like a minefield but Blumilk is on hand to simplify your efforts and make sure that not only do your actions stack up but your branding, communications and campaigns do, too.
Due to launch Blumilk’s ‘Your Net Zero’ campaign is a first of its kind solution to assist organisations in their zero-carbon efforts through concise, truthful and impactful communications using a range of mediums including animation, digital content and collaboration to assist your plan ‘for better.’
From sustainability pledges to energy and carbon reporting to your CDP climate change disclosure and annual director’s reports and a whole host of other elements that will allow your organisation to be perceived as leaders in the race to zero.
Blumilk has worked alongside some of the UK’s most ambitious start-ups, SMEs and national organisations on their sustainability brands.
We will also work with specialist carbon offsetting consultants who are able to work with you on your approach and SBTi targets so that’s another area Blumilk have covered.
You can register your interest and we’ll be in touch as soon as we launch or if you have a question or would like to know more about other Blumilk services, you can contact colin@blumilk.com
You may find it difficult to believe but having competition is a good thing. It keeps your brand on its toes and helps you to grow. Or at least it should if you’re committed to success.
How to get your brand onto the right track
Many businesses fall by the wayside because, and we’ve mentioned before, they take their eye off the ball and before they know it, their brand is left behind in the marketplace.
To experience success, stay ahead of your competition and thrive in 2022, you need to understand your customer’s pain points inside and out and address those needs in a way that is unique to your brand and streets ahead of your competition.
Regularly touch base with your customers to discover what their challenges are. Ask open-ended questions such as: ‘What is the biggest obstacle?’, ‘How can we help you more?’, and ‘What tasks absorb your time the most?’, and one of the most important, ‘How can our business help your business more?’.
These questions help you to paint a picture of your audience and identify their pain points which will allow you to figure out an approach that offers a solution to all of these.
Be clear that you’re not on the sell, you’re asking them for ways that you can improve and offer the services that your clients actually need rather than going in blind.
Once you’re ready to go in for the sell, your business will be much better placed to close thanks to all of the ‘inside info’ you received during your factfinding mission.
Is there an undiscovered niche in your market? Finding your niche will allow your business to thrive in an area where your competitors won’t. Or, at least, not for a little while.
The cherry is a big one but a crowded marketplace leaves little room for manoeuvre, let alone growth, so finding your niche will help your business to get ahead.
Many businesses focus on a catch-all strategy. To stand out from the [market] crowd and thrive as a business, you need to hone in on your audience and offer something unique. Segment them right down to the point you know what cereal they have for breakfast. Or do they prefer toast and jam? Do they write with their right hand or their left?
A brilliant example of how niche marketing works is a San Francisco-based brand called Lefty’s. An online store dedicated to lefties. From scissors to cooking utensils, this brand serves the entire lefty population therefore has the market share sewn up.
Each of these micro-segments will give you something niche to play with. Create a unique selling proposition for each and see the orders roll in.
These smaller markets prove to be far more reliable as audiences are easier to target. It’s worth remembering that we’re not saying your business should only focus on one of these, but all.
It’s not an overnighter approach, though. Spend as much time as you need to fully understand each niche and tailor your strategy accordingly.
One of the oldest and easiest ways to beat the competition is by lowering your price, however, Blumilk believes that if your proposition is right and you bring more value to the conversation than your competitors, your pricing should reflect this.
It’s certainly not always about being the cheapest, it’s about what brand provides the greatest value to a client.
If you’re looking to engage with your target audience in a way that will form long-term relationships, you need to bring your A-game to the strength of your brand reputation.
How do we get our brand reputation where it needs to be?
Firstly, you need to ensure that your entire team is on board. Ensure your stakeholders and employees are bought into your brand’s vision, ethos, culture and goals. These guys are on the front line and are the first human contact your prospects have with your brand. They help carve out your brand’s personality.
A strong employer brand creates a strong brand overall and will set you apart from your competitors. Your clients will thrive from your consistent proposition, knowing what they get each time they engage with you.
Susan Comyn, for Occupop discusses an incredible campaign by General Electric in her article titles, 5 Examples Of Companies Doing Employer Branding Right, ‘GE repositioned itself as a digital company with its employer branding strategy. It did this with a series of timely and modern commercials. One of these videos was called “What if Millie Dresselhaus, Female Scientist, Was Treated Like a Celebrity”. It was released in order to announce GE’s goal of employing 20,000 women in technical roles by 2020.’
Watch GE’s incredible ad here:
Blumilk have worked with so many regional and national brands to get their employer brand looking, feeling and talking in exactly the way it needs to so it engages and connects with the right audiences.
Take a look at some of our incredible projects here.
In summary, this is a really great way to build your business’s reputation as your target audience become familiar with your brand, meaning you’ll become the obvious choice when they require the product or service you offer.
Regularly revisit your employer proposition while paying close attention to the experience your team offers to customers. Set company-wide targets and goals relating to each and every stage your brand engages with a customer. Your staff are human, mistakes will happen but these are brilliant opportunities for you to demonstrate your commitment to providing excellent service and the ability to continuously improve.
While it’s important to focus on the interaction between your staff and clients, it’s equally as important to think about how your marketing efforts serve your clients, too. What is your brand saying about your organisation?
By ensuring your website, social media accounts, emails, chatbots and apps also feature the golden thread of value and customer experience, your brand reputation will continue to strengthen while providing plenty of ways for your clients to engage with your brand.
Take a look at some of the projects we have completed for SSEN:
Customer-centric brands are leading the way in growth. Brands that get to know their customers and adapt their offering accordingly are set to be the big winners in the future.
Ellen Hammett for MarketingWeek.com says: ‘Deliveroo, Costa Coffee and BrewDog have grown in value faster than any other UK brands, showing that speed, convenience, standout customer experience and communications can make all the difference at a time when consumer spending and marketing are being impacted by austerity and – Britain’s favourite word – uncertainty.’
Do you provide useful mediums to educate, empower and solve everyday challenges?
Blog posts focusing on solutions to challenges?
A user-friendly website that directs your visitors straight to where they need to be?
Emails keeping your audience in the loop?
Articles covering relevant industry news?
Chatbots offering customer service?
Wo/manned social media?
Not only does this approach help your visitors, but it also demonstrates your brand’s expertise in the marketplace while attracting new and potential customers with ease.
Visit Blumilk’s client, Western Power Distribution and see how their website is full of messages and features drawing the visitors in and making them part of the process for change and improvement.
One example is simply asking ‘How do you prefer to pay your bill?’ and requesting they complete a very quick poll with ease.
This will not only assist customers but this is a savvy business move to provide guidance to WPD on how they may need to adjust their payment process.
Ever heard the proverb: Growth and comfort do not coexist? Well, it’s true. If you’re wanting to grow, you have to be prepared to change and evolve.
To stay ahead of your competition, you need to be prepared to change and work differently when the need arises. Don’t be afraid to be a disruptive force in your marketplace. Don’t be afraid to try something distinct.
Don’t be a Nokia in a field of Samsungs. Always look at ways to develop your business model and do things differently from your competitors. By adopting an innovative approach and continuously thinking of ways to improve your offering, product or service, you’ll naturally stay one foot ahead.
By providing a superior and memorable experience to your customers will have them coming back for more. It’s not just about order taking and delivery, it’s about differentiating yourself from your competition.
If you would like some guidance on how your business can thrive in 2021, we would love to hear from you. Contact colin@blumilk.com.
Whether you started 12 months or 120 years ago, from the day your organisation started, you have grown into something you and your team can be genuinely proud of.
Marketing for the utility sector can be a daunting experience, but if you look after your clients, evolve with your marketplace and stay ahead of the game, you’ll reap the rewards for years to come.
That being said, if your organisation is going to reach the dizzying heights that you once envisioned, there’s an area where the utility sector often takes its foot off the gas – looking after the brand.
We know how it works all too well. You’re so busy growing your organisation that before you know it, your brand is left behind.
Suddenly your brand identity doesn’t reflect who you are, and it’s not making the right impression or connection with your target audience.
You make excuses for your lack of visual communications. You make excuses for your website. You make excuses for your dog-eared brochure that hasn’t seen a graphic designer for what seems like a decade. Excuses, excuses, excuses.
Your utility business is brilliant – it’s time to allow it to shine.
For anyone, attracting new customers can be difficult, particularly during much more challenging times. Everyone has a competitor vying for a bigger bite of the cherry, so it’s more important than ever to take the time to take a long hard look at your brand and ensure it’s in the best possible shape ever.
What is a brand?
Of course, the word brand means different things to different folks. Still, Blumilk likes to describe it as your most valuable asset. Your brand identity makes you immediately identifiable to your chosen market. More importantly, it differentiates you from your competition and leaves a memorable impression on anyone who comes into contact with it.
We’re not just talking about your logo either. We’re talking about your tone of voice, your image styling, the way you’re perceived by staff and customers, and all of your visual assets including your website, brochures, social media graphics etc. Getting your brand identity right is critical. Whether you’re starting from scratch or re-branding an established business, you must ensure your brand keeps up with you and revolutionises as your utility business grows.
Brand consistency
When we think about your brand and its identity, it’s so incredibly important that you keep it all consistent.
Best practice of brand consistency is to ensure that your entire organisation is all on the same page.
Leading brand consistency software experts, Brandkeeper, say: ‘For all companies, building a successful brand can sometimes take years of hard work to establish and even longer to maintain that reputation.
One social post, web page or even an email can change how your brand is perceived and therefore, to save running the risk of creating damage, everyone should be working from a robust house style set of assets.’
Think every element to your brand identity, as mentioned above. Don’t deviate, ensure everyone uses the correct visual assets, including logos, colour palettes and tone, and your messaging and the way you manage relationships.
Blumilk have worked with several industries but will use our utilities portfolio to demonstrate how we can bring all of the above together concisely and thoroughly stress-free.
Marketing for the Utility Sector
Take Western Power Distribution. WPD are the electricity distribution network operator for the Midlands, South West and Wales. They deliver to over 7.9 million customers over a 55,500 square kilometres service area, and they employ over 6,500 staff.
This marketing for the utility sector relationship began in December 2019 when Blumilk successfully tendered to look at the creation of a consistent and coherent brandfor the entire organisation.
Following a consultative period, we highlighted that WPD could benefit from a brand consistency overhaul, and this was completed on-time, on-budget, and to the delight of our client.
Twelve months on, Blumilk are now the only agency of choice that works with WPD, and we manage all of their branding, campaign and general day-to-day design work.
Regulated by Ofgem (the Office of the Gas and Electricity Markets), WPD is proud to have been awarded the Government’s Charter Mark, now known as the Customer Service Excellence award.
We are an extension of the comms team, and they are not just clients but friends. We also now work directly with other business areas such as safety, innovation, connections etc.
What your brand says about you
Who you are and what you stand for will be evident from your brand. Your brand is what you stand for and shows who you are as a business.
And as necessary as it is that you come across in the right light to your clients, it’s equally as important how you are seen through the eyes of your staff.
Likewise, with our relationship with Affinity Water. Through a series of intelligent and thought-provoking projects, AW has maintained and enhanced its customer-centric brand – putting their customer at the heart of everything they do.
Not only do we assist AW to meet all of their regulatory obligations, from their Finance Annual Report and Strategic Direction Statement but they can validate their commitment to being environmentally focussed, innovative and community-driven, with a sense of place and purpose, too.
Some exciting projects in-line with AW’s values and beliefs include their ‘Save 10 a Day’ campaign, internal brand-building with campaigns and initiatives to digitise processes and customer service efficiencies, a series of animations in which AW were able to bring their brand and key messages to the forefront of education together with a multi-channel approach to Drought Awareness campaigns that successfully maintained their brand consistency across all platforms.
SUMMARY
Don’t leave your brand behind. If you want your business to grow and for you to meet your commercial, environmental and regulatory commitments, your brand needs to grow with you.
Blumilkare experts at marketing for the utility sector and can work with you to tell your brand’s story in a way that will bring you to the forefront of your market and in front of your target audiences.
The process is stress and pressure-free, and we’re on hand to start the conversation just as soon as you are.
Get in touch with us now here and we’ll send you a copy of our most current Marketing For The Utility Sector Brochure.
Blumilk is always striving to offer innovative and inspiring but, most of all, helpful ways to support businesses looking to get in the best possible shape for 2021.
Our business bods have had their heads together for the last couple of weeks and are delighted to let you know that clients, businesses, and brands will be able to access a fantastic new service that will ensure they’re on the right track, ready for growth come 2021.
Completely free and with zero obligation (how often do you hear those words – we mean them!) Blumilk will be taking the time to help you by offering business growth support to get your business and its brand on the very best track for next year.
We know that 2020 hasn’t been the best year for many businesses, and throughout the 21 years that Blumilk has been trading, we have seen so many shifts, changes, and differences in the way that we all navigate our way to success.
One thing that hasn’t changed for Blumilk is our ethos and culture that we have had since our inception, and that is our unwavering sense of wanting to help businesses, both large and small, young and old.
This culture has always been there and always will.
Your business is your number one priority, and so, it makes perfect sense to us that it’s ours, too.
We don’t want the game to be given away just yet because we’re conscious that to provide you with business growth support in the way we’re going to, we have to ensure we do it right.
But, ‘watch this space’ as they say, we’ll be revealing all very soon!
In the meantime, if you’re looking for a little advice on how you can start your growth journey now, get in touch with us on 0191 232 4401 or email colin@blumilk.com.
We recently celebrated our 21st birthday, and so, what better way to celebrate our success than strengthening our Blumilk branding team with not three but four fantastic new starters.
The Blumilk Studio is home to some of the region’s very best creatives who regularly produce inspiring and innovative campaigns for our range of successful clients.
Strong team = Strong branding
However, to ensure our clients receive the very best service level with a dedicated point of contact, we have appointed two new project managers, Abi Dodwell and Holly Dawson.
Abi and Holly, as part of Blumilk’s live projects team, will work alongside our clients to understand their objectives and act as brand guardians to steer their projects to success.
Overseeing the live projects team will be Blumilk’s new Head of Strategic Delivery, Jo Roberston. Jo brings a wealth of experience to the Blumilk branding team, having worked for some of the world’s largest utility and travel brands across Europe including DFDS and Northumbrian Water.
Our fourth recruit is Kim Walker, who joins Blumilk as Head of Sales and Marketing. Kim will work alongside client director, Lauren Hindhaugh, and Client Relationship Manager, Katie Armstrong, to ensure Blumilk clients receive the best possible pre-project care level.
Kim will also be responsible for all of Blumilk’s marketing functions.
Say hello…
Holly Dawson – Project Manager
‘I have worked in marketing and customer engagement roles since leaving sixth form.
With such a huge interest in business growth, branding and the creative element of marketing brands, my role at Blumilk sees me guiding our clients to success and their projects to life.
My experience comes from working as part of an in-house marketing team, but I love the variety that working for an agency brings.
Every day is different, and I get to work with unique brands, their exciting projects, and some of the best creatives in the industry.
Away from my lists and plans (I’m super-organised), I love to try new places to eat as well as exploring new places. I recently visited Barcelona and can’t wait until I can return.
Oh, and I love dogs!’
Abi Dodwell – Project Manager
‘I started working as a project manager for Blumilk just before lockdown, and although it’s been strange getting to know our clients and my team remotely, I feel as though I have been part of the team for years.
Before I began my marketing career, I worked in film and hospitality. You could say working in these industries is a great combination of creative and client engagement!
I am incredibly excited to be part of Blumilk and am already working with some great clients who are already seeing their projects and visions become a reality.
Outside of the Ouseburn (or home at the moment!) I enjoy staying active and do this by exploring new places at every opportunity I get.
The Simpsons are my obsession, hence the framed Matt Groening-style portrait I have at home.’
Jo Robertson – Head of Strategic Delivery
‘I’m no stranger to the marketing industry, having headed up a number of strategic teams to deliver exciting and inspiring marketing campaigns.
I am excited to work with all of Blumilk’s fantastic clients and my experience with leading strategic projects for brands both local and global, particularly in the utility and travel sectors, will greatly support them on their journey to growth and success.’
Kim Walker – Head of Sales and Marketing
‘As a qualified journalist and digital marketer with a strong background in business development, I am delighted to be part of the Blumilk team.
Having worked on sales and marketing campaigns in-house for the utility, manufacturing, and training sectors, I appreciate first-hand the importance of understanding a client’s objectives and working alongside their current marketing resources to achieve them.
Whether it’s a total rebrand or minor changes to their app, I am confident that by marketing Blumilk’s approach to client relationships, as well as their remarkable creative capacity, Blumilk will be able to grow and, more importantly, so will our clients!’
If you’re looking for a branding agency who is as creative as they are business-minded, we would love to hear from you. You can reach us on 0191 232 4401 or email kim@blumilk.com.
Whether you’re a new business yet to decide on a logo or a global organisation looking for brand consistency, the Blumilk Dummies Guide to Branding can help.
A common misconception of branding is that people often think that all it concerns is a business’s logo and colour scheme, but branding is so much more. Yes, it does involve your logo and colour scheme, but branding focuses hugely on who you are, what you stand for, and what your service user or consumer experiences during their interaction with your brand, too.
Strong brands tend to delve deeper than their label and consider every stage where engagement occurs, from billboard advertising to social media posts, company vehicle livery to product packaging.
Organisations that take the time to develop their brand understand that their brand should live everywhere.
This handy Dummies Guide to Branding will show you how you can create and manage a strong brand that your staff will be proud of and clients remember.
What even is a brand?
Your brand is arguably one of your organisation’s most important assets and effectively sets you apart from your competitors. Your difference and how you communicate that – that’s your brand.
We’ve mentioned how your brand goes beyond your label, and that’s because to have a strong brand, you will give consideration beyond your name, tagline, logo, or symbol and focus too on the overall user experience your client encounters when interacting with your business.
And branding, what’s branding?
To develop a strong brand identity, your business will have to embark on a journey of self-discovery. Yes, really. Lick your lips because this is where it gets tasty. This is the stage where you uncover opinions and perceptions relating to your brand, some you may have never even considered before.
To further understand these opinions and perceptions, it’s essential to get in touch with your client base and business’s beating heart.
You’ll need to be prepared to carry out some ‘pre-branding exercises,’ including research and analysis.
These exercises will help you to develop and apply a distinctive series of features and benefits to your business to enable your target audience to begin a process of brand recognition (see branding buzzwords below).
As a branding agency, we’d be forgiven for saying that it’s one of the most important processes that your business will go through, but don’t just take our word for it.
In a recent global Nielsen survey, branding was the deciding factor for consumers when making a purchase decision. Almost 60% of shoppers said they prefer to buy from brands they’re familiar with, and 21% said they purchased a product because they liked the look and feel of the brand.
Want your business to be memorable? It’s very easy to get your branding wrong and quite hard to get it right, so if you want your business to be remembered for all of the right reasons, you must get your ‘pre-branding exercises’ right.
By taking the time to understand your target audience and how they wish to interact with your brand, you’ll find that your branding will support your marketing efforts with added consumer recognition giving a considerable amount of impact.
Correct branding also brings an incredible amount of pride to your employees, often seen as one of the lesser important reasons behind a lengthy branding campaign.
That being said, a strong brand gives your employees confidence, which will shine through to your client base and the advantage of creating a happy, reputable, and highly thought of workplace.
STRONG BRANDING + CONFIDENT WORKFORCE = BUSINESS SUCCESS
Branding Buzzwords
We’re not going to fill you with a bunch of jargon but give you the top branding buzzwords you need to know as a business. They’ll also help you to understand further the value of getting your branding right.
Brand Awareness
How familiar the general public and your target audience are with your brand is Brand Awareness. If your brand awareness is high, you’re doing a great job. The greater your brand awareness, the greater the level of confidence your target audience will have when considering a purchase from you rather than if your brand is new to them.
Great examples of strong brand awareness are Northumberland County Council and their synonymous red and gold logo together with Northumbria Water and their date-proof font used in their logo.
Brand Extension
Once your primary brand is well-established and is revisited and maintained often, you may want to consider brand extensions. Brand extensions are where brands branch out into additional markets with innovative products and services.
Think Apple when they diversified from computers to MP3 players and phones or Dyson vacuums using their iconic technology to develop hair and hand dryers.
Brand Extensions will also help you increase your brand awareness and are an excellent way for businesses looking for additional revenue streams.
Brand Identity
Your brand identity can be defined as the personality of your brand. How do you want to be perceived in the outside world? Clear, concise, and approachable like Affinity Water, ready for an adventure in keeping with The Alnwick Garden, or user-defined and helpful like Western Power Distribution?
Why considering your brand’s identity, it’s best to think about how your users or consumers will feel about you when they see your logo or after they have interacted with your brand.
Brand Management
OK, you’ve worked with a creative agency to produce a dynamic and powerful brand. It looks how you want it to look, and it makes your target audience feel the way you want them to feel, but what next?
The marketing world is fickle, much like consumers, and thanks to The Internet of Things, the world is changing every nanosecond.
You mustn’t allow all of your hard branding work to go to waste by regularly maintaining your brand with this in mind. Whether we’re talking tangible elements such as your colour pallet and packaging or the intangible, including your brand awareness and identity.
The strongest brands require consistent care and attention.
Brand Recognition
Close your eyes and think of golden text on a rich purple background. Next, think about a huge M on a red background. If you immediately thought of Cadburys and McDonalds, that’s brand recognition.
It isn’t just font or colours that we recognise in brands; it can be a jingle (Go Compare), a cute Meerkat called Serg (Compare The Market), or even how the brand is spoken: Money Supermaaaaaarket, anyone?
I’m sure you’ll be able to think of hundreds more, but all of the above highlight a significant point where brand recognition is concerned. In the densely populated and super-competitive money market, it’s brand recognition is more important than ever. It’s evident that the companies, even when their industry is quite formal by nature, have taken the human, perhaps sometimes comedic route with their brands.
You believe in your brand, but does your target audience? It’s a tricky one because brand loyalty is built on trust, and without it, you’re not going to succeed. You need to ask yourself whether you can and consistently deliver on all of your brand’s promises?
If the answer is no, you need to up your delivery or simply don’t make false promises.
Brand Valuation
The value of a business is far more than just bricks and mortar. We’re talking consumer perception. In short, how strong is your brand when you consider all of the buzzwords above?
A brand that can demonstrate that they have a powerful identity and high levels of awareness in their chosen marketplace can be considered invaluable to shareholders as well as investors and future buyers.
In Summary
It’s all about your target audience. Dispose of the naivety that you know exactly what people want in a brand; the only way that brands will realise real success is by getting into your target audience and your organisation’s heart and soul. Ask uncomfortable questions, prepare yourself for uncomfortable answers, and use this knowledge to position yourself in your chosen marketplace and ahead of your competitors.
Are you ready to embark on your brand’s journey of self-discovery? We’d love to join you. Get in touch with us on 0191 232 4401 or email info@blumilk.com.
COVID AND YOUR BRAND. COVID has been responsible for some of the biggest business demises in a generation such as Easy Jet and Boots, to name just two.
So we thought, since we’re a friendly bunch who know a thing or two about branding and marketing, we’d put together a helpful guide on how to COVID-proof your brand.
As humans, our (and most of the Western hemisphere) entered utter panic. The COVID virus was moving fast, and the threats to the lives and livelihoods of those that matter were genuine, albeit quite strange.
Our behaviour to everything we had known shifted almost overnight. The way we communicated, how we consumed the news, and how we acted as consumers all completely changed – not to mention how we re-evaluated our alcohol consumption – temporarily for the better!
Many brands have suffered the consequences. Whether it was through not taking the pandemic seriously or refusing to change their business model, now more than ever, as business people, we can see how crucial it is to have a Plan B to deal with any crisis that heads our way.
We must foresee how quickly our buyer types and service users’ behaviour can change at a click.
Because of this, brands need to have the flexibility to navigate whatever flies their way and meet the ever-changing ways humans interact.
The New Normals?
How many of us longed for a profession that would give the flexibility of working from the comfort of our own home? Yep, who’s laughing now? Not many of us, I bet!
But, we have to embrace it and so do the brands we’ve worked so hard to create.
It’s going to be quite some time before we’re pre-COVID or if that is ever going to be possible.
Not knowing what the future holds means that the Captain Mainwaring approach should always be, ‘expect the best but prepare for the worst.’ Positive, ay?
We need to be able to adapt our methods of communicating with our audiences.
Even pre-COVID, many brands focused their attention on shouting about all the things they deemed important without considering what their audience actually care about. So many brands didn’t take the time to listen.
COVID has taught us that we need to stop and listen to our consumers to understand how they want us to communicate. And, while many businesses have managed to quickly adapt to this new mantra, it’s still very much new territory for many.
To blame COVID entirely on this would be unfair. Our audiences’ behaviour was already on the cusp of change; COVID just sped it up and turned it on its head. Could we consider it a good thing? Wait…
Many brands may have managed to ride the historical marketing pony for a little longer without the crisis, but now, they’re forced to rethink their entire business model. They’re being forced into the digital era far quicker than many would like.
With a significant increase in mobile consumption, brands are looking at new methods to reach their audiences in ways that traditional marketing and advertising would otherwise fail.
To come out on the other side, brands need to act with intelligence and sustainability.
COVID and your brand
Before lockdown, socialising and shopping was just the norm. Thanks to COVID, we were all stripped of our once taken-for-granted privileges.
Suddenly, seeing family and friends, nipping to the shop for some ‘bits’ or handbrake turning into the Golden Arches was replaced with Zoom chats with relatives who had only just figured out how to use the timer on the oven, PPE’d to the max standing outside of Sainsbury’s for two hours for a bottle of white (of the semi-skimmed variety), to buying food processors, bread makers, knife blocks, silicon Supoons, hands-free tin openers, etc., etc. from Amazon.
For those on Furlough, leisure time was suddenly available. So long as they didn’t go out. It’s no surprise then that we saw an incredible increase in the time spent on digital devices, from watching Tiger King re-runs to monitoring the news for the latest death rate.
Don’t get away from the fact that during this time, uncertainty and anxiety were high up on the list of emotions, and most looked for outlets where they could be delivered a portion of sanity and escapism.
It’s how humans cope.
As a race, we’re pretty inconsistent with our emotions and behaviour, and that’s why brands haven’t got the privilege of being the same. We need to ensure that when our audience needs us, we’re there for them.
Humans have pretty high expectations of brands. We want brands to provide us with information—products we need in a timeframe we want. If you can’t offer this, we’re off.
COVID-PROOFING YOUR BRAND
#1 Be there or be square
When uncertainty levels are high, you’ll want to ensure that you can support your users quickly and easily with an enormous amount of flexibility.
Look at your current processes. How can you streamline these to speed up the time it takes to respond and appease your audience?
#2 Think about your customer’s feelings
The age-old saying of: ‘You can’t please all of the people, all of the time’ still rings true, and as it’s impossible to provide a ‘one size fits all’ approach, it’s imperative to look at the assumptions you have made as a brand about your target audiences and revisit this data as often as possible.
Rather than focusing on all of the different socio-demographics, take the time to understand who your target groups are. Think about their pain points, frustrations, what excites them, and make their lives easier.
#3 Are you ready?
You need to be agile and flexible and willing to completely overhaul your entire business model from the word GO. Don’t ever consider yourselves at the top of your game. Keep an eye on your competitors and continuously monitor your user’s behavior and adapt your approach accordingly.
That being said, don’t suddenly jump onto an idea without thinking it through in the first instance. Consider your core competencies before changing completely. Test stuff out and see how it goes; otherwise, you’ll be wasting a lot of time, energy, and money, and during a crisis, no-one got time for that.
#4 Remember why you’re here
If you are one of the good guys who have zero interest in sacrificing their values, you’re a quarter way there. If anything, the brand you have built with humility and care will stand you in good stead moving forward. We don’t want you to take a Clipper to your mission statement in favour of the bottom line; we’re saying the opposite. Stay true to your brand vision and adapt your approach in favour of your existing audience. New ones will follow.
SUMMARY
Yes, we know we will continue to face much uncertainty, but it’s good to remember that any branding exercise is a marathon and not a sprint. Everything we do may not have the desired effect, but if we stay honest with ourselves and start to appreciate what your customers appreciate about you and find ways to build on them, you should do great.
If you have any questions at all relating to this article or if you would like to pick my brains (not just for our paying customers!), drop me a line at kim@blumilk.com.
Or for ways that the Government is helping brands, head over to their dedicated business pages here.
Take care and stay safe
#weareallinthistogether
Looking for some extra help in getting your start-up off the ground or navigating your way through creative branding? Head to How we can help here.
