The Business Growth Show, as you may have guessed is a show for businesses to exhibit those products or services that would help an SME to grow. There were numerous exhibitors present offering everything from customised chocolate bars (to replace standard business cards) through to business style consultants which made for an interesting and varied day.

Both Joe and I arrived at 7:30am to set up and had to tactically negotiate the Forbury Gardens forecourt whilst manhandling an incredibly heavy presentation table and Matt’s 26” computer screen which I can assure you was no easy task.

Once we had successfully navigated our way around the revolving doors, we went through to the main room to set up. Our kit list comprised our attention grabbing Generate UK pop-up banner, the ever so heavy presentation table, Joe’s laptop, Matt’s unreasonably large computer screen and a couple of boxes of chocolate to attract business people of all kinds.

Having arrived early, we were able to set up with little interruption and took the time before 9am to meet and greet other exhibitors close by. Directly in front of us was visualize, a video production company specialising in web videos for business i.e. product demonstrations, introductions etc. To our right was a selection of stands, particularly one giving away books on free PR techniques (which I signed up for in a well-suited flash) and to our immediate left was a large table playing home to the free refreshments, which was ideal as it meant that everyone who took advantage of the free refreshments throughout the day was instantly exposed to our colourful presence.

Having pinched many sweets and taken a few business cards from others nearby, we began to engage with the first trickle of people to arrive as the doors opened at 9am. Some were there just so they could get away from work, others were there to make a sale without paying the exhibitors fees and there were a fair few who were genuinely interested in researching methods of SME growth. This mix was to be expected, but as the day wore on more and more people arrived and it got to a stage where no one could bare to wear their suit jackets any longer as the air conditioning failed to make its presence felt.  So if you are thinking of hosting an event, ensure you can keep your crowd cool, even if the number of attendees exceeds your expectations! It’s good for business.

As the room became busier, I disappeared for 30 minutes to attend my first ever speed networking event. It was an interesting experience; looking back I’m quite sure I have never had so many one-on-one conversations with so many people in such little time! The room contained some 20 chairs facing one another with one set off to the side at one end. The idea was for everyone to sit down and once the stop watch was set, for the people on the left of the room to begin talking about their business for precisely one minute. Once this was done, their conversational partner was then supposed to reciprocate all the same information on their own business for a further minute, during which time some business cards would likely have changed hands. I unfortunately made the mistake of sitting in the chair set off to the side at the very beginning. This is the chair you sit in to give your vocal chords a rest for two minutes which everyone eventually ends up in. So I used up my ‘get out of jail free card’ right at the very beginning. On the plus side however, it did give me the chance to observe everyone else in the act so I knew what to do when my turn came. I spoke to a multitude of people by the end and even engaged with one chap on the subject of improving his website so all in all, it was a beneficial experience. Although I would argue that just one minute gives out just about enough time to say your name, company, 5 words about what you do and maybe allowing you to mention a client or two. You need much more time to converse on a meaningful level.

After the event I went back to the stand to supervise the free chocolates and talk ‘shop’ with anyone that looked at our banner or Matt’s huge screen. I met many interested parties and really enjoyed speaking to them. I discovered that digital marketing is becoming much more popular which is why so many people were drawn to our stand. Many copyrighters quizzed me about the benefits of social media and article submissions and I had at least three web developers and graphic designers approach me to discuss the possibility of a partnership where our technical expertise would plug the gaps in their services.

All in all the event demonstrated just how important networking is. Even if you don’t immediately make sales off the back of the day, you can still build profitable partnerships with other people in the industry. Joe and I still managed to arrange future contact with some of the attending business people so the event in essence will pay for itself. Besides the sales element however, there is a great opportunity to learn and discover new and prevailing trends in the industry whether it be an up-and-coming technology or a new take on an almost forgotten product.

Overall it was a great day and it gave me the chance to exercise my knowledge and deep bass vocal tones with people from all industries and levels of business. In one case I actually accessed the company website of one interested individual and pointed out a number of problems with their page that we could fix in no time at all to generate additional traffic. To top it off, I was also told by a style consultant that I was ‘incredibly well dressed’ for a man of my complexion, which made me feel rather smug for most of the afternoon whilst Joe was told that his complexion made up only 2% of the UK populous and that the colour that suits him best is ‘coral’, much to his surprise. Although I doubt he’ll be rushing out to buy a ‘coral’ shirt or tie anytime soon.

So if you have something new and of value to the SME sector and you have a bit of budget to spend, I would recommend this particular show. Just be sure to dress in something breathable next time just in case they don’t improve the air-conditioning.

Speed Networking is a unique concept which sees individuals meet other individuals through one to one speed meetings. You literally have 90 seconds each to inform each other of your business and to discuss the opportunities or synergies between your two companies.

The idea is not to push your business too hard, it’s to engage and see where the potential opportunities lie. It might not be the person in front of you who represents the opportunity; it may well be a business partner, a colleague or friend that denotes the opportunity?
After round one where half of the room had met each other there was a break for refreshments as this style of meeting whilst enjoyable can be pretty exhausting.

Generate UK were exceptionally proud to partner and sponsor the event and following the break we presented and discussed ways for businesses to increase internet revenues. Throughout the 15 minute presentation Generate UK discussed why online marketing represents such a good option for companies and highlighted the different activities available to help generate more from a website.
In summary the presentation focused on:
•    Increasing Traffic
•    Increasing Reputation
•    Increasing Conversation

Through increasing your internet footprint via quality content you can significantly increase online traffic and reputation, and through analytics an organisation can set realistic objectives to monitor and increase online conversion rates through enquiries and sales.

Following the presentation the event resumed to the second round of meetings. Speaking with people after the event the feedback was extremely positive and these were comments from people who were new to Speed Networking.  Speed Networking is a simple yet effective concept and represents a great way to network.  The event was certainly a worthwhile exercise and on a personal note it really opened my eyes to how other businesses operated.  I would certainly recommend any professional who wants to meet new people and engage with different businesses to attend.

Generate UK met Speed Networking Berkshire last year whilst attending an event themselves and after a number of meetings and discussions which were based on similar values, principles and objectives in business the two businesses seemed to be a good fit to form a professional working partnership.

Drawing on a current relationship with Generate UK, Donnington Grove Country Club hosted the event which represented a fantastic opportunity for the Country Club to show 37 local business professionals the meeting and conference facilities available at Donnington Grove.

The event showed why business partnerships can be exceptionally fruitful and forming successful alliances can only enhance reputations and potential opportunities for business.

Successful partnerships are borne from two companies who possess similar business values however, be warned we would strongly advice companies looking to partner with other organisations to do their research first, as it’s your reputation at stake and certain affiliations could possibly be more damaging than prosperous.

Senspa was in need of a new website as its existing site not only failed to represent their brand and the experience Senspa offered, it also lacked the required functionality to move the business forward.

The design was out of date and hard to navigate so after producing a website project brief, Senspa proceeded to review suppliers and following a comprehensive tender process Generate UK was chosen.

Senspa’s business development plan was to increase website traffic, improve how they interacted with their online community whilst striving to increase online sales and business.  They were confident that once a person had experienced the luxurious hydrotherapy pool, soothing thermal rooms, revitalising sensory showers, indulgent treatments and exquisite Thai food they would certainly come back to embrace their unique experience again.

Part of the overall process was to seek a new platform that provided stability and an online marketing agency to deliver their online vision.  Generate UK was chosen due to their design, project management, online marketing expertise and experience in delivering successful online solutions within the leisure market.

Sitekit content management platform was chosen based on its ease of use, excellent publishing process and management tools. This would allow Senspa to market their website, embrace online technology and build a business upon a future proof and powerful web platform.

On top of designing and integrating a new website Senspa also required a bespoke online booking system and package chooser which would allow the user to interact with the website, book packages spa breaks and day experiences whilst collaborating with their internal business processes.

Lina Lotto Senspa Director commented, Generate UK have exceeded what was originally asked of them, taking an idea on paper and developing it right through to a beautiful website which now represents all that Senspa is about. We are now working with Generate UK to help support and market the site moving forward. Our website traffic has already increased by 50% month on month since we launched in January.

The result: With their proven project methodology Generate UK used their online knowledge, design and development expertise to produce a website which not only represents the experience Senspa offers but developed a website that provides Senspa with a platform for future business growth.

Generate UK, a dynamic and commercial thinking digital marketing company based in Newbury, Berkshire offer professional web services and a number of other related online marketing services that would add value to any commercial and public sector organisation.

Name: Ian Fergusson
Position: Marketing Executive
Campaign of choice: McDonalds Billboard (2008)
McDonalds does not have a good reputation in the fast food world as being ‘healthy’! In fact it has been sued a number of times for its advertising targeted at kids and for promoting un-healthy living. During the ‘noughties’ we saw a massive boom in healthy living and keeping fit, in my opinion borderline obsessive with fitness videos and new diets advertised wherever we looked. McDonalds clearly felt that if they didn’t alter their reputation soon, profits could ‘dip’. They left it up to the wonderful Leo Burnett to get across to the public that McDonald’s salads really are fresh!

Leo Burnett created a Billboard that over time grew lettuce, to form the words ‘Fresh Salads’. Creatively I feel this is ingenius. In a sense we see here the first ever living billboard. This wasn’t the fastest campaign ever launched, the sign took 3 weeks to grow, but the message delivered is clear and strong, If McDonalds can get fresh lettuce on a sign, surely that leaf in my double cheese burger is just as fresh and healthy.  Creativity is the driving force behind a message; this innovative idea generated top class media coverage that lasted several months after the campaign had finished.  However, I’m not a big fan of McDonalds as a brand, so I felt the need to criticise at least one aspect of this campaign. I do not like the Green on a grey background. I feel this is a slip up on the art direction and I’m sure many creative’s were confused over that decision.  I hope you found this interesting and please post any opinions you have about this campaign. After all it is you McDonalds are trying to impress, has it worked?

Next week it’s Mike Robinsons’ turn to share his Marketing Highlight of the past decade.

After overindulging during the Christmas period, Joe and Mike have a strict training schedule to stick to in order to get fit for the half marathon. The training has been slightly postponed due to the Arctic weather conditions however they are both very eager to get back into a routine. The half marathon starts in Green Park on March 21st, where Joe and Mike will have to run 13.1 miles before they return to the Madejski stadium to finish in front of the stands.

If you would like your company’s logo to be on the t-shirts please get in contact with us by email at info@generateuk.uk or by phoning us on 01635 550431. If you would like to show your support, please donate what you can here.  All support is appreciated by the Generate UK team. Joe and Mike’s progress will be reported on twitter, so if you want to find out how they are doing just click here to follow us.

I am extremely privileged to be joining Generate UK at this exciting time of growth. 2009 was such a successful period for the company I look forward to seeing what we can achieve in the New Year.  I knew I wanted a career in Marketing since I was 14 years old.  Whilst watching the series ‘Cold Feet’ Helen Baxendale became a career role model for me as her character played a Marketing executive for a publication agency. I have managed to pick up a plethora of skills on my marketing journey and I’m looking forward to learning a ton more at Generate.

The team here at Generate are proud of the success we have achieved throughout 2009 and are working hard to make sure 2010 exceeds its high expectations. Joe Baily summarises 2009 by saying:

“We’re extremely proud of where we are as a business. Our team have worked incredibly hard over the last 12 months, working to understand our customers as well as we possibly can. This approach has enabled us to deliver a profitable year and more importantly enabled us to work with brands such as Honda, NHS, National Trust and Senspa. We have also worked hard to forge relationships with local businesses as well, such as Pine and Oak, Donnington Grove, Q Associates, Chris Fidler, Momentum Windows and many more. It is important to us as a Newbury based business to work with Newbury based customers.”

What does 2010 have in store for Generate UK? First of all Generate UK were asked to take part in a technology programme due to air on the BBC. Keep a close eye on our blog and twitter for our aired date.  2010 will also see the launch of Generate UK’s new website which will reflect Generate UK’s focus on design, development and Internet Marketing capabilities. In March 2010, Generate UK will be back in Newbury for their popular marketing seminars. Further details of this event will be on their website shortly.

Happy New Year to all,
Kind regards,
The Generate UK team.

The blog world was buzzing with the news that the finance related blog Bankholic.com has been acquired for $15m this week. It’s a huge amount of cash for a blog that has until now been run by one person.

After taking a good look at the site, it is interesting to try and break down what was attractive about this site. In terms of traffic, it is receiving around 8,000 hits a day, not huge by any stretch of the imagination, however it is a very competitive market and 8,000 visitors to a site with high paying affiliate advertisements is not to be sniffed at.

The ads are very well positioned and integrated well into the content; I would guess that this site is making a lot of money via the affiliate adverts. This is a highly competitive market, one that pays top rate for qualified leads so I would not be surprised if this site was turning over mid to high six figures per annum.

The site is also very well indexed in the search engines, such a large footprint would take a lot of time to achieve, so this would be very attractive to a potential buyer. Remember, this has all been achieved by the hands of one person, imagine what could happen if you put a team of professional finance writers on the site.

This site is a lesson for all businesses on how to make the most from a web property. It focuses on a specific market and provides quality information and content to its readers.  The site’s clear objective is to attract visitors and encourage them to click through the lucrative adverts.

Is the site worth $15m? This is hard to say, the buyers were bankrate.com. Their revenue for the first six months of 2008 was $82.7m, so they’re a decent sized company who are looking to continue their growth. You could argue that bankholic.com was a competitor, so who is to know whether this was a purchase designed to open their market.

If you’re toiling away on your own blog and wondering why you’re doing it; remember that there may be $15m reasons just around the corner. If you’re still wondering, visit the site quickly to see what they are doing well that can be implemented on your own site.

Do you have a view about this blog post? Please feel free to comment below, if you would like to speak to someone at Generate UK please call us on 0845 388 9185 or email us.

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