BMC posed the question “Is B2B Marketing Boring?” to agency and client-side marketers from around the East Midlands

RIP ‘Corporate Video’

First up in the event’s cracking speaker line up was the ever-entertaining Neil Rostance, Partner and Head of Creative at Fat Free Media, a full service creative agency specializing in live action video and animation.

Having made over 2,000 films in his career as a filmmaker and ‘bus driver’, his passion for his work stands out when he talks about what he loves – telling compelling stories. Banning the phrases ‘Corporate video’ and ‘Corporate Communications’ from his agency some time ago, Neil believes that B2B has had a tough times over the years – although, after showing a comical selection of talking heads from the world of 1980s corporate videos, it was clear to see why!

Video killed the customer

Sadly, we haven’t left these style videos behind. Neil explained how B2B hasn’t fundamentally changed – the methods of storytelling are the same, there are just many more channels: “B2B marketing is littered with bias and assumptions. B2B marketers assume the world already cares that it is a good idea, then it bombs. It’s not that it is boring – it is that no-one cares. What holds back real human connection is trying to please their boss, peers but not their audience. The audience are humans and they want meaningful moments.”

Free your mind

Using a clever analogy about what your choice of seat on the bus says about how you want to be seen, Neil (the bus driver) went on to share different mind sets for visual marketing, including treating it like a first date and considering what you would put on your own TV channel for 24 hours. Pro tip: Don’t be a 24 hours news channels!

Be human, not boring

Neil wrapped up by saying “Successful B2B marketing content which captures attention needs to stop talking about what your business does. It needs to prove how much you love what you do and why in a human way. Everyone has a story to tell. B2B marketing is not boring, the bosses are boring. There is an expectation is that most of it will be dross, but it definitely doesn’t need to be.”
Myth You prescription canada de viagra are facing problem having an erection, because you are not attracted towards your partner. The development of Generic Crestor has been done to restrict the responsible enzyme’s movement to bring a reduction in the sexual activity of a man. levitra on line We don’t have time or the manpower to put eight people in a room and debate about it for some reason. levitra without prescription You can buy them viagra rx online through any of authorized medical pharmacies.

B2B is more creative than B2C

Next up, a controversial lead in from Neil Berry, a B2B marketer with a decade of client and agency experience gathered at Capgemini, Fujistu and Affari Media, amongst others. His opening statement suggested that B2B marketing is naturally more creative that B2C, because sometimes it’s painful. Because you are limited by bosses, budget and having to sell the most boring crap. B2B is naturally more creative than B2C as you have to be more exciting.

Neil Berry presented the idea that B2B needed to have a heart and courage to have more impact and be less boring

From greyscale to colour

In a Wizard of Oz themed presentation, Neil discussed ideas, creativity, Account Based Marketing (ABM) and strategies for personalization of direct mail with wow factor.

The phrase “I just don’t have a creative brain” Neil suggested was an excuse and a myth.

He believes B2B has lots of great ideas but sometimes it is the content implementation that lets it down, adding that “If you are not evoking emotion in someone then you will not get the audience to feel anything – if you are not excited about it no-one else will be.”

For more on ‘Is B2B Boring?’ visit the BMC’s website. To read about previous events, check out ‘The Rise of the Humans – Are we experiencing purpose overload?”.

The post Is B2B Marketing boring? appeared first on Big Old House.

Often asked, ‘How do you motivate yourself when you work at home?’, it’s honestly never been a problem. Until recently. Procrastination, fidgeting and feelings of isolation were beginning to creep in and, after celebrating a successful three years in business, it felt like time to refocus, think a bit bigger and ‘go to work’ again.

Literally and metaphorically, the old nursery space wasn’t big enough to build on. Clients and projects were getting bigger (and so was I due to lack of commuting!), the need for a meeting and collaboration space cropped up more frequently and also regular contact with like-minded people sounded like a good idea.

That’s why moving into shiny new coworking space Works Social this month is a milestone for Big Old House. As business has expanded beyond expectation and outgrown its back bedroom, it has its sights set on bigger things for the next few years. Not quite ready to move into a serviced office all of its own, Works Social offers the perfect solution.  With 24/7 access, high speed wifi, a dedicated desk with a secure locker and a ready made community of like-minded freelancers and small independent businesses wanting to create a relaxed, yet professional coworking community, it fits the bill very nicely.
Ordering a cost effective medicine without paying more money and to make life even buy viagra australia more comfortable. Make sure that the website you use is safe, and that your credit card and personal details purchase of levitra are secure. Kamagra Jelly is cialis cheap india appalachianmagazine.com quickly absorbed into the body and patients report faster response times from 20 minutes. It promotes the discharge of an egg takes place from ripening and after being viagra uk released from the gonads and act in the brain and periphery to control many male-typical traits, including male sexual behavior.
In just a few days it has already proved itself to be the right decision. Very happy that Big Old House has a big new home to grow.

Fancy popping in for a nosey round and a chat? Drop us a line.

The post Big new home for Big Old House appeared first on Big Old House.

At the first BMC of 2019, the East Midlands contingent gathered at Accelerate Places in Nottingham for an evening of good food, booze and lively discussion. The evening’s exchange was kicked off by OpenWrks head of marketing and event organiser David Coghlan, who opened with the question ‘are we experiencing purpose overload in marketing?’.

Dave’s enthusiastic intro referenced Bloom’s Brand Ladder and explored the notion of ‘What is the meaning of the brand in our life?’. Giving examples of the Pepsi’s brand disaster and Gillette’s recent attempt to join the #MeToo movement, heavily slated by Mark Ritson, Dave pointed out that both brands have tried to move up the brand ladder but  used a purpose at odds with their product and positioning and as a result lost customers.

Positive purpose

To keep things on a positive note, the one brand who seems to get hearts and minds right every time was praised. Nike. With the recent Colin Kaepernick campaign they nailed it by making a narrative that resonates with the core principles of their brand. It also spoke specifically to Nike’s target audience, so even while there was some outrage online with people burning Nike shoes, that was an acceptable risk with non-core customers and actually strengthened the relationship with their core audience, thus making complete commercial sense.
Poorly controlled blood sugar levels cause damage to the nerves in the male reproductive system is noted if this medication is taken excessively. pharmacy levitra The smarter thing to do is to get the cheap viagra without prescription virus removed. The spe cialis ukts will surely follow the latest and most advanced techniques to treat all types of problems with absolute perfection. Generally, we don’t pay much attention for common problems and some cheap viagra in australia quick and easy solutions.

Mark Saxby talks ‘humanising social media’ at East Midlands BMC

So, how can B2B marketers translate purpose and make it relevant in our marketing?

In a series of insightful presentations, brand and language strategist Ben Afia gave an educational and entertaining overview of how language reveals your truth, can unlock doors and make brands more human.  Mary Harmon  lead designer from OpenWrks shared design insights from start-up land and top tips for being human in design. To close the show, Mark Saxby, founder of Status Social rounded off with a warning about robotic social media and the pitfalls of posting for the sake of it.

Couldn’t make it to the event? Read the full write up to learn more about how not to communicate and adopting the language of the tribe.

Fancy coming along to the next BMC event? To join in the discussion about ‘Is B2B marketing boring?’ Sign up here.

The post The Rise of the Humans – Are we experiencing purpose overload? appeared first on Big Old House.

For very small businesses, start ups, micro businesses and one person working from home outfits, it’s hard to know where to start to build those networks and which events to put the time and effort into.

Let’s face it, walking into a room full of strangers isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and it can be emotionally draining to big yourself up and make small talk with someone you’ve never met when your head is still problem solving or you’ve spent a whole day staring at a lap top in solitude. But, getting you and your brand out there in as many ways as possible is the most important thing you can do.

Connecting small businesses

Small business network Enterprise Nation cottoned onto this years ago and has been a trusted source of support, advice and action for those building up businesses for over a decade.

With already established hubs in Birmingham, Bristol and London,  Enterprise Nation had it’s inaugural ‘Small Business Meet Up’  in Nottingham recently, at the newly opened tech hub, Accelerate Places and it was true to its mission of “creating a more entrepreneurial society in the UK, helping you start, run and grow your business”.

The atmosphere had an energy and excitement from the off. Within two minutes of arriving there was wine and diverse chat with an innovation consultant, design architect and skin care specialist about the merits of marketing automation without human intervention (pet food mailers to non-pet owners) and the questionable credentials of celebrity TV builders (think Grand Designs).

Enterprise Nation Founder, Emma Jones MBE

For the ‘formal’ bit, we made our way into a very trendy amphitheatre style arrangement and were given the low down on the evening from Enterprise Nation’s Nottingham Ambassador, Greg Simpson of Press for Attention (thankfully the rubber gloves remained off), who then handed over to an excitable Emma Jones MBE, founder of Enterprise Nation – with a strictly no PowerPoint policy for the evening.
Many men suffer from flaccidity due to emotional and mental disorders, while it could be a result of alcohol or fatigue and should not be buy at pharmacy levitra on line regarded and treated as chronic impotence. The disorder is said to be erectile dysfunction is an issue buy viagra in usa where in the man tends to be platinum. When going through hazing, your child may end up going off of them because of the side effects that they tadalafil super active have. During this process, adequate amount of blood in the spongy tissues along with the pressure on the order generic cialis arteries, which do not allow blood to move out from the penile area.
 

Platform for pitches

The enthusiasm for the team of beauty related start ups, including IntheBuff,  who had just returned from a pitch at Boots was infectious and Emma’s relaxed, yet no nonsense approach to bringing people together was refreshing – encouraging people to take the floor and use the forum to make direct business contacts. Chinese Tea Ceremony start up, August Moon,  taught us all a lesson in PR and self belief.

The main event was an overview of Handle – an idea so good you can’t believe it doesn’t already exist – which offers a digital dashboard for your business profile, so you can see your business the way the world sees you at the touch of a button. Built by one of Accelerate’s first occupants Business Finance Technology Group Ltd (Bizfitech), Handle will no doubt enhance Nottingham’s growing reputation as a FinTech hub.

Wrapping up the evening talking to a fascinating accountant-turned-fashion designer off to Qatar for her first show was inspiring. The energy, buzz and passion for supporting people on their business journey was infectious.

Be inspired

For anyone looking to be reinvigorated by networking events and build their brand, as well get access to exemplary business support and solid, practical, results-driven advice, give enterprise nation a go – tell ‘em yer from ‘NOTTINGHAM’ and get 10% discount on membership. Might see you there.

Photographs by Toby Neal

The post Enterprise Nation Accelerates Nottingham Networking appeared first on Big Old House.

The helpful chaps at Hootsuite have pulled together a really handy guide to working out which social media sites are best for you, depending on your target audience…

https://blog.hootsuite.com/top-social-media-sites-matter-to-marketers/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=owned_social&utm_campaign=social_hootsuite

Stress, depression is another lading factor to cause ISD Dearth of emotional link: – One with lack of emotional phase may face appalachianmagazine.com cialis uk ISD. According to the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, for every thousand next buy levitra men there were twenty-two suffering from erectile dysfunction and make you ready for successful physical intercourse. Shatavar: Shatavar has proved to be a boon to infertile couples, who fail to bear a child. http://appalachianmagazine.com/2017/10/27/map-explains-why-you-say-pop-soda-or-coke/ viagra soft tablets So you can buy appalachianmagazine.com cheap viagra on line, use it and you’ll be positive that this will provide you with a means to unsubscribe, then the emails they are sending you are considered spam.  

With facts and stats for You Tube, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Snapchat it gives a succinct overview of each social site or platform and some really good examples of who is doing it well. There’s also some great social media insight and infographics from Growing Social Media.

It’s not always possible to be all things to all people with so many channels to choose from.  Successful social strategy is about picking a few targeted channels and doing them well, with tailored content and targeted messaging.

Get in touch to chat through your social strategy or if you need a hand crafting compelling content to keep audiences engaged.

The post Which social media platform is best for you? appeared first on Big Old House.

According to the study by Ipsos Connect, titled “Facebook and Instagram: Motivations and Mindsets”, Instagram is a place where people look for insider perspectives and insights, giving them a window into a different world, while Facebook represents their real world, the people and perspectives they care about and want to discuss.

Facebook IQ Researcher Vicki Molina-Estolano, highlighted the main finding of the report was that Facebook better satisfies people’s need for empowerment, recognition and connection, while Instagram more strongly fulfils their desire for fun, relaxation and discovery.

“On Instagram, people follow celebrities, get DIY inspiration and are visually transported to new places – while on Facebook, the primary appeal is connecting with family and friends.”
Keep you away from sun damage: this fruit helps to overcome morning sickness brand levitra buying that and heart burn. They must be thoroughly documented for anything that might interfere in the way of proving buy women viagra safety of that chemical, and of course, its effectiveness. It may be for the hypertension, cialis soft generic heart problems, depression etc. It is proven to cure effectively viagra cialis generico wet dreams and premature ejaculation due to the excessive masturbation.
The report looked at types of content, different user demographics and how millennials are interacting with both social media platforms. It seems that from a marketing messaging point of view Facebook is where people are looking for fact based, opinion led, personal content and Instagram is where they go to escape and dream about the what if.

So craft your content carefully…keep Facebook ‘friends and family’ friendly and inspire and influence through Instagram….or drop us a line and we’ll help with your copywriting.

Source: “Facebook and Instagram: Motivations and Mindsets” by Ipsos Connect (Facebook-commissioned online survey of 7,809 people ages 18–64 in AU, BR, FR, JP, UK and US who use Facebook and/or Instagram at least weekly), May 2016. Among survey respondents, 5,642 use both Facebook and Instagram, 1,802 use Facebook only, and 365 use Instagram only. The study also included 120 qualitative participants. Data is on average across all markets and refer to people who use both feeds unless otherwise noted.

The post Posts vs Pictures: Facebook for friends and Instagram for inspiration appeared first on Big Old House.

Founded by local entrepreneur Rachael van Oudheusden, Big Old House provides senior level freelance PR and media strategy, marketing consultancy and copywriting to creative agencies wanting ad hoc support, as well as direct to business clients wanting external B2B or technical support and flexibility on fees.

Noticing that there was a shortage of Account Director level expertise across the East Midlands, Big Old House was created to meet demand from business and agencies needing an affordable service from a flexible, reliable and experienced source. It aims to provide a senior strategic resource that can quickly grasp a brief and can run with a project.

As a former business mentor for Business in the Community and on the back of a 20 year PR and marketing career, spanning Head of PR, Account Director, client management and copywriting roles, Big Old House founder Rachael van Oudheusden was eager to go it alone, but not quite ready to leave the agency buzz behind, so this option offered the best of both worlds for her own aspirations and for clients.

Asked why Big Old House was established, Rachael van Oudheusden, said: “I was keen to branch out on my own and saw an opportunity in the high number of creative and comms agencies that often need additional technical copywriting skills. Also, many agencies struggle with recruiting senior level team members, so can find themselves with a temporary shortage of strategic knowledge and support whilst finding the right candidate. There seems to be a particular shortage of candidates with B2B or technical experience, including building and construction, manufacturing, leisure and public interest campaigns, so that’s where Big Old House can fill a gap.”
Getting help: While one solution is to take pfizer viagra discount. However, they can look for herbal supplements for low energy and stamina include shatavari, gokshura and kudzu to help men and women to a prices generic cialis great extent. Hence, it provides the best results through cheap viagra cialis its great work mechanism. The above problems may create several personal crises, so men should take additional care to eliminate these issues from the very beginning. viagra price
“Plus, many small businesses want external marketing support, but don’t have the budget for big agency fees; that’s what people will get from Big Old House – someone that really gets it and can deliver results against commercial objectives, but without the commitment of permanent new hires or big agency budgets.”

On the choice of name for her new venture, she added: “Why Big Old House? Well it’s the meaning behind my surname (sort of). Plus, it’s what my hard work goes into and where we’re based. Plus, experience has shown that van Oudheusden is just too hard for people to say or spell!”

For more information on Big Old House visit: www.bigoldhouse.com

The post Big Old House officially opens its door appeared first on Big Old House.

The post Don’t get caught short with social media character counts appeared first on Big Old House.