Bright Light Marketing

A fresh perspective

Falkirk Employment Law combines the employment law expertise within two local firms to create one dedicated employment law service and for the first time ever in the area, local employers are able to access a service that is dedicated specifically to law in the workplace.

Here’s a step by step guide to the work we carried out for Falkirk Employment Law to help them to launch and establish this exciting new business venture:

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Heard it on the Grapevine?

Find out how we have worked with the Grapevine to deliver all aspects of their marketing campaign to successfully launch it both in Selkirk and now in Galashiels. This has included development of the brand identity and signage for Grapevine, a contemporary new website for the County Hotel and the Grapevine, organisation of the launch event, a Press and PR campaign as well as a dedicated social media campaign. More...

SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN

A plan whether it is a Business Plan, a Feasibility Study or a Marketing Plan should give you a definite route to follow so that you can identify and achieve your goals. This may be to successfully get planning permission from your local authority for a new development or to extend your existing business, it may be to access grant or bank funding or it may be to increase profit in your business or a mixture of these goals. There are many reasons to have a plan but in this edition we thought we would look at three reasons why you should invest. More...

Working with Dundee Employment Law

"Right from the branding through to the website, the launch and ongoing support, the team have been unique and tenacious in their approach and friendly manner. An amazing experience leaving me delighted with the results and excited about the future. I would recommend Bright Light Marketing to any business needing that total marketing solution at an affordable price."

Caroline Dunn More...

Reasons why e-newsletters work

E-newsletters have to be one of the most effective and affordable marketing communications available to any business but are something that can often be overlooked and undervalued.

• Attracting a new customer will cost your business 5 times more than keeping an existing customer.

• Just a 5% increase in spend to existing customers can increase profitability by 75%.

• 80% of your company’s future revenue will come from just 20% of your existing customers.

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Advert placed – job done. Think again!

Don’t market your business like your competitors – stand out from the crowd and get noticed.

We hope these three tips will give you food for thought and assist your business in attracting new customers over the Autumn period and beyond.

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All aboard

Don’t worry that you have already missed the train. We can help make sure that you and your business make the most of the Borders Railway and benefit from the new customers that it will bring. Here are five simple ways we can help you and your business get noticed (and apologies for the train related puns in advance!) More...

Working with you

"Working with the team at Bright Light has been a fantastic experience. They very quickly understood exactly what we needed and were able to transform that into a brand identity supported by a promotional campaign that was incredibly effective. I look forward to continuing to work with them through the development of our exciting new business." Iain Burke

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Telling your story

Through working closely with you we make it our business to become extremely well versed in your particular industry and develop a really good understanding of your products and customers.

Here’s a run through of just some of the different forms of communication we use for our clients on a daily basis. More...

Bright Heat Stoves – A Flaming Success

Bright Heat Stoves is the brainchild of father and son team Hamish and Fraser Hunter from Stow.

With such a good concept, it was clear from the beginning that there was a strong business case for the new venture. But to capitalise on the potential, Hamish and Fraser needed help to raise awareness and successfully launch the business in the market place from scratch
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Shining Bright

Shining a seasonal bright light on a selection of our clients. You will see it’s quite an eclectic mix but every single one of them has a unique quality product or service on offer that we think you will love. We really hope this gives you some great ideas and inspiration for the festive season and you enjoy reading their individual stories too. More...

Are you anti social?

News & Updates | Case Studies | Strategy | Brand Development | Campaigns

For the past few years there has been a massive rise in the use of social media not just for personal use but increasingly it is a vital tool for any business to target all of their customers and not just the young and trendy ones. If we had a £1 for every time someone said to us that they don’t use social media as it’s only for young people. More...

Wish you were here

News & Updates | Strategy | Brand Development | Campaigns | Press & PR

Is your business getting the customers and recognition that it deserves?

If you have a great product or service but can’t understand why you aren’t busier then we have three essential marketing tips which will help you to get noticed, grow your business and make the most of the opportunity that’s out there.

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A blueprint for growth

Ultimately the test of a good plan is ‘Does it work?’ Your objective might be to successfully launch a new product, sell more to existing customers, reach new markets, and reposition your business in the marketplace or all of the above!
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The Pubs and Bars of Scotland have certainly got A Story to Tell ……………

It goes without saying that the Pubs and Bars of Scotland are wonderful places to have fun, meet locals and learn more about this great country. But we were also keen to tell visitors and fellow Scots the many fascinating stories about our pubs, some you might know and others that you won’t. More...

What is a Blog?

News & Updates | Case Studies | Strategy | Campaigns

Quite simply a blog is a website or part of a website which features articles, often themed articles, in chronological order. A blog enables you to include longer, more detailed articles than you can on the likes of Facebook and Twitter and allows you to incorporate photos and videos as well as using it as a way to really tell the story of your business.

Once you know the purpose you want your blog to serve, a blog is an excellent channel to communicate with your customers and there really is no limit to what you can communicate to them.

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The art of communication

It’s time for a sweeping statement from Bright Light Marketing.

Generally as a nation we are not very good at blowing our own trumpet and get embarrassed in promoting ourselves and ultimately asking people to spend their hard earned money with us. And of course how to get your message out effectively is easier said than done as marketing communication can be a real minefield.

Don’t worry help is at hand, the art of communication is alive and kicking. More...

Sorry to blow our own trumpet but....

Do you know your Trending from your Blogging? Your Strapline to your SEO?

If not, don’t worry help is at hand. More...

Oink - Going the whole hog

Ultimately Oink has a loyal customer base because it is a great product which many residents of Edinburgh and visitors to the capital love. However Adam and Sandy were very aware from the outset that in order to ensure business all year round they needed to not only have a great product but they also needed a strong attractive brand and they needed to let as many people as possible know about Oink. More...

Scotland’s Pubs and Bars – A Story to Tell

Pubs have always played an integral role within Scottish tourism. Where an average of 30% of visitors to Scotland will visit a pub during their stay. More...

Case Study - Borders Pet Rescue

Case Studies | Strategy | Brand Development | Campaigns | Social Media

"To survive in today's fast-moving world and to compete with the big spend of the national charities, we needed professional help - and fast. Bright Light Marketing came highly recommended and did not disappoint. Probably the best investment we have ever made in our organisation....." More...

Oink - Going the whole hog

Ultimately Oink has a loyal customer base because it is a great product which many residents of Edinburgh and visitors to the capital love. However Adam and Sandy were very aware from the outset that in order to ensure business all year round they needed to not only have a great product but they also needed a strong attractive brand and they needed to let as many people as possible know about Oink. More...

It's the way that you do it!

News & Updates | Case Studies | Brand Development | Campaigns | Social Media

Bright Light Marketing would argue that as effective as social media is (and we see the benefits for business on a daily basis) you do need to consider some key questions before you get started. We thought it would be useful therefore to give you five key tips to consider before getting started on your social media journey that will ensure that you get the most out of social media and are not left wondering what all the hype is about. More...

Advert placed - job done. Think again.

News & Updates | Case Studies | Strategy | Campaigns | Research

Successful businesses have at their foundation a strong customer base but they also attract new customers both by word of mouth from their loyal customers and also by their marketing campaigns.

1. Have you covered all bases ?
2. Do you do the Team Talk?
3. Don't jump the gun More...

Make Hay

Summer can traditionally be a time when businesses don’t pro-actively market themselves, such as tourism businesses because it is main season and for others who are busy running their business and dealing with holidays. However people still need products and services over the summer. So we thought we would give you three simple tips to market your business over the summer and make sure when people are buying products and services that they think of your business. More...

Whats your story?

Do you believe that action speaks louder than words?

Well to a certain extent that might be true but in business you can run the risk of being a best kept secret. You might know what a fantastic business or product that you have but are you telling your story and getting your messages out there to potential customers? More...

Copy cats

News & Updates | Case Studies | Strategy | Brand Development | Campaigns

Not everyone can express themselves in words as effectively as they would like and as a result can fall into the same common traps.

Be bold and focus on specific themes and products.
Avoid using jargon and clichés.
Be confident and friendly in tone.
Use clever and creative copy that grabs the attention of the customer. More...

A bloggers guide

A blog is a good way of driving traffic to your website and also making you more interesting on social media thereby increasing your likes and followers on Facebook and Twitter, aswell as establishing your expertise on the likes of LinkedIn. More...

Talking shop

And the simplest way of promoting your blog and indeed your website is to use social media to do so. Add your blog article to your Facebook business page, tweet the article and don’t do this once do it over and over again over the course of a couple of days and once you have built up a library of articles you can regularly choose one to tweet about. More...

Our Golden Rules of Marketing

What methods do you use to promote your business and just as importantly why do you use them? Of course, marketing has a number of communication tools and outlined below are a list of the main ones but which is best for your business? More...

A Sign of the Times

News & Updates | Case Studies | Brand Development | Campaigns

It might seem obvious but first impressions really do count – is that signage that was installed back in the day really doing your products and service justice in 2013? Your business will have changed greatly over the years but are you portraying it accurately to potential customers. We do live in a very image conscious world where the power of branding should not be underestimated and that is why we thought you’d like to see some of our brands in action in the real world. More...

We can manage Social Media for you

News & Updates | Campaigns | Social Media

You see and hear the hype about Social Media and know that your business should be involved but you don’t now where to start?

Or have you started and it’s not working as you don’t have the time to commit to it? More...

Small but perfectly formed !

Case Studies | Strategy | Campaigns

“How do I successfully market a small business on a budget ?”

We loved this question from a follower of Bright Light Marketing’s Twitter account and one of our original goals of being in business was to get small businesses noticed. When we first set out in marketing it was very hard for a small business to compete against the bigger companies who had the ability to out spend you, back in the days when the key communication tools tended to revolve around advertising, direct mail and Press and PR. Today things are very different with the plethora of marketing communication tools that are now available to you. In some respects it is perhaps more daunting as which tools do you choose and where do you start? However we would argue that small businesses now are able to effectively market themselves and compete with the big guys. Firstly we believe that people are starting to believe that small is beautiful and that people want to buy and work with companies with integrity, who are experts in their field and who do not have complex management systems with dare we say it ‘big bonuses.’ People buy people and you need to ensure that people buy from you. So how do you do it? More...

An Oldie but a Goody

Case Studies | Brand Development | Campaigns

In the age of new technology that we live in it is easy to dismiss print as very much last century and not appropriate for the 21st Century. But is that really the case or is there still a use for printed materials? More...

If you can’t beat them join them

News & Updates | Strategy | Brand Development | Campaigns | Social Media

We have featured quite a few articles on Social Media during 2011 and it’s not just because it’s the latest buzzword in the marketing world. It’s because it works and can be used as a central part of your marketing activity. Here are another three reasons why we think social media works for businesses. More...

What’s black and white and read all over ?

News & Updates | Strategy | Campaigns

As marketeers we think that marketing should contain as many communication tools as you can afford to get your message across. However one essential tool in your marketing armoury is sending out regular e-newsletters to your customers. It can bring you instant business and is a great way to generate sales as well as a vital tool to keep your customers aware of your businesses. More...

Border Bingo – Are you coming out to play ?

Case Studies | Strategy | Brand Development | Campaigns | Press & PR

Bright Light Marketing and design partners Whitenoise Creative are very proud to have been involved in helping this independent locally owned company to open a club that ranks amongst the best in the country and which takes the bingo playing experience to a whole new level here in the Borders. More...

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

News & Updates | Brand Development | Campaigns

Thanks so much for sending in photographs from your travels for our fun Summer competition. Here are our particular favourites and we’ll be sending off a bottle of Pimm’s to all featured. More...

Social Media is Word of Mouth online

Case Studies | Campaigns

Bright Light Marketing understand that not everyone shares our enthusiasm for social media as a marketing tool. Regular questions include, What benefits will it bring them? Why should they use it when social media is for young people and their clients are in the older category. This article focuses on the benefits of social media and explains why the age arguements are simply not true. More...

Would you like more customers ?

News & Updates | Strategy | Brand Development | Campaigns

So in this newsletter we thought we would ask you 5 key questions and give you 5 key tips on how to make sure that you not only get enquiries but that you convert them into loyal customers. More...

The Five Times Message

News & Updates | Strategy | Campaigns

As you know we are bombarded with adverts and sold to on a daily basis, it may seem harder and harder to get your message across. Equally you cannot confine your marketing to one communication tool.

So what do you do? What marketing communication tools do you use? Well there are two main areas to consider. More...

It’s good to talk

Many people will have already ditched their New Year resolutions while others are bravely carrying them on. But what about your work resolutions? How have you done with them? And have you communicated with your customers in 2011? If not why not? We offer up three common excuses. More...

The Tontine Hotel – “Everything an active break should be.”

The Tontine Hotel is 200 years old and has 36 bedrooms at its High Street in Peebles location. Bright Light Marketing has been working with the hotel for the past 4 years and in that time the Tontine has increased its profit year on year even in the extremely difficult trading conditions of the last two years.

How has it done this? More...

Roulotte Retreat

Roulotte Retreat is a new company in the Scottish Borders where you can sleep in the first ever Roulottes in the UK. Roulotte Retreat opened up at the end of 2010 and are about to start their first ever full season. Despite setting up from scratch Roulotte Retreat have already got forward bookings for 2011 and have benefited from extensive press coverage including The Independent, Scotsman and The Telegraph as well as raising awareness via Social Media particularly by using Twitter. More...

Taking control of 2011

Product - Your product needs to be the best it can be in the market that you are in and for the type of customer that you are wanting to attract....

Price - Look at price carefully....

Promotion - You want people to notice you and know that you are there....

Communincate - Why should a customer continue to spend money with your business if you don’t give them a reason to....

Customers - At the end of the day business is all about the customer. All businesses either succeed or fail on this point.... More...

Reaping Rewards from Social Media

News & Updates | Strategy | Campaigns

Did you know that Facebook has 175million users and Twitter 75million users who log in on a regular basis. More and more businesses are effectively using it as part of their marketing communications. More...

When the going gets tough – Plan ahead

News & Updates | Strategy | Campaigns

You don’t need us to tell you about tough trading conditions in the market place and the fact that consumer confidence is still incredibly fragile. And if we listen to the doom and gloom merchants in the media then we might as well all shut up shop now ! However we must look on the bright side and take action to grow our businesses both now and for the future. We firmly believe that those companies who really focus on their customers and plan ahead properly will not only survive these tough times but become much stronger and be better positioned in the coming years. More...

This little piggy went to Bright Light Marketing !

Case Studies | Campaigns | Press & PR

It is very difficult for any business with the daily pressures of running the operation, looking after staff and taking care of the finances and perhaps marketing is something that you don’t really plan for properly ? Maybe you just don’t have enough time in the day. More...

Seeing the bigger picture

Case Studies | Brand Development | Campaigns | Press & PR

We firmly believe that the key to successful marketing is to really think like a customer and to try and put ourselves in our customers shoes. Never assume that potential customers know exactly what your product is like and that they always understand what is on offer to them. More...

A little help from our friends

Case Studies | Strategy | Campaigns

No matter how great your product is, sometimes we need to take a look beyond our front door and be prepared to work with others.

An excellent example of working together is the Summer 99 campaign which the Tontine Hotel in Peebles has recently launched. More...

Variety is the spice of life

News & Updates | Strategy | Brand Development | Campaigns

We’re not one’s to name drop but ……. we just wanted to let you know about some of the exciting new clients we are currently working with. It’s been a very busy start to the year and we are marketing some really interesting and highly original new projects. More...

Very Good News

News & Updates | Strategy | Campaigns

Your existing customers are the most valuable source of business both through repeat business and referrals. On average it costs 5 times more to attract a new customer than it does to keep an existing one and E-newsletters are an extremely effective way of keeping customers coming back and in growing new business too.

E-newsletters can be used for any type of business and Bright Light Marketing have generated some superb results for many of our existing clients.

So how do E-newsletters improve customer communications? More...

This little piggy went to Bright Light Marketing !

Case Studies | Campaigns | Press & PR

It is very difficult for any business with the daily pressures of running the operation, looking after staff and taking care of the finances and perhaps marketing is something that you don’t really plan for properly ? Maybe you just don’t have enough time in the day. More...

Location, Location, Location – are you making the most of it ?

Case Studies | Campaigns

In an incredibly competitive market place it is very difficult to stand out from the crowd no matter how good your product is. To stay ahead businesses have to continually invest in their product and staff and come up with clever marketing to get themselves noticed. More...

This little piggy went to Bright Light Marketing !

Case Studies | Campaigns | Press & PR

It is very difficult for any business with the daily pressures of running the operation, looking after staff and taking care of the finances and perhaps marketing is something that you don’t really plan for properly ? Maybe you just don’t have enough time in the day. More...