Bright Light Marketing has believed for some time that social media is a cost effective and targeted way for small to medium businesses to market themselves along with other communication tools. The growth in 2010 of consumers using social media has been phenomenal and is growing so fast that if Facebook was a country it would be the third largest in the world ahead of the USA. New social media tools are coming on stream all the time such as Foursquare, an exciting new social media site which is huge in Australia and the United States and we believe will take off in the UK in the next few months. Foursquare is a location-based application that works on the iphone, android and blackberry smart phones. Primarily, Foursquare promotes exploration around towns. You open the application and see what is around your current location. The more information there is about a destination the more people will want to visit not just the destination but also individual venues.

Is your head sinking with the news of another social media tool when you have yet to get to grips with the existing ones? Bright Light Marketing can help. We will come to your business and discuss your requirements and set you up on your social media journey with tips on what to do, what not to do and most importantly of all make it reflective of your business and the customers you already attract so that you can attract new customers.

Social Media is huge just now as you will see from our news articles you can't afford not to be part of it but it can be daunting to set up and we can help make it a painless process and a rewarding process that makes your business benefit from this powerful medium. These tools first and foremost can increase traffic to your website, increase awareness of your product to new customers and actually bring you in new business. Can you afford not to be involved? For the price of an advert in your local paper or a standard training course you could be attracting new customers via Facebook and Twitter. Prices start from just & for an hours tutorial. For more information see the Social Media section of our website with case studies of clients we have worked with on social media or contact Fiona Drane on 01750 505053 or fiona.drane@brightlightmarketing.co.uk. 

Sometimes you can find your business in a situation that needs action straight away, in an ideal world we would all work to a strategy planned well in advance. The real world doesn’t always quite go to script however and you may find your business in a particular situation which has happened because of a number of factors – you might be relocating, you might be diversifying into a new area, you might be losing market share or maybe you have a great story to tell but are having difficulty being heard.

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.

Bright Light Marketing are extremely good at looking at any situation and coming up with clever marketing solutions – more importantly they can take swift and decisive action to make it happen. We can act as your very own in-house marketing team and you will have our expertise and experience at your disposal.

But enough of the fine words let us tell you how we made this work in practice for Scottish Borders company Reiver Country Farm Foods.

Owned and run by pig farmer Adam Marshall and sheep farmer Sandy Pate the company opened their first hog roast shop in Edinburgh’s Victoria Street. Already well known at Edinburgh Farmers Market, the company needed help to launch their new food concept in the Capital and tell their unique story to the Press, Edinburgh residents, workers, students and tourists alike. A highly successful launch event, press and pr and marketing campaign ensured that Oink got the attention they deserved and the company have gone from strength to strength. “ Bright Light Marketing were the driving force behind the highly successful launch of Oink in Edinburgh and when we recently expanded our business in The Borders they came up with a practical marketing campaign that set us apart whilst working to an extremely tight timescale. With an imaginative launch event to the public, a press campaign and targeted direct mail activity they made sure the new business got off to a flying start and we haven’t look back since. I would recommend them as a company with the skills and the energy to really get your business noticed.” ADAM MARSHALL, OWNER, REIVER COUNTRY FOODS, SCOTTISH BORDERS

 See come of Bright Light Marketings other clients activity

Is your business ready for 2011 ? and will you make the most of the opportunities ?

It may seem obvious but it is surprising how few businesses regularly communicate with their best customers. Your existing customers are the most valuable source of business both through repeat bookings and referrals. On average it costs 5 times more to attract a new customer than it does to keep an existing one and this has never been more important than in the current climate.

We all know we should be doing this but actually getting round to it with everything else there is to do is not always that easy.

Bright Light Marketing specialise in E-newsletters and this is a really powerful marketing tool which lets you communicate with all your customers on a truly personal level. E-newsletters gives you the power to send personalised Newsletters which are tailored to the specific interests of your customers - helping you build stronger relationships with your audience.

• Bright Light Marketing will produce and manage your Newsletters for you.
• Bright Light Marketing will write the featured copy including selling your products and special offers and keep customers informed of your latest news and developments.
• Bright Light Marketing will send it out to your customer database for you.
• Bright Light Marketing will review the results and provide recommendations for future activity.

We deliver E-newsletter campaigns for a number of businesses from across the country and these businesses have all enjoyed increased bookings, improved communication with existing customers as well as generating new business through customers forwarding on to friends and family.

But don’t take our word for it – hear it from a satisfied customer for yourself !

“ We all have lists of customers but the secret is to actually communicate with them regularly and get your message out. I would highly recommend using Bright Light Marketing to manage and deliver your E- Newsletter activity – they offer a seamless service from management of data to copywriting and full evaluation and maintenance. Trust me, this is the easiest and most cost effective way of communicating with your customers. ” GRAHAM MCLELLAN, OWNER, HEBRIDEAN LUXURY HOLIDAYS, ISLAND OF LEWIS Winner of Marketing Initiative Award, Highlands and Islands Tourism Awards, 2009