Feb 06

Barrow Signpost gets 2012 functionality and design revamp!

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Mulberry Square Managing Director Craig Johnstone signing the Barrow Signpost contract with Judith Rodgers

Mulberry Square Marketing Services have just secured a website design contract with Barrow upon Soar Community Association to revamp the the functionality and design of their Barrow Signpost village directory website to improve the way that it displays community group information and events to the public. Since it’s initial introduction and launch in 2006, Barrow Signpost has proved to be a much valued and used resource that offers up to date information and contact details for those wishing to get involved in the many diverse and vibrant groups and activities in this rural Leicestershire village.

Barrow Community Association and Mulberry Square have a long standing working relationship stemming back from when the company started out in the village with Barrow Voice, a quarterly newsletter being the longest standing. Managing Director, Craig Johnstone is thrilled to have been commissioned to gain this work, “It will be a pleasure to work with John Nurse and Judith Rodgers to realise this project. The quality of their preparation and their understanding of what is involved is a huge benefit to to the village of Barrow upon Soar. We hope to be able to present the new website and demonstrate the content management system to the large team of administrators in April.”

Mullberry Square are one of the midlands leading print management businesses and are please to be able to produce a printed wallet folder and flyer to support and advertise the website incorporating the new design.

Oct 17

Better, not bigger! Is diversification the key to success in printing?

General Business, Print No Comments »

It seems that the print industry is settling into two camps at the moment: those who diversify their offering and those who don’t.

It’s become such a talking point that one of the keynote speakers at Pira International’s recent Global Print Markets event made it the crux of his speech.

According to Dr Ronnie Davis, vice-president and chief economist at Printing Industries of America, printing companies need to work on either expanding out their offering and working on a more diverse range of products and services (such as print and brand management) or they need to become better at what they do to the point of being able to offer better service to clients as a result of such expertise. (see http://www.printweek.com/bulletin/printweekdailybulletin/article/1097618/print-companies-urged-become-diversified-specialists/)

The diversification route seems to be popular with litho print becoming just one of many strings to the bow of many print companies. As a marketing services provider, Mulberry Square is a good example of how this can be successfully achieved. By expanding out from just print into areas such as design, branding, eCommerce, marketing support and print management, the client relationship becomes more involved over a wider area of interaction and the printing company becomes more of a marketing partner than just someone to buy cards and letterheads from.

However, the specialist approach is where many print companies see the future. A niche approach gives the print company greater efficiencies, specialist knowledge and expertise which can be hard to find elsewhere. As a result of this, specialist print suppliers can and should give better customer service (and in most cases better value for money) through offering high-level advice and support that general printers may be unable to give.

Both directions have merit (and benefits to clients) and it’s up to the respective print companies to show their clients how they can more effectively and efficiently support their business.

The British Printing Industries Federation has recognised these two distinct directions and has reacted by offering more advice, support and training for these two key strategic approaches.

So, Dr Davis’ urge to become “better, not bigger” has already become a key facet of the wider printing industry’s business philosophy.

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Sep 09

Job Vacancy: Full Time Personal Assistant

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An exciting new position has become available at Mulberry Square. We are looking for a full time personal assistant for our Managing Director.

An exciting new position has become available for an personal assistant to the Managing Director. Please submit CVs in pdf format to jobs@mulberrysquare.co.uk.

  • Organisation and prioritisation skills to assist the Managing Director.
  • Maintaining client relationships where required and acting as a filter for communication and correspondance.
  • Drafting initial replies to emails and writing first drafts of letter correspondence for subsequent sign off.
  • Monitoring the Managing Director’s email account, prioritising actions, responses, and ensuring that all information is absorbed and where applicable, that the information or request is forwarded to the relevant person in a timely fashion
  • Daily review of the Managing Director’s diary and ensuring planning for the smooth operation of meetings, appointments, telephone calls and project meetings.
  • Regular liaison with the Managing Director to flag up any immediate issues or key emails that require prioritisation.
  • Supporting the Managing Director in meetings by taking comprehensive notes and formulating action points.
  • Tracking and submission of expenses.
  • Coordination of meeting schedules to ensure correct provision of meeting papers, PowerPoint presentations and other meeting resources as required
  • Arrangement of meetings with clients and suppliers.
  • Assisting the Business Manager with work overflow when required.
  • Provision of secretarial support to fellow team members (minute-taking; proof-reading; document production) as and when required.
  • Provision of rail and flight information and booking of travel tickets.
  • Ensuring that all travel and accommodation bookings are in line with policy and that full records are kept.
Skills and experience required:
  • Excellent interpersonal and communications skills.
  • Experience of working in an office environment preferably in a similar role.
  • Able to competently use MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint (or similar).
  • Self confident and able to work on own in initiative.
  • Strong planning and organisational skills.
  • Builds constructive working relationships with colleagues internally and externally.
  • Good negotiation and persuasion skills.
  • Flexible can do approach to work.
  • Experience of working within creative or printing industries advantageous.
May 23

To cut or not to cut…

E-commerce, General Business, Marketing, Social Media No Comments »

Apparently 5% of marketing executives cut their budgets in the first three months of 2011.

This compared with 20% who said they had increased their planned spend.

In fact, the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising survey suggested that confidence among marketing executives fell to its lowest level since the recession began. Pessimism was at its highest for two years. Fears around public spending costs, rising unemployment and political uncertainty all contribute to whether we’re confident about spending, both on a business and personal level.

Now marketing folk are generally upbeat and optimistic – we can always make things better. We’re creative and enthusiastic by nature. We’re also opportunist and so it was no surprise that the same survey revealed that TV, press and radio advertising, and the budget for PR and events, actually increased, albeit only slightly.

Generally though, there was little to cheer about although the debate about cutting a marketing budget in recession is not new. If the time is right to launch a product or service, then surely you shouldn’t delay. Economic downturn creates competitive pricing. As not all companies survive recession, there’s an opportunity for the others in a particular sector to win market share from competitors.

So cheaper advertising and the chance to launch new products can push spending up rather than down. But, not surprisingly, online marketing has enjoyed the biggest boost during the recession. The web is comparatively inexpensive. More importantly it’s easy to measure success with the number of site hits, social network activity, enquiries and firm orders via e-commerce sites.

Being noticed amongst the many thousands of marketing communications and messages that are seen and transmitted each day seems daunting, but if you have a clear vision of how you want your customers to see you, there are great opportunities. Well crafted content that appeals to the search engines; punchy, direct and relevant words in an online advertising campaign or an e-shot, all contribute to success.

Add to this the power of social media and you have a successful route to market.

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May 17

Think big with words

General Business, Marketing, Public Relations No Comments »

Media relations is a key element of PR activity and the marketing mix, and it needs to be as creative as any other activity.

Success is not just a case of preparing the release and distributing it; it’s about knowing how to do it best to get results. Just like great design, high-impact advertising campaigns or a well-organised product launch event, it needs thought, care and resources.

Our aim is not simply to send out press releases for clients and see their name in print, but to get coverage in a way that promotes the brand, enhances reputation and creates sales interest.

So, to be successful, media relations needs a ‘hook’; information that actually interests news editors and reporters. This is not necessarily the same subject that the writer/sender thinks is great news. You’ll get more coverage if you avoid boring the recipient.

Well-written, interesting news releases, media kits, background information, case studies, fact sheets, FAQs, biographies, discussion documents, white papers and photography are all important.

Printed publications are great but they have a limited life expectancy. Consider also using newswire services – they are the megaphone of your media campaign. They provide added coverage and exposure, reaching a more of the media, their audiences and, most importantly, your customers. The better your megaphone, the more chance there is of being found on the internet.

If you want to communicate clearly and effectively do it in the manner the recipient prefers. Media contact services will advise you on how to best reach busy journalists, whether it’s email, telephone, text, or podcast. There are so many ways these days, so don’t presume they’ll spot your release if you send it through the post.

There are also services that keep the media in touch with the PR provider, allowing journalists to reach out for information, interviews and comment. Often journalists will send out a message saying they need specific information about a subject area or are looking for an opportunity to interview someone about that subject.

Match your products and services to a publication’s features list. These are published in advance, often on an annual basis. That doesn’t mean though that you can’t approach editors with ideas in the meantime and don’t miss the chance to provide a by-lined article about particular areas of expertise. The more you get to know journalists the more you’ll understand what ‘does it’ for them.

Consider entering for awards, either industry based, professional or community. And when you enter don’t be shy about shouting it from the rooftops. Awards attract attention and build awareness.

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