Marvellous Monthly Marketing Tips from the Guildford printing.com team

Happy new year! How is your year going so far? What with two weeks of 'downtime' over Christmas and a couple of weeks of interruptions with the snow, we're all looking forward to getting back to normal here at printing.com in Guildford. And I know from speaking to many of you that you feel the same!

We are rebranding as Flourish in the new year and the logo and identity are coming together nicely. I'm posting regular updates on the blog and you can catch up (on our newly designed blog) with our latest work as well as my marketing musings and graphic design inspirations.

Have you planned how you'll make twenty ten different or better than last year? Regardless of the answer to the question I hope you'll find this month's article helpful. And if you'd like some more hands on inspiration, don't forget to grab yourself one of our New Year Marketing Audit sessions - spaces are limited so book early.

Ps. There are just a couple of spaces left on our Copywriting Workshop in Feb: book your place today!

A close friend and I were chatting about how we plan to make 2010 a great year for our businesses. And she asked me a question that made me stop and think.

"What will you do differently this year?" she said? After all, if you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got. I have to be honest, for a minute I was stumped! My marketing strategy is pretty successful. And so my gut reaction was "more of the same" but why should "more of the same" bring in any result different to last year? Clare's simple question was a wake up call to me to really focus on my marketing strategy and planning for the year.

And actually, when George and I sat down to finalise the planning in December I realised that I do have a lot of plans to do things differently. Launching the Flourish design and marketing agency (and all the marketing and promotion that will come with that), starting a networking group in my village, writing a second book and promoting the first more heavily. Add to that our strong presence in social media, my public speaking, new planned PR activity and several direct marketing campaigns and I think I've got a recipe for a (excuse the pun) flourishing business!

Here are my top tips for creating a marketing plan for a flourishing business:

1. Set time aside to focus. Remove all interruptions - turn off the radio, shut down tweet deck and close your emails.
2. Think about last year - what worked, what didn't and why?
3. Look at the bigger picture. So you're doing things that work - great, keep them up! What aren't you doing?
4. Make a plan - and stick to it!

There, how easy is that? And if you'd like an expert to bounce ideas around with then George, our Marketing Consultant, has a limited number of New Year Marketing Audits available to our Marvellous Marketing Tips readers completely free of charge. She'll also share with you our 'recipe for a flourishing business' wheel to help you clearly identify how effectively you're marketing your business at the moment. If you'd like to book a one hour session with her simply call us on 01483 401 818 or email georgette.priestley@printing.com.

It's here! Exhibit! The SME's guide to using exhibitions to grow your business.

Exhibitions are one of the best ways I know of building my database, raising brand awareness and gaining new clients. But many businesses pour thousands into exhibiting only to walk away without a single client.

In my book I show you how, step by step, how to use exhibitions to grow your business.

Here's what people have had to say about it so far...

"A must read for any business thinking of exhibiting" Karen Skidmore

"Fiona practices what she preaches - and it works!" Paul Webster

"A great 'how-to' book on exhibitions. Does exactly what it says on the tin!" Maggie MacMillan

Grab your copy here www.successfulexhibitions.co.uk

You can also download a free sample chapter on the site. Enjoy! And do let me know how you get on...

Marvellous Monthly Marketing Tips Live! Marketing Workshops with Guildford printing.com

Click the graphic for more details, or get in touch and we'll send you some samples:

01483 401 818 or guildford@printing.com

printing.com Guildford | 5 Millmead | Guildford | GU2 4BE | Telephone 01483 401 818 | Email guildford@printing.com.

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