How to Build an Elf-y Social Media Strategy

If you thought that Santa’s little helpers are only skilled in crafting toys, you’d be wrong. There’s a lot to be learned from the festive team and we’re bringing the best of what they’ve got to offer in terms of building an Elf-y social content strategy… and the even better news is that this is not just for Christmas… these tips will help you all year round.

  • Short and sweet

Just like the stature of an elf, your social media content should be short and sweet, capturing what you need to say in as few words as possible but having optimum impact on the reader.

 

  • Uniform

Elves are always in their uniform, look smart and presentable. Make sure your branding is visible across your social platforms. It can be a good idea to set up visual templates for creating social media images that include some of your branding.

 

  • Full of life

Your social media content should reflect your personality, think about how you would like to come across to your audience and take the time to produce quality content that reflects you.

 

  • Work all year round

Santa’s little helpers work all year round, and so should your social strategy. The key to successful social content is planning it in advance and scheduling the content using online tools. Planning content in advance allows you to vary and structure what you put out, but you should also post in the moment at events or when you find something interesting.

 

  • Form part of a wider strategy

Elves are part of Santa’s wider mission to deliver meaningful gifts to children around the world on Christmas eve each year. Your social strategy should fit in to your wider marketing campaigns and business objectives. Think outside the box, about how social media can be used to help all areas of your business.

 

So, when you’re planning your social output think about those little elves, or to find out how our in-house team of elves approach social media content, get in touch.  We’re more than happy to give you some advice, call it a Christmas gift from us to you!

5 Reasons to Visit us at the Introbiz Expo

On Thursday 22nd November 2018 we will be returning to the Introbiz Expo, Wales’ largest business expo at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff. Here are 5 reasons why you should come and visit us on stand 259:

 

  1. A face to face conversation

Never underestimate the value of a face-to-face conversation. The Introbiz Expo is the perfect opportunity to come and say hello to us in an informal setting and see what we’re all about! Meeting face to face is really important for developing meaningful relationships and networking.

 

  1. A prize giveaway

Fancy winning a gin afternoon tea for two at the Park Plaza in Cardiff City Centre? This unique afternoon tea experience includes elements of a classic afternoon tea combined with Hendrick’s cucumber gin served in a teapot. Come and enter the prize draw on stand 259!

 

  1. Some great freebies

What do we all love most about a good business expo? FREEBIES! We’ll be doing a survey about what freebies people love most and posing the question of what value freebies have on stand at an expo. Come and share your thoughts with us… (we will also have some good freebies)!

 

  1. Some free advice

Take advantage of our team being available. We’re happy to share our advice and answer any PR and marketing questions you may have.

 

  1. A fantastic networking opportunity

The Introbiz Expo is completely free to visit and a great opportunity to network with over 200 exhibitors. You’ll also get to hear from a line up of world class speakers. And in a first for Wales, headliners, Lord Sugar and Grant Cardone will be taking part in a special Q&A session – be sure not to miss this one!

 

We hope to see you there on stand 259! You can register to visit the expo here.

Happy 1st Birthday, David!

Throughout University I worked hard at my Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies course, I was section editor of the university newspaper, Gair Rydd, and held a managerial position in a high street retail store in Cardiff. With no experience in Marketing & PR I found it difficult to get into the industry. A year ago, our Director, Louise, hired me with the intention of teaching and coaching me on how to succeed at Technical Marketing and PR. After celebrating my 1st birthday this week, I wanted to summarise what I have learned this year.

In the last year I have learnt so much more than I could have imagined. From day one I was dealing with clients first hand, writing copy and attending expos. After six months in my position as Junior Account Executive, I was promoted to Account Executive, something I am incredibly proud of.

I thoroughly enjoy the roving reports we produce when visiting clients at expos or events. I participated in a video course when I started at Technical Marketing & PR, which taught me how to create professional looking content on a mobile phone. This has been a fantastic opportunity for me to improve my video skills, interview our clients, and help them produce content.

All in all, this last year has been a big year for me, both professionally and personally. In my first few weeks at Technical Marketing & PR, we were exhibiting at the Introbiz Expo, something we are excited to be doing again this year on stand 259. The Introbiz Expo is one of the biggest business expos in Wales and we are excited to exhibit and have lunch with Lord Sugar! In January, we attended education technology show Bett with our client Promethean, which was a fantastic opportunity to see how technology is being utilised in the education sector. Another big event for the business as a whole was the CIPR Cymru Awards where we were shortlisted as ‘Outstanding Small Public Relations Constancy’, and even though we didn’t win the party was brilliant and a great opportunity to celebrate our successes with some of our clients! Whilst all this has been going on, I also got on the property ladder, buying my first property in Cardiff Bay. My commute to work has improved ten-fold, I am no longer stuck in traffic for an hour and a half, now it takes me just 12 minutes!

I am incredibly pleased with my successes over the last year at Technical Marketing & PR, and I am looking forward to seeing what the next year will bring. Thank you to the team for my amazing cake!

Exploring Product Innovation at UK Construction Week

The Technical Marketing & PR team recently visited Birmingham’s NEC to attend UK Construction Week – the largest construction trade show in the UK, showcasing innovation from all sectors.

UK Construction Week included the Build Show, Timber Expo, HVAC, and many more interesting expos all under the construction umbrella. With over 650 exhibitors, it was interesting to see so many new and exciting products being introduced to market.

Some of our clients were exhibiting at UK Construction Week, including ROCKWOOL and SIG Performance Technology. ROCKWOOL embraced technology on its stand, providing a variety of interactive and immersive activities that allowed visitors to understand its products through augmented reality and physical experience. SIG Performance Technology utilised UK Construction Week as an opportunity to launch and promote a range of new products that have come to market from AIM and Euroform.

After working on product launch PRs for SIG Performance Technology and marketing content for ROCKWOOL, it was brilliant to get up close to the products and see the marketing materials we helped create at such an iconic event for the construction industry.

If you would like to see what ROCKWOOL and SIG Performance Technology had to offer, we were on hand with our camera equipment to showcase their stands and find out more about their new products.

 

Technical Marketing & PR Invests in Team Growth

Alexandra Davies appointed as new Junior Account Executive 

 

Technical Marketing & PR, a boutique PR agency in South Wales, specialises in delivering marketing and PR services for some the UK’s leading construction, engineering and technical brands. Just ten months after Technical Marketing & PR appointed a new Account Executive, the company has expanded the team further with the recruitment of Alexandra Davies as Junior Account Executive.

After being appointed to work on a PR campaign in Australia and New Zealand for long standing client, Promethean, securing new contracts and being shortlisted as ‘Outstanding Small PR Consultancy’ in the upcoming CIPR PRide Cymru Awards, expansion is going from strength to strength for Technical Marketing & PR. Investing in the team is going to be a vital part of developing the business, servicing a growing client base and establishing the company as a leading PR provider in South Wales.

Alexandra Davies is a Journalism Graduate from Cardiff University, who is taking on the role of Junior Account Executive. Alexandra undertook a work experience placement at UK newspaper and online news desk, The Sun, where she developed an ambition for a career in marketing and PR.

Commenting on her appointment, Alexandra said: “I am really excited about this new challenge, and I am looking forward to learning and developing alongside such a wonderful team, especially at such an exciting time for the business. Finding a job, after university can be difficult and I feel so lucky to be joining the team at Technical Marketing & PR, in an industry that is so interesting, and where no two days are the same!”

Louise Matthews, Director of Technical Marketing & PR, stated that: “We’re very excited to have Alexandra on board as this will support our plans for growth and expansion. It is very difficult for graduates to gain the experience necessary to work in industry, and I want to invest in nurturing teams from the ground up, providing graduates with an opportunity to develop in a supportive environment.”

Technical Marketing & PR is always open to providing work experience opportunities and would encourage anyone who is interested in a career in marketing or public relations to get in touch at, hello@technicalmarketing-pr.com.

Writing a Winner – How to Craft an Award-Winning Entry

No matter what business you have or how big it is, you can enter a business award. There are a large variety of awards, stemming from local to national, industry based, or product based, and it provides an incredible opportunity to get yourselves recognised in your industry. It is a great PR opportunity for your company, which can provide free marketing, increased credibility and help to attract new customers. Having drafted many award-winning entries for our clients we wanted to share our ‘must-do’, tried and tested formula with you.

Read Entry Criteria

It may sound simple but ensure you read the entry criteria. It is important to make sure that what you are offering is relevant to what the category is requesting.

Time is NOT of the Essence

Give yourself plenty of time on the award entry, this is a fantastic opportunity for your business to be recognised and your team to be rewarded for its hard work. Entries can take much longer than you think, so start early!

Best Feature Forward

Put forward your best and most relevant feature for the category your entering. It is vital to ensure that you believe what you are proposing is going to win this category, so make sure it’s the right product or service.

Stick to the Facts

It is important to include supporting evidence to validate why you feel that you should win this award, and more so to prove to the judges that you deserve it. Statistics or customer testimonials and case studies can provide confirmation of the work you have done and help persuade the judges.

Proof Read

Ensure you read and re-read your entry, make sure you are happy with it and feel proud of the product or service you are offering. Stick to the word count, say everything you need to say without being too complex and use supporting evidence!

Hopefully, with these tips you’ll craft your award-winning entry and your business will get the help it needs to achieve the recognition you deserve. Good luck!

Technical Marketing & PR Celebrates Regional PR Award Shortlisting

Technical Marketing & PR has been shortlisted in the ‘Outstanding Small PR Consultancy’ category at the upcoming CIPR Cymru Wales PRide Awards. The awards recognise the outstanding work delivered by industry leaders that demonstrate the value of PR in the world of business.
The shortlisting is testament to the hard work and commitment the team has put in to delivering a series of fantastic services, campaigns and initiatives for clients, in addition to wider business growth and development.

Louise Matthews, Director of Technical Marketing and PR, said: “We’re so incredibly excited and proud to be shortlisted for Outstanding Small PR Consultancy. The team works continuously hard to deliver the best service to our clients, which has led to us experiencing significant growth as a business. It’s fitting that this shortlisting comes just as we’re celebrating our 7th birthday.”

You can see the full CIPR PRide Awards Cymru shortlist here. Winners will be announced at the Cymru Wales PRide Awards ceremony on 12th October 2018 at Cardiff’s City Hall.

 

Sharing a Passion for Our City

We love Cardiff, and when we found out that a local charitable organisation needed help to create a video promoting the city to its members worldwide we were more than happy to help out.

Cardiff Round Table is a group set up to encourage fun and friendship, in addition to raising money for charity. One of their biggest events you’ve probably heard of or even possibly been to, is Sparks in the Park Cardiff. The annual firework display is extremely popular, and members of Cardiff Round Table put in a tremendous amount of effort to organise the event and raise a lot of money.

Round Table groups exist all over the world and every year meet up in a different city to celebrate the achievements of Round Table. In 2019, the International Union of Clubs (IUC) event will be hosted by Cardiff, so Cardiff Round Table needed a video that would give ‘Tablers’ from far and wide a brief insight into what our beautiful city has to offer.

We came up with this video which was presented at IUC in Roubaix, France, in June. It was a privilege to be able to help the guys!

If anyone is interested in knowing more about Cardiff Round Table, the social and networking aspect, or the fantastic charity work they do, get in touch here.

 

Lucky Number 7!

We’ve just turned 7 and we’re super excited to be celebrating this milestone. Here are seven things we’re most proud of since we landed:

  1. Technical Marketing & PR is Born

In June 2011, Louise Matthews, landed Technical Marketing & PR. With over 10 years’ experience of working in marketing and PR, as well as strong links to businesses in the construction, engineering, manufacturing and technology sectors, Louise identified a gap in the market for a PR & Marketing business that specialised in creating technical content.

 

  1. Virtual Marketing Manager Service Launched

Identifying a need in the core sectors for flexible and competitive marketing support, the Virtual Marketing Manager Service was born. Technical Marketing & PR has positioned itself as an agency that can seamlessly integrate with existing marketing teams to provide flexible support, no-nonsense marketing planning and implementation.

 

  1. Relocation and Rebranding

In 2015, Technical Marketing & PR relocated from its offices in Derby, to Barry in South Wales. Following the relocation, Technical Marketing & PR exhibited at the Introbiz Expo where the new branding was launched, and the company announced it was laying down roots in Wales.

 

  1. Going for Growth

In 2017, the decision was made to move away from the business model of working with a team of ‘permalancers’ and recruit permanent in-house staff. Though working with ‘permalancers’ had historically worked very well for the business, Louise Matthews, wanted to grow and develop a strong close-knit team in South Wales where she could pass on her experience.

 

  1. Investing in Marketeers of the Future

In 2018, Technical Marketing & PR has offered paid work experience placements to students, reaching out to Cardiff University and Cardiff Metropolitan University to seek candidates. There is a need for hands on paid work experience placements in the sector and Technical Marketing & PR is keen to provide this wherever possible to give future graduates the experience they need to transition into jobs in the sector.

 

  1. Sustainable Partnerships

This year marks the 7th anniversary of the company’s partnership with clients such as Promethean, SIG, ROCKWOOL, Bowden Group and Lumin. These long-standing relationships are testament to the level of service the Technical Marketing & PR team offer.

 

  1. Looking Forward

Business growth and development continues to be a significant focus for Technical Marketing & PR, the company is expanding the team and investing in staff development to further enhance the range of services it provides. The team are looking forward to strengthening long-standing relationships and welcoming new clients on board.

 

To celebrate our 7th birthday, we’ll be doing a series of prize draws over the next few months on social media so make sure you’re following us. If you’d like to pop in for a chat, a cup of tea and maybe some birthday cake, then drop us a message!

Uplifting a Tired Community in Kenya – Thank You Helen

In May, we were proud to be able to send Helen our best wishes as she embarked on her trip to Nakuru in Kenya to support a local school and community. The trip was organised by Derby County Community Trust and African Adventures, but Helen needed to raise funds for the trip through sponsorship and donations. We were proud to be Helen’s main sponsor for a second year in a row.

Upon her return, Helen has shared with us how the trip this year was very different from last year and not what she was expecting. To Helen’s surprise, the children she met last year were in even more of a tired state. This is likely due to a combination of unrest in the region because of elections and the intense weather conditions.

There have been a lot of thunderstorms and flooding in the area which has caused significant problems with roads and infrastructure, especially in the slums. Many families that could afford to move to different areas have done so, leaving behind the poorest families. Despite having so little and living in such poor conditions, Helen told us how it was wonderful to see the families still laughing, and the children still learning and playing.

 

 

This year the team spent a lot of their time carrying out maintenance work on the school building. New guttering has been installed, paint work repaired, internal walls plastered, and external walls pointed. The team also raised the perimeter wall by adding two layers of boulders for increased security and fixed a main gate.

Whilst in Nakuru, the team celebrated Madaraka Day – a national holiday – with the children and some of their families. The team prepared a feast with meat, cabbage and chapatis. They built a swing and did lots of drawing and painting with the children, played with balls, bubbles and balloons.

With the funds raised the team managed to buy 92 school jumpers for the children. Although 250 jumpers were ideally needed, every child received something.

 

 

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Helen for the amazing work she has done in Kenya again this year. We are in a privileged position to be able to sponsor such a worthwhile cause. Although the living conditions for the children weren’t as expected this year, it reaffirms how important the project is to help the families and children in need.