10 Years of TMPR: the Origin Story, pt. 1

/in , /by

Louise Morgan wasn’t sure what she wanted to glean from her university experience, but she knew she wanted to write. Starting in a French and European studies degree that just didn’t quite fit, she switched to psychology, having an interest in human nature.

So how does a psychology degree lead to a long, successful career as a Marketing and PR director? “It was a happy accident.” Louise smiles, “I did my third-year placement at a charity in their comms department. I discovered PR there, when I had always thought I wanted to be a journalist, and just fell in love.”

The charity kept her on after her volunteer placement, as a communications manager during the summer between her third and fourth year. By the end of her degree, Louise already had 5 months of real-life experience under her belt. Unsurprisingly, she was offered a job before she’d had a chance to graduate, at TDM, a PR agency in Macclesfield.

Everything moved very quickly then (literally), “I had my last exam on the Friday, had to buy a car, pack up and move all of my things from Birmingham to Cheshire over the weekend, and started my first day on the Monday. I never looked back.”

She didn’t slow down either. From there she shifted gears to an employer comms agency, where she was introduced to the fast-paced corporate life. “It was all big bonuses, champagne, and ‘oh we’ll take everyone up to the Lake District for a team building weekend, all expenses paid in a swanky hotel’.”

While Louise was impressed with the perks on offer, her heart just wasn’t in it. PR and marketing beckoned, as did TDM, and so she returned with a promotion to account manager.

Louise was happy to return, “I thought I would stay forever, I loved them and everything about them”. She was on track to taking over as PR director, when the unthinkable happened, and the company suddenly became insolvent, closing practically overnight.

Louise wondered whether she should go off on her own. Clients offered their support and loyalty, but she felt shaken by the company’s downfall, and under-prepared. To ease niggling doubt she went to another agency, bringing with her many of the clients she had worked with at TDM.

Still, the question of whether or not to start up a new agency became a frequent quandary, and all the while one of Louise’s clients in particular kept coming to her with a tempting proposition…

And so, client became business partner, as they joined forces to create IVE Global, a PR and Marketing agency for B2B companies. “Proactive. Creative. Innovative. That’s what IVE stands for.” – An ambitious motto to suit the company’s global ambitions.

Working day and night, Louise and her new associates built IVE from the ground up. By the end of two years they seemed to be going from strength to strength, having been shortlisted for the CIPR’s Outstanding Small Consultancy (North West), and gaining 3 more members of staff.

However, the company was not to last, as life got in the way, and the other partners sadly had to go in different directions. When Louise found herself burdened with the grim task of having to make her employees redundant, she vowed never to hire staff again.

She decided instead to make a fresh start as a freelancer, trading under the name TMPR…

 

What does TMPR stand for? Will Louise ever hire staff again? What is part E of the building regulations? All these questions and more answered next time on TMPR: the origin story…

How to reduce unsubscribers with the power of the preference centre

/in , /by

Picture this: it’s Monday morning, you check your emails with trepidation. Suddenly, you are hit with an overwhelming tide of digital correspondence.

You put up a mean fight, sorting the influx into various subfolders, a red flag here and a delete there, in your hunt to find those crucial pieces of information amongst the slurry.

It’s 9:05am, and your tired little brain already needs a break. You cry out to the Outlook Gods, “There must be an easier way!”

Well, there is: UNSUBSCRIBE!

Simple, no?

The unsubscribe button oft gets neglected in favour of move-to-trash (or willful ignorance, for those hoarders amongst us), which does nothing to curb the bloat of our inboxes with unnecessary content. But trust us when we say there is something so satisfying in that little act of rebellion: hitting the “opt out” button.

 

Minimalism: fashion statement, or state of mind?

When militant cleaning – Marie-Kondo-style – swept the world in 2017, we experienced a collective eye-opening to the clutter in which we allow ourselves to be surrounded. But clutter doesn’t stop at the physical world.

Our digital space is just as important to keep clean for peace of mind, and ease of thought. You wouldn’t believe how much head space gets freed up when faced with a decluttered inbox, allowing you to focus on the important stuff.

But don’t just take our word for it: a recent study found that 60% of Brits feel less stressed after decluttering their devices, 69% feel more productive, and 71% feel more organized.

 

The best defence is a good preference (centre)

“But wait”, I hear you say, “Why is TMPR espousing digital minimalism? They handle my e-marketing!” Yes, if you’re reading this there’s a good chance you are one of our clients who rely on email marketing as a major source of revenue (and no, we haven’t been taken over by a rogue gang of Zen Buddhists). We’re here to tell you there’s a way to avoid the unsubscribe: a solid preference centre is worth it’s bytes in gold!

Any good marketer knows there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to what an audience will respond to, so why would emailed content be any different? Preference centres put the consumer in the driver’s seat, giving a feeling of control, and allowing your subscribers to decide on the content that is meaningful to them.

Allowing subscribers to tailor what they see, and how often they see it, helps mitigate unsubscribe rates. It also gives you valuable insight into what your customers really want.

In keeping with the hyper-personalised world that digital media and marketing has become, tailored content can be super useful if funnel marketing is your bag. And as data privacy laws are tightening for third-party collectors, Preference Centres provide a direct source for first-party data.

An engaged, interested reader is far more likely to share your content, widening your audience in a way that is far more valuable than “delivered” numbers on a stats report. So, while an email a day may not be able to keep Dr Unsubscribe away, stop worrying and embrace the power of the preference centre.