How many of you have stacks of brochures in your cupboards, under the stairs and in the warehouse? How many of you have an all singing all dancing website that nobody visits? The answer to getting noticed is through making use of a full range of good marketing techniques.

Marketing does improve business performance and whatever the method, is important and it does matter, it should be seen as an investment to help improve business growth and make money.

We all have competitors and we all apply marketing to our business growth plans, from e-mail signatures, producing literature and logo design to targeting your markets, understanding your brand values and handling the media. The difference to your competitors can be in the quality and effectiveness of design and execution of your marketing and communications.

Size doesn’t matter – whether your business is large, small or growing, Sharon Stevens-Cash can help to find you the right marketing solutions for your business and it doesn’t have to be expensive.

Sharon adds: “I am all too aware that cut backs have become a fabric of the way we run our businesses but this shouldn’t mean that we just stand still and wait for it all to go away.”

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity” Seneca, 1st century Roman philosopher

Derbyshire based B2B publication: Agenda Magazine. To order your copy contact the Derby Evening Telegraph or e-mail us at enquiries@essentialconsultancy.co.uk and we will send you their details.

Essential Marketing Solutions advertisement

Owner of Chapman Associates, Simon Curley praised the report completed earlier this year: “Sharon helped us by conducting an audit of where we are as a company in terms of our marketing. She succinctly summarised where our strengths and weaknesses were and gave us a clear track to run on, suggesting some great ways we could improve.”

 www.chapman-associates.co.uk

Following completetion of a six month project Roger Frost, Managing Director of Syntax Consultancy praised the work provided: “Sharon’s knowledge and expertise has enabled us to realise our ambitous business growth. She has helped us to develop a coordinated approach to our marketing, which ultimately will make our marketing budgets work alot harder for us.”

Marketing Co-ordinator Hannah Dimond added: “Sharon has helped us to create a strong brand and put plans in place for proactive marketing activities. She was involved in creating our new websites, events and social media to name but a few.

“Sharon has given me the confidence to make marketing decisions and introduce effective communications into our business with a really a positive impact. None of this would have been possible without Sharon’s help.”

Games Time has been produced by Deda Producing and  is a fantastic and unique outdoor performance involving hundreds of people from the East Midlands. We also have great pleasure in working with some world class producers, choreographers and costume designers.

Creating and delivering a marketing strategy to attract thousands of people to these great events.

For further details check out www.gamestime.org.uk or follow the progress on @GamesTimeUK or Games Time UK on Facebook.

Performers at the Games Time debut in Skegness July 2011

Get into working in the Creative Industries in Derbyshire
November 2011
Debbie has been spending time ‘on the road’ with the Creative Derbyshire Roadshow (www.creativederbyshire.com) at a variety of locations around Derbyshire in November as part of her work with the Derbyshire Arts Partnership (www.artsderbyshire.org.uk).

Presiding over the City’s newcomers.
November 2011
Sharon Stevens-Cash joined the judging panel for the Derby Food and Drinks Awards.  The awards ceremony took place on 7 November 2011 with Sharon judging and presenting the award for ‘Best Newcomers’ to new Derby restaurant Mansion.  www.marketingderby.co.uk/foodanddrinkawards).

A warm welcome to our new clients 
October 2011
The early autumn has been a busy time for Essential Consultancy.  We’ve taken on a handful of new client projects including Marketing support for Syntax Consultancy (www.syntaxconsultancy.com),  SEO training for Smith of Derby Ltd (www.smithofderby.com), online competitor analysis for Anlens Commercial Cleaning (www.anlens.co.uk) and a full marketing audit for the Corden Group (www.corden-bssp.co.uk).

We are still busy working with Draka UK on online and offline marketing support (www.drakauk.com), and providing SEO support for Robeys (www.robeys.co.uk) and Plaser (www.plaser.co.uk).   Working closely with our colleagues in Friargate Studios, we’ve certainly been kept on our toes as we slip into the winter months!

Internet Marketing is not difficult but it can be a minefield of jargon, buzz words and unnecessary cost.   It’s no longer good enough to just have a decent website – your website needs to be structured to take on the competition and to rank well in the Search Engines.  But your website also needs to give your audience what they are expecting from an online experience – and you will find that your online audience is increasingly web savvy and more demanding.

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is one of the keystones of internet marketing and is a phrase that encompasses many different aspects of making your website work harder for your business as a part of a wider Marketing Strategy.

The techniques employed in an SEO strategy will make your website rank higher in search engine results pages.  Higher ranks (preferably on page one of Google and the other search engines) will lead to a greater chance that you will get a click from customers looking for your services.

Because the internet operates on an international platform, SEO if left unchecked, can leave brands finding themselves suddenly operating in circles which they are unaccustomed to.  For instance, on a national or international scale, when they have been used to controlling their message on a much more local level.  And so, alongside SEO there should also be an element of website traffic analysis to help with managing unexpected outcomes of a brand’s online presence as well as responding to those that are expected.

SEO, along with Social Media, Website Design, Content Development, Content Management, Web Analytics, e-commerce and eCRM systems are all elements that can be included in an Internet Marketing Strategy.   By integrating online and offline marketing techniques, dramatic changes to the performance of your brand can be achieved.

Knowing what should be included is the trickier part.  Whether we like it or not, the power of the Internet is here to stay.  Enlisting the help of a proven Online Marketer to help integrate your online plans with your traditional marketing plan is no longer an added extra but a necessity.

Judging the City’s new comers!
September 2011
Sharon Stevens-Cash has joined the judging panel for the Derby Food and Drinks Awards that will take place in November 2011.

Festivity is underway
August 2011
Essential Consultancy have been asked to develop a brand identity for ‘Festivity’ a joint working group of Derbyshire arts festivals.  The branding will be used to tie together the festivals season in the County to help attract inward tourism investment in the region.

A new look for our website 
July 2011
Essential New Media and Essential Marketing Solutions co-join brands in a new website relaunch.  Design by Frairgate Studios based Out of the Blue.
http://www.outoftheblue.net/web-design-portfolio-12.php

Sharon Stevens-Cash joins the breakfast show on BBC Radio Derby
July 2011
Sharon shares her thoughts on being an entrepreneur in today’s financial climate (1.39 and 17 secs into the broadcast)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/p00hptcl

Bondholders start revolution in Derby
June 2011
A group of Marketing Derby Bondholders based in the modern Cathedral Quarter office block, Friar Gate Studios, are launching themselves as the 21st century creative revolution.
http://www.marketingderby.co.uk/files/june_2011_4.htm

Feste is back!
May 2011
Essential Marketing Solutions have been awarded the contract to deliver coordinated Marketing activities for the 2011 festival on the back of last year’s success.
http://www.derbyfeste.com/

Improve that swing!
May 2011 
Essential New Media are to collaborate with web design company Out of the Blue in delivering a new, fully SEO’d website for a new and unique golf swing training aid product.
http://www.plaser.co.uk/

Social Media made easy
April 2011 
DADG have invited Essential New Media to lead a social media workshop to introduce arts businesses in Derbyshire to SM technologies and techniques on 3 May 2011.
http://dadg.weebly.com/index.html

Searching for good results for Robeys
March 2011
Essential New Media has teamed up with Moggs Marketing to deliver SEO services for wood stove suppliers Robeys.  Belper-based Robeys are sole importers of  exclusive brands Rais, Harrie Leenders, Piazzetta and Meneghini.
http://www.robeys.co.uk/

Derby-based cable manufacturers look for better web performance
March 2011
Essential New Media is to deliver SEO services for Derby-based cable manufacturers Draka (UK) Ltd alongside Moggs Marketing.  Draka is a long-standing client of Moggs and have enlisted Essential New Media to help them take the website forwards.
http://www.drakauk.com/

Essential Move
January 2011
Essential Marketing Solutions move to Friargate Studios in Derby
http://www.friargatestudios.co.uk/news_essential.cfm

First Movement exploration of Personal Budgets
December 2010
Rowsley based disability arts organisation First Movement engage the combined services of Sharon Stevens-Cash and Deborah Porter to deliver a Market Research Study, a Marketing Strategy and Marketing materials.

Enterprising Women Excellence Awards
November 2010
Essential Marketing Solutions nominated for Breakthrough Business 2010

Derby Entrepreneurs go global
November 2010
Global Entrepreneur Week sponsored by Essential Marketing Solutions.
http://www.insidermedia.com/insider/midlands/42321-derby-entrepreneurs-go-global

Gleam: Derby’s Festival of Light
October 2010
Essential Marketing Solutions is awarded a contract to Market the 2010 Festival of Light in the City
http://essentialconsultancy.wordpress.com/2010/11/03/more-festival-fever-derbys-gleam-festival/

What is Marketing and does it matter?
September 2010
Two Derbyshire based businesses offer practical advice to help you stay ahead of the competition.
http://www.essentialnewmedia.co.uk/documents/Essential_Group_INBusiness_Mag_article_September_2010.pdf

Design Week agrees with Essential Marketing Solutions approach!
July 2010
Robinson & Associates teamed up with Essential Marketing Solution on brand development for Arts Council initiative Sowing Seeds
http://www.robinsonandassociates.co.uk/edrop_sowing/

More Festival Fever!
June 2010
Essential Marketing Solutions have been awarded the combined marketing of two more festivals this summer in the City of Derby.
http://essentialconsultancy.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/june-2010-festival-fever-essential-marketing-solutions-take-on-the-marketing-of-the-derby-caribbean-carnival-and-the-south-asian-arts-festival/

Moggs and Essential Marketing Solutions join forces
June 2010
Sharon Stevens-Cash joins forces with Moggs Marketing as Associate Account Director for the leading Derby-based Marketing Agency.

Top appointment for Essential New Media’s Deborah Porter
May 2010
Essential New Media’s Deborah Porter appointed as Arts Partnership Manager for Digital projects
http://www.essentialnewmedia.co.uk/news_artsderbyshire9.html

Festival Fever in Derbyshire
May 2010
Essential New Media launch the ONLY comprehensive guide to arts festivals in Derbyshire this summer, on behalf of the artsderbyshire website.
http://essentialconsultancy.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/may-2010-festival-fever-a-summer-of-festivals-in-derbyshire/

Festival Fever in Derby
May 2010 
Essential Marketing Solutions have been appointed as Marketing Co-Ordinator for Derby Feste 2010
http://www.essentialmarketingsolutions.co.uk/news_festival_fever_derby_feste.html

Designs on the future
January 2010
Robinson & Associates has recently appointed Essential Marketing  Solutions to deliver a marketing programme.
http://www.essentialmarketingsolutions.co.uk/news_robinsons_and_associates.html

Exploring the cultural heritage of Derbyshire
August 2009
Derbyshire Arts Partnership engage Essential New Media to devise and deliver an Editorial and Marketing Strategy for the artsderbyshire.org.uk website.
http://www.artsderbyshire.org.uk/find_artist/articles/derbyshire_heritage.asp
http://www.dncc.co.uk/your-chamber/3703/charting-the-cultural-heritage-of-derby-and-derbyshire

Deborah Porter to present to the next NEDCAF meeting
February 2009
The presentation will be hosted by North East Derbyshire and Chesterfield Arts Forum (NEDCAF) which is an organisation set up to help arts professionals grow their business in the commercial sector.
http://essentialconsultancy.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/february-2009-debbie-porter-to-present-to-the-next-nedcaf-meeting-on-the-10th-of-february/

The Big Talk: coping with the crunch
February 2009
Sharon Stevens-Cash joined a panel of business leaders to discuss the impact of the world’s economy on the city of Derby.
http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/news/Undefined-Headline/article-664372-detail/article.html

Essential Marketing Solutions work in close collaboration with a number of creative businesses to ensure that their clients are making their marketing budgets work hard for them without compromising on quality and creativity.  Working alongside sister business Essential New Media these two companies are valued as ‘virtual marketing managers’ with many of their clients. Their combined range of skills offer companies the opportunity of working with time served professionals without the high cost of employing a senior professional, they believe; “Marketing and the internet is about getting a return on your business investment.”

It’s easy to get carried away with spending money of creative marketing and before you know it you have a thousand great brochures in front of you that have nowhere to go. How many times do you hear marketers stress that you should be promoting your products and services to the target audience, create online and off-line marketing strategies, develop social media policy and stay ahead of the competition? Yeah right like you have the time to sort all that out, and run a business? How much will it cost?

Look under the stairs and in the store cupboards, how many ‘glossy brochures’ are in there? Why didn’t you ever get round to sending that leaflet out? How many of you spent a fortune on a website that nobody visits? That’s how marketing budgets are wasted.

When you spend money producing beautiful glossy brochures, improving your website and firing out ‘Tweets’, you firstly need to make sure you are clear who you are talking to, why you are talking to them and what you want them to hear.  This is something that is surprisingly often overlooked in the panic to get involved. It’s so common for businesses to get brochures designed and printed for that exhibition next month, or a leaflet to promote that new product you think everyone should know about.

In the marketing world, especially on the internet, new terminology crops up all the time and trends replace other trends quicker than you can say ‘SEO’.

Deborah explains; “One of the things we increasingly get involved in is social media marketing and optimising website visibility to compliment traditional marketing. Whether we like it or not we rely heavily on our online presence but it’s easy to get disorientated in this brave new world.

“Social media, just as printing methods, comes in many forms; Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube each have their own particular qualities. The advantage of getting into social media marketing is to give your brand extra reach, just as you may build a new database for direct mail.”

However, all of this won’t work effectively without a marketing plan to guide you and control budgets.  Sharon adds; “There is no point in getting involved in social media if you have nothing to say and not sure how to say it.

“We have specialised for a number of years in serving our Clients with integrated online and offline marketing.  We understand that the full marketing mix has to include a sensible combination of all the tools now available to us.  We also firmly believe in leaving out what is not necessary and getting best value for money.”

By integrating online and offline marketing techniques, and using your marketing budget as an investment rather than a ‘reactive cost’ we can all make dramatic changes to the performance of our brands.

Marketing should be at the heart of every ambitious company. Marketing is the way in which we build our businesses through effective and conistent communications; however, it should be seen as a well thought out investment not another big expensive cost to add to the list.

Sharon Stevens-Cash, director of Essential Marketing Solutions, which is based at Friar Gate Studios, in Ford Street, helped to deliver the marketing campaign for Festé last year.

This year, she enlisted the help of fellow tenants keen to lend their support with marketing the annual event, which attracts thousands of people.

Graphic designers Revolver Revolver and web designer Out Of The Blue have collaborated on the production of a range of marketing material.

Another tenant, Boast Sponsorship, has helped raise private sponsorship.

Derby Festé, led by Quad, Deda and Derby Live, has gained a reputation for bringing some of the best outdoor acts in the world to the streets of Derby.

This year’s event takes place on Friday, September 23 and Saturday, September 24.

Sharon said: “This has been a fantastic opportunity for companies under the same roof at Friar Gate Studios to collaborate on a creative project for the city.”

Article courtesy of Derby Evening Telegraph 31^st Aug 2011