News>CAN Marketing & Comms event

Report by Jason Mollring, CAN

Twenty-one members and potential members from a variety of organisations met in the Mezz2 conference room on May 10th for a panel discussion on the theme of Marketing & Communications.

Uday Thakkar from Red Ochre www.redochre.org.uk moderated the event. We had presentations from Claudine Piggott, Communications Manager of Green-Works www.green-works.co.uk; Louise Mollring, Sales and Marketing Manager of The Day Chocolate Company www.divinechocolate.com; and Tim Purcell, Co-owner of CO3 www.co3.coop.

Here are some of the tips highlighted in the meeting:

• Identify your target market
• Practice what you preach
• Don't turn down invitations to events (network)
• Provide regular news distribution (email, web site, extranet) & case studies
• Get more feedback at point of sale for customer retention and after-sales service
• Try out loyalty schemes, special promotions and incentives for referrals
• Promote success stories, use testimonials and photos (e.g. compete for awards)
• Be proud of your unique story
• Stand out in the crowd: Maintain your integrity in the context of competing claims and consumer/client confusion
• Form strategic partnerships to leverage channels of communication

A lively group discussion and then networking followed this. The feedback we received from the attendees was positive, most rating the event 'very good'. The presentations were inspirational, offering an invaluable insight into the role of marketing and communications in the growth of three relatively 'new' organisations, including practical tips and ideas for working with very limited marketing budgets.