Expanding your Reach

Setting up any new enterprise can be difficult, but many entrepreneurs will tell you it is worth all the effort involved. Continuing to grow your business is the next challenge, and for that, you need to reach new audiences.

“It’s worth getting back to basics and asking yourself, where can I go, or where do I want to go? Do something to the best of your ability, making sure you stand out. Stick with it and make the right connections,” Jennie advises. 

“It’s about collaboration, not competition. I would begin by joining a local organisation, as often you’ll get invited to networking events. Sign up for those newsletters, and get yourself to shows and trade events in the area your product is aimed at. To stand out, I suggest going to smaller shows and events where you will have more chances to connect with like-minded businesses. While also worth attending, the larger ones can be so busy you barely have time to have a drink!” Jennie adds.

Jennie and Jeff at We Make Media, publishers of Taste Buds and Devon Home magazines, carved out a new geographical direction through a partnership with Taste of the West. This organisation covers the whole of the south west, giving us a larger geography than Devon, the area our magazines cover. Taste of the West uses it as a marketing tool, and the collaboration works really well,” Jennie adds.

“Jeff approached John Sheaves, CEO at Taste of the West, with an idea for a recipe book to celebrate their annual awards. The idea is to promote the award winners each year and to pair up chefs and producers to create new recipes and photographs unique to the book, “ Jennie explains. “This is something we do well in Taste Buds, so we knew it would work. So our book publishing journey began – and an arm of our business went in another new direction.”

We Make Media also works with Food Drink Devon. "Our relationship as media partners involves us supporting its annual Food Drink Devon awards, with them contributing articles to our magazine. Each benefits from our reciprocal printed and online marketing strategies and sharing social media content. It’s a great brand association,” Jennie adds.

Barbara King, Managing Director of the Shops at Dartington and chair of Food and Drink Devon, has years of retail experience and says the best piece of advice she has for new or young businesses is not to be afraid to ask for advice. “When you’re starting with limited resources and knowledge, just ask,” advises Barbara. “Have a business plan, no matter how rudimentary, and ask someone to look at it. Nine out of ten people might tell you they’re too busy, but one person might be happy to help.

Barbara says one important element in growing your business and reaching new audiences is ensuring that your customer service is the best it can be. “If you’re dealing with the public in any way, you need to have robust customer service and know what you can give to people.”

Even in today’s hard times, new paths can be found. Sometimes, it’s a case of refreshing and renewing your local audience, which also leads to growth and new opportunities. When lockdown started there was an immediate impact on businesses – hospitality, leisure and retail were among the hardest hit. In Plymouth, businesses fought back by coming together for an imaginative campaign aimed at encouraging people to shop locally.

“When things are hard we do pull together,” says Plymouth City Council Marketing Manager Amanda Lee, “and that’s where our shop local campaign came from. It’s about the people behind the businesses and the importance of supporting the high street.”

A website was set up (www.shop4Plymouth.co.uk), and a campaign slogan was found: Geddon Plymouth. For those not in the know, Geddon is a phrase that many a Janner (Plymouthian) will use meaning, well, get on, get going, or just an expression of surprise or wonder.

The campaign was turned around very quickly after lockdown was announced, using money from the Reopening High Streets Safely Fund. The City Council and the Business Improvement Districts worked together to come up with ways to support people and livelihoods. “We know people buy from people, so we put the characters front and centre of our campaign in the spotlight,” says Amanda. “We wanted everyone to know why it was important to shop local in the broadest sense.

“The response has been really positive. The time between sending out the brief to launching it was a month. Retailers were tagging each other in posts on social media and created a community working together, which was what we wanted.”