There’s no doubt that the current political climate is affecting business confidence. It’s also a certainty that whenever such nervousness sets in the first budget to be cut is advertising and marketing. That’s a worry for even the big agencies, so how does a small one survive, let alone succeed? Meet Norfolk Chambers members Greenwood&Bell. They call themselves a Micro-Agency. They are convinced that ‘an old fashioned ad agency in a large office with a large staff’ is not the only way to create successful marketing. ‘We want to show that only two people, using all the advantages of modern tech, can do pretty well everything that a big agency does’. And do it all, as Mark Greenwood says, ‘from a converted barn in rural Norfolk’. The strength of Greenwood&Bell is that even though they are just two people competing with the ‘big boys’ – they have a five point plan as the cornerstone of a strategy. Their thinking is rooted in five pieces of advice they’ve received over five years of trading. ‘These are thoughts that remain constant’, says Mark Greenwood. ‘They have proved valuable to us. Here they are -‘
- Think different. When you start, be clear about what makes your business different.
- Stay flexible. Be prepared to flex your business plan, product and promotion to suit the reality of your market…….
- ……But stay true to your principles. Stick to your core principles, they’re why your customers will keep coming back.
- Keep moving. As your business develops, it won’t always be breaking new ground. So make things happen – invent an event, sponsor a charity, launch an initiative.
- Keep the faith. If, like me, you sometimes doubt what you’re doing, remember to trust yourself, trust your skill, trust your sheer bloody-mindedness to make your business a success.
There is ample evidence of their sticking to their strategy. ‘Right now we are upgrading our own marketing programme, including a new Greenwood&Bell website, up soon’, says Mark. ‘We’re also developing our own innovative design product. It has just come through the research stage with better than expected response from the target audience’.
So, against their five point checklist they’re ticking all the boxes. Different, as a micro agency, they are flexible in evolving their marketing plan in a shifting climate. Their principles of creating innovative marketing ideas are unshakeable. They are certainly always moving – they are about to introduce new product. As to keeping the faith, they’re here to prove that their tenacity has brought them success. As a micro agency, in times the are challenging for their more sizeable competitors.
Mark encapsulates the company’s positivity when he says, ‘The challenge is not to complain about the cards we are dealt, but how to best play our hand’.
Everything they believe in, and practice, the hand they are playing, is of course applicable to any business, in any sector. Which means that Greenwood&Bell really are a micro agency – with macro ideas.
We’d love to hear your views on the issues facing business today. If you want your thoughts expressed in this news column let us know. email [email protected] This article can also be found on page 4, in Wednesday 4 September, 2019 EDP The Business section.
