Member News

Account Based Marketing or ABM is set to become one of the marketing watch-words for business-to-business marketing in 2020. An integrated and focused approach to marketing, it can provide significant results for businesses who sell to other businesses and can well define their target customers.

We’ll take a look at what it means, how it can be implemented and the potential benefits.

What is Account Based Marketing?

Account Based Marketing is a strategy that directs marketing efforts and resources towards engaging a very specific set of existing or potential clients. It requires close alignment between sales and marketing teams to ensure every marketing material, communication or touch-point is highly personalised, with account-specific messaging.

It relies on cooperation and collaboration between sales and marketing, so both teams should be ready to share information and work closely together.

Why use Account Based Marketing?

Like most marketing initiatives, the desired outcome of Account Based Marketing is higher sales and greater client value; all achieved in a shorter time frame. Account Based Marketing focuses activities on those existing or potential relationships which represent the greatest likelihood of conversion and the highest potential value.

Instead of casting a wide net, it helps break through the noise of more usual marketing by putting something highly targeted and personalised in front of decision-makers in the businesses you target most.

It’s all about the sniper rifle, not the shotgun!

How does Account Based Marketing work?

When marketing and sales share the same objectives, they can collaborate around common goals and increase their chances of success. Thus, Account Based Marketing begins with both parties working together to develop a joint strategy.

Whilst the ultimate objective is to land new accounts, or expand business with existing ones, it’s best to first identify the smaller goals that align to your desired outcome. For example, receiving a positive response from a potential customer, discussing their needs or pitching a proposal. Focusing in these will make you more likely to succeed the ultimate prize.

Who should Account Based Marketing target?

Sales and marketing need to analyse your existing customer base and identify your ideal customer. This is typically those who are most profitable, long-term, happy and easy to work with. Typically, they are the businesses which get the most benefit from whatever you provide and keep returning for more.

Once you’ve detailed your ideal account, look for other existing clients who could be developed to join them. Now look outside your current customer base at the companies and organisation you’d like to land. Ensure the companies you identify have an urgent need you could address and you can compel them to spend a profitable amount. Be honest with yourselves though! You’re interested in selecting the genuine low-hanging fruit, not making an overly optimistic play for an unachievable new client.

Business decisions are typically made by multiple people. For any significant B2B purchase, your Account Based Marketing needs to help drive consensus among all the stakeholders involved. Therefore, you need to identify everyone who may exert an influence over the buying-decision and target each one individually as part of your campaign.

How should Account Based Marketing influence your marketing messaging?

Account Based Marketing relies on tailoring messages to all individuals, in order to create the greatest likelihood of converting the whole account.

Each individual will essentially be subject to a personalised marketing campaign. Whilst many recipients within a business may be swayed by the same messages, each has their own perspective and their needs may differ. You need to develop a message and content which resonates with them to build and nurture a relationship.

Being B2B marketing, success is greatest when you provide useful information and a consultative approach; mapped to where the recipient is in their buying cycle. Align your messages and content with their interests, needs, influence and challenges they may be experiencing. Develop a unique value proposition and relevant content aimed at each stakeholder.

Demonstrate your expertise, use real world examples and show your company is a diligent partner or supplier which has done its homework and provides value. If your messages and content are strong, recipients may also share them with other stakeholders you’re targeting in the buying-decision.

Which marketing channels should Account Based Marketing use?

Evaluate and choose the marketing methods and channels most likely to successfully deliver your message for each account and individual.

It’s best to begin by identify the channels the recipients are most likely to favour themselves when searching, researching and selecting new products or services.

Marketing methods can include email, direct mail, social media, digital advertising, printed materials, special events and more. However, the most effective may vary even within one account, so don’t assume one-size-fits-all.

Before delivering the campaign, specify the activities and timings both sales and marketing will deliver. Map out as much as possible and have regular progress meetings to ensure everyone is on schedule and to learn from results and feedback.

What is the secret to success with Account Based Marketing?

Ensuring sales and marketing work together as a close team is the secret to success with Account Based Marketing. Marketing is largely about timing, especially with B2B products and services. A timely call or meeting is the most effective way to convert highly targeted marketing materials and channels.

What makes Account Based Marketing so effective for B2B?

Many businesses already utilise elements of Account Based Marketing such as personalised emails, invites to events and account management. Most businesses can also identify those to whom they could sell more or specific companies they’d like to attract. Account Based Marketing focuses efforts and ensures both marketing and sales are jointly accountable for success and progressing accounts along the buying process.

If you’d like help implementing and benefiting from ABM, visit https://fullmixmarketing.co.uk/contact

North Walsham High School has relaunched its business mentoring programme.

The objectives are to support engagement with local employers, raise aspirations & self-confidence and develop employability skills. This is an excellent option to include in a volunteering or social responsibility programme.

Mentors will be fully supported with resources and regular updates. They work with a maximum of 10 students, starting from Year 9, and are asked to meet the group twice each term. Students and parents fully support this programme.

To find out more, please read the attached document, or contact Diane Evans at North Norfolk District Council – [email protected]

Throughout 2019, Break was the Maids Head’s local charity. During the year our staff and guests raised £1,184.06. We invited Danielle Gravestock from Break to receive the cheque and celebrate the fundraising success with our staff.

The money was raised through collection buckets, a Christmas raffle and donations at special events including resident tour guide Paul Dickson’s Shardlake’s Norwich tours during English Tourism Week and Norfolk Day, and Rob Knee from the Paston Heritage Society who gave talks about the Pastons and the Paston Letters on Norfolk Day and on 22 November. The second talk was on the anniversary of the Maids Head getting it’s first official written mention in a Paston letter. A team from the Maids Head – Jonathan Brasnett, Andrew Shorthose and Rose Taylor – also completed the City of Norwich half marathon in aid of Break

Danielle Gravestock, Senior Fundraising Officer, Break said: “Thank you to the Maids Head Hotel and all involved in their wonderful Charity of the Year fundraising, for the generous support – we know how much time and energy it takes to fundraise and hope that knowing that the money raised is going to have a significant impact on local vulnerable children, young people and families will enable all involved to feel incredibly proud of all that has been achieved.”

“£1,184.06 will enable us to provide hope to vulnerable young people and families at a time when it is needed most, allowing us to provide safe, caring home environments with continued support, to ensure that every child and young person has the chance of a brighter tomorrow.”

Our charity for 2020 is Norfolk and Waveney Mind.

Never has a dark, foggy drive been more happily made than Thursday mornings journey from Norwich to our first Great Yarmouth networking breakfast of 2020!

Even with the dark January early start, the Royal Assembly Rooms was warm and welcoming and the room was filled with coffee and chat.

It was great to catch up with our members after the festive holidays and hear their exciting plans for the upcoming year and to introduce guests who are looking to join the Norfolk Chambers.

We were thrilled that the event got off to a roaring start with our guest speaker David Field, CEO of the Zoological Society of East Anglia talking about his journey and joy of running the charity that leads Banham Zoo and Africa Alive!

David’s energy and enthusiasm for his conservation work is encouraging and awe inspiring! David was also joined by Suzy Jackson, Head of HR to talk about the charity work of David and the team at the ZSEA.

In a talk that we wished wouldn’t end, he took us from the 18th Century’s first Zoo to the cultural impact of zoos on society, to AA Milne’s meeting with the real Winnie The Poo. He told us how his mother finally stopped asking when he was going to get a ‘proper job’, when he started meeting influential people such as HRH The Queen and Lord David Attenborough.

When David is not in Madagascar working on one of the many ZSEA’s conservation projects, or inviting protestors to take a walk with him around the zoo, he is passionately working to bring his mission and vision to life. It’s a mission to connect communities to nature for conservation and a vision that our world will be a haven for wildlife and people.

Click here if you would like to find out more about Banham Zoo and Africa Alive! and their upcoming Big Cats event.

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us, we hope you enjoyed the event – we certainly did! 

A big thank you to Dale Graver, our amazing apprentice for helping at his first networking breakfast!

A new village hall in Trimingham, North Norfolk, has created a warm and welcoming hub for the community, thanks to a ground source heat pump installed by renewable heating expert Finn Geotherm.

The new purpose-built Trimingham Village Hall opened in 2018. The previous facilities were a 1930s pilgrim shelter, which is located close to the cliff edge in Trimingham and due to coastal erosion would only have 20 – 30 years more use. The old hall had electric heating which was ineffective and expensive to run.

Terry Brown, chairman of the Trimingham Village Hall Trust, said: “When we set out to build the new village hall, we wanted to create a space that everyone could enjoy. We also wanted it to be green and follow as many passive house standards as possible. We’d always planned to heat the hall using a ground source heat pump and were delighted when our building contractor appointed Finn Geotherm to undertake the project.”

Finn Geotherm specified and installed a Lämpöässä Vmi 17 three-phase ground source heat pump with integral 480 litre thermal store in a purpose-built plant room. The system heats the entire building, comprising main hall, meeting room, kitchen and toilets, via underfloor heating. Built on a paddock, the 1200m ground loop array was laid in the area surrounding the village hall. Although there were some obstacles to overcome, including a protected area for the wildflower Purple Broomrape, Finn Geotherm rose to the challenge to complete all the necessary groundworks.

While the heat pump does not need adjustment and is left to run effectively on its own, Finn Geotherm is able to monitor the heat pump performance remotely using an Assa control unit.

Trimingham Village Hall’s £38,000 heat pump project qualifies for the Non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive, meaning the hall will receive quarterly payments for the heat they use for the next 20 years. As part of the project, Finn Geotherm dealt with the application to register this installation and ensure Trimingham Village Hall receives all the financial incentive available.

Fundraising for the new village hall took five and a half years. The facilities are now in constant use with all manner of community groups and events taking place there each week, from lunch clubs and yoga to table tennis and even weddings.

Terry sums up: “We are delighted with how well the heat pump works in our new hall. It has created a warm, welcoming environment and the running costs are excellent. In the previous village hall, we had problems with people not wanting to take their coats off – now we don’t know where to put them all! We have had huge support from Finn Geotherm throughout the installation and afterwards too, which has been brilliant.”

For more information on renewable heating, contact Finn Geotherm by visiting www.finn-geotherm.co.uk.

We are delighted to announce that the web design and search engine optimisation (SEO) teams at Tudor Lodge Consultants have recently started working with the wonderful team at Smiles Better Dental, the Manchester-based denture clinic and lab. Having previously had an underperforming website, we were approached by the team at Smiles Better Dental to redesign, reformat and update their website.

The main aim of the redesign and now ongoing SEO work is to both increase conversions as well as to climb up search engine rankings, specifically on Google, to build the brand name online and to increase the number of enquiries for the business.

Why SEO?

Although there are a multitude of marketing channels to be utilised online, SEO has over the years been proven time and again to be one of (if not) the most effective channels with regards to engagement, user engagement and customer loyalty. Paid advertisements and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising have their place, but they are well-known by most consumers to be paid for and therefore are not deemed to be ‘organic’ as SEO rankings are.

Ultimately, when it comes to rankings, SEO and organic rankings must be earned as opposed to paid for in the same way that paid for and promotional advertisements are.

What Does SEO for Smiles Better Dental Entail?

We have been updating the Smiles Better Dental website for a short period of time already and the rankings of the site are already starting to show some positive movement. We have been (amongst other actions) working on the initially fundamental, foundational SEO factors that Smiles Better Dental will need to push forward and up the rankings online:

• Website Crawling – We have been working first and foremost to make sure that Google and indeed other search engines can understand the content and the context of the Smiles Better Dental Website. This means that any further and subsequent work will be picked up and better understood, and therefore better ranked
• Online PR Activities – Another key part of SEO is to make sure the brand and the overall offering of the brand are promoted properly online, coming with clean links where necessary. Working with a range of online publications, we have been working to promote Smiles Better Dental online
• On Site Content – The content of the website is another key area of focus for SEO. The website must have relevant and well-optimised content for search engines to crawl, read and understand and this includes landing pages, guides as well as other key information for the website.

With already positive indications for Smiles Better Dental we are looking forward to what the future holds for this exciting and forward-thinking brand.

Andrew Bassett opens his second shop in Northern Ireland.

Andrew Bassett, who has been successfully operating his practice from a shop on 103 Cregagh Road, Belfast since 2017, has opened a second walk-in tax and accountancy shop in Lisburn.

“Having been a franchisee for almost three years, I can see how the different aspects of the TaxAssist model work and can see how having a visible shop front definitely helps my practice grow,” said Andrew.

“The franchise territory I operate in gives me considerable scope for expansion and the convenience of the shops, combined with the power of the TaxAssist brand and marketing budget, means my practice really stands out from the crowd.

“I’m always amazed that there are only two TaxAssist Accountants in Northern Ireland, (fellow franchisee Ian Aiken operates from Ballymena in County Antrim) as I’m constantly busy. I believe the province could support another half a dozen franchisees.

“I’d certainly encourage any accountants in Northern Ireland who are keen to start their own TaxAssist Accountants practice to contact me for a chat as I’d be happy to share the benefits of my experience.”

Andrew’s shop joins an established network of 228 TaxAssist Accountants UK shops.

If you are interested in finding out more about joining TaxAssist Accountants, regular Discovery Days are held at the Support Centre in Norwich, where you meet with the Directors of the franchise and find out more about the technical and business development support on offer. Call 0800 0188297 to find out more.  

Anglia House Business Centre is delighted to offer all Norfolk Chamber Members a 10% discount on any rooms booked during January or February 2020. We have rooms suitable for all kinds of meeting whether it is 2 or 40 people. The rooms can be booked daily or by the week. 

Anglia House Business Centre offers high class, self-contained business executive accommodation. Whether you are looking for a location for a training course, business meeting, team building meetings, a quiet place to work or an office presence in Thetford then Anglia House Business Centre can accommodate you. 

It is also a perfect venue for “start-up” businesses because it is centrally located with an abundance of free car parking facilities within 2 minutes’ walk. The uses for our rooms are endless and include counselling room, mediations, collaborative law meetings, alternative dispute resolution and training purposes. We hold degree courses, first aid courses. Business planning meetings, supervision meetings and breakfast meetings. 

All our rooms have the benefit of free WI FI and are decorated to a high standard. Each room has its own combination lock and has its own bespoke security code. 

There is a fully manned reception which makes the venue ideal for holding interviews or carrying out staff appraisals. 

We have break out rooms where a large selection of teas and freshly made coffee are served together with luxury biscuits. We can also organise catering for groups of more than 6 people and this will be served in one of our breakout rooms at no extra cost.

You will receive a very warm welcome at the Business Centre, and we will ensure that all your meeting requirements are met. There is free WIFI throughout the building and most of our rooms have either a projector or television screen which connect to a lap top presentation. Flip charts are also included in the room hire price.

If you book a room at Anglia House Business Centre during the month of January or February 2020 as a Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Member you will receive a 10% discount on the room hire price.

Please phone us on 07799 465044 or email us on [email protected] and we will be delighted to book your room. 

Holidaymakers longing to escape to the sun have a huge choice of destinations on their doorstep with the launch today (January 20) of Norwich Airport’s annual destination guide.

Fly Norwich 2020 features 21 destinations in 10 countries, with a massive 700 worldwide connections through Amsterdam, with up to four flights a day from Norwich to the Netherlands.

New from Norwich Airport for 2020 is the Antalya region on Turkey’s Turquoise Coast, plus there are now two flights a week to Dalaman in Turkey. In addition, for winter 2020, there are twice weekly flights to Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

Countries reached directly from Norwich Airport include Bulgaria (Bourgas), Cyprus (Paphos), Greece (Corfu, Crete, Rhodes), Italy (Bergamo), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Spain – Balearics (Ibiza, Majorca, Menorca), Spain – Canaries (Tenerife), and Turkey (Antalya and Dalaman). In the UK there are daily flights to Aberdeen and Edinburgh, and regular services to Jersey, all with Loganair, and Guernsey in the Channel Islands, with Aurigny. There are also day trips and short breaks to Lapland.

Managing Director Richard Pace said: “We’re delighted to be publishing the latest edition of Fly Norwich with a host of ideas and inspiration for discovering the world with Norwich Airport.”

“Whether it’s a fly-cruise, short break, summer sun, winter escapes or business links, our fantastic choice of direct flights and even more onward connections via Amsterdam makes the world readily accessible, all with the ease and convenience of flying from your local airport.”

The start of the year is traditionally the busiest time for people to book their annual holiday. As well as the wide range of destinations, Fly Norwich 2020 showcases the benefits of flying local, including a quick journey to the airport, parking close to the terminal, short check-in and security times and total step-free access from the terminal entrance to flight boarding.

Norwich Airport, which celebrates its 50th birthday this year, saw almost 544,000 passengers go through the terminal over 12 months to the end of March 2019. Carriers operating from Norwich include TUI, KLM and Loganair.

Norwich Airport is owned and operated by Regional & City Airports (RCA), part of Rigby Group plc.

RCA is the UK’s leading regional airport operator in terms of scale and operation, and also owns and operates Exeter, Bournemouth, and Coventry airports, and holds management contracts for Blackpool, City of Derry and Solent airports.

In the year to March 2019, RCA welcomed 2.4m passengers and handled 227,000 flights, serving as gateway for the seven million people that live in the airports’ passenger catchment areas.

To download a copy of Fly Norwich 2020, click here.

We’re extremely grateful to LIFT for providing us with funding to run our new project ‘You’ve Got This’; a series of 6 half day workshops focussing on team building and increasing confidence of long term unemployed people aged 16-30.  Our first workshop started last week with a lovely group of young people, all with varying barriers preventing them moving towards work, such as low level mental health issues, hidden disabilities or lack of experience in the work place.  Each workshop is themed and last week helped participants identify their own strengths within a team.  At the end of the series, the group will put into practice all they have learned about marketing, budgeting, planning etc by helping New-U organise and run an event, with each of them contributing in a way that suits their ability and highlights their strengths.

We’re also hugely thankful to the ‘Love Norfolk’ Community Fund which has provided us with transition funding whilst we develop and implement our income generation strategy.  This funding has given us the time needed to apply for Charitable Status.  We are over the moon to announce that we achieved UK Charitable Status just before Christmas and can now plan fundraising activities to secure our future.

We have have a new staff team for 2020.  Sarah, Tasha and Kiera all started the first week in January and are working hard to support those on work placements whilst giving the shop a new look and setting up our online shop.

The way in which textiles are produced and marketed has huge implications for both the environment and for social inequality.  Long term unemployed people face numerous barriers to moving towards employment and many of these cannot be overcome without intervention geared to the individual and their specific needs.  Bringing these two aims together will better the lives of so many now and in the future. We’re still looking for more local businesses to sponsor a young person on a work placement, just get in touch if you’d like to know more.

Finally, a staggering fact;   In 2019, New-U Enterprise facilitated the swapping of over 30,000 items of clothing & accessories.  Based on best current estimates, this equates to a saving on the equivalent new items of 9 billion litres of water and 6 million kilos of CO2 – WOW!

Following last autumn’s refurbishment of the Maids Head Hotel’s Wine Press Restaurant, Head Chef Marcin ‘Magic’ Pomierny, semi-finalist in the National Chef of the Year competition 2018 and 2019, has created a new A La Carte Menu to complement the contemporary look of the AA Two Rosette restaurant, featuring the finest of local seasonal produce.

The three-course menu, which will change with the seasons, also features an amuse bouche and a pre-dessert as part of the offer. Diners can opt for three or two course meals.

“I have been inspired by our new look Wine Press Restaurant to design a menu which will complement the diners’ surroundings,” said Magic. “Local produce includes cod, halibut and game, Cromer crab, Eleveden Estate venison and Norfolk mussels, all given a contemporary twist. We have fully tested the menu in house and look forward to getting feedback from our guests.”

Menu examples:

Starters

• Hand dived scallop, tempura Cromer crab beignet, dashi broth, pear and yuzu.
• Local game terrine, beetroot chutney, blackberry, pistachio, parsley mayonnaise and brioche.

Mains

• Black garlic glazed Dingley Dell pork fillet, carrot, radish, herb panisse and red wine jus.
• Locally caught cod, baby turnip & leek, squid ink crisp, dill emulsion and white wine cream.
• Hazelnut gnocchi, pickled smoked golden beetroot, hazelnut mayonnaise, confit fennel, beetroot cracker and goat’s cheese.

Desserts

• Chocolate fondant, passion fuit, mango and coconut.
• Mille-feuille of coffee, milk chocolate, Pedro Ximenez sherry and mascarpone.

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Magic has created a seven course Taster Menu accompanied by four carefully selected wines. The special menu will be available on Friday 14 February and Saturday 15 February.

The Maids Head Hotel is in Tombland, Norwich, NR3 1LB, for more information about dining at the hotel call 01603 209955, www.maidsheadhotel.co.uk .

We, at Paul Robinson Partnership (UK) LLP, are delighted to see Bus Industrial Tools’ new base at Great Yarmouth South Denes Enterprise Zone is featured as a success story in the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership newsletter. We worked closely with Bus Industrial Tools in developing the site and it was interesting to learn from some of the innovative technical approaches the Dutch engineers brought to the project.

Indeed, we have worked extensively on the Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft Enterprise Zones since their inception and continue to do so to this day. For instance, we’ve just achieved the Planning go-ahead for a workshop on Beacon Park in Gorleston and an extension to a commercial site at Mobbs Way in Lowestoft.  Both expected to roll onto site in 2020.

Over the years the Enterprise Zone has been in place, we have developed the early Beacon Park masterplan, we’ve designed and run bespoke projects for many companies, along with speculative developments.  All of which have a high degree of take up and success.

For more information about Enterprise Zones or if you wish discuss any projects which require planning and design services, we would love to hear from you – please contact Bruce Hart on 01603 397057 or email [email protected]