Christmas in July: Our Top Tips on securing festive PR and it starts now!

Christmas might seem a million miles away when you’re enjoying balmy beach days and long summer evenings but for the press, it’s just around the corner and many of them will be already planning their festive features and gift guides, so now is the time to launch your Christmas PR campaigns.

“Christmas in July” is a key moment in the media calendar, a chance for brands to not only showcase their Christmas products and launches but also an opportunity for journalists to understand a brand’s story, paving the way for future opportunities and hopefully building a fruitful relationship which will last well after the Christmas season is over.

Long lead publications can be thinking about Christmas pages and content ideas up to 6 months in advance and from now until the big day itself, journalists will be working hard to pull together festive features and reviews, bumper gift guides and special Christmas editions for print, online and social media.

Great PR is not just for Christmas…….but it does help

Great Christmas press coverage is crucial for a brand’s long-term PR strategy. The right product placement or a glowing review from a respected journalist or influencer can elevate a brand and raise its profile, increase brand awareness, encourage sales and make sure it stands out from the crowd.

With editorial space decreasing and so many brands fighting for the same spot on the page and to be crowned a Christmas must-have, it can be hard to know how to get your campaign noticed to secure great press coverage.

We’ve compiled our top six tips to ensure your brand is on track to get the coverage it deserves over the Christmas period and beyond.

1. Plan ahead
Ensure that you have finalised your Christmas offering before July and are ready to craft a strong press release, keep it concise and be sure to include key messaging and USP’s to bring your launch to life. Make sure you also have information such as website, prices and stockist details ready to go. It may feel early but long leads will already be inundated with Christmas press releases and launch events and journalists will appreciate you being proactive and organised as they will have Christmas deadlines to meet.

2. Images are key
Make sure you have strong high res images available before you reach out to press. Your story or product might be great but without accompanying images to showcase this it will be difficult to get coverage and it could also be frustrating to a journalist who wants to feature your brand.

3. Think outside the box
For example, are you running any charity initiatives or events they might like to cover? Do you work with an expert who could provide quotes for a festive-themed feature or perhaps you have some great seasonal statistics or research which could be of interest.

4. Persistence pays off
Persistence is key, make sure you keep on top of who you’ve spoken to and log any new contacts you make along the way. Does the publication have a designated team compiling the gift guide this year or have they enlisted the support of a freelancer? keep track of who you are reaching out to and remember to follow up and follow up again.

5. Think beyond print
Journalists often work across multi-platforms so if you didn’t make that coveted print feature this time, don’t forget they will be looking for Christmas content for online and social media channels too. From an exclusive sneak peek of a Christmas collection to behind the scenes footage at an event, press will also be looking for creative content for digital.

6. Incorporate Influencers
Hosting a Christmas press event this summer? Expand the guest list beyond just traditional long-lead press to make the most impact. Engaging with key influencers is a great way to reach new audiences with your brand, just make sure you are clear of any embargos if you don’t want launch details revealed before a certain date.

Calling all Graduates!

We are looking for an enthusiastic and talented marketing/PR Graduate to join us at BrightWord PR.

The successful candidate will be working in a small, friendly and hard working team so will need to be able to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in with all areas of the business. Each day is so different here at BrightWord – one day you could be writing a blog article and the next organising an experiential event for press.

This is a great opportunity for a graduate to get hands on experience and develop existing marketing and PR skills in a small and friendly environment, with great potential for career progression.

The successful candidate will support our team in activities such as social media management, copywriting, developing and delivering e-newsletter campaigns, updating websites, supporting PR campaigns and managing design and print materials when necessary.

We are a busy agency so the candidate will need to be able to prioritise and multi-task. Self-motivation and organisation are key to this role – as is a natural aptitude for PR and marketing.

– Candidates should have gained a marketing, PR or communications degree. We will also consider applicants without a degree but who can demonstrate a background in marketing with relevant experience on their CV
– Motivation and a desire to contribute to a dynamic business
– Strong written and verbal communication skills
– Creative and enthusiastic with energy and commitment
– Ability to work independently as well as in a team
– The ability to prioritise and multi-task
– Proficiency in using software such as WordPress, Mailchimp and Microsoft Office, as well as experience managing social media platforms

This is a part time position for a minimum period of 3 months with the flexibility to work from home 2 days per week.

To apply, please send your CV and covering letter to rachel@brightword.local.

IWD: The Women We Work With

BrightWord is proud to work with many amazing female-led clients who inspire and challenge us every day to be the best we can.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we want to shine a spotlight on these incredible women and the work they do. From entrepreneurs and business leaders to creatives working in their field of passion, these women are making a difference in their industries and communities, and we feel privileged to have played a small part in their success.

Read on to meet some of the inspiring women we have the pleasure of working with. We hope that their stories will inspire and motivate others to pursue their passions and achieve their goals, regardless of gender or background.

Helen Marshall, CEO and Chair of Chichester BID

Reflecting on my second year as CEO of Chichester’s Business Improvement District and my recent appointment as Chair of the Board, I am filled with pride and gratitude for the opportunity to lead such an incredible organisation. Having had a successful career in retail, working with some of the leading contemporary women’s lifestyle brands, I can confidently say that heading up Chichester BID is one of the most challenging, yet rewarding roles I have ever held.

Together with my small, yet incredibly industrious and hardworking team, I am dedicated to being a staunch advocate for the 650 businesses within the city centre. Our priority is to promote our historic city as a thriving and safe commercial area, and to drive incremental business opportunities for all the businesses that operate in our area.

While our businesses face significant economic challenges, and high streets around the world are undergoing transformational change, I remain inspired and driven to find different ways to make our high streets work for us. I am passionate about creating a city where the incredible innovation and entrepreneurialism, particularly of our independent businesses, can be supported as they create beautiful shopping environments and experiences for people to enjoy.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, I am proud to be a female leader in business, striving to blaze a trail for other women to follow. I hope to inspire and encourage the next generation of female leaders to pursue their dreams and to never give up in the face of adversity. Together, we can create a world where women have an equal seat at the table, and where their voices are heard and valued in every aspect of business and beyond.

Heather Martin, Operations Director, Southern Fire Alarms Ltd (SFA)

As a woman in business, I am passionate about overcoming the challenges that come my way. One of the biggest obstacles I face is recruiting skilled labour, as there is a significant skills gap in the market. However, I refuse to let this hold me or SFA back. Instead, I am constantly searching for new ways to attract and retain top talent, knowing that this is crucial to the success of our business. I am proud to be part of the team of Directors successfully spearheading a 4-day working week trial here at SFA. We are just over halfway through the trial and feedback from staff is overwhelmingly positive.

What inspires me to keep pushing forward is the satisfaction of delivering a high level of service to our customers. Knowing that we are making a difference is incredibly rewarding, and it motivates me to work harder every day. Additionally, as a mother of twin boys, I am driven to be a role model for them – to show them the importance of working hard and playing hard, and to teach them that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

But I know that I cannot do this alone. Empowering my staff is key to our success. By creating a positive and supportive work environment, where everyone feels valued and heard, we can achieve amazing things together. Whether it’s through training opportunities, recognition programmes, or simply fostering an open and collaborative culture, I believe that investing in our team is the key to unlocking their full potential.

On this International Women’s Day, I am proud to be part of a community of women who are breaking down barriers and shattering glass ceilings. By sharing our stories and supporting one another, we can continue to empower women everywhere to reach for the stars and achieve their dreams.

Morag Hill, Co-Founder, The Little Botanical (TLB)

As a co-founder of The Little Botanical alongside my husband Greg, I take immense pride in my role managing team TLB and developing the brand. It can be intense, but the excitement, variety, and rewards make it all worthwhile.

One of the things that I love most about my job is that no two days are ever the same. Whether I’m collaborating closely with our suppliers to design new products, wandering through the packing hall to see what our plant-loving customers are ordering, or providing expert advice on plant care, I am constantly engaged and motivated. Devising marketing strategies, planning product launches, analysing sales data, attending trade shows, and managing our recruitment efforts are also all part of the day job. But even with so much on my plate, I always find time to take a walk around the nursery and enjoy the lush greenery that surrounds me.

Outside of work, I juggle the responsibilities of being a mother to three children, managing their schedules and fitting in exercise to keep myself healthy and energised. I love what I do and am very proud of what team TLB has created. None of it would be possible without the great team I have around me, including my husband, Greg. Personally, I find the biggest challenge is switching off; but seeing friends, exercising and walking near the sea keeps my cup full.

On International Women’s Day, my hope is to inspire other women to pursue their passions, take charge of their own lives, and overcome any barriers they may face. Starting your own business is just one example of the many ways in which women can assert their independence and achieve their dreams, and I want to encourage all women to embrace their own unique talents and skills, and to never be afraid to take risks and follow their hearts.

Debbie Ford, Chair of the Board, Chichester Cinema at New Park

As I reflect on my journey as a director and now Chair of Chichester Cinema at New Park, I am filled with a sense of pride and fulfilment. It has been several years since I took on this role and it has been just as challenging as it has been rewarding.

As the Chair, my primary responsibility is to lead the board in delivering successful outcomes for our community, donors, and everyone who supports us. It’s a big responsibility, but one that I approach with dedication and commitment. What makes this voluntary role so enjoyable is the opportunity to work with like-minded individuals who share my vision and values, and who possess the essential characteristics of energy and integrity. Through this role, I’ve grown both personally and professionally. I have been able to develop my leadership skills and make a meaningful difference in my community.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, I’m proud to be a woman breaking through the barriers and making a difference.

Rebecca Main, Marketing and Membership Manager, Weald & Downland Living Museum

The history of the Museum and its beautiful scenery makes my job hugely enjoyable despite the responsibility of keeping this important charitable trust going and relevant to the next generation of visitors.

We are lucky to have a fantastic team here, many of which are very driven and inspiring women. We all support one another, helping each other to grow in our roles. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for my own wonderful manager, a strong female leader who supported me to develop at the Museum.

My job is very varied, working on everything from marketing strategy, advertising campaigns and data analysis to supporting other areas of the Museum, from events and weddings to the interpretation and learning teams. There is always so much to do as there is a huge amount going on. This is one of my biggest challenges and its hard to switch off, especially as I feel so enthusiastic and passionate about what I do. However, the Museum offers lots of support and flexibility, which is ideal for me as a working mum.

This International Women’s Day, we celebrate the progress that has been made towards gender equality and recognise the ongoing work that still needs to be done. We are committed to promoting diversity and inclusivity in our workplace and celebrating the achievements of all women both past and present.

Andy Sheppard, Head of Marketing, New Theatre Royal Portsmouth

I started my life in theatre as a Theatre Technician in the late 70s but trained for a career as a Graphic Designer. At that period of time, women working back stage was very rare, unlike today where the opportunities are excellent for a career in ‘blacks’! I sometimes wondered where life would have taken me, should I have pursued a career behind the curtains, however I feel very proud to be making a difference to help keep such a beautiful historic theatre open and welcoming visitors to Portsmouth.

My passion is to provide cultural opportunities and experiences for everyone. From engaging with sensory shows for babies, to giving experiences for youngsters learning to express themselves through dance and movement right though to high class opera, drama and the best in comedy. I just love watching peoples’ faces as they are leaving the theatre. I love trying to overhear them chatting as they go about how the evening has made them feel.

It has been hard working though the challenges of keeping a historic theatre in business following Covid and rebuilding the confidence of audiences and welcoming them back to the theatre. But I just love being able to see people back laughing and enjoying themselves, as I too love to spend time visiting other venues.

When I’m not working, I love to ride roller coasters and play the piano (though not at the same time!). My husband, two large dogs, and two wonderful grandchildren keep me busy, but I still find time to visit other venues and enjoy the cultural experiences that I’m so passionate about.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, I’m proud to be a woman who has pursued her dreams of working in the world of theatre. I hope that my story can inspire other women to follow their passions and make a difference in their communities. Together, we can achieve great things.

Are you image conscious enough?

Supporting your business with the right imagery is important in so many ways:

It significantly helps in securing high quality PR coverage
Increases engagement, content with imagery receives over 90% more views
Encourages shares and brand interaction on social platforms
Helps tell your brand story
Can help form associations, for example seeing photos of you/your team will help audiences build a relationship with your brand
Effectively invokes emotions, needs and desires

Whether using photography, illustration, graphics or videos to support your brand and campaigns, visual content is a powerful and persuasive tool. Therefore it is crucial imagery is carefully considered and we highly recommend allocating budget to secure the right images, whether that be commissioning a photographer, artist or designer. Some points to think about include:

What type of imagery will align with your brand – think about colour, texture, people, setting etc.
What visual aids will add to your content and reinforce your story/messaging
Where are the images going to be used – on your website, for PR, social media

Before commissioning a photographer or sourcing imagery, you need to consider where and how your images will be used. A few examples include:

Website

Are the images being used for homepage banners, blogs or product pages? Think about the style, orientation, colours and size of the images needed, do you need to overlay text? Will they complement your brand identity? Also, make sure images are optimsed i.e. the right size so they look good and load quickly as well as being easy for search engines to index.

Social Media

An image-heavy medium, imagery is essential for platforms like Instagram, while Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn also benefit hugely from the use of images and visuals.

Using high-quality stock images or learning the ropes of online design tools such as Canva is a cost effective way creating content for your brand. However, nothing beats investing in a well-conceived branding shoot resulting in a library of images you can use across your social media as well as other marketing platforms (e-newsletter, website, adverts, flyers…)

Depending on what media you are targeting, different imagery will be needed. For example, if you are pitching a product, make sure you have cut outs on transparent or white backgrounds as these are much more likely to be used by press. Images of the people behind the business are great for profile pieces such as interviews. If pitching a news piece, you will need a relevant high res image to support the story whether that be a professional photo from an event, a location shot, shop front, brand ambassador etc.

Images for press need to be a minimum of 300dpi and should be saved as JPEGs or PNGs.

Our Experience

We have partnered with many talented photographers to capture beautiful images to support our work on behalf of our clients. Get in touch if you would like any recommendations or further advice on photography for your next campaign.

International Women’s Day 2022

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) is #BreakTheBias.

As an all-female team with a love of literature and language, we have chosen to celebrate this IWD by sharing our favourite female protagonists we enjoyed reading about whilst growing up:

Louisa’s choice is Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

“My lifeline as a red headed girl with a bad temper. Finding young female role models in fiction who embody real, everyday characteristics is not common. Anne is good, caring and creative, but she is also angry, vain and holds a mean grudge! She taught me that people, myself included, are not just one thing, we are a tapestry of the good, the bad and the ugly – and that is ok and part of what makes us beautiful.”

Rachel’s choice is Mary Lennox from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

“One of my all time favourite books as a child and still today! At first Mary comes across as spoilt and not very likeable but as the story develops, she learns the values of nature, kindness and friendship. While not an obvious hero, she becomes the saviour of not only the secret garden but also many of the book’s characters.”

Jennie’s choice is Jo March from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

“My little girl was actually born on International Women’s Day and I love sharing stories with strong female lead characters that mirror the amazing women in my own life, such as Little Women. The heartwarming, coming of age novel tells the story of the lives of four very different sisters through the viewpoint of the fearless, independent and headstrong Jo March who isn’t afraid to challenge the gender stereotypes of her time. I can already see lots of similarities between her and my tenacious toddler.”

Abby’s choice is Alice from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll

“Alice really was my childhood hero and I loved being ‘Alice’ during imaginary play. She’s a self-assured, adventure seeker. Always kind and courteous to others, I greatly admire the way she stands up for herself during her enchanting encounters with the likes of the Caterpillar, the Mad Hatter and of course The Queen of Hearts.”

We hope you enjoyed reading about our childhood heroes as much as we enjoyed reminiscing about them.

As storytellers ourselves, we know how powerful stories can be in challenging and changing perceptions. As mothers, we are passionate about sharing our love of reading and helping our children to uncover the classics as well as discover new adventures and positive, inspiring role models that #BreakTheBias.

Get your business off to a flying start this year

Have you found yourself with a little extra time this January but don’t know where to start when it comes to organising your marketing and PR? From press lists to pitches, we have collated our top tips for using this time wisely to get ahead with your marketing and PR…

Review Press Lists and Contacts – make sure your database of media contacts and target press is up to date. Have any journalists moved publications or are there any relevant new titles/blogs/influencers to add?
Research – our favourite word when it comes to PR, but it really is integral. Now is a great time to pick up issues of your target media and look on their websites to remind yourselves of regular features and the style of content they favour.
Key 2022 dates – start a content calendar with key dates including company events, industry events, relevant brand awareness days and national events as well as a schedule of PR pitches to ensure you are always planning ahead. Remember many printed magazines are working 3-6 months in advance so you should be thinking and pitching spring stories now!
Asset Update – review key assets such as your image library, press release boiler plate and bios as well as social media bios, website copy and e-newsletter template.
Training – now could be the perfect time for some training or refresher sessions on any areas you are less confident on.
Feeling overwhelmed? Why not book in for a Power Hour with a member of our team to help give you focus and direction as well as advice tailored to you and your business.

Celebrating 10 Years!

It is hard to believe that 10 years has passed since Rachel sat at her kitchen table with the idea that small, local businesses deserved the same access to high end PR and marketing support as their corporate counterparts.

Since then BrightWord has flown the flag for many small businesses both in Sussex and beyond, telling their stories and helping them to become the very best they can be. From launching one of the top wedding venues in the area and running the reopening campaign of a historic theatre, to bringing James Bond’s original tailor back to the forefront. Keep reading for just some of BrightWord’s best moments from the past ten years…

1. BOND, JAMES BOND

One of our first clients and still one of our favourite projects to work on! Back in 2012 we ran the national PR campaign for re-launching Anthony Sinclair, the Saville Row tailoring firm best known for creating Sean Connery’s suits throughout his role as James Bond.

Find out more…

2. A PERFECT PARTNERSHIP

We strongly believe in the power of partnerships and have seen how bringing the right brands together can have phenomenal results. An example of this was with our client W&W Jewellery and Pickett London – two brands recognised for their British craftsmanship, design and quality.

Find out more…

3. VIRTUAL CHARITY FASHION SHOW

From powerful partnerships to creative campaigns and a virtual fashion show, in a few short months we made a measurable difference to the social engagement, website traffic and overall brand awareness of Rosie Rose, an independent clothing and homeware store.

Find out more…

4. RAISING THE CURTAIN ON NEW THEATRE ROYAL

Following a £4.5 million restoration project, we were tasked with securing as much media coverage as possible to announce the re-opening of the historic New Theatre Royal in Portsmouth.

Find out more…

5. CHAMPIONING CHICHESTER

We are beyond proud to have supported Chichester BID for the last 3 years, especially through the challenges of the pandemic. We are so passionate about this city – where we live and work – so playing a part in supporting the local businesses and economy is very important to us. We now look forward to working with the team as they go into a new 5-year term.

Find out more…

6. THE 2021 HOPE CLASSIC RALLY

We thrive on working under pressure, and when we were tasked with boosting brand awareness and registrations for the 2021 Hope Classic Rally just 6 weeks before the charity event took place – we rose to the challenge!

Find out more…

7. SPRINGING INTO THE SPOTLIGHT

The pandemic hit The Spring Arts & Heritage Centre in Havant hard, but alongside their incredible and innovative team we worked to ensure their many community support programmes received the coverage they deserved.

8. MARKING EVERY MILESTONE

From the venue’s grand opening in 2012 to marking 5 years of beautiful weddings in 2017 with a PR-worthy photo opportunity and party, we are proud to have been working alongside the fabulous team at Southend Barns for every moment of their journey so far. We now look forward to their own 10 year celebrations next year!

SMALL BUT MIGHTY!

As for many small businesses, BrightWord’s 10th year has been one of the most challenging yet. We are strong believers that true success comes from hard work, passion, creativity and support (not something our industry is always known for). Led by Rachel, this people-centric approach is at the heart of everything we do at BrightWord and we believe that it is why we are lucky to have a roster of loyal clients which has remained much the same, even through a pandemic.

In honour of our 10 year anniversary some of our clients told us exactly what it is they love about working with us. Click here to read more.

THANK YOU AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!

To all our clients, suppliers and friends – thank you so much for your support over the last 10 years. Wishing you a very happy and healthy Christmas. We can’t wait to work with you all in 2022!

My Time at BrightWord – Grace Masters

Beginning my journey at Brightword straight after finishing my university degree at Bournemouth, I really didn’t know what to expect. But with fabulous guidance and advice from Rachel, Abby and Jennie, I soon felt confident in my first professional role as part-time Marketing Executive.

My first day passed in a blur, and I loved every second! Visiting the Rosie Rose store with Abby to take pictures and videos for social media and meeting the Rosie Rose team was a great way for me to get involved in what was a hands-on role. The variation of clients was one of my favourite parts of working at BrightWord, as no two days were the same and I had the opportunity to work on an array of different projects. From writing blog posts for the beautiful wedding venue Southend Barns, to creating the press page for the inspirational Monique Eastwood and ensuring events for clients like the Weald & Downland Living Museum and The Spring Arts & Heritage Centre were listed appropriately to ensure maximum exposure – I have certainly learnt a lot over the past 4 months!

As a fast-moving business, the diversity of tasks at BrightWord always kept me on my toes. I was constantly in awe of the creativity and drive of Rachel, Abby and Jennie and their vast array of fabulous ideas and dedication to always achieving complete client satisfaction and maximum customer engagement. I saw the benefit of not keeping ‘all your eggs in one basket’ and utilising multiple marketing touch points.

With Instagram Reels now at the forefront of maximising exposure for brands on Instagram, I loved the task of creating reels for clients such as Rosie Rose and W&W Jewellery, as well as keeping the BrightWord Instagram up to date and showcasing what we had been up to over the summer. Learning how to use secondary software to enhance the social media pages of clients as well as experience using website builders like WordPress and Shopify has been extremely beneficial for my progression too.

One of the highlights of my time at BrightWord was working on the launch of Chichester Buzz – an online directory of Chichester Indies. I thoroughly enjoyed researching, collecting, and uploading the information to promote the variety of independent business the city boasts, and it was very special to see the completed directory after working on it from the beginning. Another highlight was seeing the advert I had a part in designing for the opening of Southend Barns’ brand new Shepherds Hut, Mama Lou in Sussex Life magazine and drafting a column for the Weald & Downland Living Museum for a feature in the West Sussex Gazette.

My most valued experiences however were those working alongside Rachel, Jennie and Abby. Their expertise of the industry and drive and passion for their clients is something that I admired and is what makes BrightWord so special. With the return of the fabulous Louisa after she had her beautiful baby girl, my time at BrightWord has sadly come to an end. I have treasured working alongside these fabulous ladies, and I am so grateful for the experience – I can’t wait to see where my next adventure takes me!

The importance of customer ‘touch points’ and how to establish them

Were you left feeling a little lost after the Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp outage on the 4 October? Maybe you didn’t notice? Perhaps you were relieved to have some enforced social media downtime? As a society that relies on social media not only for entertainment and escapism but also as a direct marketing platform to engage, promote and sell to customers, there was little surprise about the media storm this outage whipped up.

However the outage impacted you, for many businesses it served as a reminder why it’s unwise to rely solely on social media platforms to engage with customers and reach new audiences. This is not only due to the impact it would have on your business if one of these platforms disappeared overnight but also because data shows that there is high percentage of people that are inactive and disengaged with social media.

So how can you effectively communicate with your audiences and target your ideal customers and clients if they aren’t all avid social media users?

Here at Brightword, we always advocate communicating your key messages and planning your campaigns across a mix of social media platforms, e-newsletters and press and media outlets. Why? Because for a potential customer to even start to think about interacting with you brand, they need to have touched upon it at least seven times. Yes, for us marketeers, seven is the magic number. Obviously, this varies depending on your business, brand, product, price point and audience, but by having a strong, consistent presence across several touchpoints – from social media, e-newsletters, collaborative marketing with a likeminded brand and generated coverage in a key media, broadcast or online outlet, you are far more likely to build brand recognition, credibility, trust, engagement and sales with your target audience.

But before you embark on a multi-marketing campaign, you need to take the time to understand your audience and really get under their skin – who are they, how old are they, where do they live, what are their interests, where do they go on holiday, where do they consume media, where do they shop, what are they inspired by and passionate about?

Once you’ve created your 360 degree customer profile it will make it so much easier to target your ideal customer with tailored campaigns and messaging that feels personal, makes a true connection and results in a new customer. You will also find it far easier to embrace multiple marketing platforms and feel less dependent on social media to deliver your entire marketing strategy.

If you would like help looking at creating your own customer profiles and understand how you can establish more customer “touch points” for your business we would love to hear from you.

Our bespoke 1 to 1 power hour sessions with a member of our experienced team are designed to give you the confidence, knowledge, and direction to move your marketing journey forward. It could be the kick start you need… click here to enquire now!

Important dates this Autumn that you and your business should take advantage of!

With summer behind us, most businesses are now looking ahead to their long-term festive campaigns. However, whilst Christmas is a critical time of year for many businesses don’t overlook some of the important dates and events that fall before the 25th December.

To help you get started, we have created a list of key dates you could take advantage of this autumn. Use these to create mini social media campaigns, e-newsletter content, customer offers or PR opportunities.

October 31: Clocks fall back
With the clocks due to change on the 31st October, there is lots of opportunity for creating informative or fun content to help people through this transition into winter. Can you share tips or advice on getting winter ready – whether that’s for the home, the wardrobe, the routine, plans with kids – the possibilities are endless.

October 31: Halloween
An increasingly popular event, which this year coincides with half term, Halloween offers up lots of options for content creation or collaborations. Whether it is some spooky season discounts, a Halloween themed menu or activities and giveaways for kids, the 31st October should be firmly marked in your calendars.

November 4: Diwali
Diwali is the five-day Festival of Lights, celebrated by millions of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains across the world. Diwali, which for some also coincides with harvest and new year celebrations, is a festival of new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil, and light over darkness. This is a great opportunity to celebrate other cultures and encourage your customers to take part. Perhaps you could share information about this important festival and ideas on how your customers could join in at home, could you decorate your business premises, run Diwali packages, menus or offers?

November 25: Thanksgiving
A pivotal celebration in the USA, thanksgiving could still be relevant to your audience especially if you have an international customer base or online community. As a day dedicated to giving thanks and celebrating the end of the autumn harvest, perhaps this is a good time for you to give something back to your community? Donating to a local food bank, giving a percentage of sales to a charity of your choice or rewarding your customers as a thank you for their support.

November 26: Black Friday and Cyber Monday (Nov 29)
Like it or not, Black Friday, and more recently Cyber Monday are two dates that look set to stay! Black Friday has routinely been the busiest shopping day of the year and is a day where many shops slash their prices ahead of the festive season. We are not huge fans of this annual campaign and feel that for those businesses that are built on relationships and quality customer service, this is possibly not the right direction. However, we recognise that it is an influential vehicle that can drive new business, website traffic or store footfall for the right kind of retailer.

What journalists are working on right now…
As well as what lies ahead, don’t forget to think past Christmas. Now is the time to be pitching your New Year stories, products or services to press such as monthly magazines. Are you in the fitness industry and about to launch a new programme? Are you in the food business and are working on detox menus in time for January? Or perhaps you have products for Valentine’s Day that would be ideal for gift guides. Don’t miss your chance; start talking to press today.

We’ve got lots of advice on timings and writing press releases or we can arrange a Power Hour to help give some focused advice.

For more information on important dates that you should take advantage of, subscribe to our e-newsletter to receive a free PR calendar.

Create a Christmas experience

Make this Christmas extra special!

As one of the biggest seasonal events across the world for retailers, the Christmas period demands preparation but what can you do to really stand out?

Today’s consumers aren’t looking to be sold to, they want an experience, they want to learn and discover and feel part of a community.

Christmas is the perfect time to create opportunities and experiences that win the hearts and minds of your customers leading to greater customer loyalty as well as increased brand awareness through organic and all-powerful word of mouth marketing.

Here are just some top tips for high street retailers to make sure you are investing time and money into the right kind of activity this Christmas.

Experience, Discover & Surprise

Having been shut away at home for most of last winter, people are looking for unique and lovely experiences this festive season.

If you are a bricks and mortar business then getting involved with local events such as late night shopping is a great way to attract new customers and increase footfall. Providing special in-store offers and activities, or simply going above and beyond for your customers on these dedicated shopping evenings will leave customers feeling festive and positive about their shopping experience with you.

If there isn’t anything planned in your area, consider running your own festive event such as an exclusive shopping evening. Setting up a free event on a platform like EventBrite will help you manage registrations and numbers. Don’t forget to create a Facebook Event too!

To make your event even more appealing you could provide a glass of bubbly or mulled wine, a goodie bag to say thank you for coming or a hard to resist, one night only special offer.

Why not consider partnering up with another business such as a stylist, calligrapher or florist to add extra elements to your event. People love the chance to get crafty and creative so why not offer a mini crafting workshop. Invite an expert to attend your event that is relevant to your audience to share their knowledge, for example, a local stylist giving tips on trends, an interior designer on how to create the perfect festive tablescape or a sommelier talking about wine pairings.

Christmas is the time of giving so you could also run an event or campaign in aid of a chosen charity, such as donating a percentage of sales, launching a charity collection or giving something back in another way.

Trust us, the effort is worth it to help build on existing relationships and attract new potential customers. It will also provide you with engaging content for your social media, an excuse to send out an e-newsletter to your database and also an opportunity to be featured in local media.

If you would like to brainstorm more ideas about creating Christmas events or campaigns that will create connections with your target audience, please don’t hesitate to contact us or enquire about booking a power hour session with one of our experienced team.

Our Summer Roundup

Working on everything from PR and events to social media campaigns and marketing strategy, it is fair to say we have been a very busy team this summer, and we have loved every moment!

From the launch of Chichester BID’s new online directory to the success of the Summer Street Party and working with new clients on maximising both exposure and engagement we have certainly had our hands full.

Here are just some of the projects we’ve been working on…

Chichester Buzz

We love to support local independent businesses here at BrightWord, we know that these truly are the beating heart of our city centre. For this reason, we really enjoy our work with Chichester BID and all the campaigns we work on with them.

Following the success of the online directory we created in response to the first lockdown, we have now launched a purpose-built directory called Chichester Buzz. Mobile-friendly and easy to use, the directory features all city centre indies to help visitors and locals alike to navigate the streets and find these hidden gems.

We have also enjoyed working with Chichester BID on their new visitor guides for families, culture seekers and couples. Showcasing all that Chichester has to offer, these guides include a 2-day itinerary complete with suggestions of what to do, what to eat, and where to stay – and the response has been epic!

Summer Street Party

After a very tough 18 months for the high street, we were delighted to be working with Chichester BID and Chichester District Council on the Summer Street Party. The aim was to create an uplifting event to encourage footfall and support our city centre businesses.

We wanted the party to take place across all corners of the city and to get the businesses involved as much as possible so we supported the BID on creating a fashion show in East Street, a vintage square with Dawn Gracie in St Martin’s and a Covent Garden vibe in East Street, to encourage people to enjoy the alfresco finding spots in this area. We also managed all publicity for the event including campaigns with V2 Radio.

It was a great day and the increase in footfall was testament to its success. We loved seeing our city buzzing again!

New Clients

We’ve welcomed several new clients these last few months including Hope Classic Rally, to help provide PR and social media support for their annual charity car rally. We knew we would be working on a tight timeline, but as an event dedicated to fundraising for WeSeeHope, a fabulous charity committed to creating sustainable change in Southern and Eastern Africa, we really wanted to support this great cause.

We’ve also loved working with the phenomenal Monique Eastwood this summer. Monique already has a brand and reputation to be proud of as a trainer to the likes of Emily Blunt and features in national press such as The Times, Vogue and Grazia (to name a few!!). Our aim is to help her create some consistency and strategy with her digital communications, pushing her online classes through social media, e-newsletters and online.

As a team who loves to empower other inspiring women, we’ve also enjoyed working with the very lovely Kim of Applemoon Interiors on her social media. We’ve already had some fantastic feedback from Kim and are looking forward to helping her on some exciting upcoming projects.

If you would like to take your business to the next level but aren’t sure where to start, book a power hour session with one of our experienced team members who will provide you with bespoke guidance, advice, and confidence to help move your marketing forward. Click here to find out more.

Christmas in July? Why now is the perfect time to launch your festive PR campaigns

Great PR is not just for Christmas…….but it does help

We’ve compiled our top six tips to ensure your brand is on track to get the coverage it deserves over the Christmas period and beyond.

Need some help carving out your story or getting featured? We’ve worked with a wide range of businesses to secure PR coverage throughout the year as well as over the vital Christmas season. To find out how we can help, contact us on hello@brightword.local. Now might also be a good time to book a Power Hour with us for a focused coaching session on Christmas campaigns.

Photo by The Luminous

Staycation Inspiration

With many holidays abroad off the agenda for the time being, we thought we’d share how the BrightWord team will be enjoying summer on the South Coast this year…judging by this, we all clearly share a love for water!

Rachel: “I love spending time outdoors with my family and luckily we are spoilt for choice here. You can usually find us somewhere near water – either paddle boarding on Chichester Canal or down at Dark Lane beach in Aldwick where I’ve been swimming each week over the past year. We also enjoy packing a picnic, a flask of tea and going for long walks with our Springer Spaniel, Poppy. Halnaker Windmill is one of our favourites.”

Abby: “I love heading to The New Forest with my family. It’s under an hour drive from Chichester so you can go for just the day and enjoy a walk, pub lunch and some crabbing. Or we often spend a few days away camping with friends. Cycling, splashing in streams and horse riding are just some of the activities we get up to.”

Jennie: “We are so lucky to have so many beautiful places on our doorstep, rain or shine. I love a coastal walk, especially around my local area of Bosham and even better if it is via a great coffee shop.”

Grace: “I spend most evenings just along from Bournemouth Pier at west cliff and tend to stroll along the promenade to the quieter places. Nothing beats a good fish and chips and ice cream on the seafront! I have seen some of the best sunsets over at sandbanks too, idyllic.”

Banner photo by Nadi Lindsay

Orchestrating Reopenings

At BrightWord we always go the extra mile for clients. Our passion and expertise lie in creating cost-effective PR and marketing campaigns that can be rolled out across multiple channels to maximise engagement and secure wide-reaching exposure for our clients. Our reopening campaigns were no exception.

Never before have we had to curate so many tumultuous campaigns for so many clients to launch all on the same day! It’s been exciting, exhilarating and exhausting. But we’re pretty proud of our achievements. Here we’ve encapsulated the highlights and shared a top-tip for each of the key elements of our clients’ campaigns.

Features and Photo Opportunities

We were delighted for our client Southend Barns to be THE wedding venue chosen to showcase the first wedding held in Sussex in 2021. Not by chance, we might add – but by advanced planning and liaising between Brightword, our client, the couple and the picture desk.

Reopening media coverage was also secured by BrightWord for our clients Weald & Downland Living Museum and The Spring Arts & Heritage Centrethanks to weeks (and in some cases months) of advance planning and communication with relevant media outlets.

Top Tip: Don’t leave securing media coverage to the last minute. Liaise with relevant media outlets well in advance and discuss with them when they need information and photography in order to give yourself the best chance of securing coverage.

Online and In-Person Customer Engagement

With the shutters down for the last 14 weeks, encouraging customer footfall was a key objective for our retail clients.

Rosie Rose, our indie fashion and homewares store client, first opened just weeks before lockdown #1. After enticing followers with lots of exciting in-store videos and pictures of what to expect on reopening, we came up with a collaborative ‘Goodie Bag’ campaign that not only created huge social media engagement and excitement but really set the tone for encouraging the public to love, support and shop local.

We collaborated with eight other local small businesses to put together a special goodie bag for the first 21 Rosie Rose customers in-store. Our engagement and reach on Instagram and Facebook for this single ‘goodie bag’ post was through the roof. Most importantly, Rosie Rose has had a wonderfully busy first week back in business and we continue to build on the incredible momentum of the campaign.

Top Tip: Seek organic collaborations that will excite your customers and help you reach new audiences.

Being an Authority – Opinion and Comment

It’s unrealistic to expect the media to cover every single business event / reopening individually, however big the wow factor. Journalists are always interested in receiving comments and opinions on important issues that affect their readers both locally and nationally, providing an alternative PR opportunity.

We secured prominent coverage for our clients Rosie Rose and Chichester BID in a front cover and double page spread feature in the Chichester Observer by providing timely press statements from both clients on the importance of the easing of lockdown restrictions.

Top Tip: Have an opinion on industry issues that support your business’ ethos and values and let your local media know about it.

A Curtain Raising Campaign

For our client Chichester BID, we have curated a 3-month reopening campaign to support BID Levy Payers to get back to business and help visitors to the city rediscover and celebrate the people, places and passions of Chichester.

As a nod to the famous festival theatre and rich cultural heritage of the city, we came up with a ‘Raising the Curtain’ campaign that will roll out in three acts as and when restrictions lift.

Act I includes a special #rediscoverchichester social media campaign that not only shines a spotlight on city centre businesses but also encourages the public to share what they love about their city. Supported with print advertising, e-marketing and news-driven media coverage, we are delighted with the applause received for Act I of the campaign from our client and their key audiences. We can’t wait to roll out Act II and III.

Top Tip: Take the time to orchestrate a campaign that has continuity, longevity and opportunity for you to use across all your marketing platforms.

If you have an event coming up and would like to discover how our approach to PR and marketing could help you please do get in touch.

The Art of Collaboration

The art of collaboration is bringing together the perfect partnerships to get the right campaigns to the right audiences.

A global pandemic and its repercussions have inevitably had an impact on how we live, work, shop and connect. It’s also altered how we view the world including the brands we choose to support and how we respond to marketing.

Now more than ever, it’s time for businesses to rethink how to promote their ideas, values and services in a meaningful and engaging way that resonates with their audiences. This is where partnership marketing comes in…

Partnership marketing is essentially all about collaborating with another business, influencer, charity or individual, that shares a natural synergy with your brand. That could be a similar target audience, a shared ethos or a complementary product or service. By working together you both not only benefit from reaching a wider relevant audience but also having someone else tell your story gives you more brand credibility. Collaborations are also a great way to generate engaging content.

We’ve worked on various collaborations over the years, including:

Helping Rosie Rose to bloom
We started working with Rosie Rose at the end of 2020 to help raise their local brand awareness. An independent shop in Chichester, they sell unique homeware and clothing. Our aim was to promote both sides of the business to a targeted local audience, and it was important that campaigns were engaging and inspiring to boost the brand rather than just sales. In the last few months we’ve partnered with local stylists, interior designers, charities and business women. Top of our list of potential partners on the fashion side was Vicky Booker, a local Stylist and Personal Brand Coach. With a loyal following of local women looking for useful and realistic styling tips and advice, we knew Vicky was already a fan of Rosie Rose which made the collaboration much more natural and authentic. Vicky visited the store to film her Winter Edit, a series of videos showcasing her top picks with advice on how to wear each piece and what to pair it with. Vicky also appeared in a virtual fashion show we organised for the store during lockdown to help raise vital funds for local charity, Stonepillow. Read more here.

Beautifully Bespoke
When you find a partnership that works, there’s no reason you can’t revisit it! Our client W&W Jewellery is an independent bespoke jewellers in London. To help launch their new Jewellery Box Collection, a specially curated collection of one-off pieces, we partnered with luxury brand Pickett. A business that shares the jewellery firm’s passion for distinctive style, exceptional design and impeccable craftsmanship, they seemed a natural fit. Pickett provides luxury leather goods that are handmade in England including a selection of jewellery boxes and a bespoke offering. Working with the Pickett team, we coordinated a photo shoot featuring the jewellery pieces sat inside the exquisite jewellery boxes provided by Pickett. The beautiful imagery was then used by both brands across social media, PR and online with a story that celebrated British luxury artisans and crafts. Another campaign followed this which saw Trevor Pickett, founder of the business, guest curate a bespoke piece of jewellery with W&W.

Giving Back
It’s not just businesses that we help connect, but also charities. By linking up the right charity with the right brand, we create a way to give back to communities and highlight the values of the business whilst also helping to raise vital funds for important causes. In the last year when supporting our local communities has been so vital, we created a charity fashion show on behalf of Rosie Rose to raise funds for Stonepillow through the sale of their clothing collection. We also initiated a campaign for Warrenders Jewellers, which saw them donate a percentage of each sale to The Royal Marsden in Sutton.

The collaborations we come up with are designed with multi-channels in mind, so campaigns can be used not only for social media but also PR, e-newsletters and online content to help drive maximum awareness and measurable results.

If you’d like to find out how strategic collaborations can help your business, we’d love to hear from you.

Main photo via The Luminous

Top Tips For Forging Collaborations

We strongly believe in the power of collaboration and have seen how bringing the right brands together can have incredible results all round. Working with other likeminded businesses, individuals or charities allows your story to be told from a different view point which leads to increased credibility and visibility.

You can read more about the power of partnerships here, but in the meantime below are our top tips for forging your own collaborations:

Know your audience
It is important that you really understand your target audience, this doesn’t mean who you’d like to be targeting but who actually is engaging with your brand already and using your products/services. Once you have a clear idea of this you can look for other brands or influencers with a similar audience to ensure what you have to share is relevant to them too.

Look for synergy
One of our favourite words when it comes to collaboration projects! You might want to partner with that influencer who has 20k followers but do they have anything in common with your brand, ethos and offering? If not it is unlikely their followers will either, even though there might be lots of them! Take the time to look for businesses or individuals that are likeminded and share your values or aims. An authentic partnership will have much more success than something forced.

Look beyond the obvious
Don’t feel limited to partnering with someone in your sector, maybe there are other common themes to look for such as ethics, location, target audience, age, founder stories etc. Research into influencers, products, brands, associations and suppliers that you may not have initially thought of. It’s important to pick out potential partners which you share a common ethos or goal with but without there being any direct competition.

Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses
It’s really important to take a good long look at your business’s strengths and weaknesses. For example, it’s ok to be experts in brand awareness but lacking in product placement. The important thing is to recognise these and look at partnerships that might fill these missing skills sets. This should work both ways so you can also help your partner on what they lack or need, whether that be reaching a specific audience or simply just content creation.

Set your goals and boundaries
It’s really important to put a co-marketing plan together at the outset to define roles, expectations and any associated costs. It’s likely the goals will be shared by both parties and can include simple things such as obtaining more PR coverage or developing more social media engagement. Set mutual KPIs so you can analyse the success of the campaign.

To read more about the power of partnerships, click here or contact us to find out how we can help.

Photo via The Luminous

New Year, New Lockdown

So this wasn’t the first blog we had hoped to be writing in 2021, but here it is. I’m sure we are all feeling fear, frustration and anxiety about how this new lockdown will impact our lives and businesses. As a small agency we have the same concerns, but we are going to do all we can to continue supporting our clients, local communities and keep a positive mindset throughout. Last year showed us just how resilient and adaptable we can all be when needed and we saw amazing entrepreneurial and community spirit shine through some dark times. We are confident we will see more of this in the months to come.

Many of you did a lot of the hard work within your businesses last year; pivoting your focus and introducing new solutions/services to ensure you could survive through the lockdowns and strict local restrictions. Here we share a few tips on what you could be doing now to build on this and ensure you start 2021 as you mean to go on.

Why January is a great time to get pitching
January is a good time to pitch your PR stories as there is generally less competition for those column inches. It tends to be a quiet month for journalists as most businesses are still only just recovering and ramping up after Christmas. Take advantage of this and start getting in touch with your target media outlets to tell them about your new product or service, or even to pitch yourself for profile features.

Many online and short-lead feature themes for January are about fresh starts and new year resolutions, so if you can tap into these even better. Most long-leads will be thinking about spring now so you could start pitching seasonal content that relates to topics such as spring collections, spring cleaning, Easter and getting your garden ready.

Plan ahead
Now is also a good time to re-visit and refine your marketing and PR plans for the year. We’ve obviously just been thrown another curve ball by Boris but don’t let that stop you. When was the last time you sat down with a blank sheet of paper to map out your customer profiles, target media, plans for new pivots or products to meet your business objectives for this year?

Target practice
Understanding your target audience is crucial in helping you identity the media they look to for information or inspiration. For example, if your aim is to get in front of a younger more socially-conscious audience, you might want to look at collaborating with a relevant influencer or putting more time into your social media strategy. Or if your target customer is a high-earner with a taste for luxury, they might be more likely to read glossy lifestyle magazines. For a very local audience, focus on local radio, parish magazines and community groups on Facebook.

Keeping up communication
Regular communication with your audience has never been more important than during the ever changing pandemic. Many businesses assume the public know what they are offering and how they are offering it, but this is often not the case. Providing clients or customers with clear and up to date information both on your website and via marketing platforms is a simple way to alert more people to your services and generate business during these difficult times.

Ensuring your website is clear and easy to navigate is a great place to start. Try to view it from an outsider’s perspective or get an objective friend to take a look. Consider things like user journey and whether key information is easily accessible. Are as many of your products/services online as possible and are they broken down into easily searchable categories? Are your product pictures clear and high quality? Do you have any helpful payment options available (PayPal / Klarna etc.) Looking at your website and going through each user journey as if you are a customer could make the difference between a sale or them fulfilling their needs elsewhere.

E-newsletters and social media channels provide great ways to connect with your audience and keep them up to date with any new services, offers or opening times. Think about what your customers are going through right now and take this into consideration when you are writing your content, perhaps they need support, help or reassurance rather than a sales pitch.

If you’d like some support or have any marketing and PR questions, please do get in touch. From our Power Hour Training to helping you develop and deliver a targeted strategy, we are here to help.

For monthly tips and advice, sign up to our e-newsletter here.

Don’t panic, there’s still time to shop local!

We’ve spent the last ten years working with lots of small and local businesses so we understand just how critical this time of year is for them and how much of an impact the last lockdown has had.

So to help support the wonderful array of businesses we are lucky enough to have here in Chichester, we took a pledge to shop local this Christmas for as many of our gifts and festive essentials as possible. So if any of you, like us, are still looking for last minute gifts don’t panic, here are some ideas on how you still have time to support local:

~ There are a great many independent businesses in Chichester, all of which help make up the fabric, character and soul of our city. Here are just a few of our favourites:

Winter’s Moon. First up (and one of Rachel’s favourite spots!) is the treasure trove that is Winter’s Moon. Run by the lovely Julia, Winter’s Moon offers a wonderful mix of gifts and pretty homeware, from delightful coffee table books and chic crockery to whimsical cards and decorations.
Clothkits. A dream for lovers of sewing and craft, Clothkits is a haberdashery haven filled to the brim with useful tools, patterns and project inspiration. Favoured by our new recruit Kelly, this charming shop is run by local business champion Kay. We love the fact that Kay and her team of friendly and knowledgeable staff are always on hand to advise on any sewing tasks we have in mind.
ZigZag. Making his mark on the Chichester fashion scene is Stu Hopkins and his popular shoe shop ZigZag. Housing an eclectic selection of cool brands, from DMs to Vagabond, ZigZag brings the best of footwear into one easy to shop location and is given the BrightWord stamp of approval by our own shoe lover Louisa.
Draper’s Yard. The indie shoppers dream hub, Draper’s Yard is chock full of fantastic independent businesses selling everything from coffee and groceries to homeware and crafts. This year they also launched a YUM Saturday, offering deliveries and collections on all local produce and supplies from their yardies.
The Floral Artisan. With a new pop-up shop at The Barn in Little London, The Floral Artisan is our go-to for fresh flowers. From jam jar posies and beautiful bouquets to Christmas wreaths and workshops, we love Lucy’s passion for seasonal blooms and her natural approach to flower arranging.
Rosie Rose. In the market for one-of-a-kind furniture or quirky ornaments? Then Rosie Rose is the place for you. This lovely shop is fairly new to Chichester, but – despite the pandemic – has been going from strength to strength. Entering Rosie Rose is like stepping into Aladdin’s Cave with their eclectic mix of products and clothing, we challenge you to leave empty handed.

~ Memberships – with many attractions such as museums and theatres being forced to close and cancel events this year, it is the ideal time to show your support for the future by treating loved ones to a membership or annual pass this Christmas.

~ Food glorious food – we’ve all missed eating out as much this year and the restaurants have certainly suffered so why not treat your foodie friends and family to gift vouchers to dine out at their favourite local eatery when the time is right.

~ The pivoters – we’ve been so impressed with many of the businesses that have quickly adapted this year to ensure they can survive the pandemic. For example, with weddings on hold Southend Barns launched decadent dining events in their usually exclusive venue. Why not take advantage of these unique experiences and purchase gift vouchers?

~ If this wasn’t enough inspiration for supporting local, you can also pick up a Chichester Gift Card, which can be used in over 140 of the shops, eateries and salons in the city centre.

We hope this helps towards you enjoying a very last minute but local Christmas this year.

Inspiring Women in Business – Mariella Fleming

To finish our blog series of Inspiring Women in Business is someone who without even realising it has played a big part in the success of BrightWord. Mariella is the owner of Southend Barns in Chichester, and was one of our first clients back in 2012 when BrightWord consisted of just Rachel, a laptop and kitchen table! Mariella saw something and took a chance on working with us to launch her new wedding venue business and now nearly 10 years later the relationship and both businesses are still going strong.

Not many people can combine great business sense with an eye for design, but Mariella has both in bucket loads. Always up for trying something new, this way of working has proved vital this year when Southend Barns was forced to close for large events and the team had to quickly pivot to ensure they could continue holding beautiful but safe celebrations.

It is this innovation and work ethic that inspires us about Mariella. Here we talk to her about what drives her and how she has handled the impact of Covid on her business…

Tell us about your career so far and what led you to open Southend Barns?
I started out in farming as I did my degree in Agricultural Business Management. My first business was in salads, we grew different types of lettuce for Asda, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose. I learned a lot in that business; product development, how to manage people, communication and logistics, how to produce food safely and how to be resilient and flexible.

After 15 years of selling millions of lettuces to supermarkets, I knew I wanted to do something that required closer contact to the customer and more creativity. So when we were able to sell our business, I knew instantly what the next step would be.

I had always wanted to make the 200 year-old dilapidated Black Barn in the middle of our farm into a beautiful venue that many people could visit and enjoy. Initially we planned for a function barn and self-catering accommodation but when it became possible to have weddings at many different sites, the destiny for Southend Barns was sealed. We opened our doors to our first wedding couple in June 2012.

What does an average day look like for you?
I usually start with checking emails and messages when I wake up. After that, I try to have a daily yoga practice, a run or a workout, if something has come up in the emails that needs resolving, I usually have a solution at the end of my run.

A few years ago I qualified as a Natural Chef, therefore good quality healthy food is important to me, so I always have a wholesome breakfast. Over a coffee I discuss with my business partner (and husband) what needs addressing, whether that is staff, finance, maintenance or new ideas. I then go to the Barns, I am very lucky I do not have to commute to work, it is literally next door!

I have a good eye for things and try to remain critical, so I notice if something is not in the right place, needs replacing or needs watering straight away. I pop into the Roots kitchen and check with the chefs what they are cooking, I love seeing how they make everything from scratch, so on days we have not got events they will be making sauces, curing salmon and marinating meats. I then go over to the office to see if there are any questions or any other issues that need sorting out.

Once a week we have an operational meeting and we discuss the last week’s events, what went well, and what needs working on and we discuss the forward planner with all members of the team so that all will run totally smoothly on the event days. At events there is a lot of hustle and bustle – meeting couples, suppliers, registrars and guests. I love it when I see the whole team confidently getting on with their tasks. It just all comes together and we are all joined in the effort to make it the best day of the couples’ life.

With so many venues and people willing to travel to find their perfect space, how do you ensure that Southend Barns stays ahead of the ever changing wedding trend curve?
I like to travel, so I often get ideas when I stay at a different place or visit a restaurant. We also like our parties, so if I like something at our own party, it usually works well for the wedding parties too. I follow social media and love Pinterest, so see what other places here in the UK but also abroad do for inspiration. We also listen to our clients and if they come up with some good ideas, we would adopt those too.

What is your ethos when it comes to running a business?
I like having a team with not too many layers of management and I also like to see the whole team pulling their weight. If I can sweep a floor, so can everyone else, the most important thing is for our couple and guests to have the best possible experience and my staff know that. I also like quality, quality of the food, the staff and the premises. I try for us to be as flexible as we can, so that each event is tailored to the couples’ wishes.

I am also quite organised, so we have quite a lot of systems in the background making sure everything runs like clockwork but feels effortless to our guests. I enjoy working with other professional suppliers a lot too, I am always happy to recommend them. But most importantly it is dreaming up new ideas that keeps me going, I love planning out a new idea and then seeing it come together!

Covid-19 has obviously affected Southend Barns hugely. How are you navigating your business through this unprecedented hurdle?
Resilience and flexibility have been the most important factors in the last few months to making sure Southend Barns is adapting to the current situation which changes on a daily basis. We have been overwhelmed by the understanding and kindness of the majority of couples. We have tried to guide everyone as much as we can with the limited information we might have. Watching press conferences has become a regular event in the office.

In the lockdown period the kitchen team adapted by preparing meals for people who could not get out to the shop. I had the whole family home so they made all the deliveries; they know the Chichester area like a cab driver now! More recently, we launched Roots Experiences, turning our Threshing Barn into an exclusive restaurant. I also took the opportunity to set up an allotment for the Roots Catering business. I grew giant beetroot and mini carrots this summer, the plan is to continue this for future years supplying our own kitchen.

As soon as we were allowed to, we started doing ceremonies again and it was such a joy to host wedding receptions with a beautiful meal, all be it for a maximum of 30, 15 or 6 guests.

We are now a Covid Secure venue, not sure it sounds very glam, but it is important to have all the measures in place so guests can return in confidence. We have put so many new ideas in action, such as a sitting down drinks reception, canapes served by table on individual boards, technology for registering and ordering drinks so there is no need to queue.

What does the future hold for Southend Barns?
Smaller weddings for the near future, which have surprised us all by being just as beautiful and special as our large scale events. There are some new things in the pipeline, they are still on the drawing board, but stay tuned to find out what they are in the next few months…

Click here to find out more about Southend Barns.

Photo by Helen Cawte Photography

Do you need to write a press release?

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need a press release for everything. A press release is a vital asset when publicising something newsy such as a collaboration, event, announcement of a new senior team member or award etc. In these circumstances a press release can convey all the background detail needed to support your pitch including relevant comments.

More important than a press release is a tailored pitch to each journalist that succinctly sums up your story and how it could be relevant to the title and its readers.

A few key tips when writing a press release:

Don’t always include your business name in the press release headline and email subject, unless you are a well known brand it is more important to use a headline that conveys the crux of the story
Write a concise press release which clearly and quickly gets across the facts and your USPs – avoid too much jargon, as tempting as it might be to include lots of puns, fluffy language or over-used statements, such as “The world’s best…”
Include general background information about the business in your Editor’s Notes at the end of a press release
Try to keep the press release to one or two pages – be as succinct as possible
The style of writing should be similar to a news article
Convey the actual news at the start of the press release and supporting information follows on
Check your spelling and grammar before sending

If you need our help identifying stories to pitch to press, discussing target media titles or honing press releases and pitches, please do get in touch and we’d love to help.

Inspiring Women in Business – Natalie Dunning

Founded by the lovely Natalie Dunning, Kitch are Chichester-based social media growth specialists for premium and luxury brands.

A good friend and fellow agency owner, we have so much admiration for Natalie and how she juggles her successful business while bringing up a young family. We often meet to share advice, support and give each other a boost when needed. Here we talk to Natalie about how Kitch began, who inspires her and what the future holds…

Tell us a little about your career and why you started Kitch?
I started Kitch back in 2012. I was working long hours, not having enough time to work on strategy and long-term solutions and became frustrated having to travel lots and being unable to be online enough to do my job. Speaking to my people director at the time he suggested I set up on my own and do them a proposal and that was it, my employer became my client and it made me take the leap. Nearly 9 years later and I’ve never looked back.

What is your ethos when it comes to running a business?
Work with people you like. If you don’t get on with a client it’s going to be very hardwork and unenjoyable for me and anyone in our team. I want to be happy and enjoy what I do so working with people I would grab a coffee with is a huge part of why we work with who we do.

What has been one of the biggest successes of your career?
The first was when we landed Godiva Chocolates as a client and we had a fantastic 4 years working with them. Another was working on an event at The Tower of London with a global fragrance brand and hosting one of the biggest London influencers on the night.

What has been your worst career set back and how did you overcome it?
Can I say Covid? Many of our clients at the time had to close and some sadly haven’t returned. We adjusted on our deliverables and retainers and took on more for other clients who had reduced teams. Furlough certainly helped too and going lean and leaving our office for the time being. We’re now coming out the other side stronger and working with more online businesses to spread our risk and diversify our client base.

With some backlash against social media’s effect on mental health, what is your view/your tips on how to use social media sensibly?
Have downtime, if you’re scrolling in the evening without any purpose switch it off. No phones at meal times, if you need to work go and eat somewhere else as it’s not fun for anyone else eating with you. I try to have mine at hand but only look at it every 30 minutes when I have the children so they can have my full attention. These are what I try to stick to anyway.

How do you manage the work/life split?
I have an amazing team behind me that are respectful of my hours and I also trust them to make decisions and get on with their client work. I do often have to work in the evening for an hour to stay on top of things and my husband is pretty good at sharing the drop offs with the children which is a massive support.

Who inspires you as business women and why?
I love Thomasina Miers from Wahaca, what a brand and she’s always so calm and collected in her thinking, such a shame they are having to close some of their restaurants. There are so many incredible influencers out there that really vary in their content but I have a huge respect for them constantly producing and evolving their personal brands. As a brand I love the ethos and progression from Sweaty Betty. What a cool business model and they really do engage at a local level with events, ambassadors and social content, big love for them!

What does the future hold for Kitch?
This year was all about growth but I’ve changed our mindset to sustainability for now as the rest of the year is bound to be up and down. However we have more focus and purpose as we head into the latter part of the year and next year I hope we can grow.

Find out more about Kitch Media here.

Photo by Helen Cawte Photography

Are your ready for Lockdown 2.0?

Now into the first full week of lockdown 2.0, hopefully many of you have redirected your marketing plans, pivoted your PR strategies and are using this time wisely to keep brand awareness high and customers engaged.

We have already seen that businesses that adapt and maintain communication with their customers during challenging times are best placed to bounce back when circumstances change for the better.

With this in mind, here are a few ideas on what you could be doing right now:

Social media – people are spending more time online at the moment as a way to keep connected with friends, family and the wider world. Social media is a great way to keep up a dialogue with your community and ensure they know you are still in business. However, this is no time to be salesy, people are looking for meaningful content, support and authenticity. Be transparent in changes you are making, share positive news stories and inspiring content but also be sensitive to what your customers are going through right now.

PR – for small businesses, now is your time to shine in the PR world. Journalists are championing independent businesses more than ever before. If you have a positive news story, unique products/services, or something interesting to shout about, it is the ideal time to be speaking to your target media.

Email marketing – email is a great way to stay connected to your customers and continue developing relationships. Keep your audience up to date with what you are working on behind the scenes, team news or new products/services that might be of genuine interest to them. A well-written and carefully planned email campaign really can work wonders for building brand trust.

Review – if you’ve been forced to work less due to lockdown, use this time well. Whether auditing your website, reviewing social analytics, setting up partner collaborations or researching media titles and journalists for effective PR, there is lots you can be doing to give your business the best chance possible of not just surviving but thriving in these unique circumstances.

We know there is a lot of doom and gloom in the media right now, but people are still shopping, engaging and making future plans, and more than ever they want to support local. So now really is the time to connect with your clients and customers like never before.

If you need help planning your communications or crafting content and campaigns, please do get in touch.

Introducing our newest Brightling

Hello! My name is Kelly and I am the new PR Manager at BrightWord. I have a passion for all things writing related. I am a huge animal lover and have two dogs, a border collie named Moon and Louie, a golden retriever. I enjoy reading, writing, watching films at the cinema, Pilates and running.

Previously I worked as Chief Reporter for Chichester Post where I was in charge of the editorial department. Some of my highlights at the Post included interviewing Queen guitarist, Brian May, covering Her Majesty The Queen’s visit to Chichester Festival Theatre, braving my fears and holding a six foot python snake, eating apple crumble with Prue Leith and holding the RAF 100 years baton. I also formerly worked for a charity as Media and Communications Officer, helping to get their name heard pitching news articles, interviews and features to press.

What I love about working at BrightWord is that no two days are the same. Working with a range of clients on their PR and marketing, every day in the office is different. One day I could be generating coverage about a new theatre show and the next I might be sending out urgent updates on the latest money issues. We work in such a small team but this means we are able to offer a personal and tailored approach to all our clients needs, and despite being small, we are also mighty!

One of my favourite places to visit in Chichester is Draper’s Yard. I find it a really interesting and unique place full of hidden gems. All the shopkeepers are super friendly and always willing to have a chat. I also can’t resist a delicious cup of fresh and silky coffee from Luckes in North Street. It’s a really great coffee shop where you can enjoy a great cuppa with a personal touch.

My top tips for aspiring journalists and PR enthusiasts would be to get organised! Always plan your time and carry a notebook and pen with you, wherever you go. Look for the unique angle to every story to help make your article stand out. There is a story to be found everywhere! Finally, remember to double-check everything, including the spelling of names you may think are simple and dates.

Our Year of the Dog

Supporting Mount Noddy Animal Centre

We are delighted to announce that we have chosen to support the RSPCA Sussex, Chichester and District Branch and the wonderful Mount Noddy Animal Centre as part of our commitment to give back to our local community.

Despite the many challenges of 2020, we are lucky to have been able to continue working remotely throughout the pandemic. However many organisations, including Mount Noddy, have struggled to maintain the income needed to fund all of their work. Lockdown meant that the usual volunteers were unable to support the rescue centre and there was a drop in fundraising due to the closure of RSPCA charity shops.

The inspiring team at Mount Noddy have not only kept the centre going through these difficult times by looking after the vulnerable animals in their care but they have also devised ambitious plans to help the centre thrive in the future.

As animal lovers ourselves, we are thrilled to be able to provide PR support to the wonderful and dedicated team at Mount Noddy to help generate awareness for this fantastic local charity.

So far we have helped the centre promote a number of new initiatives and stories. Most recently, we’ve been working on the announcement that Bruce Fogle, renowned veterinarian, writer and broadcaster, has been appointed President of the centre.

Fleur O’Kelly, Trustee comments: “We are thrilled that Brightword have taken us on board at such a critical time for us. They have been brilliantly pro-active and have already made a difference to our presence in the community. “

We care a great deal about all our clients, and as a team of dog-lovers, this latest project is particularly close to our hearts. Since we’ve been working from home more, Rachel’s Springer Spaniel Poppy has become like another member of the BrightWord team; keeping her company and sometimes even making an appearance on client Zoom meetings! However, we are very aware that many animals are not as lucky and have not yet found their forever homes.

If you want to know more about the centre’s amazing work or how to make a donation, visit the website at:
rspcasussexchichester.org.uk

Inspiring Women in Business – Abby Smith & Helen Hoile

Pioneers of successful networking group The Collective, Abby and Helen are always on the go. In addition to running The Collective, the pair both have respective family businesses, children to look after and are often involved in collaborations with local businesses – ourselves included. Here we chat to the pair about all they have achieved so far, their plans for the future, and just how they manage to fit it all in…!

Can You Tell Us about The Collective?
Firstly, thank you Rachel for the opportunity! The Collective is a CiiC ass business community offering innovative, aspirational and unique meet ups (minus those awkward old school networking bits)!

Our Collective events are changing the face of networking by offering much more than just an opportunity to connect. We seek out aspirational, independent venues, leading expert speakers and unique ways to connect to bring you innovative, game-changing Mingles and Coffee Catch-Ups. Our shared ethos and approach to life of support and collaboration lie at the heart of The Collective. Our desire is to redefine networking, both face to face and online. We want to build a thriving, supportive community of like-minded business owners and freelancers. A community that can Connect, Inspire, Inform and Collaborate as well as Celebrate themselves and their business.

Why Did We Launch The Collective?
Helen: The Collective was born out of my feelings of isolation working as a professional photographer and the overwhelm of trying to be an “expert” in everything in order to run my own business. Finding a balance between work and life is hard. It’s all too easy to become consumed by your business and to neglect physical and mental wellbeing.

When I suggested the idea of The Collective to my super friend and exercise partner Abby she said “Let’s Do It”. Abby’s background in PR and Marketing and her lovely caring nature meant that our ethos of friendship, support and warmth was there right from the beginning and was a bit of a no brainer for us.

You often give advice on Imposter Syndrome, is this something you both experienced when launching The Collective?
Abby: Yes, most definitely. There are so many inspiring, incredible people and businesses out there that it is so easy to start believing you’re not good enough. At The Collective we try to talk a lot about authenticity and being the real YOU.

In a social media driven world we are constantly bombarded with images of amazing lives and experiences. Everyone seems to be doing more and doing it better. Ignore this, this isn’t your life and it also isn’t their life, not really. Living with authenticity is the only way to be truly happy and truly real. The way you choose to live must align with your own personal beliefs to create happiness, you need to decide what is important to you and what you really want. Take the actions that align you with these beliefs and have confidence in yourself. Step away from people who don’t allow you to be the real you and get closer to those who do.

Living authentically will bring true joy, creativity, self-esteem, inner peace and love. Forming real friendships within The Collective has been amazing in helping us and hopefully our members with this.

What does a typical working day look like for you?
AWe always meet on a Monday from 7am til about 3pm to #boshit as we say! Helen is a full time Wedding Photographer and Abby has a family business plus we both have 2 young children so finding the time needed is always tricky but our Mondays always help us to stay on top of things and delegate tasks for the rest of the week.

We try to dedicate each Monday in a month to something different so all areas of the business are covered. For example the first Monday of the month is always social media planning and events. We are pretty good at putting our heads down on Mondays, brainstorming and getting stuff done and the fact that we pretty much always see eye to eye is a bonus too! It makes decision making pretty easy!

What is your message to young female professionals and entrepreneurs making their way in the world?
We would say to know your vision and stick to it. If you have passion and a vision everything else should fall into place. Our feeling behind starting The Collective so quickly at the beginning was “what’s the worst that could happen?” It was only ever going to be our egos that suffered. In that respect follow Nike’s advice and JUST DO IT! If you have an idea chances are someone else might be thinking of something similar so crack on as soon as you can and get it out there. Perfection can come later and you can fine tune your ideas as you go. The time is now as they say.

Lastly, practice resilience and always have people around you to be your sounding boards and shoulders to cry on! Having each other has proved invaluable to us as we grow our business and we don’t underestimate how hard it would be alone. There will always be haters and people telling you how to do things better. We find it’s always a good idea to say “ I better discuss that with Abby” or vice versa or “we’ll have to get back to you on this” rather than committing to anything anyone suggests straight away. This way we have always remained true to our ethos and vision, which is absolutely core to every business.

What does the future hold for The Collective?
Well, this is a huge question as we constantly have so many ideas! At the moment we are really trying to consolidate our offering in Chichester, Southsea and Worthing and work on making sure we are constantly delivering game changing events and opportunities to connect for our members. Our members are at the heart of everything we do so ensuring we are giving them value for money, even amidst global pandemics, is paramount!

We are currently trying to fine tune our online offering, believing we have a platform and an idea that could go beyond a geographical location. Our online membership is growing and, at just £7.99, we truly believe it to be amazing value. Our new monthly online summits and virtual Coffee Catch Ups have made us realise that although we truly value the importance of face to face interactions we do now have the technology to take our business online in a way that remains true to our core values.

Find out more about how to join The Collective community here.

It’s all in the timing…

When we are working on a PR campaign, we’re often pitching to a wide range of media outlets including broadcast, magazines, newspapers, online titles and influencers, not to mention regional and national variations. All of which have different lead times and ways of working.

For this reason, it is crucial to understand the difference between long lead and short lead media to ensure you are pitching your story or product to the right outlet at the right time. If you are too early, you will likely be filed and forgotten but equally you don’t want to be late to the party either!

Long leads
An example of a long lead is a printed magazine, which is usually working 3-5 months in advance of an issue hitting the newsstands. For example, in March editors are already working on their June/July issues. When it comes to Christmas, they are working even further ahead, often wrapping up their festive issues as early as July/August. Editors also tend to complete their January issues early to take into account time off over the Christmas holidays.

It is also important to remember that print magazines tend to be released a month before the issue. For example, a March issue will be available to buy in mid-late February.

If you want your brand to be seen in long leads such as magazines, you need to plan ahead and pitch to journalists at the right time. You also need to allow time to follow up or tweak your pitch, as it is unlikely you will get a response first time, due to the volume of emails and press releases a journalist receives on a daily basis.

Example pitch timings:

March: Start pitching your summer stories/products

July: Start pitching your Christmas stories and products for gift guides and festive issues, which tend to come out in October/November

Short leads
Other media such as online titles, broadcast, newspapers and supplements have much shorter lead times, working 2-4 weeks in advance. As an example, if you would like to be included in a Mother’s Day feature, you will want to start pitching to these titles in February.

Some news-heavy online titles are running on even shorter lead times to ensure they are posting current and up-to-date content, so it is possible to send a press release and see it featured within days or even hours. Examples include the BBC or Huffington Post.

Keeping up with media deadlines might sound overwhelming but we’ve put together a useful PR calendar to help us plan ahead and not miss out on any seasonal features. Sign up to our e-newsletter to receive your free monthly calendar.

Inspiring Women in Business – Niki Perry

Founder of Blessed Yoga in Chichester, Niki Perry has been an inspiration to us for many years and on so many levels. Not only is she a wonderful yoga teacher but she is also a successful business woman, mother of three gorgeous girls and one of the most motivated people we have ever met. Niki launched Blessed last year, achieving her ambition to create a fantastic community hub of health, wellbeing and support.

How did you get into teaching yoga?
I grew up watching my mum practise yoga in a barn with her friends; when I was at University I started to practise regularly with my flat mates. Later, in London, I completely fell in love with it, regularly attending many different styles of yoga at fabulous schools. But it was my discovery of the Baron Baptiste method of Vinyasa yoga that truly transformed my life and led me toward teaching.

We know the plans for Blessed Yoga were in the pipeline for a long time; what journey did you take to make this dream a reality?
It was three stranded: first my Cowshed Studio had a complete physical overhaul from roof, to floor, creating a truly beautiful studio with reception area, wood burning stove, underfloor heating, glass doors opening onto a yoga deck and full facilities including a car park.

The next major step was to train the Blessed teachers – I wanted to make sure the training was the best so that we’d be in a really good position to pass on our love of yoga.

And thirdly we had to introduce a timetable and a booking system for all the classes.

What has been your biggest challenge along the way?
COVID-19! Although an online element to the school as always in the long-term plan, my immediate focus was very much on creating excellence in the studio and a sense of community in all our classes, workshops and retreats.

But suddenly all that stopped and the whole focus shifted incredibly quickly to make sure people could keep practising online. It was super important to me that those who were really benefitting from regular practise, didn’t just stop! I deliberately had no Wi-Fi in the studio so people could really switch off from the outside world, so getting that up and running was the first major challenge. Not to mention helping students who had never even heard of Zoom before – but somehow we did it!

Within two weeks of lockdown, we’d started Blessed Home: we had 30-odd classes a week, for all levels, from sunrise to sunset. We had doctors, nurses and other front-line workers practising for free from all over the world!

And just to add to the challenge, we’re home-schooling three children. Thankfully they love taking part in Blessed Home, especially the kids and teen yoga classes.

You always seem so full of energy and optimism. Do you ever feel a sense of imposter syndrome or self-doubt? How do you combat this?
Yes! It’s only natural to wake up some days and feel this, which is why a daily yoga practice is so important to me. The moment I come to my mat and breathe deeply all is well in the world again. I reconnect; I remember to be calm, strong and live my day in harmony with breath, finding a sense of ease in everything. If I don’t practise or sleep well, the mind can quickly take over and feelings of self-doubt can kick in.

I have also been lucky enough to build a wonderful team of talented people at Blessed and we all share the same goal of making yoga fun and accessible to all. We are here for one another and that is gold!

You collaborate with lots of other local businesses and educators on events and workshops, how important is it to do this?
Very important. Yoga is a holistic way of living, it’s not just about the hour or so on your mat, it is the way you live your whole life and to link up with other like-minded people and businesses helps all of us. We work with people who offer the best nutritional workshops, ways to reduce waste and help the environment as well as other ways of keeping healthy, such as cold-water swimming. Plus, I’m very grateful for the support and help others have given me throughout my journey and if I can pass that on, I always will do.

What does an average day look like for you normally?
Good question! I’m not sure there is such a thing beyond 7am! I like to rise early; I either sit with a cuppa enjoying the peace of the morning and chirpy bird song, or do a morning yoga practice. My little morning ritual sets me up for the day.

After that, when the Blessed Cowshed studio is open, we’ll be making sure it’s clean and set up, fire lit or doors to the deck flung open. Usually school runs and dog walks figure fairly early on too. Then I’m either teaching, answering emails, planning teaching rotas, events or training with my team – and if I can squeeze in a swim in the sea with friends, I always will!

How do you juggle running your business with parenthood?
It’s no mean feat, as any working parent will tell you! Juggling the routine of work and home life, so that you do both well is a challenge. Like lots of people, thoughts of netball kit, piano lessons and what are we going to eat seep in while I’m trying to concentrate on marketing. I am quite strict with myself – when I’m at work I’m 100% focused on work and when I am with my family I am 100% focused on family. This is definitely harder to do in lockdown, with family and work at home all mixed in the same pot, but I have also really enjoyed seeing how the two have merged as the girls are participating in the classes and helping me with marketing initiatives.

The fact that my business is yoga makes it easier, as it is my life and everyone in the family is involved in it. Tim, my husband, is also a teacher, the girls participate in the classes and even the dog, Jester is head of meet and greet when the Cowshed studio is open! Yoga helps to focus the mind, it helps with concentration, helps me sleep and relax and keeps my body fit and strong which helps me to keep the wagons rolling. The wheels do definitely come off though from time to time! I have learnt that the key is to try and stay present to the changes that are happening in the girls’ lives, Tim’s life and the business – not easy but I am now very aware of it and it is, dare I say it, getting easier!

What is your advice to other business owners struggling to find that work/life balance?
Yoga! Seriously – I couldn’t do what I have to without it.

Being organised. Segmenting the day and sticking to the plan wherever possible helps to reduce stress and makes me more efficient.

And support: asking friends and family to help is so crucial to growth, especially when a small business is starting out. It has always amazed me how kind people are and willing to help. We are all so much stronger and can do so much more when we come together. Also, at the end of the day, family is the most important and almost everything else can wait.

What does the future hold for Blessed and Niki Perry?
I’m super excited about the future! Our family mantra is ‘Make the most of now’ and we have enjoyed the positives in these weeks of lockdown.

Blessed at the Cowshed was just starting to be the amazing, welcoming community I’d hoped it would be when the world suddenly stopped. The online community we’ve built since then has been a revelation – the new yogis we’ve reached all over the world have become so committed, and felt so much benefit in being able to practise every day, that nurturing them after lockdown has definitely become an equal priority.

While we can’t wait to see everyone physically back in the studio, and to properly hug them, knowing how much Blessed has helped people all over the world has been truly heartwarming. We will definitely continue with our Blessed Home live class offering.

My passion has always been to bring yoga to as many people as possible, regardless of age, income or geography; the silver lining to these extraordinary times is that we have been able to get further along that path more quickly. The future is incredibly exciting and we welcome everyone who would like to feel the very best version of themselves physically and mentally, to join this really fun, warm and exciting blessed community.

To find out more about Blessed and become part of the community, click here.

Celebrating independent retailers

We love stumbling across small independent businesses, and always make an effort to seek out indie brands as much as we possibly can. Not only do we enjoy finding lots of unique treasures, we also know when shopping indie we are making a real difference to that business and their families.

We are lucky that here in Chichester there are lots of independent retailers to discover and a plethora of craftspeople and creatives selling their goods online.

What’s more we also get to represent lots of these brands through the work we do at BrightWord, championing small and start up businesses across the South, all of which have wonderful stories, services and products. We feel passionately about helping these hard-working businesses get their voices heard.

With Independents’ Day taking place on the 4 July, a day that celebrates all independent retailers across the UK, we thought we’d share some of our favourite indie businesses with you…

Seven Seventeen Candles
We all love the luxury of lighting a beautifully scented candle and were excited to discover Seven Seventeen. Set up by two lovely ladies living here in Sussex, all the candles are vegan-friendly and not only look stunning but they smell divine too.

Etta Loves
As working mums, we are always on the look out for high quality products for our young families. We were introduced to this brand when Rex was born earlier this year. Etta Loves muslins are not only stylish but they use patterns to help stimulate babies’ visual development. They certainly keep Rex mesmerised long enough for Rachel to answer a few emails or enjoy a priceless moment of calm.

Zig Zag Footwear
We can’t step foot into Zig Zag without walking away with a new pair of shoes, or two! Stuart and his team are not only super friendly but they source all their branded footwear and accessories themselves to offer Chichester a fantastic selection, ranging from on-trend designs to items a bit more unusual.

Vegan Delights
Great for the mind, body and soul, we’ve enjoyed some delicious deliveries of vegan delights from the green goddesses behind Feed Me Momma and Gather & Feast. Both based locally, they make and deliver the most incredible food including Friday night curries and grazing boards that look too good to eat!

Beach Art
You can often find our good friend and local artist, Nicky Linzey combing the shores of Pagham Harbour picking up litter and marine debris. Nicky uses lots of what she finds to create artwork and homewares such as garlands and wall hangings made using ghost net.

W&W Jewellery
Our client W&W Jewellery is a Clapham based bespoke jewellery studio. The small team use their passion and expertise to create the most exquisite jewellery pieces, weaving together distinctive design and personal stories. We literally swoon over everything we see!

If you can, we encourage you to shop small and support local producers and makers wherever possible. They really are the lifeblood of our communities, adding diversity and character to high streets across the UK.

Christmas in July? Now is the time to launch your festive PR campaigns!

It is the hottest week of the year so far and the pubs are about to reopen so the last thing you want to think about right now is Christmas! However, in the PR world now is the best time to start planning ahead to ensure you take full advantage of all the press opportunities Christmas provides. From gift guides to bumper issues, press are looking for products to fill their pages and as most long-lead publications work 4-6 months in advance, Christmas is on their radar now.

For product-based businesses, Christmas is a great time to gain coverage. It is also the busiest time for journalists when they are inundated with festive themed press releases and pitches. As a result, it is more important than ever to have a PR plan in place to ensure you stand out from the crowd and get your brand and products noticed.

To help get you started we’ve put together a quick checklist of what you need to think about before launching your Christmas PR campaigns:

Identify the products/stories you will be pushing for the festive season and what makes them different or interesting
Imagery is crucial! We can’t tell clients enough how important it is to invest in photography. You might have the best products and brand story out there but if you have no quality images supporting them it is unlikely you will get the coverage you deserve
Write a concise press release which clearly and quickly gets across the facts and your USPs – avoid too much jargon, as tempting as it might be to include lots of festive puns and lyrics!
Keep on top of your PR – most magazines start compiling their gift guides in July while online media will be working on Christmas content from October onwards – make sure you send your information to the right media at the right time to avoid missing any deadlines
Persistence is key – keep searching for opportunities and keep pitching. From now until December, there is more potential than usual to get your brand talked about by press if done in the right way

With hundreds of thousands of products featured in gift guides each year, this is a fantastic opportunity for small businesses and independents to get brand exposure in national media outlets with journalists wanting to hear from you! Also, Christmas isn’t just about products – we’ve secured festive coverage for clients on courses, events and much more.

Need some help carving out your story or getting featured? We’ve worked with a wide range of businesses to procure PR coverage throughout the year as well as over the vital Christmas season. To find out how we can help, contact us on hello@brightword.local or call 01243 200121.

Black Lives Matter

We, like many white people, have been moved recently to acknowledge something which has never truthfully been a real part of our conscious. The Black Lives Matter movement has forced us to rethink our views on being racist and on seeing ourselves as not falling under that bracket.

Previously racism is something we viewed as purely active, where a person went out of their way to discriminate or abuse a person of colour. Now we know that being passive about racism, and not educating ourselves both on its history and acknowledging how racist views are still so deeply manifested in today’s society, speaks volumes of our white privilege and on-the-fence stance when it comes to real racist issues.

Although the phrase ‘I understand that I will never truly understand’ rings very true, we have pledged to educate ourselves, step off the fence and be active in our approach in the fight against racism. We have the power to implement change, both within our social circles and beyond.

With this in mind, at BrightWord we are striving to listen, learn and actively join the fight against racism. We are looking at our business practices and communications to ensure we start to represent more black voices and stories that up until now have often gone unheard. We will also be offering any black owned businesses a 10% discount on our PR and marketing services.

Here are just a few resources we’ve found to help us learn more:

Books:
Freedom is a Constant Struggle – Angela Davis
Why I Am No Longer Talking to White People About Race – Reni Eddo-Lodge

Instagram:
@candicebrathwaite
@novareidofficial
@ava
@BLM_WestSussex
@blmchichester

Donate:
Show Racism the Red Card
Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust
Black Lives Matter UK

Photo credit @_samhaigh_

Inspiring Women in Business – Jenny Mark-Bell

The next incredible woman in our Inspiring Women in Business series is Editor of Sussex Life magazine, Jenny Mark-Bell. Here Jenny chats to us about her career so far and how she feels there will always be a place for quality print media…

Tell us a little about your career and how you came to work as editor of Sussex Life?
I started out in Yorkshire, writing primarily about music for local magazines. I then moved to Brighton and got a job working for Archant across several of our titles. I’ve been with Sussex Life for 10 years now, seven of them as editor.

What does your role involve?
Planning the magazine content, commissioning features and photography, doing interviews and writing articles. Then of course there’s proof-reading and preparing the pages for print. One of the most important parts of my role is choosing the cover image, as this is Sussex Life’s ‘shop window’, our face on the world.

How do you decide which stories make the magazine?
Our remit is to celebrate the people and places that make our counties great. I suppose the criteria are similar to Reith’s vision for the BBC in that stories need to inform, educate and entertain. I’m always keen to speak to fascinating local people, and unusual ways of approaching historical subjects are always appealing.

What you look for in a PR pitch?
Familiarity with the magazine and our content is essential, it’s frustrating when people pitch for a non-existent section or about a subject we’d never cover. I like to receive a pitch by email first but I never mind a follow-up phone call – we do receive a lot of emails.

How have things changed for magazines like Sussex Life since technology has evolved so much?
Vastly – even since I have been in the editor’s chair our way of working has transformed to make us more efficient. Our archive used to consist of a dusty cellar and hundreds of back copies in leather binders – now we can search a digital archive by keyword, which has changed my life!

But there are huge challenges to the industry – it’s no secret that the publishing industry is reliant on advertising, and giants such as Facebook and Google have made life more difficult in that respect.

The technology to enable home-working and virtual meetings has been invaluable in the current crisis.

How is print media still relevant in these times?
I think the present global situation has underlined the importance of quality journalism, not only in holding leaders to account, but in fostering a sense of community. Local newspapers provide a vital public service and it’s a tragedy every time we lose one.

I don’t think anything could replace a quality magazine. At Sussex Life we choose to invest in beautiful photography and viewing it on a screen is just not the same as seeing it beautifully reproduced in print. And we spend money and time on our journalism too – that’s not to say there isn’t great writing available online, but there’s so much available the gems can be hard to find. I like to think in Sussex Life we’ve curated the best content available on our specialist subject.

Can you share some of your favourite stories in the course of your time at Sussex Life?
There are so many! I did love visiting the set of the BBC’s adaptation of the Mapp and Lucia novels, and interviewing actors including Anna Chancellor, Steve Pemberton and Miranda Richardson. Richard Wilson’s installation Hang on a minute lads, I’ve got a great idea was a brilliant story for Sussex. Other memorable ones include the Battle of Balcombe, when locals joined forces with eco-campaigners to protest fracking, and of course the announcement of the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018 – although we couldn’t have known then how the story would develop.

How do you find juggling parenthood with work?
It certainly focuses the mind! I have compressed my week into four days while my son is tiny, which does sometimes feel quite intense, but I think it’s made me a better decision-maker as I don’t have time to dither.

Tips for anyone looking to get into the world of journalism
Read as much as you can. Familiarise yourself with the challenges and opportunities facing the industry. Make yourself a specialist in your chosen subject.

To find out more about Sussex Life click here.

PR during Covid-19

During this unprecedented period of social isolation, we weren’t surprised to see recent reports highlighting an increase in Internet usage and media consumption. According to research, since the start of lockdown Internet use is up by 70% and many media outlets have also reported an increase in audience figures, such as our local broadcast station Spirit FM who are reaching more listeners than ever before.

Whether its social media, online news platforms or live streaming, the fact is that every generation is relying on the media to inform and distract them, creating a huge opportunity for businesses to engage with captive audiences and get their stories heard.

This doesn’t only apply to big brands, if anything we are seeing more support for small businesses and independents then ever before as the nation and communities rally together. Many journalists are actively championing small businesses and looking for uplifting, interesting and inspiring stories. Examples include Grazia’s round up of pick-me-up presents which feature a mix of big brands and small independents such as the lovely Nicola Richman who is posting out her homemade salted caramel brownies. The Daily Mail also recently featured Chichester-based salon Grace Hair & Beauty for her online tutorials.

Closer to home, our local media is pulling out all the stops to support small businesses with the Chichester Observer offering free advertising to those still operating during the pandemic. Gary Shipton, Editor of the Chichester Observer and its sister titles across Sussex, commented: “During the lockdown – thanks to support from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and Chichester District Council – the Observer has been producing a weekly supplement in the paper promoting all those local independents that are still open for business.”

He encouraged the community to continue supporting local media. “Unlike social media, our journalists are all professionally trained and held to the highest independent ethical codes. But trusted local journalism rooted in cities like Chichester costs money and with the current downturn in advertising which is the lifeblood of our income, everyone can help us keep the community professionally informed by adding a copy of the paper to their weekly shop.”

Although difficult and distressing for us all, this is a unique time for businesses to look inwards and hone their services and brand stories. Press are genuinely interested to hear how small businesses are quickly and creatively adapting and innovating to survive and thrive. And with an increased percentage of the UK taking an interest in all forms of media, now is a great time to engage with your audience.

According to a poll by Edelman with 12,000 people across the globe on the critical role brands are expected to play during the coronavirus pandemic, nearly two-thirds agreed that how brands respond to the situation will have a huge impact on their likelihood to buy from that brand in the future.

This is a very sensitive time and badly thought out campaigns could have damaging results and hamper the recovery of your business post lockdown. Therefore, it is important to be considered and thoughtful in the tone of your message. Although this is an opportunity to connect, it is vital to remember the serious impact that Covid-19 has had on communities and individuals the world over. This is not the time to ‘hard sell’ but instead reveal the human side of your business and reach out to those many individuals who may need a little lift during this time.

Here at BrightWord, we have experience working with a great many small and independent businesses to help identify and articulate positive messages. To discuss how we could help you, please email rachel@brightword.local.

Inspiring Women in Business – Sophie Fullerlove

At BrightWord we are lucky to cross paths and work with many inspirational women. From those juggling families alongside demanding small businesses, to the creatives behind some of our best loved venues and entrepreneurs with bright ideas and determination, we know that success comes in many different guises, and the road to achieving it is rarely straight and narrow.

Now, more than ever, we feel it is important to celebrate the people who help to shape the fabric of our community and therefore we’ve created our Inspiring Women series. Throughout this series we chat with women we are inspired by on a daily basis, discovering what it is that drives them, and finding out a little more about their career successes and the experiences that have shaped the businesswomen they are today.

First up is a woman who never fails to energise and inspire us every time we meet, Sophie Fullerlove, Director & Chief Executive at The Spring Arts & Heritage Centre in Havant…

Tell us a little about your career and how you came to work as Director of The Spring?
I’ve been the Director of The Spring for over 7 years now and that time has flown by and I’ve learnt a lot!

I have always loved theatre and visual arts but when I was young I didn’t realise there was a way of working in the industry that didn’t involve being an artist or actor. I studied history and archaeology at university and while I was there I worked part time as an usher in a theatre (back when they were paid positions). That introduced me to the huge number of backstage, administration and management roles that exist in the cultural sector and inspired me to do a postgraduate course in arts management. I then worked in marketing in arts centres and theatres across the south west. My job before coming to The Spring was as general manager for a touring theatre company, but my preference is always working in mulit-artform venues, getting to know the audience and community.

What does your role involve?
One of the best things about my job is the variety! I can go from planning an event with a theatre maker or artist to dealing with museum insurance, answering box office calls and clearing plates in our cafe to writing funding applications in the space of a few hours.

I’m responsible for the overall work of The Spring including planning our events, managing the relationships with our funders, overseeing budgets and making sure we’re working in the best way possible for the benefit of our community. The real magic is delivered by our team of 20 fantastic staff across both The Spring and our trading subsidiary which manages our bar, café and shop. We’re a charity so I’m also supported by a fantastic board of volunteer trustees.

How do you go about programming a season?
The Spring has three seasons of live events, films, workshops and exhibitions each year. My inbox of constantly full of artists and performers sending me ideas and asking me to book their work. I try to carve out time to watch performances in other venues or online and choose those which I think will suit our space, budget and audiences most appropriately. But there’s never enough time to see all the work I’d like to!

I programme work of all genres. I usually try to get family and contemporary theatre performances booked in quite early as these are more difficult to find space for and usually only available for limited tour periods. Music and comedy come next and then spaces are filled with heritage talks, event cinema and films. I’m usually working 9 – 12 months in advance for the live programme and up to 2 years in advance for exhibitions.

Many of the shows/activities all have interesting stories and hooks behind them – what comes first the themes or the shows?
I’m afraid it’s not an exact science! If several events or exhibitions have a similar theme I will try to programme them in a way that makes sense for our audiences, but usually the main ideas come from the artists who approach me.

The exception to this is our ‘Beyond the Stage’ programme. This is where we try to theme particular events to try to create special experiences for our audiences that can’t be seen elsewhere. In the past this has seen The Spring turn into a nightclub with theatre and DJ performances, transform our venue into a vintage circus and programme one day festivals on themes including feminism, mental health and dementia. In these cases I will usually see a performance and that will inspire an idea. Experience tells me that the main live element has to be brilliant in order to pull these events together so that will always be the starting point.

How do you discover the shows/activities that you put on at The Spring?
Each year I take a trip to the Edinburgh Fringe and see a week watching performances – it can be as many as 8 in a day. Sometimes I discover work that I really want to show our audiences and sometimes it’s the opposite! Having worked in the industry for 15 years I also have a good idea of the performers I like to work with. I also keep a close eye on what other venues are up to and the people who are making an impact in the industry. I also like to support new emerging artists and I might come across these on social media or they might simply send me an introductory email or ask to have a chat over a coffee.

Some of the shows you choose are very thought provoking – are there particular issues you feel passionate about communicating to audiences?
Personally I’m very interested in feminism and social justice and so you will often find those themes cropping up in our work. I am careful though to make sure that we balance the programme so a range of voices, ideas and subjects are represented. My job is not just about planning events I like to see, but about things that will resonate with our community.

What is the biggest professional challenge you have had to overcome and how did you approach it?
The Spring is currently closed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a new situation for all of us and unlike anything I have had to manage before. We closed on 17 March after the government advised people to avoid theatres and public events. We knew at that point we couldn’t continue to operate as usual. We had contingency plan in place for this scenarios but it all happened more quickly than we anticipated.

Making the decision to close while the pandemic continues is the easy bit. Telling the staff about the situation and working out a positive way forward is more challenging. The Spring faces financial uncertainty as a result the closure and working our way through that as well as keeping the staff motivated and positive from a far (we still have 7 members of the team working) is certainly the biggest challenge I have faced.

The Spring does not belong to me or the staff – it belongs to the community – we just look after it, so we all feel a huge responsibility to make sure the organisation comes out of this situation in the best position possible.

How do you find juggling parenthood with work?
Busy! My son is 3 and when he was born I reduced my hours to 4 days a week and so I try not to work on Fridays. They have become very special time as during the rest of the week I’m usually only just walking through the door a few minutes before bedtime (assuming I’m not working in the evening).

James loves a trip to The Spring to see performances, play in our play area and look at the interactive exhibits in our museum. It’s great to get him involved and he’s very popular with our 106 volunteers!

Tips for anyone looking to get into the world of arts and culture?
It can be really hard to get into the sector and people often end up volunteering before they land a paid position. Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to afford or have the time to do this though and it’s something the industry is more and more aware of. People who work in arts and culture understand it can be difficult to access so ask for support so get in touch. We’re usually willing to help and can talk through the opportunities we know about.

Overall though, my best tip would be to watch and take part in events and activities. It’s the best way to learn what you like and what you’d do differently. Opinions are useful!

To find out more about The Spring click here.

The lowdown on lockdown

Like for many, since lockdown, managing our work/life balance effectively has become harder to achieve. The removal of a physical, communal office space has blurred the lines more than ever before. Add a less than ideal ‘home office’, small children and working spouses to this equation and you have a recipe for stress which we know lots of you are also experiencing.

Here we give our tips on what helps us through a typical lockdown working day…

Louisa, Marketing & PR Executive

What does your routine look like?
Since lockdown, what I have found increasingly important is getting out first thing in the morning for a run. This sets me up for the day both mentally and emotionally.

As the days start to blur into one, trying to stick to set office hours – even if they aren’t on days I typically would be in the office – has become increasingly important, as has rolling with the punches and knowing that, if your toddler/newborn/ [insert relevant party here], is having a meltdown, it might be best to reshuffle your working day to accommodate. The lack of differentiation between work and home life at the moment has meant I’ve found it best to avoid working during the evening if possible. I have found this has improved my sleep and mental wellbeing no end and added more of a structure to my working day.

What is your home office situation?
We don’t have the luxury of a home office and working from the kitchen table can prove a problem when sharing the space with a toddler. This leaves the bed – not great for the back, but at least off the beaten track!

For anyone in a similar situation, a great tip is to always swap out the bedspread from day to night to create the illusion of a different space – this has really helped me. I also ensure that I clear away any ‘office’ items when I am finished for the day and keep my room tidy and as pleasant a place to be as possible.

What is getting you through lockdown?
Running! That and being fortunate enough to continue to work throughout. Helping to keep our clients’ businesses afloat during this time has added a much needed purpose to a frightening and uncertain time. I love what I do and feel incredibly lucky to work for a people centric company and wonderful boss. BrightWord (Rachel) always puts people first, whether that means going above and beyond to support clients or being understanding, kind and supportive of the team.

Rachel, Founder & Director

What does your routine look like?
Whilst working in your pyjamas all day might seem tempting (and I’ve had a few days like this) it’s not great for your state of mind. Each morning I make sure I get up, get showered and dressed and take the dog for a walk – this tiny bit of structure and fresh air makes all the difference to the day ahead. It’s the little wins that count in situations like now!

With a newborn and 4 year old at home I’ve found it harder to stick to set hours like Louisa. Instead I’m trying to compartmentalise so when the opportunity arises to work I’ll completely focus on that and when I’m needed as a mum I make sure I’m being as present as possible. It’s when I try to combine the both that problems arise! It doesn’t always work out this way but since making this decision I’ve actually found I’m being much more productive and feeling a lot less guilty.

What is your home office situation?
Like Louisa, I have no home office and I’m sharing the space with my young family so my desk could be anywhere from the kitchen table, sofa or bedroom. As a self-confessed workaholic, I have spent years working from home at all hours of the day and night so I’m quite used to finding a quiet corner somewhere with my laptop and cup of tea to plough through emails.

What is getting you through lockdown?
I’m reading some fantastic books including The Pumpkin Plan by Mike Michalowicz which is all about growing a successful business. With a bit more time on our hands than usual, I’m also enjoying focusing on BrightWord for a change and coming up with new ideas and better processes for the future. To really switch off, I’ve just discovered A Line of Duty on BBC iPlayer – we are hooked!

We are lucky in that all of the businesses we work with have been very understanding of the fact we are working mothers. With the echo of Finding Nemo or Batman in the background we have Zoomed, strategised and planned with our clients to ensure we are still delivering the high-level marketing and PR service that is so vitally important to their business survival at this time.

In between the challenges that working from home during lockdown poses, we have also been surprised to find some truly uplifting moments. Although we will be relieved to see the world go back to normal, being forced to take pace with the children of the house has revealed beauty in the simple things in life. From reinventing play to fill the rolling hours, to discovering a renewed sense of gratitude for the world around us and simply spending more time together as a family. There are some elements of this experience we will strive to carry forward.

Generation Tribe

We were excited to see an interview with Rachel published on Generation Tribe this month ~ a website dedicated to inspiring and empowering young women to go out and fulfil their goals.

Written before the coronavirus outbreak, like many of you our business has had to change and adapt but reading this again now has helped remind us of how it all started and what we’ve achieved in the last 9 years. We hope it helps inspire a future generation of PR girls too!

To read the interview click here.

Photo by Helen Cawte Photography

Keeping in touch during the Coronavirus crisis

In times like these, communication and community are more important than ever. We know that everyone is living with a lot of uncertainty and stress at the moment. Events are moving so rapidly, it can be hard to keep up, but maintaining a strong connection and continuing to engage with your customers can really help your business both in the short and long term.

Here are our top five tips to ensure that, even in difficult times like these, your business stays afloat.

Be proactive and transparent
Let customers know what your plans are and where they can find out further updates as the situation evolves. Providing an open and honest conversation with customers and letting your audience know what to expect is key to navigating the unknown waters ahead.

At BrightWord, we’ve switched to working at home to protect our communities. We already had collaboration tools in place to support flexible and remote working, which means that for us it’s business as usual.

People first
Now is the time to think of new ways to engage with your online community, moving away from a sales-led approach and instead using channels to inform, engage and connect. People are stressed and anxious at the moment, so content that allows them to take their mind off their worries will be welcomed. More users will be on online than normal, and many isolated people will be seeking a connection. By reconsidering the needs of your audience and keeping in mind their current situation you will be able to stay in touch and provide an inspiring and interactive platform for them to engage with, whilst remaining considerate and sensitive.

Get creative
You may find your workload has decreased as the country adjusts to the situation, but you can use this time wisely – brainstorm everything from possible campaigns to new ways you can adapt and opportunities for the future. For example, our clients The Blacksmiths Pub have launched a delivering service whilst W&W Jewellery are pushing their remote jewellery design service.

Check your crisis management plan
The world is moving at speed and already businesses that have not reacted quickly enough are coming under fire. In many cases, companies are struggling to keep up with such a fast-moving situation, which means anyone could be faced with a PR crisis. Make sure you have all the right crisis PR policies and procedures in place and you have prepared materials for any foreseeable circumstances. You have enough on your plate right now without having to deal with bad publicity about your brand.

Look after yourself and your team
Don’t forget, as you look to manage remote working, productivity and PR, that it’s important to stay healthy. Members of your team may have loved ones who are particularly vulnerable to the virus and need extra support, others may live and work alone and need regular check-ins.

Alongside policies and procedures, make sure you’re keeping your team strong at the core by maintaining communication at all times and delivering positive internal messages such as links to meditation and exercise apps. A healthy team is a strong team and that will help you all stay focused and share in future success.

If you have any questions or would like to find out more about keeping connected with audiences in this difficult time, please email hello@brightword.local. We’re always happy to help and we believe that there is strength to be found in communities who come together in these uncertain times.

The Power of PR

It’s a term widely used, but do you actually know what Public Relations (PR) is, how it can fit into your overall marketing and communications strategy and why it’s so powerful and cost effective? Read on for our back to basics take on how, with a bit of planning and understanding these two words can transport your brand to where you’d like it to be in the public eye.

PR encourages people to think and speak positively about your business. It improves the reputation of your business and its products and gives you exposure that you do not need to pay for – at least, not directly. A good PR practitioner will analyse the organisation they represent, find the positive messages and translate those messages into engaging stories that appeal to the minds and hearts of your target audiences.

It’s true that advertising, promotions, social media feeds and email marketing are all important tools in your marketing kit. However, ask yourself, when was the last time you bought something, went somewhere or employed a service without reading a review or getting a recommendation from someone you trust – a friend, colleague, journalist, blogger, vlogger, celebrity? PR uses trusted rather than paid sources.

PR is all about encouraging and generating opportunities for ‘OTHER PEOPLE’ to think and speak positively about your business. For example, generating online and print coverage means a journalist believes in your brand. That coverage will interest, instruct or inspire readers, which gives your brand greater reliability. Readers will get to know your brand and ultimately trust you. And, depending on how you measure and monitor, an article is between 10 times and 100 times more valuable than an advertisement.

“Advertising is what you pay for, publicity is what you pray for,” the old saying goes.

If you’d like help with your public relation strategy, call us for an informal chat or pop in for a cuppa and cake!

Behind the scenes with Emma on her work experience

We were delighted to welcome a new temporary member to our team this month, when Emma came and joined us for work experience. Wanting to find out more about working in PR and marketing, Emma gives a behind the scenes account of what she has been up to here at BrightWord…

My two weeks work experience here at BrightWord has come to an end and I can happily say I’ve really enjoyed all the work I’ve done here. Having just finished my second year of University, I had not really had any previous experience in PR so these past two weeks have been a real insight for me into the workings of marketing and I’ve enjoyed getting to grips with it all.

I have experienced a lot of different aspects of PR and marketing; from creating press lists to writing e-newsletters. I have been able to write a number of blog posts for both BrightWord and clients, these have included writing about alpacas to how businesses can tap into national events, such as the moon landing anniversary.

I enjoyed researching what I was writing about and finding pictures to go alongside them. Writing blogs has allowed me to develop my copywriting ability, which is something I had not done before. It was tricky at first to find the words and style of writing that suited what the client wanted and not just writing how I normally would. But as I got into it and learnt more about the clients and their goals, it was something I really liked doing. I was also able to write a press release. This was interesting as I was able to see the key details that need to go into a press release and I enjoyed researching the sponsors of the event to find out a bit about them and their history in order to write a short paragraph about them.

My favourite part of my experience was taking pictures of the different PR coverage in various newspapers and magazines that BrightWord has secured. This allowed me to be a bit creative with how I photographed them in order to make them stand out; playing with different angles, lighting and colour. I then edited these slightly and wrote captions to go alongside them for BrightWord’s social media platforms.

I was also tasked with uploading lots of photos on Pinterest, this meant picking the best photos and writing informative captions with links to websites for people to find out more information. One aspect of this was uploading lots of photos of food, and doing this around lunch time was not the best idea!

I am very grateful to everyone at BrightWord for giving me the opportunity to work alongside you and learn about PR and all the different elements of work surrounding it. I’ve really enjoyed my time working here over these two weeks. Thank you!

Thank you so much Emma for all your hard work and help. We know you have an exciting career ahead of you!

Refill Chichester Launch

We were so pleased to hear that the Refill UK Scheme was coming to Chichester and are delighted to be supporting the campaign.

The idea is to make it as easy as possible for people to refill their water bottles to help tackle plastic pollution in Chichester.

The exciting Refill Scheme officially launched on Wednesday 23rd January 2019 at The Assembly Rooms in Chichester. The initiative aims to encourage participating cafes, bars, restaurants, banks, galleries, museums and other businesses to sign up to the free Refill app and put a sticker in their window alerting passers-by to the fact they’re welcome to fill up their water bottle for free.

The Chichester scheme has been launched by local campaigners, Diana Morgan from EcoStepbyStep, Amanda Hine from Message on a Bottle, Heather Barrie from Harrie’s Coffee and Christina Hall from Aqua Living.

The average adult buys more than 3 plastic water bottles every week – a startling 175 bottles every year per person. In total, some 7.7 billion plastic bottles are bought across the UK each year, resulting in substantial amounts of single-use plastic waste ending up in our oceans.

Refill Chichester builds on the success of Refill around the UK, which now boasts a network of over 16,000 Refill Stations.

We were more than happy to offer our support in promoting the new initiative and as well as sending out a press release to local contacts, we also invited press to the launch event, securing coverage in The Chichester Post and Chichester Observer. Spirit FM also interviewed various spokespeople including Louise Goldsmith of WSCC and Colin Hicks of Chichester BID.

The Conscious Club Beach Clean

We are excited to announce that the first event on The Conscious Club calendar will be our Beach Clean in Bognor on Sunday 19th August, from 10am.

Plastic pollution is one of the biggest threats to our oceans so why not come and re-connect with our coast and help keep our beach tidy.

We know it can be thirsty work, so we’ve teamed up with the Coffee Cup to give 10% off any hot drink to all those who take part and use a re-usable coffee cup.

We’ll provide all the equipment you will need to take part, just bring a can-do attitude and anyone else who wants to come along – everyone is welcome!

Whether you join us for 10 minutes or an hour, every bit of help is appreciated and makes a difference.

If you would like to join our beach clean, please email us at rachel@brightword.local and we will be in touch with more details.

We look forward to seeing you there!

jbA volunteers with local homeless charity, Stonepillow

We couldn’t be prouder to have helped co-ordinate this project for our client jbArchitecture. Renowned for creating beautiful homes and buildings across West Sussex and beyond, Chichester-based architects, jbA is passionate about helping the local community and supporting worthy causes. So when local homeless charity, Stonepillow needed help decorating its hostel in Bognor, the jbA team volunteered to donate their time to help finish the project.

jbA know first hand how important surroundings can be to your mindset, so this community project seemed like a great place to start and do a little bit to give back to those who need it.

As well as coordinating the logistics of this project, we secured some PR coverage with the local press, to raise awareness of the vital work that Stonepillow do and help encourage others to volunteer their time for this worthy cause.

The Collective – an exciting new way to network!

We are beyond excited to see our Managing Director, Rachel become an ambassador for The Collective – an exciting, inspirational and kick ass new networking group that has been launched and supported by a fabulous group of local business owners and freelancers all doing incredible work in so many different ways.

The Collective was founded by Helen Hoile and Abby Smith and is built on a shared ethos and approach to life: collaboration, friendship and warmth. The Collective aspires to inspire, empower and celebrate its members and support them in achieving their goals.

As a small business we’ve had lots of ups and downs over the last six years and we know how valuable it is to surround yourself with positive likeminded people which The Collective is all about – from support and advice to collaborations and connections.

We feel very honoured to be ambassadors alongside some other amazing business owners including Toni from Feed Me Momma, Steff and Shona from Body Confident Bootcamp, Lucy Stent from The Dainty Desk and Nathan Evans from Toast Functions.

Last week we celebrated the official launch at Luckes in Chichester and were overwhelmed by the turn-out and the positive response from everyone.

If you are a business owner or freelancer and are looking for support, advice, encouragement, opportunities or even just a cup of tea among friends then check out The Collective to find out more.

The secret is out at Southend Barns

It’s not often that we get to quote one of our favourite childhood books in a press release, but this was one such occasion!

Our favourite wedding venue, Southend Barns launched its new outdoor ceremony area known as The Secret Garden this summer. Taking inspiration from the Dutch term gezellig, The Secret Garden fuses Southend Barns’ signature aesthetic of rustic romance with its surrounding scenery.

To celebrate its new garden area, Southend Barns hosted an official launch party with the local wedding community. Guests included lots of local wedding suppliers and photographers who enjoyed drinks supplied by local sparkling wine producer, Tinwood Estate and a delicious three-tiered cake made by Foxwood Wedding Cakes. Music by Tea for Two and Alex Clifton on the steel pans created the ultimate summer soiree atmosphere.

It was a pleasure to help Southend Barns’ dream team to execute this event and publicise this beautiful new space on social media and in the local press.

Take a look at The Secret Garden here.

International Women’s Day 2017!

Today is International Women’s Day and as a small business made up entirely of women we wanted to take this opportunity to pay tribute to our fellow females and celebrate the fact that in 2017 women have the freedom to achieve limitless success.

At BrightWord we are lucky to come into contact with strong, driven and determined women (and men) on a daily basis. Many of our clients are women who have built established businesses from the ground up, something that even as recently as 50 years ago would have been relatively unheard of.

As a female-run business, it means a lot to us to be a small part of this network of support and determination which has over the years helped to drive our gender to level the playing field in terms of equal rights for women and men.

For this reason and many more, today we remember how far women have come and vow to continue the environment of female comradery, support and encouragement which has helped to bring us to this point.

“There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.” —Michelle Obama

Southend Barns Winter Wedding Inspiration Fair

Over 700 guests braved the cold on Sunday 22 January to attend Southend Barns Wedding Venue’s Winter Wedding Inspiration Fair. A popular event that we have coordinated, delivered and promoted for the past 5 years, the Chichester-based venue invites couples from all over West Sussex to explore the beautiful barns at their leisure and meet local suppliers to get inspiration for their special day.

From photographers to florists, the fair showcased a selection of handpicked suppliers, who have all been tried and tested by wedding couples at Southend Barns that cover every aspect of wedding planning. Resident caterers, Field & Fork were on hand to provide advice on catering to couples, while serving up refreshments and sample menu tasters. Guests also enjoyed the musical musings of Toast Functions, a local entertainment agency who provided a selection of live acts to perform throughout the day.

Dressed for winter, the weather perfectly fitted the theme of the fair as the frosty conditions allowed guests to picture the venue, as it would be during a winter wedding. Its fur draped benches and twinkling fairy lights perfectly complement the rustic venue and create a wonderful winter wonderland effect.

Photos by Millie and Belle Photography

Bespoke is beautiful at W&W Jewellery

Bespoke London jewellery boutique, W&W Jewellery is a recent addition to the BrightWord portfolio! It’s a thrilling time to come on board as they are undergoing a brand refresh, with a new logo, stationery, marketing materials, studio refit and a look book. There’s nothing quite like designing a look book brimming with sparkling diamonds and ravishing rubies!

On top of this, we have been appointed to look after the PR and social media, currently securing national and regional print coverage in top wedding publications and luxury lifestyle magazines. We’ll be working on collaborations and partnerships for the brand this year, and with actress Sally Phillips already wearing W&W Jewellery to the Bridget Jones’s Baby premiere, we are sure there will be even more red carpet action from stars throughout 2017.

A warm welcome to Warrenders!

Appointed as the PR and Marketing agency for independent, third generation, family-run Warrenders Jewellers, we are delighted to have come in for their platinum anniversary year!

With unique and beautiful commissions for the likes of the prestigious Epsom Downs Racecourse as well as celebrating 70 years in business, there is certainly a lot going on for the Sutton-based jewellers.

This year we have been tasked with creating a strategic campaign for the store’s platinum year with jewellery promotions, a mid-year event and plenty more to follow!

We love the fact that this local jewellers is quite unique in that the team in place have industry qualifications and are so passionate about what they do. We’re certain the future of Warrenders is looking very bright indeed.

Supporting local at the Alresford Horticultural Show

Saturday 3rd September saw us rocking our wellies and macs for the Alresford Horticultural Show. Well established accountancy firm and our client, Sheen Stickland work with a number of rural businesses and farmers, and exhibit at this fantastic event each year. Sheen Stickland is passionate about championing local farmers and supporting the wide range of agricultural businesses in Hampshire and West Sussex. So this year they wanted to use their stand a little differently to really highlight and connect with local growers and producers, while engaging with visitors to the show.

To help meet this brief, we teamed up with Chichester College’s (Brinsbury Campus) floristry teacher Karla Bell to create a new horticultural display celebrating Hampshire and Sussex’s rich agricultural heritage. The 2D metre squared design was in the shape of a John Deere Tractor, and was made up entirely of fruit, vegetables and natural produce. The piece, using over 380 seasonal flowers and a mixture of maize, apples and peppers, was unveiled during the show and attracted lots of attention.

Not only this, but we partnered with another local producer, Tinwood Estate for a fun competition using the fabulous display. The competition invited attendees of the show to guess the amount of flowers used in the tractor, in order to win a luxury Tinwood hamper.

Following the Alresford Show, the tractor-themed horticultural display was donated to St Lawrence Church in Alton.

As well as creating a buzz at the event, the collaboration helped us to secure post-event PR coverage in the local press while also giving us a wealth of content for social media.

In addition to organising the focal display, we coordinated the entire event stand including the structure, literature, branding, F&B, staff and promotion.

BrightWord’s Fifth Birthday!

We are thrilled to announce that BrightWord is turning five years old!

Since our head brightling Rachel started the marketing and PR company back in 2011 we have grown and grown and there has never been a dull day! We are now lucky enough to have a huge variety of wonderful clients who keep us busy bees all day long and we couldn’t love it more.

To celebrate our anniversary, we have narrowed down some of the top BrightWord highlights so far…

Of course the leading highlight has to be winning our first ever client! Being part of the re-launch of Anthony Sinclair, the original tailor to James Bond, was a dream come true and we are proud to say that the brand has gone from strength to strength ever since!

Over the years we have enjoyed managing many successful launch campaigns including the re-opening of the historic New Theatre Royal in Portsmouth and launching one of the most sought after wedding venues in Sussex, the beautiful Southend Barns.

Another of our greatest moments was beating many other established agencies to deliver a coveted SEO project for national superstore ASDA.

We have also had the privilege of working with some well-known local names such as Goodwood, West Dean College and Chichester University, and have been lucky enough to work on many fantastic projects. One in particular that stands out for us was the organising and orchestrating of our first ever festival for The Blacksmiths. It was a lot of work, but the pay off was fantastic with over 500 attendees, and amazing coverage and promotion secured for the client.

Recently we have started working with more and more brands within the wedding industry, a sector that we particularly enjoy. This includes Cred Jewellery, pioneers of the Fairtrade jewellery industry. As well as the beautiful pieces we get to promote, we are also loving being part of the cause to raise awareness for the importance of Fairtrade, helping to make ethical jewellery the rule as opposed to the exception.

Another of our biggest highlights has been seeing the BrightWord team grow. In November 2014 we welcomed Rebecca on-board as Account Manager, she has become an invaluable brightling, taking on huge responsibility within the business and has quickly grown to be Rachel’s right hand woman. Then in November 2015 the team grew again with the addition of Louisa starting as Marketing Executive quickly followed by the arrival of our part-time Social Media Manager, Laionie. Growing such a reliable, hardworking, fun team has definitely been one of the most rewarding sides of Brightword’s development and has enabled us to take on many more fantastic clients and interesting projects.

So to celebrate BrightWord hitting the mid decade mark, our flock of brightlings will be visiting the wonderful Tinwood Estate for a tour of the vineyard and to sample some of their delicious sparkling wines. So cheers, here’s to the next five!

Combining ethics with beauty…

We have been busy little Brightlings of late having taken on some fantastic new clients, including ethical jewellery moguls Cred Jewellery, who we have been working with in the run up to the launch of their stunning new collection. Our work with Cred has so far included marketing, social media and branding.

Spending our days surrounded by sparkling fairtrade diamonds and ethically sourced silver and gold – whoever knew working hard could be such fun!

Here is a peek at our favourites from the stunning and ethical new collections from Cred. To see the full range click here.

New BrightWord HQ in Chichester

We have packed up our trusty central Chichester office and relocated to new digs in beautiful Runcton at Vinnetrow Business Park. Although we were sad to say goodbye to the space we had occupied since the beginning of BrightWord, the new larger and lighter office with floor to ceiling windows has more than made up for it.

With our wonderful new clients and the disruption of moving you would be forgiven for thinking we haven’t had time for anything else.. you would be wrong. With the first Brightling baby due in under a month, one newlywed and another due to be hitched in the autumn, 2016 is already proving to be the most exciting BrightWord year yet – both in and out of the new office!

Creating The Green Waste Story Video

Over the last few months we’ve been working with our client, The Woodhorn Group on its brand new green waste recycling video.

The Woodhorn Group is an organic farm in West Sussex that diversified into green waste recycling in 2008. They now receive over 75,000 tons of local green waste each year at their sites in Tangmere and Runcton, which is then used to create their Earth Cycle range of high quality peat free compost and soil conditioning products.

While recycling is a hot topic at the moment, there is limited information out there about the green waste story so one of the first recommendations we made to the team was to create an engaging video to demonstrate how garden waste from West Sussex is collected and then turned into nutrient rich compost.

We were responsible for project managing the video which included creating a storyboard, briefing the videographer, overseeing the editing and launching the final cut. With so much content to film, it was important to keep a tight brief to capture the scale of the waste management and communicate the measured process while also ensuring that viewers of all ages would understand and engage with the video.

In early December we launched the video across various platforms, pushing it on the firm’s website, social media channels and in the local press. We worked together with a number of partner organisations such as the Soil Association, Chichester District Council and Biffa to help reach and engage with a wider audience.

We particularly enjoyed working on this project; seeing months of planning and the story come to life on screen. We also enjoyed working with Carl Pendle who created the video.

Click here to see the final result.

Website launch for Gilbert & Cleveland

We’ve been working with Gilbert & Cleveland Estate Agents for the past year, managing all their marketing and PR activity across the five local offices. One of our key objectives from early on was to improve the firm’s online presence and digital marketing. However, before doing this we had to go through a lengthy brand evaluation and introduce a refreshed set of brand guidelines to help them achieve more consistency across all marketing materials and channels. This included the introduction of their silhouettes which represent the five local office areas and their lettings service. The new materials produced following the brand refresh have been well received and the silhouettes are becoming synonymous with the company.

Once this had been completed we could then set our sights on their online marketing. We spent several months working with the partners and staff at Gilbert & Cleveland to scope out the new website and establish the user journeys and experience. We also spent time reviewing the competition and working with our partner development company to plan the aesthetics and functionality of the site.

The agreed aim was to create a cleaner, fresher and more user friendly website with a modern feel whilst maintaining their unique selling points and traditional branding; we wanted to embrace modern methods of selling property without compromising their personal touch and excellent service. It was crucial that the website was responsive for desktop, tablet and mobile screens and that branding was consistent with the newer image that had been introduced.

The new site also needed to:

Greatly increase traffic and visibility
Increase awareness of the firm and its services
Generate new enquiries and capture data
Integrate better with social media channels
Integrate with their existing property software

Other requirements included being able to clearly display property details across all devices with the ability for users to share with friends, book viewings and download further information. We also wanted to reinforce the firm’s position as experienced, trustworthy and knowledgable estate agents so spent time building up valuable content such as guides on the selling and lettings processes as well as information about local areas and recommendations from buyers/sellers.

The website launched just before Christmas and we are all delighted with the results. The new look is clean and contemporary while the informative and engaging content ensures that the firm’s unique values remain at the forefront of what they do.

To visit the website click here.

Re-opening New Theatre Royal – The stage is set!

One of the highlights of 2015 was working with New Theatre Royal in Portsmouth to manage their marketing and PR prior to the re-opening in October.

Operating as a theatre since 1856 under the control of former travelling circus owner Henry Rutley, the Guildhall Walk venue has enjoyed a long and fascinating history. Despite many attempts of closure and demolition the theatre has shown true resilience, surviving fire and war to remain a cultural landmark in the heart of Portsmouth.

One of the very few remaining C. J. Phipps/Frank Matcham working theatres in the UK and Eire still in operation, the Grade II* listed Victorian building has continually evolved to embrace changing cultural trends, accommodating the era of film, variety performance and even live wrestling in the early 1960s. Many colourful characters have walked the boards at the theatre including Ellen Terry, Sarah Bernhardt, Henry Irving and Twiggy, who launched her film career in Ken Russell’s critically acclaimed musical film, The Boy Friend, which was filmed there.

Now, nearly 160 years since it first opened, the theatre has gone through its latest restoration to return it to its former glory while bringing it into the 21st century. The £4.5m re-development has been used to repair the stage and fly-tower, build new dressing rooms and learning spaces, and improve accessibility to the theatre. In addition, the rebuild brings a brand new studio space, a legacy to the great educator and filmmaker Antony Minghella CBE, who studied in Portsmouth and went on to have a 30-year career as a director, producer and actor.

Following many years of hard work and unwavering help from loyal supporters, the curtain was raised for the first time in four years on the 15th October with The Great Gatsby and we were delighted to play a part in getting them to this point in their journey.

Our main objective was to engage with local communities and audiences to make them aware of what was happening at New Theatre Royal and make them feel part of the theatre’s future. The theatre had been closed for many years previously with various attempts to re-open so it took careful planning and some strategic marketing campaigns to build up a relationship with not only audiences and communities but also the press. Our remit covered everything from PR, advertising and digital marketing to social media, partnership marketing and website management. Working closely with the fantastic team at New Theatre Royal as well as their many partners, we have successfully helped the theatre re-launch as one of Portsmouth’s most popular visitor destinations and one that is unique amongst the city’s cultural attractions.

We look forward to continuing to work with the team and supporting their fabulous new Marketing Manager in their first full year of opening.

Event – Festival in the Field

Last Summer we had the privilege of organising The Blacksmiths first ever summer music event – Festival in a Field! We love working on events at BrightWord and this one was particularly fun to be involved with. We were responsible for the entire set up and delivery of the day, from booking the music acts, infrastructure and entertainment to managing the collateral, licensing, sponsorship and marketing of the event.

Taking advantage of the pub’s location amongst the surrounding Sussex farmland, the festival took place in the field behind the pub in Donnington. The aim for the day was to create a laid-back event that has something for all the family and showcase the fantastic offering the pub provides.

As well as an awesome line-up of local bands playing a range of genres including bluegrass, funk and swing, we also saw some amazing talent take to the stage in the Open Mic session. The team at The Blacksmiths had put on a delicious menu of festival food and did a great job manning the Tinwood Terrace and real ale marquee. Younger guests also had plenty to keep them entertained with face painting, music workshops and tractor trailer rides around the corn fields.

We were all blown away by the amazing response and the day was a sell out just weeks after the free registration system opened. We are already planning next year’s festival which promises to be even bigger and better!