The mysterious art of Marketing

We’ve written here before about our struggle to fully understand the complexities of ‘marketing’ our business. The recent Awards success has given us some good stories in the local and regional papers, but getting exposure on the national stage - so that you might read about us, wherever you live, and be inspired to come to stay - is very difficult.

We’re learning to be on the lookout for opportunities for a good story, even though it isn’t quite instinctive yet. But when a policewoman knocked on our door just now (don’t ask, it's complicated…) Jill said ‘see if we can get a picture of her at the door, there must be a story in it’. She makes me so proud.

So yesterday, I was filled with admiration for a small dressmaking company. They got a prominent slot in prime-time lunchtime BBC news; the story was that they would have a replica of the Royal Wedding dress - which the watching world had seen just two hours earlier - available to purchase, within three days. The owner was interviewed at length, talking about the one item of braid which might prove difficult to replicate quickly, but assuring those brides-to-be that they would be able buy the dress on Monday. It doesn’t matter if they can’t of course, because she’s had some national publicity for her business which money simply could not buy, and which is very difficult to achieve. I’ve no idea how she wangled the opportunity, but I bet she’s woken up this morning to a pretty full order book - because she saw an opportunity and seized it. Well done her! Has that policewoman left yet?