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The countdown to BIBA 2015

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With only a few day to go before BIBA 2015 takes place, quite how this event comes around so quickly is one of life’s mysteries in the events calendar year. Manchester has become the spiritual home of BIBA and with it now having been there for the last two years, all attendees - both visitors and exhibitors - have really become familiar with the venue and this great city.

We are very happy to be supporting twenty clients again at this year’s event - some as part of their regular marketing plan and some as first-time exhibitors.  All have very different requirements and needs from their time spent at BIBA, but one common need is very much evident this year - maximising their return on investment and to lay ‘markers’ to evaluate the success of their participation.

Evaluating the success of a trade event is no easy task. In a service-based industry, where relationships are developed, nurtured and renewed over a longer period and where no single outcome is evident, attributing singular results to an event is not easy. But the fact is that they are an essential part of the year's ongoing communication with potential clients, a captive and immensely valuable market – and all in one hall. So how do you evaluate?

A balanced level of assessment can be made and measured, albeit varying to your own priorities and targets. This can be brand presence and exposure - data capture and footfall, entries to on-stand games and engagements, numbers of attendees at stand events such as drinks receptions, or a new product launch.

The focus for our clients this year varies depending on these criteria; from visually impactful stands that are very much brand-focused, to more themed designs where specific product pushes and demonstrations are being promoted, and to inviting spaces where welcoming receptions are planned – all of which make for some great designs which we are very much seeing come to life. And all of this in a 48-hour build time.

So the countdown is on, trucks are loaded, our team of nearly 100 including stand builders, AV specialists, project leaders, graphic installers, and film and camera crew are ready to go. Roll on BIBA 2015 and we look forward to seeing you in Manchester!

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Google ups the ante on mobile friendly websites

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Google is back with another of its search engine ranking algorithm changes.  This time, it is all about your site being mobile friendly. The new algorithm, which goes live from April 21, 2015, will be placing emphasis upon sites being responsive. A responsive site is one that adapts to the screen size of the device a visitor is using to access the site; e.g. desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone.

Google has officially stated that Responsive Design is the preferred design pattern for its Google ranking bots sent to check sites, and that those not meeting these standards will see themselves dropping down the rankings on mobile search results.

You can click here for more details about the update and click here to check whether your site is mobile friendly.

As a rule, we build sites to a responsive standard. So, if you are at all worried that yours might not meet these new standards, get in touch and we will be delighted to help.

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Feeling the Valentine Love - are you engaging?

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You can hardly have missed the fact that it is Valentine's Day this weekend. For the business world, February the 14th perhaps bears no special significance, however it offers a reminder to consider the strength of the relationships you have or are trying to build.

In one regard perhaps there is a similarity as both are increasingly becoming played out online. In both cases there will always be those whose interest in you is purely superficial. Although this provides a good boost, it is those connections which provide a more in-depth mutual interest and long-term benefit that we ultimately value most.

I talked last year about the difference between ambassadors and fans in the business world, which can be compared to the meaningful relationships and casual friendships we enjoy in our personal lives. Ambassadors are what we strive for; the clients, partners and peers we have proper relationships with and who are truly deserving of a bunch of red roses and a mix tape. As you can imagine though, like life, it takes an investment in time and effort to turn fans into ambassadors.

In the world of digital communications the key to success lay in consistent messaging, it being relevant and the timing of when you say it. Applied well, it will ensure that a client or prospect is likely to be moved to want to engage, share and remember it. Like life, achieving this is rarely a happy accident though and you need a well thought through strategy.

Do this well and you can afford to embrace the warm fuzzy feeling that this time of year can bring on, safe in the knowledge that the relationships you have developed will continue to get stronger and more likely to convert into something deep and meaningful for your business.

So, as we say… feel the love ❤

Happy Valentine's

photo credit: Engagement ring

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And climbing another two places in this year’s charts is…

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Every November B2B Marketing, the leading international information provider for business marketers, publishes its annual B2B agencies benchmarking report. In their own words, “The B2B Agencies Report 2014 is a comprehensive examination of the B2B marketing agency sector. It’s an indispensable resource for B2B marketers seeking to evaluate and appoint specialist B2B agencies. It provides exclusive insights into key trends and detailed breakdowns of performance of the leading players.”

We were delighted last year when brandformula & Lamb broke into the top 30, coming in at number 28. We are even more proud now as, when discounting agencies’ non-B2B marketing activities, we have climbed a further two places to 26.

Reflecting upon this, we owe a couple of big thank yous.

Firstly, to our team who have worked so hard throughout the year to produce work of such a consistently excellent quality.

Secondly, to each and every one of our clients who have supported us so well during the year. We cannot achieve what we do without that support and more so with the trust that is placed with us to deliver their campaigns.

b2bmarketing.net b2bmarketing.net/resources/b2b-agencies-report-2014