Shooting a Corporate Video – Part 1

‘Fingers crossed for the weather’. It is a simple phrase that holds such a disproportionate amount of power when it comes to video shoots. On all our video production projects we leave nothing to chance. Everything is accounted for, but the one thing that we have no control over was the weather. Oh, and we hadn’t planned for Chris, our main cast member, getting food poisoning on the morning of the shoot but I’ll get to that later.

When walking boot mega brand Brasher approached us to produce a number of videos promoting their new product launches, happiness levels in the office reached fever pitch, which is a great start of the process that all our corporate video projects follow.

So, let me take you through our tried and trusted process for video shoots.

The Crucial Preparation

Having already met the client and been fully briefed, the first stage is unavoidable meetings. At these, we discussed the products, in this case different boots, their unique attributes and the types of terrain that they were suitable for. These discussions along with existing brand styles gave us a basis for what Brasher wanted to achieve.

This part of the process is massively important as it provides you with your objectives. Each product video went through the same planning process. The first video would provide a template for the rest, but each of them would have their own sense of identity.

Storyboard It

This part of the planning is covered by a storyboard meeting. It involved the whole project team including the director of the shoot. At its most basic, a storyboard fleshes out and provides a context for the shoot. Descriptions of what will be seen, whether video or graphic, are put together. Cast and props are discussed and timescales for possible shots and locations are planned.

Location Selection

At Happy Creative, we are very fortunate that we have two areas of outstanding natural beauty on our doorstep – the Lake District and the Forest of Bowland. Our love and knowledge of these two areas would prove crucial for this particular shoot.

The video director and myself covered over two hundred miles in two days of driving and walking to source the locations that would be suitable for each product. We discussed scenes, angles, camera positions and the logistics of what you could reasonably achieve in a single day’s shoot.

Such a ‘recky’ gives you a visual reference for the next stage of the planning process which is finalising a storyboard and creating a script. We took photographs of each location, got wet, checked our shots, and then created a story board around our ideas for each location and each product.

Storyboard Again and Script

The storyboard process is when firm production decisions are made. There are many options available to tell the viewer a story. These are decided on the requirements of the shoot. For example, would we need actors, is there going to be a voice over, a vox pop, or pieces to camera? This process comes together when the script is written up as a Industry Standard Storyboard.

An Industry Standard Storyboard includes:

• Each line of video script separately numbered. These are the storyboard numbers and are essential in organising a successful shoot.

• Each numbered line of script will have detailed visuals and exact locations set against it.

• A Shoot List – a list of all the locations required for the shoot, shown as storyboard numbers against location.

• A Cast List – details of all cast members, either provided by the client or hired actors.

• A Props List -details of all props whether client or producer provided.

• A Graphics list – details of any graphic or caption sequence that a designer can review separately.

• A Stills List – details of any still photos or logos within the film. It’s more than a shooting script. It’s also a complete list of materials required in making a film.

Shoot Planning Meeting

Finally, a shoot planning meeting takes place, which is where we confirm that all locations are available and suitable, equipment is in place and personnel are ready. This is also an opportunity to revise script details with the client.

And to the shoot…

All this happens before we’ve even hit the slopes for filming. At this point, ready for the shoot, and as I waited at the meeting point for our client to arrive, I had 30 minutes to dwell on the two factors that we didn’t have control over – rain and food poisoning.

In true Happy Creative spirit… we just had to go for it. Jason and the rest of the crew went to our first location and I went down later with our client. As we walked to the top of the hill, we saw Chris (our main cast member) hunched over and I wondered how we were going to juggle Chris’s obvious discomfort with what we wanted to achieve.

How we did that and overcame noisy waterfalls, road cleaners, cars, lorries and not so silent hotel rooms, I’ll answer in my next blog!

James Chantler is Creative Director at Happy Creative, a full service marketing and creative agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire. To learn more or contact us please go to www.happy-creative.co.uk

Marketers in a Sweet Shop

Do you remember the moment you walked into the local sweet shop, 10p burning a hole in your sweaty palm?  Time spent looking around at the plethora of jars, trays and boxes, nostrils full of the sweetest smell.  The possibilities were endless.

Sorry to spoil your little reminisce, but you know what came next.  The realisation that the, now sweaty, 10p just wasn’t enough to fulfil your strongest desire.  Yet that initial feeling of so many possibilities, you were a kid in a sweet shop.

Now imagine that 10p was a crisp £10 note.  That’s right; you’re 8 years old, in a sweet shop with a £10 note.  Oh my word!  Just imagine the possibilities then, especially if like me you clearly remember sweets being bigger, lighter and all starting at 10p a quarter or even ½ penny a sweet.  That £10 is getting spent and you will have the largest range of sweets you could possibly get.  It doesn’t matter if the combinations work, no, here’s £10 now fill my satchel!

It is good metaphor for the current position of digital marketing within most businesses.

Many businesses, managing directors, marketing directors, sales teams and marketing departments have heard the buzz, they’ve attended all kinds of seminars, they’ve heard one expert after another tell them the latest, sell them the latest, smelt the sugar…  I’ve talked with many clients in this position.  Past is the need to get a basic understanding of what each aspect of digital marketing can do for them.  They can see the shelves stacked with ‘digital wonders’ and just want to jump on the ladder and get eating.

Unfortunately, this applies to even some of the most experienced marketers and business owners.  The digital sweet shop is just too hard to resist, and too many are overcome too easily by the number of different variables instead of putting aside the shorts and satchel and considering the best combinations to use for the outcomes they need.

The debilitating distractions of the digital sweet shop are made even worse by their ability to also divert attention from the more traditional marketing shop next door.  The digital sweets have undoubtedly brought a new dimension to marketing, sales campaigns and even the composition of businesses.  However, the principles for developing your business/campaign/strategy remain the same they always have.

If you put your customer at the heart of your strategy and spend time and energy understanding them, you will gain insights into how best to engage with them.  Digital sweets have opened up huge new areas of engagement.  Indeed we are in an age when engagement is no longer a nicety, it is essential in building your business/growing sales.  However, integrating your digital sweets in the right way both together and within a wider ‘offline’ approach will gain you the very best results.

So here’s my tip, stop acting like an 8 year old in a sweet shop.

Try each of the sweets, see which ones work for your customer and you, and develop your plan.  Then next time you stand in the marketing sweet shop you’ll be able to pick the sweets that suit you best for the best results.  Otherwise you might find that initial buzz that comes from a belly-full of sweets becomes a regret filled stomach-ache of empty sugar.

Simon Brooke is a Director at Happy Creative, a full service marketing and creative agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire. To learn more or contact us please go to www.happy-creative.co.uk or @Happy_Creative

Online vs Offline. Which will be victorious?

There is a constant battle between the effectiveness of offline marketing versus the efficiency of online marketing. Which will give you the most return on investment? Which is the most effective form of marketing for your customer? Which will help you win the battle of bagging that key customer?

Let the battle commence…

In the red corner we have online marketing. With the increase in technological capabilities, online marketing has become more and more popular, often replacing offline resources in a bid to create a more cost effective marketing strategy. Here’s a few great things to know about online marketing.

1.Cost effective – emails and social media are very cheap to do. For very little cost you can contact a wide audience and thus the return on potential return on investment is high.

2.Instant access – Online marketing acts as the here and now- you respond straight away. Whether this is a reply to a  tweet, a ‘like’ of a facebook page or a click through on an email, the action is carried out usually upon initial contact.

3. Spread – with the ability to link easily to the web the spread and scope of information is enhanced. You can take your customers on a journey anywhere you wish, quickly and easily.

4. Measurable – Online marketing is generally measurable- you can see who is interested in what you have to say, and the steps they take upon receiving your communication. This is great for tracking patterns and continually improving your communication.

5. Targeted – Online marketing can be widely targeted, quickly and easily. Despite this there is room to target more specific demographics and groups to ensure a more effective connection. The ability to use audio and video enhances the communication for specific target audiences.

Online marketing is a simple, efficient form of marketing. With growth in technology it will only continue to improve. With all these benefits you may think that online marketing is looking like a clear winner?

Online marketing is in danger of becoming overused and blending into a crowded marketing place, as well as being seen as intrusive and annoying if handled in the wrong way. So does offline marketing have a fair fight?

In the blue corner we have offline marketing. With the overcrowded digital market place, offline marketing takes us back to those none technical roots that we miss. The traditional use of media has worked for years, and will continue to do so. Here’s a few interesting things to know about offline marketing.

1. Touchable – tangible things are well received. They are personal, they are exciting, they can be easily passed around and they are less likely to be deleted- if you do it right of course. In an age where technology is taking over, offline marketing if starting to be viewed as unique, different and special.

2. Making an impact – offline marketing has the potential to make a big impact, whether this is a DM that lands or ambient media that catches the eye. Making an impact is important for being remembered, and it is less easily ignored. Being seen everywhere, and being well-known portrays trust in your brand.

3. Quality – offline marketing adds a quality to your brand. Seeing something impactful, interesting and executed well  adds that something special that often lacks in impersonal marketing.

4. Personal – offline marketing has the potential to be more personal than online marketing. Receiving a direct mail piece with your name on makes an effective impact. The personal touch of offline marketing is more credible than getting an email addressed to you- customers feel special.

5.Creativity – offline marketing gives much more opportunity to be innovative and use your imagination. Marketing methods such as interesting direct marketing and guerrilla marketing allows creativity and creates the wow factor.

Offline marketing is personal, impactful and adds that something special to the marketing connection. Without it everything becomes very much the same, and the interest and excitement of marketing is lost. Is it a knock out for offline marketing compared to online?

Ding ding ding

Both online and offline marketing have their benefits. Together however they make a strong tag team.

Creating an integrated campaign is much stronger than having one concentration. Online marketing is quick, efficient, measurable and has a potential wide spread audience. Offline marketing is impactful, creative, tangible and respected. If you can include all aspects in your marketing strategy, you can create a series of strong , successful campaigns.

Emma Dobson is a branding expert and Touch Point guru at Happy Creative, a full service marketing agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire. To learn more or contact us please go to www.happy-creative.co.uk

Thanks, But I’ve Got A Website

This may be the case. And I’m glad to see you’re making the right strides in having an online presence for your business. You’ve got the business idea, you offer a brilliant service or products and you’ve realised that online marketing is a superb resource for reaching a huge potential customer base. You’ve had your HR Manager’s graphic design student son or daughter to knock you up a basic site with your company logo, contact details and a brief outline of what you do, from their bedroom. And that’s it…the enquiries should come flying in thick and fast, right? And all it’s cost you is a crate of beer.

It is rare for most SME’s to think they have the necessary budget to invest in a strong website or marketing in general for that matter. We are all aware that large businesses and organisations are conducting business on a scale that we can only dream about. (Although one day, the Happy Bunch are all convinced that Mr Saatchi and co will be quaking in their boots when Happy Creative is famous for global campaigns..!) However, what we do know better than most at this current moment in time is the small business.

We understand that small business owners are striving to survive and grow during these incredibly tough times and we know how hard it can be. As with our clients, we depend in some respects on potential clients finding our website, liking what they see, and getting in touch to see how we can help them. Because of our understanding of this, we take our clients’ goals and needs very seriously, and know that they are entrusting us with something extremely important when they come to us for website design and development.

It is a common misconception amongst decision makers when thinking about setting up a website that you will simply put up a site and that’s it. Imagine it in this respect: A shop owner does not build up their store, stock it full of their products and then leave it at that, never to re-stock the shelves. Having your business online, whether it is solely an internet company, or a ‘shop window’ that is purely informational, a website needs to be in a constant state of development in order to have a chance of climbing up the search engines. This can be achieved by uploading regular and fresh content, adding news or blog articles that are industry related, new resources for your customers and interesting features such as Social Media updates to make your website useful to visitors. Therefore, your site should technically always be maintained, which means you need a quality web designer to ensure that this will be possible from the outset.

So, we go back to my original point – why shouldn’t you just have a ‘build it yourself’ or ‘off the shelf’ website?

To put it simply, the main reason is search engine rankings. These basic websites are ok if your aim is to simply have an online presence to outline your company if a user types in your exact URL. Anything other than that and it’s a complete waste of time. There are countless programmes and ways of creating these websites and they are cheap as chips (although having bought a chippy tea the other night, even chips aren’t that cheap anymore!). Anyway, the point is that these sites act like they are cheap. They are mass-produced, and therefore you end up with a site that not only doesn’t fit your needs, but which has also not been created to meet the needs of varying customers or the search engines. Without the search engines, you will inevitably not create the traffic you need which leads to a lack of genuine enquiries.

And this is where the problems get even worse. Website owners then look to SEO or PPC support, and end up paying three or four times the amount of the original website PER MONTH to try and encourage higher search engine rankings.

At Happy Creative, we hear about this a lot of from potential new clients, and more often than not, will have to recommend scrapping the template site and starting afresh with a bespoke site, custom built for the exact needs of your small business.

However, there are also an incredible amount of small businesses out there that have little or no web presence whatsoever, which, as a digital marketer, I find astonishing. I can’t recommend enough starting the ball rolling by creating an online platform for your business, and making sure you get it right from the start. Whatever your business is, you should be spending your time working on that business.  Investing in quality marketing, rather than trying to save on it by doing it yourself is proven to be better and much more cost-effective in the long run. Don’t be tempted by ‘build it yourself’ websites when it comes to something as important as your online presence.

If you’re reading as far as this, then thank you for bearing with me on this. Taking all of the above into consideration, our best advice for SME’s is to at least meet with a proven web design and/or marketing agency to discuss the options available to you, before you simply pay for a website that ‘looks ok and has your details on it’.

For a reasonable investment, you will end up with a professional, appealing, custom-built website that has been tailored specifically for both your business as well as your customers, and will also be designed and built to cater for up-to-date SEO protocols. And if a Content Management System (CMS) is the route that would work best for your business, you will be able to keep your website regularly updated with content, news, announcements, products and social media, and therefore not have to rely on a web designer to make changes for you at additional costs.

Creating websites and digital marketing for small businesses without a doubt requires a completely different approach than designing for large organisations. At Happy, our process involves face to face meetings with our client, discussing the requirements, talking through the brief and creating a piece of online work that really works in terms of getting results on your bottom line. All things considered, the internet is growing at a frightening rate, and whatever your business, you will find yourself competing with countless numbers of other websites all offering virtually the same thing. Feeling lost in the crowd should not be the sense you get from your website; rather it should be what it does for your customers that makes it shine out amongst a sea of others.

As with everything we do, our digital clients are Happy ones, and we love the recommendations we get.  We hope that we get the chance to discuss any website queries you may have, and possibly have the opportunity of helping your business grow, so one day you might be as big as you imagined.

Simon Brooke is a Director at Happy Creative, a full service marketing agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire. To learn more or contact us, please email simon@happy-creative.co.uk , Tweet @happy_creative or call 01253 446933. www.happy-creative.co.uk

Web funding available for Lancashire Companies

Happy is pleased to announce that funding is available for digital projects for  Lancashire based companies that meet the correct criteria.

50% match funding  (up to £5,000) is available on eligible activities.  

The funding is available for a range of projects including:  

• Web/ Website development, E-Business/E-Commerce websites, software development/apps, mobile computing, networking, systems integration  

Also, the funding can be used for:

• Product development: intellectual property, prototyping, manufacturing, licensing
• Process innovation: enhanced working methods, supply chain improvements, implementation of new machinery and supporting systems.

The funding is available for Lancashire based SME’s that meet the funding criteria.

 Contact hello@happy-creative.co.uk , phone 01253 446 933 or  tweet us @happy_creative for more information.

Simon Brooke is a Director at Happy Creative, a full service marketing agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire. To learn more or contact Simon, please email simon@happy-creative.co.uk , Tweet @Happy_Creative or call 01253 446933. www.happy-creative.co.uk

Love Up Logo – The Entries!

Danielle at Love to Brand has sent us this little gem of romance! Happy, Loved Up and Nutritious – what more could you want on Valentine’s Day?!

Thanks Danielle!

We’ve also had an entry from our lovely friend Sam Bell at Napthens, who has sent us this very well thought out design with the accompanying slogan ‘Happy can fix anything’.

That’s very sweet…and very true – especially in a marketing sense!

Brilliant effort Sam – thanks for your entry!

We’ll post up any more entries when we get them – have you had a go yet??

Send your entries to hello@happy-creative.co.uk or post them on our Twitter or Facebook pages.

Love Up Logo

Whether you’ve been completely spoiled already today, got some amazing plans for tonight or even woken up to the usual empty doormat, Happy Creative has the perfect Valentine’s Day game that everyone can get involved in!

It’s called ‘Love Up Logo’ and it’s just a bit of fun for this romantic of all days.

All you need to do is use the Happy logo in a ‘loving’ way and show it to us.

You could take a photo on your phone of a logo that you’ve positioned within a lovely bunch of flowers?

How about scribbling a poem on a letterhead or invoice containing our logo?

You might even want to give our logo a little kiss and take a photo?

Whatever you decide to do, please send us in your efforts and we’ll post them up on Twitter, on our blog, Facebook and we might even put a couple of the best ones on our website.

It’s not just for our lovely clients, friends or suppliers, all of the Happies have had their own turn at ‘Loving Up Our Logo’.

See what you think of our efforts below:

Here’s Happy Emma’s lovely take on our compliment slip!

Here’s my effort – how cute is his cupid drawing?! Definitely an old romantic, me…

Happy Marilia has gone for a very Happy theme with her sunshine inspired logo:

Happy James’ had a go – you can tell who our Creative Director is can’t you?!

Happy Tom is our designer – a bit of a cheeky effort, but still very loved up!

Happy Debbie’s idea is very Blackpool inspired – a very nice take on it, Deb!

And finally, Happy Mike has showed his artistic side – very nice Mr Emmett!

You can be as creative as you like with this – the more weird and wonderful the better! And the ones with the most loving thought behind it will be kept permanently on our website! Don’t worry though, we’ll Tweet every single entry we get, as well as posting it on our Facebook wall.

If you don’t already follow us, you can join us on Facebook by clicking here  or Twitter here .

You can send us your entries either by emailing them to hello@happy-creative.co.uk (use subject line ‘Love Up Logo’), you could tweet them to us, or post them up on our Facebook wall. It’s up to you!

In case you haven’t got anything with our logo on, we’ve attached an image of it below. Feel free to print it off, cut it out, draw on it, Photoshop it, kiss it, but most of all…love it!

Happy Valentine’s Day! We can’t wait to see your ideas!

The Happy Bunch.

Getting the fear out of social media

You might be getting ready for a spooky costume party on the night of this Friday the 13^th, or thinking about how you are going to make a wig for your witch outfit out of spaghetti.  Just how scary is Friday the 13th for you? 

Fortunately the sun (if you are lucky to see it wherever you are) hasn’t gone down yet so, since we are probably still at work, let’s talk marketing. This very date has made me think of some fears we have about the marketing world. It made me think of the little rituals some people stubbornly follow to avoid those ‘scary’ parts of marketing.

We all tend to seek stability and familiar things, but in a fast-moving marketing world, we shouldn’t believe that doing the same thing every time will always get the expected results. Simply because it won’t. Things are constantly changing and require us, marketers and businesses in general, to move with it… or stay well behind. In a world increasingly dominated by social media we are all so connected.  I’ve therefore decided to talk about some social media fears, and here are my top 6:

Fear number 1: “Let’s stick to the ‘real world’”

You are reading this blog online, aren’t you? Yet, there are some people who still think that focusing only on the “real world” is the best approach. With over 800 million on Facebok and 200 million tweets sent PER DAY, the online world IS the real world, there is no escaping. You either build your company an online presence or you are out of sight. Don’t forget the world out there, of course, but combine both to your business’ advantage.

Fear number 2: “It doesn’t affect my business”

You may think that social media doesn’t affect your industry in particular, but you could not be more wrong. It may not have a major effect now but it affects businesses in different ways and at different times– the challenge is to work out how, and what you need to do to maximise the opportunities and minimise the threats – yes, a tried and trusted SWOT analysis works a treat here.

Fear number 3: “We have to change completely the way we do things”

No, that is also not true. Some people ask themselves: “should we market online or offline?” The answer is that it doesn’t have to be one or the other. Social media is a potential marketing channel, as is direct mail, TV advertising, face to face networking and lots of others. The challenge is to identify what works for your business. And the best way to do that is to work out what you are trying to achieve as a whole and then from each channel, so you can maximise each channel in line with your marketing objectives and resources.

Fear number 4: “The IT Department can deal with it”

Well, they can certainly help setting things up and get you up and running, but unless they know everything about your business and can answer queries, give messages, spot opportunities and engage with clients and prospects, they should only be allowed to stick to what they know best.

Fear number 5: “We have to shout louder than everyone else”

People tend to compare numbers of ‘likes’ and ‘followers’ but, as they say, size isn’t everything! Social Media is just like any other marketing – it needs to be targeted, relevant and ‘value adding’. Just because people follow you, it doesn’t mean that they’re actually listening! Engagement is key, and it’s engagement with the right people: customers, potential customers, partners, influencers, and even suppliers. So, don’t just ‘shout’ -think about the messages and crucially, think about who they are targeted at!

Fear number 6: “It’s just about attracting customers”

Of course Social Media can raise your profile, help you make connections and attract customers. But the best users of social media are those that use it to listen to, and engage with their customers and communities. They use it to have conversations and ‘listen’ to what is going on. It’s an opportunity to observe many markets and the people that use your service/product, so don’t get too caught up with the shouting and pay attention to what is being said too.

So there you have it, 6 fears well and truly exorcised.  Social media is here to stay and you definitely don’t want to get left behind.  The question is what are you waiting for… (a creaking door??)?

(and by the way, if you need help, Happy Creative offers some pretty great bespoke packages for your business to make the most of social media – and much more – so feel free to give us a call!)

Marilia Spindler is an Account Executive at Happy Creative, a full service marketing agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire. To learn more or contact us please go to www.happy-creative.co.uk

Social Media Incentive – it worked!

So, after 12 days, 12 emails, 12 winners and countless numbers of Happy people, the Happy Christmas  Incentive came to an end!

If you’ve arrived at this blog post via the infographic that we sent out, then you’re obviously impressed with some of the statistics and results that came from the campaign that we ran in December.

Or, you may be one of those lovely people who have just come for a look at our blog because you like the things the Happy bunch write about and it’s a way of brightening your Friday!

Either way, we’re glad you’re here, and welcome to our latest blog. This post is a bit of a blow on our own trumpet as we’re showcasing the outcomes of each individual day’s task and winner, as well as the overall results – all of which we and our Happy friends are very chuffed about!

We may as well do this in order (and it means we get to go first!).

Day 1 – Sponsored by Happy Creative

A whopping 700% increase in our daily blog hits! This has also meant a 400% increase in our month on month stats, and you lovely people are helping our blog stats grow on a daily basis – what a great response!

Congratulations to Gary Sheader as well for winning our scrummy hamper!

Day 2 – Sponsored by Napthens

Napthens Twitter account received a record amount of new followers on the day of their task, and it has continued to grow since! So far they’ve grown by over 25% which is brill!

Congratulations to Chris Allen who won the theatre vouchers and thanks again to Napthens for their support in the incentive.

Day 3 – Sponsored by Ridings & Faye

Facebook was the platform of choice for Ridings & Faye, and you didn’t disappoint! Their ‘likes’ have nearly trebled as a result of sponsoring Day 3. Excellent news!

Congratulations to Joanna Marshall for winning the beautiful kids’ scooter and thanks again to Ridings & Faye for getting involved.

Day 4 – Sponsored by Speed Medical

Back to Twitter for Speed, as they had only just set up an account knowing the benefits of having a larger social media presence. It was a good plan in the end, as we helped increase their followers by over a third, and it’s continuing to grow. Maybe even with a cheeky direct enquiry coming from it…!

Congratulations to the wonderful Danielle at Love to Brand who very kindly donated her prize to a chosen childrens’ charity. What a lovely gesture. Thanks also so Speed Medical for being great sports and helping out.

Day 5 – Sponsored by Wyre Cycles

Another Facebook day for Day 5. Wyre Cycles only had a small number of followers before Happy came along and invited them to take part in the Christmas Incentive, and it didn’t fail! Nearly double the amount of followers since that day – wow!

Congratulations to Michael Donkin as well for winning the cycle service. Wyre Cycles, you’re good sports for being part of it as well, so thank you!

Day 6 – Sponsored by Meadow Jewellery

Facebook proved a popular platform for Happy clients! And Meadow Jewellery was no exception. Well over 100% increase in followers and growing – you can’t argue with that!

Congratulations to Sarah Greatorex for winning the beautiful pendant, and thanks again to Meadow for supplying it and taking part.

Day 7 – Sponsored by Happy Sweet Shop

A slight change in direction for Happy Sweet Shop, but still just as effective! Day 7 was aimed at website traffic, and again, it proved the right choice. A record day and month for website visitors, and a couple of direct sales proves that it worked. What a brilliant result!

Congratulations to the lovely Maria Franchetti for winning the huge sweet hamper and thanks to Happy Sweet Shop for helping out. Great prize and great task – everyone’s Happy!

Day 8 – Sponsored by Beyond Big Bones

Even though the lovely Helen has a very niche business, you happy people still helped out an a huge way by growing the Beyond Big Bones Facebook likes! It just goes to show, how effective Social Media can be – and luckily the winner of this day’s task was also in the healthcare profession, so a collaboration could be on the cards…? It’s like blind date for marketing!

Congratulations to Jay at Whitworth for winning the healthy living consultation with Helen and thanks again to Beyond Big Bones for taking part – such a unique and helpful prize!

Day 9 – Sponsored by North’n Exposure

A slight change again for Day 9 as North’n Exposure asked you to visit their website and sign up to their newsletter. You obviously were still very much involved in the whole incentive, as you helped to increase their subscriptions by over a third which they’re over the moon with!

Congratulations to Mary Long for winning the super canal boat cruise and thanks to North’n Exposure for taking part – hope you’re as Happy as we are!?

Day 10 – Sponsored by CL Edwards & Sons

Another web traffic task today and what a response! We helped to increase the daily hits to CL Edwards by a huge 650% and it’s been steadily growing ever since! Happy Russ and Happy Karen are actually meeting Craig from CL Edwards next week to discuss some digital work following the incentive, so we’re all very excited about that!

Congratulations to super Dan from Speed Medical who won the amazing pendant as well. We’re sure Mrs Super Dan had a very Happy Christmas!? Thanks also to CL Edwards and Sons for taking part and supplying such a beautiful prize.

 

Day 11 – Sponsored by Whitworth Pharmacy

Web traffic proved to be another popular choice and with the new Whitworth website going live the week before, it seemed like the perfect choice! And it was…! With very little traffic to compare it to, Happy have helped raise the awareness of the new site and grown the traffic steadily since the launch date. You also increased Whitworth’s Social Media followers by directly linking through from the site to their Twitter and Facebook pages!

Congratulations to Matt Back who won the John Lewis vouchers – bet they came in handy over the Christmas period?! Thanks also to Whitworth for taking part – we’re also talking Social Media with the Whitworth team, so keep your eyes peeled for The Whitties in the digital world!

Day 12 – Sponsored by Dodson & Horrell

The final day was rounded off by one of our newest clients, Dodson & Horrell, and they also requested we help grow their website traffic. As per the infographic, we didn’t disappoint as the stats prove. Well over 200% increase in both daily and monthly visitors the site, as well as increased followers on Twitter and Facebook as a direct result. Happy times!

Congratulations to Lisa at Exova for winning the doggy goodie bag – Lisa’s got a little dog, so he’ll be Happy! Thanks to Dodson & Horrell for sponsoring the final day of the competition – what great sports!

And that’s it – you can’t argue with those stats can you?!

We’d just like to say a massive thank you to everyone who took part and helped out in the Happy Christmas Incentive. We’re really Happy that we’ve helped our good friends increase their online presence, as well as generating some direct enquiries, sales and even some working relationships out of it! It has worked out miles better than what we could have hoped for, so thank you again.

We hope you enjoyed the incentive, and we hope that it helped raise the profile of digital marketing. If you think you’d like some help to raise your business’ online presence, please feel free to give Happy Simon a shout

Simon Brooke is a Director at Happy Creative, a full service marketing agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire. To learn more or contact Simon, please email simon@happy-creative.co.uk , Tweet @happy_creative or call 01253 446933. www.happy-creative.co.uk

Happy Festive Challenge – It’s All Over!

That’s it!

The final day’s task went out yesterday, and it’s been a fantastic response. Thanks for your support!

Again, we’d just like to thank all of our lovely clients and sponsors who have taken part in the days’ tasks and donated some brilliant prizes! And thanks to everyone who has taken part – we’ve had some ace results on all of the days and it’s definitely helped our clients grow their online presence!

Thanks to everyone that took part in the final day of our Christmas Incentive yesterday! Chudleys are really impressed with their increase in website traffic as well as some of the Christmas wishes you sent. You’re obviously all feeling very festive this year!

Well done too, to Lisa Hurley at Exova who is the winner of the Chudleys doggie hamper!! – Lisa, we’ll be in touch to organise delivery before Christmas!

Keep an eye out for the new year too, as we’ll be sending out some results and figures to showcse just how popular the challenge has been!

Finally, we hope you have a very Happy Christmas and a brilliant New Year.

The Happy Bunch.