Social Networking for Business

So, it has certainly been a while since I last wrote in the blog – naughty me – but I am pleased to say I have been using the time productively on the social networking front! 

In the last couple of months I feel that I have really got to grips with Twitter and my Twitter Profile  www.twitter.com/chillipromotion (@chillipromotion) is really growing with a follower count of 520.  I have become a real Twitter fan and have been actively encouraging many of my associates to get on Twitter and am pleased to welcome @theballoonlady, @swannfinancial and @banburylawyer.

I’ve also been actively increasing my presence on www.4networking.biz forum http://www.4networking.biz/members/view.htm?UserID=31274 - a great source of information and help from a really top group of people.  I stumbled upon 4N following a referral on Twitter from @dot_design.

Looking forward now to having the changes made on my website so I can really link everything together!

Busy as a bee at the moment, so best get on with quoting!  Quotes for personalised promotional items including branded  tissues and loo rolls, calendars, diaries and mugs to do now.  www.chillipromotions.co.uk.

What a night! Brayan Adams Live in Oxford

Wow, I think I must be the luckiest person alive at the moment!

Quite a while ago, I heard Bryan Adams (www.bryanadams.com) was coming to perform an unplugged gig in Oxford – I was SO excited as having been introduced to his music with the song “Everything I do I do it for you” way back in 1991 and in my influential early teenage years I became a huge fan and I have Bryan Adams songs as a soundtrack to so many memories.  However my excitement was squashed when I realised that having only recently set up Chilli Promotional Products (www.chillipromotions.co.uk) I really couldn’t afford the tickets, and sadly my husband was less keen on me so out came the CD’s – I’d just have to settle for this.

BUT, yesterday I logged into my Twitter account (www.twitter.com/chillipromotion) just after 4pm to see a post from @106jackfm (www.twitter.com/106jackfm) offering a pair of tickets to the first person to message them through their Twitter account – of course I sent them a message immediately, not expecting anything, but still the butterflies in my stomach were working twenty to the dozen as I kept pressing F5 to refresh the screen and then …. to my enormous shock …. I really couldn’t believe it but a message popped up saying “Congratulations, they’re yours”!!

My mind went into overdrive as the show started at 7pm at the New Theatre in Oxford (www.newtheatreoxford.org.uk)  and I need to get to the Jack FM studios in Oxford to collect the tickets on the way!  A couple of quick calls confirmed hubby was unable to make it but my sister was definitely up for it so a mad rush to get ready and off we went. 

Standing in the queue outside we started to wonder what it was going to be like, but then we went in and found our seats… they were fantastic – 5^th row, less than 10m from the stage and almost dead central – WOW!  I cant believe how close we were.

The performance was incredible!  With a guitar (or 2) and Gary Bright, Bryan’s music both old and new was brought to life in the intimate setting of the New Theatre Oxford.  The crowd were very vocal last night and Bryan interacted with so many people helping us all to feel a real part of the show.  I sat quietly with my sister, watching the old and the young dancing along with various senses of rhythm (!!) while Bryan Adams sang those songs that we know so well – Run to You, Heaven, Can’t Stop This Thing We Started, The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me, Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman and soooo many more.  I couldn’t quite believe that just a few hours ago I had a quiet evening and an early night planned!

Shortly after Summer of ’69, Bryan Adams went off stage, to a huge standing ovation, so he came back for an encore, and sang a few more songs. When he’d finished Gary left and we thought it really was the end but a lady in the front row threw some flowers on stage – so Bryan said he thought that deserved another song – what did she want him to sing and off he went again, and then one more after yet another standing ovation!

It really was a fantastic night, Bryan Adams is a true singer songwriter genius and I can’t believe how much better he sounded live J.

Thank you once again to Jack FM for this incredible opportunity.

Hen & Stag Nights

I was recently asked by one of my Banbury based clients whether I would be able to do T Shirts for a Stag night as her brother was best man and needed some help.  I was delighted to say of course I could, while at the same time I was kicking myself for missing an opportunity in the past! 

So many people, when organising a Hen Night or Stag Night, are keen to “brand” the Hen’s and Stag’s with T Shirts showing people’s name’s and perhaps pictures of the Bride or Groom to be, and  what a fun thing for me to be involved in! 

It was great to be able to help out this contact, who was thrilled with his T Shirts – they chose to have a photo and wording printed on the front of all the T Shirts and then on the reverse they were plain except for the groom, but there were cost effective ways of having different wording on the back of each shirt. 

With low minimum order quantities, competitive prices and lots of ideas, there’s lots of reasons to go to Chilli Promotional Products (www.chillipromotions.co.uk) for personalised Stag and Hen weekend T Shirts.

For more info you can call me on 01295 750837 or e-mail me jody@chillipromotions.co.uk or become a fan of our Facebook Page for details of special offers http://tr.im/qv2D.

Inspirational Motivation from Adventurer Sue Stockdale

Well, it’s been a while and a very very busy month which is always good news, but last night I attended a great netwoking event at the Bloxham Mill Business Centre (www.bloxhammill.com).  It is a fantastic venue for such an event and with the doors wide open and a lovely summer breeze drifting through it was hard to imagine the other end of the extreme that was experienced by Sue Stockdale (www.suestockdale.co.uk) when she and 3 others skied across the Greenland Ice Cap.

Sue’s expedition and the way she linked all the challenges to those we all find in our everyday business lives had the audience captivated and there were a great number of questions from people keen to learn more.

The event was sponsored by Lawsense TM – a new and innovative service being launched by Brethertons Solicitors in Banbury – an online service enabling users to produce online legal documents that are checked by trained legal staff. www.lawsense.co.uk.

This week I have also attended the Wealth Club in Oxford www.oxfordwealthclub.co.uk - and WOW was that a breath of fresh air for networking – a fantastically up beat group dedicated to helping each other succeed, and Business Matters in Banbury www.businessmattersbanbury.co.uk where we had an interactive game based on tennis – I love this group as every meeting is different, and I always learn new things about the other members.

Business Matters – Great Morning Networking – Now Open to All!

Business Matters, Banbury’s most dynamic networking group (in my opinion!!)  is evolving!!!! 

Traditionally Business Matters have had two morning meetings a month for members only and then an evening meeting open to any local businesses looking to meet new contacts.  As Joy McCarthy of  Word-Right (www.word-right.co.uk) recently commented the organising committee go to great lengths to ensure these evening meetings are not just good networking, but are also great fun! 

Having listened to comments from many attendees, and in light of the current difficult trading times being experienced by many businesses the committee have therefore decided to open up one of the morning meetings to try and help all local businesses not only survive, but thrive in these difficult times.  So from 25th June, local businesses will be able to attend the 4th Thursday of the month morning meeting of Business Matters (www.businessmattersbanbury.co.uk) in addition to the 3rd Thursday evening.  The meeting held on the 4th Thursday morning will be lively and fun, encouraging attendees to talk to lots of people and find out more about each others businesses – they are sure to be a bug hit!

There is a 3rd meeting each month which is held on the 2nd Thursday of the month, this will remain for members only and the focus here is on strategic alliances between members and passing business to other members through referrals.

To find out more about attending a Business Matters meeting, or about becoming a member please feel free to contact me; Jody Fletcher on 01295 750837, or jody@chillipromotions.co.uk in the first instance.

Long day, Glad it’s been sunny!

I visited Faringdon Business Breakfast Club (http://www.fbbc-networking.co.uk/) today, a great networking group organised by Joy McCarthy of Word-Right (www.word-right.co.uk).  An early start, I have to say, as not knowing how long it would take me to get there I left the house at 6am, but what a great journey – hardly any traffic, sun shining and laughing my head off listening to Jack FM!

I met some really interesting people, and learned a great deal about online networking.  Mary Thomas of Concise Training (www.concisetraining.net) did a fantastic talk on getting the most out of LinkedIn and Twitter, both things which I have been using a little and am now determined to use more!  You can find me at the following; www.linkedin.com/in/jodyfletcher, or www.twitter.com/chillipromotion.

I then went from Faringdon to see a client near Didcot – another glorious drive in the sunshine and I think I turned into one of those annoying Sunday afternoon drivers (even though it was Monday morning!) but such lovely countryside to take in!

Just finished doing some quotes for a new clothing range, really excited as I think it will really take off – watch this space!  Off to make some dinner now

Networking in the Banbury Area

 When I started Chilli Promotional Products in 2008, I made the decision that I wanted to focus on local businesses, and with an active local business networking community I dedicated a large percentage of my marketing budget to “networking”.   What I don’t think I’d realised is just how many variations of basically the same idea there were, and having been a regular attendee of a number of meetings with a number of different formats I have started to wonder what makes them successful?

 

I am a member of Business Matters in Banbury (www.businessmatterbanbury.co.uk), a group that was started by former members of the very structured international networking forum BNI, who had a vision to mix serious business breakfast networking on a member’s and member’s guests only basis, with a more informal and relaxed evening meeting open to all.  This format has worked really well and the evening meetings have proven to be a huge success with many new people attending each month. The committee have recently been wondering how to improve the breakfast meetings and get new visitors which led to a conversation at today’s meeting about what us, as members, would like… this really made me think about what it is that makes some formats more successful than others, and also having sat in a room of business people this morning, how different formats work for different businesses.

 

From my point of view, nearly every company will at some point want to purchase some form of branded merchandise whether it be pens, mugs, umbrella’s, USB flash drives, clothing or a more unusual item. Therefore I think it is important for me to meet lots of people, and build strong relationships, helping people with introductions wherever possible in the hope that people will then think of me when they, or someone they know needs a marketing gift.  For other people, their prospect / client base is far more specific and what therefore would work for them can also be more specific.

 

I really enjoy a mixture of breakfasts, evenings and when time permits lunches.  I like to see a mixture of people I know well and new contacts and I enjoy the mixture of formats of the different groups I attend; some have a speaker, some have activities and some are purely open networking.  Some are formal, some relaxed, but all, in their own way seem to work for me to a degree whether it be in terms of meeting potential clients, obtaining advice and knowledge from others in the same geographical market, enjoying a glass of wine with likeminded people, or on a more personal level meeting people such as hairdressers or a lawyer to facilitate my will writing.   

 

One thing I find really surprising is how differently people react after meeting at a networking event… it amazes me that some people are happy to get up at the crack of dawn, or to give up a valuable evening with their family to go to a networking event and then you never see / hear from them again, on the other hand there are the people who bombard you with impersonal sales e-mails immediately after the event even though they have no idea if what they are selling is of any interest to you and your business.  Why does it appear to be so difficult to find the happy medium?  I hope I have found this middle ground, but who really knows as it really does appear that everyone is different!

 

I’d be really interested to hear your views on what makes networking successful, and to hear about other groups within the local area.

 

Here are details of the groups that I attend and would recommend.

 

Business Matters Banbury www.businessmattersbanbury.co.uk

Brackley Means Business www.brackleymeansbusiness.co.uk

Banbury Business Breakfast Club www.banburybreakfastclub.co.uk

Chipping Norton 729 Club www.729club.co.uk

Banbury Business Women www.banburybusinesswomen.co.uk

New Business Connections

Today I am really very excited (and it’s only Monday morning!!) as I have booked a place at a Trade Exhibition! This will be Chilli Promotional Products’ first exhibition and I am brimming with enthusiasm!!

The event is being hosted by a number of organisations including FSB www.fsb.org.uk, Business Link www.businesslinksolutions.co.uk, the Oxford Mail and Times www.oxfordmail.co.uk,  and the Oxfordshire Economic Partnership and is at the Examinations School of Oxford University on 1st April.  The event is designed to help smaller companies meet new business contacts and there are also a number of presentations focussed on Trading in Tough Times – a really useful day I think!

Not much time now – busy trying to source recycled pen pots and personalised chocolate bars!

More soon.

Bendy Men!

Well,  since I last sat down and wrote, I have been really busy which is great news at any time, but particularly at the moment!  I’ve been doing quotes for some big companies and am sitting with my fingers crossed that these will soon come into fruition – a lot of hard work has gone in and it would be great to win the business! 

I’ve been quoting for a mixture of products including branded Pens, Post-It notes, pads, mugs, USB Flash drives and also embroidered polo shirts and T Shirts.  However, perhaps more interestingly I received my first true Web Enquiry which was a result of my free listing on Free Index http://www.freeindex.co.uk/profile(chilli-promotional-products)_137900.htm.  The customer said they did a search and called me as I had a review!! (I hasten to add that I since asked a couple more clients for reviews as I was so chuffed it worked, and I now come up 3rd in their listing for promotional products in the whole UK!).

Anyway, this client had a  really unusual request.. they were looking for a bespoke plastic figure to be manufactured to a specific cartoon character they had designed… it was to be 10cm high, free standing and be bendy so it would stay in position!  This was a great challenge for me and I am pleased to say that I found a manufacturer in the far east who will make this, in not too enormous quantities (5000+) at a really realistic price and, best of all, they can meet my clients deadline of late May!   I’m really excited about this as although I have sourced many standard, if unusual items, I’ve never had to source something totally unique – I’m sure this is something I will be able to do more with.

More to come soon!

Welcome to the first Chilli Promotional Products Blog!

Well, at the grand old age of 31 I am really starting to feel a bit old!! I cannot believe how much technology has advanced in the last few years but have made the choice to get on the band wagon (even if it is a little later than it should have been) and enter the world of the blog.

It seems like only yesterday when in 2000, as a fresh marketing graduate I took a role as Marketing Co-ordinator at John Nicholls Ltd, where one of my first resposibilities was to develop their first website.  So, armed with a dial-up internet connection and one of very few e-mail addresses in the company, my introduction into corporate online marketing began and www.johnnicholls.co.uk was born (albeit not in the highly advanced state it is now in!).

Now, less than nine years later, here we are in an age where it is hard to find a company without a website and new forms of online marketing seem to be sprouting up all the time.   I find myself wondering what I should be doing to raise the profile of my company?  I have a website www.chillipromotions.co.uk, a facebook group http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=87084165721 and have recently joined Linked-In (http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=35567869&locale=en_US&trk=tab_pro) and WeCanDo.Biz https://www.wecando.biz/profile.php?bid=1913.  However, I realise that I still need to be doing much more so I am entering the world of blogging.  If you have any tips, i\’d love to hear from you!

I am suffering from a distinct case of writers block as I sit in my office wondering what I could possibly write about that people would want to know… this has been the buggest thing that has stopped me blogging sooner, but at a recent event hosted by BT Tradespace (http://chillipromotionalproducts.bttradespace.com/) where I was hoping to find out more about using their online networking facility to improve my website search ranking, I met a very interesting and helpful lady Joy of Word Right (www.word-right.co.uk).  Joy helped me see that there are all sorts of things I can write about which will help people, and hopefully my potential customers learn more about the industry in which I operate and that, with luck, in helping other people I will be helping myself…

So, now I\’ve got onto the bandwagon I will (try) to write about some new, interesting and unusual products that can be used to help businesses keep in their customers minds, with fairly low investments! 

I\’d best stop writing and start thinking about my next blog!