There is a new store in town!
We don’t just work with national brands; we also work with local businesses too! A brand new convenience store and cafe was opening right on our doorstep in Congleton and we were enlisted with organising and managing the grand opening at the end of August.
The new concept, collectively known as the Hüüb Store, features a Londis shop and a contemporary cafe called the Hüüb Cafe. It takes over the former Grove Inn pub on Manchester Road.
The site has been completely redeveloped over the past year to make way for the Londis which will be the retailer’s flagship store for the North West.
On the first floor is the Hüüb Cafe – a premium coffee shop serving a range of hot drinks, smoothies, paninis, cakes and afternoon teas. The spacious area can hold up to 60 covers and in the coming months, will look to extend its opening hours and also serve breakfasts and alcohol.
We had just one week to plan the event which we don’t usually recommend but with the team’s vast experience in store openings, we managed it no problem!
To create a buzz and to provide entertainment, we enlisted Cheshire’s number one local radio station, Silk FM 106.9. Breakfast presenter, Darren Antrobus and his team – not forgetting cheeky Cheshire the cat – set up in the car park and played well-known hits all afternoon, enticing passersby to come and visit the new premises.
We organised a local face painter who brought a wash of colour and smiles to children’s (and adults!) faces, whilst attendees were offered a beautiful array of tasters to sample from the new cafe.
MP Fiona Bruce also came along to officiate proceedings, cutting the ribbon and enjoying afternoon tea with the managing director of the Hüüb Store.
If you’re opening a new store, contact us to find out how we can help make the opening a success!
What makes a great press release
A press release is one of the key elements to any public relations strategy. They are a standardised way to communicate with journalists and usually entail details regarding product releases, event announcements and other newsworthy items a company produces.
Creating a great press release often helps to secure a magazine feature, which in turn will attract new customers. However, considering journalists are bomb-barded with potential stories and pitches on a daily basis, it is crucial to make sure yours stands out from the crowd.
Headline
A headline is the first thing that people see, whether it be a magazine article, book or leaflet. Therefore, it is no different when a journalist reads a press release, if it doesn’t catch their attention it is unlikely that they will read the rest of the piece. The headline needs to pull the journalist in, so make sure it is engaging as well as accurate.
Content
Another important aspect of a press release is, of course, the content. What you write about must be of interest to the journalist in some way, otherwise, they may not take any notice. Make sure the topic is newsworthy, this doesn’t mean that you should only send out press releases that would make the front page of a newspaper. It means that the topic needs to be current, it is either happening now or is about to happen. There is no point publicising an event that has been and gone.
The overall tone of a press release should not come across as promotional. It isn’t an advert to sell a product or an event to a journalist. It is a way of informing them about the company or brands latest exciting news and to provide them with the information they need to write a newsworthy story.
As well as keeping the content relevant, it needs to be straight to the point. Journalists are busy people, they don’t have time to read every single press release they receive. Therefore, make sure that the first couple of sentences of the release inform them on the message you want to get across. Then the rest of the paragraphs should be information supporting this.
Quotes
Adding quotes to a press release adds a human element to it, whether it be a comment from someone in the company or close to the product. They provide insight and opinion and they should sound like a real person has said them. Journalists will want to pull key parts from the press release to use in their own stories and including quotes gives them something extra to use in addition to the information provided.
Contact Information
It may seem obvious but it can be a common mistake to forget to include contact information for journalists to follow up with. If this happens, it looks unprofessional and you may lose the secure space in that title as the journalist will not know who to contact if they want more information. Whether it is you or someone else at the company who is the point of contact, be sure to include an email address and phone number.
Why you should embrace social media
Social media has become a worldwide phenomenon since the outburst of Web 2.0; it changed the way that people used the internet. Users now look online to share and connect with others around the world. Businesses may have been reluctant to this new wave of technology in the beginning; however, they are now jumping on the social media bandwagon and taking full advantage of the marketing opportunities it offers.
The list of benefits social media can offer goes on and on, so to make it easier for you, we have summed up just a few of the key advantages.
Increasing brand awareness –
Social media is one of the most cost-effective marketing methods that can be used by any brand, not only is it (mostly) free, but it gives you the opportunity to reach a wider audience and increase your brands visibility.
Engage with others, by simply ‘liking’ or ‘sharing’ content. This instantly gets your brand name recognised by others. Once they begin to share your content, you are opening up to a whole new network of potential clients. Your boundaries are limitless.
Engagement and building consumer loyalty –
One major beneficiary of social media, is the ability to engage with your consumers. When a brand is commenting, liking and sharing, it personifies the brand as consumers tend to prefer to communicate with people rather can businesses.
Developing a loyal customer base is a vital component for any business and by engaging with your consumers you are showing you care about customer service, which in turn generates loyalty.
Provide a better customer service experience –
Consumers now look to social media to find out information about a business and by having social media accounts for your brand, you are giving customers the opportunity to contact you instantly. People expect fast response times and social media enables you to respond to them 24/7.
#Hashtags –
With the world of social media, along came the hashtag. This can be one of the most useful tools to incorporate into your social media strategy, if used correctly. By providing a relevant hashtag to your post it will send your message further, it can be seen by thousands of people across the world in a matter of seconds.
Gain marketplace insight –
What better way to find out what your consumers want than by directly talking to them? Through social media you can communicate with your target audience and monitor their interests and opinions. All social media platforms give you the chance to see what is ‘trending’, allowing you to understand what people are currently interested in, how can you get involved and get a step ahead of your competitors.
Find out what your competitors are doing –
One quick and easy way to find out how your main competition is doing, is to check their social media. All businesses tend to share their latest venture on their social media site, giving you a heads-up on what is happening.
Drive traffic to your website –
All of your social media accounts link to your website, so anything you post can persuade a potential customer to view your site. If you are using social media to promote products/services, attach a link to the post so your followers can be directed to the website, making a better user experience overall.