Fun Stuff Archives - Page 3 of 4

One year on… Alexandra’s TMPR Highlights

30 August 2019/in Fun Stuff, The Soapbox, TMPR News

This week marks one year since Alexandra Davies joined our team as Junior Account Executive… and what an amazing 12 months it has been!

When speaking to Alexandra about her personal highlights, she’s always quick to cite that securing bylined articles in the trade press is one of her favourites (especially when she takes the printed copy home to share with her family and friends). She’s also fast become our resident social media guru, leading the charge with campaign set up and management using recently introduced platforms to the agency.

And aside from the professional progress she has made (which has been high quality and fast paced), Alexandra is a very valued member of our small but perfectly formed and specialist team.

In fact, Alexandra has assumed the official position of ‘Social Secretary’ which in the last year has seen TMPR head out to events such as the Wales v England rugby game, to ‘paint-a-pot’ when we needed coasters for the new office (Alexandra painted a bee on hers… which was no surprise), as well as to celebrate Beaujolais Day in Cardiff.

So, on behalf of your esteemed colleagues at TMPR, we’d like to thank you for being such a fab team member, making us laugh and being truly awesome at PR and marketing.

Enjoy the beehive cake!

Reaching audiences with podcast marketing

15 May 2019/in Fun Stuff, Marketing, The Soapbox

Podcasting has seen a huge growth in popularity in the last five years, with weekly listeners in the UK having increased from 3.2m in 2013 to 5.9m in 2018.¹ Although the majority of podcast listeners tune in to entertainment genres, many businesses are reaping the rewards of on-demand audio. Podcasting is non-disruptive media boasting high engagement rates compared to radio and television.

Whether you are completely new to podcasting or considering setting up a podcast for your business, here are some considerations to keep in mind:

Invest in equipment

Your podcast will be representing your business, so it’s important that the quality is up to scratch. You don’t need a professional studio set-up, but the right gear will set you off in the right direction.

A dynamic microphone (with a pop-shield), an audio interface, a pair of headphones and any modern PC or laptop to run an audio recording software will give you what you need to introduce your podcast to the world.

Have a goal in mind

Before you sit down to record anything, take the time to consider who your audience is and what they are looking for in a podcast. Bear your audience and their motivation for listening in mind when planning your topics and booking guests.

It’s usually a good idea to produce a continual podcast with regular releases, whether it be weekly, monthly or even quarterly. In this way, you can work consistently towards your goal and establish a regular listener-base.

How will you present your podcast?

There are a few formats your podcast can take, and it is often best to have an interactive element to the discussion rather than relying on a single host. One way to achieve this is to use an interview format, where the host speaks to a different guest each episode. Bringing guests onto your broadcast fosters engaging discussion and can also bring credibility.

Promoting your podcast

Last but not least, make sure your podcast is promoted on your website and that you’re telling people about it wherever you go. You might even consider putting together some business cards to hand which point people in the right direction!

For some inspiration, check out some of our favourite podcasts:

Not Another Marketing Podcast, by Jon Tromans
Marketing Over Coffee, by John Wall and Christopher Penn
The Science of Social Media, from Buffer

If you think podcast marketing could be a good option for your business, feel free to get in touch with the Technical Marketing & PR team for more information on how to get started.

¹Ofcom, 2018

Bright horizons for Education Tech in 2020

29 April 2019/in Digital PR, Fun Stuff, The Soapbox

Education technology, or EdTech, is becoming increasingly embedded in every level of our education system. The growing EdTech revolution can be seen in classrooms and lecture theatres around the world, but the British government is proving to be among the most proactive in supporting its development and implementation.

The Department for Education recently published its strategy report for education providers and the EdTech industry, paving the way for unprecedented progress through 2019 and 2020. Given that we work with some of the world’s leading EdTech brands, we’ve spent the time digesting the (rather lengthy) report, so that we can bring you the three major takeaways…

Developing the infrastructure to support EdTech implementation and use

We live in an increasingly connected world. That said, some schools and colleges suffer from poor internet connectivity which hampers their ability to use EdTech seamlessly in the classroom. Despite a top-level government initiative to achieve nationwide full-fibre connectivity by 2033, the Department for Education have pledged funding to help hundreds of the most affected schools to reach this within the next two years.

The Department for Education has also identified cloud-based systems as a key resource for increased security, cheaper running costs, ease of work-sharing and remote access.

Providing educators with the skills and confidence to use EdTech resources

Some of the largest barriers to the adoption of digital technologies are teacher confidence, willingness and adequate training. The Department for Education is setting up a network of ‘demonstrator’ institutions to show good practice and online training courses to build skills and confidence in educators.

Promoting innovation and investment into the EdTech industry

The Department for Education has published a set of ten challenge objectives which it hopes the industry will solve by 2021, for example: ‘“Improve parental engagement and communication, whilst cutting related teacher workload by up to five hours per term.”

There will be innovation competitions related to these challenges to promote product development where solutions are lacking. These involve potential investment and access for EdTech producers to pilot programs and tester institutions for their products.

A positive landscape for Education Technology

The enthusiasm of the Department for Education towards EdTech combined with the innovation on display from producers and education institutions alike point to a brilliant few years of growth for Education Technology. Effective support is being put in place for educators, providers, SME’s and customers in such a way that educational outcomes and business are set to benefit.

The education technology space promises to be hugely exciting through 2020, and institutions looking to innovate their classrooms will have no shortage of options at their disposal. If you’ve got a spare half hour, you can read the full report here, and if you’d like to pick our brains on how best to approach PR and marketing in the EdTech space, drop us a line.

TMPR sends Fraser Bear to TRIC Awards

10 April 2019/in Fun Stuff, PR, The Soapbox, TMPR News

Here at Technical Marketing & PR, we understand the importance of supporting local charities and causes. In March, we were delighted to donate tickets for the TRIC awards to the Believe charity. The Television and Radio Industries Club Awards were established to celebrate the networking of technological industries and raise money for causes nominated by TRIC. The awards play host to crowds of well-known celebrities every year.

Believe Organ Donor Support (ODS) is a charity founded by Anna-Louise Bates who tragically lost her son, Fraser and husband, Stuart in a collision in December 2015, but saved a number of lives by donating Fraser’s organs. She set up the charity to raise awareness of talking about and participating in organ donation and supporting donor families who have been affected by organ donation.

Believe is based in Wales and partners with many other cause-based charities such as Kidney Wales, Donor Family Network and a number of bereavement charities. The charity visits schools to educate children on the importance of organ donation and to encourage people to get involved by purchasing a Fraser Bear to take on their adventures and pose for pictures to raise awareness of the charity and the work it does.

The awards were the perfect opportunity for Fraser Bear to meet celebrities such as Michael McIntyre and Freddie Flintoff at the event. Leila Castell from the Donor Family Network was able to talk to the celebrities about the work the charity does and the importance of organ donation. Having recently become finalists in the Charity Film Awards and relying on votes to secure a win, Believe were also able to promote the video it had produced at the TRIC Awards and encourage celebrities to support and raise awareness for the film.

Anna-Louise Bates, Founder of Believe ODS, said: “We were so excited to take Fraser Bear to the TRIC Awards this year and want to say a huge thank you to Technical Marketing & PR for donating the tickets and supporting Believe. We have had an incredibly positive response on social media, especially from Alan Shearer and Connie Hyde (Gina from Coronation Street) in relation to our film, which will be extremely beneficial in the run-up to the forthcoming Charity Film Awards. We are incredibly grateful for this opportunity to raise awareness for Believe as a charity and the animation.”

Louise Matthews, Director at Technical Marketing & PR, commented: “As a marketing and PR company, we regularly develop marketing strategies that best align with our clients’ messages and ambitions. Understanding the importance of Fraser Bear to Believe’s strategy of raising awareness and encouraging discussions around organ donation, donating our tickets for the TRIC Awards to the charity was a no-brainer. At Technical Marketing & PR, we believe in giving something back to charities, and it isn’t always about money – in this case, we saw an opportunity for the TRIC Awards tickets to be put to better use and that was to help raise awareness for such a wonderful cause.”

If you would like to find out more about Believe ODS, please visit www.believe-ods.org.uk.

Fraser Bear and Michael McIntyre

Fraser Bear met cricket legend Freddie Flintoff

Fraser Bear meets the ladies of the Cobbles!

Fraser Bear with Alan Shearer

My Marketing and PR Insight

4 April 2019/in Fun Stuff, Marketing, PR, The Soapbox, TMPR News

I am currently a second-year Business Management student at Cardiff University who has just finished a Marketing and PR insight with Technical Marketing & PR. I worked alongside the team for one day a week over four weeks and learnt vast amounts about the marketing and PR industry, an area I have a vested interest in pursuing a career in.

Within a few minutes of my first day at Technical Marketing & PR, I was being shown how to create a media list on a media database and distributed a press release for a client, something I can now take away with me. I then looked at how to complete forward features research for clients to find opportunities in trade magazines. I also took responsibility for the Technical Marketing & PR Twitter over the course of the insight and learned how to schedule social media posts using various platforms.

I feel like I have learnt lots of new skills and accomplished a variety of tasks, and that was after just one day! Over the next three days, I was able to work on an article for an education magazine, continue researching PR opportunities and manage the social media output.

I am most proud of the article I produced as that was the primary task I worked on during my time at Technical Marketing & PR which will eventually be published on behalf of the client. I can now add this to my portfolio to show future employers.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with Technical Marketing & PR – the team are so friendly which made it easy to ask for advice and guidance if needed. I would like to thank Louise and David for taking me on and teaching me such an array of skills and increasing my knowledge about all things marketing and PR.

Sophie Williams

The Greatest (Marketing) Story Ever Told…

14 February 2019/in Fun Stuff, Marketing, The Soapbox

As it’s Valentine’s Day, the hopeless romantic in me began thinking of the greatest love story ever told. As one of the most renowned names in the literary world, Shakespeare seemed to know a thing or two about love. And his story of a love so deep has travelled through the centuries from generation to generation – I am of course talking about the star cross’d lovers – Juliet, and her Romeo.

This got me thinking, storytelling is an essential human activity and has become a crucial component in most successful marketing strategies. But, many marketeers tend to lose sight of this.

So, using the greatest love story ever told, we have looked at the fundamentals of a good story and how you can relate this to your marketing strategy.

Theme

“Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.”

It is clear that in Romeo and Juliet, the overarching theme is love. Making sure you cement the theme of your marketing strategy in the very beginning is essential. Creating a content calendar using this as a basis will help you tick off the key messages you want to push to audiences – playing a fundamental role in ensuring you go into the year ahead prepared.

Narrative

“Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene.”

The prologue of Romeo and Juliet sets the scene for the rest of the play. Similarly, in marketing your narrative must look at the ethos behind everything you do, introduce the persona, and sell the story of you as a brand.

Structure

“A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life. Good night, good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow, That I shall say good night till it be morrow.”

A robust structure in your marketing strategy will not only assist with effective planning, but it will help provide the business with a clear focus and direction which can pull through to themes in tactical campaigns.

Characters

“What’s in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.”

Every good story has a character or subject of focus. In this sense, ensuring you have characters who can be ambassadors for your brand will not only help humanise you but will also make you more personable. In a digital world where a lot of marketing is turning to automation, being personable is more important than ever.

Style/Tone

‘O, Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?’

Finally, the style of your marketing material should be consistent with what you are offering. Knowing your audience and being able to translate your USP into suitable content is essential.

Looking at your marketing strategy by using the fundamentals of a good story will help you to engage audiences, remain personable and will help you keep a consistent rhythm of material going through your marketing channels that highlights the essentials.

[Exeunt.

TMPR at Bett

6 February 2019/in Fun Stuff, Roving Reports, The Soapbox

Last month, the TMPR team took a trip to London to attend the Bett (British Educational Training and Technology) Show. For one of our clients Promethean, it is an event that is 365 days in planning, every year. This was my first time at Bett, so I was keen to explore the new and existing products on the education market as well as see the year-long plan come together for Promethean.

In the ExCel in London, the Bett Show showcases everything that is new and exciting in the world of EdTech, so this year I went to see what Promethean had to offer and to explore the new innovations coming to market!

From robots, to entirely interactive lessons – the technology wasn’t like this when I was in school! It was interesting to see how technology is being embraced in the classroom and used to better enhance the learning materials available to students.

On stand, Promethean were looking to teachers and students to share their #ClassroomStories in their video booth. In a hunt for inspiring, funny or motivational memories, a Promethean ActivPanel was up for grabs for the winning story!

Also, I was lucky enough to have a chat with Sergey Karjakin, the youngest ever chess Grandmaster, who has been working with Promethean to promote chess in the classroom. Recently made compulsory in Moscow, Sergey was talking about the benefits of chess and how it can help children improve their logic.

Exclusively, for VIPs, Promethean also had preview demonstrations available in the Platinum Suite of the next version of ActivPanel that is currently in development – so watch this space!

How to Build an Elf-y Social Media Strategy

19 December 2018/in Fun Stuff, Marketing, The Soapbox

If you thought that Santa’s little helpers are only skilled in crafting toys, you’d be wrong. There’s a lot to be learned from the festive team and we’re bringing the best of what they’ve got to offer in terms of building an Elf-y social content strategy… and the even better news is that this is not just for Christmas… these tips will help you all year round.

Short and sweet

Just like the stature of an elf, your social media content should be short and sweet, capturing what you need to say in as few words as possible but having optimum impact on the reader.

Uniform

Elves are always in their uniform, look smart and presentable. Make sure your branding is visible across your social platforms. It can be a good idea to set up visual templates for creating social media images that include some of your branding.

Full of life

Your social media content should reflect your personality, think about how you would like to come across to your audience and take the time to produce quality content that reflects you.

Work all year round

Santa’s little helpers work all year round, and so should your social strategy. The key to successful social content is planning it in advance and scheduling the content using online tools. Planning content in advance allows you to vary and structure what you put out, but you should also post in the moment at events or when you find something interesting.

Form part of a wider strategy

Elves are part of Santa’s wider mission to deliver meaningful gifts to children around the world on Christmas eve each year. Your social strategy should fit in to your wider marketing campaigns and business objectives. Think outside the box, about how social media can be used to help all areas of your business.

So, when you’re planning your social output think about those little elves, or to find out how our in-house team of elves approach social media content, get in touch. We’re more than happy to give you some advice, call it a Christmas gift from us to you!

Happy 1st Birthday, David!

31 October 2018/in Fun Stuff, The Soapbox, TMPR News

Throughout University I worked hard at my Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies course, I was section editor of the university newspaper, Gair Rydd, and held a managerial position in a high street retail store in Cardiff. With no experience in Marketing & PR I found it difficult to get into the industry. A year ago, our Director, Louise, hired me with the intention of teaching and coaching me on how to succeed at Technical Marketing and PR. After celebrating my 1^st birthday this week, I wanted to summarise what I have learned this year.

In the last year I have learnt so much more than I could have imagined. From day one I was dealing with clients first hand, writing copy and attending expos. After six months in my position as Junior Account Executive, I was promoted to Account Executive, something I am incredibly proud of.

I thoroughly enjoy the roving reports we produce when visiting clients at expos or events. I participated in a video course when I started at Technical Marketing & PR, which taught me how to create professional looking content on a mobile phone. This has been a fantastic opportunity for me to improve my video skills, interview our clients, and help them produce content.

All in all, this last year has been a big year for me, both professionally and personally. In my first few weeks at Technical Marketing & PR, we were exhibiting at the Introbiz Expo, something we are excited to be doing again this year on stand 259. The Introbiz Expo is one of the biggest business expos in Wales and we are excited to exhibit and have lunch with Lord Sugar! In January, we attended education technology show Bett with our client Promethean, which was a fantastic opportunity to see how technology is being utilised in the education sector. Another big event for the business as a whole was the CIPR Cymru Awards where we were shortlisted as ‘Outstanding Small Public Relations Constancy’, and even though we didn’t win the party was brilliant and a great opportunity to celebrate our successes with some of our clients! Whilst all this has been going on, I also got on the property ladder, buying my first property in Cardiff Bay. My commute to work has improved ten-fold, I am no longer stuck in traffic for an hour and a half, now it takes me just 12 minutes!

I am incredibly pleased with my successes over the last year at Technical Marketing & PR, and I am looking forward to seeing what the next year will bring. Thank you to the team for my amazing cake!

Sharing a Passion for Our City

19 July 2018/in Digital PR, Events, Fun Stuff, Marketing

We love Cardiff, and when we found out that a local charitable organisation needed help to create a video promoting the city to its members worldwide we were more than happy to help out.

Cardiff Round Table is a group set up to encourage fun and friendship, in addition to raising money for charity. One of their biggest events you’ve probably heard of or even possibly been to, is Sparks in the Park Cardiff. The annual firework display is extremely popular, and members of Cardiff Round Table put in a tremendous amount of effort to organise the event and raise a lot of money.

Round Table groups exist all over the world and every year meet up in a different city to celebrate the achievements of Round Table. In 2019, the International Union of Clubs (IUC) event will be hosted by Cardiff, so Cardiff Round Table needed a video that would give ‘Tablers’ from far and wide a brief insight into what our beautiful city has to offer.

We came up with this video which was presented at IUC in Roubaix, France, in June. It was a privilege to be able to help the guys!

If anyone is interested in knowing more about Cardiff Round Table, the social and networking aspect, or the fantastic charity work they do, get in touch here.

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