TMPR News Archives - Page 4 of 6

Nurturing new marketing talent at TMPR

23 July 2021/in Fun Stuff, Our Team, PR, The Soapbox, TMPR News/by Grace

We are passionate about nurturing emerging talent in the marketing and PR sector. After all, having the opportunity to hone your skills in the real world can make all the difference to a graduate’s career.

Last year we welcomed Alex Lambden to our team on a Student Placement. Alex was studying Politics and Spanish at Cardiff University and was looking to gain some industry experience within Marketing.

Alex made a real impact at TMPR. As a small team we work at a fast pace and are agile in our approach to ensure everyone is supported and that we get the job done collectively. Alex was on-board with this straight away and got stuck in with various projects across our diverse client portfolio.

Since finishing his studies Alex has gone on to secure a place on a Marketing Graduate Scheme with BT. He told us that the experienced he gained while working with TMPR helped him stand out from his competition and secure this new role.

Here’s what he said about his time with us:

“Graduates leaving university face an ever-challenging job market so it’s essential to have that standout ‘edge’ on your CV. Keen to leave my studies with a well-rounded experience, I reached out to the Technical Marketing & PR team where I gained some cutting-edge industry knowledge with a hands-on approach.

From the start, I dove into the day-to-day responsibilities of a boutique marketing agency and spearheaded important operations for our clients. While this was a new space for me, the TMPR team were true cheerleaders and supported me through how to make each piece of work my best, with a real focus on my self-development. A skillset I wanted to grow was to create inspiring copy, a new challenge for a starter like myself! The TMPR team allowed me to explore different forms of copy; co-ordinating the social media posts for one client, authoring press releases for another – I even got to see the behind-the-scenes of successful promotional video. I was so fortunate to have my first marketing experience with TMPR as I was given a wide range of responsibility which allowed me to figure out which part of marketing and PR I wanted to pursue going forward.

The team really captured the start-up culture in their office which is an ever popular theme in discussions for creating better workplaces. A constant hub of energy, the team and I constantly bounced ideas off one another to innovate the work we provided our clients. Regular check-ins and feedback further made TMPR a great place to work, I was always clear on how I could improve my performance while also celebrating both the team and my own’s triumphs. By the end of my placement, I had built up an impressive knowledge in the marketing field which I could go on and take with me to show graduate employers.

Since finishing my studies at Cardiff University, I have gone on to join BT’s Marketing Graduate scheme, with a current focus in commercial management. I often think back fondly at my time working at Technical Marketing & PR and I know the team set me with a solid foundation to become a rising star in marketing!”

TMPR is rapidly growing and we’re on the look out for an enthusiastic, experienced marketeer to work with us.

We’re a close knit team based in the centre of Penarth and we love what we do!

If you’re interested in joining the fun, we’d love to hear from you.

Get in touch via: hello@technicalmarketing-pr.com

Hwyl Fawr… Farewell, Alex!

9 July 2021/in The Soapbox, TMPR News/by Louise

As the old saying goes, all good things in life must come to an end. And, that is true of our Marketing & PR Consultant Alexandra Davies’ tenure at TMPR.

Having been with the company for the last three years, Alex has decided to make the move away from the world of B2B PR and its technical regulations and free event notebooks (we love a good freebie!) and dab her hand at a new challenge. Reflecting on the last three years, this is what she had to say about being a part of the TMPR team…

Joining the team as a fresh, budding graduate, the last three years have been a whirlwind. From diving in at the deep end working on a national PR campaign in my first week, to facing a global pandemic and spending half of my time with the business in my own four walls, Technical Marketing & PR has been a wonderful place to learn, develop and spread my wings.

Although I’m drawing my three years to a close, I want to leave on a high and write about the things that have meant the most to me being a part of the boutique, award-winning agency that has given me the opportunities to develop and diversify my skillset.

There’s nothing quite like seeing your writing in print…

When I joined the team three years ago, the one thing I knew was that I wanted to write. Matching the energy of our Director, Louise, who has always said that we are first and foremost, writers… I knew Technical Marketing would be a fantastic place for me to develop my own personal writing style and adopt new copywriting techniques that would see me through my career.

Naturally falling more into the PR side of things at TMPR, proactive pitching and PR strategy has been a personal favourite of mine. Aligning messages and audiences to promote business priorities through strong PR campaigns has been a great way to build relationships with the media and educate the market on client offerings. As a result, one of the most rewarding parts of my role is seeing the work I’ve produced coming through the letterbox in trade journal titles!

Teamwork makes the dreamwork

Possibly the most important and rewarding parts of my role over the last three years has been working with the team. As a small agency, having the agility and flexibility to support colleagues to meet deadlines and achieve goals has been important and this is something the TMPR team has down to a fine art…

Beyond working in the office together, we’ve also done some great team building activities and have many a drunken tale to tell!

Winner winner chicken dinner…

Finally, being recognised as Wales’ Outstanding Small PR Consultancy was a huge highlight. Working hard to support our clients to achieve their marketing ambitions, TMPR has earned a rather unique position amongst its clients, forming an extension of their in-house teams. With this balance making the day-to-day easy to navigate, being named as an award-winning agency for the support we have provided and campaigns run was an incredibly special moment to be a part of.

As I close the door to our office in Penarth for the last time, (Tom, have you got keys? I’ve forgotten mine…) I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities that have been presented to me. From our clients, to the work and the team – it’s been a blast and I am proud to have been a part of the TMPR Team.

Keep smashing it guys ♥

10 Years of TMPR: the Origin Story, pt. 2

2 July 2021/in Marketing, PR, The Soapbox, TMPR News/by Louise

When Louise Morgan decided to go off on her own, it was simplicity that she had in mind. “The name, ‘Technical Marketing & PR’ wasn’t dreamt up trying to create anything funky. It’s the Ronseal school of business branding: it does what it says on the tin.” She laughs. Aptly, two small, branded paint-tins, filled with 10-year celebrations chocolates, perch on the coffee table of the newly refurbished Penarth offices.

In 2011 Louise’s niece was born, and she decided to move her offices to Derby to be closer to family. Business was booming, and while she held firm on her promise not to hire staff, freelancers were soon required for the overflow.

It was in Derby that she met a Welshman, who spurred the move of TMPR to Barry. And while ultimately not being “the one”, she does attribute their meeting to fate, as it is in South Wales where TMPR and Louise remain: “South Wales immediately felt like home. Living by the sea but only 15 minutes’ drive from Cardiff is very different to Derby or Manchester, and everyone is so friendly!”

But it’s not just the sunshine and smiles that kept Louise in Cymru, “Commercially, South Wales has proven to be an excellent fit for the business. It’s an industrial region where the construction and manufacturing sectors are buoyant, so I’ve really enjoyed developing our client base in these areas.”

In the Barry Business Centre Louise grew TMPR to new heights, though always with the help of freelancers. It wasn’t until she met her now-husband, Christopher, that she entertained the idea of hiring staff again. “He said you’ve got all these freelancers, ‘why don’t you just employ somebody?’ And I thought ‘why not? I am the only shareholder, I can make my own decisions about the future of the company.’”

With business booming and a growing sense of stability, Louise made her first hire, and then another. Soon enough the little industrial space where they’d set up shop was feeling quite crowded, and it was time to start looking for bigger and better offices.

“It was then that I first started to feel excited again about building something.” Louise reminisces, “With IVE it felt from the start that the goal was just to build it, whereas TMPR, it’s always been a part of me.”

Organic growth is a recurring theme in Louise’s management style, and one of her favourite aspects of owning an agency, “I like to nurture from within, growth of the business comes from coaching & training the team, so we grow by increasing capacity rather than headcount.”

When asked why she chose to focus on construction and manufacturing marketing in particular, Louise gives a wry smile, “The thing that made me fall in love with construction was Approved Document E of the building regulations, and that is no joke.”

She recounts the 2003 amendment to sound insulation requirements with the confidence and flow of a woman who has immersed herself fully in the world of technical literature and specifications for the last 18 years.

“In 2003 there was a change to the regulations which decreased the acceptable noise transfer between dwellings. So during a massive rise in people living in apartment blocks, you had strict limits on noise that could go between apartments, airborne and impact. It was quite technical because there was different routes to compliance, whether it was robust details or pre-completion testing, and I was just like ‘oh my god, let me just soak this all up!’”

In what is still a very male-dominated industry (women represent around 11 percent of the workforce in the construction sector), when Louise entered the construction and manufacturing world it was even more so. This only served to spur Louise on: “being able to go into meetings and hold quite technical conversations, dealing with technical directors and writing technical articles, I just really felt like I was on a path that felt right for me..”

Technical. PR. Marketing. The Ronseal academy of business branding. The nitty gritty, the get your hands dirty approach. That’s what TMPR has represented over the last ten years.

And what is Louise looking forward to most for the next ten years? “It sounds boring,” She admits, “but more of the same.” A lot of our clients we’ve worked with for the whole time we’ve been operational, so I’m looking forward to seeing if we still have those clients in the next ten years. Indeed, Louise’s first client at that first agency was Promethean, who remain a client of TMPR to this day.

TMPR has only ever grown from recommendations and referrals. Louise attributes this to her “clients come first” mentality that she had steadfastly adopted when getting the business off the ground.

“Because we work differently to other agencies, we become part of the team of our clients. We get the best of both worlds, the autonomy and variety of an agency, while feeling like you’re part of something bigger.”

Bigger seems to be the motto at TMPR this year, with new offices, new faces, and a big ten-year celebration on the horizon, it’s hard not to get swept up in the excitement of witnessing a company, and director, in their prime.

10 Years of TMPR: the Origin Story, pt. 1

30 June 2021/in The Soapbox, TMPR News/by Louise

Louise Morgan wasn’t sure what she wanted to glean from her university experience, but she knew she wanted to write. Starting in a French and European studies degree that just didn’t quite fit, she switched to psychology, having an interest in human nature.

So how does a psychology degree lead to a long, successful career as a Marketing and PR director? “It was a happy accident.” Louise smiles, “I did my third-year placement at a charity in their comms department. I discovered PR there, when I had always thought I wanted to be a journalist, and just fell in love.”

The charity kept her on after her volunteer placement, as a communications manager during the summer between her third and fourth year. By the end of her degree, Louise already had 5 months of real-life experience under her belt. Unsurprisingly, she was offered a job before she’d had a chance to graduate, at TDM, a PR agency in Macclesfield.

Everything moved very quickly then (literally), “I had my last exam on the Friday, had to buy a car, pack up and move all of my things from Birmingham to Cheshire over the weekend, and started my first day on the Monday. I never looked back.”

She didn’t slow down either. From there she shifted gears to an employer comms agency, where she was introduced to the fast-paced corporate life. “It was all big bonuses, champagne, and ‘oh we’ll take everyone up to the Lake District for a team building weekend, all expenses paid in a swanky hotel’.”

While Louise was impressed with the perks on offer, her heart just wasn’t in it. PR and marketing beckoned, as did TDM, and so she returned with a promotion to account manager.

Louise was happy to return, “I thought I would stay forever, I loved them and everything about them”. She was on track to taking over as PR director, when the unthinkable happened, and the company suddenly became insolvent, closing practically overnight.

Louise wondered whether she should go off on her own. Clients offered their support and loyalty, but she felt shaken by the company’s downfall, and under-prepared. To ease niggling doubt she went to another agency, bringing with her many of the clients she had worked with at TDM.

Still, the question of whether or not to start up a new agency became a frequent quandary, and all the while one of Louise’s clients in particular kept coming to her with a tempting proposition…

And so, client became business partner, as they joined forces to create IVE Global, a PR and Marketing agency for B2B companies. “Proactive. Creative. Innovative. That’s what IVE stands for.” – An ambitious motto to suit the company’s global ambitions.

Working day and night, Louise and her new associates built IVE from the ground up. By the end of two years they seemed to be going from strength to strength, having been shortlisted for the CIPR’s Outstanding Small Consultancy (North West), and gaining 3 more members of staff.

However, the company was not to last, as life got in the way, and the other partners sadly had to go in different directions. When Louise found herself burdened with the grim task of having to make her employees redundant, she vowed never to hire staff again.

She decided instead to make a fresh start as a freelancer, trading under the name TMPR…

What does TMPR stand for? Will Louise ever hire staff again? What is part E of the building regulations? All these questions and more answered next time on TMPR: the origin story…

A new addition to the TMPR team

24 May 2021/in The Soapbox, TMPR News/by Louise

In the height of UK lockdown, where closed doors were the norm, TMPR opened their door (metaphorically) to a young Australian who found herself on the wrong side of the world. Hazel joined the team in March, and has quickly settled into our fast-paced way of life.

You may be wondering, what are her koalifications? Well, with a BA double-majoring in communications and marketing, Hazel’s experience in marketing had all been B2C up until now. But she has welcomed the opportunity for professional growth with open arms, and is always excited to learn something new.

In her first month at the agency, Hazel quickly got to work getting stuck-in to writing blog posts, organising PR activities, and picking up the overflow from our rapidly growing business, all the while learning as much as she can about the intricate world of construction and manufacturing marcoms.

“Starting fresh in a new job is tricky, let alone when you have to work remotely, but Louise and the team at TMPR have been so accommodating, and have truly done everything they can to make the transition as smooth as possible.” Hazel said of the move, “I feel very welcomed. I just wish everyone would stop making questionable geographically-themed jokes…”

It would be pretty kanga-rude of us not to say oath, Hazel, you’re a true blue ripper Sheila.

Celebrating Tom’s two-year TMPR tenure…

27 April 2021/in The Soapbox, TMPR News/by Louise

This week, we’re marking two years since Tom Martin first joined the Technical Marketing & PR team!

The pandemic saw Tom’s second year with TMPR take place against a very different backdrop to the first, but he has carried on working closely and creatively with the team and our clients no matter the situation – and always with a smile!

Over the past year, Tom has carved out more of a niche within the team and his highlights include seeing a major client campaign through to launch after managing data analysis and copywriting, and securing a selection of exciting articles in the press. Tom has truly gotten stuck in to the TMPR spirit, becoming a subject matter expert on a range of technical topics and finding new ways to communicate manufacturing and engineering with flair.

Although team outings haven’t gone much further than Zoom recently, Tom can’t wait to meet up with the team again to have some fun and really start getting back to normality – and with more and more of Wales opening up again, it surely won’t be long!

From the TMPR team, we’re still so pleased to have you on board and can’t wait to see what the next year brings…

Hello again, friends

23 April 2021/in The Soapbox, TMPR News/by Louise

Well hello there! You may have noticed we’ve been a little quiet lately, but don’t be fooled – we have certainly not been hibernating. Instead, we’ve been cocooning (a very different animal analogy), in a state of metamorphosis and growth.

The last year has been a collective trial for the world, but we’re coming out stronger against the odds. The TMPR team has been working busily behind the scenes as we grow our business, making sure our clients get the specialized attention they deserve.

In fact, we’ve been focusing so much on our clients, and keeping the collaborative spirit alive in our team, that we’ve had no time to pop our heads up and do a little bit of PR for ourselves.

Zoom sweet Zoom

Working from home has been a learning curve. In an industry that focuses so much on relationships, removing the face-to-face element has meant we have had to shift gears and rethink how we communicate.

Digital communications are more crucial today than ever before, and we’re proud to be part of an industry that has helped the world stay connected in difficult times. Clients have been our priority, and the TMPR team have been absolute champions in keeping things moving in a time where roadblocks have become the norm.

Celebrating milestones has been tricky. Sadly, the immortal words of the Beastie Boys have never been less relevant: the right to party has not been a plight worth fighting for!

That’s not to say that we haven’t had chances to celebrate: a virtual Christmas party, afternoon tea, pay day pizza deliveries, and valentines cheese hampers (to name a few), have all been facilitated by Zoom, the unequivocal MVP of the last year.

And so…

As the flowers are beginning to bloom, and beer gardens boom, we thought it’s time to emerge from our chrysalis and say “hello again, friends”. We’d say “we’re back” but we never went away!

Watch this space… there’s plenty more to come.

Re-thinking events: Taking them online

6 May 2020/in Marketing, The Soapbox, TMPR News/by admin1

One of the longest standing forms of marketing, events are a major element in many businesses’ marketing strategies. Particularly well-established in B2B sectors, events such as trade shows, are the ideal opportunity for brands to elevate themselves on a relevant platform with a targeted audience. To launch new products, network with the industry or generate new leads, face-to-face events have been fundamental.

Much like every other area of marketing there has been a rise in digital formats in recent years – webinars proving particularly popular. That said, face-to-face events are still a major springboard for activity for many businesses.

However, as face-to-face events have halted for the foreseeable future, now could be the perfect opportunity to add digital events to your plan and get creative with the space to explore what works (or more importantly, what doesn’t) for your brand.

So, if you’re looking to get started, what are some of the practical things you need to consider?

Audio – Audio is the most important element in online events. Ensure you have appropriate mics and technology that you can rely on.
Video – Live video is not always needed, but if this is your chosen method, use it as an opportunity to share the experience – and most importantly, it has to be done right.
Time – Dive into the most important content quickly. It is vital that your audiences are engaged from the outset.
Customisation – By taking your content and localising it for different regions is key to engaging different audiences and creating evergreen content.
UX – whatever your chosen platform, the user experience needs to be simple from registration through to follow up. Give your audience easy access to everything they will need to further their understanding.
Plan – have a structure in place but leave room for spontaneity. Audience demands may lead the way, don’t be intimidated by this, ensure you can be agile.
Unique – be unique and have a personality. Bring your brand to life just as you would on a stand at an event.

While face-to-face events will always have a place in the marketing strategy of B2B brands, digital events can help to plug the content gap while we wait for normality to resume. And when it does, we expect to see much wider spread digital adoption given that they break down geographical and time boundaries, making audiences accessible without the need for travel.

In fact, the current situation could actually be the catalyst needed for many businesses to review event strategies and identify where digital has the potential to add value.

Tom’s TMPR highlights – a year in the making

24 April 2020/in The Soapbox, TMPR News/by Tom Martin

Amidst uncertain times and new working procedures, Technical Marketing & PR has cause for celebration, with this week marking one year since Tom Martin first joined the team!

Looking back on his first year, Tom was spoilt for choice in selecting a few highlights. From the numerous personal development opportunities and training sessions to attending networking events on behalf of the business, it has been an eclectic and exciting time during which he has become a valued member of the team.

Tom took a hands-on role from day one, immersing himself in a wide range of activities and developing new skills – and has produced several successfully-targeted social media advertising campaigns.

Being the sole England supporter in the TMPR contingent has led to few rugby-induced heartbreaks along the way (much to the joy of the surrounding team), but Tom has fit right in with the company’s enduringly positive atmosphere. For England, there’s always next year – and Tom’s second year at TMPR will surely see him encounter new challenges and scale new heights.

From the TMPR team, we’re proud to have you on board – and look forward to toasting our collective successes once we can meet up again!

Marketing in Construction Summit 2020

20 February 2020/in The Soapbox, TMPR News/by admin1

As specialists in providing marketing and PR support for businesses within the construction and manufacturing sectors, it was a no-brainer for us to attend the Marketing in Construction Summit. Having attended for the first time in 2019, this year it was Alexandra’s turn to make the trip to the big smoke as the face of TMPR – networking with industry partners and listening in on thought-provoking seminars all focused around marketing in construction.

Here she takes a few minutes to share some of her personal highlights:

Hosted at CentrEd at the ExCel in London, the Marketing in Construction Summit saw a series of sessions from industry leaders and opportunities to share best practice advice on brand awareness, digital comms and much more! But, a few sessions stood out to me and echoed the advice that we share with our clients, so I thought I’d share three top tips that can be used to enhance service offering for clients.

Website Optimisation

Being found on the first page of Google is an ambition for most businesses in today’s technological world and SEO is more important now than ever before. Google assesses a website’s trust based on how it appears on a mobile device first and foremost and desktop later – so it is imperative that your website has been optimised for mobiles!

Also, SEO keywords need to go into the hundreds! Pick the battles you can win (eg. Location, specific businesses USPs) and you have more of a chance of appearing on that first page. If your SEO is up to scratch, that should work even better than PPC!

Content is king

At TMPR, content is our area of expertise so one session that resonated with what we do as a business was storytelling. Within stories, the reader trusts the teller and influence is created through emotional engagement – and this should be the same with your marketing strategy. The construction industry has faced a lot of scrutiny over the last few years, and as marketers, we can change this by telling stories that we truly believe in and adapting our copy to the right audience.

Immersion, simplicity and familiarity are key!

Crisis Communications

We’re PR people as well as marketers, so understanding crisis control is essential. It is important to have a crisis plan in place, but where to start? Begin by identifying what is most likely to occur and then move towards what is going to be most damaging… By being proactive and having a crisis plan in place, clients can focus their time where it is needed in an emergency and most importantly are able to keep communicating with stakeholders!

These are just three top tips that reflect what we believe as a marketing agency and share with our clients. The Marketing in Construction Summit is the only one of its kind in the UK and is a great opportunity to meet up with industry partners, share ideas and expertise, but most importantly, ensure we continue to deliver the very best for our clients.

To find out more about the event and mark a date in the diary for next year, please visit https://summits.ukconstructionweek.com/index.php.