Marketing consultancy reaps the benefits of business support & investment

A Wycombe-based marketing consultancy has benefited from the wide range of support and opportunities available to businesses through Buckinghamshire Business First.

Pinpoint Marketing offers marketing consultancy, or hands-on strategic and tactical campaign implementation, to small businesses across Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. As Director Nicole Martin explains: “We take clients from where they are now to where they want to be, business-wise.”

Pinpoint Marketing became a Stakeholder member of Buckinghamshire Business First after Nicole decided to explore the different investment packages available to local businesses. We spoke with Nicole to discover which perks of her investment she has taken advantage of and how they have benefited Pinpoint Marketing.

You are a Stakeholder member and recently renewed your investment package, so you must be happy with your investment in Buckinghamshire Business First?

Yes, I am! Buckinghamshire Business First has a great set-up and is a great resource for Buckinghamshire businesses.

I use the member offers facility, which enables me to create special offers for other members. I regularly post offers and review them periodically. I have had some take up on these offers, particularly for Mailchimp training.

I have also utilised the meeting room facilities, and as a Stakeholder investor I get extra free hours to use these rooms.

You have written and published articles in our newsletter before, a perk that is available to invested members. Do you appreciate these kinds of promotional opportunities?

Yes I do, very much so. PR is like gold dust for small businesses, so the chance to write articles for a newsletter with a circulation of 11,000 businesses is very valuable. The raised awareness of the brand is a benefit, as is the opportunity to add value to and educate readers.

Your online member profile is full of great testimonials and it’s clear you spent time making your page look nice. What would you say to a business that hasn't yet done anything with their online profile?

They are missing a trick by not completing their profile. Having a profile on the Buckinghamshire Business First member directory makes your business easier to find, plus listings and links like these help with SEO rankings. I would be very happy sending potential clients to my profile.

What other ways have you benefited from membership of Buckinghamshire Business First?

I hear about all of the funding opportunities available for local businesses and pass this information on to my clients. The £150 training voucher scheme was a great source of leads for me. (Buckinghamshire Business First partnered with Adviza on a scheme that offered businesses a £150 voucher to spend on a wide variety of training options, including marketing support. Pinpoint Marketing were able to point businesses towards the vouchers and benefit from being the business they did their training with.)

I have also been asked by the Business Support Team to speak at a couple of the Be Your Own Boss events, which provide support and practical guidance for people who want to start a business. This worked well for my profile and also increased my social media connections.

The Business Support Team do a great job of supporting us, including with promoting our social media content with retweets and shares.

What advice would you give to businesses that are in need of business support?

Three things:

  • Contact Buckinghamshire Business First and ask for their advice
  • Follow them on social media for tips and news
  • Attend their events and get you and your business out there

Buckinghamshire businesses are lucky to have this service on our doorsteps. It would be great for more local SMEs and start-ups to utilise their support.

What advice would you give to businesses thinking of investing in Buckinghamshire Business First?

Go for it! Like everything, you get out of it what you put in. So make an effort, get yourself known and get involved.

How is business going at the moment? Do you have any future plans you are happy to share with us?

Business is very good thanks. I recently won an award from Theo Paphitis through his Small Business Sunday (#SBS) concept. My future plan is to break into the world of football marketing.

Contact the Business Support Team

If you are in need of business support, contact our team: BusinessSupport@bbf.uk.com / 01494 927130.