Yes, we know that summer has only just arrived, but if you want to capitalise on the Christmas gift market you'll need to have your Christmas packaging wrapped up very soon.   Ideally, your Christmas packaging will be completed and include pack shots, pricing and samples, by the end of June.  Why so early? Several of the big retailers have large media Christmas gift launches in the summer and #ChristmasinJuly has gained a lot of traction over the last few years. In fact, there is...

So you’ve launched your brand spanking new website and it's received fantastic feedback. But does a website have a 'shelf life' and if so, when should you start thinking about developing a new one?Let’s be SMART about itIn principle, the success of a website can be measured against its intended purpose. Was it developed to attract new customers? Is it an eCommerce site that needs to deliver a specific ROI? Maybe it adds credibility to your business or service? Or perhaps it's purely...

It's a question that we're asked a lot and the answer is unequivocally 'yes!'. Our client data tells us that yes, people do click on Google Ads. But don’t just take our word for it: when AdWords first launched in 2000 it had 350 advertisers, now there are estimated to be over 1 million advertisers spending tens of billions of dollars in ad revenue. 1 million advertisers certainly must think they’re onto something! People often have a 'Marmite approach' to Google Ads – they either lo...

As you scale up your food and drink operation, have you thought about how you will manage your food waste?Often, the food and drink businesses we support and help grow have either just scaled up their operations, or are at the point of doing so. As manufacturing grows so too can food waste volumes. Somerset based, waste equipment and processing experts, PRM Waste Systems, have written a superb guest blog for us, detailing the management of food waste and ways to reduce the amount that enter...

“Social media isn’t rocket science and we’ve got a graduate who’s a dab hand with Instagram.” Sound familiar? It's true, social media isn’t rocket science! However, like all marketing activities, it is truly effective when utilised as part of a wider strategy. Whilst the office junior may have a great following on Snapchat or perhaps even be an emerging YouTube star, running, managing and growing social media channels for a business requires planning, quality content and t...

You’ve been on the food market circuit for a while and perhaps even have a couple of local retailers stocking your products, but how do you grow your stockists and reach new retailers potentially hundreds of miles away? The time might be right for you to start talking to food and drink wholesale distributors.Working with food and drink wholesale distributors can be an effective way to reach a wide network of retailers and can significantly aid your business growth. However, there are several...

In 2019 it is estimated there will be 2.77 billion social media users worldwide. Social media marketing is recognised as a highly effective means to build brand awareness, demonstrate expertise and build engagement with existing and potential customers.  The immediacy of social media requires social media channels to be nurtured with engaging content carefully created for them. Unfortunately, this takes time. With day-to-day operational business needs often taking priority over social media ma...

Whilst bloggers have been promoting goods and services since the early 1990’s, the emergence of professional Influencers has been a more recent event. Professional Influencers do exactly what it says on the tin, they influence! Typically they post pictures and videos of their day to day life on their social media channels, sometimes focused around a specific subject (e.g. make up, fitness, parenting etc.) whilst growing their follower base. These followers are then, at times, influenced by the...

The food packaging industry has evolved massively over the last couple of decades. Gone are the days when packaging was produced as cheaply as possible, with the sole purpose of simply holding a product (and in some cases to extend its' shelf life a little). Now, the expectation is that packaging needs to work much harder for its money.Today, the fact that packaging makes food products look desirable, keeps them well protected and in perfect condition just isn't enough. Consumers want it to co...

First impressions are everything and if “the first bite is taken with the eye”, then regardless of how amazing, unique or delicious your product, the packaging will need to work hard to be successful in the food and drink market. Packaging will often be the first point of contact a customer has with you and your goods, and when it's sat on a crowded shelf or market stall, it needs to excite, entice and engage in a matter of seconds. The power of food and drink branding In 2016, a top 4 UK su...

You’ve recognised your vision and shaped your creation, you’ve tested it on your family and friends (they loved it of course); You might even have hit the streets with it, to make sure you have taken on board the feedback on the best flavour, presentation, size, and price. You now need to think about your packaging and food labelling, if you haven’t already started to do so. It’s not just the colour, typography, texture, size and shape you need to consider; there are also regulations and...

So, you've been cooking up a storm in the kitchen and your friends and family are raving about your culinary skills and now you’re ready to see if there’s a place for you and your scrumptious new product on the food market.However, bringing a new product to market can be particularly tricky in the food and drink industry. With so many choices out there already, you need to make sure you get it right first time. Where do you start with launching your new product? Find your USPHow does y...

Pull up a chair, because you're about to be given a whistle-stop tour of how to enhance your business and improve your food operation. You may have seen the huge collection of gold medals that the British cycling team brought home from the Olympics. If so, you might be wondering how they managed such an inspiring achievement? What made our cycling team suddenly succeed at a sport usually dominated by countries like Australia and the Netherlands? The answer is 'marginal gains'. This concept, coin...

What is Gutenberg? Since the introduction of WordPress back in 2003, the editing experience of content has primarily been a single editable region. This editor allows you to add and edit content using an interface similar to Microsoft Word. This is set to change in WordPress 5.0, with the introduction of Gutenberg, the new editing experience for WordPress, named after Johannes Gutenberg (not Steve Guttenberg), who invented the printing press. Rather than having a single content area, content wi...

So you have a lovey market stall at a farmer’s market, in a quaint little village and now you’re ready for the next step: you want to sell your produce further afield. You know people like the way it tastes, you have plenty of repeat customers who rave about your recipe and visit your stall week after week. Your customers are making comments like “My friends would love this” and “You need to get this in the supermarkets”. You’re thinking; 'What a good idea, this time next year Rodn...

Instagram’s engagement rate is one of the best of all social network platforms, enabling businesses to quickly establish a healthy following. In the current social media era, where “Charlie bit my finger” can receive over 861 million views on YouTube, it's now easier than ever to connect with potential customers. Using social media businesses are no longer limited to advertising in their 'back garden' – they can now connect with customers from every corner of the world, especially with ...