North East business receive wakeup call on marketing

Companies from around the region gathered at an event last week to learn about the marketing tactics that matter in attracting and retaining the right customers.

“We’re bombarded with all sorts of information about how to market and employ an effective marketing strategy,” said Eve Whitaker, Founder of inbound marketing agency The Eight, who hosted the event.

“We just wanted to bring businesses together and provide a no nonsense workshop on what they need to know - not what they no longer need to know.”

Eager to know where they were going wrong in attracting and converting customers, marketing teams from some of the region’s biggest businesses were taught a lesson in how to establish the right marketing approach for their business.

A number of specialists in different areas of marketing spoke at the event including SEO expert Neil Hancock and CRO consultant Simon Cahill, both from Silverbean. Steen Gordon, International Channel Development Director atHubSpot also discussed how to implement the right online strategy.

Whitaker opened the event focusing on how businesses need to adapt to the ever changing marketing environment: “Marketing is all about the customer - they are in control which is a complete turnaround to the traditional marketer centric model. 86% of people do not watch TV adverts, 91 per cent unsubscribe from emails and 44% of direct mail is never opened. Businesses need to totally re-think their customer approach.”

The event ended with a detailed panel discussion with the guest speakers and provided a one to one opportunity for businesses to ask specific questions that were relevant to their line of business and job role.

Whitaker added: “A key theme throughout the day was engagement - sell something and you make a customer. However, if you engage and help someone, you make a customer for life.

“Importantly, businesses left knowing that they can’t do what they’ve always done - if the horse is dead, get off it.”

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