Why fastening your seatbelt & hunkering down isn’t the answer when it comes to business.
As the UK gradually starts to emerge from the pandemic, you may find yourself at a crossroads deciding which direction to take on your journey to success. In the last year, your working situation may have changed, & your perspective almost certainly has too. At a time where simply surviving became success, you will have seen your business strategy pivot, & you probably put your bells & whistles marketing strategy on pause to focus on grappling to keep your businesses afloat.
While this inevitable, coronavirus-forced shift in business strategy is demanding & unknown, it’s also an opportunity to reset, evaluate, & to reconsider where you focus your energy. With horizons looking wider & brighter, redefining your strategy & working out how to approach the next 12 months is a chance to consider some different options by choosing to take a fresh & dynamic look at what you are doing & to put your best foot forward towards thriving not surviving.
Marketing Matters
Whatever your line of business, whether you’re an SME, a micro business or a larger organisation, your marketing strategy & plan may well have been what kept your head above the turbulent waters of 2020. Now more than ever, we realise just how critical marketing is, & why it is so much more than sporadic social media posts & drawers of unused business cards. Your marketing strategy is the foundation of everything you do – it’s a springboard for success, allowing you to build brand awareness, make a mark in your community, & spread the word about your business & everything it has to offer. If you’re looking for a refreshing, agile approach to marketing, becoming a Commercial Business Partner at Business Buzz may be the answer to your marketing strategy prayers.
Connections Catalyst
Business connections are crucial: your company cannot grow without them. At Business Buzz, we foster the belief that successful networking isn't about establishing a transactional network of people to sell to. Instead, it is about building & nurturing meaningful, lasting connections. There is no quick fix, making connections takes time & skill. If you’re experienced at networking, you’ll be able to slot nicely into Business Buzz’s fresh, vibrant events. If you’re new to networking, Business Buzz can give you a step up, a helping hand as you make you first foray into networking. You’ve probably already guessed that I’m a Business Buzz super-fan, & it’s for good reason - I’ve seen & experienced the power of engaging & I have complete confidence it will benefit every business. We’re not sales-y, pressured or cliquey, we’re a family of honest, hardworking, positive & approachable business owners who want to see their fellow Buzz businesses bloom. You don’t just gain connections & an opportunity that raises your business’ profile, boosts your Corporate Social Responsibility & establishes you as a trusted, credible company, you get knowledgeable, expert business owners who will walk with you on the road to success.
Forming trusted, loyal connections gives you the best chance of attracting & keeping business. Connections who have had a positive experience with you are not just connections, they’re advocates for your business. And that’s exactly what Business Buzz can do for you – the Buzz family are on your side, letting their connections know about you, & being extra eyes & ears for your business. As a Commercial Business Partner, you have a hand at the helm, you’re the connections catalyst. Not only are you making meaningful connections, but you’re involved in helping your connections make more connections, building bridges & allowing networks to grow. After all, Business Buzz is just as much about helping out the people you connect with as it is finding solutions for your own business.
What’s all the Buzz About?
So, what is Business Buzz, & how can becoming a Commercial Business Partner support my business? Business Buzz is a unique networking community. Currently, networking events are an online offering but when permitted, Buzz will resume its original face-to-face open networking format, running once a month at established town-centre locations. It’s likely that a hybrid model, incorporating both online & in-person events to suit the best of both worlds will be the model for the future. For SMEs & micro businesses, becoming a Commercial Business Partner can form the cornerstone of your marketing plan, the nuts & bolts of your strategy & the framework to which you pin all other activity. But what about bigger organisations who have a marketing strategy in place? The answer is the same, joining the Business Buzz partner programme can align with your marketing plans & integrate with your social responsibility endeavours. Placing you right in the centre of your local community, the programme facilitates the implementation of your strategic & ethical initiatives to contribute to your brand's reputation.
Becoming a Commercial Business Partner at Business Buzz is a stepping stone to raising your brand’s profile. You will become part of a supportive, inclusive, vibrant & positive community. Whether you’re an SME or a larger organisation, being part of a compassionate community, who value you & your business is always going to be a good thing, & a good thing that delivers leads, business partnerships & sales.
As a Commercial Business Partner at Buzz, you have a platform from which you can support local business & gain credibility & trust. At Buzz, we will help you spread the word about your products & services to the Business Buzz community & this means your message gets sent far & wide. We pride ourselves on our accessibility, as we offer pay-as-you-go networking without a big price tag so you can rely on new networkers at each event, & a fresh & varied community. So what does it have to offer?
- Entry for two people from your organisation to the Business Buzz events that you support each month,
- Your brand included on the relevant page of the Business Buzz website, on the new booking app & event flyers,
- A video & link to your website on the Buzz virtual café,
- Slot to talk about your business during announcements break (both online & in person),
- Space for you to put a branded roller banner at face to face events,
- Shout outs about your brand & message from the local Business Buzz teams across our social media channels, & sharing of this content to our wider Business Buzz communities online.
But enough of me telling you, let me share a story that perfectly captures what Business Buzz is all about:
Off the back of tweet showcasing one of our Commercial Business Partners, another Warwickshire business saw the tweet & commented they were looking for a local delivery partner. As the Regional Lead for Business Buzz across Birmingham & Warwickshire, I spotted this comment & immediately picked up the phone to call my business partner with whom the tweet was associated. My contact then followed through, picking up the phone & calling the business that commented. This quick action initiated by Buzz led to our partner securing a delivery contract of £50K. The cost of two years’ Commercial Business Partner opportunity with Buzz had been recouped 25 times over with this single deal. In all honesty, we know there is a lot of business that happens in the background at Buzz. There is no pressure from us to measure these outcomes, but we always like to share a good news story when we hear one.
Partners for Success
The clue is in the name - becoming a Commercial Business Partner is a partnership in every sense of the word. As the Regional Lead, I’m committing to championing our partners, sharing my knowledge, & equipping you with the strategy & skills to get the most out of the Buzz opportunity. My formula for Business Buzz success centres around our 3-2-1 principle:
- 3 – talk to 3 people you’ve not met before,
- 2 – have at least 2 121s conversations with your new contacts outside of the Buzz meeting,
- 1 – bring 1 visitor, who is new to Buzz the next time you visit.
And there we have it, a no-nonsense approach to networking. An opportunity to create better brand recognition, for community engagement, to build business connections & to see your business profile sky-rocket locally, regionally & nationally. Business Buzz are looking forward to partnering with your trusted, credible & growing business.
To learn more about this opportunity, click here to start a conversation today. Get in touch with James by calling 07770 876300 or emailing him via warwickshire@business-buzz.org.
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