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Case Studies
Clinically proven...
We've just completed the first phase of a branding and web project for a local Acupuncture clinic.
Click here for a quick case study on the marketing strategy we developed.
"Stop - I've got too much business!"
A quick case study on the handyman's business we helped to launch
- and how within 6 months he had more work than he could cope with, thanks to a clear
branding and communications strategy.
Wokingham Acupuncture Clinic
1. The Business Issues
Lorraine Canning has been trading successfully as an acupuncturist in Wokingham for ten years.
At the start of this period, there was only one direct competitor in the area.
In recent times, however, the number of businesses offering acupuncture as one of their (many) services
has increased significantly. This has brought a competitive pressure on the business;
although the total population of the area has grown over this time period, the number of acupuncture practitioners
has grown at a faster rate.
Lorraine has fixed costs, and needs to ensure she has a steady revenue stream to cover these costs,
and to keep herself and her business partner fully employed. The increased competition poses a potential threat,
and there is therefore a desire for the business to increase its revenues,
through clear differentiation from the competitors and through increased/improved communication.
However, the British Acupuncture Council has strict guidelines as to what and how practitioners
communicate with potential clients.
2. Objectives
Following initial discussions, it became clear that one of the key differentiators for Lorraine's business was her
level of training and experience, and her single-minded specialism in traditional Chinese acupuncture.
It was agreed that one objective would be to differentiate her business from the competition through a focus on
this expertise in future communication, both implicitly and explicitly.
Given the dramatic growth recently in consumers using internet search to find local services,
the establishing of a web presence for the business was a key objective for increasing communication in a contemporary,
targeted and relevant way.
3. Strategy
Brand Differentiation
- Given the objective of positioning the business as a credible, knowledgeable "expert",
it was agreed to brand the business in a more "clinical" and "professional",
slightly less "personal" way.
Henceforth, Lorraine’s business will be branded "The Wokingham Acupuncture Clinic".
This creates a more "established" image, with less of a "one man band" feel.
For potential new acupuncture clients, credibility, professionalism and longevity are felt
to be motivating descriptors, and all are a good fit with Lorraine's business,
while helping to set it apart from its competitors.
- Fonts and colours were selected to try to reflect a balance between clinical and approachable,
medical and reassuring, peaceful and effective.
- Specific mentions are to be made on the web site and other future communication of Lorraine's
training and experience, without specifically contrasting these with those of her competitors.
Web Presence
- A simple web site was designed to create an increased on-line presence for the Clinic.
A conscious decision was taken to keep the site simple, clear and professional,
avoiding unnecessary gimmicks or Flash elements, as this would not be appropriate for the brand.
- Steps were taken to try to optimise the site organically to ensure that local on-line searchers
would be able to find it easily.
4. Action
Key action steps taken to date include the following:
- Registering a suitable domain name (www.wokinghamacupuntureclinic.co.uk)
- Designing a web site to include all the key information that we require to communicate
as part of our marketing plan
- "Optimising" the web site for search engines
(to ensure it appears at or near the top of the list when potential new customers search for
"Acupuncture in Wokingham", for example)
- Registering the business with the ever-growing list of specialist and local web directories
5. Results
It is still "early days", and more information will be added here in time.
The web site is "up and running" (click here for a cyber-visit to the
Wokingham Acupuncture Clinic),
ranked in the first page of searches on Google for "Acupuncture in Wokingham",
and had 42 visitors (each viewing on average more than two pages) in its first three weeks.
Given the time taken for search engines to successfully "crawl" and index web pages,
this is a positive start, and is expected to build.
6. Next Steps
Key action steps to be taken in coming months include the following:
- Registering the business with the more specialist and local web directories
- Adding further content to build the business's reputation as the local acupuncture "expert"
- Continuing to monitor sit "hits" and page ranking,
to ensure the site continues working as effectively as possible
The Odd Job Man
1. The Business Issues
Rob came to us with a completely new launch. He'd just started his own business as a painter, decorator and handyman,
and had done a few jobs for friends and family, but needed a way to generate a stream of new business enquiries going forward.
As a "one man band" he didn't have a huge budget to spend on marketing, but at the same time recognised the need
"speculate to accumulate".
While Rob felt very confident about his own abilities, we were concerned that the market seemed almost saturated, and
therefore would be hard for a new business to break into, unless it could find a way to differentiate itself clearly.
Just the sort of challenge we like!
2. Objectives
Following initial discussions, it became clear that Rob was indeed different from many of the other handymen in the area.
Rather than being a builder who took on occasional odd jobs to supplement his income when other work was slack, or when he
could fit it in, Rob wanted to stay small ("a one man band"), wanted to build a professional, helpful and
reliable reputation locally, and had a clear idea of the geographic area he wanted to cover, and the type of jobs he wanted
to take on.
This gave us the "bones" of a brand that we could start building. This wasn't going to be "J Bloggs and son,
builders (oh, and we also do a bit of decorating and odd jobs on the side)". This was going to be a professional,
focused, dedicated business, which woud be able to offer a reliable and personal service to its clientele in a tightly defined
local area.
Our objectives were to encapsulate what "Rob - the brand" stood for, and find the most effective way(s)
to communicate the brand and the services he offered to his target market, in order to generate a steady stream of business
enquiries.
3. Strategy
Branding
- We wanted to brand the business with more than just Rob's name. The Yellow Pages, and all the on-line
directories, are full of handyman businesses that are simply called after their proprietors.
We wanted to say "This isn't just another jobbing builder looking to supplement his income.
This is THE handyman, someone who just takes on small jobs and is dedicated to that
particular market".
So from Day 1, Rob’s business has been branded "The Odd Job Man", because it sums up
perfectly who he is and what he does.
- We worked closely with one of our favourite local graphic design agencies
Add Gravity to design a logo, and select
fonts and colours that would be appropriate for the industry, and reflect a balance between
the key brand adjectives we defined together: professional, approachable and trustworthy.
- However, we didn't want to make the business a completely "faceless" entity, so it was agreed
that we would try to find ways to keep some of Rob's personality in our marketing communications.
Communications Strategy
- Media
A "two-pronged" media strategy was defined to target Rob's potential customers:
- Given the increased use of the internet for searching and finding local businesses,
a simple web site was designed to create an on-line presence.
- For those not yet using the internet in this way, we worked with
Add Gravity to design and print
some leaflets for distribution in Rob's local area.
- Subsequently we have worked with Rob to develop links with the local school's PTA,
which has proved to be another very targeted means of publicising his business.
- Content
The content of both the web site and the leaflet were designed to present a very professional, yet
personal image. We sought to answer the types of questions we anticipated potential customers
might have when looking for a handyman, and to include examples of past work, references etc as reassurance
as to the quality of Rob's work and his reliability, etc.
At the same time, we didn't want "The Odd Job Man" to be a faceless entity, so we also
included the story of how Rob came to set up his business in the first place, and included a
"blog" on the site, to keep it current, interesting, personal and fun.
4. Action
Key action steps taken to date include the following:
- Registering a suitable domain name (www.theoddjobman.biz)
- Designing a web site to include all the key information that we require to communicate
as part of our marketing plan
- "Optimising" the web site for search engines
(to ensure it appears at or near the top of the list when potential new customers search for
"Odd job man in Wokingham", for example)
- Registering the business with the ever-growing list of specialist and local web directories
- Working with Add Gravity to design and print
some leaflets for distribution in Rob's local area. to design and print
some leaflets for distribution in Rob's local area.
5. Results
At the time of writing this case study, Rob's business has been fully "up and running" for six months.
It is now very much a "full time" role, with Rob working five full days a week, and with his diary typically being
full for 4-6 weeks in advance. And he still has 90% of his leaflets left!
"If it ever gets to the stage where I have less than three weeks work in the diary," he says, "I simply grab
a hundred leaflets and pop them through people's doors...but it doesn't happen that often!".
The cost of designing the web site (pay him a visit at
Theoddjobman.biz) and the leaflets wasn't cheap, especially for a "one man band", but it was a real
investment in the future of his business. It cost less than one month's revenue for him, and has already generated at least six.
To prove the point, we asked Rob if he would keep a record for us of where his business enquiries came from in the first
six months. Here are the results (approximate figures):
- First time enquiries
- Internet - 40%
- Personal contacts and recommendations - 30%
- Leaflets (remember - he still has 90% left!) - 25%
- Other - 5%
- Projects undertaken
- Internet - 26%
- Personal contacts and recommendations - 22%
- Leaflets - 16%
- Repeat business from satisfied customers - 36%
We can't take the credit for the enquiries that came through Rob's personal contacts and recommendations, just as we can't
take the credit for the fantastic amount of repeat business he is already generating from satisfied customers.
But we do know that
two thirds of his first time enquiries came as a result of our activities. And approximately two thirds
of the projects he has undertaken (including many of his repeat bookings) - i.e.
four out of his first six months
work - would not have happened without our input. So for an investment of less than one month's revenue, he has already generated
four months' revenue, and will continue to generate more and more in the months and years ahead.
We think that, in the long term, it will be a very worthwhile investment, and so does he.
