This month we reached over 1,000 followers on Instagram which has been wonderful. A HUGE thank you to all our supporters and followers – and those who’ve interacted with us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

In another first this month we’ve also started to offer digital advertising on our newsletters. We had always planned to do this, but wanted to wait until we had a substantial number of subscribers before we rolled it out.

And just to make it a hat trick, we’ve also taken on a new office assistant to help with some of the admin, social media and feature planning – Isabelle has been instrumental in helping us with the daily nitty-gritty!

The rule of 7

Have you heard of the Marketing Rule of 7? There’s a theory that it takes an average of seven exposures for your marketing message to be seen before someone buys from you.

The psychology behind human behaviour is fascinating, isn’t it? Think how you yourself would behave. The first time you see a new product for example, you might be intrigued but not quite convinced to try it. The next few times you see it again, the message (or brand) subconsciously starts to make an impression on you.

And before you know it, you are comfortable with making a purchase having felt comfortable (familiar) with the product. And people feel the same way about buying from a new business. So it’s important that if you are a business owner, your brand gets seen frequently and consistently – because this is what builds trust.

We get around…

It’s the very same reason why we as a company aim to be seen in as many places as possible – and it’s why we also aim to be consistently present on social media, engaging with people, putting up posts and using those hashtags. We’re continually marketing ourselves for people to see – and being seen builds trust.

So, when you’re thinking of advertising your business with us, think more about the longevity of your brand awareness and exposure and less about being seen in a flash. Some of our longstanding advertisers are seeing great results with their advertising campaigns as they are consistent in pushing their brand – and their message – out there. You can read more about this rule here.

Other tips and tricks we’ve picked up on for advertisers include

  • Be consistent & engage on social media
  • Have a clear message you want to push out to customers
  • Offer value where possible
  • Understand your customers – ask for feedback
  • Utilise newsletters to share your news and keep you front of mind

Oh and before we forget to mention, the main picture for this month’s blog is Lauretta with Lisa from Liberty’s in Orpington. Lisa was offering outfit inspiration – and Lauretta ended up buying what Lisa was wearing! That’s also great advertising right there!

In this month’s issue….

We’re constantly on the lookout for great feature ideas and love bringing our readers articles that inspire, bring joy and celebrate everything that’s great about where we live. This month’s features include a new local hero is named, a look at the new ‘Cardening’ trend (who thought that mini gardens in cars would be a thing?!) and how to prevent WFH (work from home) burnout.

We’re also delighted to welcome new advertisers – AA Cooper, who we can personally vouch for as they installed a new bathroom for us; Priory Live Music Festival, which should be a roaring success after months in the planning; Caring Dental, a new dental practice in Petts Wood, where Chris and his team really are caring and gentle! And The British Queen in Locksbottom, who this month are offering free kids meals! Please do continue to support our local businesses where possible – research on spending by local authorities shows that for every £1 spent with a small or medium-sized business, 63p stays in the local economy – even more of a reason to support local!

As usual, we’ll leave you with an inspirational quote to ponder…

“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way”

-Martin Luther King Jr

Until next month!