We don’t want to tempt fate, but it does seem that the end of lockdown might be in sight. Children are back in school and all the graphs we see on the daily news seem, to heading in the right directions. What an incredible and humbling effort by all the hidden heroes we have in this country, if you are one of them, know that we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
So how has this affected us? Well, aside from the relief that our loved ones are all getting their vaccinations and the time we have rediscovered with kids back in school, PR seems to be very much back on everyone’s agenda. We’ve had some fantastic chats with a lot of new prospective clients looking to see how PR can grow their businesses. When we can, we’ll make announcements on Instagram so – watch this space!
Digitalisation
Just over a year ago Covid-19 dramatically shook the UK. Everything is digital, from WFH, virtual teaching, online shopping, socialising and, significantly for us, the media and content we are consuming. Newspapers, magazines and journalists have almost completely switched their focus to online material and as such 90% of the PR we generate is now digital. And we love it, we’ve really welcomed the change and enjoy the increased metrics and measurement possibilities. From influencer marketing, digital collaborations, social media ambassadors, SEO-writing and backlinks, are all skills and tactics which are very much a part of our day-to-day work.
Training
In the last month, we’ve had a real drive on food and mindset learnings. We attended seminars on food waste, bread-making, fermentation, charcuterie and challenging mindsets. As a team we’ve learned about cultures and the ways to represent, talk about and adapt our content with cultural and political sensitivity. These are changing times, and it’s more important than ever that communicators like us are leading the way.
Plant Based Summit
At the end of the month, we’ll be exhibiting at Bread and Jam’s Plant Based Summit. We are really looking forward to hearing some of the industry leading businesses, brands, buyers and journalists talk about the future of plant-based food industry.
What’s going on?
The people of Kent have been very excited to hear Produced in Kent announce the finalists for the TOKA 21 awards. The Ceremony will be held virtually on 11th May and will be open to the public, sign up for your free ticket to this event here and settle down to enjoy the best of Kent from your home.
As Easter fast approaches, look for ethical treats with OGGS®. The delicious mini vanilla cupcakes are perfect for an ‘Easter OGG Hunt’. With the onset of warmer weather OGGS® has developed some beautiful summer picnic recipes.
We were delighted to hear Adam from Sobersauce on Hoxton Radio this month talking about its alcohol-free beer products. The Discovery Box is the beer subscription service for you if you are looking to explore the best tasting alcohol-free beers available. Tempeh Meades has also been very busy dispatching samples to intrigued journalists and influencers across the country, eager to try some authentic tempeh and test out the great new recipes. If you haven’t got into your tempeh yet, we recommend you try!
If you’re nearby do pop into the Macknade Food Village, which an incredible array of foods to takeaway or enjoy at a table outside from the 12th. The Food Village provides a home to Kent’s most vibrant independent traders, including Paul Babra’s Karara (spicy)food.
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Sharpen Your Brand
Sharpen Your Brand has had a huge rush on for the last month! We have delivered around 20 different sessions for businesses needing to get strategic with their PR and Marketing. You won’t believe what we can do for you in just an hour, here’s what some of our clients have said:
Dexter from Soul Chef Kitchen said: “All the information you have given us is very helpful and it’s great to have some new ideas for our marketing strategy! You clearly know what you are doing and we appreciate all your advice.”
Viv from Viv’s Microgreens said: “Many thanks again for this morning. So helpful, I can definitely see myself coming back to you at some point in the future.”
John Waddy from Kentish Soap said: “AJ and Amy clearly understood our business needs, helped us prioritise what we should do and provided inciteful advice using their experience working with other businesses. They gave us structure to our product ideas and really clear, achievable actions. We now feel we have a good handle on what we need to do, have moved from “overwhelmed” to “excited”, and are really looking forward to working with Sharp Relations again in the future.”
If you want to book as session, do so by clicking here.
Or you can find out more by signing up to the Sharpen Your Brand newsletter here.
April is just around the corner. Spring colours are starting to appear in our gardens. Likewise business is re-awakening and as the shoots of new ideas start to grow we can feel a palpable change in the air with optimism for what the next few months will bring. Stay safe everyone, we can’t wait to properly see you all and catch up soon!
Martin
