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Benchmark search conference 2016 emphasises the significance of trust in large businesses

By Jessica Davis, Consultant Journalist

Click Consult (Part of Ceuta Group)

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The Drum Network article

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July 21, 2016 | 4 min read

Following the success of 2015's Benchmark search conference, Click Consult welcomed a dozen marketing experts from an array of business backgrounds to speak last week about the power of marketing and its rapidly adapting advances affecting the way we access our clients.

Rob Hughes

Among those who spoke is clothing brand JD William Group’s Rob Hughes, who focused his presentation on the power of communication and its ability to stimulate confidence and trust in a large business.

The impact of interaction

I work for a company that has dealt with some of the best leading fashion brands for over 140 years. Traditionally a mail order catalogue business, we now see 60 per cent of demand coming from online. However, we still run the same website platform as was set up in 1992 and are currently undergoing a big website reform. Nobody wants to look at the current website. It is out of date and not constantly keeping enticing people with alterations and alerts.

It doesn’t matter what you are doing, if you are not talking to people and keeping them in the loop, then you may as well not do it because people will forget you. However, when you are sitting in front of a computer, oblivious to the world and solely concentrated on your project, getting the word out to the entire company can be challenging.

To ensure confidence and trust in a big business, there are some rules that prove to be great guidelines.

Process

Unfortunately, many people tend to shy away from process because it feels as if you are reduced in flexibility.

It doesn’t matter how you accomplish something – you can be as sporadic or flexible as you like – but do keep a checklist, otherwise people will have no idea what to expect. A checklist illustrates that you are progressing and this is imperative to maintain the trust of your team.

Technology

If you cannot prove that what you are doing is working, then it may as well not be there. There are many social platforms available to share your work. Use them to display progress and gain interest.

Joined up thinking

Understand the goals of everyone in the company. Bring everyone together for a meeting and discuss your work. Build an internal specialist within each team – they can all discuss and feed back to their respecting groups. This keeps the communication flowing and keeps up morale.

Celebrating wins

We use ambassadors to explain success to everybody within our company, regardless of their job title, and the results are fantastic. People respond positively to being involved and are more likely to contribute and make an effort if they feel they are respected. Share any little success that is achieved; it builds people’s confidence.

The truth is, unless you are talking to people or constantly updating everybody, nobody will care how well you are doing.

I apologise for the following photo. As much as I dislike the pomposity of the image, the quotation is absolutely relevant to this presentation.

Twyla Tharp quotation

It doesn't matter how you get your message out there or what methods you prefer, by keeping everybody in the loop, confidence and trust in the business will take care of itself.

Rob Hughes is head of earned media at JD Williams / N Brown Group.

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Content by The Drum Network member:

Click Consult (Part of Ceuta Group)

Located in North West England, Click Consult is a multi award-winning digital and search marketing agency with a focus on organic (SEO) and paid search (PPC). Part...

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