This is where we will keep you updated on what we feel are the hot topics or interesting developments of the moment. If something is not here that you would like to see then tell us!

Blending Your Digital Marketing Message

Do you Tweet?  Are you LinkedIn?  Are you on Facebook?  And if do what benefits are there for your business?  In an ageof social networking it is sometimes hard to see where the social ends and the business begins.  The advances in mobile communications can make it easier to keep in touch with your stakeholders and clients, but it can be hard to know which methods to use and for what.  Should social networking stay exactly that - social?

Endlessly tweeting on the inane can have a negative effect on your business image, as can appropriate or dull contentn YouTube or FaceBook (you probably don't want your business clients to see pictures of you in your speedos on the beach in Magaluf).  An integrated digital marketing approach is essential for business today, but it needsbe considered and appropriate.  Keep social social and business business!

Ramsgate Rocks!

We were pleased to be one of the sponsors of Ramsgate Rocks this year. Ramsgate is experiencing what many town centres are going through at the moment – struggling to attract shoppers, trying to retain a wide mix of employment in the town centre, and increasing levels of voids. No town centre seems immune from it. As the voids increase, the outer fringes of the town seem to creep closer and closer to the centre – that hinterland of boarded up properties and new openings and closures that follow in rapid succession. Many centres have started to look for alternative ways to make void properties work for the town rather than being an eyesore that makes things worse. High on the list appears to be making over the void temporarily to groups of artists or local schools, or for test trading. These are all great ideas but we have been arguing that these alternative used need to be approached carefully as part of a systematic approach to voids.

Firstly, it seems obvious, but you have to know every void you have, log them and track them over time, and decide which ones you are going to tackle and which you cannot.  Secondly, you have to engage the landlord and agent and work with them to actively market the property as part of promotion of the town to potential inward investors. If it looks like it will be empty for a while, you need their cooperation to dress the void to avoid appearance making the High Road worse for other traders and users. At this stage exploring temporary uses with schools and artists might be right – including getting all the insurance and change of use issues right. Finally, there are some properties that simply will not come back into retail, and it might be better to promote change of use – e.g. to leisure, hospitality, office use or possibly residential.

Anyway, back to Ramsgate, the festival organised by the Town Partnership shows what can be done when the traders and the council combine. It’s a great town and the festival was great entertainment, drew great crowds and great weather, and hopefully extra trade.

Turf Wars

Turf wars can break out when you least expect.  Avoiding them in the first place is the best way to handle them but what can you do if you find yourself in the middle of one?  Click here to read what a turf war is exactly and how to handle it.