JADE JAGGER On rocks and rock’n’roll

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46 47 business Tweets, likes, check-ins, circles. They don’t sound much like the business tools of a brave new world. But with customers increasingly living their lives online, companies are joining the charge to the world of social networking – and getting impressive results. Claridge’s, for example, takes its famous customer service onto Twitter to talk to its guests, while London’s oldest butcher, Allens on Mount Street, posts recipes and competitions – not to mention shots of its juiciest cuts – on the firm’s Facebook page. It’s all part of building a brand on the internet, not just via the traditional web page but through the sites where so many people talk these days. Facebook has more than 31 million active users in the UK alone, so there are plenty of potential customers to talk to. One of the masters of this cutting-edge style of marketing is John Lyons, the managing director of Brandmovers Europe, a local firm with a global reach that has helped businesses such as Virgin and Sainsbury’s navigate the waters of digital engagement for nearly a decade. We meet in his Wells Street office, where the shelves showcase some of the joy of technology, heaving with many of the most exciting computers and consoles of the past 30 years. “Most industries now understand quite inherently the importance of digital as a marketing and sales tool,” says John. “We’ve gone through the cycle of people not trusting social media because they fear that someone else controls it. Now businesses are willing to step on board Facebook and Twitter. “What we do is help brands engage with their consumers digitally. We work across the social media platforms, across mobile, web and tablet. If there’s a brand that wants to speak to consumers, or engage them, or build a community, that’s where we come in.” And one of the beauties of the internet is that you can be quite specific in targeting whoever you like with special offers, sweepstakes, games, adverts – or anything else that will build your brand and boost your sales. “We’re confident we can reach pretty much every demographic,” says John, who was an award-winning architect before founding his own web-design agency. “We can use our research tools to find out where they are and what costs might be involved. “Facebook’s advertising platform will show you exactly how many people fit any demographic. So if we’re looking at over- 50s who like wine, who are based in south-east England, we can find out exactly how many people are on Facebook who meet that parameter. Not everyone who’s online is on Facebook – but it’s a pretty good starting point.” And as the 120-year-old Allens has proven, you don’t have to be a huge company to make social networking work for you. Brandmovers has helped everyone from cocktail bars to restaurants to telecoms giants build their mailing lists, interact with their customers, create communities, or just ramp up the number of “likes” on their Facebook page. “If you were to have a promotion where people are driven to go to a Facebook page because the client wants to reach a younger audience or wider audience, we can target the people BUSINESS: Selma Day selma@pubbiz.com that match their ideal customer and give them a tool where all they need to do is ‘like’ the page, enter an email address, decide if they want to opt in, and they get a discount code,” says John. “If they want to share it with a certain number of friends, they can earn a bigger discount. That’s a great way of developing an audience.” So, if you’ve just got the traditional website for your business, have you fallen behind? Not necessarily, says John. “I guess 15, 16 years ago, when I got into digital, the whole thing was businesses starting to think they probably should be on this internet thing. We’re now at the stage where a sizeable number of people – probably a majority – will jump onto Google and check out something before calling. “We all expect to find something online now. So there’s still value in having your traditional web page because it allows people to make an informed decision about what they might purchase or do. “Where I see things shifting is a convergence of all these platforms. We’ve worked quite hard on a service which allows content to be delivered across a number of platforms from one source – so you can have a website that works on tablet, mobile and desktop, but it can also go to Facebook and Twitter. Bringing all these things into one place is quite important.” Not to mention a big time saving if you’re jumping between all the different places businesses can have their voices heard now, from LinkedIn to your company blog. And if you’re worried about investing in a cutting-edge technology that might be about to be blown out of the water by the next cutting-edge technology – perhaps you remember Bebo, MySpace or Friends Reunited – there’s good news. “I think mobile is going to continue to grow – I suspect it’s going to become the majority very soon. But I don’t think there’s a big platform waiting to happen,” John explains. “I think Twitter will continue growing. I think as a marketing tool it’s going to increase its share against Facebook.” One of the most exciting developments for local shops, bars and restaurants is the rise of “geo-location” – where people using smartphones in the area can see what businesses are nearby and “check in” to earn discounts, points, prizes or special offers. “Being able to advertise to people as they’re in the vicinity, engaging them to go and check in, to become customers, to become part of a community, that is something we’ve been doing a lot of,” says John. So on the way back into Mayfair, I tried one of the fastestgrowing of these geo-location services, Foursquare, which works by the smartphone pinpointing your location and the site offering a range of local places for you to check in with. I asked it where to get a drink, and it highlighted that Taylor St Baristas was just around the corner on Brooks Mews. It also offered reviews from other customers and showed me which friends had been there and checked in recently. But it also pointed out that the O’Neill’s pub on nearby Great Marlborough Street would give me a free pint of Guinness for every three check-ins. Now that’s marketing. www.brandmovers.co.uk Get engaged LONDON’S OLDEST BUTCHER’S SHOP POSTS PICTURES OF ITS FINEST CUTS ON FACEBOOK, WHILE CLARIDGE’S HAS TWITTER CONVERSATIONS WITH ITS GUESTS. DIGITAL MARKETING EXPERT JOHN LYONS TELLS JAMIE DOWNHAM WHY SOCIAL NETWORKING IS NOW A CRUCIAL BUSINESS TOOL
48 business From Apprentice to manager Why did you decide to take up the position? Ultimately it was because of the people. James and his team are a strong bunch. Did James approach you directly? No, it was through a friend and his colleague. It wasn’t an advertised role but something that James matched my skills to, which is how a lot of people are brought into the company. Were you surprised to be asked? Of course – I never assume anything and am always grateful of opportunities when they arrive. What does the job entail? I am head of media for the Start-Up Loans Company [chaired by Caan]. I manage a YASMINA SIADATAN, THE 2009 WINNER OF TV’S THE APPRENTICE, HAS JOINED MAYFAIR PRIVATE EQUITY FIRM HAMILTON BRADSHAW, HEADED BY FORMER DRAGONS’ DEN STAR JAMES CAAN. SHE TELLS SELMA DAY ABOUT HER NEW ROLE AS HEAD OF MEDIA FOR THE START-UP LOANS COMPANY – HER FIRST JOB SINCE LEAVING LORD SUGAR’S AMSCREEN HEALTHCARE IN FEBRUARY LAST YEAR newly recruited team of six and we deliver all marketing and communications for the campaign. Will you be working closely with James? Yes, James has a policy to be involved in all his businesses, and Start-Up Loans is certainly no exception. How does the role differ from what you were doing at Amscreen Healthcare? Both roles are in the marketing world and both are managing teams so, in fact, they are quite similar. What did you learn from working there and with Lord Sugar? I learned plenty – how to run a technology company was very insightful. Are you happy you took part in The Apprentice and would you encourage others to go down that route? Yes, I would definitely encourage everyone to get out there and do something that makes you stand out from the crowd – it's completely transformed my professional life. What are your ambitions, both short term and long term? Long term, I would like to help start 20,000 businesses through Start-Up Loans, and in the short term, I would like to make Start- Up Loans a household name. How does it feel to be working in Mayfair and what do you like about the area? I love working here. My favourite reason has to be the skyline out towards the park when the sun is setting. BUSINESS: Selma Day selma@pubbiz.com
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Page 4 and 5: 6 news A topping day for art Grayso
Page 6 and 7: 10 news One of India’s leading fa
Page 8 and 9: 14 events George Bellows Exhibition
Page 10 and 11: 18 theatre AFTER FINDING FAME WITH
Page 12 and 13: 22 23 art It’s taken a while for
Page 14 and 15: 26 27 jewellery AS HER JEWELLERY GO
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Page 18 and 19: 34 35 jewellery NOUDAR JEWELLERY to
Page 20 and 21: 38 food & drink PIERRE GAGNAIRE Pie
Page 22 and 23: 42 charity Teenage kicks MINT LEAF
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Page 51: 100 direct lines selma day Baroness

JADE JAGGER On rocks and rock’n’roll

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