Three words for celebration
Awards.Podcasts.Renewals. No, it’s not guess the what3words location but three wonderful things that have been cause for celebration recently at Bevic HQ.
As a relative newbie to the world of freelance and the self-employed, it’s oh so easy to focus on what you could be doing better or what else you could or should be doing. But I often remind clients that it’s important to acknowledge and appreciate the achievements and successes we experience, so I’m listening to my own advice and sharing with you three recent examples.
Awards refers to the 2019 Northern Marketing Awards which Bevic has been named a finalist for, in the Best Low Cost Marketing Campaign category. Working with predominately SMEs, this is especially poignant as it acknowledges one of the things we do best: we know the importance of targeting the right audience, with the right message, through the right channels and you don’t need a huge budget to do it. Although we didn’t win (it went to The Anfield Wrap which is a podcast for Liverpool FC), I’m proud as punch that we’ve been acknowledged for the work we’re doing so early on in our business.
Podcasts are having a real moment of popularity, with subscription and listening figures at an all-time high. One definitely worth checking out is the Northern Power Women podcast. When I signed up to attend the recording of their most recent #NPW podcast at the University of Bradford last week, I was delighted to receive an invite to be on the panel. My initial reaction was ‘are you sure you want me?’ ‘have you got the right person?’ Looking at the other panellists which included Aisha Ali-Khan, founder of the Women’s March London and Mark Garratt, Director of External Affairs at Bradford University, I admit a bit of the imposter syndrome stared to creep in. But looking at the topics being covered, which included dinosaur bosses (yes, they still exist), the importance of male support in the fight for female equality and mentoring, I thought I could contribute a thing or two. Plus, it was my first ever podcast, so how could I say no? The audience was a great mix of women entrepreneurs, students and business leaders and the subject matters really had everyone engaged- we did talk a lot! Aisha and Mark were brilliant panellists and the lovely Simone Roche MBE, founder of Norther Power Women, did a sterling job as host. After the event, a number of ladies in the audience got in touch to say they enjoyed my contribution to the discussion, so fingers crossed my dulcet northern twang comes across ok! The podcast is out on 3rd December.
And last, but by no means least is renewals. Winning new business undoubtedly gives you a real buzz, but I’ve discovered another feeling of pure joy when a client, who you enjoy working with, wants to continue to work with you. Not all business will lend itself to a continued renewal, and knowing your client was happy with the work you were tasked to do and will look to use or recommend your services again in the future, is fantastic. I’ve recently had two clients who have renewed their ongoing outsourced marketing support contracts, and that is a brilliant endorsement. Knowing you’re doing a good job and the client appreciates the effort and results your generating, really does fire my drive to provide the best service I can which continues to inspire trust and confidence. Two words which are intrinsic to Bevic’s brand DNA.
So, there’s my three words for celebration. What’s yours?
What business successes have you enjoyed recently?