What's new with Ingenious?

As a new decade begins, so too we make a possibly vain attempt to produce something approaching a regular blog. Our excuse is that we’re so focussed on doing design, branding and marketing type stuff for our clients, we very often singularly fail to keep our own stuff updated. However, let’s capture this enthusiasm, and use this opportunity to share with you, dear reader, exactly what’s going on here in little old Macclesfield.

Towards the end of 2019 we had a really successful meeting with a National group of museums and galleries, the outcome of which saw us added to their agency roster for both exhibition and marketing design. We’ll be able to release more details of this in the coming weeks, so there’s an excuse for another blog already!

Additionally, we have just been appointed to two agency rosters for Councils - namely Haringey Council and Southampton City Council. These appointments fit perfectly with our work for Warwickshire County Council and Sheffield City Council, both of which came on board earlier in 2019.

So, given by our own admission we’re a little inconsistent in our own marketing activity, how did all the above come about? Well, in the case of the group of museums, it was as the result of our ongoing new business campaigns, which focus on a mix of email and traditional printed communication, send on a (semi) regular basis to a database of ‘prospects’ that we’ve cultivated over many years.

Our approach has always been not to pester people. As our MD has spent part of his career ‘client side’’ he knows only too well how irritating constant approaches can be. So we use that to inform exactly how we go about contacting people. We don’t expect instant results, nor do we expect a brief to land at the first time of asking. We don’t specifically target the clients of other agencies we know, like or respect, rather we profile organisations that we feel would suit our approach and would fit well with our specialisms, experience.

It’s an approach that, whilst not perhaps the best for yielding instant results, tends to create long lasting relationships. Pretty much all of our key clients have been with us for almost a decade, so we’re doing something right. We tend not to take any piece of work for granted, and try to “underpromise and overdeliver”. Lastly, we work bloody hard too, and do everything we can to continue to answer our clients’ problems as creatively and effectively as we can.

The recent council roster appointments have been as a result of tender opportunities. Yep, they can be quite admin-heavy, and can soak up a surprising amount of time and effort to prepare correctly, but again, we are strategic and sensible in selecting which tender opportunities to go for, once again bearing in mind the type of organisation, their sector and their fit with the rest of our client base. Time will tell how we get on with these, but the early signs are promising.

So, two very different ways of finding new clients. The final and way we establish new client relationships is perhaps the most satisfying, namely by a referral. It’s always lovely when a client takes the time, trouble and effort to recommend us to a colleague or other business, because again it means we must be doing something right. We’ve been very fortunate to receive some great referrals in the recent past, leading to rebrand projects and exhibition designs, to name but two, and we’re always keen to see more come through the door!

Whatever 2020 brings for Ingenious, and however many new projects or clients come through our door via any or all of the means above, we’re going to make a concerted effort to keep you informed. Check back soon for a new blog post, and if you don’t already, give us a follow on Twitter @ingeniouscre8iv