Rebecca Hardcastle, 25 years old, Marketing Account Manager for The Refinery has been awarded a Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) professional certificate in marketing.

By Rebecca Hardcastle, Marketing Account Manager, The Refinery

Successful business development is key for any growing business. Marketing and advertising are essential components, but how do you ensure you get value? We believe it begins internally. Every member of your organisation is an ambassador. Do they all know your marketing goals and/or messages for 2012? If not, they should. Truly integrated strategy starts from within, long before a business engages with the market. Once this is addressed, you can apply some general principles, which would appear straightforward but are often ignored:

“Real Customer Relationship Management is as much about listening as acting and without an understanding of what your existing customer needs, what chance do you have of delighting them and encouraging repeat purchases.” CIM Judging Panel 2011

Oh great, another platform to update/manage/pay for…”

This was the reaction from a lot of our clients when we started discussing Social Media and the implications for their marketing strategies. For marketing departments already under pressure to reduce costs and increase ROI, new mediums are greeted with as much cynicism as enthusiasm. And rightly so, the hyperbole surrounding Social media marketing and the supposed “transformational” nature of its effects should make anyone suspicious.

1. The art or process of setting and arranging types and printing from them.

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The Jersey branch of The Chartered Institute of Marketing has announced the shortlisted nominees for its prestigious Marketing Excellence Awards 2011, naming The Refinery and two of its clients Voisin and Volaw as potential winners.