Launching the Press Forward Programme at New Century House in Inverness are (left to right) John Currie, SPP's market development manager; workshop leaders Sarah Fraser and Vicky Brock; and Euan Black, head of Management School at UHI.

BUSINESSES in the Inverness area are being given a unique opportunity to raise their profile through improved marketing and communication – by signing up for top-level training in one of the Highland Capital's most dynamic workplaces.

Scottish Provincial Press is teaming up with the University of the Highlands and Islands to introduce the Press Forward Programme – an exclusive series of three workshops that will equip self-employed people and SMEs with skills that can give them a vital edge over their competitors in reaching new customers.

The training will be delivered by experienced, inspirational specialists who have a proven track record through their close association with the UHI Management School.

The workshops, each running for two hours, will be held on successive Friday mornings in March. Topics to be covered are:

• Understanding and Selling Your Business.

• Opportunities to Market and Sell More Confidently.

• Getting Started with Online Marketing.

The venue is New Century House, Inverness – headquarters of SPP, which publishes a dozen weekly and bi-weekly newspapers and their associated websites covering the Highlands and Moray as well as a wide range of magazines and other commercial publications.

The workshops will be held in the SPP boardroom, with its spectacular views across the Beauly Firth.

With a maximum of 10 people taking part, there will be plenty of scope for one-to-one interaction in a supportive and welcoming atmosphere.

The emphasis will be on how local businesses stand to gain from new routes to market via the internet, and how creating awareness through digital media can be a dramatic improvement on more traditional methods of showcasing your goods and services.

The training will be suited to those running small or medium-sized businesses that are keen to boost their profile without committing themselves to the expense of consultant fees or arranging dedicated training within their own workplace.

It promises to be an engaging, motivating, fulfilling and rewarding process – in a setting that is guaranteed to bring out the best in people who are committed to maximising the potential of their businesses and enhancing their own self-development. And it will be flexible too, with the option of having the same person from your company taking part in all three workshops or designating two or three members of staff to attend different sessions. Those who commit themselves to the programme can be sure they will be gaining vital expertise and their businesses can look forward to reaping tangible benefits.

Euan Black, head of Management School at UHI, said: "Although times are tough, businesses that understand their customers and can communicate with them clearly can make their mark.

"Small businesses are passionate about what they do but sometimes can struggle in communicating their passion and the value of their products and services to customers.

"This series of workshops, designed in partnership between UHI Management School and Scottish Provincial Press, aims to help you better understand the value of your products and services from the customer's point of view.

"The workshops will help you develop clear marketing and communication messages and look at ways to get those messages out to your current and future customers. They'll also explore some new on-line approaches that can help you reach new customers in quick and cost-effective ways, helping save you money and grow your customer base.

"These short, sharp and focused sessions will help you think about the marketing and communication challenges for your business and give you some ideas to help move forward."

John Currie, SPP's market development manager, said: "We are delighted to be working in partnership with UHI Management School to bring together their expertise to offer our readers an exciting opportunity to develop their business skills in an ever-increasing digital marketplace. Our headquarters will offer a unique situation for learning, and with a maximum of 10 people it offers a friendly, less intimidating environment for those who are not accustomed attending business workshops.

"These sessions will be ideally suited to anyone in business, whether you own the business or are part of a small team."

The Press Forward Programme will take place at New Century House on 2nd March (Understanding and Selling Your Business); 9th March (Opportunities to Market and Sell More Confidently); and 16th March (Getting Started with On-line Marketing).

All sessions will run from 8.30-10.30am. Costs are £100 per session or £225 for all three if booked by one business.

To book a place for your business, contact Sheila Grant at SPP – e-mail smg@spp-group.com or call 01463 732244.

THE WORKSHOP LEADERS

Sarah Fraser

Marketing specialist Sarah Fraser will lead two of the workshops – Understanding and Selling Your Business and Opportunities to Market and Sell More Confidently.

Sarah is a consummate marketing professional, able to develop strategic marketing plans and orchestrate their execution to deliver solid financial results. She focuses on building value that is measurable in both P&L performance and organisational excellence.

Having worked in the private and public sectors, Sarah understands that all organisations are different. Her key strength is in applying models and theories to the working environment to achieve real, measurable results.

Sarah has worked in Scotland and England and extensively across Asia, taking many companies into completely new markets. She understands that marketing is a day-to-day activity and sometimes it is the smallest things that make a difference to a customer.

She is currently working with UHI, tutoring various postgraduate courses both in a face-to-face and on-line environment – providing first-hand exposure to blended learning.

Sarah says: "What is more important in the current economic environment than knowing your customers – really knowing your customers: who are they, what are they buying, why are they buying it from your company, when are they buying, how are they buying, and how could they be encouraged to buy more goods and/or services more frequently?

"We need to undertake all these vital tasks whilst making sure we make a profit for the organisation. Everyone can gain customers with unlimited time and unlimited budget. However, none of us is in this position at the present time.

"In attending the workshops you will learn how to identify profitable customers and how to undertake marketing with limited budget, time and resources, and learn how to measure the success of these activities."

Vicky Brock

Web marketing expert Vicky Brock will be leading the workshop on Getting Started with On-line Marketing.

Vicky is an associate lecturer in eMarketing at the University of the Highlands and Islands. She is co-founder of the customer insight and analytics agency Highland Business Research and a board director of the Web Analytics Association, a US-based professional association for digital analysts.

Vicky speaks at conferences worldwide on web measurement and optimisation, and is also an official Google Analytics Certified Partner and Seminar for Success Leader.

Her energetic approach means you will be sure to take practical ideas back to the office that will help you make your digital marketing – and overall business performance – more effective.

"If only on-line marketing was as simple as building a website and waiting for your customers to show up. Unfortunately, getting your business on-line is just the beginning," Vicky explains.

"Finding prospects and retaining customers on-line is a challenge that many businesses have little time or resources for. And the amount of work involved in marketing a business, especially using the web and social media, can feel absolutely overwhelming.

"The session on Getting Started With On-line Marketing is aimed at giving busy people a realistic overview of the on-line marketing options available to their organisation. It will highlight the tools and approaches that will let them use their limited time and budget to best effect.

"Attending this session will show you ways to use e-mail, Google AdWords and social media to target, convert and communicate with customers through the web and other digital channels. It also helps you understand how to identify the best marketing mix for your goals, how to undertake some of these activities yourself and how to assess when and if to get external help."

THE WORKSHOPS

Understanding and Selling Your Business

Developing and delivering quality products and services is of great importance to a small business, and often the individuals within the business focus on ensuring this. It is also important, however, that people in the business both understand the benefits of the products

services for customers and are able to communicate and market that information to current and potential customers to help increase sales.

Building up communication skills can be central to developing business sustainability, helping strengthen relationships with existing customers and seeking opportunities for new customers to help drive business growth.

This workshop, led by marketing specialist Sarah Fraser, will help you explore questions such as:

• What is your business selling?

• What are your customers buying?

• Why are they buying it from you?

• How can we get them to buy more – more frequently?

• How can we utilise the reasons why current customers buy to help attract new customers?

• How can we communicate the benefits of the business to new customers?

Opportunities to Market and Sell More Confidently

Engaging with customers and communicating with them effectively can be important in helping grow your business. Understanding more about the tools and techniques of marketing can help you strengthen the relationships you have with customers and find ways to increase the number of customers, helping improve the financial performance of the business.

This workshop, also led by Sarah Fraser, will enable you to develop and enhance your marketing and communication skills. It will help you understand your customer needs and develop approaches to assist you and your business in strengthening your marketing and communication approaches to help drive increased sales.

It will support you to:

• Communicate the key benefits of your business to customers and staff.

• Help customers become your "spokespeople".

• Remind your customers to revisit and re-buy.

• Develop your marketing messages to help attract new customers.

Getting Started with On-line Marketing

Too busy tweeting to run your business? Overwhelmed by your options for reaching customers on-line? Been ripped off by suppliers promising the earth from the web? This workshop, led by web marketing expert Vicky Brock, takes a commonsense approach to digital marketing options and how to use them most effectively for your business needs.

It looks at practical ways you can target, convert and communicate with customers through the web and other digital channels. It also helps you understand how to identify the best marketing mix for your goals, how to undertake some of these activities yourself, and how to assess when and if to get external help.

The workshop will cover:

• The purpose of on-line.

• How being on-line can enhance your business.

• How to get started on-line.

• On-line branding.

• Jargon-busting.