Archives: Case Studies

Case study

Adding buoyancy to a game-changing brand

Building a brand to create both residential and commercial demand for a pioneering product using multi-layered digital, social and offline marketing and PR strategies to hit sales targets.

Snapshot

100%

Sales targets reached

No 1

on Google for relevant searches

B2B

Reseller partnerships established

The Challenge

To build brand awareness of a completely new product among B2B and B2C target audiences to stimulate demand from a standing start, establishing Waterlodge as disruptive innovators and sector leaders.

marketing PR strategic counsel expertise Kent Sussex London

The strategy

An in-depth discovery process to develop distinct B2B and B2C strategies to showcase Waterlodge’s Unique Selling Points, make audiences aware of Waterlodge’s pioneering property solution and position the company for strategic discussions with potential B2B partners and clients.

Close collaboration with the founders and business development team as their in-house marketing department, executing comprehensive marketing and PR strategies flexibly and nimbly to take advantage of emerging opportunities.

Services: C-suite strategic counsel, brand development, strategic PR, websites, offline marketing, SEO, digital marketing, social marketing, video

The outcome

Understanding the complexities of Waterlodge’s business enabled us to develop a comprehensive, cost-effective marketing and PR strategy which delivered on all the KPIs by creating brand and product awareness, establishing Waterlodge as leaders in their field, generating enquiries and conversions and enabling Waterlodge to engage with B2B prospects for partnerships and multiple orders.

Read about our offline marketing services

marketing PR strategic counsel expertise Kent Sussex London

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The Sharp Minds team were positive, and they spent time talking to us about our ideas and drawing out our own thinking in order to create a workable and cost-effective marketing plan.

Ian Watkins, Managing Director - Waterlodge

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Capital Space

Case study

Long-term collaboration supports business goals

Marketing support for more than eight years helps serviced office provider survive new competition and changing work practices.

Snapshot

HIGHEST

Occupancy rates ever

60%

Increase in website enquiries

5x

Website closing ratios 5x those of broker introductions

The Challenge

Pioneering an easy-in, easy-out monthly license to provide entrepreneurs flexible business accommodation to match their changing needs, Capital Space now faces new competition from other companies that have copied their business model and co-working spaces, as well as changing work patterns. Additionally, Capital Space has two key audiences: existing customers and SMEs within five miles of each of its nine business centres across the Southeast.

marketing PR strategic counsel expertise Kent Sussex London

The strategy

Our Discovery Process enabled us to understand the Capital Space offering, different target audiences and key challenges. We advised expert content creation and PR to boost SEO and position Capital Space as an essential partner in its clients’ business journeys.

Since 2015, Sharp Minds has provided ongoing digital marketing support, comprising organic website content, social media marketing and thought leadership built around customer success stories, business intelligence and company news. Working closely with Capital Space’s marketing manager, we conduct regular analytics reviews to ensure the content strategy is optimised for business goals. We are available flexibly to liaise with end customers and internal stakeholders.

Services: Digital marketing, social marketing, SEO, strategic PR

The outcome

Our flexible support has helped ensure a constant flow of authentic storytelling to enhance the company’s client relationships and get the brand in front of its target audiences, which has become increasingly important with the transition to new working structures that was accelerated by the pandemic.

Content structured to enhance SEO has driven website traffic. Content explaining the key benefits of Capital Space’s offering to SMEs has helped drive website enquiries and improve conversion rates for online enquiries. Digital and social content positioning Capital Space as a vital partner in their clients’ business success has increased engagement with existing customers, helping to reduce churn.

Judicious PR campaigns have secured coverage of significant company and local centre news, further raising the brand profile within its local communities.

Read about our social marketing services

marketing PR strategic counsel expertise Kent Sussex London

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“Sharp Minds’ expert content creation and understanding of our objectives has helped us reach our business goals: physical website enquiries increased by 60% and closing ratios from website content are five times more efficient than those coming from brokers. We are celebrating our lowest vacancy rates in nearly two decades”

Jason Hill, Group General Manager - Capital Space

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Case study

Rebrand and tailored messaging support national ambitions  

Creating a brand and messaging to build reassurance and warmth with clients who are often at a time of emotional crisis provided the foundations for rapid expansion and influence at a national level.

Snapshot

BRAND

Scalable brand developed to attract clients and staff

MESSAGING

Compelling messaging to engage targets

GROWTH

Expansion from sole trader to national service

The Challenge

To develop a scalable brand and compelling communications for a sole trader with national ambitions to provide a strong emotional connection with targets to drive enquiries and clients to support business growth.

marketing PR strategic counsel expertise Kent Sussex London

The strategy

Trading under her personal brand had enabled founder Debbie Harris to attract clients through word-of-mouth recommendations. Ambitious to be able to support self-funding families looking for the right care home around the country, she came to us to review her website content. We recommended that the starting point should be brand development, to provide a professional, scalable platform to expand the business geographically and to attract staff with aligned values to service a growing client base. With the new brand and assets agreed, we created messaging to engage the different audiences and developed it across digital and offline channels to provide the launchpad to support the ambitious business goals.

Services: Brand development, websites, SEO, digital marketing, offline marketing, strategic PR

The outcome

A successful brand was created to create trust, reassurance and warmth with clients who are typically going through an emotionally challenging time, as well as providing an attractive employer brand to build the team that would be necessary to scale. The new brand, together with messaging tailored to the different target audiences – clients, their relatives and referrers – as well as strategic PR to gain media exposure on the BBC, enabled rapid expansion and provided the platform for the founder to champion self-funding families on the national political arena.

Read about our brand development services

marketing PR strategic counsel expertise Kent Sussex London

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When I first approached Sharp Minds to help me with content for my website for my new company, I knew what my offering was, but didn’t have a proper identity for the business. Sharp Minds suggested that my starting place should be brand development. This led to a very clear brand, and from this Sharp Minds were able successfully to build compelling messaging on both our online and printed marketing, conveying our services with warmth and reassurance to our target clients, who are often at a point of crisis when they come to us. I thoroughly recommend Sharp Minds for their expertise: their ability to understand a new business and its challenges quickly to make sure their clients are positioned for success.

Debbie Harris, Founder - Chosen With Care

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Case study

Creating distinction to elevate a brand

Standout messaging deployed tactically across marketing and PR channels has helped elevate Amanda Redman Financial Planning above the competition, creating high brand currency to attract more, higher-value clients.

Snapshot

TIER 1

Profile feature in The Financial Times

1x

New business enquiry per week

⬆

Client households, FUM, advisers and paraplanners

The Challenge

In a highly competitive market, Amanda Redman Financial Planning needed compelling messaging to grow the brand beyond the founder’s personal networks and instill confidence among target, discerning HNW individuals. A strong employer brand was also required to attract committed professionals with aligned values to support business growth.

marketing PR strategic counsel expertise Kent Sussex London

The strategy

We conducted a thorough discovery to identify points of difference to create clear messaging to distinguish Amanda Redman Financial Planning from its competitors and to resonate with highly sought-after HNW individuals. Deployed across digital and social channels, the initial messaging and strategies successfully helped increase client households and funds under management. 
Working with ARFP for several years, we have refined the messaging and strategies as founder Amanda Redman developed her expertise as well as a strong campaigning voice for female financial education, championed through her book, Dare To Be Fair. PR was added to the marketing mix, alongside securing corporate speaker opportunities.

Services: Strategic PR, reputation management, thought leadership, digital PR, offline marketing, SEO, digital marketing, social marketing, video

The outcome

Aligning PR with the established marketing strategies – including securing national coverage in The Financial Times and The Guardian and monthly local columns – formed a powerful communications strategy, which has helped Amanda Redman Financial Planning’s brand profile and currency rise above the plethora of financial advisers. Successful positioning as a specialist expert alongside consistent digital marketing has improved SEO, leading to weekly inbound enquiries through the website and professional networks.

The strong employer brand has also enabled founder Amanda Redman to recruit two more advisers with aligned values, to help fuel the next phase of business development.

Read about our reputation management services

marketing PR strategic counsel expertise Kent Sussex London

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We have found a true partnership with Sharp Minds, who have brought us opportunities that have directly impacted our business. From national newspaper articles to social media and blog content that reaches our target audiences, their work is successfully leading to prospective client enquiries. Sharp Minds always go the extra mile and take the time to talk through the big-picture strategy with us as we continue to grow.

Amanda Redman, Founder - Amanda Redman Financial Planning

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tactical PR case study shifts brand perceptions to environmental pioneering leader

Case study

Shifting brand perceptions  

Tactical PR to reposition a brand from an everyday construction company to pioneering experts.

Snapshot

18

articles in the first month

Tier 1

coverage in The Sun, Daily Record and leading trade

130%

increase in website traffic

The Challenge

Despite delivering social and environmental benefits through its groundbreaking work in some of the UK’s largest modular housing projects, Enevate Homes’ reputation hadn’t developed beyond being a construction company. It needed exposure and awareness of its pioneering solutions as a top 10 modular housing expert with a strong ethos of creating opportunities for disadvantaged demographics.

marketing PR strategic counsel expertise Kent Sussex London

The strategy

We implemented a local, national and trade communications plan that highlighted Enevate Homes as one of the leading modular housing builders in the UK offering a sustainable solution to the UK housing crisis. Emphasising the company’s growth against sector turbulence, we positioned Enevate Homes as a leader in its field, specialising in the fast production of modular homes at scale for some of the UK’s largest social housing projects.

We positioned Managing Director, Gary Mayatt, as the expert in modular housing and the national ‘face’ of Enevate Homes.

Services: C-suite strategic counsel, strategic PR

The outcome

We secured 17 articles in the first month of appointment, including The Sun and Daily Record, as well as leading trade titles. Not only did this raise awareness of the significant projects Enevate Homes was involved in, but we also shifted the perception of Enevate Homes from just another construction company into one of the UK’s leading modular housing companies. We successfully positioned the Managing Director as one of the go-to-commentators in the sector.

This has resulted in further discussions with councils across the UK to provide modular housing as a sustainable solution to the social housing crisis.

Read about our C-suite strategic counsel services

marketing PR strategic counsel expertise Kent Sussex London

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Sharp Minds delivered exactly what we wanted. They easily surpassed our expectations and built the brand and business of Enevate across the UK, through carefully targeted media outreach. Our first campaign together generated more than 18 articles and included several high-profile features, including The Sun newspaper. This has helped with our success this year and has put Enevate firmly on the map as a leading modular housing company in the UK.

Gary Mayatt, Founder - Enevate Homes

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brand creation go-to-market planning sustainable brand marketing PR agency Tunbridge Wells Kent Sussex London

Case study

Launching a brand to underpin sustainable business  

Developing a brand with a heart, supported by initial go-to-market planning, to create the platform for an environmental start-up to make a difference.

Snapshot

KEY

Verticals, resellers and introducers identified

BRAND

Scalable brand created that has supported diversification

STRATEGY

Mar-comms strategy plotted for launch and beyond

The Challenge

To create a brand for a challenger, environmental stationery start-up to attract target customers and build loyalty to encourage repeat business, including identifying key business opportunities and developing a comprehensive, low-budget marketing strategy to deliver sustainable business growth.

marketing PR strategic counsel expertise Kent Sussex London

The strategy

We conducted a Discovery Process to understand the business goals, resources and target B2C and B2B customers, including identifying opportunities for establishing beneficial business partnerships to drive multiple repeat sales. This informed the development of a relatable brand that communicated the environmental imperatives at the core of the business to attract clients with aligned values. A multi-channel mar-comms strategy was devised to help Green Planet Living create brand awareness and engagement to drive consumers to the e-commerce site and to build a network of resellers.   

Services: Go-to-market planning, brand creation

The outcome

Green Planet Paper was established as an environmental alternative to conventional stationery, winning a loyal base of retail customers and resellers through digital and social marketing, together with offline marketing at environmental events. Successful market testing identified an appetite for a wider range of sustainable products, so the brand was developed into Green Planet Living, to allow for ongoing product expansion and innovation.

Read about our brand creation services

marketing PR strategic counsel expertise Kent Sussex London

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Sharp Minds provided the strategic analysis I needed to have the confidence to launch my environmental e-commerce business, giving me a clear go-to-market strategy that was sustainable and achievable, and helping me develop a brand that perfectly captured the values of my business to connect with my target customers. This has provided me with the platform to both launch and develop my business, enabling me to diversify to help ride seasonal fluctuations and encourage a wider customer base.

Maddy Bishop, Founder - Green Planet Living

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Case study

Driving a freight firm towards planned growth

In a fiercely competitive market, Castledene Transport needed a digital marketing strategy to attract both clients and drivers aligned with its values.

Snapshot

CONTENT

New messaging to showcase legacy and leadership

WEBSITE

Project management to facilitate a smooth project

VIDEOS

To capture the culture to attract clients and staff

The Challenge

A third-generation haulage business with strong family values, Castledene Transport needed a comprehensive digital marketing strategy to help fuel the next phase of its planned growth. With ongoing sector challenges, it needed to communicate its exceptional customer service and environmental credentials to attract new clients interested in long-term supplier partnerships, as well as drivers aligned with its customer-first ethos to support the long-term business goals.

marketing PR strategic counsel expertise Kent Sussex London

The strategy

Through our Discovery process we got to understand the values, points of difference, goals and challenges of the business to enable us to devise a digital marketing strategy to help steer Castledene Transport towards its targets. 

Our digital marketing strategy included: 

  • New messaging and content for a planned new website, with project management of the new website
  • Video marketing to showcase Castledene’s key points of difference and values to both prospective clients and employees
  • Thought leadership and PR to position Castledene as a provocative leader within the sector as it responds to carbon-net-zero imperatives
  • Social media and digital marketing to grow the brand’s network and keep it front of mind, as well as boosting SEO 

Services: Websites, thought leadership, digital marketing, social marketing, SEO, video

The outcome

We delivered end-to-end management of the new website, creating content that demonstrated the culture of the company by highlighting its long legacy and the family values that underpin it while also showcasing its leadership as the sector responds to supply-chain, recruitment and environmental challenges. We oversaw and coordinated all parties, including videographers, photographers and website designers to ensure a smooth-running project, resulting in a modern, user-friendly website to support the wider business needs. 

As we progress to ongoing marketing, we are distinguishing Castledene from its competitors by establishing it as a discerning freight champion that is challenging the sector, government and consumers towards sustainable transport solutions.

Read about our website services

marketing PR strategic counsel expertise Kent Sussex London

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“We primarily needed help with the content of our new website but were so thoroughly impressed by Sharp Minds’ diligent and detailed approach that we decided to engage them on an ongoing basis. Their attention to detail and thorough understanding of our business’s culture and challenges meant they provided brilliant content and an optimised User Experience geared towards solving our business needs. Sharp Minds were comfortable leading, they took initiative and drove this huge project forward.”

Nicky Amey, Managing Director - Castledene Transport

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Case study

Tailored SEO to support business growth

Enabling an ambitious business to compete for multiple services across a wide geographic area with SEO-rich content for each service in each town.

Snapshot

⬆

SEO for 21 services in 23 towns

⬆

Clients – domestic and commercial

⬆

Client value and lifespan

The Challenge

Starting as window cleaners, Kin Kan Do had big ambitions to become a full-service property maintenance company. Competing for a large number of services across a wide geographic area was likely to dilute its search engine rankings, so a comprehensive SEO strategy was required to ensure it performed well in relevant online searches.

marketing PR strategic counsel expertise Kent Sussex London

The strategy

Project management of a new website to ensure easy navigation for users to book the service they needed was essential to optimise conversions, but equally as important was driving sufficient traffic to support the business’s growth plans. In addition to writing content optimised for all the services offered, we created a hidden portfolio of geo-specific service pages for the 23 key towns in which Kin Kan Do operates, to drive strong SEO for each service in each location. This was further supported by regular, organic content, as well as social and digital marketing and offline advertising.

Services: Websites, SEO, digital marketing, social marketing, offline marketing

The outcome

It was a massive undertaking: creating bespoke pages for 21 different services in each of 23 different towns, rewriting the content each time to ensure the website was not penalised for plagiarism and with different local references on each page to ensure its relevance to local searches was recognised by search engine algorithms. But it has paid dividends, enabling Kin Kan Do to compete effectively for a large number of services over a wide area, so supporting its ambitious to become one of the largest property maintenance companies in the South East.

Digital and social marketing effectively drove upselling to existing customers, increasing both client value and lifespan to increase turnover and profitability.

Read about our SEO services

marketing PR strategic counsel expertise Kent Sussex London

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Sharp Minds were able to define and deliver a brilliant digital marketing solution for our business. Their ability to project manage the website and provide ongoing marketing support helped boost our SEO and attract new customers. The investment in their expertise allowed us to focus on the running of our business and deliver for our clients, both existing and new.

James Davies, Director - Kin Kan Do

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Case study

Health expertise ignites stalled marketing

Flexible, nimble support to get a delayed website live to provide the launch platform for tactical marketing and PR to attract target clients.

Snapshot

BBC

Coverage on BBC TV and radio

SEO

Improved – attracting target clients

SOCIALS

Increased reach and engagement

The Challenge

Facing an uneven playing field with the marketing budgets of its high-street chain competitors, independent Kings Hill Opticians needed a new website to message its points of difference – but the project had stalled for 18 months due to a lack of internal resource or expertise. Originally called in to unblock the project and get it over the line, Sharp Minds was then asked to devise and deliver a marketing strategy to attract patients who valued health expertise over price.

marketing PR strategic counsel expertise Kent Sussex London

The strategy

We conducted a thorough Discovery Process to understand the practice’s market position, points of difference from the competition, and target clients and their triggers, including patient interviews both to inform the messaging and provide objective brand endorsement. These insights determined the messaging strategy, which fed into expert content creation, facilitated by our health expertise in understanding medical information and communicating it to connect with the target audience.

When the website was live, we transitioned to ongoing digital and social marketing, supplement by proactive PR campaigns and award applications.

Services: Websites, digital marketing, social marketing, strategic PR, reputation management

The outcome

Our efficient project management with clear milestones and deadlines enabled a fast turnaround of the stalled project – the new website was live within two months of our initial meeting with the client. Our discovery process and expert content creation also led to navigational tweaks to make for a better visitor experience and clearer signposting to calls to action. The effective messaging and SEO strategy has enabled Kings Hill Opticians to attract patients who are willing to invest in eye health while deterring those motivated solely by price, thereby making the practise more efficient and profitable.

Kings Hill Opticians fought off fierce competition to be finalists in the national Opticians Awards 2018 and 2019 for Best Independent Practice. Successful PR campaigns around awards and patient case studies secured coverage on BBC TV and radio and in target local publications, leading to wider brand recognition and appreciation of the value offered over high-street chains.

Read about our websites services

marketing PR strategic counsel expertise Kent Sussex London

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Our website designers had been chasing me for 18 months to get the content written for our new website. Sharp Minds Communications made the whole process simple. Within just two months we had a website and content that portrays who we are in a way that appeals to our target audiences. I just wish we had worked with Sharp Minds from the start! From that successful start, we hired Sharp Minds to provide retained marketing support. Their outputs are flexible, depending upon our business needs. Sharp Minds bring real value in their ability to work on any marketing output to support business need. But their real skill for us as optometrists is their ability to understand complex medical and technical issues and recommunicate them in a way that patients can understand – and which resonates with their wants and needs.

Satvinder Shoker, Director - Kings Hill Opticians

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Case study

Offline marketing to build sustainable brand awareness

The merger of two successful architectural practices required a new identity and a cost-effective mar-comms strategy to establish the new brand among target audiences as the local leader in excellence, innovation and environmental solutions.

Snapshot

15,000

Readers reached per month

HIGH

Brand recognition in target area

NEW

Commercial projects secured

The Challenge

A new brand and messaging were required to align the distinct personalities and areas of expertise of the original practices, as well as implementation of a targeted reputation-building strategy to establish it from a standing start as a leading RIBA-Chartered practice with a difference.

marketing PR strategic counsel expertise Kent Sussex London

The strategy

With limited reputation in the target area, we developed an offline marketing campaign built around the personalities of the founders to demonstrate the distinctive qualities of an innovative, sustainable, female-led practice and build a relationship with target high-net-worth property owners and developers.

We secured a cover feature and an exclusive long-form advertorial in a target monthly lifestyle publication to provide the space and frequency to build brand recognition and rapport with the readership, establish expertise and create an enduring presence within the defined territory.

Services: Brand development, Offline marketing, Strategic PR

The outcome

When people stop your clients walking down the street to say, ‘You’re the architects!’, you know your strategy has had the desired impact. 

Real-life recognition confirmed that we successfully established the Atelier de Linde brand within the target area among affluent property owners. Successful invitations to tender on target, boutique commercial projects evidenced that the brand and messaging resonated equally with aligned property developers.

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marketing PR strategic counsel expertise Kent Sussex London

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Sharp Minds have been a driving force behind building our brand awareness and establishing our newly formed practice as the preferential choice for local property developers and end-user clients. Their effort and ability to understand and then amplify our business’ brand and culture, makes them a stand-out marketing and PR agency.

Tara de Linde, Director - Atelier de Linde

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