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March 1st 2010
 Blackpool Town, enjoyed a very productive day today. We joined up with Kay Hebbourn in her home town of Ulverston. Here, Kay engages with the local business community, helping them with all kinds of internet marketing concepts and showing business owners how to build their very own web presence in order to increase the sales of their products. 

The emphasis is on Local Business, through her Local community website www.goulverston.co.uk a sister site to your very own www.blackpooltown.co.uk . But local doesn't mean you have to only sell to the local community! The question is always, how can I compete with all the other big players such as Ebay or Amazon. The Answer...you dont have to and Kay can show you how. As with many towns in the North West, Ulverston has been quite badly hit in the recession, coupled with the bad weather and reduced visitor rates Kay was seeing many beautiful Ulverston businesses struggling to keep afloat. she needed and wanted to help the Town, her local community and the businesses.
Armed with her vast knowledge of attraction marketing and web marketing she set about connecting Ulverston local businesses to the rest of the world. She is training business owners how to increase or even create their web presence on social media sights such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn , as well as many more and also showing them how to build a beautiful website, that they can manage themselves, if they want to. The local businesses can have as much help and advise as they want, not to mention the continued support from Kay and her team. It was amazing to see the lovely shops along the stetch of the high street that are being helped by Kay. We popped into  a beautiful boutique, called OLIVE which has recently relaunched itself with the help of Kay and other local businesses, from the Go Ulverston Site. The businesses, including painters and decorators, electricians,carpet fitters pooled together to help a business friend, and the results are remarkable. The shop stocks unique, designer, fairtrade clothes, made from fabulous silks and fine fabrics from all over the world. Olive also has unique designer clothing, individually tailoered by Stella, (The Hairy Bikers Wife) as well as  collections from various European Designers. Their website(www.sharealittlelove.co.uk)  will launch soon and we will be able to view the products and buy online. 
 The phone rarely stopped ringing at GoUlverston.co.uk as we sat, comparing notes on our respective businesses. Many calls were from clients telling Kay how they had managed to create a Facebook Badge for their website and it was working or how they had interest from an ad they had put on facebook and how one business had made more sales that day through his online store. I will post the name of this website, as I forgot to write it down, and my memory isn't as good as it used to be! The gentleman in question has created his own herbal muscle rub plus other herbal products and patented them, but he didn't know where to start taking it to market online,so he was thrilled to bits with Kay's help and advise. All of her clients are so proud of themselves, as most of them had no idea how to operate a computer properly let alone build their very own website and to have someone at the end of the phone to give them encouragement, is what most of us need when we start something new.
Blackpool needs businesses to help each other out in this way, because as we see businesses close down, it will create a ripple effect on our High Streets. We will see customers going elsewhere for products and services, affecting your business too. I will be arranging a workshop in Blackpool and have invited Kay to come and talk to any business owners who want to learn the tricks, that most marketeers dont want to tell us. The Free workshop will be held at the BlackpoolTown offices on Church Street, so email us or call for more info.on how to move your business forward in a recession and beyond. Many businesses know the importance of being online, but are scared that they will have to spend massive amounts on  marketing to achieve very little.
Give me a call 01253 292157 or 07788534911  

October 2009
Well it's half term again and things are getting busy in Blackpool. I hope everyone likes the photos I've posted from Cedar Square. A place I love to be, having coffee with friends and watching the world go by. The atmosphere in Blackpool is definitely changing and the cafe culture growing. I was amazed to see the Square lit up at night and the water fountains changing colour. It was very European. !!
We have been receiving lots of enquiries to advertise businesses on Blackpool Town and it is growing so fast I am finding it difficult seeing everyone. I have also been busy socialising this week..or should I say extending my networking. On Tuesday I was at the Launch for The Pink Link Ladies , a new ladies business network and support group. They will be meeting at the Imperial Hotel Blackpool, every 2nd Friday in the month at 9.30. It gives women a chance to meet up and make new business acquaintances and is proving really successful. Then last Friday was the huge celebration for all the new businesses in Blackpool, "Blackpool Rocks" The celebration took place at the Derek Woodman BMW showroom and guest speakers included Steve Smith, british High Jumper. He was inspirational.
A big thank you must go to Peter Legg from Blackpool Unlimited, for making it possible for so many new businesses in Blackpool to start up and keep going through some really tough economic times. So well done to all of you. A big welcome to The DVD Studio, are newest advertiser. if you need any videos transfered onto DVD or promotional DVD making, they are definitely a place to start.
I hope Sheila from Dove Photography is feeling better after her car crash yesterday. good Luck with the recovery.

 


25th February 2009

 Well, I cant believe what happened to 2008!! Things have been so hectic both with Blackpool Town and our other business, Ashton Golf Centre, in Lancaster. We finally got our Golf Course back in October 2008, after a massive legal battle.(Yeah) Blackpool Town has now moved into lovely new council owned offices on Church Street. The new FYC offices, formally Lefton Beds has been totally transformed and is now home to some fabulous Blackpool businesses. I will set up the link to the new website, when it is launched, (sometime next month.) More and more businesses are opening in Blackpool and the town seems to be buzzing with the regeneration. It is good to see the development around town and across the Fylde. Next on the agenda for Blackpool Town is the publication of our newsletter, which will have information and features about local businesses that are using and benefitting from online marketing with Blackpool Town. We send are congratulations to the brand new one stop wedding shop on Church street "The Wedding Place ", which opened its doors on 16th February 2009. So for all you future brides, why not pop in and have a look at some of the amazing products and ideas on offer.

I would just like to quickly add a good luck message to all businesses that may be up for awards in the upcoming BIBAS and Radio Wave Lifestyle and Culture Awards
 Had to add an image of the Golf Course....everyone very welcome!!

 



ASHTON GOLF CENTRE


5th June 2008
 Yet another couple of months have lapsed and I have been so busy with Blackpool Town. I am meeting new business people everyday, who are madly growing their businesses. I spent the day on Poulton Industrial estate and met with some really interesting people. Paul from Arranpaul Audio, has been  on the business Park for many years now, and has one of the biggest professional sound and light businesses on the Fylde, catering for large venues, as well as small garden parties. Jordan's woodflooring, is fairly new to the Business Park, but you are sure to find what you are looking for in this massive, well organised warehouse. I have never seen so many different types of flooring in one place! Darren was really knowledgeable and they even offer a fitting service.

29th May 2008

Would just like to thank Coral  and Rae from Acumen Sales training for their support and advise today. Two women, who I believe will go far in their field. I am really looking forward to seeing them in action on one of their specialists training courses. It may take a while, as they are fully booked....always a good sign....but I have heard on the grapevine, it is worth the wait if you want to improve your sales and boost your business.

3rd April 2008

Just enjoyed a fantastic, business meeting with the Northern Area Go-network team at one of Blackpool's coach hotels on the Queen's Promenade. I would just like to extend our gratitude to Maxine and her staff at the Windsor and Westmorland hotel, who were lovely and made us feel at home.We had a fabulous buffet lunch and the great views across the Irish Sea what more could we ask for.  

Plans are underway to extend and grow the network into many more regions over the next few months and offer the complete web solution to more local businesses at unbelievable prices, so, maybe, if you feel you have got what it takes to develop your own business, you could always contact me at helen@blackpooltown.co.uk for more information.  

You need to be chatty and confident, good with a camera (or have a friend that is) good on the computer, (although training will be given) love the product and be honest.



24th March 2008

Well, I cant believe where the time goes. It had been my intention to start this blog, to run along side the main site, but as with many good intentions with a new business, you think there are 25 hours in a day!!

Over the past few months I have met many interesting people and found out more about Blackpool and the fylde than I could have imagined. I will feature many of my contacts in this part of the site.

The wedding section of the Blackpool Town website is proving to be very successful. It is returning great google results, which every small business knows, is vital to get your business noticed on the web these days. Even I am amazed when I run a search and there I am at the top!! As a local, I want to see local businesses succeed in this region and help the local community.

I work with the small business, to get their business noticed...... some businesses have website, some don't. It is not necessary to have a website to have a web presence in order to get your business noticed. We also do web design and creation, if you want one.