Commenting on the findings Laura Brown, social media expert at KISS Public Relations said: “Social media holds fantastic opportunities for SMEs, and often these advantages are overlooked because of basic fears stopping companies from taking the leap.”

She continued, “Social media bridges the gap between the customer and company and provides invaluable insight and feedback and helps to build a brand with little media spend and considerable impact through continual engagement. The advantages must not be overlooked.”

To help businesses manage their social media activity KISS Public Relations has developed 7 top tips for increasing success while ensuring maximum efficiency with the time restraints many are faced with:

1) Engage and interact

Think of your page as an interactive platform for communities of people with the same interest. Ensure your content empowers your followers and customers through co-creation, engagement and interaction and most importantly listen!

2) You don’t have to have your own social media department!

There are plenty of tricks that can reduce your time and make social media a great deal easier, for example tools and applications such as TweetDeck and HowSociable? are excellent; Simply search social media devices and take your pick!

3) Multiple platforms

New channels are constantly emerging and companies need to be fully engaged with their market to anticipate which platforms they should be communicating on. By relying solely on one platform communication opportunities will be missed.

What works for one company won’t necessarily work for another. Experiment; see what works for your company and connect with a variety of users and audiences on different platforms.

4) Offer incentives

Your incentives should be clear to your audience, something as simple as breaking news may be enough to entice some followers; however it’s important to think outside the box. Different offers will work with different audiences, there is no right answer and may often be a case of trial and error.

5) Do not fear conversation

Conversations are the real currency! Many companies fear the move to social media as there is a clear shift in power towards the consumer; perhaps they fear the risk of transparent criticism. However what many fail to grasp is these online conversations are happening whether they are present or not.  Those with conflicting viewpoints are just as important as those raving about your company; good social media strategy encourages the right sort of conversations.

6) Create demand

Research suggests that any word of mouth marketing is highly persuasive and therefore one of the most powerful forces in the marketplace. People can often be skeptical of what you tell them or show them; however they often believe what their friends tell them, this is where the power of social media lies.

Inform people prior to a launch of new products and services to create excitement. By doing this, the demand is there before the product has even been launched. 

7) Get the balance right

Social media should be fun so enjoy it! Engagement should be a continual process and needs to be done with confidence, if companies try to keep too much control the strategy will struggle to work to any great success. It’s about getting the balance right between business and fun.

Follow KISS on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/kisstalk, and keep up-to-date with the industry social media news by following Laura at https://twitter.com/#!/KISS_SocialM.

33% of professionals stated they would be exploiting networking opportunities, followed by 19% of respondents who said they would be developing new products and services in order to increase business.

The research, which questioned over 100 professionals in January 2012, also found that only 3% of professionals planned to cut prices as a strategy for increasing sales over the next twelve months.

Despite the UK’s current strained relationship with Europe, only 6% of businesses admitted they were reconsidering which export markets to target as a result.  12% stated they may review in the future, with 40% confidently unperturbed by events in Europe.

Encouragingly the research also found the majority of respondents at 72% stated that the potential changes to the UK’s relationship with Europe had not impacted on their overall marketing strategy, with just 8% of businesses having held back on investment in marketing.

Simon Fryer, Managing Director at integrated marketing agency KISS Communications said, “The new year has definitely started with a degree of optimism despite all the doom and gloom we read about in the media.  Our research has shown that businesses are looking at the most effective vehicles for growing their bottom line and we are pleased to see that companies recognise the benefits that marketing can have on growth and sales.”

KISS Communications recently voted the No. 2 marketing agency in the East of England by Business Weekly is committed to helping businesses deliver insightful communications. Last month the agency announced its support of the Herts Chamber of Commerce Inspiring Hertfordshire 2012 Awards, and is set to provide the winner of the ‘Business of the Year’ Award with the prize of twelve months PR and marketing support. They join the University of Hertfordshire and Exemplas as key sponsors of the event.

The win is the latest in a series of new account appointments for KISS Public Relations consumer division and has further strengthened the agency’s successful food sector which includes most recently, Bokomo, one of the UK’s leading breakfast cereal manufacturers owned by the second largest food company in South Africa, and award winning Essex farm shop, Calcott Hall. 

Justine Smith, PR Director at KISS Public Relations said: “The Old Spring is a popular, well-established pub and is well respected and loved by Cambridge residents.  Our remit will be to raise its profile to a larger geographical area and engage with consumers using traditional media as well as social publishing to increase awareness and build relationships.”

The Old Spring is one of the most popular pubs in Cambridge and has a reputation for quality and service.  All its food is freshly made on site by head chef, Bevan Griffiths and his team of five chefs using predominately local ingredients.

Steve Murphy, owner of The Old Spring offered the account up for tender, choosing KISS Public Relations following the agency’s creative recommendations.  Steve said, “KISS impressed me with its understanding of how my business worked and its ideas for raising The Old Spring’s profile in Cambridge and the surrounding areas.  KISS responded quickly to my enquiry, producing an outline PR plan within a few days.  The whole team was also very approachable and I am looking forward to getting started with KISS Public Relations and putting my business on the map.”

A subsidiary of award-winning KISS Communications, voted No 2 marketing agency in the East of England by Business Weekly last month, KISS Public Relations is dedicated to delivering insightful communications.  Working with blue chip companies and successful SMEs, the agency offers a number of key services as standard, which according to Justine is a key differentiator.  She explains, “In the current climate, clients want two things: results and value for money.  We are a very results driven organisation and constantly strive to meet our clients’ business objectives, providing detailed PR evaluation on a monthly basis as standard.”

Justine continued, “We’re also very conscious that our clients often have to justify PR to shareholders and investors so detailed monthly reports outlining all activity for the month are issued as standard at KISS.  It sounds simple, but it’s astonishing how few agencies provide this level of reporting and evidence of return on investment to clients.”

For more information on The Old Spring visit www.theoldspring.co.uk.

“Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are all great at engaging with audiences but Google+ is taking social media to the next level,” explains Justine. 

“The most important driver for people using Google+ is integration.  Google will build Google+ social networking features and a wide variety of tools into virtually all of its existing online services including its core products – such as Gmail and YouTube  ensuring the platform’s staying power.  The company is also investing resources into changing the way people share information on the web and the Google team is proactively responding to user feedback and suggestions on their Google+ page, suggesting that more updates are in the pipeline.”

Search is another key differentiator according to Justine.  “Introduced in September 2011, Google announced it was bringing its full search product to Google+, significantly improving user’s ability to find things within the new social network.  Users are now able to search not just people, but also topics, relevant posts and content from around the web.  Google will also be able to provide more personalised search results for users by tapping into content from Google+, for example photos, news and comments that are posted on the network. 

“This offers organisations from blue chip multinationals and public sector organisations to small start-ups and charities with huge opportunities for engaging and influencing.   Incorporating interesting and lively video content, special offers and promotions, and regular updates will also help to create successful Google+ pages.

Another way that businesses using Google+ can benefit is by connecting their Google+ account with their Google AdWords account. Research has proven time and time again that people respect recommendations, especially from family and friends. Therefore it’s essential brands show how many +1 their ads receive, prompting searchers to either +1 the ad or click the link”.

She continued, “One of the best things about Google+ is its simplicity and ease of use.  Here at KISS Public Relations we have seen a lot of interest from clients keen for us to set up a Google+ page.  There is a huge growth in social publishing; pushing beyond the standard press release and looking for additional ways and means to engage with key audiences.  The ability to offer up something to audiences that is unique and unpredictable is the most successful way to engage. Ensuring that your Google+ pages are on message and integrated with the rest of your business’s social media, branding, advertising and PR is critical.”

Visit KISS Communications on Google+.

Simon Fryer, Managing Director at KISS Communications said, “It’s a real honour for us to be involved in recognising the achievements and successes of businesses in our region.  We are very much looking forward to working with the lucky winner of the Business of the Year category over a twelve month period and being able to demonstrate the impact that an effective marketing strategy can have on the success of a business.”

Simon continued, “KISS works with a broad range of blue chip companies including Johnson Matthey, Bosch, PlastiKote and Booking.com as well as successful SMEs such as Intergence, 8 Solutions, Real-Status and Cambridge Past, Present & Future.   One thing all these companies have in common is that they all understand the benefit PR and marketing can have on their bottom line.  In the current economic climate, businesses need to engage with their audiences in order to stimulate interest and drive sales.”

Yolanda Rugg, Commercial Director at Herts Chamber of Commerce is delighted to have KISS on board for the launch of these exciting new awards.  She commented, “The Chamber is thrilled to have such a dynamic and creative marketing agency sponsor the ‘Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards’. Offering a prize that has such a tangible benefit to the winner of ‘Business of the Year’ is very exciting.” 

Open to businesses, social enterprises and individuals, the Awards will celebrate inspirational actions and outstanding achievements.  The Awards will culminate in a gala dinner on 17 May at Porsche Hatfield.  Entry forms can be downloaded from www.hertschamber.com.  The closing date is noon on Friday 16 March 2012.

KISS Communications recently launched KISS Future, a simple, affordable and structured service to define, focus and position aspiring brands to drive business.   Competitive advantage, increased customer loyalty and higher margins are just some of the key benefits that KISS Future can bring to the winner.  The new service has already been successfully used by a number of KISS Communications’ clients.

According to the Editor of Business Weekly, Tony Quested, “Economic downturns call for innovation and KISS has delivered it in spades. The agency has remained vibrant regardless of the economic chaos in the background and has come up with some novel ways of promoting clients.  Managing director Simon Fryer is the kind of leader that inspires clients, stimulating them through stasis and coaxing them through to brighter climes.”

KISS Communications competed against hundreds of PR, advertising, marketing, and design agencies across Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Bedfordshire, Suffolk and Norfolk in the fiercely competitive ‘Image Makers’ category.

Managing Director at KISS Communications, Simon Fryer said “Recognising the importance of brand and image is critical in these difficult economic times and KISS has been relentless in the quest to provide marketing solutions to give clients competitive market advantage and increased customer loyalty.  We are passionate about injecting pace and stimulating businesses to drive growth.  Being acknowledged for this success by the team at Business Weekly is fantastic and was only achieved by the dedicated, dynamic and creative team we have at KISS Communications.” 

Richard Bland, Creative Director at KISS, added, “As an agency we are constantly looking at new services to help support our clients.  Following the launch of KISS Public Relations, we set up KISS Future in the last quarter of 2011, a simple, affordable and structured service to define, focus and position aspiring brands to drive business growth.  This has really hit a cord with businesses and has been instrumental in helping us to secure a number of exciting new account wins.”

Richard continued, “We are pleased to have been voted No.2 this year, especially when our competition have all been around far longer. But we are all committed to working hard to achieve the No. 1 slot. As Avis once said, because we are number two, we try harder.”

The agency works with a mixture of blue chip, successful SMEs and interesting start ups, including Bosch, Booking.com, Johnson Matthey, SISK, PlastiKote, One Nucleus, 8 Solutions, Real Status and Intergence. The company provides strategy, branding, advertising, design, digital, exhibitions and public relations services. If your business would like to talk to Simon Fryer about how KISS Communications could help you in 2012 please contact him directly on simon@kisscom.co.uk.

Designing and producing eye-catching stands and providing event solutions are just a few of the services KISS Communications offer.  The agency has created bespoke and shell scheme exhibitions across the UK, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Spain for clients including Booking.com, PlastiKote, One Nucleus, Johnson Matthey and 8 Solutions.

KISS offers a complete exhibition creation and management service, from brand strategies to stand designs, production of marketing collateral, video for screen content, e-invitations, costumes, catering, promotional gifts and giveaways.

Hannah Merriman who leads the exhibition team at KISS is currently taking bookings for 2012; she believes having a vision of what you want to achieve and planning are key to a successful exhibition.  “Think about the impression you want your current or potential customers to get when they see and interact with your exhibition stand,” says Hannah.  “The devil is usually in the detail; there’s a lot of planning, preparation, logistics and project managing to do and we use the usual KISS mantra of keeping it simple for our clients.  Once the client has chosen to produce a bespoke or a shell scheme stand we can do the rest, taking the hassle out of the whole process.  We do this for a number of clients and the feedback we receive is very positive.”

To start, here are our top tips

1. Vision – Set clear objectives – What do you want your current/potential customers to think when they see and interact with your exhibition stand?
2. Purpose – What is the purpose of the stand and how can it be measured?
3. Think high-impact – keep it simple – brief, bold and relevant.
4. Budget  – set a budget realistic with your requirements
5. Read the manual – better still, we’ll do that for you and ensure all deadlines are met!
6. Invite people – sending tickets or invites for them to visit you on the stand generates interest and business.
7. Promote yourself – most exhibitions give you the chance to be included in online and offline marketing – talk to us and we can recommend the best opportunities.
8. Motivate – ensure your best people are on the stand, trained and ready!
9. After the show – Chase up your leads.

For more information, contact Hannah on 01223 911 123 or 0208 12345 75 or via email on hannah@kisscom.co.uk

KISS Communications is one of the leading integrated marketing agencies in the East of England, working with a wide variety of blue-chip clients, including Anglian Water, Bokomo Food UK, PlastiKote, Booking.com, Johnson Matthey, Bosch and SISK, and successful SMEs including One Nucleus, Intergence, Real Status, 8 Solutions, and Cambridge Past, Present & Future.  The company carries out quarterly surveys which it then shares with other businesses in the region. 

Justine Smith, PR Director, says KISS Surveys have provided some interesting insight over the last twelve months, “This year will be a tough year, not only for the global economy but for UK businesses, with a predicted 70% risk of a double dip recession.  PR and marketing will be critical in this challenging climate and essential if companies want to increase awareness and drive sales.  The questions we have included in our survey will be useful at providing a snapshot of business opinion in the current climate.”

Follow KISS on Twitter: http://twitter.com/KISStalk

Sarah Reakes, Strategy Planner at KISS Communications believes that one of the keys to driving business growth in 2012 will be to simplify the brand strategy process, focusing only on what will enable your business to stand out from the crowd.

Sarah has worked with a wide range of blue chip multi-nationals on brand strategy, including Colgate-Palmolive, Nestlé and United Biscuits, she explains, “There is no pretending that it isn’t going to be a tough twelve months but continuing to do the same is not the way to gain competitive advantage and increased customer loyalty.  

She continued, “Establishing a bold and meaningful platform from which to successfully grow is fundamental.  Brands will have to fight harder for their share of consumer spend, so it is crucial that their offer is clearly differentiated and relevant to their target audience.”

KISS Communications suggests the following four steps to help simplify the brand strategy process to drive growth in 2012:

1. Vision – be clear about your business vision; where do you want to get to and by when.
2. Define – really understand what your brand stands for, who your customers are, who you are competing with; in short the current lay of the land.
3. Focus – on where you want to be, what you want your brand to stand for, to whom and why.
4. Position – your brand for success. How are you going to appear in the marketplace, in what way should you be communicating in order to achieve your objectives.

“In summary, it’s about clarity. Everything you do should contribute towards achieving your vision. In such turbulent times it is easy to become distracted by side issues but now more than ever your focus needs to be on your brand. If you want to grow your share of customer spend you need to know your marketplace, be bold about what your brand stands for and clear about the best way to communicate this,” concludes Sarah.

KISS Future is a standalone service from KISS Communications which helps companies define, focus and position aspiring brands to drive business growth through a simple, affordable and structured service.  Competitive advantage, increased customer loyalty and higher margins are just some of the key benefits that KISS Future can bring to companies.

With the KISS principle of ‘keep it simple’ at its core, KISS Future demystifies and simplifies the brand strategy process and guarantees to deliver an inspiring and clearly defined vision for your brand. KISS Future is available as a series of pick and mix structured modules over a pre-set timeframe or as a bespoke service.  

If you are interested in finding a unique and inspiring vision for your business then call Sarah Reakes on 01223 911123 for an informal, no obligation chat or alternatively email sarah@kisscom.co.uk.

The key to the new campaign is ‘The Power of Prevention’ which underlines the critical importance of regular data centre cleaning and decontamination. The stand incorporated a server rack seated on a section of floor, with a team of fully trained 8 Solutions technicians on hand to demonstrate to delegates the decontamination process.

To further underpin the prevention message, branded apples were given away on the stand and also featured within the stand itself, announcing a free data centre healthcare check.

Mark Plant, CEO at 8 Solutions said: “The whole ‘Power of Prevention’ campaign has proved a real hit at DataCenterDynamics. The stand made a very bold statement at the exhibition and helped us to encapsulate the service we offer into a tangible offering.  Delegates were naturally drawn to the stand because it stood out.”

Mark continued, “We appointed KISS Communications a few months ago and in this short time the company has created the new campaign, designed and created exhibition stands for both DataCenterDynamics and ISS, produced an e-newsletter, re-designed our corporate literature and provided great PR support.  We are delighted with the whole campaign.”

Creative Director, Richard Bland said, “Our challenge was to take what could be a very dry subject area and significantly elevate its importance in the minds of 8 Solution’s audience. And at the same time clearly differentiate the 8 Solutions offering from its competitors.”

Designing and producing eye-catching exhibition and event solutions that support UK companies both at shows abroad and at home is just one of the services KISS Communications offers. 

Aside from offering a fully integrated marketing service, KISS also offers complete exhibition packages, from brand strategies, stand designs, implementation, production of marketing collateral to hand-outs and promotional gifts.