As you may remember from this post I was a finalist in the OMiG Digital Marketing Awards 2016 under the ‘Best Blog’ Category. I was absolutely over the moon and I never expected to get this far – actually never mind that, I didn’t even expect to be nominated for the Awards never mind get through to the Semi-Finals and then the Finals! The Awards were tonight and although I didn’t win Best Blog I had a fantastic evening listening to some great speakers and I thought I would share some tips that I picked up with you!
The first two speakers up were Hugh Hessing, CEO, Aviva Insurance, Ireland and David Tighe, Head of Innovation, Bank of Ireland. They had such an insightful conversation and discussed how much technology has impacted their businesses. It was interesting to see how they had to change their model in order to keep up with the ever moving digital goalposts.
These are some of the top tips that I picked up;
- If you grow, they grow – so need to work togeather
- Small products are key to Bank of Ireland making big impacts with their customers
- Startups and small businesses should look to bigger brands for support & mentoring
- If you are passionate about your idea and persever then it will work eventually
- Coffee & having that talk in advance is key to pitching for small businesses – it’s all about engagement
- Reach out – send the email to the CEO – be ballsy!! (My personal favourite!)
The second set of speakers were Gillian Horan, MD & Chief Brand Strategist, The Pudding and Meabh Connellan, Head of Digital, Vizeum Ireland.
And these are some of the top tips that I picked up;
- Branding is about knowing about who you are and what you are about
- Marketing is getting that brand message out there – emotional connection is also important
- “You’re either a start up or you’re a turnaround” – don’t stand still
- Be agile, listen to your customers and act
- Focus on your website & that it’s clear & Searchable- your owned asset is key
- Make sure your online personality matches your real life business
- This onus is on you to communicate your brand and objectives-how else will staff know how to promote you!
When we arrived and received our programs Ruth (from Fashion Truth by Ruth) seen an additional category that I was listed in and one that I had was not aware of – the ‘Overall Marketing Leadership’ Award. This Award is one where all the scores of all the categories are added up and then the top 6 are listed for the Award. I was honestly stunned as I made the top 6 out of the 200+ Nominees.
And now onto the fantastic Winners on the night:
- Best Blog – MyKidsTime.com
- Best Start Up – This is Galway
- Best Website – Armour Interactive
- Best Social Media – An Púcán
- People’s Choice – An Púcán
- Overall Marketing Leadership – MyKidsTime.com
The night closed with some hilarious storytelling by Aindreas de Staic – the perfect fun end to a great event. Massive congratulations to all the winners and I am looking forward to more amazing events held by OMiG in 2016!
