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Nailing Email Marketing: Simple Steps to Get It Right

Email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to connect with your audience, nurture leads, and drive conversions. But with inboxes more crowded than ever, how can you ensure your emails stand out?

Whether you’re new to email marketing or looking to refine your approach, these simple steps will help you get it right.

1. The Obvious One, Know Your Audience

Understanding your target audience is the foundation of a successful email marketing strategy. Before hitting send, ask yourself:

  • Who are your ideal customers?
  • What challenges do they face?
  • How can your emails add value to them?

Segmenting your audience based on interests, behaviour, or past interactions can help you tailor content that resonates.

2. Craft Compelling Subject Lines

Your subject line is the first impression your email makes. A great subject line should:

  • Be concise (under 50 characters is ideal)
  • Create curiosity or urgency
  • Use personalisation where possible (e.g., “John, Don’t Miss Out on This Special Offer!”)
  • Avoid spammy words like “free,” “guaranteed,” or “act now,” as they can trigger spam filters.

3. Focus on Value-Driven Content

Every email you send should have a clear purpose. Instead of just pushing sales, provide value with:

  • Educational tips or industry insights
  • Exclusive offers or early access deals
  • Customer success stories or testimonials

Keep your message short and scannable – use bullet points and bold text to highlight key information.

4. Design for Readability

A cluttered email can lose readers quickly. Stick to a clean, responsive design that looks great on all devices. A few tips include:

  • Using a single-column layout
  • Try simple text-based emails for a more personal feel
  • Adding plenty of white space
  • Keeping CTA (Call-To-Action) buttons clear and easy to click

5. Optimise Send Times

Timing matters. Studies show that emails sent on Tuesday or Thursday mornings tend to perform best. However, testing different days and times will help you determine what works for your audience.

6. Test, Analyse & Improve

Email marketing isn’t a one-and-done effort. Regularly analyse key metrics like:

  • Open rates
  • Click-through rates (CTR)
  • Unsubscribe rates

A/B testing subject lines, CTA buttons, and content structure will help refine your approach over time.

Email Marketing Made Easy with TLC Business

By understanding your audience, crafting engaging content, and continuously testing your emails, you can transform your email marketing strategy into a powerful tool for business growth.

Need help with your email marketing? Call us on 01962 600 147 or email us at info@tlc-business.co.uk for a free virtual marketing ideas session with our experts.

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Thinking About Outsourcing Your Marketing? Here’s What You Need to Know

If you run a small or medium-sized business, you already know how important marketing is for getting your name out there, attracting customers, and staying ahead of the competition. But let’s be honest – marketing takes time, expertise, and a whole lot of effort.

Maybe you’ve been trying to juggle it yourself, or you have a small team stretched to the limit. That’s where outsourcing can make a huge difference. But is it the right move for you? Here’s what you need to consider before taking the plunge.

Why Are More SMEs Outsourcing Their Marketing?

1. Saves Time 

Running a business is busy enough without having to manage marketing on top of everything else. Outsourcing lets you focus on what you do best while experts handle the marketing side of things. 

2. Access to Specialists 

Marketing covers a lot—social media, SEO, content, ads, branding… the list goes on. With an outsourced team, you get access to specialists in all these areas without having to hire in-house. 

3. Cost-Effectiveness 

Hiring an in-house team can be expensive when you factor in salaries, training, and tools. Outsourcing gives you the skills and resources you need without the big overheads. 

4. Brings a Fresh Perspective 

Sometimes, being too close to your business makes it hard to see new opportunities. A marketing agency brings fresh ideas, creativity, and an outside perspective to help your brand stand out. 

5. Delivers Measurable Results 

A good agency won’t just ‘do marketing’—they’ll track results, tweak campaigns, and make sure your budget is being spent wisely to get the best return.

What to Think About Before Outsourcing

Before you decide, ask yourself:

What do you actually need? Are you looking for help with social media, email marketing, lead generation, or the full package?

How involved do you want to be? Some businesses want a fully hands-off approach, while others prefer regular input and collaboration.

What’s your budget? Outsourcing can be flexible—you can start small and scale up as needed.

Do they understand your industry? A marketing partner with experience in your field can hit the ground running.

Finding the Right Marketing Partner

Not all agencies are the same, so it’s worth doing your research. Look for:

  • A proven track record – Case studies and client reviews will give you an idea of what they can do.
  • The right mix of services – Make sure they offer what your business actually needs.
  • A cultural fit – It’s easier to work with an agency that gets your values and way of working.
  • Clear communication and reporting – Regular updates and measurable results are key.

Why TLC Business Are Different

At TLC Business, we specialise in helping SMEs grow through smart, tailored marketing strategies – without the fluff or hefty price tag. With over 15 years’ experience working exclusively with SMEs, we have a unique insight into what they need to make their marketing work. We understand the challenges SMEs face, so we keep things practical, cost-effective, and results driven. 

Our personal approach means we take the time to understand your business and create marketing that truly fits. No jargon, no generic strategies – just clear, honest communication and campaigns designed to get real results.

Let’s Chat

Want support with your marketing campaigns? Call us on 01962 600 147 or email us at info@tlc-business.co.uk for a free virtual marketing ideas session with our experts.

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CamKids return to school in 2021!

 

You may already know that TLC Business supports ‘CamKids’, The Cambodian Children’s Charity. ‘CamKids’ is a development and relief organisation, dedicated to providing direct aid to disadvantaged children in Cambodia.

Last year was tough on many fronts for everybody, but we are pleased to say that ‘CamKids’ have been able to adjust and continue to provide vital help in Cambodia. In fact, they were able to reopen their schools in January 2021 after a delay from the Cambodian Government due to COVID-19!

We are pleased to say, we received a case study from one of the Students at ‘CamKids’ schools. This is his story and how the charity helps:

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B2B marketing strategy: What marketing methods should you be using in 2020?

Introduction

Every successful business in 2020 should have a marketing strategy. A marketing strategy will define the marketing channels you will use as a business to reach, connect and engage with your customers and prospects to generate leads. The marketing channels you use should be appropriately chosen to get the biggest bang for your buck and specific to your business and the sector you’re in, but also, your choice should take into consideration your goals as a business. Ask yourself what do you want to achieve through your marketing? Is it growing your customer base and expanding your audience? Is it to generate more leads? Or for customer retention purposes? Whatever your aim is, firstly you must have a good understanding of your market, where you sit in that market and who your audience is, in order to identify the right marketing channels for you.

Where do I start?

First-things-first, a review of your competitors will help you to establish your company’s positioning and determine where you sit in the current market. If the market seems very crowded and everyone (including you) looks more or less the same, offering the same products or services, you need to consider how to stand out (in a good way!) and offer something unique to attract your customers, or as we call it – a USP (unique selling point). Whereas, you might discover you operate in a gap in the market, in which case you have something unique that nobody else is offering.

When you have reviewed your competitors and established your position and any USP you might have, you can then identify your target audience. You may have multiple customer profiles that you wish to target for your business, based around different products or services. You will need to consider your audience’s business type, age, gender, location, sector, job role, interests etc., to have a better understanding of what marketing channels you need to introduce into your marketing strategy. Your audience will also determine the type of messaging you use and what your marketing should look like.

You should use your review of your competitors to assess what marketing channels and techniques other businesses are using, as well as to find out which ones they are using well and which are not so effective. For example: what is their website like? Are they publishing new content regularly? Are they using social media? If so, which platforms are they using and how often are they posting? Do they send a newsletter? Have they got re-marketing ads set-up? Do they have pay-per-click adverts on Google? And so on. This will benefit you when you come to planning your marketing strategy and deciding which channels and techniques you should be using or could be doing better on, as well as which ones to avoid.

What’s next?

There are a multitude of effective marketing channels and techniques you can use within the B2B sector to connect with customers and prospects, but before you jump into doing all of them at once, you should create a marketing plan and select the channels that are going to be the most cost effective and beneficial for the results you want.

A marketing plan will also help you to plan for the costs and resources associated with each component and establish whether you will need to hire someone or outsource a marketing specialist to help you. Remember, just because one competitor might be doing everything, this does not mean you should and doing so could be a major waste of your time and money. Find what works for your business.

Some examples of marketing channels to consider for your 2020 strategy

To explain further, we’ll be putting together a series of informative blogs focusing on different marketing channels you could consider, including website & content creation, all things Google (SEO, paid search and remarketing), email marketing & telemarketing, social media and last but not least offline advertising and direct mail.

Keep an eye out on our blog and follow us on social media to make sure you don’t miss which channels will be best for you, to help you deliver your 2020 marketing strategy!

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Listen to Josh’s interview on BBC Radio Solent ‘Ask the Expert’

Josh Spencer, Managing Director of TLC Business and Chartered Marketer, is interviewed for Ask the Expert on BBC Radio Solent, discussing all things Marketing!

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Camkids celebrate their best year yet

TLC Business have been proud sponsors of The Cambodian Children’s Charity for 9 years now, so we’re really pleased to share their latest update about how the charity’s education program is going.

2019 has been an excellent year for the charity, with another cohort of final year students successfully graduating (despite the outside pressures on children in this region of Cambodia to leave school and get a job in the fields or factories as early as possible); as well as successfully installing electricity in their CCC school, which helps Cambodian children from poorer backgrounds have access to an education.

A few highlights from 2019 include:

  • The CCC School reaching 423 students, from kindergarten through to Grade 6
  • The CCC School achieving a 98% pass rate
  • The Cambodian Children’s Charity health clinic providing free healthcare services to more than 2000 children and 847 villagers
  • Eighteen volunteers visiting the CCC school to teach Maths and Literacy

You can read the full update here and if you’d like to know more about The Cambodian Children’s Charity work, you can visit their website here.

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TLC take on The Crystal Maze

TLC headed up to London last friday to the take on The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience challenge for our most recent team day out! As part of the 90 minute experience, the team were taken through four zones: Aztec, Industrial, Futuristic and Medieval. Each zone contained several games, testing our skill, physical & mental ability – as well as a mystery category! We had a fantastic time and overall the team managed to collect 7 crystals and almost 200 golden tickets in the dome.

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Caroline designs some delicious biscuits

Smile! Our graphic designer, Caroline, has been at it again with her gorgeous biscuit designs – which made for a lovely surprise for the TLC team this morning.

 

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TLC play golf!

Last Friday, some of the TLC team were invited to play golf at the well-renowned Ferndown Golf Course!⛳️

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TLC climbed Mount Snowdon!

Last Friday, the TLC team visited Snowdonia National Park for a challenging climb up Mount Snowdon. The team had a very early start leaving from the office at 5am Friday morning and arrived at the starting point of the ascent for the PYG track at approximately 11am. Lots of sun cream and water was needed to keep us hydrated and protected from the very hot and sunny weather, which made the climb extra challenging at times. After approximately 3.5miles of ascent, the team made it to the summit at approximately 2pm where we took a break to enjoy some lunch and admire the views. We then set off for the descent at approximately 3pm via the Miners Track and made it back to our coach at 5pm to return back to the office! Here are some pictures from the day!

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