by | May 24, 2013 · 12:47 pm

On film: Behind the scenes at the filming of Ditto’s new promotional video

I’ll admit it. I barely slept the night before filming.

Ditto, Sevenoaks, filming, Superfilm, promotional video, business

I’ve not done this sort of thing and the thought of spending a day being filmed is really not my cup of tea! Not to be deterred, I spent yesterday morning buzzing around our building, organising, tidying, making endless cups of tea and preparing for Ian and Juliette of Superfilm to come and capture our best side. We had a handful of similarly nervous clients who joined us for filming (thank you so much, you were all wonderful), and I have to say that Juliette did a brilliant job at making everyone feel really at ease. The day actually ended up being an awful lot of fun (did I really say that?!), with loads of laughter and jokes to get those happy smiley faces that the camera demanded.

hannah and dionne, moodboard, ditto, promotional video, superfilm

hannah and dionne, moodboard, ditto, promotional video, superfilm, ian filming

Superfilm, sevenoaks, filming, ditto, promotional video, business

hannah and dionne, moodboard, ditto, promotional video, superfilm, ipad

hannah and dionne, moodboard, ditto, promotional video, superfilm, ian filming2

I’d like to thank everyone involved personally; Rachael Hale of History Magpie (as the first in front of the camera you did brilliantly – and yes, I owe you!), Liz Andrews of Bit Spicy (totally unflappable – what a professional), Dionne Baron of Nurture Nannies (lending me your cardi and scarf so I had a change of clothes really was above and beyond the call of duty – I promise not to ask you to strip again!), Steph Harrison of Breast Cancer Care (I think a future career as a TV presenter awaits – the camera loves you, dahhhlling!), James Hoad of Hoads Shoes (see, told you you’d be great ;-) ), Chris Whiteside of Little Freddie Productions (bet you regret popping in now), Andy and the team at …Happen Web (sorry for all the noise!) and last but by no means least, Ian and Juliette from Superfilm. You made the day really enjoyable and the amount of care you’d taken over planning each shot was evident – I can’t wait to see the results.

Photos courtesy of Steph – thanks for stepping up as our unofficial photographer!

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by | May 16, 2013 · 2:12 pm

Let’s get growing: Join us for our next Branding Workshop

Lets-get-growing-header

Date: Wednesday 3rd July
Time: 9.30am – 2.30pm
Cost: £169 plus VAT (£149 plus VAT if booked before 20th June)

Looking to launch a new business? Has your existing business plateau’d? Are you feeling threatened by increased levels of competition in your industry – or perhaps your business is growing rapidly and your brand needs to reflect where you’re at? Our workshop will allow you to reconnect with your business, giving you the tools and confidence that you need to grow your brand and win more customers

During our one day workshop, we’ll drill down into what makes your business tick, encouraging you to think beyond the day-to-day running of your business and pinpoint the parts of your business which make you truly special. I’ll show you how to defend against competition, build a brand that resonates with your target market and encourage you to think really big about the future of your business and what success means to you.

We’ll cover:

  • Defending against competition: Pinpointing your niche in the market
  • Understanding what your customers value about you, and how to attract more of your most profitable work
  • Brand equity: The ways in which your brand enables you to charge more and increase profitability
  • Thinking big: How to create a brand which supports your long term vision for your business
  • The anatomy of your visual brand: the fundamentals of colour and typography
  • What you can do immediately to boost your brand

About the day

Based on feedback, we’re moving our workshops to the intimate setting of our first floor studios at Ditto on London Road in Sevenoaks. You’ll be in the company of like-minded business owners who face the same challenges – and same ambition to succeed – as you. Our workshops are practical, informal and packed with insights and tips that you can take away to implement on straight away. You can expect to be put to work with a range of hands-on activities, plenty of lively debate and oodles of light-bulb moments. We’ll reward your hard work with a tasty home-cooked lunch and afternoon tea to finish the day.

Your brand workshop was superb.  Getting us to get involved and write down what we think our business offers, who our customers are, our long term goals etc and then discussing was excellent as I really feel like it all went in.  I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop and you made it so much more interesting than just sitting and listening. I love Hannah’s friendly and informative attitude’ Laura Gilmour, Synapse Microcurrent

How to reserve your place

Our smaller venue allows much more hands-on interaction, but means places are more limited. To reserve your place, please email hannah@ditto.uk.com, or call 01732 456944.

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by | May 11, 2013 · 12:33 pm

5 easy ways to build your businesses brand

your brand, the promise, product, personality and perception, typographic printBranding is often perceived as a bit of a dark art by business owners. But it needn’t be; there are a number of small things you can tweak to improve the effectiveness of your brand. Grab a notepad and pen (and a glass of something nice, if it’s that sort of time), and jot down these 5 thing you can do right now to make your brand work harder for you:

1) Have a chat with your best customers 

We all have those favourite clients – they may be the ones that you work with the most, the people who’s values echo yours, the ones who shout about your business the loudest and those who truly value what you do. Wouldn’t it be lovely if all your clients were like them? Attracting more of those clients is easy – first, you need to understand what it is that they value the most about your business so you can steer your brand in a direction that resonates with those people.

2) Don’t be afraid to think big 

You may only be a team of 2 now, but what’s your game plan for next year? Or the year after? Your business deserves a brand you can grow into, so it pays to know where you’re heading.

3) Know your bestsellers 

If you offer several services, or a range of products, is there one element in particular that nets you the most profit? If so, you probably want to be known as the go-to provider for whatever that is. Jot down your bestsellers and ask yourself if your brand really reflects the things you want to be known for.

4) Make your moments of truth as good as they can be 

In brand speak, a moment of truth (or touch point, depending on your choice of words) relates to any interaction that a customer has with your business. This may be in the form of a phonecall, email enquiry, face to face conversation, visit to your website or blog or even an interaction on social media. Does every interaction reflect you in the best light? A while ago, I phoned a local high-end hairdresser to book an appointment. The phone was answered by a bored-sounding receptionist (who was chewing on gum while she spoke to me), who clearly didn’t want to know. Given the salon’s image, I would expect a polite, courteous and efficient service to back up their slick look. Needless to say, the reality rocked my view of the brand and I went elsewhere. Don’t let the same happen to you – your moments of truth are one of the easiest and cheapest things you can control.

5) Own your niche 

I say this so often, I feel as though I ought to have it tattooed on me somewhere. In a competitive marketplace, it’s essential to know what makes your business stand out from the rest. Do you offer a product which no-one else sells? Perhaps your customer experience is unique? Maybe the way you do business sets you apart? The things that make you unique are the golden elements of your business that mean customers buy from you and not your competitor. As a sense check, list your competitors to be sure that your niche is truly unique to you. And when you’ve hit upon your niche, you need to shout about it, as loud and as often as you can.

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by | May 10, 2013 · 9:47 am

Inspired by: Superfilm’s beautiful promotional videos

I have to admit, there have been times where I’ve cringed inwardly at the thought of a corporate promotional video. Many that I’ve seen seem so insincere, cold and sales-y that I’m instantly turned off and have to watch through my fingers. I’m pleased to say that my thoughts have changed vastly since meeting with Juliette at Superfilm.

Superfilm are a local group of passionate film makers who work with businesses to produce the most beautiful, aspirational promotional videos you could dream of. With the focus very much on telling a story, their videos capture the essence and personality of the businesses they work with. I was amazed by the ways in which the videos portray a really honest, genuine feel – so different to many of the staged, scripted corporate videos I’ve seen before. Their relaxed, story-telling style and aspirational finish produces videos which companies can be incredibly proud of. I’m very excited (if a little nervous!) to announce that Superfilm will be working with us to create a video for Ditto – I look forward to sharing more on this with you in the next few weeks!

To give a taste of Superfilm’s work, do take a look at the video below which was produced to document The Savoy’s Jubilee celebrations.

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by | May 7, 2013 · 8:39 pm

Sir Alan will see you now: The Apprentice has begun

Oh lordy. SurrrrAlan’s latest batch of victims, ahem, hopefuls, are lining up to be judged. Hmmm. Never too sure about The Apprentice. From the bolshy attitudes to the minutiae of the behaviour of all concerned (sorry, but in this day and age, separating the men and women into opposing teams is a dated approach at best) – egos bigger than Wembley Stadium and barely a shred of decency between them.

It begs the question: is there a place for such pushiness in the marketplace these days? I can confidently say that if any of Lord Sugar’s latest approached Ditto, they would be swiftly shown the door. I truly believe that consumers are well and truly fed up of the glossy salesman approach. All mouth and no trousers. No thank you.

Shame really – in the early days of the programme, I’d eagerly glue myself to the television, keen to hoover up any pearls of wisdom I can apply to our own business. These days, it’s less about good business sense and more about backstabbing, bossiness and threaded eyebrows. Goodness. I can only hope that our future business leaders do not reside in Alan Sugar’s boardroom.

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by | April 26, 2013 · 9:38 am

New in This Week: The finished brand identity and logo design for The FD Studio

The FD Studio, financial, logo design, business card designMy last blog post was dedicated to the Mood Board for The FD Studio branding, where we mapped out the values, ambitions and dreams for Mike Rowe’s new business. I’m pleased to reveal the finished product!

A bright, punchy orange is the first thing you notice about this brand. A creative, sociable and vibrant colour (remember my blog post about the psychological properties of orange?), it matches Mike’s business personality perfectly. It’s an unexpected colour for a financial company, who tend to favour more conservative colours. The elegant font (Museo, for you font geeks out there) balances the playfulness of the orange, adding a touch of authority and credibility. We’ve bought energy and life to Mike’s business card design, with colour flowing through the strap line providing beautiful movement and interest. The impact this has on the design is just gorgeous, isn’t it?!

The FD Studio, financial, logo design, business card design, sevenoaks

The FD Studio, financial, logo design, business card design, sevenoaks, branding

What Mike says:

‘From the first moment I met Hannah, Derek and Dan I was made to feel valued, welcome and special. They brought a creativity and enthusiasm to my branding project that both impressed and inspired me. I had a vague idea of how I wanted my business to be portrayed, but Hannah took me on a creative journey that allowed me to understand my core values, ideals and aspirations. I believe that this experience unearthed my true feelings about my business and how I would like to help my customers. I feel that everything I represent is enshrined in the branding, the logo and design work and it has given me a confidence in my identity, my brand and my business. With the ditto team behind me I truly believe that I can leap tall buildings with a single bound.’

I’d like to note that these words were entirely unprompted from Mike – when I asked him if he’d give us some feedback, with a view to using it on the blog and on our website, I never imagined that we’d receive such heartfelt words. Thank you, Mike – clients like you make our job a genuine joy.

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by | · 9:37 am

In the press: Business profile for Knockout Print

Hannah Griffin, Branding, Sevenoaks, Ditto, Kent & Sussex Courier

If you’ve picked up the Kent & Sussex Courier this week, you may well have spied me on the business pages again! Every month their panel of experts from the branding, financial and legal professions (including yours truly) are given a profile of a business to review. This month, we were asked to review a local print company. Do take a look!

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