Join the Cambridge Independent’s free marketing masterclasses and build your brand

Free marketing masterclasses are on offer for businesses in the Cambridge region which will help you build your brand, bolster sales and get your message out there.

The Cambridge Independent is organising the sessions from March 15-17 with Amplify My Sales – and registration is now open. Details of all the sessions are below.

Attendees will learn, in a 90-minute to two-hour workshop, how to use online and offline marketing tools to build their business.

Riad Zouheir, global business development director at Amplify, will host the workshops, bringing his knowledge of helping local businesses in the UK and around the world – from Canada to Australia – get on top of their marketing activities.

“The workshops are designed to help educate local businesses on the power of the multiple platforms of communications they have available to them to build relationships in the market,” he said. “I meet a lot of businesses and sometimes they struggle at selling both their features and their benefits. They’re often really good at selling features, but sometimes forget the benefits. So the first step is about how to sell products.

“The next is about how to build strong brand awareness in the marketplace, because we know consumers buy from brands they know and trust. I show some great examples on how to create a brand, create a great story and a relationship with the marketplace.

“Then we go on to the platforms of communications available to do that. We begin online, looking at Facebook, Instagram and Google Ads and we look at the power of offline. We show how powerful newspapers are and we look at how these things are linked.

“The last step is about consistency. This is really key. Repetition builds reputation. When you look at a lot of businesses, they are really sporadic with their activities.

“When consumers buy, we go through different stages – awareness, consideration and the decision stage. When you are sporadic, you’re only focusing on the decision stage, but with consistency you reach the ‘tomorrow customers’.

“These workshops are not presentations. There’s plenty of interaction – businesses can ask any questions about social media, Google, advertising, newspapers, creative. And they talk to each other and give ideas to each other, so it’s a great environment.”

The workshops have already been delivered in a number of areas served by Iliffe Media, the Cambridge Independent’s publisher, and have drawn great feedback.

“Most businesses are small or medium-sized,” notes Riad. “Many won’t have any marketing department, or marketing person, so the owner does so many things. They look after the staff, the suppliers, the stock, the clients, customer service… and some won’t have knowledge of marketing. So we see owners, sales directors and marketing directors and we help them. We also see medium-sized businesses who want to learn about the solutions available or have a reminder.”

Attendees will also leave with better knowledge about the Cambridge Independent and Iliffe Media.

“Businesses will know about the paper, but they may not know about the business behind it – Iliffe Media has papers, magazines, it has radio stations in Kent, it deals with Facebook and Google and social media, recruitment… it’s a very unique offer. It has so many solutions. It really is very powerful,” says Riad, who notes that there is no ‘hard selling’ involved and no obligations. Instead, the sessions are designed to inform – and could help you save money too.

From understanding PPC or SEO, or learning how to exploit the tools available from Google and Facebook, or improve your website, the sessions are sure to leave attendees better informed and energised about marketing – and with a clear understanding of how to get on top of it.

Riad is a data-driven marketer who completed his masters in business in his native Paris before working in the US and London. “It’s tough for SMEs at the moment,” he says. “But I’m passionate about helping local businesses.”

The sessions

• Bishop’s Stortford Golf Club, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 5HP - 10am, 2pm, 4.30pm, Tuesday, March 15
• Holiday Inn, Impington CB24 9PH - 10am, 2pm, 4pm, Wednesday, March 16
• Cambridge Country Club, Bourn CB23 2TT - 10am, 2pm, 4pm, Thursday, March 17

To book a free place on any of the sessions, simply visit https://www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/marketing-club/.