Members from all regions joined the Russell Bedford marketing meeting held online on Monday 19 July 2021
Opening the meeting, President Russell Bedford, Stephen Hamlet, CEO of RBI, discussed the link between the marketing message of members to the overall global strategy, vision and mission of the network. Stephen stressed how important it is: “Ensure that everyone knows what Russell Bedford represents, why we exist and where we are going.”
first meeting, led by Central Marketing Team Office Russell Bedford, focused on reviewing the update of Russell Bedford's internal system in 2021. Delegates learned about the recent updates of the system and their importance to members.
Updates include a new emphasis on demonstrating the service opportunities of Russell Bedford members to help attract potential customers to Russell Bedford site, improve member and partner profiles, and improve Russell Bedford Directory applications, resulting in much better user experience.
After the update, delegates have heard from marketing representatives from around the world about their marketing initiatives, effective strategies and areas that prove difficult.
Claire Williams, head of marketing at Lubbock Fine, London's member company Russell Bedford, opened a message about the company's rebranding to develop a new website to be launched soon. Claire also talked about very successful poll results among Lubbock Fine customers, in which they obtained a very impressive net promoter result.
Bruno Celidonio, an international managing partner at Russell Bedford Brasil, then spoke and shared some of the more successful strategies used in the company, including weekly online seminars, digital advertising and the greatest use of PR capabilities.
Joining Dublin member company Russell Bedford, Cooney Carey, managing partner, Tony Carey, shared the company's marketing strategy. Strong message and clear focus on the brand are priorities for Cooney Carey, whose strategy is strongly focused on understanding what he represents as a company, before attempting to market to potential customers.
Susanna di Fusco of the marketing and communication department at Studio Corno, a member of Russell Bedford in Milan, shared three distinguishing elements identified by their company that distinguish it from competitors on the market. The point is that the company is multidisciplinary, has international reach to support its customers and focuses on innovation and development.
Anton Levytskyi, Sales and Marketing in Zampa Debattista, one from the newest new members of Russell Bedford in Malta, he shared some stories of the company's marketing success, including an increase in attendance in the webinars with 50 to 200 participants.
Anton discussed how the implementation of Facebook ads, LinkedIn events and website tactics led to this growth. Anton also talked about the challenges associated with the ongoing "recruiting war" facing the company in Malta, due to the lack of qualified professionals in the industry, which was a common theme of the meeting.
Most marketing representatives discussed the use of social media forces to reach potential new members. Using Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn to share the culture and energy of its companies, it became important to fill gaps in actual meetings blocked by lockdown.
Alfonso Milla, Russell Bedford Mexico, shared the last comparative test conducted by the company that showed some positive marks. Alfonso also shared an excellent ranking of Russell Bedford Mexico, which was found on eighth place in Mexico according to the International Accounting Bulletin.
Mariska Krukkert, Marketing and Communications in Boon, Apeldoorn, Netherlands, discussed the company's main marketing strategy goal for a year 2021, which was to increase customer and employee involvement. In particular, the company has transferred its attention from a company that only sends information to customers and employees, to a company that additionally seeks interaction with both.
Cara Pyper, Global Head of Marketing Suntera Global, Russell Bedford’s Isle of Man, discussed raising the group’s profile after redevelopment of naming and branding. Cara talked about focusing the group on the environment, society and management (ESG) during the pandemic. The group has conducted a number of campaigns supporting ESG objectives, including the introduction of beach cleaning in Cayman Islands offices and cooperation with local schools to create large sculptures of fish from plastic waste.
Heather Kunz, Marketing and Business Development Manager at WBL, a member of Russell Bedford’s Atlanta, USA, spoke of the importance of thorough research supporting company campaigns, instead of basing them on assumptions that may often be distorted. Heather also talked about a new management system introduced in the company to help marketing and business development teams work more efficiently, while improving visibility in terms of achieving monthly targets.
„Our marketing teams around the world are a breath of fresh air, consistently going beyond borders, putting interesting new ideas on the table," said Susan Baron, marketing and communication manager at Russell Bedford. CEO Stephen Hamlet added: “There is so much diversity among members, but with many common features. Recruitment continues to be a challenge for several companies, and marketing teams are increasingly called upon to attract the attention of potential new recruits. It is difficult, but by gathering and sharing these challenges practical solutions and new ideas emerge. Great thanks to all who attended another wonderful meeting!”