Business

Business Benefits by being a Pool Card member

There are almost 160 local businesses who gain great benefit from using the Pool Card – even if they can’t always say exactly how. But we know that if someone comes into a retailer’s premises brandishing their Pool Card that the advertising is working – otherwise how would they know to come in?

We can split the main benefits into three:

General to all businesses:

• Website and online shop
• Monthly Networking meetings
• Business Services (see article)
• Low cost advertising
• Wide ranging Database
• Large audience via the Update and monthly Directory
• Email and SMS marketing opportunities

Retail Specific:

• Bigger opportunity for customers via the Pool Card holders
• Lower potential for consumers to go outside your town
• Higher incidence of repeat purchasing
• A reason to shop with you and not the competition

Business to Business Specific:

• Networking
• Opening of business opportunities within the community
• Collaboration
• Support
• Referrals
• Relationship building

You must agree that all of these are unbelievable at £17 + vat per month or even better £190 + vat for 12 months. Adverts within this monthly publication start at £16 per insertion. The Update which has a circulation of over 20,000 in Powys and the Shropshire borders – hits a huge target market. On top of this you get a basic entry in the business directory for FREE!! The Update is a community magazine so stays around in the house until the next one – a month away, which means that your advertising does too!

Let’s look at another of those benefits in more detail – the website. Each member gets a page for FREE. But you can make use of this in many other ways. There is an online shop as well as email and SMS marketing built in. So you can send an alert to Pool Card holders if you have a special offer* or sell online without having to set it up yourself. Of course these have a charge associated with them – but what price a hassle-free marketing campaign?

In addition we all meet once a month, share opportunities and best practice and focus on collaborative marketing. Perhaps most importantly forge friendships and meet business people we can trust to work with.

I really believe that local business benefits by being a member. As a marketing consultant I use this as my main marketing tool and certainly don’t regret it – I’m still a member aren’t I?!
Julie McKeown, Sorath Partnership
www.sorathmarketing.co.uk
01597 840456
*depending on the details held on the database for each one.

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In addition to the free open meeting chaired by Lembit Öpik on 25th September at the Monty Club, Newtown we are offering a special deal for new businesses joining in September.

Buy a run of 3 adverts within the Update and get a 4th advert free. (Maximum size of free advert 1/4 page and open only to new businesses)

You have even less to lose now and plenty to gain from being a Pool Card business member!