NEW SERVICE IS JUST THE BUSINESS…

A NORTHUMBERLAND marketing expert has reached out a helping hand to small businesses struggling with their social media. Amelia Burn, founder of The Marketing Department, at Belford, has more than a decade of experience managing traditional and digital marketing campaigns for some of the North East's biggest hospitality groups. And now she has launched a new, Power Hour initiative, providing social media and marketing advice to smaller and family run businesses and sole traders. For an affordable, one-off, fixed fee, they complete a questionnaire outlining their company's services or products and their target market. Amelia then creates a bespoke workshop for the customer which takes place in an hour-long online session, so by the end they are confident they have the skills and understanding to manage their social media themselves. After the session they are given practical advice and actions to implement and a follow up session is offered eight to12 weeks later to review performance and fine tune any grey areas. 'There are dozens of thriving small businesses and start-ups in the county which want to make the best possible use of social media but don't have the budget to pay for outsourced social media management,' said Amelia. 'And, while anyone, of course, can use social media, not everyone uses it effectively. 'This is for businesses who want to do their social media themselves but might like a little expert guidance on how to really maximise its impact. 'The aim of Power Hour is to give them the completely do-able tools they need to help grow their business at a price point they can afford.' Power Hour is just one of a range of client services offered by The Marketing Department, along with a mentoring service and sessions on content creation and iPhone image content. The company also offers a full-service client package, creating and implementing in depth marketing plans to support new businesses from the development process onwards. 'But the reason I've set up Power Hour is really straightforward,' said Amelia. 'There are some fantastic businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs in our region and if I can help them succeed, then it benefits everyone who, like me, lives and works here.' For more information about The Marketing Department's services, or to enquire about Power Hour, email amelia@themarketingdep.co.uk