Marketing Works in Blackpool

A new marketing toolkit has been put together to help Blackpool B&Bs polish up their performance.

The 120-page, step-by-step guide complete with CD spells out exactly how to market the full spectrum of accommodation ranging from the smallest guest house or self catering property to a bustling hotel. The toolkit could help hundreds of small businesses get ahead of the game.

A partnership led by Lancaster University has put the new marketing kit together as part of Marketing Works, a £340,000 European Regional Development Fund-backed project. This provides bespoke marketing activity and advice for the accommodation sector in Blackpool. Marketing works is run by Lancaster University in partnership with Blackpool Council.

The toolkit includes detailed guidance on everything accommodation providers need to promote their business and provide guests with a good service. The pack even includes downloadable templates for businesses to use ranging from sample menus to marketing plans and customer feedback forms.

Project co-ordinator Kate Staley of Lancaster University said: “The toolkit has been designed so anybody can pick it up and use it to make a real difference to the success of their business. We want to show people that marketing is so much more than placing an advert. It encompasses everything about the way you present yourself as a business from the way you answer the phone to how you handle complaints.”

She added: “Blackpool is a popular seaside resort and has a lot to offer but unfortunately not as many people come to Blackpool as in the past, and accommodation providers need to be much more proactive and creative in their marketing. In the modern tourism market you need to innovate to compete. This toolkit is a way to get an advantage.”

Josie Hammond, Tourism Projects Manager of Blackpool Council’s Economic Development Department, said: “It was highlighted by the sector that marketing training and advice was a skill requirement and this step-by-step approach is an excellent, multi-functional, scheme that operators can work through at their own pace to increase their skills in the market place.”

The pack, which costs £41 (£35 plus VAT), will be available to pick up from the Blackpool Hotels and Guest House Association on Coronation Street, you can also complete an order form by phoning 01253 477340.