So Long and Thanks for all the Fish...

In 2007, SunSeeker Doors asked The BPc to review their website and internet standing. 

The website had massive room for improvement and their internet presence was negligible. This was a project we looked forward to undertaking. 

At the time, SunSeeker Doors was the only British company to be manufacturing and installing bi-folding doors with aluminium frames. This product was so innovative that, for the next couple of years, people were searching for 'folding sliding doors'. SunSeeker Doors also had a frameless version of the product, suitable as room dividers or external enclosures, referred to a 'frameless glass doors' or 'glass curtains'. 

As good as they were within their field, there was no experience of internet promotion and marketing. The BPc, with over ten years' internet experience, was appointed for this role and the company began to grow, usually in top spot on Google for related searches. 

In 2009/2010, a new product was launched - UltraSlim slide and turn doors; essentially the same benefits as bifold doors but with ultra slim frames as there was no longer any requirement to accommodate door hinges. Once more, this was keeping ahead of the market, as bi-folding doors were beginning to flood the UK from European manufacturers. No other company in the world offered virtually frameless slide and turn doors that confirmed to British Standards and housing regulations.

Over the years, The BPc has re-vamped the SunSeeker Doors website three times, has continuously maintained it, set up their social media, created videos plus spin-off websites for their sister company and their salespeople. We've also designed printed materials and run their ad campaigns, first on Google, then on Meta. As their virtual Marketing department, we were responsible for loads of other stuff, far too much to mention. 

When a new generation of management took over the company last year, we continued with the projects whilst working with the new (more internet-savvy) team until they were ready to take over the tasks in-house. 

The date of our 'parting of the ways' is almost upon us. It was a pleasure working with them and we wish them every success for the future. 

Bifold door installation from 2012: 

UltraSlim doors demo from 2013:

New Website for Existing Client

We designed a website for signcraft.co.uk many years ago then a better one after that, as technology and styles change. We are now embarking on another new website for the client, which is truly in vogue. 

Signcraft, signage specialists, have provided almost 400 photographs in readiness for their new website. They have also presented a visual of how their home page might look, going forward. 

We are currently working on which features are to be created for the website to look vibrant and interesting. We know that you can't wait to see the end result but, in the meantime, here are some signage images, illustrating the power of getting noticed. 

Old Photographs for a New Archive

Ugley village, on the borders of Essex and Herts, is anything but ugly! Run by the Ugley Village Hall board of volunteers, ugleyvillage.org.uk has a wealth of information which is regularly updated and added to, from their monthly farmers' markets to a potted history of the village. 

The latest website updates include an archive of more than 100 historic photographs of Ugley plus ITV and BBC documentaries, broadcast earlier this year. 

Considerable work was involved to select and resize the images for their archive page. Example of the photographs of life in Ugley are below. For more, go to: 

• Photo Archive
• Links to documentaries

 Ugley village photographs:

Any Ugley residents, past or present, are invited to contribute - please contact Ugley village via the Ugley village hall website.

January for Home Improvement

It may come as a surprise to some people that, despite the economy and freezing temperatures, many homeowners are getting their home improvement projects under way this month. 

Extensions take months, therefore continuing the project over the winter makes sense - but what about replacing patio doors on the sitting room or kitchen/diner? Yes, that happens too! Well, why not, with Christmas out of the way and - here's a fact - new doors can be fitted in half a day which is no real hardship, is it?

Our client, SunSeeker Doors, has been manufacturing doors to order and installing them for over twenty years. At that time, they launched bi-folding doors, the only British manufacturer to do so and, in 2009, they launched UltraSlim doors. Again, the first British door designer and manufacturer to offer bespoke, ultra slim aluminium frames with a revolutionary concept. 

UltraSlim has a master door which will pivot (either inwards or outwards, as the customer prefers) then each of the other doors can be moved along the guide rails, leaving a gap where required - or even several small gaps by spacing the doors. All the doors can slide towards the master door where they, too, will turn  90° to stack against the side of the gap, whether the door set comprises 2 doors or 8 doors. 

The doors have slim profiles and, with only a 19mm side frame, there is more viewing glass than most retractable door systems. SunSeeker Doors Frameless Glass Doors have more glass but may only be suitable for specific installations. 

Visit the SunSeeker Doors website for full information. Some of the January installations are shown below. 

Social Murderer - another new novel from our client!

We are pleased to announce that the 4th book from our client, Ian Cummins, has been published. 

There are now three novels to choose from... 

Social Murderer is a murder-mystery crime thriller about multiple killings of random victims with no connection - so how can DI Linda Evans bring the killer to justice? Or does he get away with it? 

My Time Again is a time travel mystery - unexplained deaths and transportation to relive the past, choosing to take the same path or a different one. And what happens when the time travel date comes around again? 

The Wrong Briefcase is a tale of ordinary lives and how they are affected by losing or finding a large amount of money. There's a nice twist at the end of the book. 

Village Archive Website

We were asked to create a website to document everything related to a local village. Information included such items as: historical documents, maps, organisations, notable buildings, notable residents, paintings, photographs, media clippings and so much more. 

There are only two time-constrained volunteers sourcing items for the website so it is a long way from completion - but an archive is always a continuing work in progress. We've assisted by researching various data that is available on the Internet and we also set up a Facebook page so that more local people can be reached and encouraged to send any relevant information that they may have, including old family photographs and reminiscences of their lives in the village. 

Additionally, to avoid ongoing costs of website hosting for them, we have undertaken to use a free site that is used by many other village groups in the area. It's not a patch on our usual choice of WordPress - it's more cumbersome and time-consuming with fewer facilities. For example, we wanted to include more than one photo gallery on a page but even this is not currently possible. Still, we'll work with what we have at our cut-price rate for small non-profit groups. It's an informative and interesting project. 

We'll post a link to the website once it's been approved. Meanwhile, below are some of the photographs we have included in the archive. 

Social Media Book Quiz Campaign

Many people like quizzes and booklovers like to engage in book reading challenges. With this in mind, we suggested to our client that he might publish a series of excerpts from a book - some easy, some more difficult - to engage with friends and followers. 

These will be posted randomly on his Social Media accounts: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Tumblr. 

Take a look below for the pages then scroll down for the book covers that provide the answers, there are three books listed... how well will you do?

WHAT BOOKS ARE THESE PAGES FROM?

¦

\/

¦

\/

¦

\/

¦

\/

¦

\/

BELOW  ARE THE COVERS THAT PROVIDE THE ANSWERS!

¦

\/

¦

\/

¦

\/

Let us know your score and if you want some more; that's what comments are for!

Never say Goodbye to Lost Clients

We had a very welcome visitor last month. A client we helped since their start up has grown very successfully and now uses their satellite tech office to continue the work we began. This includes a re-vamped website, graphic design and social media.

Yet, occasionally, they return for assistance. For example, a re-worked logo a few months ago and, recently, an urgent graphic design job because the member of staff who usually creates their newsletters was on leave. They are happy to use The BPc as their backup force and we did not have to recruit to cope with the amount of work they generate on a daily basis.

You may ask why we didn't want to recruit and keep the client. It was never going to happen. Unlike when they started out, they have invested in a tech department and marketing personnel - why would they want to pay an agency?

We often have ex-regular clients come back for ad-hoc jobs. It's a great feeling to know that they still think highly of us.

On this topic, take a look at a previous post about returning clients.

And if you want to know more about how our business has changed, read 'Going with the Flow'.

New campaign for long-standing client

SunSeeker Doors' new campaign, "Out with the Old - In with the New", is to remind people that, even though times are economically tough, your property is your biggest asset and some upgrades could help reduce energy costs.

For example, if you have ancient wooden French doors or old PVC sliding doors, do they let in cold air? SunSeeker Doors' UltraSlim glass doors are thermally compliant and would contribute towards heat loss, therefore, helping to reduce your heating costs. 

They also provide room divider doors and external enclosures, which could reduce draughts in certain circumstances.

Finally, money spent on upgrading your home is money worth investing, right? 

This?

Or this?

Take a look at sunseekerdoors.co.uk