Monday, 22 January 2024

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. 




Tuesday, 21 November 2023

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. 


Wednesday, 8 November 2023

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. 








Wednesday, 23 August 2023

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?




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BELOW  ARE THE COVERS THAT PROVIDE THE ANSWERS!


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

Tuesday, 15 August 2023

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'.


Monday, 24 April 2023

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?

old door

Or this?

sunseeker doors - ultraslim

Take a look at sunseekerdoors.co.uk

Tuesday, 28 March 2023

Another New Book from our Client

 


Ian Cummins' debut book recounted his working life as an international IT salesman. Encouraged by the book's sales and kind comments from readers, he embarked on his first full-length novel, The Wrong Briefcase (2022) and, a year later, published his second novel, My Time Again (2023). 

My Time Again by Ian Cummins

His latest book is a time-travel story of a man living his adult life twice. The second time around, his priorities were influenced by his experiences from his first life and so he made different choices. He became involved in changing major disasters and the scientific pursuit of how time travel might work. 

My Time Again is a medium-paced mystery-drama with a little of everything: action and intrigue plus modern history from 1970 to the present day. The character has a typical British understated sense of humour. 

The Wrong Briefcase by Ian Cummins

Ian's previous novel was a 'cosy crime' genre. One man loses a briefcase full of cash, another finds it and keeps it. The story follows both their lives in parallel, introducing well-described characters that could be someone you've met ... and, of course, there's a twist at the end.

Available from Amazon Books/Kindle.

Friday, 30 September 2022

New Novel from Author/Client

Author Ian Cummins is writing his third book. The first was a memoir of his working life as a globe-trotting salesman and the others are novels (the next one scheduled to be released around the turn of the year). 

This year's publication is a gentle mystery, mainly set around London and the home counties, titled The Wrong Briefcase. The characters develop well as the story unfolds and there is an interesting and satisfying conclusion. 

The story begins with one of our characters finding a briefcase full of cash then follows his journey as well as that of the family who lost it. There are many twists and turns as their lives change.

It's a well-researched, well-written novel and definitely worth reading.

50% of profits from all sales of Ian's books are donated to charity. 

Follow Ian for more updates: 

Or buy thebook!

Monday, 28 March 2022

Designer Villas Continues to Develop New Luxury Homes

Designer Villas in Spain

Following the lull during various Covid lockdowns, Designer Villas has actively renewed marketing activity on their social media.

Their Twitter account has been updated with their latest post, as has their Facebook page. A new Instagram has been set up for them to use.

Follow Designer Villas on social media:

Now is a good time to buy a home in Spain... and Costa Blanca is an easy-to-reach destination. Did you dream a home or holiday getaway in the Spanish sun for yourselves or as an investment with a high investment yield? Were your plans put on hold due to the global financial crisis or Covid? Reports are generally optimistic that things are continuing to change for the better. Predictions vary but price rises for Spanish property are considered to be set to increase this year.
 
The client has one brand new luxury property under construction and unsold at the moment - check it out on their social media accounts. 

We all need a holiday!