We love to hear your thoughts about different marketing challenges, channels and technologies. Nothing’s better than a bit of discussion to keep us on your toes. And that’s why we always have a survey on our homepage to collect feedback and explore ideas.

As we have just uploaded a new poll, about your thoughts on Google+ for business, we thought we’d update you on some of our recent surveys. Apart from several of our managing directors friends using the comments box to ask him for beers, we gathered some interesting results.

What are your biggest marketing challenges over the next 6 months?

No surprise here, it’s all about qualified leads. Leads are essential to any business but in the current economic climate generating quality leads is even more important, ensuring your sales teams can be as effective as possible and drive revenue. Having a pipeline of qualified leads also enables management to have a clearer idea of their financials which enables better strategic planning.

It’s interesting that media presence is still viewed in such high regard with the recent the integrity issues exposed in the Leveson Enquiry. But good press will continue to carry weight amongst prospects and brands will always strive to get in the right publications.

With social media being seen as lower challenge does this mean companies are finally getting to grips with it?

What social networks does your business use?

Twitter and Linkedin, neck and neck, both equally popular. Followed
by Facebook and then sites including Flickr, YouTube and Google+.

What comes across in from the comments is the very different business uses people are using their social media channels for, with the most effective strategies utilising two or three networks.

Get in touch to suggest questions for future polls. And stay up-to-date with all our marketing banter on Twitter or Linkedin.

And remember to let us know your thoughts on Google+ on our homepage.

Go on, be greedy.

Remember that great competition we mentioned a few weeks ago? Yeah that’s right, the one from that innovative property charity 3Space – yup the “High Street Hijack” – well they’ve announced the winner!

Big congratulations to music charity Rhythmix. Their idea for pop-up music venue in Gravesend won the close ran competition. You can find out more about the winners, their idea and the project here.

We’re already big fans of the work 3Space do and we are sure you’ll be. If you want to find our more, show your support or know a charity that could benefit, get involved and click on the links below:

• Website: www.3space.org
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/3Spaceorg
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/3Space
• Contact: info@3space.org

Banter Marketing loves a great idea. And it’s even better when the good idea benefits charities and local communities.

We are already big fans of the work 3Space do and their mission “for all empty property to be recognised as an available resource that can deliver immediate social benefits and be a catalyst for longer term regeneration”.

And that’s why when we heard about their High Street Hijack competition we had to get involved and help out.

So what’s High Street Hijack? Well it’s a competition to reward charitable organisations who can come up with innovative and creative ideas for how they can temporarily occupy these empty spaces. Yes, that’s right, they’re looking for charity pop-ups, community projects or anything else that is centred on the occupation of one of their empty units.

And the winner will get…  FREE use of an empty retail unit and they’ll also receive up to £1,500 to help them pull off something that is not only  truly memorable but that will also be of a real benefit to the surrounding community and their organisation.

How great does that sound? If you know of a charity that could benefit from this great competition have a look here or get in touch by email.

If you’d like more information about the excellent charitable work 3Space do, you can find out more on their website, or even better show your support by following them on Twitter or Facebook.

On Friday afternoon the Banter Marketing office was engaged in heated discussion. What started as a simple question turned into a raucous debate, which I have a feeling could last a while.

So what was the question…? Well it seems simple enough… “what you reckon is the best print advert ever?”

The office fell silent except for the sound of frantic Google Image searches.

We looked at the Old-School Classics, I doubt they would work nowadays but they certainly made an impact when they were released:

The Famous Creatives that appear in every advertising textbook:

Those Minimalist Designs  which speak volumes through their simplicity:

The Funny Adverts which you really wish you had come up with:

The Copy Heavy work which looks boring but makes a real impact:

And those thought provoking Meaningful Campaigns which really make you think:

And the winner is… well actually, to tell you the truth, we didnt decide a winner, we had to relocate to the pub before a proper fight broke out! I’m sure this debate will last a while. What do you think? Do you a have a favourite…? email us at info@bantermarketing.com or log-on to facebook and let us know your thoughts.

Richard Dean, Founder of Banter Marketing recently met up with David Heard, to discuss “starting a new business” for Abintegro’s Online Careers Service. Some of the transcript is below. We’ll save you from the really boring parts, but hopefully it will give a good insight into the ethos and thinking behind Banter. Enjoy.

What made you want to start a marketing company?

“Firstly, I have always known I wanted to set-up and run my own business. Why? It’s got to be the ultimate test, one of the most difficult things you can do. It’s a challenge, but such an exciting one because you are changing businesses/consumers lives. You can make your own future.

“I have also always had a keen appetite for marketing. I remember being young and amazed how adverts could change peoples buying decisions. I was lucky enough to work in a vibrant marketing department during my school holidays and loved it. I mean how can you not love marketing? It’s the most important aspect of any business. Everything your company does can be improved by marketing. Being skilled in marketing can change fortunes and have the biggest impact of any business function.”

(You can catch up on the naming of Banter here)

Top 3 tips for someone considering starting up

“Am I only allowed 3…? Ok then, here we go: Understand your market, prospects and competitors. Find out who you are up against and what challenges you face. Gain as much insight as possible, you can never do too much research. Mmmm… secondly, treat your customers like kings, go the extra mile, at the start your reputation is worth everything. And lastly, don’t lose faith, it’ll be an emotional rollercoaster at points, but stay focused and keep believing.”

Has anything else helped you set up your business outside of the usual?

“Strangely, being an only child. I find it incredibly hard to get bored, so the long and lonely nights working on clients projects pose no problem!”

We’ll post a link to the final interview when they manage to edit out the bags under Richard’s eyes, a process that would take even the most skilled Photoshop surgeon a while.

For information on Abintegro and the great work they do click here.

And you can email Richard, here. Go on, I dare you.