Pictured above: Transport Innovation Advisor Sam Clarke

Marine businesses across the Midlands have been navigating their way through the new waves of on-line media and a sea of social networks in an attempt to reach new customers. In two training courses specifically tailored to the marine industry, small and medium sized businesses from the boating world have benefitted from strategic communications sessions delivered by the British Marine Federation Central Region in conjunction with the Transport iNet.

The subsidised courses in Public Relations held at Hatton, Warwickshire and web development at Lockington Hall, Derby, helped over 40 marine businesses get the most out of their marketing investment and create effective communication strategies. 

Nigel Hamilton, APCO Chairman, commented: "I attended the "Getting the Most out of your PR" Course and would recommend it highly to other marine companies, as a thought provoking and useful introduction to the rapidly changing media landscape in the UK."

"Old methods of reaching our target markets are of diminishing effectiveness and the emerging new social media needs to be embraced to boost sales during a recession. I now know the difference between Twitter, micro blogging, pod casting and customer generated reviews, and how they can be integrated into a marketing strategy."

Sam Clarke, Transport iNet Innovation advisor, on secondment from the British Marine Federation to increase innovation among the marine sector, added: "The courses succinctly explained the differing ways small and medium sized business can use on-line PR in a modern effective way. They equip businesses with the skills to reach an increasingly fragmented customer base who search for information on potential purchases in entirely new ways."

Located at the Systems Engineering Innovation Centre (SEIC) at Loughborough University, The Transport iNet is funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The aim of Transport iNet is to increase the level of innovation in the East Midlands helping to improve business competitiveness, margins, sustainability and growth. It allows individual sectors to work together, share ideas, technologies, intelligence, innovation and create a link between industry supply chains and the academic community.