Hartleys Bedrooms

Hartleys have a Marketing Manager who works part-time. She approached Manifest to help with a complete overhaul of their brand and marketing strategy.

After meeting with Sara, we developed a plan together and established which elements would be handled in-house and which would be managed by us.

We advised that the existing company name Hartleys Bedrooms did not promote the home office side of the business which was already healthy but not marketed to its potential. Keeping an approximation of the old typeface in respect of existing signage and van livery (which the client did not yet want to replace), we commissioned a designer to freshen up the branding visually. He introduced a more contemporary look featuring a change of colour and subtly ‘losing’ bedrooms in the title.

​We suggested evolving the strapline from ‘creators of beautiful rooms’ to ‘fitting furniture for you’ – who doesn’t love a clever play on words?

A new high quality brochure was required, so we set about image selection with the client, drafting a few simple phrases to use throughout which would encapsulate the mood of the pictures and communicate the company’s ethos. A specialist cover, binding and embossing was required so we used our extensive network of printers to source the best quality at a competitive price.

We involved the same designer in the overhaul of the website, getting him to provide visuals of each page style which the web company then used for building the new site to complement the updated branding.

Hartleys work is all bespoke, so one challenge was to present a selection of examples on the website and brochure to inspire the customer without suggesting they might be limited to choose between set ranges. We presented galleries of images while drafting comprehensive copywriting including a clear step by step process to illustrate the customer experience of working with Hartleys to achieve a unique room design. The site has been extremely well received and works well to convert visitors to customers.

Meanwhile we scheduled and managed a press advertising campaign covering local newspapers within a 15 mile radius of Hartleys. Liaising with the client, media and designer, we commissioned a range of adverts. These followed a consistent format with a single main image along with a simple textual message that emphasised both the local and bespoke USPs; ‘made locally, individually for you’. A local radio campaign reinforced the message, along with parish magazine and local free magazines.

The client was initially unsure of the benefits of social media. We provided basic training and set up their Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook profiles. Sara quickly saw the viral potential and flung herself into tweeting with gusto.

We drafted a series of advertorials to run in regional media which generated response delivering high quality orders for the business. While national interiors titles responded positively to editorial material supplied, the client decided not to put PR outside the region high on the marketing priority list, feeling it could stretch the company’s ability to service the customers outside a comfortable geographical reach.

We trialled online regional advertising, which proved promising and led to the web campaign being stepped up for a second year. Other options we explored included bus advertising and promotion through the local auction mart to tap into the farming communities within the area whom we identified as a strong target audience.

After the initial intensive push of the comprehensive marketing upgrade, we are pleased to continue to be retained by Hartleys for consultancy and practical support as the company continues to grow.