We Sit Down With - Arnika Bhupal - BIDBI Marketing Coordinator

  • Arnika Bhupal
  • 3rd January 2018

This week we spoke to Arnika Bhupal, who works in the marketing team here at BIDBI. We talk tote bags, Tapas, and fashion to get a better idea of how she ticks.  

Describe a day in the life of Arnika.

I get into the office at 9am and check my emails, after my first cup of tea is when the real work starts. Each day is pretty varied so I either begin with checking our rankings on google, work on the next marketing campaign we'll be sending out or organise materials for an upcoming tradeshow. We've recently bought our SEO in house so a chunk of my day is normally spent working on the website content, keyword targeting and link building. 

Since the Management Buy Out in April, the marketing team has been full steam ahead with different projects that we've wanted to do for a while. One is Doodle Bag, Richard and I re-launched the all singing all dancing website in November so as well as BIDBI, we've also got to look after the Doodle Bag website.

arnika bhupal

What is SEO?

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is the process of getting search engines to rank your website and increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search engine results. At its core SEO involves, using keywords (the words potential clients would use to find you in Google) in your content on the website, that includes in blogs, product descriptions and landing pages. Other SEO techniques include things like making your website easily readable for Google and other search engines, social media posting and link building. It can seem a bit overwhelming but once you've got your head round it, its a doddle!   

Your job involves working on the BIDBI website to attract potential new customers. What would your advice be for small businesses starting or improving their website?

My advice is to take it back to basics and de-clutter. See what you really need on the website and what you need on their to take the business forward. I'm big on UX so its important to look through your customers eyes and see how they'll be using your website. Then you can figure out what works best and what will give you the best conversions.

You should always get a few people not connected to the business to go through the website and give feedback from a users perspective. It can be hard to be objective when you're so close to the product!

If you're doing everything in-house make sure you have a checklist of everything that needs doing before you start to build. Planning is key when it comes to a website build, this means planning how each page of your website will link to the other pages and also the basic content. 

What was your biggest achievement of 2017?

In my professional life it was developing a business plan and then launching Doodle Bag, working with Richard we did the whole project from start to finish.

In my personal life it has to be starting pottery classes and making my first item! A parrot called Paz. 

What's your current favourite tote bag?

Ooo that's a tough one, I really like this one (see below) from Arthouse Meath. Arthouse Meath is a collective of artists living with complex epilepsy and learning disabilities. 100% of sales revenue made goes back into it which sustains the enterprise, enabling it to expand and evolve.

Give us some top tips for businesses wanting to promote their brand better.

You've got to make sure you're taking advantage of all channels available to you, that's; online and offline, social media, advertising, networking, partnerships. No matter what your budget is there are ways to use each channel to your advantage.

Testimonials and reviews are a great way to build trust, If you have a blog, get your customers to right guest blogs about how they've used your product. This is great for SEO too as search engines love fresh content. 

Competitions are also great to get your brand out there. Run a competition where somebody wins what you're selling/money off/voucher if they share your post on social media. The cost is minimal and if you get 100 shares thats a massive amount of people that have then seen your brand or product.

According to a study by Qualtrics, just 17% of consumers feel appreciated by the brands they interact with. A survey is an easy way to get a little more insight into what makes your customers tick and how they behave. Armed with this knowledge you can specifically market to their needs and make things a bit more personal. By appealing to their emotions you can work to get them invested in your brand.

What's your favourite dish?

I love all food i couldnt possible pick one!

You have to choose one...

Okay okay, i can't pick one thing but I love tapas! 

How do you make it?

I'm not really sure, I always go out to eat tapas. Food always tastes better when it's cooked by another person right?

What's going to be a big trend in 2018? And how can business take advantage of this?

In the past few years consumers have been getting more and more aware of sustainability and ethical issues regarding where there products come from. Working at BIDBI, I've seen this first hand with the growth and interest in the reusable cotton bag and fair trade products.

There are easy ways businesses can become more environmentally-friendly. And by letting your customers know, either by talking about the changes your making or by using recylced packaging, you're engaging them in your values and therefore getting them more invested in your products. Consumer demand for better personal care products, higher-quality food, and sustainability practices is going to grow even more. 

Cats or dogs?

Dogs. WOOF.