News & Products
Digital Hero winner - the hardware connection In the July / August issue of The Hardware Journal we covered the .IE Digital Town Awards. These awards have been developed to address digital enhancement and adoption in Ireland. They highlight the benefits and possibilities of digital and celebrate the digital achievements of local towns, big and small. Whilst 11 of the awards are for digital projects there is also a totally unique Digital Hero Award. This is a person in a local community who is an unsung hero, who works tirelessly on initiatives to promote the digital enhancement of the town. The Digital Hero for 2021 is Laura Williams who coincidentally has a hardware connection! “I would never have a “No Junk Mail” sign on my door “says Laura speaking after her award “And thanks to my interest and work in marketing and SEO (Search Engine Optimism) over the years, I am always interested in who and what is advertising, particularly in my area of Inner-City Dublin (Ballybough - where I have lived for over 20 years.” Case in point “When I received an advertising flyer in my door from my local Hardware store, Kelly’s Homevalue, Spring Garden Street in 2019, I went straight up to the shop and introduced myself to Rachel Reddin. We discussed my Digital Marketing skills and how we could use these to both our advantage. Rachel and I agreed to a one-year contact where I would improve the SEO of the brand and encourage additional people to check out the website and telephone the shop. To do this I regularly posted fresh content to Facebook and Twitter. I posted the telephone number on 90% of my content to show Rachel and Kelly`s why the phone was ringing more often”. “I always felt the company had a “trade only” image and wanted to use my local knowledge to improve on this perception. During my first year with Kelly’s, I showcased the different instore promotions, website offers and their corporate social responsibility. For example, I made customers aware it was a dog friendly store, showcased new products and discounts on products and uploaded new content to the Facebook page including a giveaway for a ¤10k bathroom which was won locally in the area. In conjunction with the Homevalue Brand, I put a particular emphasis on the Irish products available in the shop as I feel strongly about supporting Irish business. “ “The Kellys Twitter account now gave details of important changes in construction regulations, information on Kelly`s free delivery for over 65’s, restoration and conservation of old buildings in the Inner-City area and how the community were working together to improve streets etc. Added to this I shared local history, details of games in Croke Park and news of interest about the Dublin 3 area”. “I liaised with Homevalue head office for content and shared the information and offers digitally and instore. This resulted in new customers coming into the shop and reminded previous customers of its existence. Rachel Reddin, Kellys Homevalue said “We employed Laura Williams on a one-year contract in 2019 to kick start our social media presence, in a very short amount of time we had an online following in the 1,000s across multiple platforms and a measurable increase in DIY footfall and September/October 2021
sales. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Laura during this time, she is a born promoter and marketeer and saw opportunities to grow our business everywhere she looked! She brought a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the role and worked entirely to the needs of the business. I am both delighted and not in the least surprised that she has won the Digital Hero award, it is very much deserved.” Laura continues “Additional new customers were introduced to the store as I also run the Digital Strategy for other local businesses including restaurants and bars, in a voluntary capacity. I manage the content for the “Ballybough Pride of Place” online strategy. I have been running this strategy for four years to improve the SEO of the area. Anyone who has ever travelled to Croke Park will know where Ballybough is but will not be aware of the rich history the area has to offer.” “I am originally from the village of Taghmon in County Wexford and have a retail business background where my family had a local supermarket and bakery. I feel strongly about shopping locally and keeping small communities alive. My local hardware shops growing up were Cullen`s Hardware in Taghmon and Wallace’s Homevalue Hardware in Wellingtonbridge.” If you would like to discuss your Digital Marketing issues, please get in touch with Laura at 087 090 8541.
Rachel Reddin, Director, Kellys Homevalue Hardware & DIY, North Strand, Dublin 3.
21
