The digital marketplace is flooded with companies claiming they can do it all – SEO to email marketing, website design to intranets, social media campaigns to iPhone app design – and, like us, they probably can! But think how many emails or DM pieces you get from companies who ram down your throat the opinion that you must be on Twitter, sit at the top of Google listings, and give a facelift to your old-fashioned website in a shameless attempt to sell what they’re offering. Quite a few, we would imagine.

At Bluestone360 we like to do things a little differently. We don’t believe you should blog, tweet, ‘Facebook’, advertise online and create an app just because you can, or you feel like you should. Quite often, the result won’t be anything like you imagined. Questions need to be asked, such as: ‘is this the best way to reach my target audience?’ And that’s where we come in.

It is a given that we can provide you with all things digital so, in order to do it properly, we spend time discovering how your business works and what you want to achieve. We tend to get the ball rolling by holding a Digital DNA meeting between members of our team and yours – this process extracts the digital objectives of your business and helps to establish all the key information about your brand. Considering all this information, we create a strategy which will outline the most effective ways to communicate your message, on brand, and reach your desired audience – and this certainly won’t mean exhausting every digital channel! It might be a beautiful new website, possibly an online advertising campaign, or perhaps even a consumer-driven social media promotion, but we assure you, the creations will truly be right for your business needs.

When it comes to People Development within an organisation, requirements differ immensely. While an intensive culture shift may be necessary in some cases, quite often something much less radical is sought – a little fine-tuning beneath the surface can do the trick. We know that all sorts of factors affect the needs of businesses – size, nature of work, or finance, for instance – and that is why we vary the ways in which we can help.

Whether you direct a global corporation with a £100million turnover, whose multiple tiers of staff require development across a number of areas, or simply run a small business that seeks one-on-one mentoring (or anything in between!) our expert team will tailor a programme that will drive you to meet your objectives.

Sometimes it can be difficult to visualise the internal culture of a multi-million-pound company – many of us picture these organisations merely running like clockwork, not considering the relationships between members of staff as a fundamental part of their success. But, essentially, the people within, working as a team, is what makes these businesses run, which means these people should be the very best they can be – and that’s where we come in.

Meat giant Tulip is the largest producer of pork in the UK, responsible for several of the brands you see on supermarket shelves every day, and we have worked creatively with them for several years. The company sought to invest in the future of its senior-level management teams, through a leadership programme that would develop the skills and qualities required to maintain achievement in an ever-changing business environment. Our specialist team at Bluestone360People – built up of three dedicated members with a wealth of sector experience – tendered for the opportunity and, against seven other worthy competitors, was recently appointed the task.

The extensive programme will not only develop the leaders’ ability to proactively and positively contribute to the growth and profitability of the organisation, but equip these individuals to influence, inspire and motivate their teams so, together, they can achieve the ultimate visions of the company. We look forward to seeing the positive result this new collaborative journey with Tulip generates.

Many of you may know that the ‘360’ counterpart of our name has not always existed. But the addition of those three small digits, in fact, serves much more significance than it might appear to the naked eye: it marks the complete growth of our offer. We know that brand is more than simply the cosmetic exterior of a business – it goes far below the surface to a much deeper level: the core beliefs, ambitions and ‘DNA’ of those within. More importantly, by recognising this we help businesses establish and get the very most from their brands, using their most important asset: their people.

In order to help businesses achieve a powerful and consistent brand, we employ what we like to call ‘inside-out thinking’. This process involves us working closely with the people in an organisation to firmly establish and gain a complete understanding of their core brand and business values and objectives, before using this insight to convey them externally in the form of an effective brand.

To enhance this offer, we created Bluestone360People – a team of People Development and Leadership specialists who work alongside the key individuals in an organisation at the initial stages of change to truly develop a one-team mindset, which is subsequently infused throughout the company as a whole. This universally shared vision essentially shapes the brand from the inside, which ensures accurate and authentic communication on the outside.

We are delighted to be part of a scheme launched to assist schools in the city deal help bereaved children. Plymouth NHS united with Jeremiah’s Journey, a charity that works with children when they’ve lost somebody close, to produce posters, leaflets and booklets that will be distributed to all primary and secondary schools in Plymouth.

The resources use illustrations by children who have been helped by Jeremiah’s Journey – a charity we have supported for several years – and seek to give readers a candid understanding of the emotions that might affect children during bereavement, and advice on the best ways to deal with them. The set includes ‘Jeremiah’s Journal’ – a booklet where children can communicate with grown-ups and schoolmates about how they are feeling.

Using the children’s drawings, we designed and put together all the literature, which will be imminently released into local schools.

A launch party was held at our offices and we were thrilled, after informing the local press, that BBC Spotlight came along to report the event!

With hundreds of thousands of words to choose from in the English language, it can be a challenge to find the ones that best express you and your brand. Even more difficult is finding the ones that will make you stand out in a crowd – one crowd in particular being the ever-expanding World Wide Web.

At Bluestone360 we, just like you, know the importance of a dynamic online presence. More importantly, we know how to create one. In fact, creating eye-catching, brand-inspired, award-winning websites is a great passion of ours. We couple our cutting-edge copy with striking designs, capturing the core essence of brands and businesses in every creative way we can.

If you could do with sprucing up your online brand experience, we can help! Why not drop us a line? These folks did…

Memorable advertising straplines, quirky magazine features, the words on packaging that subtly convince us to buy what’s inside… we are surrounded by the work of copywriters.

These all-important words often fade into a crowded background and go unnoticed as powerful tools that influence our everyday lives. But that’s exactly what they are.

You might not know it, but great copywriting is a service we’re proud to offer; it goes hand in hand with all we do. Whether our words embellish brochures, websites, newsletters, magazines, advertising or direct mail, we love making them shine brightly amongst the elements they share the page with. If you need it written, we’ll learn your brand inside out and we’ll write it.

A good piece of copy knows what it’s trying to achieve, effortlessly engaging, enlightening and persuading those who read it. And we know how to create that copy.

Capturing a tone of voice that complements your visual identity and shapes your brand language can be a challenge, but it’s one we enjoy. That said, many businesses already know how they want to communicate, but prefer leaving the writing to the experts. Therefore, the involvement of a copywriter can vary depending on your needs. We have three main ways we can help:

1. Start from scratch. A Brand DNA is a unique process we use to identify your business’ core values and aspirations in order to help create an appropriate brand strategy. With our copywriter present, a suitable tone of voice can be agreed in line with the entire identity, which we can then use across all communications.

2. Emulate your current brand. For those who already have an established and recognised tone of voice, we can take the legwork out by learning your brand language meticulously and communicating for you across any medium.

3. Tweak what you’ve already got. You may find it easier to put pen to paper yourself, which we completely understand. However, we can polish what you’ve got to ensure every sentence is working its hardest, reads word-perfectly and is consistent with your brand and the message it wants to portray.

We are delighted to announce that our large and striking meeting area is now available for hire.

At Bluestone360, we know first-hand the difference that working in an inspirational setting can make to a team’s morale, motivation and creativity. Sitting within Plymouth’s stunning waterside location of Royal William Yard, a place infused with naval history and architectural beauty, our unique space combines the conventional with the contemporary, spaciousness with tranquillity and professionalism with charisma. And, with this in mind, we’d like to share it with you.

Set on the top floor of the recently redeveloped Mills Bakery, our distinctive open-plan area provides the perfect alternative to a traditional corporate venue and is ideal for meetings, conferences, seminars and other business events.

The space offers you:

• Seating for up to 40 delegates

• Wi-Fi access

• A 50-inch plasma screen

• Flip charts and stationery

• A projector

• Light refreshments

• Breakfast and lunch (on request)

To find out more about prices and availability, please contact Tracy Andrews.

E: tracy@bluestone360.co.uk

T: 01752 700777

M: 07974 146 846

We eagerly watched two of our team on television last night after our agency played its part in helping young people find employment in the city.

Ian Gunningham, our director, and Steve Watson, our design manager, appeared on BBC1’s regional documentary series Inside Out after being approached by the show’s staff who suggested that Plymouth artist Sean Eveleigh join Bluestone360 for a work experience placement which would be documented.

The documentary followed Sean, an out-of-work graduate, who was seeking to gain experience in the field in which he is qualified in order to make himself more employable. He came into our studio and was mentored by members of our team, who showed Sean how to achieve the most he could using his knowledge and skillsets.

Steve Watson said: “This is a really encouraging way for graduates to get to know the sectors they wish to work in better. We were delighted to guide Sean and help prepare him for finding work in the industry.”

The show aired last night on BBC1 at 7.30pm and can be watched online here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00xlvhb/Inside_Out_South_West_17_01_2011/