Susan Bonnar and Isabel Johnston met on the Abri Create course back in April 2019. Fast forward 18 months and they’ve been able to collaborate and support each other’s businesses grow. Susan set up The British Craft House shortly after completing the Create course last year.
When the online platform selling unique hand-crafted products from British artisans was set to launch in November 2019 Susan wanted to promote herself.
Already having huge following on social media and experience in marketing, she knew she needed PR to get herself out in the media and remembered Isabel from her Create course.
“I feel so lucky that I met Isabel on my Create course. She was there at the beginning when my platform was a notebook of good ideas! She took the time to understand what I was trying to achieve and then formed an action plan for me. Her great contacts have helped me to get into so many publications and also on the radio. Isabel is a steady hand when my ideas are bubbling over. Her professionalism is outstanding and although she freelances for lots of other customers too, I feel privileged that I can count on her to be part of my team,” Susan says.
Isabel has a background in journalism and has worked in PR and communications for more than 12 years. She set up as a Communications Consultant in 2018 looking for a better work life balance. Being Danish, Isabel is working with both international and national corporates on strategic PR, training and media support, but really enjoys supporting growing SMEs with PR. “The Create course gave me some really good tips on what to prioritise in my business, but I didn’t expect it to give me such a great network and it leading to business for myself. “Working with Susan has been great as I feel I’ve been part of her journey from the start. It means I understand her business really well and it’s been very rewarding working with her on supporting her business growth through a communications. We’ve done everything from establishing key messages, getting campaign ideas, working on case studies and not least securing her the valuable media coverage her business deserves,” Isabel says.
Following their collaboration, The British Craft House has appeared in lots of regional and trade media, including having two live radio interviews with BBC Radio Solent and a huge spread in glossy regional magazines, normally worth thousands of pounds in adverting cost.
Isabel and Susan have also collaborated on Susan’s national marketing opportunities including adverts in national media featuring in DailyMail and Metro in October. Most recently, Susan and Isabel have worked together placing case studies in the media with the British Craft House sellers being featured to promote Susan’s platform, as well as placing her products in Christmas guides all over the country through regional press opportunities.
“Susan has a great business story to tell about herself, but so do her nearly 500 sellers on The British Craft House site. There is so much prospect, it’s hard to contain ourselves on what we can do next,” Isabel says.
Find out more about The British Craft House on www.thebritishcrafthouse.co.uk. If you want to know more about the benefits of investing in PR, find out more about Isabel’s work on www.ijcommunications.co.uk.