BUILD Q4 issue

14 Build Q4 2018 ridger Howes (BH) was officially launched on the 1st October 2014 by Directors, Mark Bridger and Richard Howes. In 2009, Mark was offered the opportunity to relocate to the USA and take the role of publisher for Maximum Capac- ity Media (MCM); their publications included Crane Hot Line, Lift & Access, and Industrial Lift & Hoist (ILH). Richard joined MCM in 2010 as associate publisher to form and head up the new European headquar- ters. Mark’s team founded the Crane & Rigging Conference, Industrial Crane & Hoist Conference in 2010. The following year Richard and Mark launched the Crane & Rigging Conference Canada followed by Lift & Hoist International (LHI) in 2012. Over time, Richard identified that there was a shortage of high quality content coming over the editorial desks, and it was clear that many lifting equipment manufacturers were in need of assistance with their market- ing in general. Together, the pair formed BH to fill the void, between the OEM and the industry media. With over 40 years of B2B publishing experience combined, both Mark and Richard understand how all the components of this industry work. As such, BH is a full service media agency. They focus on three main areas of expertise and specialise in helping companies with press releases, blogs / ghost writing, and social media management. BH is now getting more involved with consultancy and media buying and has successfully managed overseas conferences and organised client events. Beginning the interview, Mark starts by explaining the process BH undertakes to ensure their clients receive the best possible outcome. “Running your own business is challenging; our company is young, and we are both still learning. When we started the business neither of us thought about how losing a client would feel and what impact it would have. We may have been a little naive at the start and possibly didn’t outline clearly enough what input we needed from our customers in order to make this process really work. Unfortunately, we have parted ways with a couple of clients through no real fault of our own—so your question is a good one. It is not necessarily about what we do when we undertake a new client to ensure the best possible outcome, it’s about how we structure our services to ensure longevity in the partnership. In client presentations, we don’t play a corporate video or mesmerise our audiences with music and flashing lights, pie charts and graphs, or mak- Decades of B2B Media Experience Bridger Howes is a specialist in PR, content, and communications for equipment manufacturers and other service providers. Recently, Mark Bridger was selected in BUILD’s 2018 Global Excellence Awards as the Business Director of the Year - British Construction Services. Taking time to provide us with an insight into the dynamic company, Mark reveals how Bridger Howes provides their clients with innovative solutions. B ing promises we can’t keep, such as trebling the hits on their homepage in 12 months. “We break down the process and keep it simple. It is an education for some so we need to explain the importance of producing high quality content; how sharp interesting photos make the story; the type of information we need in order to write articles; access to customers for comment; and technical information. Give us the tools to do the job and we will deliver. The results are in black and white. “BH has excellent relationships with the lifting trade editors, but our clients’ articles are not only sent here. BH has a database of over 500 media outlets covering end user markets such as construction, oil and gas, marine, heavy lifting, and transport. Depending on the theme of the article our distribution is hand-picked from these lists. BH is now well known amongst many of these industry sectors and we are very successful in gaining our clients editorial coverage in publications, newsletters, and websites where they haven’t been seen before. This is a good outcome for everyone; our current clients really get it now, some have buy-in from all their staff, so we are receiving a steady flow of information on a regular basis.” Continuing the discussion about how BH stands out from their com- petitors, Mark is keen to highlight how the firm make it their mission to