Lateral who?
Many of you will already be familiar with the Lateral Group name, but the company that you know is evolving. Let me explain. It has always been my aim to create a marketing services business that covers the complete range of disciplines.
What are marketing services?
They are the range of services that enable a business to market its products and own services to its customers and prospects. So for example, if a bank is trying to sell a loan or a credit card then they will firstly identify their target market using a range of techniques including data analysis and profiling. They will then predict the most effective way of communicating to their prospects or customers. This may be by using TV, press advertising, direct mail, inserts, posters or online marketing. These marketing channels can be used in isolation or as part of a communication programme where their distribution is timed to compliment each other.
After determining who and how they have decided to communicate with, a business then needs to implement the distribution of that communication.
It doesn’t however just end there. The prospects or customers either respond or don’t. If they respond then they may well receive further communication. If they didn’t respond then we need to understand why not?
These responses (and non-responses) should be fed back into the analysis that started the process to help refine the choice of marketing channels used in the future.
This enables our clients to grow their businesses by communicating as effectively as possible with their customers and prospects so they receive the products and services they are interested in.
Over four years ago Rick Taylor and I, along with Michael Hunter, bought the first part of this jigsaw puzzle – Howitt. We bought Howitt because of its heritage, excellent customer base and reputation for quality and service delivered by its employees.
Over three and a half years ago we then bought a small repro and digital company called ELR and have subsequently rebranded and grown this business as Dialogue Solutions.
And over two years ago we bought database and online marketing specialist Vertis Marketing Technology. We moved it to new offices in London, rebranded the database and insight division to Data Lateral and created a further online marketing division called Shift Click, which together made up Lateral Group.
What does each company do?
In simple terms each company does the following:
Howitt
Print and direct mail products including fulfilmentwww.howitt.co.uk
Dialogue Solutions
Print management and channel management, software and output of digital printwww.dialoguesolutions.co.uk
Data Lateral
Database management, analytics, profiling and marketing strategywww.datalateral.co.uk
Shift Click
Online marketing, email broadcasting, website development, web and graphic designhttp://www.shiftclick.co.uk
Over the past two years, each business has been operating separately but liaising with each other where it can benefit client requirements. But in today’s multi-channel world, we are finding that clients are increasingly requiring a more integrated approach from all their suppliers.
The future will be in providing a range of services and solutions that allow marketers to cost effectively pick and choose the optimum channel. The future lies with integrated marketing services suppliers.
What do clients want?
Do they really care whether they use a direct mail pack, an email or an insert to reach their customers and prospects?
No. What matters to them is how their customers wish to be communicated to and how they can best utilise the range of different marketing channels available to increase the financial return on their marketing spend – i.e. their return on investment.
Sometimes this may include a reduction in the use of print or direct mail and an increase in activity of the other channels. Sometimes print requirements will increase as they are used to complement the use of other marketing channels. Gone are the days of just focussing on one area of the marketing communications channels such as print.
The key is being able to identify and understand customers needs and preferences. The company that offers strategic and consultative services for determining the correct method of communication and can also implement and execute the campaigns across a range of different marketing channels is the company of the future.
That company is Lateral Group.
It is for this reason that we have taken the decision to formally create a group known as Lateral Group, with combined revenues of over £50m/annum. Our individual divisions will continue to offer best-in-class marketing services in their field of specialty, but as a group we will now also be able to service what we believe is a growing requirement for an aligned offering where if a client is interested, we are able to deliver a complete marketing communications delivery solution.
This aligned solution is delivered through a process we call Marketing Communications Management (MCM) and is one where we believe we can illustrate that the whole will be greater than the sum of its parts.
Please read on to find out more about our group and the progress we are making.
Regards
Nick Dixon
CEO - Lateral Group
