Burnley-based Bellyflop can usually be found filming and producing video content for clients, but has now turned its attention to enabling them make their own with the help of its new online platform.
Encouraging the creation of user generated content, it’s intended to make client testimonials and case study videos much easier to produce and distribute for businesses that are eager to establish their credentials by leveraging social proof.
Mark Robinson, operations director at Bellyflop, said: “There are lots of online video editing and hosting tools available but nothing quite like this. Video testimonials are really powerful, allowing potential customers to hear directly from existing customers about their experiences, but obtaining them hasn’t always been easy and there’s still been a need to edit them into something that looks and sounds appealing, all of which takes time and effort.
“Our new platform takes care of the entire end-to-end process. Users can request their customers to record video on their computers and mobile devices and upload it directly to the platform, where music and relevant captions are added automatically, resulting in polished, professional but authentic testimonials ready to be published online and on social media.”
The platform also enables users to send video emails which is a game-changer for sales teams and relationship managers as clients really like the personal touch. The video email helps businesses stand out in their clients’ mailboxes for all the right reasons.
Lisa Edge, managing director of Lancashare, is an early adopter of the platform and said: “We absolutely love using Bellyflop Video. It’s given us so many advantages and it’s great value for money.
“It’s easy to use, and the length and format of the videos we’re able to produce are perfect for our audience to digest. We use it to send video emails, capture video stories, and all of our testimonials are now obtained using Bellyflop Video. It’s the perfect blend for sharing our activity and is definitely helping us to reach a wider audience.”
The online software is available to individual business users on subscription, but there’s also an option for digital and social media marketing agencies to offer it to their clients on a white label basis.
According to statistics collated by Wordstream, 51% of marketing professionals worldwide name video as the type of content with the best Return on Investment (ROI). 87% of online marketers use video content. The most popular video types made by marketers in 2021 include presentation videos (49%) and testimonial videos (48%).
Burnley manufacturer CoolKit has vacancies for dozens of roles at a time of huge growth for the business.
The award-winning manufacturer of temperature-controlled vehicle solutions is seeking manufacturing/assembly operatives, van lining fitters and auto-electricians to join its team as soon as possible.
Rupert Gatty, CEO of CoolKit, said: “We have recently secured a number of large orders for vehicle conversions, putting us in a fortunate position to be able to take on new recruits.
“While experience is desirable, it is not essential; what we really need is people with the right passion and attitude and we’ll support their training and growth.
“We offer generous rates of pay, bonus schemes, a Monday to Thursday week and flexible working hours should these be required.
“Now really is the perfect time to join our team.”
CoolKit has already made management preparations for this next period of substantial growth, including investment in a robust management team.
Recent newly created roles include Head of Marketing, Service Manager, QA Manager, HSE Manager and Business Development Manager.
The business expects revenue to grow three-fold over the next five years and Rupert anticipates that this will create more than 100 new jobs in the region.
He added: “Our strategy is to significantly increase CoolKit’s market share in the UK – selling more van conversions and converted vans, whilst simultaneously growing sales into overseas markets with our improved kit form conversions.”
Comfort footwear brand, Hotter, has added to its senior team with the appointment of Dan Lampard as CFO and Antonia Jones as Head of Product, who will both build on the firm’s future growth and digital-first focus.
Lampard brings more than 20 years of finance and commercial experience, specialising in online direct-to-consumer retail. He joins from Netherlands-based Glanbia Performance Nutrition, where he held the position of CFO at a time of significant scale up with double digit revenue growth. Within this role, Lampard re-built the finance function and oversaw significant geographic expansion.
Previous to this, he was the UK Finance Director at ao.com and held senior finance and commercial roles at Manchester Airports Group (MAG). As a fellowship member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants for England and Wales, Lampard started his career at KPMG.
Jones, joining as Head of Product, is a highly successful leader in the footwear industry. Having worked for brands including Adidas and Redfoot Shoes, she brings strategic vision and product management to Hotter in a newly-established role to grow the business.
Jones held several positions at Adidas, most recently Category Director – Core Footwear, when she was responsible for the product strategy and subsequent delivery of the product management function covering a €260m business stream. As Footwear Development Manager at Redfoot Shoes, Jones created a strategic product roadmap and detailed product strategy for brand creation and repositioning, underpinned with growth targets.
The duo join Hotter at a time when the business is securing further growth post-pandemic after successfully accelerating its transformation to become a digital-first retailer in the last two years.
Hotter has so far reported a 25% rise in sales from both online and physical retail this year compared to last year. The brand, which has more than 4 million customers worldwide, has invested more than £1.5m in technology, including in its app, website and in-store Footprint technology, during the last 18 months.
Ian Watson, Chief Executive Officer at Hotter, said: “It’s an incredibly exciting and important time to join Hotter; we’re delighted to welcome both Dan and Antonia to the team. Both bring huge amounts of credibility and knowledge from their extensive backgrounds in the retail and direct-to-consumer space, and will both help us to drive forward with our continued focus on digital-first growth.”
“We’ve seen really promising results so far this year, with ecommerce sales alone increasing by 26% and +32% in our lead UK market. There’s lots of great opportunities out there for further market penetration and growth; which we’re confident Dan and Antonia will be able to help us to build on in the coming months and years.”
It was announced in August that Hotter will become part of the Unbound Group, which will float on AIM in Q4 2021.
