We are Blue Mangetout

05/06/2025

5 marketing mistakes that will kill event attendance.

I’ve worked on some huge events over my career and I can tell you there are always things you can do to improve attendance and make sure you’re maxing out your marketing efforts.

31/05/2025

My BIGGEST tip for running your socials? Show the humans behind the business.

Sharing human stories is one of the most powerful things you can do to build brand awareness and promote local buy in. (We love to love our local businesses!)

So show your face(s) on socials.

This is me, Victoria. I’m sat on a boat waiting to go out. It’s not stylised. I have no make-up on. It’s taken in the moment. I am usually the one behind the camera so this is hard for me! Which means if I can do it, you can do it too!

Give it a go on your own socials and let me know how you get on. You won’t be disappointed.

16/05/2025

I absolutely love using my iPhone for product photography. A bit of creativity and playing about with the undertones feature to really make the colours pop like they would if you saw it in real life.

This is the LeisureGrow Turin range from

24/02/2025

Garden Centre or retail? If you want your Spring trading period to start with a flourish…do something different!

If you want to stand out and drive footfall, now is moment to capture the enthusiasm of gardeners emerging from winter and set the tone for the entire growing season. A powerful Spring launch can secure customer loyalty, drive significant revenue and establish your centre as the go-to destination for the year ahead.

We all know Spring is a crucial time for garden centres, customers are excited and ready to spend, but they do have other choices – other garden centres, DIY stores and supermarkets all compete for their attention, so creating a launch gives them a compelling reason to choose you.

🌸 Creating Your Spring Story:

Rather than a lacklustre ‘Spring is here’ announcement (like everyone else),
Create a narrative that builds anticipation and treat it like an event:

🌸The Launch Experience:
Transform your centre into a destination event:

Create immersive displays that inspire

Use posters, signage and POS to create the atmosphere

Set up demonstration areas showcasing seasonal techniques

Include children’s activities through the Easter period, harnessing your theme

Design Instagram-worthy photo opps

Create seasonal specials in your restaurant or you could even host an Spring themed ‘Afternoon Tea Event’ for charity

🌸Creating Your Spring Story:

Tease new plant arrivals on socials

Share expert tips for the early season

Create behind-the-scenes content showing your event preparation

Build excitement about exclusive varieties, ranges or events you have planned

🌸Multi-channel Promo:

Start your campaign now

Build email sequences that tease what’s coming

Engage local press and community groups

Use social media to showcase preparations

Create early-bird offers for loyal customers

Consider local advertising for a wider reach

20/02/2025

Apparently we’re rich cockneys! 🤣

20/02/2025

The secret to becoming unforgettable? It's not in your logo. It's in the experiences you create.
Your brand lives in:

The welcome that makes people feel at home

The signature touches they can't stop thinking about

The atmosphere that transforms their day

The stories they tell their friends

The moments that keep them coming back

Because when you nail the experience, your customers become your biggest marketers.

They don't just visit - they bring others.

They don't just buy - they advocate.

They don't just return - they belong.

Ready to create something remarkable?

Drop a ✨ below if you want more tips on building experiences worth talking about.

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04/12/2024

6 quick audit questions that will help you get a handle on how your brand is being viewed in the outside world.

I'm going to be honest, most businesses treat their brand like that houseplant everyone forgets to water. They leave it to grow wild, hope for the best, and act surprised when it starts looking a bit... meh. Meanwhile customers are currently writing your brand story, and with all due respect to Sharon from accounting's Google review, she's not exactly Terry Pratchett.

If you're out here letting your brand grow up like a free-range chicken, while your competitors are running precision operations (even if their logo does look like it was designed by a 3 year old jacked up on Ribena), then this is for you.

These 60-second reality checks will show you exactly how accidental your brand strategy is and how to turn those happy accidents into strategic genius so you can win more customers and gain a better competitive edge.

1. Look at your most recent testimonials. If they all say things like 'great customer service' and not much else...If they don't mention something specific to you, your brand isn't sticky enough.

2. Ask your team what makes you different. If they all say something different, you've got a positioning problem.

3. Ask your best customer to describe you in one sentence. If it's generic, you have work to do.

4. Look at your last customer service conversation. That's your real brand voice. If your website copy doesn't match it, you've got a messaging problem.

5. Ask a stranger to read your homepage. If they can't figure out what you do in under 10 seconds, your message isn't clear

6. Check how many questions prospects ask before buying. Too many? Your message isn't clear

30/11/2024

Are you fed up of competing on price (as in being compared to everyone else) and losing out to competition who shout louder?

You might want to read this.

How to Stop Competing On Price In A Crowded Market Fed up of hearing "you're too expensive" from prospects who then choose a cheaper, less qualified competitor? Then read on. The Price War Trap You know you're worth more.

30/10/2024

You know when you watch a film with someone and the storyline is so full of gaps you wonder if it's had a visit from the tooth fairy.

And you say things to each other like:

"Who's that bloke again?"

"Why does the camera keep focusing on that fish on the wall?"

"Did we miss a bit, it's not making sense?"

And so you consign it to the Netflix dungeon of unmemorable films you'll never watch again.

You've already forgotten what it was about.

You're certainly not going to recommend it to anyone.

That 👆 is exactly what your customers will be experiencing if your business storytelling isn't doing a proper job.

You can be the forgettable business, or you can be the one that's on everybody's lips.

Your prerogative...