Member Article

Bdaily’s Sarah Callender on building the brand, bulletin success and our ‘best kept secret’

As Christmas fast-approaches, I thought it would be the perfect time to sit down with Bdaily’s managing director, Sarah Callender, and talk past, present and future.

Not only has Sarah been busy developing Bdaily as it continues to expand into four regions across the UK, but she has also led the way on an exciting tech project from the publisher’s sister company, Ground Six.

Starting from the top, we spoke about Sarah’s highlights from the past year, she said: “One of the biggest successes has been the growth in subscribers to our daily email bulletin.”

Having acquired the company in 2012, Sarah and the Ground Six team, including co-founder Martin Stanley, have been working on growing Bdaily’s loyal subscriber base.

Sarah explained: “We’ve tested and introduced various new ways of doing this, which has resulted in us almost doubling our subscriber base across the UK in 2015.

“As a result, we have a loyal subscriber base reading our content every week day, giving us a real value in the small business arena. As a result, the bulletin is a great way for businesses to gain exposure to a highly-engaged audience base.”

Meanwhile, Nick Hill and Richard Bell joined the team as editors in Yorkshire and the North West, respectively, further expanding Bdaily’s reach across the North.

“I feel we are developing across all the regions in which we operate,” Sarah said. “The North East continues to be our strongest base as our regional editor, Jamie Hardesty, drives forward our authoritative voice in the region.”

“We’ve even soft-launched in the South East, with a daily bulletin targeting London and surrounding areas, which we will continue to work on in the coming year,” Sarah added.

As a digital publisher focusing on regional SME news, Bdaily is at the forefront of the ever-changing media industry. Sarah discussed the way in which Bdaily has adapted to the changes the industry has experienced in the last year: “We are exposed to macro environments that are changing even as we speak.”

“Over the last year, we have noticed changes in both the publishing industry and the digital media model as a whole. For example, social media is always changing and this can affect who sees our content, when it is seen and where the readers are based.”

“In addition, the growing prominence of news aggregators is another factor we have to consider. Our content is regularly picked up by the likes of News Now and Google News and we are always looking for new media partners to support our digital growth.”

Another of key facet of Bdaily is its self-publishing platform, which can be accessed by all of our users and is a unique way of sharing what’s going on within your business with its readers: “As self-publishing is on the rise, so it competition. However, as we are a small organisation with a dynamic, knowledgeable team, we are able to make changes and adapt to the digital climate much faster and more efficiently than our competitors.”

For many companies, a new year brings a new lease of life and thirst for change. However, the Bdaily team remains open to change all-year round and will continue to innovate well into 2016.

Sarah continued: “We don’t need an excuse to try new things - in the new year, we will be continuing to innovate and explore new ideas and concepts as we work hard to improve Bdaily for its readers, publishers and for ourselves. “

Next year, Bdaily’s commercial offering will move to the forefront after several months of research and development.

Sarah explained: “In 2016, we will be looking at ways of rewarding our loyal readers with a form of premium membership. “We will also be exploring ways of further developing the commercial side of Bdaily, which has been a key focus in 2015. We are hoping to build upon our reputation as a business news provider and push forward with the digital consultation side of the business.

“Our digital marketing offering is a well-kept secret and we’re ready to share it with our loyal audience. Bdaily is the place to gain valuable exposure to a B2B audience, while further building your brand awareness to engaged business readers across the UK.”

Not only does Sarah run the show at Bdaily, but she is also a director of sister company, Ground Six, which specialises in app and web development.

As a self-confessed fitness fanatic, Sarah has taken a lead role on the launch of Ground Six’s latest venture, Compare Fitness World. The online comparison tool allows users to find and compare gym passes, fitness classes and personal trainers. The self-developed platform gives businesses the chance to promote themselves, upload offers and upsell their services.

Sarah said: “At the start of this year, we got involved in CFW and we now have full ownership of this project, giving us a vessel to support our three years of development and knowledge as a digital technology business. “With Compare Fitness World, we operate a lean model, allowing us to adapt quickly to feedback from our users. “

After 12 months of intensive development and market research, CFW is more than ready for the new year: “This project has been a culmination of all the knowledge and skills have acquired from previous endeavours and we are very excited to kick off the new year with the fitness industry’s busiest season,” she adds.

In what has been a jam-packed year for Sarah and the Bdaily team, Sarah is getting ready to wind down for the year. I asked her about her plans for Christmas and what’s her favourite festive tune: “It’s got to be ‘Driving Home for Christmas (by Chris Rea)’ - for me, it’s all about families and friends coming together.

“Throughout my life, there has always been someone travelling at this time of year, be it my family, myself or my husband, we have all experienced the pleasure of coming together at Christmas and, for me, this song epitomises this sense of belonging that the festive season brings.”

Sarah concluded: “Christmas is about sharing good food, having a nice glass of wine and lots of laughter. In my family, it’s all about giving up our most valuable commodity - time - in our busy lives.”

Our last bulletin of 2015 will go out on Christmas Eve and we will return on 4 January 2016. In the meantime, check out series of festive features. Stay ahead of the curve and explore our digital marketing solutions ready for the new year - drop us a line for a quick chat on 08453882022.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .