I was delighted when, at a major Thames Valley business event, Gina Allsop, MD of Close Protection Angels Ltd, won the prize I’d contributed of marketing communications consultancy.
Gina has had a fascinating career. She set up the Windsor-based security company 2009 to meet increasing demand in an uncertain world for reliable, flexible security services. Her background includes a successful career in the British Special Forces working within, as Gina terms it, ‘the female equivalent of the SAS’ and managing security at Westfield London, Europe’s largest shopping centre.
Since opening for business, CPA’s client base has expanded to include major events such as Glastonbury Festival, commercial businesses such as Cammell Laird, and law enforcement agencies such as Merseyside Police. At any time, members of her team might be patrolling a public event or providing protection to celebrities and other high-profile individuals. Incidentally, ‘close protection’ is the security industry’s formal term for bodyguards.
CPA also provides organisations and individuals with expert consultancy to counter threats such as terrorist attack, organised crime, industrial sabotage and counter-surveillance. Exciting stuff!
I worked with Gina to equip her with professional copywriting for sales letters that would help her to reach out to major prospects in event and retail management. Along the way, we discussed the many issues involved in running a successful marketing communications campaign, among them:
- Creating the right first impression – keeping all messaging clear, accurate and simple
- Understanding where the customer is coming from and homing right in on their ‘pain points’ and motivations
- Establishing a dialogue by offering a ‘fulfilment piece’ of a white paper or top tips
- The opportunities presented by the new networking media, such as LinkedIn and blogging
