I Love Bramhall and You Should Too

27 Jul 2020

I Love Bramhall is now well into its seventh year. Not just in business, but right at the very heart of our community. That’s because I Love Bramhall is so much more than simply a business.

I Love Bramhall is an online magazine, a community portal, a what’s on in Bramhall guide and, as our followers often tell us, THE go-to for local info. Our vibrant social media channels add another dimension.

The Bramhall Pages

Wendy Green created I Love Bramhall back in 2013. It’s always been a business, with a website, Facebook business page & Twitter account and more recently Instagram and Linkedin page– albeit with lots of volunteer and community work thrown in too! I Love isn’t a business set up for business sake, though. A genuine love of our village is at our heart. We want to see our village – and the shops, salons, restaurants, pubs, companies, churches, groups, schools, clubs etc – thrive and prosper. Local businesses are the very heartbeat of a village and Bramhall is one of the best examples of this.

Born and Bred

Wendy was born and bred in Bramhall and absolutely puts her money where her mouth is – ‘Shop Local’ isn’t a mantra for Wendy, it’s her way of life. And not just shop local, but train local, eat local, drink local, party local, care local, relax local and support local. Wendy’s support of Bramhall is almost legendary – and goes miles above and beyond providing the best value and most dynamic local advertising around.

Wendy with the Mayor of Stockport

Bramhall is Special

Wendy has spearheaded and rallied the troops for so many of the fabulous events and initiatives which make Bramhall so special. She doesn’t step back and watch either. She puts heart and soul into them – and very often, blood, sweat and tears too. These include the brilliant annual big Bramhall Tea Party – a free event for hundreds of local seniors; and for years working tirelessly with the Bramhall Together Trust, organising Bramhall Festival, Light Up Bramhall and Bramhall’s Got Talent. Her immensely successful Paws in the Park fun dog show also helps raise funds with a charity raffle.

wendy and dog

We’re All in it Together

Most recently, throughout the Covid19 crisis and as a founder member of the Helping Hands Bramhall organisation, Wendy’s promoted collections for the Chelwood Foodbank and pounded the streets too, whatever the weather. That promotion will have made all the difference – people came out and donated (contactlessly, of course) in their droves. At Christmas, we ran a Shop Local campaign, which supported ALL the village shops, not just the shops that advertise with us. We did a similar campaign recently which included regular updates as to which shops, salons, bars and restaurants are opening up, and how. In fact, as many advertisers had to understandably pause their payment to us through lockdown, we continued to support the village, it was tough times but we were all in it together.

That genuine community spirit is evident too in I Love Bramhall’s regular posts to reunite lost dogs, cats, wallets – and on one famous occasion, a sheep. Only recently Wendy spoke to someone and had to break some bad news about a missing cat – this was not the time for a message or an email it needed the personal touch. I Love Bramhall and I Love Cheadle Hulme are also the places to find local info about roadworks and delays, too. This audience and our close links with our MP, councillors and police, led us to set up the Neighbourhood Alert Scheme – an entirely voluntary Whatsapp scheme linking neighbours and passing on or receiving alerts from the wider group. Can you imagine the hours that took to set up? But that’s what we do, because I Love is more than a business. Much more.

Back in 2017 Wendy was delighted to received Stockport Council’s Community Heroes award, recognising those who do Stockport proud.

Know How, Know Who

Wendy’s professional reputation and genuine support of her village help to make I Love Bramhall the go-to for everything Bramhall. Wendy – who also set up the superb Moxie Mingle Networking Events – is almost famous for her ‘know how, know who’ capabilities. Need a plumber, a web designer or a life coach? Wendy will know and can recommend one. And this is never limited to just clients – her recommendations and business support are just what she does and how she operates.

Journalists and TV producers know Wendy’s the person with her finger on the local pulse for a comment or opinion – or can always point them in the direction of other local experts. Maybe that’s why she’s been featured in Cheshire Life no fewer than FOUR times? She was also asked to appear on the ITV’s Tonight show to discuss local crime and our response to it and local TV ‘That’s Manchester‘ 5 years ago.

Mike & Ed pictured here with Wendy from I Love Bramhall

Get Your Business Seen Too

As professional, constantly updated and search engine optimised sites with vibrant and real time social media accounts, I Love does everything to get your business seen. Unlike Facebook groups, as a Facebook business page, our audience is public. This means our reach – and therefore yours if you advertise with us – is limitless. Small businesses can struggle to get that sort of social media audience. As for page one of Google, we invest in SEO to remain at the forefront of search engine results – so you can be there too.

Again, every business can have a free listing on our website. To really get seen, though, take advantage of our incredibly affordable advertising packages. The Enhanced Plus listing, just £45 per month (ex Vat) is our most popular and it’s easy to see why. Just one new customer, and you could cover that. As one of our renewing members said, ‘it’s a no-brainer’. A local non-profit group told us they don’t see their membership as a cost, but as an investment with an excellent return. Local estate agents tell us their properties often ‘go viral’ when we share. The community groups and businesses see a massive improvement in their social media following when they joined. The success stories and glowing reviews say everything, and we love each and every one. This matters to us.

Roger Pryddrech – Prydderch Financial Planning Review

Powerful Promotion

We’d love to help you promote your business properly. I Love Bramhall offers a totally unique advertising service which is, quite simply, the best value and most dynamic local advertising around, as well as your clickable directory listing (across multiple categories, if applicable), you’ll get a professionally written, SEO-friendly article (which you can share as much as you want) AND our social option includes promotion of your Facebook and Twitter posts (any day, every day, weekends, holidays and even several times a day. We’re a small business, too – just like you. We don’t do days off…)

Recent Facebook post showing our reach and engagement

I Love Bramhall is a great way to market your business without spending a fortune. It’s lovely to see new ventures open in the village, hopeful and enthusiastic. It’s horrible to see them close again a few months later. We so often hear ‘use us or lose us’ from local shops, who simply don’t know how to market properly. Success is more than a great idea and a superb product. People need to know you’re there. They need to find you, to try that service and product. I Love Bramhall can help you do this. With heart.