Charlotte Storrs, owner of Abingdon-based Charlotte Storrs Stoneware, explains why the business should win the marketing and PR category of the Guardian Small Business Showcase competition.
I set up my pottery business eleven years ago. I make functional stoneware, and all my work is wheel thrown. I have a continuous list of orders. The latest large one was for a five-star hotel in Switzerland which took me two months to complete. Commissions come from the UK, Europe and the US.
When I started my business I realised good photography was essential. A professional photographer took excellent photos for my website, which my husband set up. Magazines such as Homes and Gardens, Elle Decoration and Period Living have featured these photos. Also, recent articles about the pottery appeared in Country Living’s bookazine Modern Rustic and the magazine Ceramic Review.
I run a lifestyle competition, where the prizes are a £100, £50 or £25 voucher. To take part, customers send in images of my pieces in their homes, which I then feature on my site. One customer in New York mailed me a photo of his kitchen full of my pieces. For the next competition images are already coming in ahead of the February 2016 deadline, including one of a countertop basin in a German bathroom.
I hold regular open days which I publicise locally and online. Visitors can see where and how I work, and I give them a chance to throw a pot in exchange for £10 in aid of a charity. These open days attract a large number of people who purchase my work and spread the word.
All entries which meet the competition criteria are published and our judging panel select a shortlist of the three for each category. Winners are announced at an awards ceremony in summer 2016.
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