A BUSINESS in Worcestershire is enjoying great growth in its anniversary year through the help of marketing tool ReachEdge.

Malvern Curtains is the brainchild of Ellen Cronin, who aims for a personal service as she goes out on appointments to see customers, rather than being based in a shop.

Miss Cronin visits clients' homes to help select the fabric, measure up bespoke curtains, blinds and rails, and then fit them once chosen.

Selections can be anything from full length curtains for the living room, to the kitchen roller blind or Roman blind for a cloakroom.

Miss Cronin said: "Malvern Curtains has been going for 25 years. I used to have a shop in Belle View, but that closed four years ago, so I can now call on the customer to offer that personal service."

Ahead of the anniversary year, Worcester News' sales team approached Miss Cronin about ReachEdge and, after learning more about the benefits, she signed up to the digital marketing solution which is produced by Newsquest – the publisher of this newspaper.

ReachEdge is designed to increase visibility, leads, and sales for a business, to help get the edge over competitors.

The service ensures the business' details are posted on hundreds of online directories and newspapers, and are visible in focused online and mobile adverts.

It also offers a live chat virtual assistant to help with website enquiries, and helps businesses turn leads into customers through automated email marketing, market-leading call tracking technology, and inbuilt customer management tools.

Miss Cronin said ReachEdge had really delivered for her, as the tool provided potential customer details so that she could contact them directly.

The figures are impressive – for example, in the last month, 21 new contacts have been developed through ReachEdge, and only this week Malvern Curtains has seen a 150 per cent increase in the number of calls.

New contacts have also used the chat box and left an email for Miss Cronin to get in touch, which is crucial as 90 per cent often leave a site before leaving their details.

"I signed up six months ago, and I've seen so many benefits and growth -– with more income and more clients," she said.

"I'm really pleased with it. I will be carrying on with it, as it has been so successful. I would definitely recommend it to other businesses."

Miss Cronin added that ReachEdge had helped her move with the times digitally while keeping the old fashioned feel to her business that customers like.

Chris Wyse, display sales manager and ReachEdge champion at the Worcester News, said: “ReachEdge provides a value-for-money digital marketing solution to enable small to medium-sized businesses to effectively manage their leads, turning them into sales and the ability to make more informed decisions about what to spend their marketing budget on.

“We are already helping many local businesses to grow through the use of this exciting digital solution.”

Want to know more about ReachEdge? Call or email Chris on 01905 742350 or christopher.wyse@midlands.newsquest.co.uk