UK Enterprise Awards 2021

311 | UK Enterprise Awards 2021 Community Magazine of the Year 2021 - North England Knaresborough Now is the local publication supporting everything local. First and foremost, it is by people in the Knaresborough area, for people in the Knaresborough area, having come a long way both in notoriety and reach since its humble beginnings in 2010. It supports a multitude of local businesses, charities, events and planning endeavours – and in 2017, it was able to expand further, starting the Wetherby Now magazine after much demand from businesses in the region. They also operate on a ‘non-profit’ basis. This is a pivotal part of the business model, pushing profits back into community events, sponsorships, supporting charities and activities that are the beating heart of their community. Whilst they originally setup to deliver magazines door-to-door, research has since shown that over 85% of material not personally addressed to a homeowner finds its way into the bin. Fundamentally, in order to ensure the clients money isn’t wasted, they opted to move to a collection point network that has been expanding ever since its inception, ensuring approximately 95% of their magazines now find their way into the hands of those that want them. Championing Local Business Knaresborough Now were very quick to react to the needs of their clients with the initial Covid-19 lockdown. Temporarily stopping printing, expanding the digital network and using social media to grow their subscriptions. Even making the radical decision to support local businesses by cutting advertising prices by 65% in order to ensure that as many local businesses as possible were able to maintain their presence during the lockdown. “For us, stopping the magazine altogether wasn’t an option. For the sake of the business community, we had to keep it going at all costs. This was very difficult, and a catch 22 situation for us, but we are so glad we took this approach.” Rachel recognised that whilst many businesses might not be able to trade through the lockdowns, they would still be able to offer advice, support, and also quote for jobs and be prepared to hit the ground running as soon as they were able to physically work again. A Beacon of Hope and Positivity For readers, the magazines have been a beacon of positivity and hope during extremely unsettling times. Very few magazine features were cut, with even the Events Guide continuing to be published; online ballets, theatre productions, cookery demonstrations and workshops were among the events advertised. “We wanted to help keep people going, offering some inspiration to our readers and reminding them that a light was at the end of the tunnel!” The digital side of the business has helped them go from strength to strength during lockdown. With a stunning landing page, user- intuitive website, and responsive social media presence they have carved out a place in the niche of local news and journalism sources. Since their founding, they are averaging over 12,000 printed copies, 7,000 digital subscribers, over 400 collection points (and counting!), around 20,000 hits to their digital magazine pages ... racking up an impressive readership of over 50,000 every single month! Knaresborough Now and Wetherby Now both have become an affordable and excellent marketing solution of choice for local businesses, charities, and events. Its high quality, full-colour, and glossy print gives its creations a truly professional look that sets the Now magazines a cut above the rest. Keeping Business Local Local advertising, to the Now magazines, is for local business. So, in order to benefit from their exemplary reach – one that grows on a daily basis – a business must be based within 15 miles of the centre of either Knaresborough or Wetherby, with a focus on the independently owned shops, franchises and trades based there, giving each the space to reach their target customers directly. In doing so, their clients often find that they have vastly reduced the competition they often come across online when trying to fight for a place amongst the ranks of bigger enterprises and wholesale retailers, giving them a designated easy-to-reach area to be able to keep their end customers up to date with offers, deals, and updates that will directly impact the local region. Every double-page-spread is deliberately laid out in order to maximise exposure for a client without any competing businesses, laying out editions so that the businesses contained within compliment each other in constructive ways, ensuring that both Knaresborough and Wetherby’s independent professionals feel seen, heard, and connected. Contact: Rachel Porter Website: knaresboroughnow.co.uk An incredibly community minded magazine, Knaresborough Now LLP is a digital and in-print business support source that serves its local region. Having expanded from Knaresborough out to Wetherby, lending this region a Now Magazine of its own, the Now magazine has made a name for itself in the tireless support of local businesses, charities and events, helping them get the word out to the people who need to hear about them most. May21609