We take on projects of all sizes, repeat contract work and secondments to organisations that require temporary in-house support. Some projects are extensive, taking several months to complete – e.g., in-depth market research commissions – or recurring – e.g., annual customer perception surveys. Others may be conducted in a few days or weeks and may be designed to capture snapshots of opportunities or trends.

The facilitation of advisory boards and user groups is a Gold Leaf speciality. We also organise webinars and undertake writing projects: white paper and case study preparation, contributions to newsletters and blogs, etc.

For more detailed information please see below or feel free to contact us.

Strategy

We can assist an organisation at any stage with the development of its strategic planning; and similarly aid with the development of a strategy for an individual product or suite of products. We can help to reposition an organisation or product within the market. We are experienced at providing an industry overview to help identify market trends, both desk-based, using all up-to-date material available, and in the field, to gather snapshots of the status quo. Similarly, we can conduct sector and sub-sector analysis. We often carry out 360-degree competitive analysis, to help identify whether proposed new products are likely to succeed and where competitors’ strengths and weaknesses lie. We can provide a testing ground for new ideas, to see how they might address gaps in the market and, again, whether they are likely to succeed; and if the client decides to proceed, we can help with the development and implementation of a total marketing plan.

Research

We are skilled in conducting both primary research and desk-based secondary research for both for-profit and not-for-profit companies and organisations. This can take the form of external research designed to inform the organisation’s future activities or an internal audit, to assess the value and potential of existing products and services. We can facilitate meetings between clients and third parties, to promote greater mutual understanding of industry specifics or individual organisations and products. We have a long track record in the preparation of surveys and have perfected tried and tested methods to ensure we always obtain a statistically significant number of responses. We can conduct more detailed user and prospective user research – for example, via semi-structured interviews.

Engagement

The setting up and facilitation of both international and regional advisory boards and user groups has become a Gold Leaf speciality. We can help our clients to interact with advisory board and user group members across five continents. Our boards are created as a two-way-street that benefits both the client and board members by providing a safe environment for constructive discussion and mutual exchange of insights. They communicate virtually, by email and webinar, and some meet in person. We have the skills to research and write case studies and white papers on behalf of our clients; and can either contribute articles to existing newsletters and blogs or create new ones and run them completely. We are experienced in conducting focus groups across wide groups of stakeholders, both in person and virtually. We will also run both private and public webinars for our clients. We are happy to accompany clients to book fairs and similar industry events to arrange introductions, devising a comprehensive meeting schedule if required. We can plan entire seminars for clients, including the preparation of the agenda and recruitment of speakers, or contribute to elements of conference and seminar programmes, as required.

Editorial

We can take over the editorship of a learned journal for a short term if the usual editor is unable to work, or assume the editorship or sub-editorship of a new or existing journal on behalf of the client. Our copyediting and proofreading skills have earned much praise. We can “polish” prose writing of all kinds to make it more user-friendly or to help gain greater impact. We can also “ghost-write” longer pieces of work, including whole chapters and whole books. We can help publishers and authors to achieve maximum impact with behind-the-scenes work both prior to and after a new launch. On behalf of publishers, we can assess author needs and conduct author satisfaction surveys. We can also assist individual authors and groups of authors by “demystifying” the publishing process. We can support editorial teams if they need help with the creation of journal development plans, research into growth areas or market fit.