Summer 2026 – A Busy Summer at Tradeinc

If there's one word to describe Summer 2026 at Tradeinc, it would probably be varied. From agricultural shows and sports clubs to furniture, renewable energy, holidays, healthcare and e-commerce, we've spent the summer working with a fantastic mix of businesses, organisations and events. And that variety is exactly what we enjoy.

Our work with the Rutland Agricultural Society, Rutland Showground and Rutland County Show has continued to be a huge part of what we do. The build-up to the Rutland County Show involved months of social media planning and content creation, promoting everything from livestock and equestrian competitions to attractions, entertainment, food and drink, sponsors and practical visitor information. Successful event social media is about gradually building interest, answering questions, introducing attractions and giving people plenty of reasons to attend. And our relationship with the Showground doesn't finish when the County Show gates close — we've continued promoting everything happening there, including the popular Saturday Car Boot Sales, Classic Wheels and the many different events throughout the year.

One part of our work with the Rutland Agricultural Society that we've particularly enjoyed is Farming Focus. Rather than sitting behind a desk trying to create agricultural content, we've been getting out and meeting the people involved — visiting farms, agricultural businesses and schools, talking to people and finding the stories worth sharing. It's a great example of what we believe good content should be about. Social media and blogs work much better when there are genuine people, businesses and stories behind them.

We've continued managing social media for Oakham RFC, a project that has a particularly personal connection for us. Summer might traditionally be the rugby off-season, but there has been plenty happening — pre-season training, recruitment, club events and preparations for the new campaign, as well as working on the presentation of the club's new kit and merchandise. With the new season approaching, we're looking forward to getting back into matchdays, teamsheets, results and everything else that comes with a busy rugby season.

Rugby hasn't been our only sport. This year we've also been working with Oakham Cricket Club, helping showcase everything that makes a community sports club special — covering the men's teams, women's cricket, junior cricket, individual performances, fundraising, club events and even fantasy cricket. There have been plenty of memorable performances to celebrate over the summer, and we've loved helping give players across the club the recognition they deserve. Community sports clubs have so many stories to tell. Our job is to make sure people actually get to see them.

We've continued managing social media for Rutland Renewables, creating regular content around renewable energy, solar technology and the work their team carries out. For a specialist business, social media is about finding the right balance — not every post needs to be a hard sell. Some can educate, some can answer common questions, some can showcase the team and others can simply remind potential customers that the business is there when they need it. Consistent visibility builds familiarity, and familiarity builds trust.

One of the biggest developments in the creative side of Tradeinc over the last year has been the rapid improvement in AI-assisted image and video creation. Our work with Mark Gates Furniture is a great example — starting with straightforward photographs of individual pieces of furniture, we've been able to create realistic lifestyle imagery showing products in beautiful interior settings. Those images can then be used across the website, Etsy, e-commerce listings and social media. We're even taking this further by creating lifestyle video content from static product imagery. For a small business, AI doesn't mean abandoning real photography — it gives businesses another creative tool, delivering content that previously might have required a substantial photography budget.

We've also continued working with businesses selling online. For Posture Store, we've been developing their direct-to-consumer e-commerce presence and supporting their social media — from sit-stand working and ergonomic seating to laptop stands and accessories designed to make working environments more comfortable. The online shop itself is only one part of e-commerce. Products need good descriptions, useful information, strong imagery and ongoing promotion if they're going to get noticed.

Tourism and accommodation have featured in our work too. We've continued supporting holiday businesses such as CLE Caravan Holidays, creating content to showcase their accommodation at Billing Aquadrome. We've also previously helped businesses such as Lyra Rose Retreats in North Wales create their own direct-booking presence rather than relying entirely on third-party booking platforms. For independent holiday businesses, having control over their own website, audience and marketing can make a huge difference.

We've also been busy creating content for The Rutland Tack Room, promoting both their online Vinted presence and their equine and animal laundry service. Our long-standing clients continue to be every bit as important as the new projects — we've continued creating content for Shine and Bright, promoting their window cleaning, gutter cleaning and carpet cleaning services. Someone seeing a window cleaning post today may not need a window cleaner today, but if they've regularly seen the business appearing in their feed, who are they likely to remember when they do? That's what ongoing social media is designed to achieve.

We've also continued supporting professional businesses including Excellence Physiotherapy, helping turn their expertise into engaging social media content — promoting educational blogs, introducing team developments and sharing continuing professional development happening behind the scenes. For professional services, good social media isn't about constantly saying 'buy from us'. It's about demonstrating knowledge, personality and credibility so that when somebody does need your service, your business is already familiar to them.

With so much social media work going on, it's easy to forget that website design remains a major part of Tradeinc. This year we've launched new websites for businesses including Under My Wing Care, Want Tutoring and Butterpaws Pet Care, helping new and growing businesses establish a professional presence online. A good website doesn't need to be unnecessarily complicated — it needs to explain what you do, build confidence in your business and make it incredibly easy for somebody to take the next step.

Some projects inevitably mean more than others. We're incredibly proud to be supporting Road to the Rec — William Begy's challenge to run five marathons in five days to raise money for the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation and the fight against Motor Neurone Disease. William was inspired to take on the challenge following the MND diagnosis of one of his childhood rugby heroes and fellow Old Oakhamian, Lewis Moody. Tradeinc built the Road to the Rec website free of charge and we've also set up and are running the project's social media. Sometimes it's simply good to be able to use what you do to help somebody trying to achieve something extraordinary for an important cause.

Perhaps the biggest theme of Summer 2026 has been how quickly digital marketing continues to change. The AI tools available to small businesses today would have seemed extraordinary only a couple of years ago. But technology is only useful if it solves a problem — that's why our approach remains straightforward. We use websites, social media, content, graphics, video, AI and whatever other tools are appropriate to help businesses and organisations get noticed, communicate better and make life a little easier. With another rugby season about to begin, cricket still being played, events continuing at Rutland Showground and the early planning already starting for another Rutland County Show, there certainly won't be much time to put our feet up. Which is exactly how we like it. If you've got a business, club, organisation or event that could use some help, we'd love to hear from you. Find out more at tradeinc.co.uk.