Firstly you need to deal with the actual online complaint (bad review) Is the lousy review/complaint accurate / does the customer have a point? What can you offer as a solution? Do not ignore the review; communicate with the client! Communication will need to be both online and in person. Why both? Because once a […]
Once you have found a bad review you may have two interlinking issues Read More »
For those of you who aren’t acquainted with the concept of personal branding, I’ll explain. Personal branding pretty much does what it says on the tin. It’s your personal brand of everything that’s you, or at least the view of you want to be presented to the world. If you imagine a personal branding site as being similar to meeting a stranger at a party and engaging in small talk, you’ll be on the right track. So, what you do, why you’re good at it, and then also, what you’re interested in and what makes you tick.
Personal branding and do I need it? Read More »
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a necessity for any business’s website No matter if you are a small trader, a small or medium-sized business, or a large global entity, having content on your website that means your pages are displayed on the first page of Google – or any other search engine – is vital.
Search Engine Optimisation Read More »
If you have searched the internet (including Google Profile, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) and discovered that your company has no online reviews (good or bad). Not a single online review regarding your company’s product, services or skills. It could be worse; people could have left a bad review. However, it is still not the best position
Should I worry that my company has no online reviews? Read More »
Many pieces of software or apps can help you manage your social media by allowing you to schedule your posts in advance, amongst other things. Social media management tools should not be confused with social media management in the outsourced sense of the word. What is the purpose of Social media Management tools? With an
Is there an app to help me manage my social media? Read More »
Telling your business and marketing consultant the good, the bad and the ugly will save you time and money and make your goals far more achievable. Businesses bring in people like us (business and marketing consultants) for a range of different reasons; they need a specific field of expertise, a critical friend, or a disruptor
Telling the ugly truth… Read More »
The importance of online reviews to your business should not be underestimated for several reasons including; the customers buying decision-making process can be impacted or altered due to them, and they can impact your company’s search engine rankings, either one of these points should on its own make you pay attention to them. I appreciate
The importance of Online Reviews Read More »
How Charities and CICs Can Attract the Right Sponsors Maybe you are trying to improve your charity’s fundraising, or perhaps you have just started a CIC. You could even be raising money for a single-issue cause. Whatever stage you are at, the reality is the same: you need funding to deliver your mission. Corporate sponsorship
CSR Marketing – How to find sponsors that fit your cause Read More »
No, not quite! Now that you have discovered your positive online reviews, what are you going to do with them? Firstly, make sure you have read them all and respond in a personal way to each of the reviews (do not copy and paste a generic “thank you” in response to all of your reviews,
My company has positive online reviews, our job is done! Read More »
Not sure what a brand voice is? Remember the bad old days before texting when you would answer your phone and immediately recognise who was on the other end just by the way they said “hello”? It was because of their tone of voice and their intonation. With people close to us, we can spot
Give your Business a Brand Voice Read More »
Have you ever wondered how it is that you look at something on Amazon that then, suddenly, that item pops up in ads on every other webpage you visit? Or why it is that there are always adverts popping up on your Facebook and Instagram feeds that relate to something you’ve bought before? You didn’t imagine it;
AI in Marketing: Is it as intelligent as we think? Read More »
Can you outsource your company’s social media strategy and management successfully? The short answer is yes, you can outsource your social media management. The longer answer is yes. You can outsource your social media management and strategy. However, if this is the route you decide to take, make sure you have considered and understood the
Should you outsource your Social Media Management? Read More »
Why does my business need customer personas? Knowing what your potential customers need means that you can tailor your offering to suit them. In an increasingly digitalised world, our clients are becoming more remote. There is now less face-to-face interaction, so if we can pre-empt what someone visiting your site or reading your marketing might
Customer Personas, what are they and why do you need them? Read More »
There are undoubtedly some copywriters out there holding their heads in their hands because it seems that tone of voice is going to have to change. Content is going to need to be more conversational in order to meet the SEO related to more question-based queries. It’s also going to need to answer a query quickly.
Alexa, is voice search the future of marketing? Read More »
I’m sure many of us have spent hours poring over beautiful images on Pinterest, looking at everything from interior design, to pictures of pets, to the best duvet sets out there, to ideas for your next birthday party. But how can a business utilise the Pinterest effect? Pinterest is often used to inspire people –
Have you considered using Pinterest for Business? Read More »
Whilst these are clearly high profile and more extreme cases, small businesses and organisations should take note. Credibility and reputation are hard-won, but very quickly lost and, without your credibility, your business will suffer, sometimes to the point of complete failure.
How will my decision affect the reputation of my brand? Read More »
Imagine that the internet is a busy networking event. We’ve all been to them and have, hopefully, noticed that there are people who work the room and there are also people who stick to the edges of the group and wait to be approached. The people who work the room are always the ones who are most memorable, whether it’s through charisma or a natural technique, we leave with their message in our minds.
Is blogging still important in the age of podcasting and video marketing? Read More »
A friend of mine has had a viral moment. He blames it on Harry Hill. One complimentary video on his Facebook page and overnight he had a phone full of notifications and a 9000 reach on a piece of unpaid advertising. Now, we all know that uninvited celebrity endorsements are few and far between (although
Is it time for you to invest in Video Marketing? Read More »
Marketing does not exist inside a vacuum. Sadly, when we think about marketing these days, the first thing that often comes to mind is social media marketing. How many ‘likes’ does our business Facebook page have? Do we have any followers on Instagram? Are our tweets being re-tweeted? Social Media Management has been a highly useful tool
Is your digital marketing strategy ignoring about 20% of the population in the UK? Read More »
Personally, I hate sitting in meetings listening to words that, at times, seem quite frankly made up and so far outside the realm common usage you feel like yelling “That’s not a real word!” There will always be the marketing buzzwords that come into fashion but thankfully leave us as quickly as they arrived. However,
Marketing Buzzwords Read More »
Because a podcast is created by you, it’s unique to you and your company. This means that you can create a truthful and believable tone which will grab regular listeners. Podcasts also provide a perfect platform for you to teach your listener base about your business and enables you to gain followers who are genuinely interested in what you do. After all, it takes more commitment to listen to a podcast than to like a Facebook post.
Should podcasting be part of your marketing strategy? Read More »
Do you know what a social media influencer is? I’m going to assume that you have heard of Kim Kardashian. She’s one of those people who is famous but no-one can really pinpoint exactly why. Kardashian shot to fame in 2003 as the friend and stylist of Paris Hilton (less famous now) and has cemented herself as
Social Media Influencers: Do you need a Kardashian in your life? Read More »
It is estimated that you need between 5 and 20 touch points (depending on industry) before considering buying from or using a company. That’s 5-20 videos, blogs, e-books that are read or absorbed, radio adverts, out of home media, magazine articles, etc, before they consider purchasing your product. Essentially, they want to get to know you before they commit, which is very reasonable. Ensuring that you have an armoury of excellent content means that you are in a prime position to seal the deal and begin to convert leads from customers.
The way to their heart and wallet is through your content Read More »
Take a moment to imagine that you’re in a shopping centre which is full of shops selling identical products all at the same price. What makes you choose the shop to purchase from? Is it the way the product is displayed? How helpful the shop assistant is? The advertising in the windows? Whether they accept
UX, User Experience – Give the users what they want Read More »
Is your website working? Do you know who’s visiting it? It’s really rather easy to find out using Google Analytics, which is completely free and pretty easy to set up. As a bit of a statistics fan and number cruncher, I love scrolling through a Google Analytics report, and the app gives me some
Using Google Analytics to understand your website Read More »
Can you market your business effectively without Instagram? If you run your own business, author your blog or post frequent content to your website and you’re not using Instagram, then you could be missing a huge trick in marketing your brand. It has now been calculated that there are One Billion active Instagram users every
Instagram – a must-have tool for your business? Read More »
Chris Daly, Chief Executive of The Chartered Institute of Marketing, comments: “In today’s customer-led world, getting Data Right is a business-critical issue. Whilst our research reveals trust is low and the public is being bombarded with data, two-thirds (67%) of the public actually said they would share more personal information if organisations were more open about how they will use it.
Not Another Marketing Agency pledges to get DATA RIGHT Read More »
It’s important not to forget the tried-and-tested, as well as the new marketing kids on the block. The attraction of the latest whizzy tech can be almost overwhelming, but as I said earlier, integrated marketing is all about the consumer. Irritate and annoy them, and you’ll lose them. Think about your campaign messages from their point of view; they won’t care how much money you’ve spent trying to grab their attention – it’s not their problem.
What is Integrated Marketing? Read More »
If you look down our list of blogs (and it’s pretty extensive) you can pretty much get the message that we think blogging is important. Whether you are running an existing business or starting a new career, a blog is an important and useful way of sharing your message. When we tell clients that they
Why is Blogging Important? Read More »
As a business owner, you’ve probably already looked at your business plan and revamped it, considering which steps you will take over the next 12 months to improve your processes and your profits. Staff training, new equipment, maybe even new premises, but have you thought about how you will let your existing and potential customers know about your plans and achievements? It’s the one business resolution that always gets overlooked. You need to update your marketing plan!
Why improving your marketing plan should be your New Year’s Resolution Read More »
Why is a logo important? Your logo is the pinnacle visual element of your branding, and all your marketing efforts should pivot around this fundamental symbol, representing you and your business. Despite this, the fundamental logo is probably one of the most overlooked areas of any business. Your logo will undoubtedly ‘speak’ to your
You can’t afford to take shortcuts with your logo Read More »
Website design trends that have emerged during 2016 and expected to be refined during 2017 Website design trends today follow very different trends than they did just a year ago. However, a “trend” doesn’t necessarily mean “new.” Many new design trends come from the tastes and preferences of designers and users in design and usability.
Website trends expected to continue into 2017 Read More »
Everyone has heard of hashtags (#), and the majority of us have used hashtags in our social media content in one way or another. But where did the term ‘hashtag’ originate from? Back in the early years of Twitter (now X), in 2007, a user suggested that a hashtag could be used as a good
What are Hashtags and how do you use them effectively? Read More »
With so many business events being put on, from networking to training, you really need to come up with something a little different. USPs (Unique Selling Point) is the annoying acronym that should be inserted into that statement. There have been some excellent examples recently of really good and interesting events targeted to specific markets
What makes a successful business event? Read More »
