Unconscious incompetence

Unconscious incompetence

The subject of ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’ has come up in several conversations lately.  In conversations with people who have transitioned from corporate employee to business owner and people who are in a new role in a business and don’t have experience...
In print!

In print!

When you have a marketing budget the issue of PR is often something you start thinking about.  Dreams of making the headlines in the national dailies drift through your mind – in a positive way, of course.  The national dailies are hard to crack – unless you are...
I don’t know what’s working

I don’t know what’s working

John Wanamaker, a 19th century retailer is accredited with the quote: “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.” Many businesses say similar things about their marketing – along the lines of ‘I know some of my...
When is news not news?

When is news not news?

Strictly speaking a business newsletter doesn’t fall into the category of ‘news’.  Most business newsletters are more promotion than news.  The nearest they get to news is the launch of a new product or service. Information about what’s going on in your company really...
Focus on what they want

Focus on what they want

Engagement gets tougher as there’s just so much content on every social platform that it would be a full-time job to try and keep up with it all.  People flick and scroll too quickly to stop and like, share or comment. That doesn’t mean that they’re not reading your...
Why you?

Why you?

The most valuable information your clients can give you is how whatever you do for them makes a difference.  This is one of the reasons I give people a 3-question formula for getting testimonials.  It’s: What did we do for you? What was it like working with us? What...
How long should a blog post be?

How long should a blog post be?

This is a question lots of my clients and people I meet at business events ask.  Sorry to disappoint you, but there’s no definitive answer! Seth Godin writes every day, but sometimes it is as little as 70 words and sometimes it’s 700 (and occasionally even more). The...
The best business card you’ll ever have!

The best business card you’ll ever have!

Business cards are still alive and well, a few have become digital, but in the business networking circles I move in, most people have a piece of card with their essential content details on to hand over.  But what do you do with all those pieces of cardboard when you...
Have you we’d all over your website?

Have you we’d all over your website?

The first time I heard this phrase was on a tele-seminar more than 20 years ago, so it’s not new – but it’s still the most common mistake people make. Take a look at the websites of the people you network with – you’ll quickly spot which ones are professionally...
Making an impression

Making an impression

You’ve probably heard the quotation ‘You never get a second chance to make a first impression’.  It’s a clever quote, but it’s also very true.  If that first impression is less than great, you’ll have to work quite hard to overcome that. When you’re planning to stand...