The right social media for your business

The right social media for your business

Social media wears many hats – the secret is knowing which ‘outfits’ to wear them with!  Let’s take a look at the biggest platforms and examine how they work – for relationships, business, job hunting and more. Facebook is VERY social and...
Marketing in 10 minutes a day

Marketing in 10 minutes a day

One of the most frequent questions I’m asked is ‘How long should I spend on marketing?’  Realistically, I think you should be investing at least three hours a week, but most small business owners insist they haven’t got that much time to spend....
A simple marketing plan for busy people

A simple marketing plan for busy people

If you’re a business owner with limited staff keeping the ‘sausage machine’ stuffed is a perpetual challenge!  When business comes in the customer has to come first and it’s easy to push the marketing activities onto the back burner simply...
How shiny is your reputation?

How shiny is your reputation?

When was the last time you did a reputation check?  Do you know what people are saying about you – good and not so good? Most of us work hard, are nice to our customers and deliver good quality goods and services – but is that enough to create a great...
3 Essentials for Effective Online Marketing

3 Essentials for Effective Online Marketing

Lots of businesses see the opportunities offered by online marketing as like a huge box of chocolates – lots of tasty goodies so they can’t wait to try them all! Unlike chocolates, the opportunities don’t disappear, they’re always there to be...
7 steps to getting your name in the news

7 steps to getting your name in the news

Being featured in a publication that your potential clients read is fantastic for raising your profile, letting people get to know your business better and standing out from the crowd.  So how do you get  into print? Before you start ringing up the editor of your...
Cognitive overload – i.e. ‘my brain hurts’

Cognitive overload – i.e. ‘my brain hurts’

Just lately I keep finding I’m reading about cognitive overload when it comes to websites.  It’s one of those geeky terms that are like gobbledegook – what does it really mean? The answer is simple – it means that the visitor to your website is...
Would you accept a bribe?

Would you accept a bribe?

I can almost hear the outraged cries!  However, we all accept bribes from time to time – I’m talking about those tempting ‘How to’ or Tips documents that are offered on many websites.  The bribe is ‘get this tasty, hot knowledge in...
What is commercial copywriting?

What is commercial copywriting?

This is a question I get asked a lot when I’m out networking and the simple answer is ‘writing to persuade people to take action’.  However, there is a bit more to it than that. Accurate English – grammar, spelling and punctuation – is...
Are you a gossip?

Are you a gossip?

When I was working on our book, The Reputation Game, with my co-author, Peter Roper, we came to a conclusion – reputation is based on gossip! If nobody is talking about you, you don’t have a reputation.  Of course, it is important that the gossip is...