As we continue to face the uncertainty of BREXIT and its economic consequences many businesses face the challenge of trying to stand out from the crowd and keep sales flowing. Working with many professional services businesses, as I do, I firmly believe there’s only one thing that will help them thrive in the future and […]
It was Henry Ford apparently who said: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got”. Yet for many of us, when it comes to our business and especially marketing, ideas fall into the trap of doing the same things over and over and wondering why we don’t see […]
Keeping existing customers happy can be a great way to decrease marketing spend, although this isn’t always obvious. Most clients that I work with want to attract new customers. They talk to me because they want to grow their business – increase turnover, sell more products – get greater bottom-line return. But almost all of […]
I’m prepared to bet that most people reading this blog have tried direct mail or email marketing at some point. Although not normally a gambler, I’m also willing to wager that 9 out of 10 who say they’ve tried it will also say it didn’t work. That’s certainly the experience I have when I speak […]
Over the last 30 years I’ve spent working in marketing communications many things have changed. A month or so ago I was invited by the lovely people at CommunicateTV to join their podcast series – Reflections on the Changing Face of Marketing. In this podcast I reflect on the changes I’ve seen and offer some […]
When I sat down to write this blog I was conscious of the time constraints that we all face. So here I’m asking for just a 60-minute investment to make a significant impact on your business. If you spend a concentrated 15 minutes on each of the areas discussed below I guarantee you will come […]
A number of readers offered some really positive feedback on my blog in January Tips for better business writing with many offering thanks for the common sense tips and sometimes obvious reminders. It’s fair to say that the points made about ruthless editing of marketing copy struck home for many. So much so that a […]
In my 30 years in marketing I’ve heard many criticisms of marketing suppliers. Whether you are using a web developer to get your business online, a designer to come up with a new corporate identity or an agency to help with advertising and promotional materials the rules of the game are the same. This blog […]
Customers are becoming more and more demanding and customer complaints are on the rise. Research from the Ombudsman Services shows 79% of people said they would leave a company if they handle their complaint badly. No one likes dealing with complaints. Our response is often to become defensive or retaliate. I’d like to suggest an […]
Whenever I talk to business owners about their marketing efforts in their business I face the same question – “what are we doing wrong?” They tell me “We’ve tried advertising, websites, brochures, sales letters – but nothing seems to give us the response we need – what should we try next?” They may be using […]
