SME Marketing Support
A lot of the MARKETING SUPPORT I give to SME’s is not highfalutin strategy ‘stuff’ ! 😉 It is simple, straightforward and solid marketing advice, based upon a) an understanding of their business and b) a lot of my experience working in marketing...
Doing MARKETING properly!
OMG, a Hotel Chocolat salted hot chocolate with whipped cream 😁 Now that is really impressive. If you going to do it, do it PROPERLY (and I did 🤣 ) Talking about doing things PROPERLY… How much of your MARKETING is just “do it and see” kind of stuff?...
Face-To-Face Events & Networking
Face-to-Face EVENTS are always more fun when you are NETWORKING with a long-standing client! 😄 Spenbeck is a wonderfully entrepreneurial business, with consultancies in sustainability, building health and interior design. 👍 It has and continues to be a privilege to...
OMG…Marketing Strategy and Execution!
A few weeks ago I spent AN HOUR OF MY LIFE tuned into a “marketing strategy” WEBINAR 🤔 Even though marketing strategy is what I do for lots of businesses, AND I TEACH IT TOO, I thought you never know, I might learn something 🤞 AND I DID. I learned that...
Woo Hoo…I won the Lottery!
I AM HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE I WON THE NATIONAL LOTTERY 💶 💶 💶 I will stay on LinkedIn for the time being. After all, it was only three numbers, I got £30 🤣 But you are still reading, right, 5 lines into my post. LOOK, GRABBING ATTENTION is really important 😉 Especially if...
Supporting SME’s with Marketing Thinking and Delivery
SMEs represent 99% of all businesses in the UK 👍 So why is it that 99% of marketing case studies showcase the bigger corporations, like Apple and Nike and McDonalds with their deep marketing resources?! 😡 Not much use really, as a guide to an SME 🤷♂️ That’s why...
Pros and Cons of freelance marketing!
Working for yourself has its PROS and its CONS 😉 One upside is the variety of clients – different sectors, B2C and B2B, with a heap of different opportunities and challenges. 100% stimulating 🏆 I particularly like the “GETTING TO KNOW YOU” phase....
Be Better at Strategic Marketing!
Most businesses are doing some kind of MARKETING 🤔 , so there’s a need to be better at thinking and planning what you do (right?!). There’s a lot of choice too when it comes to MARKETING STRATEGY TRAINING… A lot of what is available can be complex and...
Chris Lewis v Mark Ritson, OMG!
“Chris Lewis vs. Mark Ritson 🤔 ” OMG ! 😉 So, I am in comms-mode again for my new #1 Marketing Strategy Programme for Business; emails, social media posts, even old-fashioned (but very effective) word-of-mouth! ONE RESPONSE was “Chris Lewis vs. Mark...
Feature or Benefit?
“People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole!” 😉 FEATURE or BENEFIT? ARE WE SELLING A DRILL OR A PERFECTLY FORMED HOLE? Such an obvious question 🤣 So many businesses talk a lot about what they do, but they sometimes...
Networking with long-standing clients – what fun!
Face-to-Face EVENTS are always more fun when you are NETWORKING with a long-standing client! 😄 Spenbeck is a wonderfully entrepreneurial business, with consultancies in sustainability, building health and interior design. 👍 It has and continues to be a privilege to...
Grabbing attention !
ARE YOU LISTENING? 🐶 GRABBING ATTENTION 🎺 It’s all part of marketing, right? Yes, of course. But anyone can shout, or post a cute picture of pets looking right at you, to grab attention! THE QUESTION IS ARE YOU SHOUTING ABOUT THE RIGHT THINGS? The things which...
BRASS, MOULA, DOUGH 💷
You might know I have just launched my new on-line marketing strategy programme for business 👍 (if not, well you do now! THE NEXT INTAKE IS MONDAY 30th OCTOBER, and it runs on-line for 5 weeks, thanks for asking!) 😉 Some of the initial feedback received is about the...
L E S S T H A N 5 W E E K S T O G O 😁
I know it is still 5 weeks away to the start of the #1 Marketing Strategy Programme for Business, but the clock is ticking 😉 And the most asked question (so far!) is, WHAT DOES THE COURSE COVER? So, we cover the building blocks to developing a marketing strategy for...
STARTUPS AND SMALL BUSINESS NEARLY ALWAYS GET THIS WRONG! 😞
I am a big supporter of entrepreneurs, start ups, and smaller businesses In fact, a fair chunk of my time is pro bono work, helping small businesses with marketing, mentoring, supporting them to grow at a pivotal stage 👍 I know that 100% of their time is devoted to...
ARE YOU JUST THE “COLOURING IN” DEPARTMENT?
I get a little frustrated when I hear this phrase 😔 Often fired off by sales people at the marketing junior As a marketer, we are definitely here partly to service other departments I was a senior (and a junior) marketer for many years, and I had no issue ensuring...
Thinking, thinking, thinking
Thinking, thinking, thinking! For the businesses I support and advise. Have we an agreed set of business objectives? Are we focused on the correct work streams to deliver to those objectives? Which customers are we targeting, and why? Why are we better and different...
Some thought-provoking stuff!
So what is this thought-provoking stuff, I hear you ask? 😉 Well, that is a very good question! For the past 5+ years, I have been supporting and advising lots (and lots) of businesses in many sectors, B2B and B2C. Focusing primarily on marketing strategy – what...
The need to ‘Keep It Simple Stupid!’
I love the acronym KISS I know you know what it means – Keep It Simple (Stupid) It’s a principle I can confidently say I am good at Especially when it comes to marketing strategy Being able to break down complex subjects into manageable bite-sized chunks,...
Working “on” and not “in” your business
What you can expect when I work for (and with) you. I speak with a lot of business owners and senior marketers. They are busy people. We often find in discussion there is a need for some element of marketing help, with specific projects or ongoing tasks which need the...
Strategy + Execution !
A full day at the Speciality Food Fayre at Olympia earlier this week. I walk the show and “chat” with businesses, some established and some looking to find their way. What I find most striking as a marketing strategist is two big things… Firstly,...
Strategy and Leadership
A lot has been written about the collapse of Wilko. I feel sad for employees, suppliers, customers – anyone who had an interest in the business. But strategically it was not in a good place. Assuming you are not using e-commerce, take a moment to think about why...