Sales & Marketing

To think we started 2020 relieved that we had made our businesses GDPR-compliant and believing the biggest challenge for the year ahead was Brexit. Then there was talk of a deadly virus in China and, within a few short months, it became apparent that we were in the grip of a global pandemic. (more…)

As COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on the economy and forces the UK into a second lockdown, the housing market is booming. However, while demand and house sales are high, it is taking longer for transactions to complete because of the backlog from the first lockdown, limited availability of surveyors and increasingly stringent lending criteria for borrowers. (more…)

With the UK set for its first digital Black Friday following a second national lockdown, many companies are hoping to capitalise on what is usually the busiest shopping weekend of the year. (more…)

The second lockdown is causing uncertainty and worry for many business owners. However, lockdown 2.0, as it’s known by many, is the perfect time to ensure that your digital marketing campaigns are performing well, to help you gain the results you need to get through these troubled times. So, how do you make the most out of lockdown 2.0 with digital marketing? (more…)

My new book, The Book of Real-World Negotiations: Successful Strategies from Government, Business and Daily Life not only focuses on real world negotiation examples, but a subplot that clearly comes through in the book is the power that stories possess when it comes to negotiating. (more…)

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been around for ages, which means it’s a little ‘yesterday’ surely?

Not according to Shon Alam, founder of Bidwedge, who argues that CSR is now more important than ever and outlines how small businesses can capitalise on the opportunities it offers. (more…)

Across the globe, we trust scientists, doctors and teachers. Over half of us consider these professions to be trustworthy (Ipsos Global Advisor). Business leaders don’t fare so well. Just one in five are described as trustworthy and, perhaps not unexpectedly, politicians are at the bottom of the heap with a mere one in ten of us placing our trust in them. (more…)

“I don’t like promoting myself online.” I have heard this from so many people and I even used to say it myself. I’ve changed my tune, however, because there is so much that can be gained from strategic self-promotion, if done correctly.

During these strange times, when we can’t network inperson, it is more important than ever to be able to effectively promote ourselfves and our services online. (more…)

Getting noticed online is harder than ever. Not only are there more websites out there than ever before but the established players in most niches are firmly entrenched at the top of SERPs.

If you want your website to get anywhere near those coveted top three spots you need to look at ways to improve your online marketing. (more…)

From dodgy design, to a lack of information, instinctively when you land on a website you will know whether it feels like a website you can trust.

Subtle cues as to whether you can trust a website become even more important if you are considering parting with your cash. (more…)

One of the main benefits of all the technology that surrounds us these days is that it allows us to do things that would have been outsourced in the past. And when you’re running a start-up or a small business on a shoestring it makes sense to go down the DIY route for all sort of requirements – your branding, design & print and your presentations for example. (more…)

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a seismic shift in how we do business. With face-to-face meetings being replaced by online meetings, calls and conferences, many of us have had to rapidly adapt to new technologies. So how can you communicate more effectively online? (more…)

During the COVID-19 lockdown many businesses have discovered they are perfectly capable of working remotely and delivering most of what they do online.

Sadly, this isn’t the case for millions of businesses working in fields like hairdressing, massage, physiotherapy, children’s parties, cleaning or catering. But this doesn’t mean that business needs to completely stop.  (more…)

When done correctly, affiliate marketing can help generate sales and help you make more profits.

If you’re thinking of trying affiliate marketing for the first time, here’s some advice to help you get it right. (more…)

If you have a website (which you probably should), you will no doubt have considered how to get more visitors to the site. Without attracting high quality traffic, a website offers very little real value to any organisation. (more…)

Architectural visualisation uses computers with powerful rendering capabilities and intricate modelling methods to create digital models of spaces, structures and buildings.

Often abbreviated to arch viz, this creative process is a powerful lead generation and communication tool. (more…)

The majority of small business owners recognise the power of digital marketing and that a website is a must have.

With limited funds and marketing budget, most small businesses tend to buy their website from an agency or designer that does everything. However, as Tim Butler, founder of Innovation Visual explains, this might not be the best course to take. (more…)

According to the founding father of Microsoft Bill Gates: “If your business is not on the internet, then your business will be out of business.”

The statement is bold and even controversial, but the Internet is without doubt, an excellent opportunity to tell as many people as possible about your business. (more…)

We no longer live in a Product Economy where organisations are all powerful; instead we find ourselves firmly in the Customer Economy, where customers have more power than ever, exercising influence as online reviewers, advocates and critics. (more…)

As we head into 2020, one thing is for sure, and that is that 2019 was the year influencer marketing reached the mainstream.

So how can businesses successfully use influencer marketing to reach more customers and grow sales? (more…)

Out of Home (OoH) advertising are any ads you see whilst out and about in your daily life, such as fixed signage and billboards. (more…)

As your business grows, your brand becomes an ever-increasingly important tool to drive your success. It’s importance means you’ll want to nurture and protect it, and part of this will be developing your brand style guidelines. (more…)

Black Friday 2019 is coming up, and consumers are getting ready for a frenzy of online deals. Last year, there were 194 million site visits on Black Friday alone, with over 1.2 billion visits across the whole of Cyber Week for the top 10 retailers. Clearly, this is an event that retailers should be taking part in and capitalising on. (more…)

It has long been an expectation for businesses to make physical spaces accessible for people of all abilities, and improvements have been made.

Now the onus is on online retailers, where there is still a lot of work to be done, so we asked Hilary Stephenson, MD at user experience (UX) design agency, Sigma to outline how small businesses can make their website more accessible. (more…)

Take a close look at any business that has been thriving over the last few years, and there’s a very strong chance you’ll see it has a clear USP, or Unique Selling Point.

Your USP is something you need to develop as you start your own business. So here’s how you can work on your USP to help draw more customers to your business. (more…)

While a large corporation can absorb the damage of a handful of negative reviews, for startups and small businesses, negative reviews can often seriously harm your reputation.

By dealing with bad reviews in the right way, you will show that you care about customer service, and take feedback on board to improve your business as a whole. (more…)

Loyalty programs have been around for decades and are still very popular with the public.

More than three-quarters of UK customers surveyed were a member of a loyalty program and roughly half agree that a loyalty program encouraged them to return to a particular brand. (more…)

Content is at the heart of every modern marketer’s toolkit. But aligning this material with sales departments is a common problem many organisations face.

Your marketing team might be well-armed with blog posts, case studies and whitepapers to generate leads and brand awareness, but you need a well-equipped and driven sales team to nurture leads over the finish line. (more…)

“Let me tell you a story.” These are six very powerful words. Six powerful words which immediately invoke curiosity and anticipation. Six powerful words from which multi-billion-dollar industries have been built.

Beyond film, TV and books, storytelling has become an intentional tool in many of the most successful organisations. How can you use it in your business? (more…)

You’ve done your market research, you’ve got a solid business plan, you’ve registered your company and pulled together funding, suppliers and everything else you need to start your new business. You’re ready to trade – you just need some customers.

However, not all customers are created equal; some are a delight to deal with, while others seem to have crept from the depths just to torment you. (more…)

If your business has a physical presence of any kind, or you exhibit or attend branded events, it’s imperative to invest in quality business signage that stands out from the crowd.

The right signage and logo design will help build brand recognition, both offline and online, and ultimately increase footfall and conversions. (more…)

A lot of small businesses start using Google AdWords in the hope that it will help them increase sales with small investment. This isn’t true.

Yes, AdWords can help you increase sales but only with the right investment. To get the return on investment you’re hoping for, you will need to set up your account properly and invest the right amount of money. (more…)

Even in an age of digital marketing, the use of direct mail as a way of attracting and converting new customers as well as touching base with previous clients remains a tried and tested technique. However, if you make any of these common direct mail mistakes, you will almost certainly be wasting time, paper, ink and postage. (more…)

Whether you are pitching for new business, updating a client on their project or doing some face-to-face business networking, you need to act fast.

As Lyn Roseaman of Toastmasters International explains, you have less than 10 seconds to grab your audience’s attention, and show them you’re going to talk about something they’ll value or that you are someone they’ll want to work with. (more…)

Is your company an authority in its chosen market? If it’s not — it should be.

Being seen as an authority in your line of work is a key part of attracting customers, so here are 4 ways you can build your authority and get yourself ahead of the competition. (more…)

Networking is a skill you can acquire just like any other. Sure, while you’re learning you might make some mistakes but the reality is, mistakes are lessons to learn from.

To help you quickly master the skills you’ll need, here are 5 networking hacks from Bernardo Moya, author of The Question: Find Your True Purpose. (more…)