Picture this. You walk into a bar. You spot a good-looking man or woman across the room. So you walk up to them and ask them to marry you. Sound like something you’d do? Probably not. Yet small businesses do this all the time with their customers. You meet a new prospect. You do a quick [...]
If you want to do effective content marketing, then you need to follow these five simple rules of writing. Use short words – not big words Use fewer words – not more words Use shorter paragraphs – not longer paragraphs Use English – not business jargon Use full stops – not commas Follow these guidelines and [...]
Which social media platforms should your small business be on? Facebook? Pinterest? Tik-Tok? Instagram? As there are so many to choose from, there’s always the worry that you’re somehow missing out. But as a small business, what you need to do is hang out where your customers hang out. If they’re business professionals, they’re probably on LinkedIn. [...]
“Make the customer the hero of your story.” That quote from Ann Handley gets to the heart of what separates good marketing from the bad. A lot of small business understand the importance of telling stories in their marketing. But then they often fall into the trap of positioning their business, product or service as the [...]
I’m often asked how long content marketing takes to work. Unfortunately, there’s no precise answer. Instead, think of content marketing as a lot like going to the gym. If you want to get fit, you have to keep working out day after day. Success takes time. Content marketing is the same. There are no get-rich-quick-schemes here. [...]
People don't buy the drill – they buy the hole. In other words, when customers come into your small business they’re not looking for the products or services you provide. Rather they want the solutions those products or services deliver. That’s what’s valuable. Marketing works better when there's less talk about drill specs and more talk [...]
If you want your marketing to be more effective, then the best language to use is simple language. Small businesses often make the mistake of thinking that big words and long sentences make them sound clever and important. In fact, the opposite is true. Simple words and short sentences make you sound smart. You come across [...]
Don't have time or money to do marketing right now? I'm sure your rivals will be delighted to hear that. Because on any given day, at least one of your rivals is marketing directly to your customers. That's why you need to find the time to do marketing every day. It doesn't have to be expensive. [...]
As of today, you no longer run a real estate agency or a dental practice or [insert your business]. You run a media company. Once you make that mental shift, you’ll suddenly realise how to improve your marketing and make more sales. Think about the most successful businesses in your field. There’s a good chance they’re [...]
Digital marketing guru John Rampton has a simple formula for how small businesses can turn online activity into offline sales. The key, he told Big Questions with Cal Fussman, is to "give away the farm" in your blogs and social media posts – to reveal all your intellectual property to existing and potential customers. Rampton says [...]
