THE Hampshire based marketing blog

I first began posting on my Blogger based Marketing Blog in February 2010 and became astonished at the number of visits I received over the years.  By the time I transferred the updated content onto this site I'd created 150 blog posts - the most popular of which had received over 6,000 visits -  and I'd had in excess of 99,000 visits overall!

 

Marketing moves on apace so my top 12 blog posts have been updated on this blog and I continue to add new subjects to make sure you don't get left behind. I do hope you enjoy my blog - I cover all manner of marketing subjects from copywriting to social media and from branding to low cost marketing methods. If you would ever like me to tackle a post on a marketing or social media subject that has been puzzling you please get in touch.

 

Of course, I am always happy to hear from you if you'd like me to contribute a Guest Post.

 

 

No longer trading so please don't sell to me - thank you

How Can Small Business Owners Nurture Trust Post-COVID?

Guest author Rodney Laws on Thu 15 Apr

The pandemic has forced many business to evolve faster than ever before. In this respect here's some good advice  for the owners of small businesses by guest author Rodney Laws.

Mentoring an event organiser through COVID

Jane Buswell on Thu 3 Dec

Why work with a mentor?  This case study may explain why it can be a good idea.

10 things to consider when choosing images for your business marketing

Jane Buswell on Wed 18 Nov

The correct use of  marketing images can make or break a business. Here are the things you should think about when choosing them

5 Signs that you need to hone your content creation.

Daniel Page on Mon 8 Jun

Content marketing is increasingly important to search engine marketing and search engine optimisation. Make sure you keep monitoring and improving your creation of this. 

 

 

8 Key facts about e-mail marketing in 2020

Jane Buswell on Mon 11 May

If you think e-mail marketing has had its day you might want to think again!

Marketing in a pandemic - it's time to pivot not procrastinate

Jane Buswell on Thu 23 Apr

When you have your back against the wall it certainly forces you to come up with some really creative business ideas. In this post I'm sharing some innovative examples  of how businesses are adapting during the current pandemic.  

 

 

Weather reports: could purple prose be creating an anxious society?

Jane Buswell on Mon 10 Feb

Do be careful about using over dramatic language - it could have far reaching consequences...  

 
 
 

Should you use humour in marketing?

Jane Buswell on Thu 23 Jan

Are you tempted to use humour in your marketing but still wary? Let's look at a couple of companies that have made humour central to their brand approach.

Guest Posts - me for you and you for me

Jane Buswell on Thu 9 Jan

Struggling to get your message across?  Have you considered being a guest author for another person's blog or encouraging a guest author to write for you?

Logos with hidden meanings – too clever by far perhaps?

Jane Buswell on Thu 12 Dec

Some logos are SO clever that we actually miss their hidden meaning. Here's some examples - did you know about them already?

Handwritten logos – some great examples

Jane Buswell on Thu 21 Nov

Anyone can create a cursive logo or a logo which looks as if it is handwritten.  But some are based on the signatures of actual people...

The best web platform for small businesses?

Rodney Laws on Tue 8 Oct

My guest blogger this month is Rodney Laws, Editor of Ecommerce Platforms. He has kindly taken the time to address the tricky issue of where small business might build their websites

Marketing, political correctness and social nuances

Jane Buswell on Thu 16 May

Be careful that you're not accidentally offending a potential client simply by not moving with the times.

Marketing and Social Responsibility – win win

Jane Buswell on Thu 2 May

Isn't it great when one person's marketing is another person's helpline?

Small business - less plastic – fantastic!

Jane Buswell on Thu 14 Mar

Looking to reduce the use of plastic in your small business?  Here's what I'm doing who I'm recommending

8 hints and tips on setting and achieving goals

Jane Buswell on Thu 11 Oct

One of the most common problems I see discussed  on forums for the self employed is about failing to drive the business forward. Hopefully this blog post on goal setting will help with that!

Smarter Ways for Brainstorming Infographic Ideas

Andre Oentoro on Sun 30 Sep

Thinking about doing an Infographic?  Here are 11 tips that may make that task a little easier.

10 steps to creating your brand

Jane Buswell on Thu 23 Aug

Branding a business is not just for the big boys so don't miss out on this tried and tested method of standing out from the crowd.

All change and how to schedule a third party post on Facebook

Jane Buswell on Thu 9 Aug

Did you know you could schedule someone else's post from your Facebook page within Facebook itself.  Here's how...

SEO Audit: What Does it Imply for your Business Website?

Guest Author James Cummings on Mon 23 Jul

Have you checked the search engine optimisation of your website recently? You should!

Improve your social media marketing by avoiding these 12 things

Jane Buswell on Thu 5 Jul

Maintaining a social media presence takes time and effort so here's what you should avoid at all costs if you want it to work for you 

To procrastinate or not to procrastinate - that is the question

Jane Buswell on Thu 21 Jun

Are you chasing your tail and still overwhelmed at what there is to do?  Could you be a procrastinator?! 

Get to the point - 20 editing tips

Jane Buswell on Thu 7 Jun

Now, more than ever, we need to be succinct. This post will help you cut out the waffle on your website, your blog posts and your marketing material

Out of this world brand purpose

jane Buswell on Thu 24 May

How embracing brand purpose helped to put a man on the moon

How to do a successful sales presentation

Jane Buswell on Thu 10 May

Work your way through this checklist and you can't fail to get all your ducks in a row for that next key pitch

Running a successful event - 5 key questions and 5 golden rules

Jane Buswell on Thu 19 Apr

Organising an event can be tricky and costly,so let's consider some key questions before you get distracted from your main business!  

Getting people to visit your website and stay there

Jane Buswell on Tue 10 Apr

It's likely that blood, sweat and tears have gone into the building of your website now how are you going to make it work for you?

Getting clients to read your communication rather than just look

Jane Buswell on Thu 22 Mar

We glance at written materials, we scan our e-mails, we flick through our messages - how do you persuade contemporary clients to slow down and READ your marketing materials?

Bespoking the benefits of your business

Jane Buswell on Tue 6 Mar

Mind the gap!  A one size fits all marketing approach is not going to work...

Ten brilliantly effective persuasion techniques

Jane Buswell on Wed 21 Feb

Don't worry you're not selling, your PERSUADING :-)

 

Are you writing or are you selling?

Jane Buswell on Tue 6 Feb

If most of us agree that being able to talk doesn't mean we are able to sell why do we think that being able to write words is all we need to sell our business to prospective clients?

For your business to fly it’s essential to retain relevance

Jane Buswell on Thu 18 Jan

If you always do what you've always done you'll always get what you've always got

9 key marketing questions for business growth in 2018

Jane Buswell on Tue 9 Jan

A little self examination is always useful so here are 9 key marketing questions to ask about your business

Clever characterisation

Jane Buswell on Wed 20 Dec

We are all having to be authors, editors and publishers these days. One thing that will help you to broaden your vocabulary in this endeavour is to read...

Are you geared up for customer care on social media?

Jane Buswell on Wed 6 Dec

I was recently sent a very detailed infographic by www.websitebuilder.org.uk which talked about the role that social media now plays in terms of customer support. It made for interesting reading...

Increase click through rates (CTR) with Compelling Call to Action Buttons

Guest author Nick Rojas on Wed 22 Nov

Compelling call to action (CTA) buttons are not just for websites. To get the most out of your email and newsletter outreach, it’s essential to have call to action buttons that increase click through rates (CTR) and convert.

Why your small business needs to be blogging

Guest author Jock Purtle on Thu 2 Nov

6 top tips about approaching business blogging in the right way by guest blogger Jock Purtle

Should drip marketing be part of your marketing mix?

jane Buswell on Tue 24 Oct

Drip marketing is a way of automating the sending out of pre-written and scheduled marketing communications. A large number of companies use this method in their marketing mix.

Good marketing is empathetic marketing

Jane Buswell on Thu 5 Oct

A little empathy goes a long way..

Don't hide your (marketing) light under a (modesty) bushel!

Jane Buswell on Thu 21 Sep

One tweet that often provokes a reaction is "The modesty of excellent entrepreneurs often gets in the way of their marketing" - let's sort this!

What is your brand purpose?

Jane Buswell on Thu 7 Sep

When low prices became synonymous with poor quality goods and service Asda parent company Wal-Mart had to do something about their branding. In the event they looked at their brand purpose.

Building your prospects on LinkedIn 2017

Jane Buswell on Wed 23 Aug

Did you know that five minutes on LinkedIn will give you a headstart on some great new prospects for your business?

Have you checked out the 2017 version of LinkedIn?

Jane Buswell on Thu 10 Aug

Sometimes we have a go at a new marketing activity and walk away when it seems too tricky. I'm sure lots of people have felt like that about LinkedIn. But crikey look at it now!

The top reasons people succeed with their digital marketing

Guest Author Victoria Greene on Thu 20 Jul

Success in digital marketing comes from great planning, implementation and adjustment to customer feedback. Here's how...

The differences in marketing to men and women

Jane Buswell on Tue 4 Jul

Why should marketing to men and marketing to women be different?  This post explains

Careless talk costs business

Jane Buswell on Wed 21 Jun

I get it you feel relaxed in a friendly networking group and feel you can share everything.  But that may not be the best idea...

What are your core values?

Jane Buswell on Tue 6 Jun

If you haven't heard of core values you might find this post VERY useful 

Please don't corporate speak

Jane Buswell on Thu 25 May

Corporate Speak - the way to marketing ruin!

8 ways of getting great customer testimonials

Jane Buswell on Thu 4 May

If someone loves your work you need to capture that sparkle and let it shine all over your target market!

Understanding people

Jane Buswell on Thu 20 Apr

Doing business without identifying your target market will stop you in your tracks. So let’s have a think about that challenge...

E-Newsletters – a step by step thought process

Jane Buswell on Tue 11 Apr

The key to marketing success is walking in the shoes of your potential clients. I explain how this works in terms of successful e-newsletters.

Content Marketing – your promotional catalyst

Jane Buswell on Wed 22 Mar

I was so impressed by Duct Tape's blog post on Content Marketing I am sharing this with you today.

5 ways to drive traffic from Instagram to your website

Jane Buswell on Wed 8 Mar

I want it all - so I do get a bit fretful about the fact that you can’t add clickable links to your Instagram captions. Here's how to get round it.

Why is NO-ONE opening my e-mail newsletters?

Jane Buswell on Wed 22 Feb

You spend ages researching material for a newsletter and spend even longer writing it, you then e-mail out and no-one opens your e-mail. Let's find out why...

12 reasons why potential clients and customers won't immediately buy from you

Jane Buswell on Tue 7 Feb

There are many reasons why someone may not immediately buy from you. The good news is, if you know those reasons you can do something about it.

Google My Business Reviews 101

Jane Buswell on Thu 19 Jan

A recent report said that 90% of respondents claimed that positive reviews affected their purchasing decisions so make no mistake Google My Business reviews REALLY matter

What is influencer marketing?

Jane Buswell on Thu 5 Jan

If you look at the predictions for doing marketing in 2017 there are lots of mentions of “influencer marketing” so I thought it would be helpful to explain what it is and how to do it!

How to improve your website in 10 ways

Jane Buswell on Tue 20 Dec

It's easy to forget about your website once its up and done but this is one of your major marketing platforms so make sure you keep up to date with hints and tips on improvements.

Emoticons, Emoji’s and ASCIIart

Jane Buswell on Thu 8 Dec

I’m mindful that you must never rest in finding ways to stand out from the crowd and it was a very useful post from Buffer which initially set me off investigating into emoticons and emojis. 

10 ways for Doctors, Dentists and allied health professionals to improve their online marketing

Jane Buswell on Thu 24 Nov

How will potential patients find you if you're not making the most of your online presence? Here are 10 simple ways to do just that...

How good is your online reputation?

Jane Buswell on Tue 15 Nov

I was recently contacted to try out an infographic which helped me to check out my online reputation. Here are the results.

9 easy to remember quotations to keep your marketing on track

Jane Buswell on Thu 27 Oct

I have a mixed relationship with quotations. I find many a bit saccharine to be honest but a few really do resonate and teach me about work or life. I hope these do the same for your marketing.

Twitter Lists - 10 ways to use them for monitoring AND marketing

Jane Buswell on Tue 11 Oct

Are you making full use of Twitter lists?  Indeed are you using them at all?  If not you're almost certainly missing out

Social Media for Counsellors and Psychotherapists

Jane Buswell on Wed 21 Sep

I've run several social media workshops for different District Associations of Counsellors and Psychotherapists. Each time I knew the challenge would be to convince attendees that social media doesn't conflict with the therapy dynamic.

Contranyms - what they are and some great examples

Jane Buswell on Thu 25 Aug

As a copywriter it would be rather strange if I wasn’t a huge fan of words so when I came across the subject of contranyms I couldn’t wait to share some examples with you.

How to blog successfully

Jane Buswell on Thu 11 Aug

Upon critiquing the website of a new client I queried why their blog looked like their Facebook  page. “That’s because it’s the same content” they said  “we don’t know how to blog”

6 key pieces of advice for business success

Jane Buswell on Fri 22 Jul

It is 13 years today since I incorporated Business Fulcrum Limited and I thought I'd celebrate with a little blog post about what I have learned

Playing with Palindromes

Jane Buswell on Wed 13 Jul

As a wordsmith, it's perhaps no surprise that I love words - and one of my favourite books is Mark Forsyth's The Etymologicon.  This is a book all about language, where it comes from and how it has developed. 

How do you work out your target market?

Jane Buswell on Tue 28 Jun

There are a number of marketing definitions but one of the most succinct is “getting the right message to the right market via the right media and methods” In my experience too few new business owners think about the market – or target market - part –of that statement which is very strange

Keep calm and carry on

Jane Buswell on Wed 15 Jun

The First World War saw an extensive use of posters for propaganda but one of it's most famous was not really discovered until the year 2000

Leaflet Distribution - it's an art and a science

Jane Buswell on Thu 26 May

How much thought are you putting into your leaflet distribution? Have you carefully considered where you’re posting your marketing material - or are you going for a scattergun approach?

Looking for an infographic maker and some savvy advice?

Jane Buswell on Tue 10 May

Infographic maker advice and the secrets of a good infographic

Bulk SMS as part of mobile marketing

Jane Buswell on Tue 26 Apr

If you've wondered about bulk SMS as part of your mobile marketing read on...

Cover Letter Writing 101

Marketing Consultant Jane Buswell on Tue 12 Apr

Does the cover letter you've sent with your lovely sales brochure enhance or detract from your marketing effort?

Why Content Marketing is key to digital marketing

Jane Buswell on Tue 22 Mar

In a nutshell, content marketing is the creation and sharing of educational content with the express purpose of attracting, engaging and acquiring potential clients and customers. So what does that mean for you?

Playful Marketing as part of your marketing strategy

Jane Buswell on Tue 8 Mar

Businesses have become increasingly "unbuttoned"  – literally in terms of dress down Friday (which now seems to be dress down Monday to Fridays) In step with this, marketing has become more playful and humorous.

What are the KPI's of social media marketing?

Jane Buswell on Tue 23 Feb

The key performance indicators of successful social media are generally recognised as being:-

Why your marketing plan starts with where you are now

Jane Buswell on Thu 4 Feb

Do you feel overwhelmed at having to put together a marketing plan? Do you turn pale when putting together a marketing plan is top of the advice list when finding out about growing your business.

Should you put prices on your website for your target market?

Jane Buswell on Wed 20 Jan

Whilst recently helping a client identify her position in the market we came to the old chestnut about what to charge and, more specifically, whether to show prices on the website.

Slogans - catchy, long lasting and with inbuilt bounce back

Jane Buswell on Tue 5 Jan

Happy New Year to you! I thought I'd continue in the vein of the onslaught of Christmas sweeties by continuing to write about slogans This time it's Kit Kat's "Have a break. have a Kit-Kat" 

 

Slogans – catchy, long lasting and…accidental

Jane Buswell on Tue 15 Dec

I do love good slogans! I can particularly appreciate one that is evocative and durable like Kentucky Fried Chicken’s “Finger-lickin good” so how brilliant is it that this came about by total accident.

Putting together a great networking 60 seconds or elevator pitch

Jane Buswell on Mon 30 Nov

I’ve been to a LOT of networking groups since I set up the company in 2003. Most of those expect members and visitors to share 60 seconds about their company so it amazes me that so many people bimble their way through these because they haven’t prepared.

Three simple questions, one great marketing campaign

Jane Buswell on Mon 16 Nov

I’m sure it won’t surprise you that I am always interested in finding out more about clever marketing ideas. And for case studies to share with clients,  I’m actually interested in finding out how a clever idea came about as well as the idea itself.

If you've got it flaunt it using a company name generator

Jane Buswell on Mon 26 Oct

This post - about clever company names and the art of differentiation - has been enjoyed by nearly 1200 people. And if you've never heard of Super Hod here's your chance!

How to be a good tweeter - tweeting a conversation

Jane Buswell on Thu 1 Oct

When you first start on Twitter it feels really strange trying to have a conversation; of course it’s a great idea to do this since this IS the quickest way to extend your reach and reputation through the creation of new or improved relationships.  

No. 12 - Social media marketing - creating a social media policy for customer complaints

Jane Buswell on Tue 22 Sep

 

How to create a social media policy for customer complaints

No. 11 - Memes for Marketing and looking for a free meme generator

Jane Buswell on Tue 8 Sep

Fancy using a meme in your marketing? Find out what a meme actually is (!) and how to make one.

No. 10 - How to spell its or it’s, your or you’re, their, there or they’re

Jane Buswell on Tue 25 Aug

I'd like to help you avoid these common spelling mistakes to avoid making a bad first impression

 

How to spell - my Complementary or Complimentary Soapbox

Jane Buswell on Tue 18 Aug

Which do you use complementary or complimentary?  Find out here

No. 8 - Another expert Marketing Strategy with great tips for you

Jane Buswell on Wed 12 Aug

How does the British Heart Foundation drive customers?

No. 7 Famous Slogans - Go to work on an egg

Jane Buswell on Wed 29 Jul

 

Vintage marketing - about the brilliant slogan "Go to work on an egg"

No 6. An expert Marketing Strategy with great lessons for you

Jane Buswell on Wed 15 Jul

Great marketing lessons from Ocado

No 5 - How to be a good tweeter - tweet like a DJ

Jane Buswell on Wed 1 Jul

So you've put up your  Twitter profile, and you've tweeted a few times.  Now what? Why not think about how DJ's broadcast to their invisible audience? 

No 4. Deciding on your marketing mix begins with understanding your marketing data

Jane Buswell on Wed 17 Jun

Not that many business owners actually love data analysis.  But if you want your marketing mix to be successful you need to keep an eye on what is working and what isn't. Over 19000 people have already visited this post to find out how you do just that. 

No 3 - Famous Slogans - Probably the best lager in the world

Jane Buswell on Tue 2 Jun

It seems we love finding out about slogans this is one of my 5 most popular blog posts with over 3,500 visits to date! So let's look at Carlsberg's "Probably the best lager in the world"

No 2 - How to market research your competitors

Jane Buswell on Wed 20 May

How can you stand out from the crowd if you know nothing about your competitors? Over 4,000 visits to this blog confirm that business owners know that market research of your sector is an essential part of marketing overall so here's how you do it.

No 1 - Pinterest for Business: Coaches, Mentors and Trainers

Jane Buswell on Wed 6 May

You may have thought that Pinterest was only for those businesses which have a visual product.  You might be surprised to find out, therefore, that Pinterest is a superb platform for Coaches, Mentors and Trainers 

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