What to do when planning advertising

Theories about advertising come and go, but the basic starting point for designing an advertising campaign is the USP. As a minimum, there must be a USP – Unique Selling Point – compromising a benefit which is uniquely yours and which attracts. Then you must gain attention from the reader. Creating a print ad with […]

Put together a communications plan

When thinking about marketing I would advise that, wherever possible, you try and construct a holistic communications plan that sets out realistic objectives and a strategy to achieve them. There will always be external influences when it comes to achieving objectives so keep an eye on any awareness and/or public barriers that may exist such […]

There’s no such thing as junk mail

This is a bold statement, but junk mail is not a label I would give to bulk mailings be they printed or emailed. To me the term should be more like misdirected mail or poorly targeted mail. Back in 2011, 21.9 million UK adults took action thanks to Direct  Mail they received. Don’t be surprised by […]

Keep your customers happy – help them

Assuming the project you delivered went well and that you kept your promises, a key area for business development is to try and attract repeat business from these existing customers. To do this do what you did when you won their business – keep them happy! All businesses encounter peaks and troughs and all will […]

Direct Marketing

Too many organisations perceive direct marketing as just direct mail. This is not the case. Direct marketing is a marketing method and direct mail is just one of the initiatives available. It may well form over 50% of what is done under the direct marketing heading, but it is slowly being overtaken by the increasing […]

Marketing Tools of the Trade: A Guide to Core Platforms & Strategies

1. Public Relations (PR) PR focuses on managing a company’s public image through media coverage, press releases, and brand storytelling. It’s about creating positive brand awareness and credibility. 📌 Example: A company launching a new product might send out a press release to industry magazines, aiming for media coverage. ✅ Pros:✔ Builds trust and credibility.✔ […]

Presentations and the art of listening

When I first entered the marketing and advertising industry, my CEO at the time said that presentations need to be dialogues rather than monologues and I’ve never forgotten this piece of valuable advice. I used to dread making presentations and it is very easy to get yourself into a bit of a state when your […]

Marketing Tools. There are lots on offer.

Marketing is multifaceted. The suite of marketing tools available these days means there are a wide range on offer for you to place what you do in from of clients and prospects. To me, these “tools” can be categorised into 6 key areas which are – Cold calling (canvassing) – Appointment making rather than selling […]

Establish your brand

The more you look around, the more it becomes evident that most service professionals are alike in relation to winning new business. You may be not be a marketing person or working within marketing services. You may be an accountant, an architect or a solicitor, but whatever the title and sector, we all have tangibles […]

Advertising. Just adverts yeah? No.

Advertising can come in many forms and, I feel, it comes under a heading of using this form of marketing as an activity to spread your message with the aim of making an impact. In the current climate pretty much all organisations have a website of sorts to act as a place to provide more […]