How Blogging Can Help Business Increase Sales Those of us that blog for business know this stuff works, but it is useful when we come across small prices of research which support and reinforce our actions.Interestingly while blogging for B2B (Business to Business) is not as effective as B2C (Business to Consumer) - it still has a significant impact on traffic and sales.What is not said however is the location of the blog. Is in on the site or off site? I suspect it is on site for this … [Read more...] about How Blogging can help Business Increase Sales
Checking professional membership or accredited user status
Accreditation buttons - who are you? Is the person why they really say they are? - protecting your IP & reputation - "accreditation buttons" Recently I have been thinking about using of the logos of the professional bodies I belong to on this and other sites - but then many do not want their IP used (ie their Logo) as it may be seen as an endorsement. At the same time I want to be able to use this as a differentiation. How could this be a win/win?This got me thinking … [Read more...] about Checking professional membership or accredited user status
How to use Twitter for great customer service
Social Media & Customer Service Over the past few months I have been (un)fortunate enough to have experienced some very poor customer service in the context of relatively high value purchases. In each case after failing to have the problem acknowledged by the appropriate customer service channel I have put up a direct tweet or two, and the reactions have been curious.From a direct point of view I have had everything from very quick resolution through to being completely ignored. However … [Read more...] about How to use Twitter for great customer service
Marketing plan for a training company
How to develop a marketing plan for your training company What is a marketing plan? A Marketing Plan is sometimes called a marketing strategy, in essence it is an action plan of what it is you are going to do to promote your business. Like any SMART goal it is a written plan that states the marketing goals and the objectives to be achieved over a specified period of time.So if you are currently in business or looking to set up a training company or starting out in freelance training, the … [Read more...] about Marketing plan for a training company
How & why to start a business or technical blog
Starting a Business or Technical Blog There is a lot of advice on the internet on "how to start a business blog", less on "why to start a business blog" and even fewer on how and why.This article was prompted by a tweet I saw asking for advice when he has been "tasked with finding out about blogs with the aim of setting up a technical one". Many freelance or small business owners may that also considered setting one up as others in their industry have them. So why blog for business? Why … [Read more...] about How & why to start a business or technical blog
Learning Practitioners Association (LPA)- Are you making the most of your membership
Marketing Tips For Trainers & Learning Facilitators Are you a member of the Learning Practitioners Association - LPA (formerly TrainerBase)? Are you making it work for you? In this article Mike Morrison describes how he as made it to be number 1 listing in TrainerBase which has a significant impact on how many people look at your profile, and can enhance your ability to get hired. Ok so you have ‘signed up’ but what is The LPA and how can you make it work for you? Note – if you are a not … [Read more...] about Learning Practitioners Association (LPA)- Are you making the most of your membership
Making Twitter Work for Business – #connectingHR
Making Twitter & Networking Work for Business At a networking event last night in London #connectingHRamonst the many discussions were several on Twitter and its use in HR and business. The event was the first independent HR based tweetup in the UK and was very successful and well attended - over 100 registered and I would estimate that approximately 60-70 people were in attendance.One comment I heard was "I expected it to be a room full of people on laptops and geeks, but these are real … [Read more...] about Making Twitter Work for Business – #connectingHR
Six reasons why all business need a website
You can start a business easier today than ever, but you must have a corresponding website for your business. Every business big or small should have a website, but those that are smaller will have to take more time and effort to build their presence online. Whether you have just started your business or finally realized that you need a website for your company, there are many benefits that come with having a website.Having a professional website for your business can boost your success at a … [Read more...] about Six reasons why all business need a website
ICAEW Directors Briefings #Updated
Directors briefings are for senior managers and strategic decision makers. Directors Briefings, Resources for busy professionals:Every now and again as a consultant, manager or business adviser we need to put our hands on short, accurate and trusted materials covering a wide range of topics.In a previous blog entry, I highlighted some of the fact-sheets available from the CIPD most of which are open to any web site visitor. In the same way that the CIPD fact-sheets provide HR based … [Read more...] about ICAEW Directors Briefings #Updated
6 Steps to Successfully Setting Up a Marketing Automation Campaign
We all know that writing and processing content for your content marketing strategy is thirsty work. The entire process is time-consuming, and you never know whether or not your hard work is going to pay off until you’ve published it unless you’re prepared.One of the best ways to save yourself some time so you can focus on promoting your content and writing content to the highest possible quality for the highest possible engagement rates is to automate some of your processes.If … [Read more...] about 6 Steps to Successfully Setting Up a Marketing Automation Campaign
What is a business blog? A marketing tool?
What is a Blog?Lets look at the background behind this technology, so we can understand where it is coming from.Research into the history behind blogs suggests that it was Pyra Labs is the company that adopted the word Blogger, and made the service a big success (now known as Google blogger/ blogspot).The people that were the co-founders of Pyra Labs were Evan Williams and Meg Hourihan. "Pyra" was also the name of the company's first product. It was a web based application … [Read more...] about What is a business blog? A marketing tool?
The Insanity of looking at the “wrong” LinkedIn metrics on articles
Looking at the wrong LinkedIn metrics? Are you guilty of looking and focusing on inefficient LinkedIn metrics? There are some an old sayings, Just because you can measure something,does not mean you should. And What gets measured gets done. Looking at the wrong LinkedIn metrics? Why do we focus on some metrics and not others? Dowe look at the right or wrong LinkedIn metrics?I was at a networking event recently and the talk was about LinkedIn Posts/ articles and … [Read more...] about The Insanity of looking at the “wrong” LinkedIn metrics on articles
Why blog? Is it a Marketing tool?
Why should we blog?For some time I have been promoting Twitter as a good thing for people running small businesses to do, but recently I have been asked “why blog” and what is the value to small businesses and freelance consultants and trainers.I guess that because I have been doing this for some time that I overlooked the basics. This article is the first is a short series to show why and how to blog for business.People and business blog for a wide range of reasons including: … [Read more...] about Why blog? Is it a Marketing tool?
Twitter as a marketing tool for training courses & events
Using Twitter to market your training event As the training market changes, increasingly more and more trainers are looking to promote their on-line and open courses events, But how do you get people to attend and how do you keep costs down?If you are a member of TrainerBase or Training journal (TJonline), both have the ability to promote your events, however it is doubtful if either can fill a course. Some use paid for services, where a high percentage of the revenue goes to attracting … [Read more...] about Twitter as a marketing tool for training courses & events
Twitter as a marketing & CRM tool
Twitter: your CRM & marketing channel. It's about more than just followers...Over the past 12 months in my twitter contributions I have often included tips to help those involved in using twitter for their business (marketing). I often get requests to publish a full set - so here is a list of my current thinking about using twitter as a tool for building relationships for future business. In no particular order (other than alphabetical)...Add value - share interesting or useful … [Read more...] about Twitter as a marketing & CRM tool
Using Facebook Canvas as a Marketing Tool for SMEs
In a previous RapidBI article we discussed the effectiveness of Twitter in terms of marketing for SMEs. However, it is far from being the only social media tool that you can use to reach your online audiences. Facebook Canvas was introduced a year ago to allow companies, including SMEs, to establish their marketing presence on the social media platform in a new way.What is Facebook Canvas? At first glance, a Facebook Canvas advertisement resembles a standard ad on the social media site. … [Read more...] about Using Facebook Canvas as a Marketing Tool for SMEs
DEEPLIST Analysis – marketing acronym
DEEPLIST analysis – an alternative to the PESTLE analysis Is DEEPLIST better than PEST or PESTLE? or more of the same?DEEPLIST - Demographic, Economic, Ecologic/ Environmental, Political, Legal, Informational, Social and TechnologyIn 2000 Paul N Finlay had a book published called “Strategic management: an introduction to business and corporate strategy”. In this book Finlay used the Acronym DEEPLIST as a way of prompting readers of the key areas that needed to be explored when looking at … [Read more...] about DEEPLIST Analysis – marketing acronym
Twitter as a marketing tool for SMEs
Low cost marketing for smaller businesses on TwitterBudgets are tight, time is short and the emphasis for many businesses is sales, sales, sales. And this is correct - for today... but what about the sales next week, month, year?Gaining sales from existing customers is by far the most effective cost per sale according to much of the research, however gaining access to markets is getting harder. In the UK once upon a time it was easy:2 commercial TV stations Few commercial radio … [Read more...] about Twitter as a marketing tool for SMEs
10 steps to building relationships for effective change management
In this article, I will share my 10 steps to building relationships for effective change management. 10 Tips for building lasting business relationships and making change management more effective.Go back 10 years and change management was more about conformance, tracking technical changes and processes. Thank goodness that has changed.Today Change Management is more about preparing the people in the organisation for the change. Working with the psychology of change and … [Read more...] about 10 steps to building relationships for effective change management
Trade show tips for exhibitors #cipdLDshow 2 Badges – one person – How to get a very different experience at Trade Shows and Exhibitions
Trade shows and exhibitions are a mainstay in the armoury of sales and marketing teams. They cost a lot of money to rent the booths. To design the stand. To have resources and people for the duration of the event. But are they making the most of the opportunity? Presentation Skills at Trade Shows many exhibition organisers offer training and guidance on standing, greeting and engaging people as they walk around the event. many are still not heeding this advice. At this years event for example … [Read more...] about Trade show tips for exhibitors #cipdLDshow 2 Badges – one person – How to get a very different experience at Trade Shows and Exhibitions
