Ideas & knowhow

One of the best ways to increase followers and influence on social media is to create posts that people want to share. Although there's no exact science about what people will share (one of mine was recently shared over 1000 times and reached nearly a million people and I don't entirely know why!), there are some particular types of post that followers are more likely to share: 

1. Positive, uplifting posts that help people feel good. This could include inspirational or motivational quotes (but…

If you feel that many people are looking and not booking, lurking but not visiting or spending - then you're not alone. 

There's a lot of 'wait-and-see'

Waiting for the weather to get better. Waiting for the economy to improve. Waiting for some kind of certainty. Waiting to feel better. 

This is all going to take some time. 

Of course some people are struggling, but there are also many still with money in their pockets. 

But they're waiting. They're in a state of inertia. 

It's our job to …

How does your business and local area look at the moment?

Everywhere I look I see beautiful (mainly blue) skies, blooming gardens, lush green trees, fresh produce and happy visitors.

Now’s a good time to take photos.

Not just now and then, not just a few but of everything, everywhere, whenever you can!

I'll suggest how you can use these images in a moment. 

First of all though, I really want to stress: any spare moment, when you’re taking a quick break, when you see something beautiful, wh…

Do you find that some of your best ideas strike when you're not at your desk?

Or that when you sit looking at a blank page, it's harder to start writing? 

And are you short of time? 

The answer is simple, thanks to easy-to-use technology. 

Become a dictator.

Not in the all-powerful sense,  but by dictating messages. 

It's now so easy to do, whether you use Word, emails, notes on your phone or any other channel.

Years ago, I had a back problem and couldn't type, especially as I had an urge…

I have never met a business owner who is proud of all they're doing to make their business more sustainable. Not even the gold-starred, award-winning ones. Everyone feels like they're not quite doing enough. Some feel guilty. Others fear that someone will come along at any moment with a big waggy-finger and tell them off. 

It's true: we could all do more. But doing something, anything is better than not doing anything. None of us will ever do enough - that's the reality but...

In the meantime,…

Small businesses have a great advantage over larger ones: they can offer a much more personalised service, and tailor what they do to suit their customers better. 

It can sometimes be hard to convey this to visitors though.

When you write words on your website, in a mailing or on social media do you ever feel like you're casting your words out into the world, not knowing where they'll land or who will read them? I know the feeling!

​It's hard to write in a way that will appeal to potential new gues…

I've been considering some current trends and what visitors are looking for at the moment. Can you use one of these to either develop an aspect of your business, or use as a different promotional angle to appeal to specific markets? 

Slow... slower: a strong interest in slowing down, pausing to enjoy the moment or to simply spend a longer time relaxing and being 'off-line', 'away from it all' and escaping a busy world

Silence: building on the slower trend - a chance to just enjoy silence, or n…

"I haven’t got time for marketing. It just takes too long".

 We’re all guilty of saying this from time to time. But what are we really saying?

 Let’s go back a few steps, and then I’ll also suggest a solution that I’ve found works well.

 First things first. You want your business to make a profit or at least break even? You need people to know about it, and want to visit?

 But you’re only human and only have so many hours in the day. You have to prioritise time according to the tasks in hand…

I recently met with someone who has a really good business, with loads of potential. But he said that he’s struggling, both to get more attention and new visitors, and financially. When we talked a little more I discovered two things: a) he’s paying for advertisements all over social media; and b) he’s paying someone else to do his social media posts for him. Neither the ads nor the posts are really having an impact - he’s not building followers very quickly, not really extending his reach (how …

I’ve recently heard from numerous business owners who have said they’re struggling at the moment. Some are disheartened by their lack of bookings and visitors, other exhausted by the extra effort that seems necessary to generate income and uncertainty caused by last minute bookings.

If you’re feeling like this, you’re not alone.

I am running a free marketing workshop (on Zoom so you don’t have to go anywhere and there’s a replay available) to outline what you can do right now - details here. You’r…