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What is branding? Branding is no longer just a combination of the visual aspects of a brand. The importance of elements like an organisation’s name, slogan, symbol or design when looked at individually, pales in comparison to the importance of how a company seems and feels to consumers when they are used in combination. In other words, branding is now a marketing practice that, through the coordination of all the facets of an organisation, aims

Almost everyone in the creative industry has heard of a ‘marketing plan’. But, despite its common and self-explanatory name, many smaller businesses don’t place enough importance on marketing to realise the benefit of a marketing plan. The reality is, that a business can only survive through establishing a customer base. But, if it does not plan out how it can most effectively attract and retain customers, they severely stunt the company’s chance of success. So,

What is it? As its name suggests, organic marketing refers to the use of tactics that attract customers naturally and over time. Rather than approaching people with paid links, promotional content and boosted advertising, organic marketing has a more subtle goal.By creating highly visible, high-quality content that gives prospective consumers value for no cost, organic marketing aims to naturally attract and convert people who find them. Why is it important? One of the biggest challenges

The impact new technologies have on the market is growing progressively hard to ignore. An oversaturated and digital market has struck fear into the hearts of business owners trying to sell and, marketers have become their hired guns. But, marketing tactics are everywhere too. How can some companies, even with marketers, win the war against a sea of others armed? The answer is a marketer’s greatest superpower, Creativity. What is ‘creativity’ Creativity is simply creating

Have you ever walked out of a store, not entirely sure why you just purchased something? None of us should be a stranger to the confusing aftermath of an impulse buy like this. In fact, it’s more likely that by looking around your home, you could explain why you don’t need some of the things you own better than why you purchased them. One may have even gone as far as to think that, at

If your toast lands on the floor, we all joke about the slightly questionable ‘fact’ that we can still eat it; as long as it’s picked up within five seconds! But, when it comes to capturing the attention of an internet user with written content, how long does that toast have until the public will no longer consume it? The answer…2.7 seconds.  The fact is, people, want you to capture their attention. But, it is

Split testing sounds incredibly scientific, doesn’t it? Well it kind of is but it’s also a fascinating way to find out what works – and what doesn’t – with regards to your advertising activities. After all, you’re spending a decent wad of cash on paid advertising campaigns; you don’t want to just throw your money up in the air and see where it lands. What is split testing? In a nutshell, it’s a way to

Word of mouth sales are the ‘holy grail’ that every business strives for, and why wouldn’t they? Consumers discuss specific brands casually around 90 times per week (source). 92 per cent of people will trust recommendations from people they know (source). This represents a gold mine of sales waiting for you! When interviewed, 4 out of 5 businesses wondered why they aren’t attracting enough word of mouth sales (source). So why do so many businesses fail

Please prepare yourself for the biggest revelation you’ll hear all day. Ready? Customers like it when you’re nice to them. Better still, they love it when you go the extra mile for them. This isn’t just basic common sense, however; according to McKinsey, 70% of buying experiences are based on how the customer feels they are being treated. Given that clients are a business’s most important assets, it’s understandably in your organisation’s best interests to foster

Slogans, Mission Statements and Taglines. We all think we understand what they are, but do we really? Is McDonald’s “I’m lovin it” a tagline, or a slogan? If you guessed the slogan, you would be sorely mistaken. The language we use around our brands is critical to telling its story and selling it to our customers and stakeholders. You might think your mission statement is just a puff piece that every business is meant to

If your goal is to establish brand loyalty in your customers (and why wouldn’t it be?) then you need to establish a point of difference (POD). All too often I see the same, confused look on a client’s face when I ask what should otherwise be a simple question; “What is your business’s point of difference?”. In other words, what makes you ‘special’? This one question should underpin every business decision you make going forward. Effectively,