This post will help you to consider how to adapt your strategy at a time of crisis. It was written at the height of the COVID19 Pandemic, its advice applies to any period of crisis or disruption.There’s no point in avoiding the topic that’s dominated everyone’s lives this week. The current Public Health Emergency has… Continue reading Prepare to adapt your strategy during uncertainty
Author: Lisa Beaumont
Satisfy the new normal
Last week, I encouraged you to do all the groundwork that is needed for your business to be ready for life after lockdown. You can access that Memo here if you missed it. This week’s activity is the next stage. I have assumed that, like me, you’ve completed the steps for preparing your metaphorical Marketing Vegetable… Continue reading Satisfy the new normal
How can you be ready for whatever happens next?
As the Government begins to make hints about its lockdown exit-strategy and the timing of the possible loosening of the current restrictions, it is important for all businesses to use this quiet period to prepare for doing commerce again after lockdown. Get ready for a changed business environment It will not be a simple case… Continue reading How can you be ready for whatever happens next?
Master the narrative for your business with PR
PR is a fundamental element in Marketing Communications planning. It’s all about reputation management and is a chance to spread your message in the media. All coverage affects what people think and say about you. Flies tend to have a poor reputation, known for spreading disease, but it might soon be time to reconsider the… Continue reading Master the narrative for your business with PR
Keep it Quiet
How to improve your marketing when your small business is cash-strapped and time poor If you’re short of time and money, don’t give up on marketing. Marketing is often confused with making a lot of noise. That is a trap which you might fall into if you think that you need to establish a presence… Continue reading Keep it Quiet
How to take time out without your business suffering
The Christmas break will have been hectic yet restful for most of my readers, but as the New Year begins, how can you extract full value from the recent period of business inactivity? Hedgehogs provide an excellent model for how to take time out, when it is necessary. Are there lessons which a marketer can… Continue reading How to take time out without your business suffering
How flexible should I be? A guide for independent service providers
This week I have been preparing ongoing contracts for several of my clients. I have been eager to tailor my offering to each one’s individual needs, to be certain to truly deliver customer satisfaction in the long run. This activity has led me to ask myself questions. As a service provider, what is my product?… Continue reading How flexible should I be? A guide for independent service providers
How to defend your territory
At the start of this week, I heard that a competitor had approached a client which I am currently developing for my own business. I heard about this when I was already considering a festive blogpost about robins. Robins are extremely territorial birds. The sole purpose of a robin’s red breast is in territory defence.… Continue reading How to defend your territory
Is Black Friday an opportunity or a threat?
If you’re like me, you may have been overwhelmed by the amount of email traffic which is generated during November in response to the sales tactics of Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Cyber week. Do you wonder how to react, or do you consider joining the discounting frenzy? I strongly advise my clients not to… Continue reading Is Black Friday an opportunity or a threat?
A guide to planting bulbs to develop your business when you’re busy
Informed gardeners know that if you want to fill your garden with colour next spring, you should plant bulbs from October to December, before the first frost arrives. It may be cold and grey in England, but it’s a good time to get your plans underway for a flourishing business performance next year. This week,… Continue reading A guide to planting bulbs to develop your business when you’re busy
Finding Customers: 3 Lessons from Penguins
Small businesses can learn from the rituals of penguins: Courtship varies among penguin species, and it generally begins with males who initiate the ritual. LESSON 1: Take time at the outset to get the right product. Male penguins of most species know that their desired mate will care most about the suitability of his chosen… Continue reading Finding Customers: 3 Lessons from Penguins
Discover the hidden value of networking
Fungus can teach us the hidden value of networking, which can help your business to grow. Did you know that fungi have been called ”the earth’s natural internet”? Fungus is made from a mass of fine threads called mycelia, and we now know that these threads act as a kind of underground internet, linking trees… Continue reading Discover the hidden value of networking
How to supercharge your growth from the start
The theme of this week’s blogpost is collaboration and how you might view your “competitors”. The mindset with which you approach your business can significantly affect your business growth. This week’s blogpost is illustrated by a clownfish and an anemone. These two sea creatures enjoy a symbiotic relationship; each one benefits from the presence of… Continue reading How to supercharge your growth from the start
Why it’s invaluable to have an agreed marketing strategy document in a changing world
The clocks went back this weekend. Will the shorter hours of daylight affect your business? This change will mainly affect only those who work outside, like my sole trader clients, a gardener and a window cleaner. For most of my followers, the shorter days will impact their domestic life more than their business activities. But… Continue reading Why it’s invaluable to have an agreed marketing strategy document in a changing world
Is good customer service as easy as it sounds?
This week has been a typical, busy week. I have been delivering a project to a client and welcoming new clients, too, while catching up on some days I’d forfeited to illness. The common theme throughout my activities has been customer service, hence my topic for this week’s blogpost. Is there more to customer service… Continue reading Is good customer service as easy as it sounds?
How to make a little go a long way; 6 tips for making your business more efficient
Bees have a limited supply of wax, so they must make the wax which they have stretch as far as possible. This is why they choose to create their honeycombs out of hexagonal shapes. The question about what is the most efficient way to divide a space into equal parts, known as “the honeycomb conjecture”,… Continue reading How to make a little go a long way; 6 tips for making your business more efficient
From seed to strong plant; Understanding your product’s lifecycle
After I wrote last week’s blogpost about product range management, I considered my findings for my own business. I realised that one service which has performed poorly to date is not a “dog”, it is a “?” which is still in an early stage of its development and requires nurturing. It has reminded me of… Continue reading From seed to strong plant; Understanding your product’s lifecycle
The key to grow your business and enjoy it too; how to manage your product range
This week has been very busy and productive and has reminded me that no small business owner should lose sight of enjoying the venture which you chose to establish. Is there a trick to having a business which can grow while you can enjoy seeing it flourish? The trick which I would encourage my clients… Continue reading The key to grow your business and enjoy it too; how to manage your product range
New ways to consider Packaging
There’s lots more to think about with packaging than plastic wrapping and brand name. Think about it as the means to deliver your product/service to your customer. Packaging is visible in nature. Consider the variety of ways which plants disperse their seeds in fruits, berries, horse chestnut conkers, sycamore helicopters….. There’s a wide range of… Continue reading New ways to consider Packaging
How to sell: A guide for those who feel uncomfortable about it.
All businesses need to sell their products or services to remain commercial. I’ve noticed several of my clients express unease about selling, so I thought I’d give a quick review of what’s involved, in the hope that it might allay some of their fears. There are some important steps to take for successful selling. First,… Continue reading How to sell: A guide for those who feel uncomfortable about it.
Keeping things in order; The importance of a marketing information system
This week has been all about keeping my material organised for the gradual development of my website. The activity reminded me of the importance of keeping systematic control over information streams to be certain of maintaining an effective marketing process over time. So this week’s post addresses the importance of an ongoing Marketing Information System… Continue reading Keeping things in order; The importance of a marketing information system
An introduction to marketing for small businesses
This week has been all about delivering my services to my clients. Sunflowers are also known as the “happy” flower because of their close association with the warmth and optimism of sunshine. My approach to pure marketing means that I adhere closely to the definition of marketing which is given by my professional body, the… Continue reading An introduction to marketing for small businesses
The small business’ introduction to pricing and discounting
This week I’ve noticed quite a few posts which have promoted discounts for products or services. So, with an ‘end of summer vibe’, it’s a good time to focus in depth on the fundamental topic of pricing. How to calculate your price? There are two distinct routes which you can follow when setting your price:… Continue reading The small business’ introduction to pricing and discounting
Listen to these top tips on how Twitter can help you generate sales for your business to grow
This week I have reaped rewards from listening and would like to share with you my reasons for valuing social listening so highly. I think that a strong business should listen as attentively as a hare. Social Listening is the process of monitoring news feeds on social media and it’s important because: • You can… Continue reading Listen to these top tips on how Twitter can help you generate sales for your business to grow
The seed contains the plant: four lessons for start-ups which want to grow
Last week’s blogpost addressed the topic of growth and development. It concluded with a flower in bud, waiting to bloom. This week I have been reminded that my business proposition, like those of my potential, future clients, is still in its infancy, or in the start-up stage called MVP, as are those of many of… Continue reading The seed contains the plant: four lessons for start-ups which want to grow
Developing the business for growth
Last week I reiterated that I have applied the Ansoff matrix to identify how I plan to fill my performance gap by concentrating on two types of development: market development and product development. • Market development: This means that I will take my existing product range into a new area, or segment. The risks which… Continue reading Developing the business for growth
Making Gap analysis work in strategic marketing planning for small businesses
Gap analysis at its simplest “is about identifying gaps and seeing how these might be filled to the profitable, long-term benefit of the organisation”*. What kind of gaps should you look to fill? I have been giving thought this week to the most frequently considered type of gap, the Performance Gap. In other words, how… Continue reading Making Gap analysis work in strategic marketing planning for small businesses
A guide for small businesses to maximise the impact of your marketing communications
Having written about Promotions last week, and thinking about what we can all learn from peacocks, I’ve spent this week developing my communications mechanics. Specifically, a printed flyer, my website, and blogposts, both my own and those I write on behalf of my clients. To recap, last week I described how we can learn three… Continue reading A guide for small businesses to maximise the impact of your marketing communications
Discover your inner peacock. Make promotions powerful with a strategic marketing plan
Promotions. This is the final P which I introduced at the end of the previous blogpost about the P’s of the marketing mix. Today I will provide you with some insight into Promotions – what it’s all about and importantly, the pitfalls to avoid. What is a promotion? It is a term which describes ”the… Continue reading Discover your inner peacock. Make promotions powerful with a strategic marketing plan
What are the P’s of the marketing mix? Key points for small businesses to consider when implementing a strategic marketing plan.
This week, I realise that I’ve been busy with client facing work, and have therefore been considering my product, so this week’s topic is the P’s/peas of the marketing mix, a well known aide memoire for anyone who’s familiar with marketing theory. The traditional 4P’s of the marketing mix are: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion.… Continue reading What are the P’s of the marketing mix? Key points for small businesses to consider when implementing a strategic marketing plan.
How to develop a healthy business skeleton with planning and control
This week, I’ve spent much of my time on physiotherapy which will strengthen my muscles and my skeleton. For my business, I’ve been concentrating on my planning and my systems, and I realised that well-managed planning and control, and the use of established theory and models and mechanisms for a business, are akin to a… Continue reading How to develop a healthy business skeleton with planning and control
An introduction to the value of making time for blue sky thinking
The series of blogposts which I write genuinely reflects the activities I’ve been doing to build my own business. I hope that if I can build a strong business for myself in the long run, by following my own advice, I will represent the proof to my potential clients that my approach really works. So,… Continue reading An introduction to the value of making time for blue sky thinking
How to get your planning for a strategic marketing plan right from the start
This should not be as difficult as it might sound for newcomers to the marketing process to get to grips with. I’ve chosen to illustrate this post with a picture of roots because the start point for developing a strategic marketing plan is to understand where your business is now, i.e. where you are rooted.… Continue reading How to get your planning for a strategic marketing plan right from the start
Look inside – what would you create with what you find?: Writing courses by Charlie Bell
A list of courses and workshops I am teaching this summer and autumn HURRY! Time is running out to book. Annual Weekend Writing Retreat at Aylesford Fri 20th – Sun 22nd July. A relaxed weekend for those seeking creative inspiration, peace and good companionship. It will be the seventeenth year of this very special event.… Continue reading Look inside – what would you create with what you find?: Writing courses by Charlie Bell
Understanding your audience: An Introduction to Market Segmentation
In my last blogpost about competitor analysis I introduced the idea of segmenting the market should you choose to pursue a focus strategy whereby you will aim to satisfy for a particular type of customer, not any buyer. In such a scenario you are not serving the whole market, or “mass” market but a distinct… Continue reading Understanding your audience: An Introduction to Market Segmentation
Helping your small businesses to win and grow, an introduction to competitor analysis
If you are following my approach with the intention of writing your own strategic marketing plan, once you’ve established your objectives and you know what success will look like for you, you can begin to consider where you fit in amongst your rivals. Who else might be competing for the same pound as you? … Continue reading Helping your small businesses to win and grow, an introduction to competitor analysis
Technology: friend or foe?
My last blogpost ended with the introduction of Technological, as the T in a PEST analysis, which requires more than a couple of sentences to explain. I have chosen the cute, harlequin ladybird as the “pest” to illustrate technology because it captures the conflicting qualities of technology. On the one hand, like the ladybird, technology… Continue reading Technology: friend or foe?
An introduction to the marketing tool PEST analysis for small businesses
In this blogpost l will discuss the marketing tool PEST analysis, which is used when you develop a strategic marketing plan. After you have closely examined the potential of your chosen market, it is necessary to take a wider view by examining the environment in which you plan to conduct your business. When you are… Continue reading An introduction to the marketing tool PEST analysis for small businesses
6 reasons why it is relevant to include public speaking in the media /marketing planning process for a small business
Flamingoes can walk, fly and swim. They choose the method which best suits their current requirement; they adapt to their need at the time. A small business owner should be equally adaptable. I have realised this for myself in the last few days, while I have been privileged to receive input from the public speaking… Continue reading 6 reasons why it is relevant to include public speaking in the media /marketing planning process for a small business
How to anticipate in a fast-changing world
Spring and Easter are both about new beginnings and looking ahead, so it’s a perfect time to consider one of the trickier activities in the marketing process: how to Anticipate your customers’ needs and why this can be useful for you and your business growth. It is probably useful for you to know that when… Continue reading How to anticipate in a fast-changing world
The small businesses guide to media planning: Reasons why you should make time for it or seek advice
It is likely that you don’t currently consider media planning to be a priority while you’re busy building your business, but I will explain why it’s important to consider it as a key component within your marketing activity. Like a squirrel storing acorns for winter consumption, if you get your media planning in place, you… Continue reading The small businesses guide to media planning: Reasons why you should make time for it or seek advice
How to identify and reach a niche target group
It can often be the case that a small business or sole trader knows exactly who they’d like to reach with their message, but doesn’t know how to make contact with the specific group. Here I will share with you the process which I followed recently to attract a specific audience to an event which… Continue reading How to identify and reach a niche target group
How a small business can begin to develop a brand for their marketing activity
The best place to begin is to consider what branding is all about and to clear up a few potential misunderstandings. First, is branding what’s required to begin advertising a new product? No, branding is completely independent from advertising. A quick way to remember this is to think about these statements: “Advertising makes brands.” Wrong.… Continue reading How a small business can begin to develop a brand for their marketing activity
Reasons for small businesses to be cheerful; Lessons in marketing from high street woes
The demise of retailers Maplins and Toys ‘R Us has been attributed, in part, to the growth in online shopping. Online giants such as Amazon have had a huge impact on the high street as more consumers see online shopping as cheaper and easier than going to the shops. What’s really driving the shift to… Continue reading Reasons for small businesses to be cheerful; Lessons in marketing from high street woes
If you run your own business and feel short of time, it’s time to think more like bamboo. Here’s why.
How does bamboo decide where to direct its limited energy? Plants use their cells called meristems to identify whether it’s time to focus on growing longer roots to find water or develop leaves above ground to capture energy from the sun. Ask yourself, “What do I need to do to get more positive energy to feed… Continue reading If you run your own business and feel short of time, it’s time to think more like bamboo. Here’s why.
Four lessons I’ve learned from product–testing
Giraffes developed long necks to reach the leaves which grow high up on tall trees; the long neck gives giraffes an advantage over other animals which cannot reach to graze at a high level. In a similar way, product-testing gives a business the opportunity to adapt and improve its offering. I tested my new format,… Continue reading Four lessons I’ve learned from product–testing
Is it ever a good idea to give away your product or service for free?
It’s likely that most people would be reluctant to give away their product or service for free, since there will have been costs involved in making the product or service available. Common objections to giving away for free might include concerns that it would devalue your product (If people want it they should pay a… Continue reading Is it ever a good idea to give away your product or service for free?
The Small Business’s Guide to Buying Advertising
Flowers are nature’s way of advertising. They fulfil the key functions of good advertising by: • Attracting attention • Guiding the customer/pollinator to take the required action • Being a memorable prompt for the customer/pollinator to repeat the same rewarding action in future • A combination of stimuli, colour, fragrance, and shape combine together to… Continue reading The Small Business’s Guide to Buying Advertising
Finding Influencers
“How do I reach influencers in my field?”, asked one of my followers. Here are my top tips for finding influencers in your chosen field. My first caution is: be clear why you want to reach influencers in your field. Is it to obtain some endorsement from them to build your credibility, or is it… Continue reading Finding Influencers
A guide to social media for small businesses
Social media offer great opportunities to small businesses, but may be new and unfamiliar to many; so here is a concise guide to the main platforms, identifying their strengths and relevance.