We’re in the middle of a pandemic, and the world as we know it has changed overnight. The scale of transformation is still unthinkable, but in the meantime, as marketers, what do we do? I am sure you have already seen plenty of examples of what not to do. There have been infuriatingly unaware, self-promotional social media posts as the cases were increasing dramatically worldwide. Also, a stream of emails using COVID-19 as an excuse Read more…
It has been eight months since my post on how a trip to Boston had led my co-founder and me to rethink our startup. Much has happened since. We have challenged our preconceptions about the market, rethought our business model, built a board of superbly talented individuals, and much more. From conversations with other co-founders, it sounds like other startups have experienced a similar evolution to ours, so here is a summary of our learnings Read more…
Last month, alongside my sister and co-founder, Anna Sort, I spent five days in Boston. We were lucky to speak to serial entrepreneurs, investors, VCs, BAs, innovation directors, MIT professors and business consultants as part of a Catalan government initiative aimed at start-ups in the digital health sector. Here are my top learnings from a very intense week: 1. Entrepreneurship is a calling Embracing its spiritual side, particularly if your business idea has the potential to Read more…
Everybody understands the need to get out there and mingle. Networking events are an excellent opportunity to engage with other businesses and grow your circle of acquaintances. If more people know about you and your business, you are more likely to receive enquiries to feed the top of your marketing funnel, which may eventually turn into sales. But not everybody agrees that spending their precious evenings chatting to people they do not know is a Read more…
In the previous post in this series about how to be more strategic, we talked about how you need to understand your market (including your competitors), customers (including using buyer personas and understanding the triggers behind decision making). We also looked at how you also need to conduct a thorough analysis of your organisation. Today we will spend a bit more time thinking about your business, and then go over the main channels that you Read more…
All businesses want their marketing efforts to be more strategic. The problem is that, for many of them, the day-to-day demands take over. Taking the time to think about what they want to achieve and why is pushed to the side. At most, they do it once a year, when they write the marketing plan for the following 12 months. But in a heavily saturated market, being strategic and having a clear marketing strategy can Read more…
We have spoken about the benefits of doing a SWOT analysis to understand your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. We have also discussed how you can use the results of a SWOT analysis to build a TOWS analysis that fleshes out the strategic options available to you. Now it’s time to bring everything together, so you can get a clear view of what the situation is and decide on the best option for you. Scroll Read more…
A SWOT analysis is a great way to get an idea of where you stand. It gives you a good snapshot of your current situation, but it has its limitations. For example, a SWOT analysis doesn’t tell you how you should proceed. To take things further, it’s worth investing a bit more time in and carrying out a TOWS analysis. TOWS stands for threats, opportunities, weaknesses and strengths. A TOWS analysis turns your results from Read more…
Anybody who has ever written a business plan knows that carrying out a SWOT analysis is a standard part of the process. Whether your purpose is to build your personal brand, start a new business or take stock of where you are with your current one, a SWOT analysis looks at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of a given project. The results of a SWOT analysis can guide you when it comes to carving Read more…
Understanding the buyer needs and motivations is essential to build a sound marketing strategy and make your funnel as effective as it can be. And it’s not restricted to B2C: the issue is equally important in the B2B space (business buyers aren’t as rational as you think). Buyer persona questionnaires are a handy tool, but make sure you speak to your business development team as well. Sales professionals are specifically trained to spot the hidden Read more…
Marketers and sales people love talking about the marketing funnel, essentially a visual representation of the purchase process. Understanding and leveraging your marketing funnel can help you identify opportunities, increase your conversions and turn your client base into loyal followers. The marketing funnel comes in many different variations, but they all boil down to what your prospects go through from the moment they hear about your services until they become your champions. The core idea Read more…
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network. You should definitely make it a priority in your social media use, especially if you operate in the B2B space. Not sure how to go about it? Don’t worry, the following LinkedIn tips will help you supercharge your LinkedIn use, be more efficient and get results. Why LinkedIn and Why Now? With its clever built-in tools, LinkedIn makes it easy to manage the relationships you have built during your Read more…
One of the first things I say to freelancers and small business owners is to get a website. At the very minimum, I advise them to secure their URL. Yes, social media profiles will help you get your message across, and there is a lot you can do with a Facebook page. However, if you’re serious about your business, having a site for it is a must. The question I immediately get is how much Read more…
In a recent post I discussed why your personal brand matters, and how, as freelancers, it is our responsibility to understand the importance of personal brand and leverage it to grow your business. The good news is that establishing a personal brand doesn’t have to require a huge amount of time or effort. Every time you engage with clients, deliver a project, network, write for an online publication or speak at an event, you have Read more…
Social media is all around us. In the UK, there were over 38 million active social media users in 2016 – 63% of the entire population. Facebook is the leader of the social media pack, but many other social networks have become household names: Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Snapchat, Google+ and Pinterest are just a few of the most popular. With so many places to hang out in social media, it’s no wonder that, on Read more…
Personal brand management is just another thing we have to do in this day and age. It’s particularly important for influencers (or aspiring influencers), business leaders and entrepreneurs. However, don’t think that you can forget about it if you are employed, or a student, or working part-time. Unlike a few years ago, these days everyone should build and manage a personal brand. But why the rise in the personal brand, and why now? Competition as Read more…
Creating a marketing plan for the year ahead is a winter classic. There is something truly refreshing about taking a blank piece of paper (or its digital equivalent) and giving ourselves the time to think about what we want to achieve in the coming 12 months. But, more often than not, the task of building a marketing plan is considered at best tedious, at worst daunting. Also, it’s easy to overcomplicate the best approach to Read more…