I wanted to draw your attention to a couple of questions that have popped up as they have been on mind for quite some time.  And that is; how important social is in business. It seemed to be the biggest point made on Monday at various talks. I am flagging this up today because many clients and brands I have come across or worked with this year, still don’t realize this. Some do, some understand they have to have it, but don’t get the bigger picture, which is that social is on

Happy Monday!.. I came across this brilliant infographic which gives you the best and worst times to post up on your social media channels and wanted to share!  I found this via a fellow follower, who writes a great blog, Marianne who found it reading Tony Phallets blog!..Are you with me?! You can follow Tony on his blog , Twitter – @tphallett – and  Google+ ) Enjoy! Source: social caffeine | Embed this on your own website (FREE) #socialcommunities #SmallBiz #Twitter #Face

WOW a year has gone by – and what a journey it has been.  On a number of levels actually.  For my relationship with blogging regularly, which has been both trying and exceptionally fulfilling at times, but mainly the connections with the people I have come across who have helped (you know who you are), questioned (you do too!) and generally supported this rapidly growing baby of mine. Over 9000 followers have followed in a mere 12 months, which I feel is ‘well radio rental’ b

Another infographic from the delectable Brafton and  here’s their brilliant blog post to go with it  written by Katherine Griwert ( @kgriwert ) their Head of Marketing Content and Communications.  We know that quality written content is brilliant for Google rankings and search friendly content, keywords and quality information presented for your readers also adds to that. Granted.  This infographic fabulously shows how this is so!  Thanks Katherine… Source: Brafton | Embed t

I want to highlight @Movember today. For obvious reasons. Yes. But for some not so obvious. The brand, its collaborators and a big high 5 for its’ achievements so far! ‘ During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces in the UK and around the world. The aim of which is to raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and testicular cancer.’ Movember.com. This year its global and I

It’s the month leading up to my first birthday! Yes in exactly 1 month (22nd November) I will be 1!  And I for one am loving the idea of being 1 again.  Although I would appreciate 21 a little more! Ahem. This blog has covered everything from; starting up your social media network, building your brand online, Twitter tips , Facebook frolics , Pinterest picks , Linkedin laws , Do’s and Dont’s, marketing plans , strategies and campaigns , ballsy business plans, crazy content i

Have you been to any great sessions this week at #swmld?  Do you plan to go?  I’d love to hear all about it! If you are unable to attend any of the FREE events this week, you can catch many live on the SMW webcam!  Their blog  is updated daily with goings on from the Official Google Campus Hub , The Facebook Hub and various other venues  across town such as Adam Street and The Betsy Trotwood . I have been making tonnes of notes and will be posting up my favourite tips from th

What actually is an effective marketing strategy?  Wiki says A “ Marketing strategy  is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable  competitive advantage .“ Well, if you are like me and despise the word ‘strategy’ but realise its’ importance within most long term goals, you will understand that there are several steps in which to take to make sure you reach those goals

I have a friend who runs a vintage fashion label.   My Vintage Affair . She also runs fairs across London.  I have also worked on Wayne Hemingway’s Vintage Festival in 2011 and through this made many contacts in the Vintage Industry.  I have had many questions from these folk asking how they can vamp up their online presence so I thought I would pop a few ideas down this week. There are of course (and here comes the plug) more ideas in my book “ One Giant Leap Into Social Med

We all know we have to, but how do we start? Well this post is designed to help you do just that! 1. Understand your own site before you do ANYTHING. Why would somebody want to link to your site? 2. Find out who is already linking to you, if anyone. Go to Google and type in link:domainname.com and then research these guys.  Who else do they link to? (Your competition) and what keywords, anchor texts do they use? 3. Now figure out your strategy:. Find out who is linking to yo

Here is OPTs 10 great  tips and strategies to make Pinterest work for your business, brand or product: 1. Install the “Pin it” bookmark to your browser Adding the “pin it” bookmark to your bookmark bar is easy to do,visit: http://www.pinterest.com/about/goodies . When you pin a webpage, using the pin-it bookmark, it will show you all of the pictures associated with that page.  Then, you can choose the picture you’d most like to pin. Easy! 2. Use Keywords, Hashtags and @replys

OPT offers you top 5 tips that your competitors will already know! read on… It is fair to say that online pr is NOT the same as offline pr. The differences are significant.  And it is important to learn that both are pitched differently.  This is something successful marketeers have learnt over time and you can learn this from them. Online PR is a varied mixture of brand reputation monitoring and management activities and it’s main goal to influence media, communities and au

Collaboration is they key.  As a musician I spent slot of my time alone writing music, through school and my 20s. It seemed an isolated career until I started to collaborate with other writers. I learnt from them, they (hopefully) learnt from me and an altogether fun and beneficial time was had by all! The same goes for business. Until the turn of the century, collaboration was an unknown entity and I still believe that businesses could benefit from working with others. Soci

So yesterday we spoke about your business allies therefore we have an idea of what their uses of Twitter and Facebook are.  Another avenue to research is which networks and groups do these companies belong to? Have they any of their own? It seems obvious, but instead of picking up the latest best seller before you visit the land of nod, mooch around the groups of your comrades and interact. Introduce yourself as if you just walked into a room and offer helpful comments and a

I hate the word competitor. Although technically correct, I prefer using the term fellow industry worker or the like, much less abrasive and again endorses the overall philosophy of sharing and becoming better, together. Take our peers for example, the business’s that are on the next level and above to you.  And the ones that aren’t as good as you, that are striving to be where you are.  This is where the business karma will have a resounding effect. What you can do for those

As we have already mentioned, the art of promoting oneself or ones business is entirely up to you. Are you a great party guest? Do you get inundated with Christmas cards? Do people come to you for advice often? If you answered yes to these questions then you will have a head start on marketing your product, brand or service. Chances are you won’t go steaming in and introduce yourself and what you are selling immediately, you will take into consideration the advice on the OPT

Writing an effective online press release is most definitely a learning curve but a well-written offering will continue to rank well in search engine results because folk will share something they actually wanted to read! The best way to hone this skill is by reading other releases online and remember its a news story not a sales pitch.  Read Wiki’s definition before you start! It really helps put things into perspective! Following are OPT tips to get you started but I think

How about beginning a audio or video tutorial for your niche? Do you think that your audience will benefit from you offering them a mentoring service? Tips and Tricks for your specialist service? Whether your skills lie in being a creative or an expert in your niche (you could be a great golfer or know how and when to pot certain plants a musician, or a retail manager, etc) Think of the qualities you could share with other businesses in your field or your online clientele. Re

The basic tasks to benefit from the old ‘American Dream’ is over. The USA’s ethos for keeping your head down, doing what your told, avoid being late, and working hard to be rewarded has quite quickly been replaced by a whole new set of rules. Be amazing, create, be generous, make good decisions, connect people together and share ideas. and as one of my favourite books tells us to take ‘ The Road Less Travelled ‘, think creatively and make a difference. When I talk about creat