Articles in the Category 'How to'
7 tips for flawless print production
Even in small business marketing, there will be times when you want some professional print. Here are seven tips for getting the most from a professional print supplier. Read more »
Published on 20 March 2012
Detox your marketing… social media
Three toxic social media techniques that are more likely to have people clicking 'unfollow' than generating you great word of mouth. Read more »
Published on 25 January 2012
How to get the best from a creative agency
Getting the most from your marketing budget means getting the most from your marketing suppliers. Make sure you avoid these six things that are sure to irritate any creative supplier. Read more »
Published on 2 November 2011
Are non-paying customers worth anything?
Can it ever be worth giving away a good product for nothing? Here are five reasons to consider a creating a completely free version of your online offering. Read more »
Published on 14 September 2011
How to win more new business with a gateway product
Developing a powerful gateway product, as part of a product ladder, is a powerful way to increase sales and long term customer loyalty for your small business. Read more »
Published on 1 September 2011
Social media marketing has four key tasks…
It may seem like there's a dizzying amount to learn about social media marketing for your small business. But, there are only really four tasks you need to master. Read more »
Published on 27 July 2011
How to generate awareness for your small business
There are two critical ingredients to getting noticed. They are 'frequency' and 'impact' - you need both in your marketing if you're going to get people to pay attention and remember your small business. Read more »
Published on 20 July 2011
How welcoming is your small business?
A customer has paid you some money. A profitable customer has paid you enough money to cover how much you spent on acquiring and fulfilling their business. Here are three tips to keeping more of the latter. Read more »
Published on 13 July 2011
How did you find your current clients?
Looking at your existing clients and reviewing how you came to be working with them is a great way to get a quick idea of which of your new business activities is working for you. Read more »
Published on 22 June 2011
20 common profit leaks in small businesses
Putting your hard-earned cash into new marketing activities or generating new leads can often be less effective than plugging one of these 20 common profit leaks. Read more »
Published on 15 June 2011
10 ways to find interesting people in social media
Social media is a two-way street. To get the most from it you need to find interesting people and businesses to listen to and engage with. Here are 10 ways to find some. Read more »
Published on 7 June 2011
10 ways to get found in social media
Are you talking to the ether? Social media is powerful if people want to engage with you. First step - let them find you. Here are 10 simple ways to get found in social media. Read more »
Published on 2 June 2011
How long does small business marketing take?
A quick run-down of 7 smart small business marketing techniques you can undertake from your desk, and how long they typically take. Read more »
Published on 17 May 2011
Content Marketing Ideas… JKL
Three more ideas under letters J, K, and L - taken from our 26-page guide with over 120 ideas to get you started with your own interesting and relevant marketing content. Read more »
Published on 11 May 2011
Finding the cheaper alternative when marketing your small business
We can't all afford sexy advertising campaigns, but we do all need to get the word out. If you're a small business with a modest marketing budget, here are some lost cost marketing ideas that get great results. Read more »
Published on 6 May 2011
Five lessons from a local exhibition
There are some simple ways to make the investment you put into exhibiting your small business at a show go that bit further. Here are just five tips from our own experience. Read more »
Published on 18 April 2011
What’s in a name?
Is your company name holding you back? Take a look at the pros and cons of the three main approaches to choosing a company name. And, some key considerations to bear in mind. Read more »
Published on 29 March 2011
How to include telemarketing as a powerful tool in your small business marketing mix
A guest post from Maxine Welford that explains how and why telemarketing can be a powerful tool as part of an overall small business marketing activity plan. Includes 12 top tips for effective telemarketing. Read more »
Published on 22 March 2011
How to structure a marketing budget
Whether you're spending one hundred or one million on your marketing, having a structured approach to budgeting will help you to plan better, maintain momentum, and respond to change. Read more »
Published on 14 March 2011
Is local marketing a good technique for small businesses?
Local marketing can be simple or highly sophisticated, and isn't only relevant to geographically defined businesses. Take a look at these 7 powerful local techniques perfect for small business marketing. Read more »
Published on 1 March 2011
How to hire a social media consultant as part of your marketing strategy
A guest post from Chris Street with his 6Ps for hiring an effective social media consultant as part of an integrated small business marketing strategy. Read more »
Published on 24 February 2011
Three clients we won through Linkedin
People can be sceptical about the value of social networking for business. So, here are three examples where we've secured excellent small business marketing clients through leads on Linkedin. Read more »
Published on 15 February 2011
How to avoid embarrassing mistakes at events
Events can be a great addition to your small business marketing. Here are six key headings for you to use in preparing yourself for a successful event. Read more »
Published on 14 February 2011
8 tips for video marketing with va-va-voom
A guest blog from Mendip Media with 8 tips on creating powerful marketing videos for small businesses. Used well, video marketing can be as powerful as a TV campaign. Read more »
Published on 7 February 2011
Getting to the person behind the profile
As business communications become more social, and with the old adage 'people buy from people' holding true - how do you show a little personality in your business communications? Read more »
Published on 31 January 2011
Are you too busy for marketing?
Finding time to devote to consistent marketing of your small business can be a real challenge. This post from Lee Cottier shows how simple productivity techniques make it possible. Read more »
Published on 12 January 2011
How to balance the personal and professional on Twitter
Think before you Tweet. If you wouldn't feel comfortable for your most important client to see it, don't say it. Some thoughts on balancing the personal and professional on Twitter. Read more »
Published on 9 January 2011
To ask for permission or not to ask for permission – the perennial email marketing question
To ask, or not to ask, for permission before sending your email newsletter is a perennial marketing question. This post takes a look at the pros and cons of both approaches. Read more »
Published on 22 December 2010
The marketing confessions of a window cleaner
Listening for sales opportunities is a key small business networking skill. If you're prepared and interested, your next sale could come from anywhere. Read more »
Published on 13 December 2010
Reduce, re-use, recycle – a philosophy for small business marketing
Get more for your small business marketing budget. Reduce - say less more often. Re-use - ways to get more from a piece of content. Recycle - the end of a campaign mindset. Read more »
Published on 1 December 2010
How long should a blog post be?
An effective blog as part of your small business marketing should be... 1) Long enough to say something interesting and relevant. 2) Long enough to signpost people to a next step. 3) Not so long that people can't read it whilst having a cup of tea.rn Read more »
Published on 19 November 2010
The benefits of case study videos in small business marketing
Three reasons why video case studies are a great tactic for small business marketing. And, why everyone involved can benefit from what is produced. Read more »
Published on 17 November 2010
How to write effective online content
In this guest post, Peter Brill provides five tips for writing compelling online content that cuts through the the noise and gets read by real people. As Peter says: "if the content doesn't grab your visitors, you're talking to yourself." Read more »
Published on 15 November 2010
Is someone else ruining your reputation?
Five practical tips to help small businesses manage their online reputation and respond to negative word-of-mouth. Read more »
Published on 8 November 2010
How to lose business and irritate people
Have you ever asked yourself if what you're doing actually winds people up and puts them off your business? Cheryl kicks off with her list of pet hates... Read more »
Published on 20 October 2010
Get on the front page of search listings without SEO – it’s called blogging
This is a guest post by Nikki Pilkington. With many small businesses more than a little baffled by SEO, we asked if there were any other techniques that could be implemented more easily to help get a small business up the search engine rankings Read more »
Published on 7 October 2010
Three great ways to use the back of your business card
How hard does your business card work for you? It is a tool - put it to use! This article gives you three great ideas for making effective use of the reverse of your business card. Read more »
Published on 1 October 2010
Six questions to ask when developing a small business website
A short article that asks six essential questions about a small business website. If you're developing or updating your site - you must be able to answer these. Read more »
Published on 29 September 2010
Sponsorship – not just for big business
In this guest blog, Jackie Fast from Slingshot Sponsorship gives practical advice to small businesses on how to make sponsorship a valuable part of their marketing mix, whatever their marketing budget. Read more »
Published on 16 September 2010
What should you include in a professional profile?
A short article with practical advice on writing and re-using compelling professional profiles for key members of your team. Essential marketing advice for small businesses. Read more »
Published on 7 September 2010
What makes a good business blog?
Coming up with interesting blog ideas week in, week out, can be a challenge. Here are some handy hints to generate blog ideas to keep your social media marketing topped up with great content. Essential marketing advice for small businesses. Read more »
Published on 1 September 2010
5 things to think about in the run-up to Christmas…
In this blog, Cheryl looks at what you should do to get your seasonal marketing plan prepared for the run up to Christmas. If you have not yet thought about Christmas as a marketing opportunity, now is the time to start. Read more »
Published on 17 August 2010
Squeeze every penny from every marketing pound
For every paid marketing activity, there are tens of free activities you can add to make your spend go further. With a bit of discipline and elbow grease you can make every marketing penny go much further for your business. Read more »
Published on 9 August 2010
Getting the most from business networking (3/3)
This is the final part in the blog series looking at getting the most from business networking. Bryony talks about the follow up activities you should undertake after you have attended an event, to ensure that you make the most of the contacts you have made. Read more »
Published on 5 August 2010
Getting the most from business networking (2/3)
The second in a three part series looking at getting the most from business networking. This blog asks face-to-face networking coach, Melissa Kidd, how to make yourself memorable at a networking event. Read more »
Published on 4 August 2010
Getting the most from business networking (1/3)
This is the first in a three part series that looks at how to make the most of your business networking. Part one looks at the things you should do prior to an event, to make sure you get the most from your time. Read more »
Published on 3 August 2010
Stock shots versus a real photographer
In this piece, which originally appeared as a guest blog, Amanda Thomas of Amango Photography asks Bryony to talk through when and why to use stock or bespoke photography in marketing materials. Read more »
Published on 19 July 2010
How much should you pay a marketing consultant?
How much your business should spend on a marketing consultant will depend on how much you already know and what you want them to do. This article talks you through what you get for your money and what questions to ask to make sure you get best value. Read more »
Published on 7 July 2010
5 tips for effective note taking
This blog looks at the importance of effective note taking as a core skill required in marketing. Read about how the accuracy of information capture could mean the difference between understanding (or misunderstanding) an item agreed. Read more »
Published on 15 June 2010
Mind your ‘I’s and ‘We’s – 3 reasons to present your company as a team
This blog discusses the reasons why inclusive language is important to your business and gives you 5 tips on how you can sound like your brand to present that all important company image. Read more »
Published on 12 May 2010
Three ways we use Twitter as a business tool
As an integral part of social media, Twitter can be used for many strategic functions. Described as a fantastic tool for doing business, it's one to put on your 'to do' list for 2010. This blog details how the Clear Thought team do it, why they do it, and why you should do it too. Read more »
Published on 5 May 2010
How to use public relations to support every stage of the sales funnel
A short article giving really practical advice for making powerful use of public relations coverage to help generate actual sales. Looking at things you can do with PR at every stage of the sales funnel. Essential advice for marketing small businesses. Read more »
Published on 28 April 2010
Why marketing is like DIY – 5 tips to avoid costly mistakes
Has it ever struck you how similar marketing is to DIY? The more effort you put into planning and preparation, the easier the implementation is. And, the better the results. In this blog, read Clear Thought's 5 top tips for better marketing preparation. Read more »
Published on 20 April 2010
10 tips for proofreading marketing content
Blog article giving practical tips on how to spot embarrassing errors in marketing content before they go public. Essential advice for small business marketing. Read more »
Published on 29 March 2010
How to achieve your company goals and targets, in five easy steps
In this guest blog from Heather Townsend, businesses are advised to break goals down quarterly, to provide visual prompts and to link bonuses to achievement. Read more »
Published on 16 March 2010
Mind your Meta Data – how hidden web copy impacts social media success
An article that explains how the meta data, hidden copy, on your website is used in social media. With practical advice for making your site social media friendly. Essential marketing advice for any small business. Read more »
Published on 16 February 2010
10 ways to weave a little marketing magic into everyday activities
10 simple ideas for small businesses to weave marketing messages into everyday activities. Practical advice for marketing on any budget. Essential marketing advice for any small business. Read more »
Published on 15 January 2010
One piece of content, 20 ways to use it
If you've gone to the trouble of preparing some marketing content, like an article, paper or presentation - here are 20 ways that you can put it to work. A list to have to hand in every small business that want to make marketing pay. Essential marketing advice for any small business. Read more »
Published on 11 December 2009
How to remember not to forget something
Tips from Cheryl Crichton from her two decades in managing marketing projects. Essential marketing advice for any small business. Read more »
Published on 11 December 2009
How to write a marketing brief in 10 simple steps
10 key things to consider when writing a brief for a marketing supplier. The better the brief the less likely you are to waste precious budget on re-work, and the more likely you are to get a great result. Essential marketing advice for any small business. Read more »
Published on 26 November 2009
How to create professional sales tools from your desk
An article that provides a seven step guide to creating powerful and professional sales and marketing materials using Microsoft Office. Practical advice to any small business looking to make the marketing budget go further. Essential marketing advice for any small business. Read more »
Published on 16 November 2009
B2B Social Media: Be There, Be Relevant, Be Proven
Looking at the impact of social media on business-to-business decision making, this article gives you 30 ideas for increasing lead conversion using social media techniques. Essential marketing advice for any small business. Read more »
Published on 17 October 2009
Treat your website like a member of the team
In this article, Bryony Thomas sets out how a change of mindset to seeing your website as an employee rather than a one-off project increases your chances of digital marketing success. Essential marketing advice for any small business. Read more »
Published on 24 August 2009
What shape is your marketing budget?
This article gives you practical advice as to how to structure your marketing budget across the sales funnel for better justification of spend and decision-making. Essential marketing advice for any small business. Read more »
Published on 9 July 2009
Making marketing pay
An excerpt from a talk given by Bryony Thomas looking at how marketers can shift perceptions of the marketing department as the being money spenders to being recognised as the money makers. Essential marketing advice for any small business. Read more »
Published on 27 March 2009
Capitalising on marketing moments
This article gives practical advice on preparing for that unknown event that you know is going to happen. Tips for marketers to be prepared to jump into action when opportunities arise. Essential marketing advice for any small business. Read more »
Published on 19 November 2008
