tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57950572528377568552012-01-26T10:48:42.054ZMarketing hints, tips and stuff from Hampshire based Business FulcrumJane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comBlogger621100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-61751957347672451342012-01-26T10:48:00.000Z2012-01-26T10:48:42.062Z

I do a lot of networking and truly believe that it's one of the best ways to market your business, but sometimes people forget that there's a verbal equivalent of  "a minute on the lips a lifetime on the hips". This is when they allow a stream of consciousness to shape their 60 seconds rather than thinking first. In the last couple of months I've heard fellow networkers come out with things

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-23977073051971864102012-01-18T08:45:00.000Z2012-01-18T08:45:01.161Z

As a wordsmith, it's perhaps no surprise that I love words - and one of the best books I downloaded on my Kindle over Christmas was Mark Forsyth's The Etymologicon.  This is a book all about language, where it comes from and how it has developed and is a real joy to read as it is written in such a witty and engaging way. I'll be sharing some of the information that particularly caught my eye

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-42533380067783816292012-01-11T16:02:00.000Z2012-01-09T18:06:21.087Z

You may be excited about 2012 being Olympics year. You may be determined to raise your game and are immersing yourself in self-improvement books to understand goal setting and focus. Either way you will understand where I am coming from in terms of getting your act together for the coming year’s marketing strategies. Let’s break this down in bite sized chunks: On your marks:

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-19319856940104891492011-12-21T08:45:00.000Z2011-12-21T08:45:00.457Z

Mary Portas recently unveiled her report on revitalising the High Street.  One of her recommendations was to relax licensing rules for market stalls to make it easier for people to set up stands,  and for there to be a national market day. A couple of market traders debating this report on  Radio 2 were asked why they thought people liked shopping in markets.  One said he thought that people

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-10894021124910966492011-12-14T08:45:00.000Z2011-12-19T09:40:27.749Z

One of the earliest marketing postcards for myself was a black and white photo of people sitting on a park bench looking glumly towards the camera.  The caption was "So we just sit here and smile and customers come to us right?" It worked because people smiled - but realised there was a grain of truth in the matter - and this is never more true than at this time of the year.  Rant begins...

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-16611620739723889682011-11-30T08:30:00.000Z2011-11-30T11:40:36.900Z

How proactive are you at maintaining a good customer relationship? Did you know that it is six times easier to sell to an existing customer than a new one? Did you know you could do this without spending a bean? Here's how: 1.  Keep in touch "formally"  By going across their radar screen on a constant basis you will be the first person they think of when they/a friend/a relative/a

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-34285969746062917062011-11-23T08:45:00.000Z2011-11-23T11:20:04.256Z

Many networking groups give their members and visitors just sixty seconds to put themselves across.  So how do you make the most of this VERY short time to do what's known as the elevator pitch? This question was recently debated by the delightful Alton Athena Networking group so I thought I would share their comments with you: Be passionate and enthusiastic about your business Smile

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-48477074125442064512011-11-17T08:30:00.000Z2011-11-17T08:30:03.443Z

I'm sure you know that copywriting is the art of effectively putting your business across in the printed word  - in fact it's also referred to as "salesmanship in print" - but what does it entail? Well, before the copywriter gets to work they need to understand your target market; the benefits you bring and the possible objections to using your business. They then need to read any existing

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-53242874721789292282011-11-09T08:30:00.000Z2011-11-09T08:30:00.286Z

How are you doing out there?  Feeling a little stressed? I've had some interesting  insights about the challenges of getting in business of late. One client expressed the opinion that most companies with a good product or service had grown organically for about seven years and then came the crunch. One recent e-mail expressed the bewilderment of someone whose business had been absolutely fine

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-13368824376985007392011-10-26T09:00:00.000+01:002011-10-26T09:00:06.023+01:00

A “strapline” is both the secondary sentence attached to a brand name and the term used instead of the word “slogan” meaning a short memorable phrase used in advertising campaigns.  In the US these are referred to as taglines - a word that’s increasingly used here too. Whatever you’d like to call them they all have to do the same thing:   They need to catch the eye of your reader

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-27542546710514351212011-10-19T08:30:00.000+01:002011-10-19T08:30:02.944+01:00

I have spoken about brand twice recently, once during my marketing workshop for Southern Entrepreneurs and once as a speaker at Berkshire Media Group’s Sales and Marketing Conference in Newbury last Friday. On both occasions the particular brand topic that provoked the most comment and stimulated the most light bulb moments was “core values”.  So I thought I would share the

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-17735976166560824432011-10-12T08:30:00.000+01:002011-10-12T08:30:02.486+01:00

As a copywriter my job is to enlighten and excite your clients rather than teach you language and grammar!  But I came upon the subject of contranyms on a US blog and thought I would mess with your minds like it messed with mine… So, for your information a contranym is a word with two opposed meanings.  Forget scan reading, you will need to think about these – perhaps over a cuppa? Bolt

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-74076551021150805152011-09-14T10:30:00.000+01:002011-09-15T11:38:02.642+01:00

OK, I've had enough of seeing the same spelling mistakes in printed materials, e-mails, posters and  newsletters.  Poor spelling REALLY does reflect badly on your business. Since I cover the most common grammar and spelling mistakes during one of my workshops I thought I would share my top five       1.     Confusion between it’s and its   It’s is a contraction of it is: It’s dark

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-59583794315123569512011-09-07T15:18:00.000+01:002011-09-13T14:23:20.846+01:00

For some unknown reason the best verbal communicators often go into "corporate speak" when writing their business materials.  By this I mean they resort to language that is professional and uptight.  And last time I looked that kind of language: Fails to resonate with potential customers and client Makes you sound unfriendly and unemotional And more importantly does not want to

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-23835228709890874992011-08-31T13:30:00.000+01:002011-09-13T14:25:28.113+01:00

Promoting yourself is costly - so finding out how to effectively advertise your business might be a good idea! Now that everyone is getting back from holidays let’s get to work on your adverts and flyers. The first BIG question: 1. How often do you review your marketing material in order that it is interesting, unusual, engaging and meaningful? Leo Burnett’s quotation on advertising makes it

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-43146035390023932432011-08-24T10:45:00.003+01:002011-08-24T10:45:00.184+01:00

Whilst driving up the M1 to a wedding last weekend I found myself looking at the straplines that appear on the side of lorries. I noticed that: Marks and Spencer now has "Your M&S" and that British Gas now has "looking after your world" The main reason why you should think about using the word "your" in your own straplines is because personalising something is so much more resonant. Look at

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-63684027984026208092011-08-17T10:30:00.001+01:002011-08-17T10:30:01.272+01:00

Deciding where and how to advertise can be tricky but for a start there is a very simple little rhyme which should help you with this: What will be read can be dictated By where your reader is located In other words you if you are going to advertise you need to do this in places your target audience will see. So first of all does the publication you are considering actually reach your

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-56328776243474481972011-08-10T11:15:00.000+01:002011-09-13T14:26:42.381+01:00

With powerfully disturbing images on our screens this week, we’re all now listening for the “right words” by way of explanation or promise to address the situation. Some of these will deeply resonate with us, others will provoke irritation or anger, most we will not remember in a few days time. Our world moves on rapidly which is why you have to work hard to write marketing words that impact

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-52896400001968383982011-08-01T10:19:00.000+01:002011-08-01T10:19:15.376+01:00

Search engines use the keywords that are woven into your code and your web copy (including your blog) in order to point potential clients in your direction. But are the words you gave to your web designer all that time ago the best ones possible? Could you be missing out on a higher traffic term that is similar to one you suggested but not the same? Here’s an example of local searches per

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-19018913433424993282011-07-26T14:21:00.001+01:002011-09-13T14:27:53.188+01:00

Those of you who are familiar with my website will know that I am a great believer in testimonials but how do you get them in the first place? 1. Be ready to write down anything which is said and ask if you can use it. I firmly believe that verbal off the cuff testimonials have a lot more energy than those written down. You avoid the inevitable “I would thoroughly recommend Fred Bloggs to

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-64330246884120033872011-07-19T09:47:00.000+01:002011-07-19T09:47:51.858+01:00

Do you like writing? Are you an expert in your field? Or passionate about a particular subject? Then article marketing might be a good strategy for you This subtle (and free) form of online advertising is all about writing and submitting an online article. And it's a true win win situation since these articles add value to the content of online publishers and e-newsletter distributors whilst

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-80259014831909376812011-07-11T13:24:00.000+01:002011-07-11T13:24:31.343+01:00

Is E-mail marketing part of your overall strategy? How successful do you find it? Unfortunately there are lots of ways in which you may be missing the mark, so I thought I would share a few insights with you. 1. Apparently 30% of consumers change their e-mail addresses every 12 months, and the younger the audience the more often they will do this. Have you anything in place which encourages

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-1336587173459052592011-07-04T16:46:00.001+01:002011-07-04T17:02:25.753+01:00

I am going to start this post by asking you a question. What are you trying to achieve on Twitter? You see, unless you have a plan in mind you’ll inevitably join the many who tweet a little and then abandon the whole thing. So here are a few scenarios for you: You are trying to find out the centres of influence in your sector to keep ahead of the game: Take a look at http://www.wefollow.com/

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comHampshire, UK51.0895203 -1.216844000000037350.7193858 -1.9382075000000374 51.459654799999996 -0.4954805000000373tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-12050921531074875542011-06-24T10:22:00.003+01:002011-06-29T10:40:59.804+01:00

At the Planning and Promoting an Event Workshop I ran yesterday, one of the promotional vehicles I mentioned was a QR code which drew blank faces from most of the attendees. (As a trainer, it’s always a relief to know more than the attendees…) Having done pretty extensive research here is my explanation for you: You may have begun to see crossword like bar codes appearing in various places and

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-82506141251888922062011-06-10T08:30:00.010+01:002011-06-10T08:30:02.737+01:00

Marketing Tips Week - Tip no 5 What will be read can be dictated By where your reader is located This simple rhyme serves as a reminder to clearly understand your potential customer - and by location we are talking about background and mindset as well as geographic place! Here's how marketing companies categorise potential markets: 1. Demographic information — this may include information

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-37754013487225987312011-06-09T08:30:00.005+01:002011-06-09T08:30:03.296+01:00

Marketing Tip Week - Tip no 4 If you have never blogged you can easily start FOR FREE by using either wordpress or blogger and following the instructions - which are very staightforward. There will be a few areas around your blog that you need to understand in order to make the most of it. Firstly a post is the entry you are making at a particular time on your blog. These are not static, as

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-18823735136008020822011-06-08T08:30:00.003+01:002011-06-08T08:30:01.625+01:00

Marketing Tips Week - Tip no 3 When I run workshops I always describe a visual image for marketing and it is a sheepdog, some sheep and a sheep pen. The theory is that the sheep pen is your business, the sheep are your potential clients and the sheep is the marketing method that drives the target audience into YOUR sheep pen i.e. your business offering. Now there are many different marketing

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-81533768637629782632011-06-07T10:57:00.001+01:002011-06-07T14:39:21.412+01:00

Marketing Tips Week - Tip no 2 Having found a publication(s) that your target audience reads (NB reads not just sees!) You need to format your press release as follows: • Insert the words ‘For Immediate Release’ in bold in the top left hand corner • Leave 4 cm between the title and your story headline – this allows for the editor’s notes as to how and where to use the story. • Give yourself

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-90992388824957634102011-06-06T12:00:00.001+01:002011-06-07T14:41:21.455+01:00

Marketing Tips Week - Tip no 1 Having applied a lot of effort into creating your marketing materials, it's all too easy to then forget about them. This perhaps applies more to websites than to other materials as you seldom look at your own. With this in mind I thought it might be useful to give you a few reminders, the first of which is pretty crucial 1. Do you know when the registration of

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-51884690112350244862011-05-31T13:43:00.000+01:002011-05-31T13:43:26.521+01:00

I recently received an e-mail which finished with the salutation “ATB” - it took me a little while, but I finally worked out that it stood for “All the Best” However, the act of unravelling those three letters did remind me of the dangers of using acronyms, “in-speak” and technical language in your marketing communications. You might think that this makes you look cool or knowledgeable but

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-30474640486872468532011-05-24T11:44:00.000+01:002011-05-24T11:47:14.719+01:00

Other peoples’ business success can be inspirational if you know the secrets behind them. So I thought I would share with you a distillation of a recent publication put out by the Daily Telegraph in conjunction with HSBC. Called Trading Secrets it shared the international trading successes of several British Companies who have expanded through export. However the advice is good even if you

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-35176981360137959402011-03-31T14:12:00.000+01:002011-03-31T15:49:26.852+01:00

As a marketing advisor it's vital for me to have at least an understanding of different marketing platforms so that I can share that knowledge with my clients. Indeed it was this that led to the launch of social networking help site - www.businessblogbuddy.co.uk. It's also essential to keep up to speed with my own marketing efforts and so on Wednesday I found myself on the excellent LinkedIn

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-81134418052269434112011-03-10T10:45:00.000Z2011-03-10T10:45:56.220Z

I see the error over and over again. You spend ages researching material for a newsletter You spend even longer writing the damn thing You then e-mail it out and no-one reads it. Here's why: Your subject heading says "Newsletter" - now how many people are going to be so excited at that word that they leap to open up the e-mail. Do you? Your subject heading is longer than the subject heading

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-18183441816409212482011-03-01T09:09:00.000Z2011-03-01T09:21:26.974Z

As New Zealand has two minutes silence a week after the earthquake I would like to share my deepest sympathy. Whilst the disaster unfolded last week I found myself on social networking sites which had sprung up as centres of communication. To me this showed the true value of those sites, forget the self indulgent "I feel a bit stressed" "Had a difficult day" type posts - this was about

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-65925223414137785712011-02-18T13:17:00.001Z2011-02-18T13:53:03.993Z

...but you do need to understand people. Imagine practicing archery wearing a blindfold, or ten pin bowling with your eyes closed. In both cases, being prevented from seeing your target would mean that it’s highly unlikely that you would hit it.Similarly, doing business without identifying your target market will prevent you from reaching your objectives whether this is increased sales, market

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-35527473423709037802011-02-11T14:07:00.000Z2011-02-18T14:05:14.153Z

As a copywriter I really love the way our language evolves BUT alongside the novel and the innovative there are a certain amount of words that seem to become casualties along the way. One of these is the word COMPLEMENTARY. Those of you who know me will remember that the wrong use of this word brings me out in hives and provokes a mini rant so imagine my reaction last Sunday when I found the

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-31524414804882818952011-02-05T16:49:00.000Z2011-02-05T17:34:45.073Z

Yesterday I spoke at Winchester University's Student Enterprise Conference. I think this is the 4th year running I have been invited and, having been initially invited as "The Business Mum to the Start Up Scheme", I am now billed as a motivational speaker - so no pressure there then!By the way this is not a photo of me!Anyway I review and revise my talk every year not least to stop the

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-48562948847258919372011-01-21T15:48:00.000Z2011-01-21T16:18:13.734Z

Those of you who are clients or regular networking contacts will hear me say over and over again that marketing should be an inate part of the business process.For example you should habitually and automatically be sending out a client feedback form to new clientsYou should, at least quarterly, be sending out a newsletter to clients and and contactsYou should schedule in regular mailshots,

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-53520833523217229862011-01-12T17:49:00.000Z2011-02-18T14:07:54.194Z

Happy New Year to you all!Although marketing is a continual process, there's no doubt that the advent of a New Year typically prompts a burst of activity to fill in those blank diary pages with work!The most simple thing to do is to get in contact with your existing clients as it is 6 times less effort to prompt them to buy from you again. This is because you have done the persuasion bit and the

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-74457464918714293052010-12-16T11:18:00.001Z2010-12-16T11:39:39.173Z

Why do you trust brand names? Because they're the ones which tell you that the visit will be worth your time - again and again. Brands work hard to persuade you to think “this is a company that totally gets it” and this drives customer loyalty because you always get what they always do!Since a branded company is effectively “pre-sold” it doesn’t have to keep explaining who it is and what it

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-23633848114575216382010-12-03T12:20:00.000Z2011-02-18T13:55:05.184Z

One of the quotations I use in my workshops is by Jay Conrad Levinson and it's this:"Marketing is not an event, but a process . . . it has a beginning, a middle, but never an end, for it is a process. You improve it, perfect it, change it, even pause it. But you never stop it completely"The reason for this is that marketing is about keeping in touch with your target audience in a sustained way to

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-6673203191138618392010-11-29T09:40:00.000Z2010-11-29T09:57:43.838Z

I do hope you’ve not faltered to a halt in your marketing activities because I’ve not recently written a blog post (as if)! I do have a good excuse, as I’ve been exceptionally busy launching a complementary business with my colleague Samantha Russell of The Social Sardine.www.business-blog-buddy.co.uk is designed to help you if you are bewildered or beleaguered at the thought of how to use it

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-29464696009902206612010-11-12T17:07:00.000Z2011-02-18T13:55:43.714Z

My breakfast networking group – Winchester Business Group – has a policy of a revolving chair. This is, of course in terms of person rather than furniture! The idea is that each member of the group is Chair for two months. Not only does this give a continual freshness to the group it is also great experience for everyone.The present incumbent is caterer par excellence Elizabeth Lawton (

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-24114364913332109492010-11-05T13:08:00.000Z2010-11-29T10:05:58.084Z

The third early morning on the trot - leaving home at 6am - this time to be the headline speaker at the FSB's AGM (or even the Federation of Small Business's Annual General Meeting!) at the Concorde Club in Eastleigh.37 people turned up to hear me speak on the topic of "Marketing - it's not what you do it's the way that you do it" - I had 30 minutes but did warn them that they might need to drag

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-20627192301858759292010-10-14T12:25:00.000+01:002011-02-18T13:57:22.070Z

As usual I was at the Winchester Business Group this Wednesday morning (always a joy!)and I was delighted when a visitor approached me saying she had remembered a talk I had given 4 years ago. The thing she remembered most vividly was me standing there with a pen complete with pink feathers saying that contrary to popular opinion marketing was not pink and fluffy at all. She was so taken with

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-64241457056513909062010-09-23T12:53:00.000+01:002011-02-18T14:09:45.261Z

I apologise to any keen Trekkies out there for plagiarising that well known phrase but it seemed a good idea at the time... Many companies think that marketing is about chucking money at glossy brochures or high profile ads, but honestly that need not be the case. You can spend no money at all, or just a little AND still get business... Let's start with the no money technique. Due to savvy

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-86370781159959352812010-09-10T13:05:00.001+01:002011-02-18T14:11:14.575Z

It may not be entirely coincidental that the title of this post occurs as my kitchen is being re-fitted! And how did this builder get my work? Because he asked for one of my free Marketing Healthchecks and in doing so marketed himself to me! This is just one example of the fact that stepping out of your normal routine to try something different often results in work... a local website designer

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-19673442712971820652010-09-01T18:10:00.000+01:002010-09-01T18:25:07.143+01:00

I am sorry if you have missed my pearls of wisdom but I have been caught up in one of the most stressful experiences other than getting up for a breakfast networking meeting - yes I have moved house.It was worth it but it was indeed stressful and time consuming!Anyway, do the words legal, decent, honest and truthful ring any bells? They should if you ever place any advertising, since you are

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-30264325928418037172010-08-02T13:56:00.000+01:002010-08-02T17:42:49.024+01:00

Contrary to popular belief branding is not just for the big boys. Those who have attended my workshops at Southern Entrepreneurs (next one September 16th!) or my talk for Wired Wessex will already understand this. But I need to persuade the rest of you...I'd like you to take a closer look at branding by considering a couple of questions:How do you know which shops are worth visiting, which

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-53397574689486642522010-07-23T15:18:00.000+01:002010-07-23T15:59:44.614+01:00

Thank you to Malcom Law of The Chauffeur Group for sharing the following with my Basingstoke Breakfast Group during his 60 seconds about maintaining his excellent client service:"Quality is affected by gravity"This is certainly true of marketing materials and here is why...when you start up in business you may produce marketing materials in a rather tick list kind of way:Logo - doneBusiness

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-36351240294969456342010-07-15T16:20:00.000+01:002010-07-15T17:16:53.705+01:00

Well strangely enough the most bizarre words can have positive connotations when put into context - and I don’t even need a great deal of marketing spin to turn that word aroundIn the first instance a client used the word like this“If it was not for the fact that we did not want to reveal our current location we would say Jane Buswell is the paddle when you are up shit creek” ...and today a

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-54062703085475282732010-07-15T16:14:00.000+01:002010-08-02T13:46:45.175+01:00

I have run two workshops recently. One for BusinessLink SW in Bournemouth and one for CIBAS in Basingstoke. I have worked for both these organisations before and they now trust me to give their clients a great insight into marketing as well as an enjoyable time. Of course they know this because they use feedback forms – something which I encourage my clients to use within their own businesses

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-72687497286797190942010-07-15T16:13:00.000+01:002010-07-16T15:09:56.955+01:00

Sometimes the most simple sayings resonate through and through and I came across one recently which was “Money grows on the tree of perseverance”. This is a very good way of describing a highly desirable quality that my much beloved paternal Grandmother described as “stickability”One of my networking associates was recently brought in to a company that was hugely struggling. The staff told him

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-92113799432986994122010-07-15T16:11:00.001+01:002011-07-19T16:03:29.151+01:00

“An assumption of understanding is the enemy of acceptance” Apologies, I don’t know where this saying came from and have only been reminded of it because I found it scribbled on an index card at the bottom of a bag. Appropriately, this is the same bag I used to carry 14 Business Plans on a day when it was decided which University of Winchester Students might get funded via the Start Up Scheme.

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-57055653880449534582010-07-15T16:05:00.000+01:002010-07-15T17:10:03.960+01:00

Years ago I worked in a multi level marketing operation with a hugely inspirational trainer. I remember running a workshop with her and hearing her come out with training mantra after training mantra. The one I liked best was the one I had to work on to remember and it was this:“If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always got”I was reminded of that

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-39286565934147583042010-07-15T16:04:00.000+01:002010-08-02T13:41:51.625+01:00

I am indebted to my Basingstoke4Business colleague David Hudec for reminding me of that great Mary Poppins saying – “well begun is half done”. Never was this more appropriate than in terms of marketing:It can be taken in two ways: indeed if you clearly define your proposition and are spreading the word via postcards, website, brochures etc then indeed well begin IS half done – in other words you

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-66218496045902338672010-07-15T16:02:00.000+01:002010-07-15T17:07:49.956+01:00

I love quotations – they can really inspire me in terms of my networking 60 seconds, my presentations, my workshops and my blog posts.One of my favourites appeared out of the blue in an advertisement in my Local Parish Magazine it was this:“Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does” (Steuart Henderson Britt)That

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-59361775184028317202010-07-15T16:00:00.000+01:002010-07-15T17:06:45.352+01:00

When website designer Eddie Rich initially relayed a story about having seen a dead badger and asked the Basingstoke4Breakfast group to point out to him any websites that could be thought of as dead badgers, we all understood what he was talking about.But I little knew that I was about to enter the dark underworld of subliminal marketing.I don’t want to take any credit away from Eddie. but I

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-23436530887091196072010-07-15T15:57:00.000+01:002010-08-02T13:38:58.550+01:00

I would like to start by stating the bloomin’ obvious – people buy people. We all know it and yet we often fail to put across our brands(or personalities)in our marketing materials. And this is particularly the case with websites – which is kind of a shame as you’ll not be there with your potential client going through web page by web page…So today’s blog post is partly about brand and partly

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-65155653245258306802010-07-15T15:53:00.000+01:002010-07-15T17:04:50.684+01:00

I am indebted to Martin Stevens in my Basingstoke4Breakfast Group for this saying to kick off my pearls of wisdom“When you want to sell what Bill Smith buys, you must look at the world through Bill Smith’s eyes”Martin has been in business for a long time and often comes out with great sayings originate in his sales management background. This one particularly resonated with me as it’s a nice

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-4144631273780760162010-05-25T10:37:00.001+01:002010-05-26T09:48:55.040+01:00

Postcard marketing is not just about getting great looking and inexpensive marketing material, this is one of the least expensive ways you will find to define a marketing position unique to your company and they can also form the basis for eye catching advertisements. Click here to find out more about Business Fulcrum's Postcard Marketing Serviceand then contact us if you would like to know

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5795057252837756855.post-29449711724355192722010-02-15T13:02:00.000Z2010-05-25T11:01:42.040+01:00

As Winchester University's "Business Mum" for their Start Up Scheme I am asked to do an hour long lecture at their annual Enterprise Conference. For this I am billed as a motivational speaker, so lots of positives are included alongside constant reminders that being your own boss needs energy, hard work and determination - day in day out.I also like to include humorous bits and pieces and hope

Jane Buswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264480278774968158noreply@blogger.com