How to build an online community?

How do you evaluate Christmas TV ads – warm glow or hard sales?

Last week my daughter emailed me with a link and message saying ‘cutest ad ever’.  It was!  It was the Heathrow Airport teddies Christmas ad (click on the link below and you might need a hankie). However, I had just got back from delivering a CIPR

Can you network too much?

Am I doing enough with our existing network – which is both vast and has quality relationships in there? And could constant networking actually damage your business?

Nine reasons why your business should be blogging

Blogs have been a recognised marketing tool for a number of years now and I’d argue they are the most powerful way of promoting your business today. They’re also a hugely cost effective way for generating new business and raising awareness of your

Top 20 sales tips for sales success

Thanks to Nick Bramley for this guest blog. Nick and Victoria Tomlinson were recently accredited as trainers by the Institute of Leadership and Management for the University of York – everyone loved Nick’s session on his 20 top sales tips and here

What is the financial value of business case studies?

This was a great question posed – hypothetically – by John, a global marketing director at a major corporate. We were discussing the value that global brands put on their reputation – and how these brands want to protect their name through very

The Apple Watch arrives – but what are the implications of wearable technology for business?

Perhaps the biggest issue for wearable technology is how they will impact on businesses. Such devices raise a number of questions, ranging from should they even be allowed in the workplace to how will they transform the way we communicate and work together,

How to grow your business – top tips from 400 entrepreneurs

Looking back on his time as Insider’s deputy editor, Northern Lights communications director Ben Pindar shares the secrets of business success from the hundreds of top entrepreneurs he interviewed over the years. This blog first appeared on Insider

Content Marketing – How to make money from your business in 2014 – just from your brainpower

A couple of years ago, we got a consultant in to help us win new business.  It was the depths of the recession and it was tough.  There was no magic wand but one thing really stuck:  he said ‘you should be earning passive income’. This was a completely

Social Media – How Petplan turned bad PR into great PR with an integrated internal communications and social media strategy

We’re always looking for examples of businesses that use social media well. Its immediacy can be both a blessing and a challenge in PR. One company that uses social media really well is Petplan. As a B2C pet insurance company, they have a great presence

Does better customer knowledge deliver better profits? And what role does internal communications play with your customer?

I was recently asked to give a webinar for Worldmark’s management development programme on understanding the customer. As always, there is nothing like teaching others to remind yourself of all the things we should be doing in our own businesses.

Ten highly successful income generation ideas for your business

Here are a few of the tips and insights that I took away from Nigel Botterill’s masterclass. Give a talk about your own expertise and learn from it. Use your archive materials. Monthly newsletters need to be monthly. Information marketing has enormous