Insights
Short, practical pieces on the questions SME owners and marketing managers actually ask me.
Written from the work, not from a content calendar.
Team and capability · 8 minute read
Courses teach technique. Mentoring builds judgement. Here is the difference, what a mentoring relationship actually looks like month to month, and how to tell which one your marketer needs.
Strategy and growth · 9 minute read
Most SMEs do not have a lead generation problem. They have a pipeline that depends entirely on referrals and word of mouth, and no idea what to do when it goes quiet. Here is how to build something more deliberate.
Strategy and planning · 7 minute read
Anyone can call themselves a marketing strategist. Here is the difference between a software certificate and a marketing qualification, and how to check before you commit a budget.
Manufacturing and engineering · 9 minute read
Engineering firms rarely lose on capability. They lose because the buyer cannot tell what they do. Here is how to fix that without turning the work into marketing fluff.
Manufacturing and engineering · 9 minute read
Most manufacturers have marketing activity and no marketing strategy. Here is how to build one that holds up when the quarter gets busy and the cycle runs for years.
Budget and planning · 12 minute read
Most marketing plans are written once and never opened again. Here is a template that fits on a few pages, plus what belongs in each section and what to leave out.
Working with a consultant · 6 minute read
A plain English description of the job: what a consultant is brought in to fix, what the weeks look like, and what you should expect to be handed at the end.
Working with a consultant · 6 minute read
The questions that separate genuine independent advice from a channel pitch in disguise, and how to compare two very different quotes fairly.
Audit and analysis · 7 minute read
Every online channel reviewed and scored, benchmarked against competitors, then ordered into what to fix first. Here is the checklist and what to expect at the end.
Choosing support · 7 minute read
Most Essex SMEs start by searching for an agency. Sometimes that is right. Often what the business actually needs is senior direction, not more delivery.
Working together · 6 minute read
What it actually looks like to bring in senior marketing support as an Essex SME: how the work runs, when I come to you, and what a first engagement involves.
Social media · 8 minute read
The ten step process I use to work out whether social media is earning its place, and what to change first when it is not.
Budget and planning · 7 minute read
Benchmarks for UK SME marketing budgets, how to split the money once you have set it, and worked examples at £1,000, £3,000 and £5,000 a month.
Fractional and leadership · 6 minute read
A senior marketing lead, a few days a month, without the full-time salary. Here is what the role actually involves and the signs that your business is ready for it.
Audits and measurement · 8 minute read
A marketing audit is not a list of everything that is wrong. It is a structured look at where the money goes, what it returns, and which few changes will make the biggest difference.
If there is something you would like covered, send it over. Client questions usually make the best articles.
How to build a marketing plan that survives a busy quarter, and what to do when priorities keep changing.
Working out what your marketing is really delivering, and which numbers are worth putting in front of the board.
Saying something specific enough that the right buyer recognises themselves in it.
Where SMEs get the best return, and the spending habits that quietly drain a marketing budget.
Send your question over. If it is a good one, it will probably end up as an article too.