I was listening to a speech recently and the presenter asked the question of the audience, ‘why are you in business today?’  The audience answered with perhaps some expected responses which generally fell into the categories of ‘to make a profit’ and ‘to be financially secure’.

The presenter then argued that actually, the reason we should be in business today is to be in business tomorrow. His point being that the greatest and ultimately most profitable businesses don’t just focus on making profits. Instead, they focus on building a business that stands for something that their customers can buy into.  In other words, building a business with a purpose first then supplying products or services that demonstrate that purpose.

This might not be a ground breaking insight into marketing and business strategy, but it did remind me of a video I watched a little while ago that made a similar point in a very simple way.

So, today’s video is another great example from the TED library. Simon Sinek speaks about the simple difference between businesses that build a following and those that sell products or services.

Here are three classic videos that I guarantee will get you thinking about your marketing strategy.  They need no more of an introduction…

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Running a face-to-face event or seminar can be a great way to interact with your target market and, of course, generate new business. But it’s getting harder and harder to encourage people to leave their workplaces and attend an event. So the way in which the event is managed and delivered will be the difference between its success and an empty seminar room.   Here’s 3 practical tips to help make sure your next event is a success. Read more

I suspect none of the ‘truths’ in this article will be a surprise to you, but even saying that please don’t take any of them personally.  I always think it’s good to remind yourself about how your customers might see you as their supplier.   As a wise(ish) marketer once said: “If you walk in the shoes of your customer… they’ll find it a lot harder to run away”.  Or perhaps in simpler English; the more you understand your customer the more likely you are to keep them  ;- ).

Also, there are certainly exceptions to these truths, so if your brand has achieved the status reached by Apple, or Porsche or J K Rowling, you need read no further. OK, those are disclaimers out the way…

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This is a quick lesson in logo types.  The purpose of this lesson is to help you consider the three main types of logo you could choose from if you were having a logo designed or updated.  Hopefully, this will help you decide what logo type is right for your business and to some extent will help you decide the tone of the logo – i.e. what kind of image you want the logo to project. Read more