Entries by Ian Kirk

Simplicity is the key to effective marketing

There are many elements that contribute to an effective marketing campaign, but one of the most overlooked elements is simplicity. Simplicity can act like a secret marketing weapon in world overloaded with information and options. There are many types of people on the planet.  Some like lots of information and detail, some people are more […]

Why is there an 80% failure rate for new start-ups?

It is well documented that the success rate for a new start-up business is not great.   Out of 10 businesses who launch this year, only 2 of them will still be trading three years from now. What’s more is that only 1 of those 2 businesses will successfully manage to have a longer-term future! So […]

What your business can learn from New Year rituals!

First of all, let us take the chance to wish everybody a Happy New Year.  We hope you had a good year over the last 12 months and that this next year proves to be even more successful.  Which brings us nicely onto the topic of our first blog of this  year…. Time to reflect […]

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SME Marketing – What are your options?

Why is SME marketing so important?  Well, SMEs are the lifeblood of the British economy.  Without the entrepreneurial spirit of those starting their own business and inwardly investing in growth, the country would be in a bit of a mess.  With this mind, marketing of SMEs to help support and fuel this growth is critical. […]

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The Franchise Marketing Dilemma

Currently there are around 48,000 franchise businesses in the UK , a number which has doubled in the last 25 years, across 900 franchise brands that now employ over 621,000 people (an increase of 70% in last 10 years).  Franchising is big business.   For good reason too. Banks prefer to lend money to franchises as […]

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5 simple rules to maximise marketing impact

Marketing isn’t difficult.  The problem is that most people overcomplicate it.  It isn’t a dark art.  It is just a really logical way to approach how you  present your business.  Some people build it up to be this really complicated discipline that they don’t understand.  In reality they just have little interest in the process […]

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Values: a solid base from which to build a successful business

Our values are our core beliefs – guidelines for how we live our lives. They help shape our decisions, influence our behaviour, and regulate our actions towards others. Personal values are often intrinsic – we act on them naturally and feel conflicted if our values are compromised. Company values are slightly different. In some cases, […]

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How important is your brand identity?

You’ve probably heard phrases like brand, branding and brand identity being bandied around, but what do they all mean and are they actually that important? In the simplest terms, your brand (or branding) is what differentiates you from your competitors and helps customers form perceptions of your company. It’s your purpose, positioning and personality. It’s […]