Business · 06. June 2018

It’s now a year since I decided to go freelance, and it’s been the most liberating, empowering thing I’ve ever done. To anyone thinking of making the same leap, I say: do it.

E-newsletters · 01. March 2018

E-newsletter marketing can be incredibly powerful. When creating campaigns, think primarily about what the recipient wants to hear rather than what you want to say.

Public relations · 22. February 2018

The key to successful networking, it appears, is not trying to sell you services. Instead, it's about helping others sell theirs. I've been reading a fascinating little book that has certainly changed the way I approach networking.

Public relations · 06. February 2018

It’s more important than ever for businesses to look beyond simple media profile and establish mutually-beneficial relationships with a range of stakeholders. Helping your employees with their personal branding and serving audiences in specific areas can reap rewards.

social media · 18. January 2018

Facebook has announced that it is deprioritising promotional posts by Pages run by businesses, following negative feedback from users who essentially said there was too much hard-selling going on. So I’ve scrutinised dozens of corporate Facebook Pages in an attempt to find examples of brands that are doing well in terms of not being too promotional. And I’ve come up with five businesses/organisations that I think are doing a bloomin' good job of keeping a lid on sales messages.

social media · 15. January 2018

I’ve been managing Facebook campaigns for different businesses and organisations for a number of years and the one thing I’ve learnt is to take nothing for granted. Facebook adverts can work really well when you’re offering a correctly targeted audience an opportunity to participate in something meaningful, such as an event or piece of research. It gets harder when you’re trying to sell a product or service, particularly if you require potential customers to submit details.

Public relations · 13. December 2017

Whenever one’s faced with a communications crisis, whatever the time of year, it’s important to take a step back and give yourself space to think about the situation. Don’t be pressured into meeting a journalist's deadline - you shouldn't answer any questions until you’ve given them due consideration. It's okay to ask for more time.

China public relations · 04. December 2017

Kurt Kratchman, of Grapeshot, has posted a helpful blog on the Drum's website on the importance of relationships in China, and Chinese consumer habits.

China · 30. November 2017

Members of the Chinese Community Centre - Birmingham, Birmingham China Business Forum and Birmingham Business Focus have come together to create a planning group to organise China West Midlands 2020 (CWM 2020), an exciting initiative aimed at deepening ties with the Middle Kingdom. The group unveiled its thinking at a well-attended launch event at Birmingham Hippodrome on Thursday, 23 November (2017).