by Kara Stanford | Jul 10, 2020 | Marketing Communications, Marketing Planning, Tactical marketing
One of my favourite expressions to describe poor marketing is “spray and pray”. This is a trap many amateur marketers fall in to: the “If we chuck it out there, someone might see it, and if we’re lucky, that someone might be someone who... 
by Kara Stanford | Feb 29, 2020 | client relationships, Loyalty, Marketing Communications, Tactical marketing
Good marketers have long recognised the power of using anniversaries or special dates as a relationship enhancing marketing tool. However, sometimes they can get it wrong and what should be a lovely gesture to bring your customers and professional network... 
by Kara Stanford | Dec 14, 2019 | Marketing Planning, SOSTAC, Strategy, Tactical marketing
SOSTAC allows you to take a structured approach to marketing. When applied, it means each element of your marketing fits together, impacting the next element – like cogs, they all have to be working well to make the whole machine work. Let’s take a quick... 
by Kara Stanford | Oct 1, 2019 | market analysis, Marketing Communications, Marketing Planning, marketing resource, Marketing skills, Marketing Team, Strategy, Tactical marketing
All businesses need a ‘marketing team’. From solopreneurs to growing SMEs to established businesses, we all need a team of people who understand how to plan, implement, manage and run effective marketing. Today in this blog post, I’ll help you understand: The... 
by Kara Stanford | Sep 1, 2019 | Content Marketing, Growth, Marketing Communications, Marketing Planning, Tactical marketing
SMEs need to get their marketing plans right so that they work. These past few months I’ve helped five clients pull together their Tactical Marketing Plan, as well as updating my own. I’ve applied these three principles to all of them. Let’s look at each in detail.... 
by Kara Stanford | Jul 3, 2019 | Growth, Loyalty, Marketing Communications, Marketing Planning, Segmentation, Strategy, Tactical marketing
There is no mystique to creating a Marketing Plan; it’s about understanding the Buyers’ Journey. First, you need to understand the Buyers Journey and the different stages in it. Then you have to ensure you have something in place at each stage to help your... 