Blog
5 Business Management Strategies for Entrepreneurs
Here are 5 business management strategies for entrepreneurs. When it comes to making a small business successful, every little detail counts. From developing a great product to creating a strong digital presence, you as the owner need to be on top of all projects and...
How to set up a Soft Opt-Out
A soft opt-out is a neat way to let your subscribers remain on your list WITHOUT leaving it completely as they would if they unsubscribed. Here’s how to do it.
Sending too many emails
If you’ve ever wondered if you’re sending too many emails, then this article is for you.
Have you ever had a subscriber complain that you send too many emails?
It does happen and here’s what to do.
Learning how to build a website
Learning how to build a website is a bit like learning how to tap dance. It’s a skill that has to be learnt. This story illustrates how having a guide to show you how can shortcut the learning curve and avoid overwhelm and frustration.
Disrespecting Your Customers
You could be disrespecting your customers without realising. Read about the negative effects of not taking purchasers out of your email campaigns.
How to make blog writing easier
Whether it’s for a newsletter, blog or social media, blog writing is important for authority from both an SEO and audience stance. But what if writing blogs and newsletters is taking ages?
How to sell more from your website
If you’re looking for how to sell more from your website, then take a lesson from off-line selling. This article demonstrates how you might be inadvertently turning away sales and what to do instead.
Dating and Websites
Dating and websites are not so dissimilar. This article shares the lessons from what works with dating and how that can be used in your website homepage.
Cheap Website Design
This article highlights the pitfalls of going for a cheap website design and 4 tips if you have limited funds.
Pricing Value Strategies
Pricing and value can be a tricky minefield. What is perceived as valuable for one person can have little or no value for another. This story illustrates the different perceptions of value from totally different perspectives and lessons we can learn about pricing and value.
Online Marketing Strategy Simplified
This article describes a simple yet effective online marketing strategy that I implement for a lot of my clients. It saves them time and gathers and nurtures leads from cold to hot to paying clients.
The path to funnel sales
Funnel sales sounds very masculine and domineering, like you’re forcing people to do something without their control or consent. But what if you reframe it as a path that people take that leads to you. At any time, they can stop, turn back or take a turning to another path or continue on their journey to be led to working with you.
What to do When Overwhelmed
What to do when overwhelmed, whether it’s choices and decisions to make in your business, sorting through a huge to-do list, or what to start on first, Vee talks about some recommendations how to move out of overwhelm and into focused action.
How to schedule and manage social media
If you’re thinking about using a new social media posting and management tool, this video shows you how to use Constant Contact for this purpose.
How to find your niche in the market when you can serve anyone
How to find your niche How can you find your niche in the market when your service can literally help anyone? This article explains how to define your niche in the market without restricting yourself to demographics. I was at a networking meeting and got talking with...
Why your website welcome message could be harming your coaching or consulting business
If you’re a coach, consultant, therapist or service provider and your opening line on your website is ‘Welcome to my website’, then you could be harming your business.
What makes for a good website: image tips
Here are some image tips for what makes a good website. They say that images speak a thousand words and it’s true.
Under the hood: How to convert website visitors to customers
How to convert website visitors to customers Getting website visitors to convert to customers is not just about having a beautiful website. In this article I lift the bonnet of what goes on behind the scenes to make sure that the journey from website user flows...
The jigsaw puzzle of online marketing tools
Getting online marketing tools to work nicely together is a bit like piecing together a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. Just like a jigsaw you want all the web tech to work smoothly together. Here's how I help achieve that for clients. Do you love a good jigsaw puzzle too?...
My daily email experiment
Earlier this year, I decided to step my email to daily in an experiment to prove (or disprove) whether daily emails work. In the past I’ve done monthly and weekly and something in between. Here’s what happened when I did my daily email experiment. Since February, I...
The Content Creation Club
As a founder member you have influence to shape the Content Creation Club to really meet your needs so that your content will boost your online presence, authority, enquiries, and sales as well as be the inspiration for future members.
Is SEO Worth The Investment
Is SEO Worth the Investment Getting visitors to your website is essential. Turning those visitors into prospective customers is crucial for your business. SEO might be part of your marketing strategy, and here’s how you can make sure your SEO investment is worth it....
How to create an opt-out from your Mother’s Day Campaigns without unsubscribing
Sometimes you want to offer an option in your email so that subscribers can opt to NOT receive a particular themed email campaign (like Mother's Day) but remain on your list for your normal emails. Here's how. Some themed campaigns might be sensitive to some of your...
10 Steps to a Website Looking Good on Mobile
10 Steps to a Website Looking Good on Mobile With more than 3 billion mobile users in the world it makes sense to make sure your website delivers a dreamy experience on mobile. Here’s 10 simple steps that turn a rubbish mobile experience into a dreamy experience so...
Website Design Trends 2021
What are website design trends looking like for 2021 and beyond? This article and video shows what I see as important trends that will be taking shape over 2021 and beyond that will make or break the success of your website. Plus 3 tips to make sure your site is fit...
Hootsuite and Constant Contact comparison
With Hootsuite's recent announcement of the deprecation of their free plan their users may be looking at alternatives to manage their social postings. Not many people know that social posting tools are included in all Constant Contact’s plans. So how do they stack up...
How to create and publish your content everywhere without spending all day on it
Creating and publishing content for all your marketing channels can be exhausting, but did you know you can repurpose one article for all your social media, blog and newsletter which will save a huge amount of time. I was at my local Tesco picking up a few items for...
Overcoming Adversity
Events rarely have a worldwide effect but when they do, they’re followed by paradigm shifts and perhaps recent events (of 2020-21) is such a time. This article explores how past historical events shaped my great grandfather and helped him achieve multiple successes in...
What’s Football got to do with Online Marketing?
Just like a football team with players, coaches and a manager, you have several components in an online marketing system that can work well together attracting and converting prospects into sales. When all the components are working well together, then you have a...
Cyber Attacks
Cyber attackers are continually seeking out vulnerable websites to attack. They can install rogue code and messages, redirects to spammy sites, delete your content and worse, lock you out.
My Great Grandfather
My great grandfather together with his two older sisters, were orphaned as young teens when both his parents succumbed to what was known as the great Indian plague in 1861.
Is there a better alternative to WordPress?
Why is WordPress so difficult? This article Vee explores alternative web builders and why you should not use WordPress. Do you find WordPress difficult? If you’re a small business owner fed up of how complex WordPress has become and just want a website that is simple...
Constant Contact Update Review (2021)
What is Constant Contact? Constant Contact is a powerful suite of online tools to help small business owners start and grow their businesses. Here's a review of Constant Contact's latest update. Who Are Constant Contact? Constant Contact have been around for a loooong...
Hootsuite free – the downgrade
Hootsuite Free has been downgraded. Their announcement says that from 5th April 2021, you can no longer post to 3 accounts (now only 2). And now you can only schedule up to 5 posts. This is a bold move and if you're a Hootsuite user you might be looking for an...
Does using 3rd party apps to post on social affect reach?
3rd party apps to post on social is a time-saving way to manage your business social posting. But is reach affected negatively using 3rd party apps? This article explores the evidence and debunks the myth. Why Use 3rd Party Apps to Post On Social Posting on social...
The Habit of Content Creation
This article is about the habit of content creation. Content is an essential part of your marketing plan and when done well can provide you with brand awareness, prospects and sales. Here’s how to get going again if you’ve fallen off the wagon.
How to keep up with online marketing when you’re busy with work
Online marketing is essential these days to make sure you attract a steady stream of clients. But if the business is just you, it’s easy to let blogging, emailing and social posting slip while you get on with lucrative client work. This article is about the importance...
Web Building Made Simple
Kimberly needed a website for her new VA business and wanted to keep her costs down. She also had no previous web building experience. Yet she was able to create a professional website that gained her 2 new clients very shortly after launching her website. Here’s her...
How to do a re-engagement campaign
Here’s an elegant way to reconnect with your email list if it’s been a while since you last emailed. This will avoid dreaded spam reports and potentially getting shut down as well as gets rid of dead emails and people no longer engaging with your emails which means...
Marketing with Integrity and Trusting Instincts
I always expect others to act with the same honesty and integrity that I do, but when something doesn’t sit right, I’m compelled to investigate further. Evicted from Kartra for having Tourettes That was the explanation offered by a chap who connected with me on...
How to create a lead magnet that generates leads
The 5 steps to make sure your lead magnet does its job of generating leads.
Content Engine for your marketing
While my clients are working in their zone of genius, I’m making sure their marketing message is consistently out there and making sure there is a consistent flow of new customers.
Are Facebook Pages worth having?
The reach on Facebook Page posts is so poor these days, you may wonder if they're worth bothering about. Here's how to use Facebook Pages in your marketing mix. I was asked this question recently. The reach on their FB page was so bad, they questioned the value of...
Dropped like a hot brick
My buddy should focus on the people who love her emails and stuff that she does.
Social Media Bio Update
My tip today is to check what your social media bio says about you and make sure there’s a link to your website.
Using Constant Contact to Schedule Social Media
Constant Contact has a social management tool, where you can create, schedule and manage postings to all your channels on Facebook pages, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Refreshing your website
I can help you sift through what’s relevant and what’s not, advise you on the different platforms available now and what would suit you.
Groundwork setting up sales funnels
Groundwork setting up sales funnels and lead magnets can be time-consuming and tedious especially when you don’t see immediate results.
Why emails with images are bad
Images in emails are like salt in cooking. Too much and the dish is ruined. Image-dense or image-only emails are bad for business. They have a negative impact on users and deliverability. This article explains why. I’m sad that Debenhams are closing their stores. But...
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
My dad always used this expression. Standing on the shoulders of giants is a metaphor which means "Using the understanding gained by major thinkers who have gone before in order to make intellectual progress" My dad was a prolific inventor, and his philosophy was to...
Gamification Works!
Some online course platforms have rewards built in where delegates get awarded virtual stickers for completing each module. The same reward/gamification can be used to get through boring or dreaded tasks.
Offering a seamless customer journey
I was one of the 844,285 people who had a Covid vaccination over this weekend. I was a little nervous. But I needn't have worried.The whole process was very slick, organised and I was left in no doubt what the next steps were. I parked up in the carpark and followed...
Offering a Subscription type service
My daughter loves gin. She's just bought into a subscription for ilovegin.com Every month they send her a 2 small bottles of gin with 2 mixers. She's looking forward to trying out different types of gin without the risk of buying a standard bottle and not liking it....
I nearly lost everything
Last year, during the pandemic there was a very real chance that I was sinking. My dad collapsed and was taken into hospital. There was so much to suddenly sort out - liaise with doctors (who were on their own schedules) and social services about his palliative care,...
Get my constructive feedback
Constructive Feedback Constructive feedback of your website can be a difficult thing to ask for from friends and family. They want to encourage you and just tell you what you want to hear. But that's not necessarily going to increase the number of opens, clicks,...
Neglected Website
The house next door to my mother's is being sold and we complete this Thursday. My mum and I went through each room to reminisce, thank and say goodbye. It was bought in the summer of the year I went from school to sixth form and I moved into the rear bedroom. Up to...
Free website builder – how to choose the best one
18 step checklist to help you choose the best free website builder. This article explores the limitations of free website builders so you can choose the best free website builder to suit your web project.
What is bounce rate?
This article explains what is bounce rate in Google Analytics. Maybe you've heard the term 'bouncing' and 'bounce rate' and wondered what it means, so this article explains what is bounce rate of a website and how it affects your Google rankings. What is bounce rate...
Could your website do better at generating sales?
We celebrated my mum's 78th birthday yesterday on a family zoom call. I made birthday cake for our contingent. It's the same fatless sponge recipe that's been handed down generations for all birthdays in our family. Only this time I thought I would change it up and...
The Floppy Handshake
Do you remember the days when you met someone you shook hands? That handshake tells you a lot about the person doesn’t it? Too floppy is not a nice experience. In fact, it gives me shivers just thinking about it. A floppy handshake conveys lack of confidence and...
Bartering is bad for everyone and here’s why
My dad was a clever businessman. He taught me that when a contractor quotes a price and the work spec is exactly what you want, then you should never barter or beat them down. He explained the psychology behind why it's bad to barter. Scenario 1A contractor gives a...
Watch Videos In Less Time
If you're struggling to catch up on webinar recordings or training videos, then I have a really useful tool recommendation for you. It's called Video Speed Controller. It's a Chrome extension that give you speed control over any videos you watch on the Chrome browser....
Website refresh to convert visitors to clients
It's finally done! It's only taken 4 months! Just over a week ago I was telling you about a bit of cool marketing I came across when I was trying to source carpets for our lounge, hall, stairs and landing. In case you missed it, you can read it here. I'm so pleased...
Create a compelling email subject line
They were there from 5.30am yesterday morning. 5 police cars, a load of police in uniform and plain clothes, a couple of unmarked vans, dogs, armed police raided a house 6 doors down from us. It's caused quite a stir. A LOT more people walking past with dogs, walking...
Children make you less profitable
One of my most vivid childhood memories was of the phone. We were not allowed to touch the phone. To us kids, the phone was 'bad'. The phone was my father's key instrument for making money. Whenever the phone rang, it was 'money'. The ringing phone was an opportunity...
Jobs or money, which sounds better?
We never got pocket money as kids. All of our friends got weekly pocket money, but not us. Dad's view was that in the real world there were no hand-outs and you had to earn money. My dad made us earn our pocket money by doing chores around the house. I remember...
3 Easy Steps…
We decided last year to have the carpets in our lounge, hall, stairs and landing replaced. They're a horrible dirty beige colour with plenty of permanent stains from the previous owners. It's now been 5 years in this house, so it's well overdue. Except it seems...
The Organised Moving Day
We were up at the crack of dawn. My 23yo daughter, Claire, was at our door on Friday, ready to go fetch the hire van that she had organised. You have to be over 25 years old to hire a van so my hubby got enlisted to be van driver. With the van at their flat and the...
Should I be ditching my WordPress site?
Well, my last email about WordPress being a faff caused a bit of a storm. I've had replies and messages from people freaking out asking whether WordPress doesn't work to whether they should migrate from their WordPress sites. I also had WordPress aficionados complain...
Manual vs Automatic
How many times did it take you? It took me 3 times. My youngest daughter did it in 2. My husband got it first time. So did his two daughters. My eldest took 5 attempts to pass her driving test in a manual car. It puzzles me now why everyone tells you to learn to drive...
What to tweak on your website so that you get enquiries, leads and sales
It was Christmas eve and I was roasting our Christmas eve pork joint. It's a tradition passed down through the Danish half of my roots. The smell of the roasting pork was mouth watering. Suddenly we were in darkness and silence! All the electrics tripped. ...
How does Google latest algorithm affect your website
Summer 2020 Google announced they would be rolling out a new algorithm update that would come into effect by late Spring 2021. In this video I explain how to use a quick and easy tool to check whether you need to make any changes. Google are rolling out yet another...