Podcasts by The Marketing Matters Podcast

AI and the future of search marketing from 2023-02-16T14:33:06

Since our last podcast, the hype around chatbots has been growing with Microsoft and Google drawing up the battle lines with plans to integrate AI into their search algorithms.

There is n...

How useful is AI for content writing? from 2023-01-12T15:05:14

Recently, OpenAI launched a new version of their ChatGPT bot that can allegedly generate natural content.

As Marketers are always looking for an edge using automation, it obviously genera...

You can now Rent Christmas! - But Should you? from 2022-12-08T15:37:38

I recently read an article advocating the "Renting of Christmas" - Nowadays, you can rent anything! 

It started with Software as a Service. Now you can buy pretty much anything as a servi...

S7E2 - The Challenge of Tech Projects for SMEs from 2022-11-10T16:24:52

In our latest podcast, we look into the real world issue of tech projects (Websites, Web apps and the like), For SME's they can be a huge draw on resources and cost effectives solutions can ofte...

S7E1 - Realities of running a small business: Clarity of a plan from 2022-10-06T14:17:33

In this episode, we look into the issues with planning when running an SME business and why for many people it is a continual challenge.

To fail to plan is to p...

S6 Bonus - Google Analytics is Changing from 2022-05-26T14:40:23

Google Analytics, the leading measuring tool for analysing & comparing what visitors do on your website, is having a major change over the next year as it switches from Universal Analytics to Go...

S6E7 - Search is Just One of Many Marketing Tools from 2022-05-12T13:35:52

While it is true that pretty much everybody uses a search engine nowadays, there is an oversimplified idea that if your business pops up at the top of a search page, people will flock to your si...

S6E6 - Sometimes the Best Tool is Somebody Else from 2022-04-28T14:15:55

It's great being able to be independent, running business yourself, but sometimes your skillset isn't enough, and the best choice is to get somebody else involved. 

While it may be tempti...

S6E5 - VoIP: The Future of Telecoms from 2022-04-14T14:32:11

In the final part of looking at tools that we use, telecom systems are at the forefront of our minds. 

In the past, internet connectivity held back VoIP (Voice over IP) systems for early ...

S6E4 - The Benefits of Using a Cloud Accounting System from 2022-03-31T13:41:26

Whether you like it or not, if you're running a business, you have to keep accounts. Bookkeeping and invoicing can be tedious and time consuming, but something that is entirely necessary. As a s...

S6E3 - Domains Emails&Hosting - The Core of Digital Marketing from 2022-03-17T15:16:48

Domains, email and hosting are critically important elements of the digital business world but are often forgotten because, when they work well, you never need to think about Them: But they are ...

S6E2 -Tools for building&managing websites from 2022-03-03T15:34:36

Building a website can seem like technical barrier for many people and take focus away from the real challenge of building a business. But given the right tools and working with the right partne...

S6E1 - The tools of web marketing from 2022-02-17T15:14:03

In this new season, we’re taking a glimpse “behind the curtain” at the tools used in web marketing. In most instances, you cannot run a business these days without the technical tools and suppor...

S5E7A - E-business in the Real World from 2022-02-03T14:27:53

On the back of our recent e-business series, we’ve had some real world examples of situations where a joined-up approach would have been useful. Legitimate suppliers selling legitimate products,...

S5E7 - The key to e-business from 2022-01-20T15:49:44

Regardless of whether your business is conducted primarily on or offline, a solid digital presence is key to the way you interact with your market and customers. 

Different businesses ope...

S5E6 - Building upon existing customers from 2021-12-02T15:14

Once you’ve had somebody sign on the dotted line, your relationship with them changes. They know you better, are more interested in what you have to say and, according to marketing wisdom, shoul...

S5E5 - You have the Enquiry, now what? from 2021-11-18T13:28:51

After an enquiry is made, What next? Do you have a process to make the most of them and where appropriate, convert them?

With a service-led business, a website is about building confidenc...

S5E4 - The Website Experience from 2021-11-04T15:14:01

The main marketing focus of many businesses is getting people to their website, with the priority on things like improving Google search rankings Whilst this is important, what happens when they...

S5E3 - Attracting the right people to your site from 2021-10-21T13:10:22

The next step of our series on e-business looks at the visibility and effectiveness of your website. While getting people to your site is important, it's only worthwhile if they are interested i...

S5E2 - e-Business - It‘s more than just e-Commerce from 2021-10-07T12:00:46

With the odd exception, every business has some sort of online presence. Whilst this may not involve a full e-commerce offering, the web is critical to all businesses these days.  As a critical ...

S5E1 - Should I be using e-commerce as part of my business? from 2021-09-23T17:40:39

Few, if any businesses can ignore the web. Virtually every business has an e-business element. In our new podcast series, we are talking e-business and how to make technology work for you.

S4E5 - A Sustainable Process from 2021-07-01T11:37:38

In the last of our step-by-step planning series, we look at how to make your process sustainable. Making a plan and implementing ideas can be easy but sustaining that process for long periods is...

S4E4 - Making Time to Manage from 2021-06-17T09:48:46

Many small business owners state they are too busy working in their business to work on their business but, without that necessary management, success is largely down to luck. That brings us to ...

S4E3 - Monitoring your Marketing from 2021-06-03T10:21:53

In the next step of the marketing process, we move on to monitoring. Looking from a long-term perspective, you need to track activity to ensure it's having an impact and going the direction you ...

S4E2 - Implementation in marketing: a process not an event from 2021-05-20T10:07:37

Looking at managing marketing processes using our PIMMS method, the I stands for implementation. There is a divide between planning and implementation as, so often, people are fixated on the for...

S4E1 - Implementing a plan with PIMMS from 2021-05-06T13:44:16

We touched upon planning in our previous podcast, but we consider it so important, we're devoting an entire series on the subject. Planning is a very important part of the business management & ...

S3E8 - Taking the time to plan from 2021-04-22T11:55:37

In the final episode of our 'Bridging the Gap' series, we emphasise the importance of planning. As the old saying goes, "to fail to plan is to plan to fail", and without a focus or sense of dire...

S3E7 - Taking advantage of analytics from 2021-04-08T10:03:46

As the essence of business, analytics allow you to connect your marketing objectives with reality. But, critical as they may be, not everyone uses them as effectively as they might. While busine...

S3E6 - The new age of email marketing from 2021-03-25T10:56:22

In the age of social media, email has taken a backseat, with many considering it old-fashioned. When it first arrived on the scene email marketing was horribly spammed and has had a stigma attac...

S3E5 - Social media as a marketing platform from 2021-03-11T14:08:36

Social media can be a fantastic marketing tool and needs to be taken seriously, but it is not a magic marketing wand. In this episode, we talk about how can you make the most of social media, an...

S3E4 - Communicating via content from 2021-02-24T15:24:56

Since marketing began, the idea behind it hasn't changed: communicating and advertising what you do to your market. To achieve that, a steady flow of content reflecting your business proposition...

S3E3 - Choosing the right host for your website from 2021-02-11T12:37:46

Continuing our series on bridging the technology gap, we go behind the scenes and take a look at web hosting. Good hosting can make or break how effective your site is in the ultimate goal of dr...

S3E2 - Own your website as a marketing tool from 2021-01-28T11:47:15

A website is a very important marketing tool and can be your single most important piece of marketing collateral, yet many people don't take advantage. The building of a website is considered a ...

S3E1 - Technology&expertise in the real world of business from 2021-01-14T15:32:24

Over the next several episodes we will be exploring the way technology and the real world of business should fit together,

Over the series, we will be considering a wide range off busines...

S2E25 - "You have two ears&one mouth, use them in that proportion" from 2020-12-17T13:42:24

This is something I was told when I did some Sales Training at the start of my career back hen Adam was a lad, and its stuck with me. This week we discuss the importance of listening to and unde...

S2E24 - Stronger marketing during change from 2020-12-03T14:51:09

During lockdown, most retailers are shut and prevented from regular sales. While they waited to officially re-open, many have gone with a barebones "click and collect" system across social media...

S2E23 - The right tools for the right job from 2020-11-19T14:21:20

When presented with a task, your first objective is to achieve your goal. However, with the incorrect tool at your disposal, this can quickly morph into the frustration of just trying to make th...

S2E22 - The value of real human interaction from 2020-11-05T16:38:20

In the tech world, it seems to be a more and more rare occurrence that you communicate with a real person. Automation is the popular way to go and, when it works and delivers what's required, is...

S2E21 - Why is true creativity so rare? from 2020-10-22T13:30:52

Creativity and innovation are the most important drivers in business... so why is true creativity now so rare? Today "new" ideas are either truly creative and backed up by big investment, or are...

S2E20 - The Working From Home Conundrum from 2020-10-08T12:56:13

Over the past 6 months, "working from home" has taken a whole new meaning. The suggestion is that everybody wants to work from home but is that actually true or is it simply a case of they don't...

S2E19 - The Social Dilemma - Are we part of the problem? from 2020-09-24T13:42:06

Social media business models centre on selling the attention of their users to the highest bidder. If there is an issue with this model, then are we as marketers, part of the problem? There is n...

S2E18 - Getting Over the Line from 2020-09-10T10:38:57

It's a struggle to finish projects and get them over the line, whether it's creative or artistic etc. The same applies to us as we struggle to make websites live or get blog posts signed off: th...

S2E17 - The Pricing Challenge from 2020-08-27T16:22:01

We often hear and quote the words "can we just", three simple words that can have major implications. The nature of marketing is that you plan and price based on experience and a few assumptions...

S2E16 - The importance of good WordPress hosting from 2020-08-13T08:46:20

Setting up a WordPress site is easy and can be done by anyone, usually resulting in a "fit and forget" solution from a technical perspective. But to ensure a headache free experience with the pl...

S2E15 - Podcasts: The Marketing Tool from 2020-07-30T09:37:54

Producing good quality videos can be challenging and time consuming. Writing blogs can be cumbersome and long winded. However, with the right passion and content, you can find your niche via pod...

S2E14 - Dashboards&Data from 2020-07-16T13:20:34

We have previously spoken about the importance of measuring marketing and data, as well as the dangers of data overload. Now we're going further by exploring dashboards and the value of connecti...

S2E13 - Partnerships for Performance from 2020-07-02T09:18:15

A good philosophy to have as a small business is to surround yourself with those "who have knowledge and talents in areas where I might not be so well versed" (Richard Branson), whether it's reg...

S2E12 - Adapt and Survive from 2020-06-18T12:59:28

As businesses are starting to reopen, many are having to adjust the way they operate. A shrewd company is not thinking about how they can simply survive through the next few weeks and months, bu...

S2E11 - The Rise of the Webcast from 2020-06-04T13:57:32

Situations like the current predicament tend to give birth to innovation, and the technology that has come of age in this pandemic is the use of remote video . In the marketing world, this prese...

S2E10 - Effective Communication from 2020-05-21T13:06:52

When it comes to effective communication, it's important to use a good mix of content and media to maximise viewability, rather than reliance on a single social channel. Any communication you ha...

S2E9 - Business Model Philosophy from 2020-05-07T12:35:19

We've all been taking a philosophical view of life the past few weeks but what place should philosophy have in your business model? A while ago we explored 'the Power of Why' and the philosophy ...

S2E8 - Social Media Marketing from 2020-04-23T10:33:20

The success of Captain Tom's 100th birthday walk for the NHS has been well-documented in the UK, now raising over £28m thanks to becoming a phenomena on social media. Contributing to social medi...

S2E7 - The New Normal from 2020-04-09T11:22:15

While much has changed over the last 3 weeks, life goes on and a large part of the economy is still trying to continue. There are contrasting impacts felt: many do not have the freedom to close ...

S2E6 - Adapting&Surviving the "Lockdown" from 2020-03-26T14:37:52

In these current times, most of us are in unfamiliar and uncertain situations that are presenting new challenges daily. But can this can also enable great opportunities? Over recent weeks, we ha...

S2E5 - Why WordPress? from 2020-03-12T14:04:35

WordPress was launched in 2003 and, bar the odd website, we've exclusively been using the open-source system for a number of years now. But why is that? While it was initially designed as a simp...

S2E4 - Case Studies&Testimonials from 2020-02-27T10:44:42

Third party reviews are key for most ecommerce sites and very valuable even for niche B2B markets. But because there are so many fake reviews online, your testimonials need to sound as genuine a...

S2E3 - The Power of Why from 2020-02-13T16:39:32

Having focused recently on the importance of having a vision for a business, we now look at the impact that vision might have on your marketing message. The mantra of marketing has been about pr...

S2E2 - Business Planning from 2020-01-30T14:28:24

Every year we like to take a weekend away for business planning. Taking some time away from distractions to work on the business together, gives us an opportunity to look to the future & ask our...

Marketing Matters S2E1 - The Infinite Game from 2020-01-09T13:45:58

Happy New Year from Marketing Matters and with it brings the beginning of a new season of our podcast, this week inspired by 'The Infinite Game' (by Simon Sinek). The way we think about marketin...

Marketing Matters Episode 20 - Marketing at Christmas from 2019-12-12T14:07:15

Christmas is upon us and it can be a challenge to keep marketing consistent during the holiday periods of the year. With most businesses closing between Christmas and New Year, you have less tim...

Marketing Matters Episode 19 - What Makes a good client? from 2019-11-28T14:56:30

In this episode, we discuss what makes a good client.

With good clients the relationship should be a mutually beneficial to both you and the client.

There is no single definitive a...

Marketing Matters Episode 18 - The Key to Marketing - Stick at it! from 2019-11-14T12:31:30

In putting together our new website recently, we had cause to review the relationships we have with clients, and one thing that came out of it was just how long we have been working with clients...

Marketing Matters Episode 17 - Digital Marketing Dangers from 2019-10-31T11:43:44

Over the years, the same issues of digital have continually cropped up. Even now in the age of the internet, SMEs are willing to pass the responsibilities of marketing off to third party experts...

Marketing Matters Episode 16 - Internal View of Marketing from 2019-10-17T10:14:36

For small companies, marketing responsibilities are often handled by only one individual in a secondary role. However, every role and position in your business can impact your marketing, and sho...

Marketing Matters Episode 15 - Marketing Focus from 2019-10-03T12:50:31

Businesses tend to focus on either marketing objectives or the tools used to deliver them. While the former should be a priority, suppliers and SMEs often target the latter. Lots of enquiries an...

Marketing Matters Episode 14 - Value of 'Free' from 2019-09-19T13:55:54

In order to recognise the value of content you produce on the Internet you need to understand exactly why you're doing it and what you aim to receive as a result. We're all used to information b...

Marketing Matters Episode 13 - Process&Agility from 2019-09-05T13:15:40

When in comes to small businesses, agility is key to delivering competitive advantage. However, without process, priorities may be misjudged, and customers may receive all the attention, sacrifi...

Marketing Matters Episode 12 - Hosting from 2019-07-25T15:25:34

Your website can be central to your marketing process and the single biggest tool at your disposal. Traditionally, the company responsible for your web design adds on hosting as extras without a...

Marketing Matters Episode 11 - Social Media from 2019-07-11T10:11:10

Most people historically use social media to view funny images or discuss the latest cultural zeitgeist, leading to companies avoiding it. However, more recently, it is producing opportunities f...

Marketing Matters Episode 10 - E-mail Marketing from 2019-06-27T10:45:02

It's now been over a year since GDPR came into effect and, in this week's Marketing Matters, Duncan & David investigate how e-mail marketing has changed in the current GDPR world. 

Marketing Matters Episode 9 - Search Marketing from 2019-06-13T08:45:52

Duncan & David go through the benefits and mistakes found in search marketing. However you look at it, search engines are still critically important to marketing but it's more about the content ...

Marketing Matters Episode 8 - Planning from 2019-05-30T10:58:56

Duncan & David discuss what a lot of people think of as a complex time consuming process: planning. Seen as something full of paperwork never to be used again, it doesn't need to be that way.

Marketing Matters Episode 7 - Joined-up Marketing from 2019-05-16T10:24:13

Duncan & David view the modern world for SME businesses and the importance of having their marketing as "joined-up". With so many aspects of online marketing, such as search, social media, websi...

Marketing Matters Episode 6 - Data from 2019-04-29T15:56:05

Duncan & David investigate the importance of measuring marketing activities and web data. What was once difficult to collect, we are now overburdened with figures.

Marketing Matters Episode 5 - Design from 2019-04-15T14:43

Duncan chats with guest Ant Bullivant, of Off The Front Creative (www.offthefrontcreative.co.uk), about what makes good design.

A well ...

Marketing Matters Episode 4 - PR from 2019-04-02T15:43:57

Duncan & David look at what PR means and what role it has on today's SME Marketing toolbag

In Essence PR is about engaging with exiting publishers who already have a relevant audience. On...

Marketing Matters Episode 3 - Networking from 2019-03-23T18:33:01

Live from the Glossop Business Expo, Duncan & David talk to the organiser Kathy Ford about the importance and evolution of networking.

Networking is not just about joining a group who can...

Marketing Matters Episode 2 - Posting to Facebook is not Marketing from 2019-03-23T18:31:32

In the second instalment of the BSA Marketing Matters podcast, Duncan & David ponder how social media fits in when considering SME marketing and the important things to consider when selecting w...

Marketing Matters Episode 1 - The importance of a website from 2019-03-23T18:30:14

Join David & Duncan in the first ever edition of the BSA Marketing Matters podcast. Here they discuss the importance of your evolving website and how it forever needs to change with the business...