Blink. Blink. Blink. Miss a decade a.k.a. “Why I am breaking up with marketing”.
I’ve been staring at a blinking cursor, on this neglected blog, for about 15 minutes. It’s not the first time it’s happened, and not the first time I have tried to write this story. In fact, it’s been brewing for about 9 months. It’s still brewing, really. Each time I have tried to write about […]
ADHD @ Work: Why Mental Health is more than “depression prevention” and we need to support…
October is ADHD Awareness Month, and with all the talk (platitudes?) about Mental Health in the workplace lately, I feel the need to talk about something that’s bugging me. There is far too much focus on what I call “neurotypical depression prevention” in corporate-land, with no real conversation about a) how most depression is caused […]
Does “award winning digital agency” mean “the best”?
A few months back, I suggested on LinkedIn that the only people that get awards are those that spend all their time nominating themselves for awards. Naturally, it was hyperbolic and a generalisation, but I copped some heat, and was even accused of “sour grapes” Honestly, that’s not the case. I simply don’t care about […]
“Let me do my job!”: When collaboration becomes control, it’s time to step back.
I’ve been a web designer and all that stuff for near on 2 decades. I am pretty decent at it. Been doing it a while. Been doing it quite well for others for some years. Because of that you might assume that we have no issue with our own branding, or content, or design. You’d […]
Should business owners talk about politics on social media?
I’ve seen a few comments and posts on LinkedIn recently that we shouldn’t talk about politics on LinkedIn. I’ve seen this aimed at women in particular. I disagree. Why? “Politics”, particularly in the current climate, has a bad rap. It has traditionally been considered impolite conversation. But, at its core, (informed) politics is about trying […]
On the “elevator pitch” …and why I won’t do it.
I’ve been asked to give a talk this week, about what our business does, and tell our story, in under 2 minutes. It is stressing me out no end. Yes, me. Queen big mouth. heh. Not because I’m afraid of speaking. Anyone who knows me knows that isn’t true. It’s because I am supposed to […]
Please, by all means, ‘do it yourself with Wix’.
What do you do as a digital agency when everyone can “do it yourself with Wix?”. When you can set up an amazing online store with Shopify? How do you compete with your brother’s mate (who works in IT), and WordPress and Page Builders (both of which we use exclusively, by the way) and off […]
Freelance to “Real Business”: Lessons from a one-year-old Digital Agency.
LinkedIn told me that I have been running my digital agency, Kintsugi for a year now, so I thought I might take the opportunity to share some lessons I have learned making the leap from freelancer to “full Agency”. I have been ‘in business’ for over a decade, and yet, I continue to be surprised […]
Your Customers are Waiting for the Icebreaker a.k.a.
I don’t generally like to comment on or analyse viral videos, because it often leaves people with the impression that “viral” (I mean truly viral) is something you manufacture, rather than something that is, for most part, fairy dust. There are, of course, ways to increase your odds, and it is usually a perfect storm […]
Clients with Commitment Issues: Why the Agency May Not be the Problem.
Are you thinking about leaving your Agency? Why? Reflect for a second, because it might not be their fault. You, the client, might have created this. I am the first to talk about dodgy Agencies who have mastered the art of style over substance. A lot, in fact. In a sales pitch, they’ll love bomb […]
Baby ‘Digital Strategists’: You Are Not Gods.
I know, strange title. But I want to talk about a problem in our industry, which is juniors starting digital agencies and exploiting the (apparent) ignorance of some clients. People with no experience opening content management agencies, and bamboozling people with buzzwords and non-strategic “content” over actual strategy. I am not talking about freelancing. I […]
Marketing Myth #1: Digital is cheaper than traditional media.
This is a new series that addresses the common “Digital Strategist”/SEO cowboy myths, that will hopefully help you to be aware of red flags when choosing an agency to work with. I hope this is of value, and if there is anything specific you would like me to answer/address, get in touch. Digital Marketing is […]
Marketing is Truth and Pain aka Seriously Say Fuck Once in a While No-one Cares.
Many thousands of years ago, all I wanted to be was a writer. As a baby undergrad in Political Science & Communications, I had aspirations of great journalism, moving political speeches, opinion pieces and documentaries as my legacy. From the day I read Animal Farm when I was 12 years old, I have always been […]
Marriage v Hit It and Quit It aka “Why I am moving from project-based quoting to marketing…
When I first started out in the web design business (many, many) moons ago, I charged a fixed fee for projects. Back in the early 00’s, web design businesses were much more aligned with IT, and was a ‘thing’ that Advertising Agencies bought, rather than something that Agencies just were. From a business POV, back […]
Get real: moving beyond personas and into empathy with your customers.
Ah, empathy. The word that everyone talks about, and thinks they have, but very few are actually able to put into practice. Empathy, not to be confused with sympathy, is being able to sit in someone else’s shoes, and feel the way they feel about a certain situation. Empathy is feeling without judgement. Sympathy, on […]
5 reasons your digital strategy is failing (and how to fix it).
*What The Fuck Fuck My Life What Am I Doing This isn’t Working The digital marketing industry is not like it once was. In 2010, it was straightforward: you built a website, you invested in some SEO, you posted to Facebook and it all ticked along. You could play it safe and act like a robot […]
Not-Boring Marketing: Be comfortable with risk and lean into fear.
You may have realised by now that I don’t do boring. I don’t do generic. I definitely do not do safe marketing. I work with my clients to break through some of their fears around standing out, and encourage them to take more risks in the drive to be more authentic and not-boring. Of course, […]
Business Owners: A Little Bit Nutty.
Business is a pressure cooker. Even for those that don’t have mental health issues — starting a business will take every piece of emotional energy you have, and then ask you for more. It is not for the faint hearted. It will scare the shit out of you. It will also delight you. The wins will be […]
Entrepreneurs: It is Okay to Complain.
Running a business is lonely. Sometimes it really isn’t the party everyone thinks it is. Even if you are lucky to have a lot of support around you, sometimes you can feel like people don’t *get it*. “Why don’t you just get a job!” “You must be so happy not having a boss!” “I wish […]
Ad Blocking is Immoral.
Okay, first up, calm down. I am sure you are a good person. I am sure that you use Ad Blockers for all the right reasons. I know you Redditors and certain self-righteous subsets of the Internet community will get all up in my face about how advertising is evil, it’s about protecting your privacy, […]
Think you aren’t sexy enough for Social Media? You’re wrong.
As much as it frustrates me that I am still, in 2013, having to convince people that social media is a thing, I accept that there are still a large number of people that don’t see how it is relevant to their business. There are many reasons for this, but often it is to do […]
Google & SEO: Move Beyond Keywords, Talk to People.
Oh, the horrors, you say. Yep, the time has come. You can’t avoid it anymore. You have to invest in social media as part of your “SEO strategy”, and if you don’t, it will affect your ranking on Google. I (and just about any other Social Media Strategist worth their salt) have been saying it […]
So, what’s in a “Like”, anyway?
If you listen in on any casual conversation between business owners about social media, before long a conversation about the number of Likes on a Page will come up. For some reason (well, not mysteriously, but a blog post in itself so let’s just go with ‘some reason’ :-)), people seem to love comparing the number […]
Why “Old Media” don’t “get it”.
Today, I wanted to share some standup comedy with my Facebook & Twitter friends. It was a 40 second clip from the first episode of “Louie” — Louis C.K’s brilliant show that I have told everyone, repeatedly, to watch. It is a very funny clip where he talks about the “Best Case Scenario” in relationships after divorce. […]
Social Media is Storytelling.
I spend most days studying, talking about, writing and thinking about the social psychology and human behaviour aspects of social media and the web. It’s my area of expertise and my passion. It is a topic that both intrigues me on an intellectual level and excites me on a personal one. I have been blogging […]
Remember: Words Have Power. And sympathy is not empathy.
Yes, I know. Another Charlotte Dawson post. Another social media person making commentary in order to get some Google Juice. Another person who has been the victim of online harassment speaking out. Another person sharing their story. I know you’re fatigued with the discussion, because so much has been said already, but hear me out. […]
Social Media Experts: let me sell you some snake oil on top of that, eh?
I want to talk about something that has been bothering me for a while, and that is so-called “Social Media Experts”. It’s getting worse, people. Legitimate web businesses, and real internet consultants, are up against one of the biggest scams there is: self-proclaimed “Social Media Experts” who blind people with technobabble in order to sell […]
In defence of knob gags.
This morning, I woke up to a fun meme on Twitter. The #changelovetoknobsongs hashtag. For those that are unfamiliar with how these things take off, it generally means everyone gets on board, tries to have some fun with it, and after a little while, we all move on and everything goes back to normal. 95% […]