Learn about small business marketing with the Shake It Up Creative blog
Filter posts by topic:
Make waves with radio
You don’t know what you don’t know. That’s how the saying goes, right? Well, the same is true for your potential customers. If we don’t know that something exists we won’t go looking for it. By extension that means that if someone doesn’t know that your business,...
The Rise of Social Shopping: Part 2 – Pinterest Shop Setup Guide
Following on from Part 1 of our social shopping set up guide, here’s our top tips and advice for getting set up on Pinterest! Pinterest boasts that it attracts the highest number of ‘super shoppers’ compared to any other social platform, a term attributed to big...
The Rise of Social Shopping: Part 1 – Instagram Shop Setup Guide
Over the last few years, there’s been a huge increase in ‘Social Shops’ – think of it as Social Media meets eCommerce. They’ve taken over our social feeds, with Instagram and Pinterest being two of the social platforms currently leading the way with these engaging...
How well do you know your target audience?
We’re going to unpack what it means to identify your target audience and learn about the differences between the generations. Currently there are 8 billion people in the world and counting, we all have different interests, different financial situations and different...
Is TikTok Shop here for the long haul or just a fleeting trend?
TikTok has become increasingly popular within the last two years, with its relaunch in 2018 that saw it go from Musically, a music-oriented app that encouraged people to make lip syncing videos, to an app with a wider range of creative content that invites several...
Summer marketing ideas you need to try
So, here we are - Summer 2022. We’re over halfway through the year and now entering the warmer months (well, as warm as we can get here in the UK anyway!). During this time of the year, businesses can experience one of their slower seasons, especially if you are a...
Managing the change from UA to GA4 analytics
If you've been getting emails from Google telling you that Universal Analytics will be sunsetted from 1st July 2022 and you are not sure what that means for you as a small business, we can advise. If you don't know what you need to do to move from UA to GA4 analytics,...
How Podcasting Fits into Your Tactical Marketing Plan
Podcast consumption is rising rapidly. Whether it be whilst commuting to work or walking the dog, 19.1 million Britons tuned into podcasts during 2021. With year on year growth, this statistic is expected to reach 28 million by 2026. It’s not hard to see why. Podcasts...
What’s the hype with influencer marketing?
We’ve all heard of them… Influencers. Digital Creators. Online Creators. It’s the buzzword in the marketing industry, but what exactly is Influencer Marketing, and what’s the big deal? Influencer Marketing is a social media marketing strategy that involves...
Bolster your brand by running workshops
There’s a misconception out there that you need to have had teacher training to run a workshop as a business, however that is in fact, not the case. Not only is running a workshop a great way to share your expert topic knowledge with other likeminded business owners...
How to win with marketing automation
Is Marketing Automation a tool? Are you struggling to fit in your daily marketing tasks? If some of those were taken off your hands and freed up your time, would you be leaping for joy?! Is marketing automation a tool? The term is used overall to describe technology...
Get pinning for popularity! Pinterest marketing.
As business owners, we are always looking for new ways to generate brand awareness; Pinterest is a platform that is similar to Instagram but with more jazz and aesthetic! It allows users to visually share and discover new interests - people who use Pinterest love to...
Offsetting part of your digital footprint with Ecosia
Would you choose to use an alternative search engine if you knew that when you shopped online or checked your share prices you could be 'virtually' planting a tree? Would it feel good, playing a vital part in a global reforestation movement? Hopefully if you care...
Does love in business matter?
Attending a fringe event is a smart way to be a part of the, sometimes more adventurous, conversations surrounding the main event. They are often in workshop format so it's hands-on and your takeaways are actionable. An example of this is the 'Leading with Love'...
How to make business purpose tangible
It's easy to say you are a purpose-led company but we knew from the beginning that this is in no way enough and that we would need to learn and decide how to make business purpose tangible for Shake It Up Creative. Our previous post and subtle changes to our website...
What is purpose-led business practice all about and how we are becoming a purpose driven company
The term ‘purpose-led business practice’ has been popping up a lot more recently. It’s a concept which is rapidly growing in popularity and is focused on ensuring that an organisation stands for something it believes in, going beyond profit and positively impacting...
How well do you know your target audience?
We’re going to unpack what it means to identify your target audience and learn about the differences between the generations. Currently there are 8 billion people in the world and counting, we all have different interests, different financial situations and different...
Building brands that endure
Some years ago, on a business trip to Boston Massachusetts, I woke up first morning, to snow. Or, at least, that’s what the radio announcer was telling me. So, what did I do? Well, I dashed to the window to see for myself. I’d arrived at my hotel late the night...
Why company values are important
Do you shape your business around your company values? From the start, we set our own company values and they have helped us to stay focused and passionate about why we do what we do, how we do it and to grow our business organically. Here are our top 5 reasons to...
How to rescue a PR crisis and save your brand’s image
Public relations disasters can come in many different forms. They happen to almost every organisation at one point and nearly always take place when you least expect it. From issues with your website, products or customer data, PR crises can feel like the end of the...
Repositioning your Brand
Repositioning or Rejuvenation? Hands up if you are guilty of starting a business with a logo but without properly knowing what you are actually going to deliver? Did you know what customers might think and want, what piece of the market you were targeting? When a...
Branding Checklist
When developing or rebranding your business, it’s essential to think ahead about placements – where and how will any logo, messaging and offers appear later on? To help you think about some of the areas where your brand may well feature, here is a checklist: Website...
Protecting Your Brand
You’ve worked long and hard on developing your brand, looking at all the different elements from logos, fonts, colours, photography etc, how and where you will use it and what it means to you and your customers. The Brand Identity (look and feel) and the Brand Image...
Getting brand identity spot on…
A logo alone is not a brand but it does form part of your brand identity. In advertising, the often discussed ‘rule of 7’ theory, suggests someone must see your brand seven times before it starts to be remembered and a powerful brand identity means you can recognise...
My brand makes my customers feel…
We’re going to be focusing on branding over the coming weeks and want to build up to chatting about re-positioning your brand or re-branding completely. To do this let’s chat first about branding and what it actually is, because it might be meaning different things to...
An Easy Guide to Local SEO
Get to grips with local SEO for your WordPress website with our easy guide to local SEO. What is local SEO and why is it important for your business? In this blog, we’re going to take you through the essential basics of local SEO, to make your website visible to your...
Three successful brand logo redesigns
Have you noticed the changes that have been made to your favourite brand logos in recent years? They may have been subtle, but there is a good reason for change: brands and their logos need to be regularly redesigned to stay relevant. Can you imagine still seeing the...
Everything You Need to Know About Customer Relationship Management Systems
Picture the scene. Your client has just doubled their annual spend with you. You’ve been working with them for some time now; your services suit their needs perfectly – in fact, your business has saved their operation several working hours and has shaved off some...
How to Improve Your Website in 6 Steps
Are you making the most of your website? Here's 6 actionable tips to make sure that your website stays effective, useful and ultra-relevant in a competitive business environment. Does your website work as hard as you do? Would some tips on website improvements help...
A guide to Core Web Vitals in Google Search Console
A guide to Core Web Vitals in Google Search Console We include Core Web Vitals stats in our SEO audit reports and whilst I was summarising them to a client the other day, I thought it might be helpful to explain in more depth on the blog too. Why now? We asked digital...
Improve your ecommerce SEO in 5 steps
Optimising for search traffic on an ecommerce site can take a lot longer than on a company or portfolio website due to the layers of that site e.g. Supermarket Homepage > Groceries > Frozen Food > Frozen Vegetables & Herbs > Frozen Prepared Vegetables....
What is Design Thinking and how does it benefit business?
Before we talk about what Design Thinking is, we want to point out that it is not just for design-specific sectors. It can be and is applied to any field; so keep on reading! What is Design Thinking? Design thinking is an ideology, methodology and process that puts...
How to back up your website
"Help! I'm getting the white screen of death." Or "My website has been hacked!" These exclamations are just two examples of what we hear from clients or business owners, who have been recommended to us, asking for help. Over the years, we have seen many client...
Why website design is important for business
One main piece of advice we often give to our clients and also to our #ShakeItHUB visitors is that all of their marketing efforts can and should lead potential customers to their website. Why? Because that’s where they’ll connect with them through their copy (written...
How to optimise for zero click searches
Every day, Google is taking steps to try and make our lives as ‘search engine users’ easier, by providing answers more quickly, more accurately and in the right format. But imagine if you found the exact answer to your query, without having to click, not even...
What is DesignOps and how can your business master it?
Anyone working on scaling their business online over the past year will probably agree that DesignOps is a term that has popped up and is becoming increasingly popular. It refers to the department (or single person) that plans, defines, and manages the design process...
Why graphic communication is important for your business
What does graphic communication encompass and why is it important to know about for your business? Have you heard the term graphic communication being used and wondered what makes it different from graphic design? Both graphic design and communication are essential...
Make waves with radio
You don’t know what you don’t know. That’s how the saying goes, right? Well, the same is true for your potential customers. If we don’t know that something exists we won’t go looking for it. By extension that means that if someone doesn’t know that your business,...
7 Steps for Effective Networking
We love a bit of networking here at Shake It Up Creative and that stems back to several years before the company was born too. Hence, we are experienced networkers. That doesn’t mean we get it right all the time or go to every networking event out there. It does mean...
How to Run a Successful Hybrid Event
We know plenty of people eager to get back to face-to-face events, to get real human connection, but not everyone is feeling this way. Even after the initial return phase, event organisers must remember that the world has changed; home-working, flexibility and...
The things every author must know before writing a book
Guest post by Jon Card Writing a book is tough but, with one already under his belt, author and journalist Jon Card offers advice for anyone currently slaving over a manuscript. A mixture of joy and relief overcame me when I finally received notification that How to...
Are business awards worth it?
Last month, Meg was recognised as Runner Up Digital Woman of the Year at the Business Women Excellence Awards Sussex. This time last year we, as a company, won the Entrepreneurial category and were crowned Runner Up Sussex Business of the Year, in the same awards...
Why podcasts are effective
Everyone loves a story and people love telling stories. Stories are memorable and many are inspirational. Childhood memories are often full of the bedtime stories we were read and the books we read ourselves as we discovered whole new worlds, fell in love with...
How to get the most out of a business conference
Business conferences offer a myriad of benefits to you as a business owner or leader. Learning from others is one of the best things you can do to help grow your business and to also develop yourself personally. This is so important; you need to have an understanding...
The power couple that is PR & SEO
It’s normal for a myriad of marketing activities to be happening simultaneously with the aim of boosted impact. You’ve heard the "it takes 6-8 touchpoints to gain a sales lead”, it’s all about awareness followed by nurturing of a potential customer. But there’s a...
Does speaking at events benefit your company? The truth about whether it’s worth it
Speaking at a conference or event can be nerve-wracking. Even for those who are able to present confidently and learn their 'speech', the thought of unknown questions being asked afterwards can be a deterrent. It’s often hard to see the benefits of putting yourself...
Hosting a successful business event can really put you on the map!
Have you ever hosted an event for your customers? It can be quite nerve-wracking, but with careful preparation you can create an occasion that your guests talk about for years to come – and for all the right reasons! It is not something you want to do often but for a...
How MeetUp can help raise your business profile
Do you run training events, short courses, open days or networking events? You could reach a wider audience and raise your business profile by putting them on MeetUp. What is MeetUp? MeetUp is a social website that enables online connections to be made for in-person...
My top tips for award entries that win
Ever entered an awards programme? Over the years I have written many awards applications for different companies. Lots have won; hooray, many have been finalists; yay, for some I advised that they should gather more results and submit next year instead; they simply...
The Rise of Social Shopping: Part 2 – Pinterest Shop Setup Guide
Following on from Part 1 of our social shopping set up guide, here’s our top tips and advice for getting set up on Pinterest! Pinterest boasts that it attracts the highest number of ‘super shoppers’ compared to any other social platform, a term attributed to big...
The Rise of Social Shopping: Part 1 – Instagram Shop Setup Guide
Over the last few years, there’s been a huge increase in ‘Social Shops’ – think of it as Social Media meets eCommerce. They’ve taken over our social feeds, with Instagram and Pinterest being two of the social platforms currently leading the way with these engaging...
Is TikTok Shop here for the long haul or just a fleeting trend?
TikTok has become increasingly popular within the last two years, with its relaunch in 2018 that saw it go from Musically, a music-oriented app that encouraged people to make lip syncing videos, to an app with a wider range of creative content that invites several...
Summer marketing ideas you need to try
So, here we are - Summer 2022. We’re over halfway through the year and now entering the warmer months (well, as warm as we can get here in the UK anyway!). During this time of the year, businesses can experience one of their slower seasons, especially if you are a...
How Podcasting Fits into Your Tactical Marketing Plan
Podcast consumption is rising rapidly. Whether it be whilst commuting to work or walking the dog, 19.1 million Britons tuned into podcasts during 2021. With year on year growth, this statistic is expected to reach 28 million by 2026. It’s not hard to see why. Podcasts...
What’s the hype with influencer marketing?
We’ve all heard of them… Influencers. Digital Creators. Online Creators. It’s the buzzword in the marketing industry, but what exactly is Influencer Marketing, and what’s the big deal? Influencer Marketing is a social media marketing strategy that involves...
How to win with marketing automation
Is Marketing Automation a tool? Are you struggling to fit in your daily marketing tasks? If some of those were taken off your hands and freed up your time, would you be leaping for joy?! Is marketing automation a tool? The term is used overall to describe technology...
Get pinning for popularity! Pinterest marketing.
As business owners, we are always looking for new ways to generate brand awareness; Pinterest is a platform that is similar to Instagram but with more jazz and aesthetic! It allows users to visually share and discover new interests - people who use Pinterest love to...
What to include in an ethical marketing strategy
As consumers, we get flooded with “new year, new you” content every January, but as business owners we have our own plans and new goals too. One of yours might be to become more sustainable or to put an ethical focus into your marketing plan. But why is ethical...
How to Write a Blog. The Ultimate Guide to Blog Writing – Part 2
In Part 1 of our how to write a blog post, we introduced you to the whys and wherefores of blogging. We hope that you picked up some useful tips: the main reasons why blogs are so good for your digital presence and your business, how to focus on your audience, and a...
How to Write a Blog. The Ultimate Guide to Blog Writing – Part 1
Blogs demonstrate that you’re serious about your marketing and your online presence. However, there’s lots to know and several key things to get right. And lots that you can get wrong. In our opinion, as with everything in life, when it comes to blogs you’ll see a...
Instagram Reels – Should my business be using them?
Instagram is a huge social media channel, with 28.74 million UK users as of May 2021 and represents a perfect platform to utilise for your business. Instagram Reels landed in August 2020 - these are short videos (up to 30 seconds) which contain audio and visual...
How Outsourcing Saves Costs & More
It may come as a surprise, but outsourcing isn’t new. The concept emerged as far back as the 1950s but didn’t become fully formed and widespread until the 1980s, when the idea of focusing on core business activities started to impact significantly on several types and...
4 simple steps to unlock your creative mind
There's a certain pressure as a creative company to maintain a good flow of ideas. And not just any ideas, those that stand out or break the mould. Ideas that surpass mediocre. And for me personally, especially as a marketer rather than a designer, illustrator or...
How to write intelligent copy
When I was at middle school (also known as junior school), I started reading the dictionary every night. I did this because I believed I needed to be more intelligent. I thought that knowing more words would help dramatically. Now that I’m a grown up, I’ve had various...
How beating Imposter Syndrome can help business growth
As a business owner and company director, it’s never ‘easy’ to always feel 100% confident in my decision making, my work and the public speaking that I often do to raise awareness of my company. The truth is that I wouldn’t be able to do these things if I didn’t have...
growing a business with a collaborative mindset
For the second time, I (Meg Fenn) was a speaker at WordCamp London #WCLDN and my topic Collaboration vs. Competition is the inspiration behind this post. I realised from the comments and questions from attendees after my talk that wanting to become more collaborative...
How to avoid broken business dreams when it comes to network marketing
Network marketing, also known as multi-level marketing (MLM) or pyramid selling, is a marketing strategy for the sale of products and/or services where the revenue of the MLM company is derived from non-salaried participants. These “distributors” are sometimes...
#BeBoldForChange
I was recently asked by Sussex Life magazine 'How important is it for women to support each other in business?' but was limited to 180 words for my answer (which also had to include two more answers, three questions in total), so not much space to answer really....