Ben Hollom

Which comes first, the copy or the design? 

Forget the chicken and the egg debate; which comes first when we’re talking copy and design?  Well, in an ideal world, designers and copywriters would be working alongside each other, in the same room, collaborating the crap out of the project at hand. But, alas, that’s not always possible. In the end, marketing teams often

#downwiththekids: 5 things I know about content for Gen Z 

We marketers have spent a life’s work trying to tune in and appeal to millennials. In comparison to Gen Z, they’re a doddle to understand. Or maybe it’s just because I’m that bit older now and the generation born between 1995-2012 are so much younger than me? Thankfully, there’s lots of data out there which

Content for all: 7 tips on how to write inclusively

Let’s be honest. No marketer sets out to dismiss, upset or offend any member of their target audience. That would be counter-intuitive. But, through unwieldy use of language, it can – and does – happen. As a brand, it’s important to choose language carefully to appeal to all sections of your audience and avoid alienating

5 ways to beef up your word count without compromising on quality

For a long time, short-form, bite-sized content was where it was at. Amid dwindling attention spans (or so we were told) and content saturation, Google was rewarding brands for providing their audience with content they could consume in a couple of minutes. But the stats now suggest the opposite is true. Articles with 3,000 words

Organic vs. paid: PPC no substitute for great content

We know there’s a time and a place for the quick win, but what we really want is to help our clients enjoy enduring success.  So, when people come to us asking how they should split their budget between organic search efforts (SEO) and paid search efforts (PPC), we know there’s a balance to be

How can business leaders build their online brand?

In this day and age few people would doubt the importance of building a strong online brand for their business. Yet many businesses fail to leverage the personal brands of their leaders and senior management team. In this guide, we’ll discuss why building a strong personal brand is worth the investment, the challenges faced, and

Your 9-point checklist to writing killer headlines

We talk a lot about creating great content which engages its target audience and creates the right impression. But, let’s be honest, it’s all in vain unless you get the headline right. If you fail to capture the reader’s attention, they’re not going to make the click, let alone get all the way to the

How to avoid throwing your content budget down the drain in 2022

We work with brands with all kinds of budgets. Regardless of how much they have to spend on content marketing, naturally they all want to make sure they’re getting the most bang for their buck.  For many brands, content marketing is hit and miss. According to the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), less than half (49%)

4 steps to building a sustainable content plan you’ll ACTUALLY use

Unless you luck out with an overnight viral video, content marketing is usually a marathon, not a sprint. But with regular, relevant and valuable content – effectively produced and amplified – you’ll start seeing your desired outcomes before too long.  And just like running a marathon, preparation is key. Fail to put in the groundwork

Not another New Year content marketing trends blog?

Yes, it’s another ‘content marketing trends 2022’ blog and we’re owning it. Our trends piece is based on experience; we’re highlighting three of the tactics which have proved most successful for our clients in the past 12 months or so. We’re always honest with clients about content marketing: you can spend thousands of pounds and

Why 2022 should be the year you define your tone of voice 

When working with a new client, one of our first questions is: “Do you have a tone of voice guide that you can send us?”.  We’re often directed to existing blog content instead to “get an idea” of the tone of voice from there. What we tend to discover is an inconsistent tone of voice

Keyword research in 6 simple steps

Scrabble tiles, random letters

What Is Keyword Research? Keyword research is the first step in any SEO campaign.  It’s the process of identifying and analysing terms that people enter into search engines to find specific information or answer specific queries. Keyword research tells you how your target audience is actually searching Google and can help inform your strategy to

Why start-ups need a content marketing strategy

Runner fast out of the blocks

If you were to step into the world of content marketing for start-ups, what would you see? Probably mediocre content. Loads of blogs (but not much else). And a bunch of start-ups that look like they’re trying WAY TOO HARD. In short, it’s not a pretty picture. But it’s also completely understandable. After all, start-ups

It’s time to think outside the blog

Your blog can be a captivating ongoing story – one that your customers return to time and again. But simply feeding the daily blog machine needn’t be the only way you’re talking to the world. There are so many more ways to tell your story. Let’s be clear right from the start that blogs are

How can business leaders build their online brand?

It’s  amazing how many business leaders don’t take their online profile management seriously.  Some shy away from social media, while others (the loose canons), seem to channel a certain American president when producing their latest cringe-worthy social post. In this day and age, a consistent well planned personal brand is an essential for forward thinking CEOs,

How do you perform a content audit?

Sometimes you need to look backwards to move forwards… A content audit is the process of reviewing your website’sexisting content to identify what should be deleted, whatcould be refreshed or improved, and what’s missing. Understanding what’s working and what’s not can give youvaluable insights that will shape your future planning. At this time of year,

Creating an SEO strategy for 2022 – in plain English!

To the uninitiated (and that includes some experienced marketing managers), SEO can be a bit of a minefield. It’s a world full of tweaked algorithms, endless reports and confusing jargon. The problem is, that unless you’re immersed in SEO 24/7, it’s almost impossible to keep up with the basics, let alone master the art of

The value of video marketing in the charity sector

It’s fair to say, the charity sector is not known as a frontrunner in digital marketing. The path to digital transformation has been slow, but then Covid-19 came along and, for many, years of change were crammed into a matter of months. There’s nothing like a pandemic to make a sector instantly more digitally savvy…

Why content marketing will be more important than ever in 2021

2021 content marketing budget

What a year it’s been! Many of us have been working from home, and marketers have needed to adapt almost overnight to massive changes in consumer behaviour. As 2021 approaches, marketing teams will be trying to plan next year’s activity in a tough economic climate that few would have predicted this time last year. Many