Taking care of your marketing so you can take care of your business.

June - summer's here! (Spring's been pretty good weather-wise, though, hasn't it, so summer has a lot to live up to!)

Summer is often when we think about taking time off, that important investment in our own wellbeing, to recharge and come back with renewed enthusiasm. But it's really important that your business doesn't take time off just because you do. A little time to plan ahead, scheduling some social media posts or blog publications for example, is an investment that ensures you don't miss any opportunities wherever you are.

To get you started with your plans, in this edition:

What are your customers expecting? (Have you asked?)
Earth Overshoot Day: taking care of precious resources
What would you like my next blog to be about?
'Get to grips with Digital Marketing' one day course
Summer content ideas

Thanks for reading. And enjoy your break if you're planning one!

Claire

If you need marketing help, send up the Minerva signal!

Constructive feedback starts with setting expectations

When is a rail replacement bus service better the train trip itself?

When it's the Bernina Express rail replacement bus through the stunning scenery of Switzerland and northern Italy!

My parents' recent holiday experience got me thinking about expectations and how they are so critical to our enjoyment or appreciation of anything we take part in. If what we have signed up to isn't as good as we were expecting, it can be a real disappointment (at best!).

Getting constructive feedback from our customers on the services or products we offer is vital in continuing to improve what we do. It's not just about asking them the right questions at the right time - although that's important - it also has to start with understanding what they were expecting in the first place.

My latest article explores just that challenge, here.

Waiting for Earth Overshoot Day 2025...

If you haven't heard of Earth Overshoot Day, it's the calculated date on which humanity’s demand for resources and services in a year exceeds what the Earth can regenerate in that year. In other words, if the Earth's resources were our annual income, it's the date on which we start spending next year's...

Earth Overshoot Day 2024 was 1st August. We were in resource 'deficit' by five months. And that's the average across the planet. Calculated by country, the UK's Overshoot Day this year was 20th May. Gulp...!

Every year, the date is announced on 5th June (World Environment Day). The

timing helps ensures it reflects the most up-to-date data.

So, as I'm putting this newsletter together, I'm wondering how much worse it will be this year. For comparison, the first time it was calculated, Overshoot Day 1971 was 25th December. Since 2005, it's been steadily moving the wrong way through August. Will we have just fallen into July this year?

It's a timely reminder to reflect on how we all use up resources, of course, so keep your eyes peeled.

Read about Earth Overshoot day here.

What would YOU like me to write about next?

Most of you know that I love writing, I always have. (I started my first novel aged about 6...sadly, like all great novels, it remains unfinished!) I feel really inspired when I have an idea for a new article or blog, whether for a client or for myself, and I really enjoy getting all the ideas down on the page. Which means that I usually write about what I want to write about so I thought it must be time to ask YOU what you want to read about!

If you have a burning question about marketing, have a problem to solve or need some tips, please drop me a line. It's possible that I've written about it already (see the link to my previous blogs below); if not, it will give me a great excuse to write about a fresh topic!

If you haven't explored my growing library of previous blogs, please have a nosey here. Hopefully they are all useful but some of the most practical include these:

By the way, if you want to search for a particular topic, just go into any blog and you will find the search box on the top right - as shown in the image above.

Looking forward to hearing what you think!

Digital Marketing Course: 9th July

Do you need to get to grips with your marketing?

Thanks Mel and Sarah (and Mel and Sara - out of shot!) for taking part in the last one in Romsey in April!

Read the full course description and book online with Eventbrite, here.

For a marketing person, I admit I'm not very good at blowing my own trumpet but I'm always delighted how well received my one day 'Make the most of Digital and Social Media marketing' course always is. This was recently tested to the max when I had eighteen members of Christchurch Chamber of Commerce to deliver it to; all eighteen said they found it useful and would recommend it to others. (Phew!)

Anyway, if you know someone who could do with spending a day focusing on their marketing strategy and tactics, please do pass on details of this course. Thank you!

Email Claire to book now