You may think them a bit twee, a bit old fashioned. Given the array of ways in which you're able to communicate with your target audience are they even worth the effort? Have email newsletters peaked and are they fast becoming a digital curiosity?

If you've pondered these questions, it might surprise you that 80% of marketers, in 2019, reported an increase in email engagement.

Newsletters are still one of the most cost effective and highest converting tools to have in your digital toolkit. One of the main reasons is that your readers need to opt-in to receive it. Effectively they are saying that they want to hear from you. So while you don't want to spam them, a newsletter with relevant topics can really boost audience engagement and conversions.

If it has been years since you did a newsletter or you're not sure where to begin, below are some pointers to get your started.

They're here and you're probably dealing with one on a regular basis. Chatbots are here to stay. But, should small business owners be adopting them or are they just the latest shiny distraction?

Read on, if you’re wondering what the fuss is all about and why more and more businesses (yes even small ones) make them a part of their marketing automation strategy.

Email Automation or Marketing Automation? Aren't they just the same thing? If not, what's the difference between the two and how do you know which one you need for your business.

If you're an allied health professional, the last few weeks will most likely have made you think of ways in which to adapt to the current situation. Whether you have had to change operating hours, reshuffle appointments or you have had to even close the doors, you and your team will undoubtedly have been impacted.

Are you wondering how you can keep you can help your customers during this time in ways that don't require them to come into the practice?

Have you considered whether video and remote meeting applications are viable tools for you to assist your clients and prospects at this time but you're not sure how to get started? This article steps you through it.

During uncertain times some short term thinking is warranted and even necessary to get us through. It's natural to want to buckle down but don't let short term thinking overwhelm you. This crisis will have an end and when it does you must be ready to build momentum fast.

"Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly. It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death."

Those are the words the World Health Organisation used when they declared COVID-19 a pandemic.

Since then 16 days have passed and I hazard a guess that you will have witnessed and quite possibly experienced fear, anxiety, uncertainty and possibly confusion around the mixed messages that are coming at us practically every hour since.

If you're a small business owner or an independent professional impacted by this pandemic (who isn't?) you will almost certainly feel trepidation about the immediate and short term future.

Last week the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic and since the global situation is evolving pretty much by the hour. Exactly how should marketers behave during such an unprecedented time?

In the same vein as the panic buying and hoarding that continues to go on, I see some of my fellow marketers and business owners resort to some frenzied and frankly questionable tactics.

When it comes to promoting our businesses, it’s essential that we elevate yourself above the chaos and begin responding in a thoughtful and ethical manner.

Most of us have a sixth sense for businesses that are exploitative of people who may have lost or are on the verge of losing belief in survival of their business or future.

The vast majority I know in business and work with possess a strong moral compass. Unfortunately there are also plenty of charlatans who do the rest of us a great disservice. One example in particular is the area of life and business coaching. Unfortunately for each trustworthy coach that is out there doing great work for their clients, there are several that come across as superficial and, frankly, opportunistic.

But unfortunately the coaching sector is not the only example. I’ve seen plenty of very questionable practices over the past week in particular.

This is exactly why the certain sectors as well as the marketing profession gets a bad rap.

It’s time to stop the frenzy.

It’s time to stop reacting and start responding.

When did you launch you launch your current website? Some months ago, a couple of years? Has it been worth the money and the investment of your time? Do you even know?

When it comes to digital marketing there seems to be a widely held believe that a new website is the cure-all for lacklustre marketing results.

Marketing is one of those things that lands on health and wellness professionals "list of least favourite activities" or the "too hard basket".

It can feel like such a "hit and miss" activity and, frankly, like just a waste of time. After all if you had wanted to be a marketer you would have enrolled in marketing school. Right? 

You might feel frustrated and disappointed with the results from your marketing activities. Or, perhaps you are starting out in your own and you want to avoid the biggest mistakes.

If either of the statements above resonate, you will find this article helpful. 

Does the thought of marketing your healthcare services fill you with dread?

If so, it is time "to get over it". Present day healthcare marketing, after all, is not about you. Consumers are now front and centre in a digital health strategy.

One in 20 Google searches are for health related information (source: Google) and 72% of internet users have searched online for health information in the past year (source: Pew Research).

The majority of these searches evolve around:

• symptoms & conditions
• treatments
• healthcare institutions, treatment centres and healthcare professionals

"I want you to help me get online."

This is typically what I hear when I meet practitioners who mainly rely on offline marketing channels to grow their business.

I always respond by asking them why they feel that they need to be online. The answers vary but here's what I often hear:-

In a mobile first world the cookie has been relegated to play second fiddle to people-based marketing. So what is people-based marketing and why must marketers need to come to grips with things like first party data and the role of persistent IDs?

Does the thought of marketing your medical practice or healthcare service send shivers up your spine? Worried about breaching National Law or simply confused about what the deal with social media is? 

This quick read is for you. We discuss what you must stay clear of and how to keep within AHPRA's guidelines.

Google My Business has become the Daddy of all directories. Claiming your business page on Google will help your clinic or healthcare practice show up high in the search engines when prospective patients are searching for health services in your local area.

This is very helpful for practices that want to use health marketing to grow their business.

The good news is that it is easy to set it up. In this short post I describe the five simple steps along with screen shots of what you can expect to see.

Traditional Marketing Talks at People. Content marketing talks with them. - Doug Kessler

So you have set up your Facebook Page, checked what AHPRA says you can and can't do marketing your health business in the digital era. Time to get active on social media but where do you start and what do you post.

To help you, we've listed five content ideas that will help you take your first steps on the road to content and social media marketing success.

When was the last time you posted something to your Facebook page? Not your personal one but the one that you set up (years ago?) for your healthcare practice. Maybe you got a friend to do it for you or perhaps you simply haven’t gotten around to doing the “social media thing”.

Whether you’re a sceptic or your page is gathering cyber dust, it is worth taking (another) look at  building a following on Facebook.

The way people go about finding their ideal accountant or accounting firm has changed. Although word of mouth and referrals continue to be a source of new business for many, the more progressive firms have discovered a way to extend their reach well beyond word of mouth and they are reaping substantial benefits and winning new business.

Learn more about winning new business and content marketing for Sydney accounting firms here.

So how has marketing for accountants changed and what is it that many accountants get so wrong when marketing themselves online? Here are three common mistakes:

What is your professional services firm going to do differently in terms of marketing this year? Another financial year has just begun and it if you haven’t already (at your most recent partner meeting) reviewed your marketing metrics, then there is no time to waste.

Finding out which marketing activities have generated the most (and best) leads and which ones haven’t is a good starting point. If you know how each initiative has performed, congratulations, you are ahead of the game. I bet your firm is active in the digital or inbound marketing space and you’re gathering data and reviewing your metrics frequently to find out where your best leads come from and at what rate you’re converting web visitors into leads for your firm.

There is no longer any reason why your firm should not all be all over your marketing metrics. You would not devise a financial strategy for your clients without a financial goal right? Marketing needs to have quantifialbe lead generation goals that are aligned with you firm's partners' individual business development goals. 

Let's talk some more about that.