Becoming THE Expert

A sneak preview of the audio version of my latest book: Follow the Blue Line: Cycling the Algarve - due for release in October and currently available in Kindle eBook and paperback editions: [https://amzn.to/2Bed3tr](https://amzn.to/2Bed3tr). It's really weird listening to someone else reading your words (especially when they have been in your head for so long) but I wanted to make the book as accessible to as many people as possible. I felt a narrator would help me bypass possible issues...

I’ve been to more trade shows and conferences than I care to remember (and to be honest, most weren’t that memorable) but nothing could have prepared me for the event I attended last week in Barcelona, Spain. The Mobile World Congress was – and I’m not giving it the full justice it deserves here – absolutely immense.

If you thought about it for just one moment you’d be more careful with your output. Remember, we are all publishers now and this carries with it a significant weight of responsibility.

When you work in a multifaceted industry like marketing, it’s very easy to become distracted and lose focus on the job at hand. This can be dangerous because I believe that focus is the one thing that separates successful marketers from their more mediocre counterparts. With this in mind, here are seven things that I constantly remind myself of in order to stay productive and keep the wheels of commerce turning.

I’m sure I’m not alone when I tell you, that other than the basic facts, I really haven’t got a clue about the cryptocurrency phenomenon. While I don’t know about Bitcoin, I do know about content marketing and will happily tell you that any investment in this marketing strategy can also return an incredible return-on-investment.

The holidays mean different things for different businesses. For those of you in the retail or hospitality sectors, you might be gearing up for the busiest time of the year. For others, you might be about to enter an end-of-year lull when nothing much happens beyond the annual office party and visits from Secret Santas.

I always compare content marketing output to a healthy pulse. It should be strong and regular. This means taking the time to create and publish a steady flow of content multiple times per week (or in some cases, multiple times per day). Anything less would appear erratic and certainly wouldn’t help drive consistent marketing results.

Innovative marketers flip the sales and marketing process on its head. Instead of “selling” a product or service, they let the customer “buy” it.

For many people, one of the main motivations behind starting their own business is the idea of the freedom it represents. In many ways, this is quite a bizarre concept because most of the small business owners I know are also some of the hardest working people I know. Despite this, I know very few who, once they have made the leap, would go back to the 9 to 5.

The Content Marketing Club is a members-only group delivering fresh, engaging and informative content direct to your email inbox every week and is designed to help you find the inspiration to create new and compelling content. For more information visit: http://bit.ly/2ySyGhd

Not all content needs to be painstakingly planned, drafted, edited and strategically published. In fact, you probably produce and discard great content every day without realizing it, wasting a valuable opportunity.

The first step is always the hardest. It takes guts, determination and confidence to make that move, and most people simply don’t have the right stuff. - Check out my book page on: Amazon.com - http://amzn.to/2pdRD4o Amazon.co.uk - http://amzn.to/2pJq4ne - Find me on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2pe58kL - Follow me on Twitter: http://bit.ly/2qAE97P

A snippet from my soon to be released course on Udemy and Skillshare on Five Places to Find a Return on Investment from Social Media. - Check out my current courses here: http://skl.sh/2siB2Da

There is no such thing as expensive or cheap marketing – there is only marketing that works and marketing that doesn’t work. Remember this next time your local newspaper or trade magazine calls you up and offers you a “cheap” last-minute ad. If that ad doesn’t yield a ROI, buying it may be the most expensive decision you make this week. - Check out my book page on: Amazon.com - http://amzn.to/2pdRD4o Amazon.co.uk - http://amzn.to/2pJq4ne - Find me on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2pe58kL - Follow...

If your marketing strategy revolves around a series of big campaigns with little or nothing to fill the gaps between these activities, your business is at risk of attack from more agile, more communicative, more active competition. - Check out my book page on: Amazon.com - http://amzn.to/2pdRD4o Amazon.co.uk - http://amzn.to/2pJq4ne - Find me on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2pe58kL - Follow me on Twitter: http://bit.ly/2qAE97P

Email marketing - marketing doesn't get any easier. If you put your mind to it, I guarantee you could have a campaign prepped and ready go within the next two hours. - Check out my book page on: Amazon.com - http://amzn.to/2pdRD4o Amazon.co.uk - http://amzn.to/2pJq4ne - Find me on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2pe58kL - Follow me on Twitter: http://bit.ly/2qAE97P

The Advanced Blogging Strategies Seminar will be in town on September 25, 2017. Tickets are available from: https://advancedbloggingedinburgh.eventbrite.co.uk

If you are in the process of setting up a new business, marketing will undoubtedly be on your list of things to do. But when should you start thinking about email marketing? Hopefully it’s on your list – but how close to the top is it? - Check out my book page on: Amazon.com - http://amzn.to/2pdRD4o Amazon.co.uk - http://amzn.to/2pJq4ne - Find me on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2pe58kL - Follow me on Twitter: http://bit.ly/2qAE97P

If you are waiting for the right time to start your online business, you might just run out of time. The fact is, regardless of the current state of the economy, your employment, education or family situation, if you really want to get started in business, there is no time like the present. - Check out my book page on: Amazon.com - http://amzn.to/2pdRD4o Amazon.co.uk - http://amzn.to/2pJq4ne - Find me on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2pe58kL - Follow me on Twitter: http://bit.ly/2qAE97P

Wikipedia tells us: “Impostor syndrome (also known as impostor phenomenon or fraud syndrome or the imposter experience) is a concept describing high-achieving individuals who are marked by an inability to internalize their accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a ‘fraud.’"