MSB Member Articles

Most people think that social media tools should only be used in ordinary business-to-customer (B2C) marketing, since they are more informal and personal and are tailored for audiences who are likely to make impulse purchases. However, avoiding social media means that you are missing out on many useful marketing tools and...

I recently had the privilege of spending a few hours in the company of 3 great South African entrepreneurs at the Cape Town Entrepreneurship Week Open Day. Lessons were plentiful, but here are 5 that really stood out for me. 1. Sometimes you need to have really big family jewels...

Most small business owners are in the same boat – short on funds, hands and time. Here are 5 FREE online applications that I use to get organised, save time and save money. 1. Dropbox www.dropbox.com How many times have you sent an e-mail that is returned or undelivered because...

In our previous post (Reason #1: Perception) we discussed the huge amount of people trawling the internet consuming information. The internet is all about communication. It has opened up a variety of channels to get your message out there. We consumer more information more often than ever before. This is why...

So why do you have a website? Think about it. Most people don't. It seems to usually fall under the business essentials checklist: Logo, Business cards, Website. All too often a website is just there because "Our clients expect us to have one". Few people actually take the time to think...

I hate complaining. I really do. So when I do express my dissatisfaction with a product or service, you should know that I have had a monologue going on in my head for quite a while. I have infuriated myself to the point where I have to either verbalise it...

Early this week I found out about yet another friend in the marketing industry that has been retrenched.  Not just herself, but the entire marketing team of 4 people - one of which has been with the company for 20 years. It's a topic that affects me personally having recently...

I've been so busy starting blogs, designing logos and 'Facebooking' all my new clients that I've taken ages to get around to starting my own, but after reading a post in a marketing forum today I thought "I have to write something about this today!"  So here we are. The post...

So you have the contacts, networking and financing for a great business and want to get going on your new venture but how are you going to come up with a marketing plan? So many business owners and entrepreneurs make the mistake of believing that because their business ideas are great,...

 A penny saved is a penny earned. The scenarios: The money boss makes the marketing decisions Believing that not spending on advertising or PR is saving money It seems so expensive so I am going to get the cheapest one OR It seems so expensive so I am going to get...

There’s free and there’s low cost. When you spend a bit of money your capacity to make an impact goes up; it’s something of an investment in your target audience. Here are some easy and cost-effective ways to get your brand out there.Corporate gifts - unique and freeBranding promotional goods that...

You may be surprised to hear that there are only 5 ways to increase your profit. It may sound scary, but actually, when laid out in a business framework it is easier for you to work on your business.   Here are the first two ways:Leads times Conversion Rate equals customersYou...

Is it important to do marketing and communications during a recession? Nokukhanya recently ran a workshop with young entrepreneurs who raised this question which raised very interesting debate and we hope that this may assist with the answer. While marketing and advertising is very beneficial to the growth of a...