http://www.holymackerel.com.au/ Holy Mackerel Group Articles http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4598 http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4598 Makes 15Equipment:Youll need 15 wooden chopsticks or paddle pop sticks for this recipe.Ingredients:15 small Red Delicious or Pink Lady apples, washed, dried 4 cups white sugar 1 cup water 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar 2 teaspoons red liquid food colouringMethod:Push a stick into each apple. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Place sugar and water into a heavy-based saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Stop... http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4597 http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4597 How to build a large databaseEmail marketing may well be a hugely effective form of online marketing, but to avoid huge penalties under spam legislation, your recipients have to agree to receive your material.This is why email marketing is fantastic at building repeat business among established customers, rather than acquiring new ones. But that is not a negative. Far from it. It means you are communicating your offers and marketing message... http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4596 http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4596 The 5 Myths of PR ndash; courtesy of Anthill MagazinePublicity can be a very powerful marketing tool. Endorsement from a reviewer, presenter, editor or journalist carries a lot of weight. Getting publicity for a product or service isnrsquo;t easy. Often clients expect that they will get masses of media coverage, including TV, for their great product or service. In order to get attention from the media there needs to be a new lsquo;hookrsquo;... http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4595 http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4595 How to use business bloggingBlogs have been one of the most talked about applications on the Internet over the last few years - everyone from politicians to celebrities to professionals seems to be writing one, and some popular blogs attract thousands of readers per day. A blog is simply an online journal where entries are displayed in reverse chronological order, with the most recent first.nbsp; The entries can include text, links, images... http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4594 http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4594 Media News: Grazia launches in AustraliaACP Magazines have this month launched a new high-end fashion and lifestyle title ldquo;Graziardquo;.Grazia Italian for Grace was first published in Italy in 1938 by Mondadori, Italys biggest publisher of consumer magazines. Grazia is now published in nine countries, including the UK, Greece and Portugal. The Australian version of Grazia is another partnership between Hearst Corporation and ACP... http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4593 http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4593 Client Highlight: Evok/Oden:nbsp; Holy Mackerel Group has been working with 21 year old entrepreneur, Jesse Costelloe to promote his home audio brand Oden and company Evok.nbsp; Jesse has designed his own range of home theatre speakers ndash; you can see them at www.odenlife.com.au.nbsp; The PR campaign has been extremely successful so far, with Jesse appearing as a ldquo;Young Innovatorrdquo; in Australian Anthill Magazine, an article and... http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4592 http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4592 Let Everyone in on the Launch!Before you introduce a new product or service, it goes through a lengthy design process and rigorous testing. You invest time and money in order to have a targeted and strategic marketing plan, your fabulous PR campaign is about to start and yoursquo;ve spent untold hours on various other preparations. Launch day comes, though, and you realise you forgot something: You didnrsquo;t tell your customer service staff... http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4207 http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4207 Every business occasionally needs outside help. But according to professional consultant and best-selling author, Alan Weiss, most Australian businesses donrsquo;t know how to separate the good from the bad and the ugly.nbsp;For smaller businesses, an outside consultant can offer objective advice, best practices, models and methodology to gain results more quickly and a permanent transfer of skills to internal staff.nbsp;But according to Mr... http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4206 http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4206 Continuum Financial Planners and International Model Consultants are two businesses that Holy Mackerel Group has worked with this month, to re-develop their existing websites.Continuum also employed Holy Mackerel to develop a new logo and branding which was then used for the new website design and their stationery.Continuum offers a range of services including investment strategy and planning, superannuation advice, risk insurance and... http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4205 http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4205 Yet another successful PR campaign has resulted in a frenzy of media coverage for the newly launched Personal Budget Organiser. Created by Camp Hill wife and mother of two, Michelle House, the PBO is a fashionable and easy way to control expenses.The clever wallet has a number of compartments with tabs, so you can file away tax receipts or allocate money to certain items each week. As a result of Holy Mackerelrsquo;s PR campaign, Michelle... http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4204 http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4204 eMarketing is quick and cheap, but experts are warning businesses to keep emails relevant or risk them ending up straight in the deleted folder.Lisa Turner, marketing director of the UK Institute of Direct Marketing IDM, explained that email has many obvious advantages over more traditional methods of promotion as it is quick, effective and does not have the environmental impact of using paper. However, she urged marketers to avoid... http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=3721 http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=3721 Most people have around 200 personal contacts. So when it comes to business referrals, it is a case of who knows you and not what you know that is becoming increasingly powerful in todayrsquo;s business environment. Networking queen, Terri Cooper of the Cooper Consultancy, believes that a positive word-of-mouth referral generates eighty percent more results than a cold call. Ms Cooper is Brisbanes expert on networking and has been training... http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=3720 http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=3720 Carolyn Stafford, of Connect Marketing, believes a businessrsquo;s point of difference is at the heart of successful marketing. Over 99 percent of small or medium sized enterprises donrsquo;t have a point of difference. And, Ms Stafford says, those who think they do, are sorely mistaken. ldquo;Your businessrsquo;s point of difference must align with what the consumer wants: your years of experience, or the number of staff you have is not what... http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=3718 http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=3718 With most SMEs now identifying the need to incorporate public relations into their marketing mix, many are underestimating their ability to take publicity into their own hands. If SMEs want to catch and keep the attention of their savvy consumers, theyrsquo;ve got to do more than send out a press release and keep their fingers crossed in the hopes of some media coverage. SMEs have an unmistakable advantage: being able to directly and... http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=3717 http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=3717 The big companies do it. How can SMEs do it just as well? The principles of advertising remains the same whether yoursquo;re a small or medium sized business or a large corporation, according to Tony Clemenger, formerly of well-known advertising firm Clemenger BBDO and now CEO of The Ad Company. ldquo;No matter what size the business is if a company has a product or service needed by the community then an advertising campaign can help to... http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4208 http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4208 Ingredients serves 4nbsp;150g 1 cup self-raising flour 60g unsalted butter, cubed 1 egg 1-2 tbs milk, to beat Thick cream, to serve Syrup 30g butter 220g 1 cup caster sugar 4 tbs golden syrup 1 small lemon, juicednbsp;Methodnbsp;Sift flour into a bowl, then rub in butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Beat egg with a little milk and pour into flour mixture. Combine to form a dough, then divide into small balls. To make the syrup,... http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=3719 http://www.holymackerel.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=3719 Small businesses need better understanding of search engines to survive online With approximately 85 percent of internet users in Australia using search engines to find websites, achieving a top ranking is of crucial importance for all businesses. A study by Berrier amp; Associates found that most people would prefer to use another search engine than to click past the first 10 results. If you are listed in the first ten, it has been found to...