http://www.holymackerel.com.au/ Holy Mackerel Group Articles 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...