We’ve heard horror stories and picked up the pieces of clients who have been burnt by bad experiences or paid high fees for inadequate results. It happens everywhere, not just in marketing. In every industry, there are people who do what they do well and others who let their clients and the industry down.

Paying for creative skills for your brand is an investment. How can you be sure you’re getting a good return for your business? In this episode we’re talking about red flags and green flags to look out for when it comes to choosing a creative or marketing agency to work with, and also, the part that you play in ensuring you get the best results.

If you’re interested in accessing the briefing document mentioned in this episode, you’ll find it alongside a bunch of other free resources at www.themarketingcollective.co.nz/resources

Want to create more meaning and purpose for your business and your team? It's all packed inside this Business Impact Starter Guide.

• Five steps to injecting more purpose and meaning into your business.
• How to align your brand with a cause.
• How to conduct due diligence and evaluate impact, before partnering.
• How to market your involvement a way that feels authentically you.

www.themarketingcollective.co.nz/impactstarter

Greenwashing, woke washing and virtue signalling— there are plenty of ways that brands can embellish the true results or impact of their products or processes to mislead consumers. So, are certifications and standards the solution to keeping brands accountable to their claims?

Certifications and standards are more than just marketing tools, in fact they take some serious commitment to operational KPIs, but they can become a helpful tool to leverage when it comes to sharing your story and differentiating your brand. But ‘labels’ can also be misleading when they are simply self-certified and less-than transparent!

This week we’re taking a look at how third-party validations and commitments can potentially boost a brand’s credibility and build trust with increasingly-savvy consumers.

Want to create more meaning and purpose for your business and your team? It's all packed inside this Business Impact Starter Guide.

• Five steps to injecting more purpose and meaning into your business.
• How to align your brand with a cause.
• How to conduct due diligence and evaluate impact, before partnering.
• How to market your involvement a way that feels authentically you.

www.marijketimmers.com/impactstarter/

We know that not everyone feels comfortable showing up on social media, and that depending on your business, social media channels are not always the most effective means of reaching the right audience.

Social media can be an incredibly powerful tactic within your marketing strategy, but the pressure to show up a certain way can stop you from showing up at all.

In this episode we consider the answers to these questions (and more):

• Does your business NEED to be on social media?
• What’s the deal with faceless accounts?
• How do you build confidence about showing up on social media?
• What does ‘success’ look like on social media?

Is it possible to grow your brand while being anti-social? Have a listen!

Want to create more meaning and purpose for your business and your team? It's all packed inside this Business Impact Starter Guide.

• Five steps to injecting more purpose and meaning into your business.
• How to align your brand with a cause.
• How to conduct due diligence and evaluate impact, before partnering.
• How to market your involvement a way that feels authentically you.

www.marijketimmers.com/impactstarter/

Cause marketing is about aligning your business with a cause, charity or community group and giving back by donating profits, resource or time—and then meaningfully communicating and demonstrating why supporting the cause is important to you.

Perhaps there’s an organisation whose work resonates with you and you’d like to support their impact in some way. Or maybe, starting your own cause connected to your business is something you’ve considered. Either way, how can you be transparent and authentic with how you talk about your partnership, ensuring that it’s a genuine part of your story, and not just a campaign or a trend?

In this episode we explore cause marketing: what it is, whether it’s right for your business and what to consider when it comes to aligning your brand with a cause, and how to avoid any pitfalls.

Want to create more meaning and purpose for your business and your team? It's all packed inside this Business Impact Starter Guide.

• Five steps to injecting more purpose and meaning into your business.
• How to align your brand with a cause.
• How to conduct due diligence and evaluate impact, before partnering.
• How to market your involvement a way that feels authentically you.

www.marijketimmers.com/impactstarter/

So many brands talk about their values. But, do they really live and breathe them? How authentic are brand values these days. Do consumers even care? And, how do employees feel about them?

We uncover all this and more inside Episode Three:
- What are values and why do they matter?
- How do you define meaningful brand values that become more than just a poster on a wall?
- How do you apply brand values so they truly represent your brand and business, and create differentiation and connection in the market?

We also share our own brand values and how we bring to them life in our own brands.

Want to create more meaning and purpose for your business and your team? It's all packed inside this Business Impact Starter Guide.

• Five steps to injecting more purpose and meaning into your business.
• How to align your brand with a cause.
• How to conduct due diligence and evaluate impact, before partnering.
• How to market your involvement a way that feels authentically you.

www.marijketimmers.com/impactstarter/

Just another marketing buzzword? We don't think so...

Brands that are purpose-led experience more fulfilment and more customer loyalty. In a world of overwhelm, purpose can help you create more meaning in your business. By focusing on a higher purpose than just profit, you can connect with your customers, communities and staff on a much deeper level. This drives both income and impact.

In this episode, we discuss what purpose is, why it's a marketing fundamental (in our books) and how to define or refine yours so that it becomes a feel-good common thread that runs throughout your business. It's good business, but it's also good for business!

Want to create more meaning and purpose for your business and your team? It's all packed inside this Business Impact Starter Guide.

• Five steps to injecting more purpose and meaning into your business.
• How to align your brand with a cause.
• How to conduct due diligence and evaluate impact, before partnering.
• How to market your involvement a way that feels authentically you.

www.marijketimmers.com/impactstarter/

Welcome!

We're all about building better businesses - more ethically minded, sustainable businesses, minus the judgement. We believe business can be the change we need in the world, to secure a more prosperous future for people and planet. If you're starting a business or wanting to inject more purpose into an existing one, join us in these chats and online at www.themarketingcollective.co.nz.

We're kicking off our Collectively podcast with a real and raw chat about doing things for the first time. In here, we discuss what it takes to get started with anything in business, and in life. Imperfect action, imposter syndrome, stepping out of your comfort zone AND tips and tricks for doing some of those marketing things for the first time. It's all in here!

Did we suck first time? You decide...