Rebranding? Start by Looking Under the ‘Hood
Chris Shirley MA FRGS Chris Shirley MA FRGS

Rebranding? Start by Looking Under the ‘Hood

Rebranding can feel like an exhilarating leap forward for a company.

However, before diving into the creative aspects of designing a logo, selecting a colour palette, or drafting new slogans, it’s vital to take a comprehensive look “under the ‘hood” of your brand.

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What is your ‘beachhead market’ and why you need to protect it before entering new ones.
What is a growth engine?
What is Brand Congruence and How Does it Impact Your Business?
Chris Shirley MA FRGS Chris Shirley MA FRGS

What is Brand Congruence and How Does it Impact Your Business?

In today’s saturated market, businesses often face the challenge of standing out while building trust and loyalty among customers.

One essential concept that significantly contributes to a brand's success is brand congruence.

But what exactly does it mean, and why is it so pivotal for businesses?

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What is ‘curiosity marketing’ and how it can help start-ups?
Chris Shirley MA FRGS Chris Shirley MA FRGS

What is ‘curiosity marketing’ and how it can help start-ups?

Curiosity marketing is a dynamic strategy that taps into innate human curiosity to captivate audiences. It goes beyond traditional methods by strategically stimulating curiosity and prompting exploration. One key aspect is reward anticipation, strategically hinting at forthcoming benefits to excite consumers. This anticipation fuels their desire to learn more, making it a potent tool for start-ups seeking to generate interest in their offerings.

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What is ‘choice overload’ and how it affects your website sales
Chris Shirley MA FRGS Chris Shirley MA FRGS

What is ‘choice overload’ and how it affects your website sales

It might seem easy to assume that offering more options on your website would cater to a broader audience and increase engagement. However, more choices can actually have a negative effect on sales. This is where the concept of "choice overload" comes into play—a phenomenon that can significantly impact how users interact with your website.

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What is 'Brand Surface Area' and How Do You Increase It?
Chris Shirley MA FRGS Chris Shirley MA FRGS

What is 'Brand Surface Area' and How Do You Increase It?

A brand’s ‘surface area’ refers to the extent and variety of touchpoints through which a brand interacts with its audience.

These touchpoints can include everything from social media profiles and websites to physical locations, customer service interactions, and even word-of-mouth referrals.

The larger and more diverse your brand's surface area, the greater the opportunities for your target audience to encounter, recognise, and engage with your brand.

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What are ‘early adopters’?

What are ‘early adopters’?

Early adopters are people who are among the first to try out and adopt a new product or technology. They are often highly interested in innovation and are willing to take risks to try out new things before the general public does. Early adopters can be influential in determining the success or failure of a new product or technology, as they can help to create buzz and generate interest among a wider audience. This is how we like to engage with them best:

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What are ‘demand signals’ and how do you detect them?
Chris Shirley MA FRGS Chris Shirley MA FRGS

What are ‘demand signals’ and how do you detect them?

Staying ahead of the competition requires a keen understanding of consumer behaviour and market trends.

One of the most effective ways to gain this understanding is by monitoring demand signals. But what exactly are demand signals, and how can businesses detect them?

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What are the most important ‘trust signals’ to have on your website in 2024?
Chris Shirley MA FRGS Chris Shirley MA FRGS

What are the most important ‘trust signals’ to have on your website in 2024?

Establishing trust with your website visitors is more critical than ever these days.

As the risk of working online continues to intensify, users are increasingly cautious about where they spend their time and money. To stand out from the crowd and foster credibility, it's essential to incorporate the most effective "trust signals" into your website.

In this article, we'll explore the top trust signals to prioritise in 2024 to build trust, enhance user experience, and drive conversions.

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What is the ‘Halo effect’ and why does it matter to your brand?
Chris Shirley MA FRGS Chris Shirley MA FRGS

What is the ‘Halo effect’ and why does it matter to your brand?

We all know, first impressions are vital for a business.

In the ever-changing landscape of business and sales, understanding the intricacies of consumer perception is paramount to your survival.

This is where the 'Halo Effect' – a psychological phenomenon that can significantly influence how your brand is perceived, really comes into own.

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What is ‘choice architecture’ and how does it affect user behaviour on your website?
Chris Shirley MA FRGS Chris Shirley MA FRGS

What is ‘choice architecture’ and how does it affect user behaviour on your website?

At its core, choice architecture uses principles from behavioural economics and social psychology to nudge users towards making decisions that align with their goals and preferences.

By strategically structuring options and information, we can guide users towards desired actions and outcomes, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness and usability of your website.

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What is the Availability Heuristic, and How Can it Accelerate Startup Growth?

What is the Availability Heuristic, and How Can it Accelerate Startup Growth?

In this article, we will explore the concept of the Availability Heuristic, understand how it functions, and uncover how it can be harnessed to expedite a start-up’s growth trajectory.

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What is a growth hypothesis?
What is the build-measure-learn feedback loop?

What is the build-measure-learn feedback loop?

The build-measure-learn feedback loop is a concept that is central to the Lean Start-up methodology, a popular approach to building and scaling businesses. The basic idea is to iterate quickly through a series of small experiments in order to learn and improve, and ultimately develop a product or service that meets the needs of customers.

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What is an MVP and why is it important?

What is an MVP and why is it important?

MVP stands for “minimum viable product”. It is a strategy used by startups and product development teams to create a basic version of a product or service with only the essential features necessary to solve a particular problem or meet a specific customer need. The idea is to create a basic prototype that can be tested and validated with customers, in order to gather feedback and data that can be used to refine and improve the product. Read on to find out how it is used for scaling quickly:

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What does ‘freemium’ mean?
What are vanity metrics?

What are vanity metrics?

Vanity metrics are data points or metrics that are often used to make a company or organisation look good, but do not provide meaningful insights or contribute to the business's bottom line. These metrics may create a sense of false success, as they may suggest progress or growth, but do not necessarily indicate that the business is achieving its core objectives or meeting its customers' needs. Here’s how we use them:

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What is marginal gains theory?

What is marginal gains theory?

The Marginal Gains Theory, also known as the Aggregation of Marginal Gains, is a concept that originated in the world of sports performance but has since been applied to various domains, including business and personal development. It emphasises the idea that making small improvements across multiple areas can lead to significant overall enhancements in performance or outcomes. Read on to find out it applies to building an organisation up:

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What is a scale-up business?