When I founded Brainstorm in 2000, I could never have imagined where we would be today.
It was still four years before the launch of Facebook, and six years before the first tweet. At the time I was a graphic designer with a background in marketing, and I originally only ever intended to design websites.
But the Internet moved fast – and so did we.
Increasingly, I saw how ridiculous it was that companies would pour money into their websites, but have no real plan to make money from it. Again and again, I helped clients who were desperate to get to the first page of Google, but had no idea what to do with them thereafter.
We began helping companies plan how they were going to use their online presence to generate more business – and the rest, as they say, is history.
Nowadays, in addition to running Brainstorm and working closely with our clients, I particularly enjoy teaching about digital strategy. I’m a course director for the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and teach regularly for Cambridge Marketing College, Henley Business School, Business Training Made Simple and the Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing.
I also publish regular ‘how to’ guides for SmartInsights.com, including The Influencer Outreach Guide: How to Convert Brand Influencers Into Brand Advocates Using Social Media, and LinkedIn Marketing.
In a few years’ time, I think we’re going to look back on 2015, and nobody is going to be believe that companies were still willing to spend thousands on social media without seeing a return. I’m proud to be helping companies on that journey.
