Makin - Marketing, Branding & Design

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] Before moving into marketing, I began my creative career as a graphic designer. I recently went to a creative group meetup in Edinburgh. It’s usually a lively and inspiring event. I’ve been going to this gathering for twenty years. It’s one of those rare times when graphic designers, web designers, illustrators, photographers, videographers, and other…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] In marketing, everyone talks, but few are heard. Scroll through any feed, and you’ll see it: brands posting every day, sometimes even every hour. There are tips, trends, recycled ideas, and safe opinions. Its content is just for the sake of content. Still, engagement stays flat, audiences tune out, and businesses wonder why being consistent isn’t…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] There’s a quiet misconception spreading through businesses of every size: that automation, in and of itself, is a strategy. It isn’t. It’s a means, often a powerful one, but still just a means. Treating it as anything more can lead to wasted investment, diluted customer experience, and ultimately, missed opportunity. Automation has earned its reputation.…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] In a world saturated with content, noise, and constant competition for attention, it’s tempting for businesses to believe that success comes from the loudest voice, the boldest campaign, or the most dramatic redesign. But the truth is often quieter and far more powerful. The brands that endure are rarely those shouting the loudest. Instead, they are the…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] If you’ve ever opened 27 browser tabs researching a single headline, questioned every metric on your dashboard, or got halfway through writing a post before overthinking the first sentence… you’re in excellent company. Welcome to The Overthinkers Guide to Modern Marketing — a website and podcast created for the wonderfully inquisitive minds shaping…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] Many SMEs collect customer feedback but don’t always use it to make changes. After a project, a survey might be sent out. Some reviews come in. Sales teams hear objections every day. Still, most of this feedback never reaches strategic planning or marketing. This means a valuable opportunity is being missed. When used well, customer feedback is more than…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]If you’ve ever launched a business and immediately thought, “Ah. So this is what chaos feels like,” you’re in the right place. Episode 2 of The Overthinker’s Guide to Modern Marketing picks up where our collective existential dread left off — deep in the swirling galaxy of KPIs, leaky funnels, and ambitious brand plans conceived at 2am but regretted by…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] When markets tighten, confidence dips, and boardroom conversations turn to “cash now, growth later”, marketing budgets often become the first casualty. The instinct is understandable: focus on activity that delivers an immediate return. Shift spend from long-term brand building to short-term lead generation. Protect the bottom line. But history, data and…

In any business, and especially in project-driven ones, the gulf between senior management (or business owners) and the operational teams is a latent risk. From a recent case described in an article by the BBC (concerning a company where the leadership’s grand vision was divorced from front-line reality) the consequences are instructive. When leadership drafts big ambitions without maintaining a…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] You’ve planted your business seed, watered it daily with sweat, grit and perhaps way too many cups of coffee. It’s growing. But at some point, when the leaves are sprouting vigorously, or when you notice weeds starting to creep in, you’ll realise you could use more than just your own two hands to tend to the garden. That’s when it’s time to ask: when…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] I was listening to a podcast recently where the hosts were discussing the power of modern advertising, and something interesting caught my attention. As the conversation unfolded, it became clear there was some confusion among them about where the line is drawn between marketing and propaganda. They used the terms almost interchangeably at times,…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] In an era where artificial intelligence is reshaping the marketing landscape, businesses face a growing challenge: how to remain authentic and human in a sea of machine-generated content. AI tools can produce marketing copy at scale, but they often lack the nuance, depth, and emotional resonance that genuine human experiences provide. As a result, many…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] If you manage sales or marketing at a small‑to‑medium‑sized business, chances are your CRM dashboard displays a “created” or “last‑touched” date for every contact. It seems logical: an older date equals a colder lead. Yet that single field is quietly steering many teams away from revenue‑ready buyers and toward an endless hunt for “fresh” names, often…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] Sometimes, the writing is on the wall. You’ve poured energy into your business, worn every hat, and built campaigns from nothing, but now, growth has stalled. The progression you once saw is no longer realistic. Whether it’s a shift in the market, an irreconcilable clash with co-founders, or simply burnout, you’ve realised it’s time to leave. Fast. But…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] Real-time conversations on social platforms are a living focus group that never sleeps. When you learn to read those signals early before they crystallise into mainstream headlines, you can shape campaigns that feel inevitable the moment they launch. I have written a play-by-play guide to turn raw social data from Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn…