The Marketing Mentor

The Marketing Mentor I'm your ally in navigating the marketing mix with insight and heart. Follow for strategies and insights that transform.

With 25+ years of experience, I specialise in empowering brands and leaders to shine in the marketplace.

22/10/2025

🚩 Long post alert
(should have made it a blog)

Spent the week at SXSW Sydney 2025 and I'm still reeling! It's like a 5-day festival for curious people.

I was super inspired by the theme of humanity in the age of AI... leaning into our creative beings and using AI as a wingman to become smarter.

Here's my take on the keynotes I saw:
Mo Gawdat - The Human Advantage ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 10/10
Use AI to be smarter - be the champions of change. Most of humanity is good. The mathematical support of AI has the potential of creating a utopia. Fell in love. Inspired. Bought 2 of his books!

Ryan Foutty – Perplexity ⭐⭐ 4/10
Host had a shocker - Ryan was pretty good though. The internet is better on Perplexity.

Niel Patel – Np Digital ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 9/10
Zero clicks doesn't mean zero value. Google has 27% marketing share of total searches. Rule of 7 is now 11 - people need to see your brand 11 times before buying.

Peter Chun – VaynerX ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 9/10
Insightful but not as actionable. The rise of the mid-funnel - we're in the "non-follower" era. Comment as a creative… 50-100 times per day (what?!?!).

Niall Firth – MIT Technology ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 9/10
Actually was almost everything you need to know about AI in 2026, despite the "audacity of the title" in Niall's intro 🤭
"It's not alive. It can't think. It's just numbers."

Sir Martin Sorrell ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 9/10
My pen was giving off smoke! From macro economic insights to media trends (collapsing of visualisation/copywriting, traditional channels down, personalisation at scale up), to future trillionaires.
"We will see a democratisation of knowledge."
And my favourite: "Turkeys don't vote for Christmas."

Teddy Swims ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 10/10
"In today's day and age… it's (music is) just about the traditional way of meeting people and shaking their hands - just looking them in their eye. People would rather their friend win."

What was your biggest takeaway from SXSW Sydney? 👇

Ever felt like your goals are wishes only?If your marketing plan lives in your head (or on a napkin), you might be one s...
25/09/2025

Ever felt like your goals are wishes only?

If your marketing plan lives in your head (or on a napkin), you might be one step away from turning dreams into a distant memory about something you once wanted.

Remember - A goal without a plan is just a wish - just ask Antoine de Saint-ExupĂŠry (or any business owner's who have worked with me.. I use this quote ALL the time!).

Think of your marketing like a bullet journal: every spread, every note, every action brings you closer to the big picture.

*Even research suggests that the act of simply writing down your goals will get you 42% closer to achieving them.

I know that this approach works because the work I do is the planning in between you, your business and achieving your goals.

So let’s chat about turning your goals into more than just good intentions. 📒

What’s your biggest “wish” for your business right now?

16/09/2025

🏆 'tis the season.. for Awards!

What an honour it was to judge such an extraordinary group of businesses on the Central Coast in the Central Coast Visitor Economy Awards 2025.

In a ground breaking move, the finalists had the opportunity to be mentored in marketing their businesses by Laura LEP Digital public speaking by .
Entrants then presented their entry on stage on a night of nights which was captured on video for the judging process.

It was an honour to be part of something so new, fresh and HUMAN in the age of AI.

Congratulations to all the finalists and winners - you all deserve recognition for a remarkable commitment to the process and incredible businesses that were simply a joy to watch!

You’ve hired someone to “do the marketing” - now what?You might be a great leader, but if you’ve never worked in marketi...
11/09/2025

You’ve hired someone to “do the marketing” - now what?

You might be a great leader, but if you’ve never worked in marketing, guiding a marketing team can feel like a foreign language.

Not sure what to ask? How to challenge the work? How to help your marketer grow? You’re not alone.

Too often, I see business owners treading water - unsure if their marketing is working, or what to do next.

That’s where I come in.

After 25 years in marketing, one thing stands out:

Mentoring makes marketing leaders.

Your marketer could be capable of so much more, with the right support, direction and space to step up.

Growth comes from inspired people, a clear strategy, and a timely plan.

If you’ve ever thought:

“I have a marketing person, but I’m not sure they’re doing the right things.”

“We’re posting… but is it working?”

“They’re great, but they’re not driving results.”

…it might be time for a different kind of support.

Want to see what mentoring could do for your team - and your bottom line?

Marketing strategy doesn’t have to be all smoke and mirrors.Ever felt like agencies or your marketing person talk in lot...
10/09/2025

Marketing strategy doesn’t have to be all smoke and mirrors.

Ever felt like agencies or your marketing person talk in lots of acronyms, dashboards, and endless reports that offer no real meaning to your business results?

I believe every business owner deserves marketing advice in plain English, with a bit of guidance/education - and a clear path to results that matter.

That’s why I started The Marketing Mentor. Acting as your virtual marketing director, working alongside your team to focus on the stuff that works. No jargon. No gatekeeping. Just honest, hands-on support and a focus on ROI.

Curious how a simpler, more transparent approach could work for your business?

Feel free to reach out - I'd love to help.

01/08/2025

My 25 years in marketing and leadership has taught me that investing in marketing will get you closer to your goals, and faster.

But you need to invest in your marketing by spending in one of these three areas:

Money:
A good rule of thumb is about 7% of your revenue should be spent on marketing for a consumer B2C business. That includes all marketing.. signage, advertising and marketing personnel for example. If you are growing and 7% isn’t achievable yet, try to make a plan to get there over the next few years but you'll need to invest more in #2 and #3 in the meantime..

Time:
Marketing - especially good marketing - takes time. If you can't afford to spend a huge investment of money on your marketing yet, then you will need to set aside time. Learn the things that agencies do and do it yourself. You can find good quality training for free or for a very small fee online. I recommend starting with your website and blogs, SEO (for search platforms and social media platforms.. ie. Search “Everywhere” Optimisation), emails/database comms and social media content creation.

People:
Invest in your people - if you have a marketing person, invest in their development.Train them, get them a mentor to help them be inspired and grow. If you have an agency, invest your time in training them, directing them and tracking their performance. Just because you have a marketing resource or agency, it doesn’t mean you can let go and let them do it all. They need your time so they can do a good job, so give them your energy too, the results will be significantly better if you do.

If you're investing in any of these areas and still not seeing results, it could be worth having a chat about working together.

30/07/2025

Community & Business Women’s Network Luncheon 8th August Yarramalong Valley

**A Goal-Setting Workshop for Women in Business**

Are you juggling all the parts of your business - and finding that your own goals are taking a back seat?

In this practical, supportive session, we’ll explore the science behind why writing down your goals makes you *42% more likely to achieve them* - and how adding a simple action plan can boost your chances even more.

Together, we’ll take a fresh, honest look at what might be holding you back - the fears, doubts, and invisible mountains we sometimes build in front of ourselves. Then, through a simple and empowering exercise, you’ll:

✍️ Write a meaningful business or personal goal
✍️ Identify key fears or blockages to your goal
✍️ Create a clear, doable action plan to take you through your next 90 days

In a world that is relying more on AI to do the work, this is a human approach designed for women balancing it all, whether you’re a sole trader, freelancer, or leading a small team. You’ll walk away with focus, clarity, and a plan you can act on straight away.

Tickets available here or via the link in bio: https://www.stickytickets.com.au/i9wrj/central_coast_women_in_business_cbwn_august_luncheon_yarramalong_valley_2025.aspx

30/07/2025

I have a few follow up questions.

29/07/2025

4. Write it like yourself - the human you are - and you'll stand out! Just optimise it.

29/07/2025

Quotes from a Buddhist Temple For Small Business Owners: 1. Want to be a leader? Sacrifice. (self explanatory) 2. Know Good People By Their Work (this includes people you work with parners, agencies, colleagues) 3. Kindness toward others provides oneself with a shelter (being in business doesn’t give you the right to be a d*ck - be kind to the people you work with and it will provide you with shelter aka. a better performing business) 4. Love makes far near, hate makes near far (same with goals - develop them with love and kindness and they will happen) 5. Reproach from the wise is better than praise from the fool (being wise = be unafraid to provide feedback to your team - but also be willing to hear the tough advice from the right advisor). Wat Phra That Si Mueang Pong - white temple. Chiang Mai.

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PO Box 730
Terrigal, NSW
2260

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