Gertrude & Ivy

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Gertrude & Ivy

Social Media Marketing Specialists: Consultancy, Coaching & Campaign Management Founded by Emma Jane Clark.
(8)

06/06/2024

80 years ago today, my Dad disembarked on Juno beach in Normandy with his men in the 48 Royal Marine Commandos 💜

I once asked him how he kept going everyday on the front lines and he said it was his duty to prevent anyone in the future from thinking war is the answer.

Although I miss him very much, I sometimes feel glad he’s not around to watch the news.

I took this selfie with Dad at the 70th commemoration of D-Day event in Normandy, the year before he died. As we sat waiting for the world leaders to arrive in their seats, Dad quietly asked: Where’s the wine?(!) I slipped out of my seat and darted into the VIP tent to “liberate” one bottle of red plonk and some glasses! ☺️🍷

Also in this carousel:
Me and Dad in Normandy commemorating the men from his unit who fell during Operation Overlord.
Dad featured on a stamp 📮
Me and Dad on Tower Bridge in London after visiting the poppy display in the gardens at the Tower of London 🌺
My Dad: Sgt Major R T Clark (MM) - “Tom” to his friends 💜

Hope you’re enjoying plenty of vin d’honneur in heaven, Dad 🙏🍷

Raising a glass to all who served in WW2 and everyone who understands the significance and sacrifices made in Normandy on 6th June 1944 💜

07/02/2024

Is it that time of the year already?(!) On Valentine’s Day each year, I offer FREE consultancy + training sessions to anyone who asks (nicely!) 💜

On 14th February (next week!) for one day only, you can ask me anything about your Social Media marketing… free of charge!👩‍💻

What you need to know:

Each session is up to 30 mins ⏰

Appointments will take place via Zoom / Phone ☎️

Booking in advance is essential - first come, first served!

Send a DM or email [email protected] to confirm your time slot 💌

Photo credit of 2 iconic prints by 💜 (the first is the classic favourite of team - the second is the one I have on my bedroom wall) 🙏☺️

01/02/2024

This time last week I was wiping away tears, because Facebook notified me about a “memory” of nine years ago which turned out to be the death of my father.

Recently I have been doing some coaching with - a yoga teacher from Essex who specialises in supporting people going through grief. She told me that grief is love with nowhere to go - which really resonated.

So once I dried my tears, I was able to think about the influence Dad has in my life - he inspired me to start my business, as he founded our family firm in the printing industry during the 1950s - Jupiter Press continues today with my elder brother Graham at the helm.

Dad’s advice might have been old-fashioned, but so much of it has turned out to be timeless. His work ethic and management style certainly rubbed off on me.

Although I named the agency after my grandmothers, it’s my old man who taught me so much of what has shaped the business, such as: the importance of delivering quality services, to be the steady presence for clients and colleagues, all the while not worrying about things outside of my control.

He also advocated for the health benefits of good times and red wine - all in moderation of course!🍷😊

I’m not sure if Dad really understood what Gertrude & Ivy does - I can still hear him telling his old friends: “my daughter works on The Internet” - as if it was a ship (HMS: Internet?)🛳😆

If you’ve read this far - thank you 🙏☺️ I invite you to join me in the Comments to raise a glass to Sgt Major Tom Clark of the 48 Royal Marine Commandos 💜🍷

Photos:
Me & Dad at the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings in Normandy.
Dad on a stamp (that was a surprise!).
Dad looking at the tribute to the men in his unit who were lost on the beaches on 6 June 1944

10/01/2024

Community = Social (Media) Circle ⭕️ A strong circle must include profiles in your industry / sector / subject 👩‍💻

Who you search for, follow and engage with regularly, are all signals to the algorithm so it can correctly categorise your profile and therefore surface it more people.

Bonus Tip: Make sure your circle is reflected on your Explore page, so it is always full of relevant profiles in your industry / sector / subject.

I’ve worked in social media for over 10 years and I consistently find this is one of the most overlooked parts of a successful strategy 🏆

If you’d like to talk to me about your social media marketing, then you can book a free consultancy + coaching session on Blue Monday (15th January 2024) - DM for details 💜

03/01/2024

2024: the year we prioritise enjoying being social and sharing the things we like, while worrying less about what we “should” be doing on social media 💜

Digital fatigue is not exclusively suffered by the perpetually online (like me!) - if you’re managing your own social media accounts in addition to your own role, then you know what heavy lifting it can be!

So, my first Pro Tip of the year:
It has to be fun, else it will never get done! 😎

If you begin with a list of prescriptive expectations is almost always doomed to failure 👎
 By starting with things you like - such as creating content you enjoy making - you can build on that strong foundation 👍 
So, if all the rules, advice, tips and tricks are stunting your progress, I suggest you ignore them and focus on finding your groove 🕺🏼 
One more thing for you:
Back in January 2018 we hosted an event called: “Not So Blue Monday” hotel in London, where I shared predictions for the future of social media + digital marketing 👩🏼‍💻

Since then, we have adopted the date but changed the format (because, pandemic) into a full day of FREE consultancy + coaching sessions (as we do every year on Valentine’s Day) 💜

You can book 30 mins Zoom session with me to talk about any aspect of your social media marketing, on Monday 15th January 2024.

Places are limited and you must book in advance - first come, first served!

To book your appointment - email [email protected] or send a DM 💌

23/11/2023

I’m in America. It’s Thanksgiving. I’m feeling grateful 🙏 (don’t sue me!)👩‍💻Swipe to see if you are featured on my Thank You list! 💜

21/11/2023

P!NK EXTENDS WORLD TOUR! At last, I can tell you what’s kept me so busy the last few months!🎤

Recently, I’ve been in Los Angeles (working remotely) - where this photo was taken by one of P!nk’s fans who offered to capture this moment of yours truly, dancing and singing at the concert in

The team behind this kind of international campaign includes: artist management, the label, the venues, the media, content creation, video production, PR, organic and paid social, outdoor advertising, email marketing and more.

To coordinate every person, each country and all the channels is a complicated job and exactly what the tour promoter delivers. It’s been a pleasure to work with on such a collaborative project.

No matter the size, age or location of the business, for a marketing campaign to be successful, it has to feature the right people 👩‍💻

If you spot the P!nk campaign, feel free to let me know! It’s always a buzz to see my clients names in lights 🪩

06/07/2023

What is Threads? The new text-based social media app by Meta, described by chief product officer Chris Cox as: “our response to Twitter” has just launched 👩🏼‍💻

Is it like Twitter?
It’s a lot like Twitter, a bit like LinkedIn and has many of the same features as Instagram.

How does it work?
Your and profile name will be the same as Instagram.

With one click, you can follow everyone you already follow on Instagram - or you can pick and choose.

There is a search function but currently no explore page - perhaps aiming to be less about trends and more about friends.

What else do we know?
Threads will integrate with a decentralised social media protocol called ActivityPub, used by the Fediverse.

What is the Fediverse?
That’s a big subject. We’ll cover that in another post very soon.

Are you joining Threads?

Tag in a post so we can reply! 👩‍💻

03/07/2023

Wimbledon fortnight has begun 🎾 and 4th of July promotions have been bouncing into my inbox 🇺🇸

How organised are your campaigns and content for the summer season?😎 (no shade!)

Good news: we have done the research and put together the next 3 months of important events and key dates for UK brands 🇬🇧 Swipe to see July + August + September dates for your campaign planning👩‍💻
Free Content Calendar 2023-24 📆
If you sign up for our (infrequent) newsletters, you will get our Content Calendar spreadsheet delivered to your inbox 📥
www.gertrudeandivy.com/newsletter

21/06/2023

Couldn’t resist take part in this meme😆

Just in case you missed it: 📸 of Kourtney Kardashian in the audience at Blink-182 concert, announcing her pregnancy to Travis in the same way a woman did the band’s 1999 music video for the hit song, “All The Small Things.” The music video parodies 90s boy bands while Blink-182 perform for a crowd of adoring fans who hold up signs for the rockers with messages such as: “Blink me”

Does that mean this is a meme of an homage of a parody?😆

Well, we liked it and hope you do too 💜

06/06/2023

Already have a big job and don’t really want another one? You’re not alone!

I work with so many talented business owners, who are busy people and not really keen on being in front of the camera 🎥

And that’s without adding the extra pressure of maintaining a creator level presence on social media, all the while balancing the usual workload 🤔

Do you feel under pressure to market your business like a creator?

I’d be glad to hear your thoughts in the Comments 👩‍💻

01/06/2023

June + July + August dates for your content + campaign planning 📅

We have done the research to collate the big dates and key events, we think most relevant for UK businesses 👩‍💻

Free Content Calendar 📅

Sign up to our newsletter and you will get all 12 months delivered direct to your inbox 📥

16/05/2023

You may choose not to use AI tools, but every business will need to adjust for this new era of the internet 👩🏼‍💻

The widespread adoption of AI is already changing the rules for social, search and content marketing.

Lately, this quote from Nilay Patel at The , has been ringing in my ears 🙉

What’s your take on the rise of Artificial Intelligence?
Good 👍
Bad 👎
or indifferent 😑

04/05/2023

Both rare breeds, indeed 🎩👩🏼‍💻💜

01/05/2023

3 bank holidays, the Coronation and the final of Eurovision 🎤 May is going to be full of (welcome) interruptions 😎

May + June + July dates for your content planning 📅

We have done the research to collate the big dates and key events, we think most relevant for UK businesses 👩‍💻

Free Download 📅

Sign up to our newsletter and you will get all 12 months delivered direct to your inbox 📥

26/04/2023

If you’ve ever been to a “business village” (aka a networking group ☺️) - you might know the key principle for success: givers gain 🙌

When you apply this philosophy to social media marketing, you will grow your audience and generate more engagement with your posts. Facts.

This phrase really hit the spot with a coaching client recently - it worked to encapsulate the importance of building a strong circle of supporters around the business - and taking time to nurture those key relationships.

If you get what I mean with this phrase, I’d love to see your 🙌 in the Comments below 💜

P.S. Maximum brownie points will be awarded to any brilliant person who shares this post to Stories - way to make a social media coach’s day / week / month!👩🏼‍💻

11/04/2023

We've done the research of the big dates, main holidays and key events in April + May + June, which we think are most relevant for UK businesses 📅 Want our 12 month UK Content Calendar? Sign up for our (infrequent) newsletter and it will be delivered direct to your inbox👩‍💻

23/03/2023

“Prompt Engineer” will now be added to the list of skills for Social Media Managers (as if this job wasn’t big enough!)👩‍💻😆

We’ve been testing out and working with several A.I. tools this year🤖

Been quite impressed by how useful it is to write keyword rich product descriptions for e-commerce websites and Instagram Shop owners 🛍️

Have you started using A.I. - such as ChatGPT - in your workflow yet?

Let me know in the Comments 🙌

14/03/2023

Doh! + LOL = this photo 🤦‍♀️☺️📸 It’s how I’m currently feeling about something new that’s happening later this week…

Can’t say exactly what it is yet - but it includes yours truly being in front of the camera 🎥 (and y’all know how I lurrrrve that!🙈)

This project is something which might push me to the limits of my comfort zone.

Why am I doing it?!
Great question.
Multiple answers.

Not least, because I think it could be valuable for me, Gertrude & Ivy and our clients 👩‍💻

… and because I’m ready now to end this era of:

“Do as I say (but ignore the fact that I don’t follow my own best practices as much as I should)” 🤦‍♀️😆👩‍💻

Confessions of an elder millennial / social media manager — Part 1 ✌️

If you read all the way to the end, you’re a legend 💜 I’d love to see your choice of emojis in the Comments👇

01/03/2023

March + April dates for your content planning - especially for UK social media managers👩🏼‍💻

I find having the Content Calendar is a great way to get organised enough to start batch creating posts (which really helps to lighten the Insta work-load!) and can help focus the strategy too 🙂

Coming Soon:
2023 content calendar will be shared on our website 📅

Keep an eye on Stories or sign up to our newsletter to get it delivered direct to your inbox 📥

14/02/2023

My top 3 insights after a full day of talking to fellow business owners and marketing professionals👩‍💻

1) Business is a rollercoaster🎢 Make sure your brand purpose is firmly secured as there will be ups and downs. Knowing your “Why” can help guide through good times and not so good times.

2) Strategy is key to social media / marketing success, but to unlock the next stage of growth or even just getting started, I noticed a distinct pattern with everyone I spoke to today: each person asked me for practical guidance - ie. how to use certain features: “Where is the button for that?”👩‍💻

[This might have given me an idea for a new project - more on that later, once I’ve thought about it further!]

3) Business buds / pals / chums / friends - whatever you call your nearest and dearest professional associates - make sure you look after each other - the importance of being kind, should never be underrated. I’m feeling very grateful for the people in my closest circle.☺️🙏💜

Every year on Valentine’s Day I giveaway FREE social media training & consultancy sessions to anyone who asks (nicely)👩‍💻

I want to thank everyone who booked in with me today - although my voice is very croaky now(!), it was lovely to talk to you 💜

10/02/2023

Valentine’s Day is OPEN DAY at Gertrude & Ivy 💜 Every year on 14th February, you can book a FREE consultancy session with me to talk about any aspect of your Social Media marketing 👩‍💻

Appointments will take place via Zoom / Phone ☎️

Booking in advance is essential - first come, first served!

Send a DM or email [email protected] to confirm your time slot 💌

📸 Gorgeous print design by 💜

11/01/2023

UK dates for Q1 of your content calendar 📅 We’ve done the research for Jan, Feb & March to make this list of the main events and key dates, relevant for UK brands.

Date for your diary: this coming Monday 16th January is the anniversary of our “Not So Blue Monday” event hosted hotel (swipe to see photos) 📸

This coming Monday we are hosting a full day of FREE consultancy sessions - just like we do every year on Valentine's Day.💜

Book a 30 min call with me to talk about any aspect of your social media marketing 👩‍💻

Places are limited and you must book in advance - first come, first served!

To book your appointment - email [email protected] or send a DM 📲

29/12/2022

Thank you for all my birthday wishes! ☺️🎂💜⭐️

08/09/2022

Queen Elizabeth II 👸 1926-2022.
On September 9, 2015 she became the longest reigning British monarch in history. On September 8, 2022 she died peacefully at Balmoral.

An icon of Great Britain and a constant presence throughout all our lives - she will be fondly remembered by many.💜

03/08/2022

Put your business on the (Instagram) map!📍Instagram has been developing its local search features to encourage more discovery of businesses within the app.

What does this mean?
If your business operates in a particular place - you do not want to miss these new features 🙌

Now, everyone can explore local areas and filter the search results by categories of business - so far these include: hotels, bars, cafes, restaurants, sights and parks - with more categories likely to come.

Pro Tip:
Geotag all your Posts, Reels + Videos with the “Add Location” option and use the Location sticker Stories, so your business will feature on the searchable map 🗺

Retailers + Local Businesses:
Make sure your store location / catchment area is listed on your profile, so it will appear in the relevant search results on the map 🏬

Bonus Tip:
We spotted some Guides (collections of posts, collated by you or other users) are also being featured on the new map Location pages👩🏼‍💻

Found this useful?
Do let me know - you know where!👇💜😊

25/07/2022

Little Miss memes inspired some cheekiness from team Gertrude & Ivy ☺️ Want to make one? Swipe to see the last 2 which we left blank so you can add your own text - make sure you tag us so we can reshare 🙌 Which one am I? 😆Put your guess in the Comments👇

05/07/2022

By the way…😎 Does it feel like the first half of 2022 has flown by? (asking for a friend 😆)

If you’d like to save a big chunk of time, read on:

Our pick of the most popular / notable / amusing dates in July can be found in our previous post 📅
But that’s not all… If you want to plan your content for all of Q3, you can find our selection of August + September dates on our blog👩🏼‍💻

01/07/2022

Hello, July📅 Our Content Calendar is ready for you😊This month starts with 🌈 parade in London and ends on Avocado Day🥑 It's all go! We have done the research to bring you this selection of key dates and events, especially for UK businesses👩🏼‍💻 If you know someone who might find this useful, please tag them in the Comments below 👇 https://www.gertrudeandivy.com/blog/content-calendar-uk

29/06/2022

“Find a life worth enjoying; take risks; love deeply; have no regrets; and always, always have rebellious hope. And finally, check your poo – it could just save your life.” Amen to that, Dame Deborah James 1981 - 2022 💜🤍🖤

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Opening Hours

Monday	09:00 - 18:00
Tuesday	09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	09:00 - 18:00
Thursday	09:00 - 18:00
Friday	09:00 - 18:00

Website

https://www.gertrudeandivy.com/

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Videos

Not So Blue Monday: Social Media Tips & Trends

3 years ago today, we hosted our "Not So Blue Monday" event at One Aldwych Hotel in London 💙 Watch this space for details of our next Social Media workshop 🗓️ (and another chance to see some top notch gesticulating!) 🤭