Hands down - Paid Search is the most exciting and best advertising channel ever! :)
And Search is sexy, I tell you. So much has changed over the last two decades that has kept things fresh and always different.
Search listens to you like a good partner and gives you the results you are after. You can choose from so many options and the results always change, so freshness is guaranteed. :)

I still love search, even after all these years. Never ever before has humanity had so much information available at their fingertips. It is amazing how far technology has come and change is ongoing.
Let me tell you my search story. When I was at school I never had a computer, I only ever discovered computers and the internet when I started university and that was well before Google even existed. I ran my first paid search campaign in 1999 during an internship in Paris for a small boutique hotel agency that was advertising to the US market. My monthly budget was $100 and the campaigns were run on GoTo which later became Overture. At that time an advertiser set a cost per click and the highest bidder showed in position 1, the 2nd highest in position 2 and so on. Relevancy wasn't a thing back then.

I think most of us are doing so as it’s convenient, fast and mostly delivers the results we are looking for. It is pre-installed on Android phones, the Chrome browser and, unless you make a conscious effort to use a different search engine, you stay with Google.
But what if you wanted to be greener when you search? Let me introduce you to a Green Search alternative.

For those who might not be aware, Google dominates the search landscape (and many other areas). Google sits at just under 95% (!) market share here in Australia, followed by Bing (3.34%), Yahoo (0.78%), DuckDuckGo (0.71%) and Ecosia (0.16%)*.

My brand BWitched has a witch theme to it and you might be wondering why I chose that name. It's somewhat childish, isn't it? Not really professional, you say?

Hm, I think we all need to have more fun in our lives, both professional and personal. :)
The business world has become way too serious and boring with too many restrictions and norms. There is not much room for creativity and play. Commuting to and sitting in an office from 9-5 (or usually longer) doesn't necessarily lead to more productivity, but still this is what most people do day in and day out.

Here are some of my takeaways from spending five days in beautiful Marion Bay, on Tasmania’s East Coast, at this year’s Newkind Conference. In its 5th year it is “a conference for social change, designed to inspire and empower you to effectively address the social, environmental and economic issues we face as a global society.” It is all about “Inspiration. Integration. Action” and the overarching mission is to support full system regenerative change.

It was a bit different to what I expected, but nonetheless a good experience that inspired me to do more research on some topics. I was surprised about the activism focus, the young age of most of the participants and the fact that over 2/3 of the attendees were women – yeah!

From time to time I am sharing client success stories here on my blog. Today is all about digital advertising with a focus on Paid Search and Social. Check out the Waverley Mills Case Study:

As Australia’s oldest working textile mill (established in 1874), Waverley Mills produce designer wool products that are guaranteed to last, beautifully and carefully crafted, and ethically produced. Their range covers wool throws, blankets, picnic blankets, scarves, cushions and more.

Let me introduce you to the Manly Food Co-Op. This post is about my marketing efforts and includes results and learnings that are applicable to a range of small to medium size businesses and not-for-profits. This is one of many case studies to come from my time with the Co-Op.

The Manly Food Co-Op is an organic bulk grocery store on Sydney's Northern Beaches with a strong zero waste philosophy. The Co-Op was founded in 1997 and is community-owned and run as a non-distributing co-operative. All profits go back into the shop to benefit its members.
The Co-Op is open to anyone and members get a discount for every purchase and are encouraged to volunteer their time if they can.
The Co-Op is a great community hub where young parents, retirees, students, workers, businessmen, visitors and anyone else have a place to get their food and grocery items plastic-free, buy as much or as little as they need and enjoy great variety, together working towards a a healthy and planet-friendly lifestyle.

Running a small retail business is not an easy feat. So much competition, people spending less, high rents, high costs in general - the list of challenges is endless.
Running a small retail business the right and smart way is very important and can make or break it (and you).
In this post I am going to share my 5 main learnings from being a member of the board and the marketing director for the Manly Food Co-Op.