September 2011

Our speaker was local novelist, columnist, blogger and freelance writer, Emily Carlise. Or was it Clare Mackintosh? Clare generously shared her thoughts as to why we should blog and gave her top tips for maintaining a blog once it is up and running. In essence: You should because your competitors either do or don’t. It’s a great way of promoting your USP and humanising your business. Google loves blogs. Its FREE, it’s easy and doesn’t have to take lots of time. Tips: Start – either with WordPress or Blogger. Update it regularly. Get key words and phrases into opening paragraph. Need to know more? Contact Clarmily at her site www.allaboutemily.com

August 2011

As The Chequers was undergoing a refurbishment the club took a break for the summer holidays. There was no meeting. 38 people attended.

Website designed by GD Associates | Copywriting by Chris Hogan

July 2011

Unencumbered by a speaker this month the full two hours of the meeting was set aside for networking although Ken took the opportunity to announce the early plans for a Literary Festival in Chipping Norton in April 2012. 36 people showed up!

June 2011

As a special treat for June we moved a few doors round the corner to The Theatre in Spring Street. Our host and our guest speaker was the award winning John Terry, Director who has directed at the Royal Exchange, Finborough Theatre and has been a staff director at the National Theatre. John outlined the theatre skills that help him run this very successful business. John also outlined the benefits of being engaged with and involved in this hugely popular local attraction. The event attracted 40 people.

May 2011

We were treated to a superbly interactive presentation in the form of a copywriting quiz devised and delivered by Joy McCarthy of WORD-right. The session gave us some practical tips for writing great copy and pointed up some of the key mistaks people make when putting pen to paper (or finger to keyboard.) We all reached the conclusion that unless you have a fantastic eye for detail it's a very good idea to get someone else to read through your copy before it goes to.

April 2011

Well known bad shirt collector Chris Hogan, of local marketing content agency OxCopy, talked about using testimonials and referrals from existing customers to grow your business. As well as talking about the concept in general Chris covered tools that automate the testimonial and referral gathering process such as Freeindex, Testimonial Maker and, of course, Portsmouth-based The Disc Directoy, for whom Chris is an agent.

March 2011

Anna Massey gave us hints and tips as to how we can stay fit, even though many of us face a sedentary desk-bound lifestyle. Or worse – the endless drives, snacking on bad food at weird times as we roam the countryside at the behest of our clients (or 4N).

February 2011

Shaun Fagan took us through a swift introduction to social media then focussed on Facebook pages for business. A lively presentation was very well received and Shaun was kept busy for some time after the event for questions. This proves that he had tapped a rich seam that everyone wants to find out about. Shaun also runs the Chipping Norton Social Media Club which meets every month, usually in The Chequers.