https://www.carahickeyconsultancy.com/musings-of-a-marketer daily 0.75 2026-03-26 https://www.carahickeyconsultancy.com/musings-of-a-marketer/local-marketing-campaign-ireland-small-business monthly 0.5 2026-03-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/3efc7669-f357-472c-b089-ebb12a31e406/irish-small-business-owner-filming-social-media-content.jpg Musings of a Marketer - How to Run a Local Marketing Campaign in Ireland: A Practical Guide for SMEs - What is a local multi-format marketing campaign? A local multi-format marketing campaign uses more than one channel — radio, social, search, direct mail, outdoor, or a combination — to reach the same customer at different points in their decision journey. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/b38d1e4f-b885-4218-9969-aae97308e969/driving-irish-rural-road-local-radio.jpg Musings of a Marketer - How to Run a Local Marketing Campaign in Ireland: A Practical Guide for SMEs - Yes. According to the JNLR/Ipsos B&A survey (February 2026), 78% of Irish adults listen to radio every weekday. 90% listen every week. Among the main household shopper, that figure is 80%. Local and regional radio reaches 2.3 million Irish adults on a weekday. Radio Kerry alone reaches 90,000 listeners weekly in a county of 156,000 people. Radio is also the most trusted media format among Irish adults with 76% of Irish people trusting the channel — ahead of television, newspapers, and social media. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/70d6f195-7f38-42cd-9d69-db8c12c40775/google-business-profile-local-search-irish-cafe.jpg Musings of a Marketer - How to Run a Local Marketing Campaign in Ireland: A Practical Guide for SMEs - Google Business Profile is foundational and free. It captures demand from people who are actively searching for your category in your area. A properly optimised listing influences local search ranking directly and takes roughly two hours to set up, thirty minutes a week to maintain. 79% of Irish shoppers prefer buying from .ie websites over .com alternatives: a local domain and a complete Google Business Profile are the two most basic trust signals a small business can have. Both are often missing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/1774540714332-FEXC8TDCWRIVUGSXRRJF/digital-ooh-advertising-irish-town-street.jpg Musings of a Marketer - How to Run a Local Marketing Campaign in Ireland: A Practical Guide for SMEs - Static OOH near your premises remains one of the clearest local awareness tools available A billboard at the roundabout, a bus shelter on the route your customers drive. Programmatic Digital Out of Home (DOOH) is now viable for smaller budgets. Talon Ireland reported over 100% growth in programmatic OOH billings in 2025 https://www.carahickeyconsultancy.com/musings-of-a-marketer/prevent-google-ads-account-takeover monthly 0.5 2026-01-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/0f4b4f9d-7bf2-41fe-b7f8-7067e816f058/Cost+of+MCC+Phishing+Scams.jpg Musings of a Marketer - Sense is Bought Dearly. Forethought is Free. - Why a €0 security protocol is the only thing standing between your business and a €10,000 loss. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/393fef20-a9aa-4df3-b0e6-891c4e84d16b/Fake+URL+MCC+Phishing+Scams.jpg Musings of a Marketer - Sense is Bought Dearly. Forethought is Free. - Scam in a Fancy Suit This scam is wearing a tailored suit made of Google’s exact branding. He speaks in the perfect corporate font. He arrives during your busiest hours, mimicking a standard notification so effectively that you don't switch into "security mode." You just switch into "get it done" mode. He doesn't look like a threat; he looks like a to-do list item. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/7f598fe0-3844-4d3f-abf3-3723655b775a/Financial+Costs+Scams.jpg Musings of a Marketer - Sense is Bought Dearly. Forethought is Free. - Cost of the Click Cash Flow is drained instantly: Attackers can burn through your monthly budget in 24 hours. Momentum is killed: While you fight to get access back, your lead generation stops. Your "always-on" engine is dead. Recovery is slow: Google support can take days to resolve these takeovers. That is days of zero revenue and maximum stress. https://www.carahickeyconsultancy.com/musings-of-a-marketer/the-future-of-shopping-is-ai-poweredand-irish-businesses-have-time-to-get-ready monthly 0.5 2025-11-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/f7447c50-6c3b-4e64-8f57-fad5ef59fff6/Agentic+Commerce+Blog+Header.jpg Musings of a Marketer - The Future of Shopping is AI-Powered—And Irish Businesses Have Time to Get Ready - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.carahickeyconsultancy.com/musings-of-a-marketer/valuesbasedmarketing-ownedmedia monthly 0.5 2025-10-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/5da34b6e-7835-4227-885e-5ac674303cde/1.jpg Musings of a Marketer - Stop Renting Discovery: Build Trust with Values-Based Marketing - Why small businesses need to own their channels (and their voice). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/a18469f8-5d44-4a1e-a76e-9ff500373efb/2.jpg Musings of a Marketer - Stop Renting Discovery: Build Trust with Values-Based Marketing - Shoppers aren't typing keywords anymore. They're having conversations with AI: "What's the best sustainable skincare brand in Ireland that caters for combination skin?" or "Find me a coffee roaster that pays fair wages and only uses fair-trade coffee" Notice those aren't just product queries. They're values queries. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/11536daa-e825-4861-bc59-37ad70e70e2f/3.jpg Musings of a Marketer - Stop Renting Discovery: Build Trust with Values-Based Marketing - Why Values Still Sell for Small Businesses If your product catalog isn't built for AI agents, you're invisible. AI reads structured data: pricing, inventory, materials, specs. It's also starting to read values signals: certifications, sourcing transparency, ingredient ethics, labour practices. When someone asks an AI agent for a cruelty-free Irish skincare brand, you want the agent reading your data. If it exists. If it's accessible. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/ac07c34d-6570-4185-b69f-74fad55c9644/Echo+Chamber Musings of a Marketer - Stop Renting Discovery: Build Trust with Values-Based Marketing - When Your Values Don’t Fit the Feed The hardest part of being consistent is doing it on platforms that reward chaos. Algorithms push outrage. Subtlety sinks. Social media is brilliant for reach but brutal for nuance. If your story only lives there, it’s shaped by rules you can’t control. The tone changes to suit the feed, not the business. And over time, your voice starts to blur. That’s the real cost of rented visibility — you don’t just rent attention, you rent interpretation. https://www.carahickeyconsultancy.com/musings-of-a-marketer/6marketingtrends2025q4 monthly 0.5 2025-10-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/1759831118984-5W7BQDV23NB5X4RMNJQF/1.jpg Musings of a Marketer - Marketing Trends 2025 (Q4 Update): Why the Audience Is Evolving Faster Than the Industry - Make it stand out Audiences are changing faster than marketing can keep up. From AI decision-making to joyful storytelling, Six shifts are already reshaping how marketing works in 2025. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/9e777061-14f9-4a7d-9a80-6a8408a4aa2e/ai-consumer-discovery-small-business-marketing.jpg Musings of a Marketer - Marketing Trends 2025 (Q4 Update): Why the Audience Is Evolving Faster Than the Industry Google’s new “agentic browsing” mode, powered by Gemini, has already launched in the UK and parts of the US. It lets users ask questions directly in Chrome, then the AI browses sites, compares options, and summarises results. Think of it as an assistant that shops and researches on your behalf. It’s not yet active in Ireland — likely because of ongoing regulatory uncertainty around the EU AI Act — but it’s coming. And when it does, small businesses that haven’t prepared their sites will be the first to disappear from visibility. The key takeaway? AI agents will decide what consumers see before they do. They’ll crawl your site, interpret your copy, and judge how relevant, trustworthy, and well-structured your content is. If your website isn’t clear about who you are, what you offer, and why it matters, AI will skip you entirely. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/68c0d485-f6da-4643-b6d6-fa83ba38b61d/ai-marketing-research-small-business-2025.jpg Musings of a Marketer - Marketing Trends 2025 (Q4 Update): Why the Audience Is Evolving Faster Than the Industry If the first shift happens at discovery, this one happens at the point of sale. AI isn’t just changing how people find your business — it’s changing how they buy from you. With agentic browsing, an AI assistant could suggest cheaper or “better-rated” competitors while your customer is literally at your checkout. As Dan Gardner of Code and Theory put it: “This is the equivalent of another company putting a sales rep inside your retail store.” That means your owned spaces — your website, your booking form, even your email funnel — are no longer closed environments. AI can (and soon will) act as a price-comparison engine in real time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/a9a03f26-d203-4da0-8304-6427445f1f8b/creative-small-business-marketing-ideas-bakery-starter-voice.jpg Musings of a Marketer - Marketing Trends 2025 (Q4 Update): Why the Audience Is Evolving Faster Than the Industry - How This Can Work for Small Businesses When you run a small business, it’s natural to play it safe. You’ve built something solid, and the last thing you want is to look foolish online. But that instinct to “stay polished” is often what keeps your marketing invisible. The truth is, the ideas that feel a bit offbeat — or the feedback that stings a little — can be where the magic hides. Imagine this: A local bakery is struggling to stand out. Their products are great, but their posts look like every other “freshly baked today” feed. Then, one of the team jokes that they should let their sourdough starter have its own social media account because “it’s moodier than most customers.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/f6ad4f10-66ca-4978-be7e-575760dcd12a/gamified-retail-customer-engagement.jpg Musings of a Marketer - Marketing Trends 2025 (Q4 Update): Why the Audience Is Evolving Faster Than the Industry We’ve made buying too smooth, and while this is a benefit to customers, somewhere along the way, we lost the joy of shopping. Younger audiences (particularly Gen Alpha) expect interaction. They want that dopamine hit. Seventy-six percent say brands should gamify experiences, with e-commerce sites like Temu and Halara a big example of this in action. Even serious organisations have learned to loosen up. The U.S. National Park Service mixes humour with education — or edutainment, as they’ve dubbed it. Their much-loved “Fat Bear Week” invites the public to vote for their favourite chubby bear as Alaska’s wildlife prepares for hibernation. It’s smart, silly, and brilliantly effective at turning science into shareable content. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/63386e9e-f565-4590-83fb-eae88ce8a685/gen-alpha-influence-family-purchasing.jpg Musings of a Marketer - Marketing Trends 2025 (Q4 Update): Why the Audience Is Evolving Faster Than the Industry - 6. Your Target’s 13-Year-Old Is the Real Buyer for the Household Gen Alpha — those born between 2010 and 2024 — already influence €5 trillion in global household spending. They decide what their families eat, watch, and buy. They value authenticity, speed, and play. Ignore them, and you’ll spend the next five years catching up. Small business takeaway: Create experiences that include the family voice, not just the buyer’s. Make content that entertains as well as informs. https://www.carahickeyconsultancy.com/musings-of-a-marketer/the-return-of-radioadvertising-and-ooh monthly 0.5 2025-10-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/c64957e3-5218-4e5a-8309-8e7c324af77e/Header+MOAM+Blog+Radio.jpg Musings of a Marketer - The Return of Radio Advertising & OOH: Why Old Media Still Pulls Its Weight https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/44b63479-7b8e-40ea-9fd4-574fcdf48714/2.jpg Musings of a Marketer - The Return of Radio Advertising & OOH: Why Old Media Still Pulls Its Weight - Radio Advertising: The Resilient Medium Radio isn’t dead — far from it. According to JNLR (Joint National Listenership Research) / Ipsos figures, Irish radio reaches 80% of adults every week, and time spent listening has held steady despite the rise of podcasts. Why it works: Reach: Local stations are embedded in the community. More than half (51.8% to 52.5%) of all Irish adults tune into their local or regional station daily (from JLNR figures). Trust: People trust presenters they hear daily. Radiocentre Ireland’s Campaign FX research shows that people exposed to audio advertising within a campaign are 72% more likely to trust a brand than those who are not. ROI: Radiocentre studies in the UK show that every €1 spent on radio generates about €7 in sales. A Trust in Advertising survey conducted by Nielsen says that 63% of adults say that they take action having heard ads on Irish radio. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/591b4d0c-ce12-456c-bf6b-31436d67eefa/3.jpg Musings of a Marketer - The Return of Radio Advertising & OOH: Why Old Media Still Pulls Its Weight - Out-of-Home: Everyday Visibility OOH has also proven its staying power. From bus shelters to digital screens, it’s the medium people can’t scroll past. Why it works: Always on: Posters and screens are part of the daily routine. Uplift: Outdoor Media Association Ireland data shows OOH can increase the effectiveness of digital campaigns by up to 40% when used together. Local impact: A small business can target specific postcodes or neighbourhoods rather than going city-wide. https://www.carahickeyconsultancy.com/musings-of-a-marketer/aeo-ai-search-is-here-how-small-businesses-can-be-seen-and-trusted monthly 0.5 2025-10-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/b0a8a634-0d53-43c4-b5b0-6b516598adb9/1.jpg Musings of a Marketer - AEO is Here: How Small Businesses Can take advantage of the Era of AI in Search - Imagine a customer asks Google’s AI who to buy from — and your business isn’t mentioned. That’s a lost sale you’ll never even know about. Imagine a customer asks Google’s AI who to buy from — and your business isn’t mentioned. That’s a lost sale you’ll never even know about. This is the new reality of AI search. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/b8b6f724-bafe-490d-9837-ba04d1966c42/2.jpg Musings of a Marketer - AEO is Here: How Small Businesses Can take advantage of the Era of AI in Search - Seen and Trusted: The New Baseline Think of it like this: Seen = AI mentions your brand. Trusted = AI cites your brand as the credible source. You need both. Being seen but not trusted means you’re easy to ignore. Being trusted but not seen means no one else can find you. It’s not enough to be mentioned; you also need to be the source AI relies on. This is your chance as a small business. The “AI visibility window” is wide open. Early movers who get their house in order now can secure a durable advantage. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/dc80eb69-25f8-416f-8e30-8bc2221e9d89/3.jpg Musings of a Marketer - AEO is Here: How Small Businesses Can take advantage of the Era of AI in Search - Content is Still King: But it Has to Feel Human AI models lean heavily on community content like Reddit, Quora, and forums. But they don’t treat all posts equally: recent, highly upvoted, and widely shared content carries more weight. What works for small businesses? Encourage customer reviews on public platforms (Google, Trustpilot, Yelp). Don’t let them sit in private emails. Show up in discussions. Answer questions in forums with the same tone you’d use chatting to a neighbour. Work with creators. Audiences trust them more than brands, and AI recognises their authority. A Dublin wellness brand could collaborate with a yoga creator, for instance — not just for reach, but because AI will treat those conversations as credible signals. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63629a2d35f7224a99b81b37/e5627544-5bd7-4cf4-8bcd-f3d2404a7aa9/4.jpg Musings of a Marketer - AEO is Here: How Small Businesses Can take advantage of the Era of AI in Search - Customer Health: Your Hidden AI Search Signal AI doesn’t just check your website. It pays attention to what your customers say and how they behave. That’s where customer health metrics come in. They’re early warning signs of how likely your business is to earn positive mentions and reviews, which AI models then pick up. Think of these as early-warning signals. 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