TMI Blog
Strategy, brand and growth.
Practical content for Portuguese SMEs that want to build strong brands and generate real results.
What should a marketing report include and what can it do without?
A few numbers, what was done, what was learned and the next decisions. How to recognise a useful report.
What five questions should I ask about the brand before January?
Who the customer is, what we promise, why they choose us, how we sound and where we are mismatched.
What communication checklist should a clinic have for the new year?
Profile, website, booking, privacy, reviews, content, measurement and sector rules, to review in an afternoon.
What should I measure in 2027, between search and AI answers?
A few well-chosen numbers: enquiries by source, brand searches, profile actions, reviews and AI answers.
How do I map the repetitive tasks in my week?
Record each repetitive task for five days, group, score and choose the first. A six-column sheet.
What questions should I ask when I receive a marketing quote?
Twelve questions to ask whoever sends you a quote and a simple table to compare proposals.
How do I communicate at Christmas without seeming opportunistic?
Five questions before publishing, what to do and avoid, and how to review what is scheduled when something serious happens.
What should I review in marketing in one hour, at year end?
Six ten-minute blocks and three decisions to write at the end: enquiries, website, profile, content, tools and costs.
What questions do patients ask before booking?
The questions by stage of the decision, where to find them and how to answer in each place.
How do I communicate when I serve several towns in the region?
Say honestly where you work, without inventing offices: service area, diary by area and cases from each.
What signs show that the brand is misaligned?
Eight signs to recognise, a ten-minute desk audit and how to correct it without changing direction.
Where do I start with an AI assistant for the team?
Start with one task, give context, write rules and have an owner. Step by step and mistakes to avoid.
How do I plan the marketing year in January?
A one-page plan: review, choose three priorities, mark quarters and review dates.
How do I get my company mentioned in AI answers?
Five honest steps to have clear, reliable information in several places, without tricks or guarantees.
Google Business Profile or website: where do I start?
What each gives, when to start with one or the other and why, in the end, it pays to have both.
What communication makes sense in the first months of a new clinic?
Be found and inspire trust. What to prepare before opening, what to do in the first months and what to avoid.
How do I introduce my company in 30 seconds?
Who you are, who you help, what problem you solve and how to start. A six-step structure and three versions.
When is it not worth automating?
Eight situations where it is better not to automate, the questions to ask first and the alternatives.
How does a company from the North start selling beyond its area?
Start with one destination, test at low cost and do not promise what cannot be delivered. Steps for an SME from the North.
What should I communicate at year end without joining the Christmas wave?
Inform, thank and prepare the next year, without cards identical to everyone else's. Five useful messages.
How do I prepare a brief so I do not waste time with an agency?
A good brief fits on one page and saves weeks. What to include and what to ask whoever will work with you.
How do I test a message before spending money?
Five-second test, conversations, two versions and a minimal ad. How to do it and how to read the results.
How do I measure what brings patients without touching clinical data?
Record the source of each booking, without touching clinical data. How to do it, what to keep and what to avoid.
More content or better content?
A frequency floor and a quality standard. How to define both and what to do when you cannot do everything.
How do I write a service page that AIs can cite?
No guarantees, but there are ways to make a page easier to use: a direct answer, facts and a clear structure.
Which reports can I have without a manual spreadsheet?
Which reports to automate, how to set them up and how to check the numbers are right.
How do I start with short video without a studio?
A phone, natural light, good sound and one idea per video. Step by step, common mistakes and cautions.
How do I define the brand's tone of voice when more than one person writes?
How to define the tone of voice in four traits, give examples and keep it when several people write.
Who can an SME in Porto do local partnerships with?
Who to partner with locally, which formats work, how to propose and how to measure.
How do I plan next year's marketing budget?
Seven steps to plan the year's budget: review, set a goal, split into blocks and set reviews.
How do I present the clinic's team on the website?
What to show about each professional, how to write the introductions and what to avoid, photos included.
Do I have to tell customers they are talking to an AI?
As a rule, yes. What Article 50 of the European regulation says, how to identify the AI and what a notice does not solve.
How do I build an email list in compliance with GDPR?
A step-by-step guide to asking for, recording and respecting the consent of those who sign up, and what to avoid.
Does the brand influence the price I can charge?
A clear brand can support a price, but does not create one on its own. What makes customers perceive value and what to test.
How do I read Google Analytics without being technical?
Four numbers are enough for a business owner. What to look at, what to ignore and a fifteen-minute monthly routine.
How do I show up in "near me" searches?
What Google looks at, what you can change, what you cannot control and how to test what a local customer sees.
Landing page or full website for a campaign?
When each serves better, what a good landing page should have and the mistakes that waste ads.
What frequently asked questions should a clinic's website have?
The questions patients usually ask before booking, by theme, and how to answer without giving clinical advice.
How do I ask for reviews automatically without looking like spam?
It works when the timing, the message and the consent are right. Step by step, rules to respect and mistakes to avoid.
Are mission, vision and values good for anything?
They only help if they help you decide. What each one is, common mistakes and a method for writing them from real decisions.
Does Black Friday make sense for a service business?
Discounts can devalue a service. When it makes sense, alternatives that do not touch the price and the sum to do first.
What is llms.txt and does my business need it?
A file that describes the website in plain text for AI tools. What it is, what to put in it and why it guarantees nothing.
How many posts a week should I make on social media?
There is no magic number. How to choose a rhythm you can keep up and how to tell whether it is working.
What is local SEO and what do I do first?
It is being found by people searching for your service in your area. How Google decides who appears and what to do first.
What happens to a company with no brand guidelines?
Each person uses the logo, colours and words in their own way. What that costs and what simple guidelines should include.
What information should a clinic ask for in online booking?
Ask only what is needed to book. What to ask, what to leave for the appointment and how to handle the patient's data.
What is a CRM and when does an SME need one?
It is where contacts and the status of each enquiry are kept. When it is needed, what it should do and how to start small.
Agency, freelancer or in-house person: which suits me?
The three formats suit different situations. Four questions to pick the one that suits you, and combinations that tend to work.
What happens in an exploratory meeting with TMI?
A free 30-minute conversation to examine a process and identify a first step.
How do I choose and test a business name?
Six steps to choose a business name and test it with people who do not know the project before registering it.
What photographs can a clinic show on its website and social media?
What can be shown without patients, what needs written authorisation and how to confirm the rules of the profession.
Is it worth having the website in Portuguese and English?
When a bilingual website pays off, when one English page is enough and what takes work to maintain.
What can I delegate to AI when writing texts, and what should I review?
Drafts, variations and summaries can be AI's. Facts, tone and promises always belong to a person.
How do I know if ChatGPT mentions my business?
A half-hour test to see whether AIs mention your business, using the questions a customer would ask.
What is a sales funnel, in a business owner's words?
The path from a stranger to a first contact and a purchase, explained without jargon and with a sheet of paper.
Rebrand or refresh: how do I decide what my brand needs?
Four questions to decide whether a brand needs a refresh or a rebrand, and what it costs to change without need.
Google Ads or social media: where to start with a small budget?
Paid search or social media? Three questions to choose where to start when the budget is small.
How do automatic appointment reminders work and what do they prevent?
A message sent by itself before each appointment. How it works, what it prevents, what it does not and what it should say.
How do I ask customers for reviews without being pushy?
The right moment, a short message and a single reminder. How to ask for reviews without annoying someone who has just been well looked after.
How can a clinic talk about its specialties without promising results?
What a clinic can say about its specialties, which words to avoid and how to rewrite a text without promising results.
How do I write the company's message when I sell to several types of customer?
A method for speaking to different audiences without turning vague: one audience to lead, one parent message and tailored openings.
How do I know if my website is bringing in enquiries?
Five steps to find out whether your website brings in enquiries, without long reports or complicated tools.
Can I use ChatGPT with customer data?
What counts as personal data, what to anonymise before using an AI and what rules to write for the team.
What questions do my customers ask before buying, and where do I find them?
Where to find real questions before writing content, and how to order them to choose where to start.
What should the page for each treatment or service of a clinic include?
A list of what each treatment page should explain, what to avoid and how to help the patient book.
How do I know if my brand needs repositioning?
Signs a brand needs repositioning, signs that mislead and how to confirm before changing anything.
How do I decide how much to invest in online ads?
A method for deciding how much to invest: start from what a new customer is worth and begin with a small test.
Can I answer enquiries outside working hours without being always on?
Enquiries at night or at weekends do not have to go unanswered. What can be automated and what cannot.
Is it worth having a page for each town where I work?
They only help when there is something real to say. How to decide, and what to do instead of copying the same page.
How do I write my company's value proposition in one sentence?
A six-step method for saying in one sentence what you do, for whom and why you are different.
Does my website need a blog?
Not every website needs a blog. When it makes sense, when a questions page is enough and how not to abandon it.
How can a clinic ask for Google reviews without putting ethics at risk?
Asking for reviews is useful and allowed, but in a clinic it needs care. What to do, what to avoid and how to reply.
Which tasks in an SME are worth automating first?
Five simple criteria for choosing the first task to automate, and examples that usually work.
Google Business Profile: what it is and how to fill it in properly
It is often the first page someone sees of your company. How to fill it in well and the most common mistakes.
Brand, logo and visual identity: what is the difference?
Three words used as if they meant the same thing. What each one is, and why mixing them up costs money.
How long does digital marketing take to deliver results for an SME?
Ads, search and social media move at different speeds. What to expect from each, and how to follow progress without giving up early.
Marketing for clinics: how to get more bookings without cutting corners
Where patients decide before calling, where clinics lose patients without noticing, and the industry rules you cannot ignore.
AI Tools for SMEs: where to start without wasting time or money
Where AI already helps most Portuguese SMEs, the most common mistakes, and how to choose without overspending.
SEO vs GEO: what changes when search becomes an answer
What GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is, why ChatGPT and Gemini are changing search, and what to do next.
Digital marketing agency in Porto: the SME guide
The 7 questions to ask before hiring, pricing models in Portugal and the red flags in a proposal.
Lead generation: how to attract B2B clients in Portugal
The 4 channels that work for SMEs, what makes cost per lead vary and a minimum viable funnel.
Branding for SMEs: how to build a brand that sells
The 3 pillars of strategic branding, why copying competitors costs you, and the TMI framework in 4 phases.
Visual identity: a complete guide for Portuguese businesses
What a brand manual includes, why prices vary and how to judge a portfolio without being a designer.
Internationalise your brand: a guide for Portuguese SMEs
The #1 mistake when expanding, the 3-market test (ES/FR/BR) and a 6-month roadmap.
Brand activation: events that generate business (not just photos)
How to plan activations with a return, the warm-up campaign nobody runs and honest KPIs.