Hub Central

14/04/2026

Where did the Marketing Tension Triangle come from?

Over a number of weeks, I have been talking about the triangle and each of its components.

The concept of the triangle came from looking back at my entrepreneurial journey of the last 23 years.

So today's edition of the newsletter takes you through that journey. Along the way, there are some big lessons.

Lessons about marketing. Lessons about communication. Lessons about the constraints of some business models. And lessons about life.

I hope you find it useful

Over the last 20+ years, I’ve run 9 separate small businesses. It's been quite a journey.

18/03/2026

In the first blog of this series, I introduced the idea of the Marketing Tension Triangle.

It reflects the constant balancing act between Cost, Time, and Control in small business marketing.

In this blog, we will explore the first of the three sides of the triangle - Cost.

Cost isn't just money out of the bank account. It's time & control lost. Both are hidden unless you are aware of them and go digging into your processes.

Read more on LinkedIn.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cost-corner-when-cheap-marketing-becomes-expensive-allen-ruddock-ercje

What is the real cost of your marketing?

In the first article in this series, I introduced the idea of the Marketing Tension Triangle - the constant challenge of balancing Cost, Time, and Control in small business marketing. Most businesses try to optimise one or two of those sides.

16/03/2026

Most marketing struggles aren’t about strategy.

They’re about infrastructure friction. This is the tension between
👉 costs,
👉time, and
👉control
and the systems you use to try and balance them.

Curious to see where people feel the biggest pressure is right now. Gove me a response to my poll over on LinkedIn or leave a comment below👇

Most marketing struggles aren’t about strategy. They’re about infrastructure friction. This is the tension between 👉 costs, 👉time, and 👉control and the systems you use to try and balance them. Curious to see where people feel the biggest pressure is right now 👇

02/03/2026

Why Marketing Always Feels Like a Trade-Off

In last week's edition of hashtag , I introduced the concept of the Marketing Tensuib Triangle.

In essence:
Cheap tools = fragmented systems = less control
Full agency outsourcing = less time pressure, but more cost = less control
DIY everything = more control = no time

This week I'm exploring those trade-offs in more detail. What are you trading-off in your marketing set up?
Introduce the tension triangle visually and conceptually.
Soft positioning:
“The goal isn’t to eliminate tension. It’s to balance it intelligently.”

In my recent article on the Marketing Tension Triangle, I introduced a simple idea: Every small business marketing system is pulled between three forces: Cost Time Control If you haven’t read that piece yet, it sets the foundation for this one. (You can find it on LinkedIn - just click the title a...

23/02/2026

Every small business marketing setup is pulled between three competing forces:

• Cost – subscriptions, agencies, tools, hidden inefficiencies
• Time – manual follow-up, switching systems, admin overload
• Control – visibility, ownership of data, ability to adjust quickly

You can optimise two. But if you’re not careful, the third suffers.
That tension is what most business owners feel but can’t articulate.

That's the topic for this week's edition of the newsletter over on LinkedIn. Read it here:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/marketing-tension-allen-ruddock-gmjqe

16/02/2026

Most businesses overcomplicate lead magnets.

They build 40-page guides.

They write eBooks no one finishes.

They create “ultimate checklists” that overwhelm instead of convert.

But the best lead magnets are simple.
✔️They spark curiosity.
✔️They create a small moment of self-reflection.
✔️They open the door to a conversation.

That’s why quizzes work so well.💡

You’re not selling the solution.
You’re selling the sizzle. 🌭

The insight.

The curiosity.

The “Hmm… I hadn’t thought about that.”

In this week’s hashtag newsletter, I break down:
• Why quizzes are such effective lead magnets
• How to keep them simple
• How to use them to generate interest (not give everything away)
• And how the real sales happen in the follow-up conversations

I’m using our own Marketing Efficiency Quiz as a live example — not because it’s clever, but because it’s simple.

If you’d like to see how to turn curiosity into conversations (without being pushy), read more here:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/quizzes-lead-magnets-allen-ruddock-ve0qe

And if you’re curious how efficient your own setup is…
You’ll find the quiz inside.

02/02/2026

Technology can be a real conundrum.

On the one hand, it opens up so many opportunities. It levels the playing field for everyone.

On the other hand, each opportunity has its own tech idiosyncrasies and complexities. Life used to be so much simpler...

That's the topic for this week's newsletter

Once upon a time..

28/01/2026

The real benefits of an All-In-One marketing system are not the obvious ones.

In this week's newsletter, I explore the real ones.

20/01/2026

Did you see this week's newsletter?

In it, the importance of consistency in marketing. The Hub Central platform from Hub Central is a key tool to help you maintain consistency.

Read the newsletter here:

Consistency vs spontaneity. What works best in business? I have heard some argue that humans are inconsistent by nature.

12/01/2026

It's the second Monday of January. The first full week of the year has hopefully blown away the cobwebs (or frozen them, depending on where you are in the UK).

You're probably thinking about how to give your business that New Year boost you promised yourself over Christmas.

Read this before you do. It might save you some angst and frustration.

I wish I had been given this advice before I started my first business.

Marketing 101 - This week's newsletter topic.

It's the second Monday of January. The first full week of the year has hopefully blown away the cobwebs (or frozen them, depending on where you are in the UK).

05/01/2026

Happy New Year!💥🎉. Start 2026 on the right foot, and don't do what one local estate agent did towards the end of 2025.

Read all about it in this week's first newsletter for 2026

Happy New Year everyone..