We are Think Unconventionall, a group of people who value the power of human collaboration in a world that is desperately trying to replace it. 

Think of us as your expert link between the CEO and the sales & marketing teams, helping you to invest in your people, without the headache of expensive, full-time employees. 

We provide the right support to the people who need it most, using effective social media management and attention-grabbing digital marketing strategies to help connect the dots between 2 departments that must function as one for the greatest results.  Talk to us today about:

👉 Fractional CMO Program for Growing Businesses
👉 Long-term Sales & Marketing Consulting Services
👉 Social Media Management for Businesses
👉 Group Training for Sales Teams

Following a 12-year career in digital marketing and a total of 26 years in various sales functions, I started Think Unconventionall to help businesses enhance their digital brand experience.

LinkedIn plays an important role in your buyer's journey, but in a world where information is more accessible than ever, brands must connect the dots between sales & marketing to achieve the greatest results. 

If you have people in these roles who need support beyond what is currently available in-house, but are reluctant to recruit a senior person, speak to us about the various ways we can positively impact your business. 

And most importantly, the people in it. 

andy@thinkunconventionall.com

I made this video in 2019.

Right after I'd made the biggest decision of my life.

As a senior manager in a marketing and technology company, I was very content with the role I played. 

But, as with anything in life, I knew that at some point, that would change. 

I wanted to feel ready. 

Having not used LinkedIn since 2013 for anything other than a cheeky browse when I needed a skive, I was well out of touch with its changing dynamic. 

After watching one or ten Gary V videos, I soon realised that content was now the name of the game and that my days of abusing the DMs to the point of regular 24-hour bans were long gone. 

I didn’t need to put myself out there, but I wanted options if and when the time came. 

So, with no agenda, I started telling my story. Videos followed, and over a period of 3 years, I developed a very supportive and very loyal community. 

In 2022, when I found myself jobless for the first time in 14 years, I had two choices. 

Use the network I’d built to brave the treacherous world of self-employment, or apply for a role that probably wouldn't meet my needs. 

The rest is history. 

Today, I tell business owners to start building their authority long before they need it to generate a return. 

Who knows where I’d be if I hadn’t?  

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We specialise in helping you market your business like a human, without asking you to pose half-naked for selfies, or wasting your time on things that don’t work.

Andy  Barden

The Greatest Linkedin Content Guy Called Andy Barden From Kent That Ever Lived 💥 Owner At Think Unconventionall & Unconventionall Apparel 💥Encouraging Change In A Neurodiverse World

Your Human-Inspired Sales & Marketing Partner💥Essential Support for You and Your Sales & Marketing Teams💥Fractional CMO Program💥CEO Sounding Board💥Social Media Management💥Owner at Think Unconventionall💥

Today we took a call from the school.

A call that no parent wants to take.

The general belief when a child displays unacceptable behaviour is that the parents are at fault. 

Not enough discipline. 
Not enough attention. 
Not enough boundaries. 

The truth is that in most cases, the parents are doing all they can to influence their children positively. 

Today, our kids are struggling with things we can't even begin to understand, because we were never exposed to the world they live in. 

That exposure, which drives unexplainable emotions, is what ultimately leads to behaviour that society won't tolerate. 

But this is beyond a strong telling off and a week-long iPad ban. 

It's about truly understanding the root of the problem and helping them process what's really going on. 

For Linz and I, conversations of this nature are nothing new. 

Doesn't mean they come easily. 

There is always something at play beyond what society tells you is wrong. 

Remember that before judgment is cast. 

Stay Unconventionall.

There is a special place in hell reserved for people who park in disabled bays, don't display a blue badge, then make their way to the M&S cafe with a hop, skip and a jump because it's raining and they are late for their weekly eggs Benedict and caramel latte with the crew. 

People who park in parent and child spaces when the kids are all at school can join them.

I know people who wouldn't allow their kids to have a phone until they were 16.

I've also known people who allowed their 10-year-old daughter to post on TikTok. 

My thoughts on banning social media for under-16s are that if they have a phone...

They will find a way.

We've created a world where barriers mean nothing to a society of kids who will not be denied. 

The only real way to influence change is to model it ourselves. 

Enforced rules won't work. 

I welcome your thoughts. 

Stay Unconventionall.

For years, I thought Lego was the only brick maker. 

They had my complete loyalty because I was shut off to the world of potential that existed elsewhere. 

Then I started the Brick Building Dad channels. 

How wrong I was. 

In 2025, thanks to partnerships with four different brands that value my perspective, I spent less on Lego than in the previous two years. 

They still have me as a customer, but my horizons have been broadened.

If you aren't shouting about the amazing things you do online and expecting your clients to continue using you because they always have...

You'd better hope they don't go online.

Your rivals will be waiting. 

Stay Unconventionall.

This year, your competitors will invest a few quid in marketing. 

If it works, they’ll invest a few more. 

This behaviour change will make you stop and think, because until now, none of you has bothered. 

Word of mouth has worked its magic in a world where the recommendation of a friend or business associate was worth 10 ad campaigns. 

But the world of digital has given your buyers an increased level of access. 

For the first time, they are acknowledging the words of others, but instead of reaching for the phone, they are having a cheeky look. 

Because they can. 

Right now, even after a glowing recommendation, your ideal buyers are being swayed by the noise of your rivals. 

“Ok, this company are doing some good things. Maybe I’ll give them a nudge.”

Oh dear. Another missed opportunity because you weren’t accessible in the spaces people want to see you. 

Imagine how your competitors feel winning business on the back of a referral meant for you. 

At least they’re happy. 

Stay Unconventionall. 

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We specialise in helping you market your business like a human, without asking you to pose half-naked for selfies, or wasting your time on things that don’t work.

5 mistakes businesses will make in 2026.

In no particular order. 

👉 Pull back the investment in marketing channels that don’t show an ROI in isolation, only to quickly backtrack because one channel impacts the others. 

👉 Continue to manage sales and marketing as two separate teams because they hate each other's guts and have always worked towards different targets. 

👉 Assume that Carol in accounts can not only complete her job to a high standard, but also manage the entire marketing function while sticking a broom up her ar*e and managing the health & safety. 

👉 Focus too heavily on new business, neglecting the clients that continue to support their bottom line by failing to provide a customer experience they will never get elsewhere. 

👉 Fail to acknowledge that Lego should be used in all team-building activities so that it can be classed as a business expense. 

It’s inevitable, but avoidable. 

If you would like to work with people who will help you not make these fatal mistakes and see even more success this year…

We’re here all week. 

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We specialise in helping you market your business like a human, without asking you to pose half-naked for selfies, or wasting your time on things that don’t work.

Your ideal buyers are out there.

The ones you’ve never been able to reach.

They lurk in the shadows, quietly trying to build a connection with businesses in your sector.

Service providers that can deliver on their demands when the time comes. 

Chances are, your competitors have tuned into this reality and started putting together a plan to show the audience what they can do. 

How they can solve their problems.

The good news is, they are still just starting, and probably don’t have a clue what they’re doing because the boss has palmed the job of social off onto Carol from HR.

This gives you the upper hand. 

If you want to start reaching people through the power of social media content before your rivals get a clue and start using someone decent…

Let’s have a chat.

Stay Unconventionall.

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We specialise in helping you market your business like a human, without asking you to pose half-naked for selfies, or wasting your time on things that don’t work.

Terry and Dave are best mates.

They would give each other their last fiver if it kept the wolves from the door.

But when it comes to using a new service for their business, a quiet word down the local is no longer enough to tip them into action.

A deeper understanding of the recommendation is needed. 

“Cheers, Tezza, I’ll have a butchers on the socials when I get home and see what’s occurring.”

This is where your digital footprint starts to play a role in converting referrals, but it many cases, also where it all goes wrong.

“Sorry, Tel, but anyone would think they shut the doors 2 years ago, or at least that’s what I get from LinkedIn.

I did find another company while I was there, though, so it all worked out.”

How many deals are you losing because Dave didn’t see what he needed to validate your brilliance?

Social media isn’t just about dog posts and once-a-year celebration of an event you don’t care about.

Start building your digital shopfront today, and provide your buyers with the information they need to pull the trigger.	

Stay Unconventionall.

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We specialise in helping you market your business like a human, without asking you to pose half-naked for selfies, or wasting your time on things that don’t work.

Apparently...

It's International Lego Day.

News to me. 

I thought that was every day. 

Stay Unconventionall.

Who’s to blame?

The marketing team drives the leads.

The sales team isn’t converting them. 

It’s a dilemma being faced by countless businesses all over the world, and one that continues to be a thorn in the side of success. 

The problem however, doesn’t lie with anyone within those 2 teams, but rather the system being deployed by the big dogs. 

That might be you. 

For years, it’s been the rule that sales and marketing is managed as two very different functions. 

The people who make up these teams have a different approach to work, and often, a very different skill set. 

But while one might be confident to pitch, and the other feels more at home behind a desk, they should always have a common goal. 

The successful acquisition of new business. 

The work we do with our clients helps to bridge the gap between two teams that are often at war, with the only real loser being the company. 

When you understand how much impact the sales team can have on the marketing output…

Everything gets better. 

Stay Unconventionall.

I was recently asked what differentiates us from other social media management companies.

Apart from a mild obsession with Lego. 

“We elevate the people behind the business, rather than the business itself.”

The truth is, when it comes to engaging people on platforms designed to keep people scrolling, human-inspired stories will always connect better than ones about a service. 

Even on a predominantly B2B focused platform. 

Almost everyone who knocks on our door struggles with this notion at first. They are not used to being in the spotlight and would rather talk shop. 

But shop is only useful to its buyers at the time they need the service, which for 364 days of the year, they don’t.

After a couple of months outside their comfort zone, they start to see why connecting with the audience as a human first is what drives the eventual connection with the business.

Trust starts to form, and they become memorable for the right reasons. 

We see a lot of businesses doing what we do on paper. 

Few understand the importance of prioritising the stories of people or the achievements of the organisation. 

Stay Unconventionall.

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We specialise in helping you market your business like a human, without asking you to pose half-naked for selfies, or wasting your time on things that don’t work.

Some may argue that this doesn't need to be written. 

That, surely, everyone knows the answer. 

But for the millions of people who sit outside of the LinkedIn bubble we create for ourselves, this is a question that remains unanswered. 

Yes, we hate AI content and comments, but the tools available do have their uses outside of the stuff requiring a human touch, provided they are being managed by someone with the time to learn them. 

That excludes Carol in HR, who doesn't give a sh*t. 

Have a read and have your say. 

Stay Unconventionall.

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