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Ever wanted to add website screenshots to your website? The free account with Shrink The Web gets you 250,000 impressions, with nearly no delay.
Graphic Design That Works – a great stocking filler to help your business grab consumers attention through memorable, eye-catching design. This copy explores designs from early conceptual stages to initial drafts and final execution, so whether you’re a seasoned designer or a newcomer to the field, you can understand how and why the design came to be.
Moneyengine – a great new app, which for the next couple of days is free. Could be customised for your business.
Gumnotes – if you are like us, you may have come across note management software before but never persisted with it. Then we came across Gumnotes. This free software allows you to make notes about documents, websites, spreadsheets, in fact just about anything, then attaches the note to the document or file so it pops up.
Want to keep on top of your Google Analytics – try this great desktop reporting tool calledPolaris. A great way of keeping your website stats visible.
https://www.tlc-business.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/tips6-1.jpg640960adminhttps://www.tlc-business.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/logooptimised.pngadmin2015-08-07 00:00:002018-05-11 16:22:33Top Marketing Tips This November
One thing that constantly surprises us when helping SMEs with their marketing, is how few have got in place any sort of system to manage their marketing and keep track of clients, prospects and contacts.
If there is one piece of advice we’d give to SMEs around marketing, it would be to get a marketing plan in place, if I could give two pieces of advice, we’d also recommend that they get in place a system to manage their marketing –such a system is often called a CRM or Customer Relationship Management tool.
With businesses always looking to get as much value from their marketing investment as possible, a CRM is a fantastically effective tool that allows marketers to control, measure, manage and monitor the various marketing activities they undertake; giving them the information they need to use their resources most efficiently.
On countless occasions we come across businesses that have undertaken a variety of marketing campaigns, which have never been followed up and the contacts lost. A CRM system will capture prospect information, as well as that of existing customers, giving your business a comprehensive history of communications with those individuals, allowing you to improve your customer service as well as that of your marketing’s effectiveness.
So why, if we don’t sell CRM systems, are we rhapsodising about them so much?
Well, firstly, experience has shown that it is often impossible to be efficient without one in place. Secondly, there are some pretty impressive statistics to support its introduction into a business:
Benchmark studies from IDC (International Data Corporation) reveal that CRM applications account for:
Revenue increases of up to 41% per sales person
Decreased sales cycles of over 24%
Lead conversion rate improvements of over 300%
Customer Retention improvements of 27%
Decreased sales and marketing costs of 23%
Improved profit margins of over 2%
Business Link has identified a range of benefits connected to these statistics, which provide compelling reasons to introduce CRM software to your business.
They also provide a case study about the successful integration of CRM into a small business.
The limitation of a CRM is that its effectiveness is restricted by the quality of the information put into it. If you and your team are not committed to inputting the appropriate information, a CRM is pointless. But populated it with relevant and accurate data and a CRM is a business’ best friend.
Hopefully, we’ve now convinced you of the importance of using a CRM in your business. We thought it would be helpful to direct you to some of the ones out there. It is important that you choose one that is right for your needs. There are a multitude of options and often the variety can be daunting.
We use a CRM called Sugar CRM and have opted for the opensource version. It suits our needs but you might want something different.
Below are a few options we have come across and are being used successfully by our clients.
Don’t want to send Christmas cards this year and are looking for something different – how about a festive video Christmas message from you and your team. From only £67 + VAT, it is a bargain.
Want to organise your tweeting, send scheduled tweets and get organised on twitter? Take a look at Socialoomph
Sustainability and green business practices are topics that provoke much debate amongst larger corporates but how interested are SMEs in this area?
If you asked SME business owners where sustainable business practices sit on their list of business priorities, what level of importance would you expect them to attribute to it?
The Environment Agency states that since the recession, many SMEs have abandoned ‘Green Business Practices’ in an effort to stay afloat.
The Green Business Blog highlights the Environmental Agency’s study of 7,000 companies, which found a 75% drop in those operating “a basic formal environmental management system (EMS)”. Indeed, over 50% of businesses surveyed claimed that an EMS or environmental policy was of “no use” to them in the current economic climate.
One of the key arguments used to persuade SMEs to move towards more environmentally sustainable business practices is the cost savings that typically come hand in hand with these measures. The above study’s findings suggest that these savings are either not recognised or valued by SMEs, but why is this?
The Carbon Trust claims British businesses waste in excess of £7 million a day and EON estimate the average office wastes £6000 per year through ‘sloppy practices’.
These are sums that are surely significant to smaller businesses, so why are we not taking more notice? It seems to us that ‘greener’ business practices are a win-win for the SME, society and the environment.
So how can we get SMEs to move the ‘Green agenda’ higher up their priority list?
One place to start is with changing company culture. EON argue part of the problem resides in staff attitudes. They found up to 80% of those surveyed did not apply the energy saving practices that they undertake at home, in their workplace.
There are compelling business cases around cost cutting and one should not forget compliance. As the government strives to meet strict EU targets, they will surely look to SMEs to help reduce their waste across their business. Whether they resort to the carrot or stick approach remains to be seen, however, larger energy users are already obliged contribute to the government’s compulsory carbon trading scheme and are open to fines for not presenting valid Energy performance Certificates (EPC) when moving or altering their premises.
Neither should one forget the marketing opportunities that a credible, genuine and meaningful ‘environmental policy’ and ‘Green’ ethos can generate.
Whilst it is important to avoid ‘Green wash’ – superficial ‘green’ actions and communications that merely pay lip service to sustainability and act as a cynical attempt to manipulate customers ‘green’ sensibilities, implementing genuine ‘Green’ and sustainable business practices can give you a means of competitive differentiation.
Allied to that is the increasing body of evidence that shows that consumers are more inclined to ‘trust’ brands that are perceived as practicing sustainable business practices. After Kraft added the Rainforest Alliance logo on its Kenco coffee brand, its market share increased 8%.
We’d argue that implementing sustainable business practices is not only beneficial but necessary for any business to thrive in the future. Incorporating this ethos into your brand and marketing will undoubtedly prove beneficial to your bottom line. But make sure that these measures are consistent across every aspect of your business. Consumers are quick to spot cheap, superficial gimmicks and will not take kindly to your attempts to mislead them.
https://www.tlc-business.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/eco.jpg640960adminhttps://www.tlc-business.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/logooptimised.pngadmin2015-08-07 00:00:002018-05-11 16:19:19How interested are SMEs in Sustainability?
The last few weeks’ headlines have been dominated by talk of deficits and cuts. So we thought we’d take a look at how the Private Sector will help overcome these measures and ride to the rescue of the economy.
With the Public Sector now being forced to make many of the cost cutting measures we in the private sector have been implementing for the last few years, the future of our economy rests in the hands of the Private Sector. Whilst Cameron and his coalition may be courting the advances of the bosses of big industry, but it is not the big corporates that hold the key to economic success, and the government appears to recognize that. David Cameron’s championing of the ‘big businesses of tomorrow’, is founded on the belief that with help from banks and government-backed enterprises, small business will thrive and boost economic growth in the UK.
Now, you may be thinking ‘how could my small business help the economic recovery?’ Government statistics show that in 2009, 83% of businesses in the UK employed less than 10 people. Only 1.5% of UK businesses employed over 100 employees. With SMEs representing the vast majority of UK businesses, it is clear that we are going to have a massive role to play in filling the gap left in our economy, when the budget cuts start to bite.
Dave Sumner Smith, Programme Director of The SME Hub states that SMEs account for 99.9% of British businesses, 59.8% of Private Sector employment and 49% of Private Sector turnover. In 2009, 82% of UK businesses had a turnover of £500,000 or under.
So how does this translate for SMEs based in Hampshire?
As a Hampshire based SME, we were interested in seeing how the numbers stacked up for the Hampshire region. Government statistics show that Hampshire businesses follow the national trend. The vast majority of businesses are SMEs, with 98% of businesses employing less than 10 members of staff. The same is true for turnover. Indeed, in 2009 there were only 565 businesses in Hampshire that have a turnover in excess of £5 million.
All the evidence points to the fact that SMEs hold the key to the UK’s future economic success and without us, our country’s finances would hang by a thread.
So with growth so important, how does an SME begin to grow? We believe a key component of growth is improving the performance of your marketing. Don’t leave it to chance. Like the budget cuts, important decisions need to be planned in advance. Investing in proper marketing preparation and planning can help today’s SMEs become tomorrow’s Corporates.
https://www.tlc-business.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/sme1.jpg640960adminhttps://www.tlc-business.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/logooptimised.pngadmin2015-08-07 00:00:002018-05-11 16:16:03Is it a bird, is it a plane? No it’s an SME
Save the Words, a clever new Website from Oxford University Press. The makers of the Oxford English Dictionary have developed the site based on the simple idea that a word won’t die if it gets used often enough. Each year hundreds of words are dropped from the dictionary, make a change and adopt a word today.
Guerrilla Marketing on the Internet: The Definitive Guide from the Father of Guerrilla Marketing. Jay Conrad Levinson changed marketing forever when he unleashed his marketing tactics for surviving the advertising jungle on a budget. Learn how to use the internet Guerrilla style.
GroupTweet, is a website where you can create a community that privately shares tweets. Think of it as an ongoing Twitter conference call, a great way to keep in touch with people working on the same projects.
https://www.tlc-business.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/idea.jpeg7501125adminhttps://www.tlc-business.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/logooptimised.pngadmin2015-08-07 00:00:002018-05-11 16:13:01Top Marketing Tips For November
For many, Christmas is an important landmark in the calendar. For some, it’s the culmination of a year-long planning process, and for others, it’s a last minute shopping trip to grab the Christmas essentials.
Whilst, we were all enjoying the BBQs, beach trips and summer activities this August, the people at the prestigious British department store Selfridges, were busy preparing their Christmas department; a whopping 145 days early; the earliest it has ever opened. Displaying decorations, Christmas trees and tinsel, the festive shop opened as an extravaganza of everything Christmas. Is this too early to start Christmas marketing, or is it an example of great marketing planning, attracting customers early? Well, according to Selfridges, you can never be too early. Last year their festive shop sold 1,000 baubles in the first week alone, simply down to tourists looking for a small memento to take home.
Here at TLC Business, whilst we were enjoying the summer evenings this August, Christmas wasn’t far from our minds. We believe that it is essential for companies to prepare and plan for the festive season, months ahead of time. It should be part of your yearly marketing plan. We don’t necessarily believe you need to get your Christmas products on the shelves at the height of summer, but having a plan of action for the year’s last quarter is a must.
It is not just retail businesses that benefit from this advanced planning. Many B2B organisations view Christmas as an unwelcome distraction that disrupts their business. Advanced marketing planning for the festive period is not just relevant for consumer-focused businesses. The period will impact on business of all sizes and across the majority of sectors. You need to be in tune with the needs of your specific customers. In our opinion, it’s never too early for companies to start preparing for this potentially lucrative season, to ensure they maximise the marketing opportunities that surround it.
This is especially relevant for online retailers. Adding new features and festive graphics to your website will be appealing to the eye; however, don’t neglect less obvious areas, such as ensuring your site is prepared for the surge in festive traffic. Online retailers should be reshaping their email, SEO and pay per click campaigns to benefit from the Christmas boom period. Now is the time to ensure that your site is robust enough to deal with Christmas demand, in order to satisfy your customers, instead of damaging your brand value with a poor performing site.
With consumer lifestyles changing, more and more people are turning to the web for their Christmas gifts. With more brands then ever competing for business online, it is important that SMEs establish their Christmas marketing ideas early and incorporate them within their yearly marketing plan, ready for implementation months in advance.
Christmas may be a holiday for most people, but to many businesses it’s a prime opportunity to increase turnover and meet your financial objectives for the year. You may not be a big business like Selfridges, serving consumers, but that is no excuse to avoid planning your festive season’s marketing early, to maximise sales and get the results you require.
1. When designing a website or simply putting together an email campaign, it is important what colours you use and place together. SwatchSpot is a simple and useful online tool that can help you by generating random colour swatches so that you can check the combination and see if the colours look good together.
2. Like many, the team here at TLC Business can be hit by the dreaded writers block. Why not try One Word, the idea is to put your free writing to the test and get your spontaneous thoughts out there. Your sentences are also put on display. Take a look at the responses from other writers and you will see that everyone has their own take on what a word means to them.
3. How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer tries to answer two questions, how does the human mind make decisions? And how can we make those decisions better? From Firemen to CEOs, Lehrer shows you how people are taking advantage of this new science to make better television programs, win more football games and improve sales.
Sometimes it’s not easy reading through books looking for the perfect answer to your design query. If you struggle to find inspiration; here is a great book to add to your wishlist. The Non-Designers Design Book is a great tool for helping you create flyers, business cards and teach you all about type. This book lets you in on all the tips and secrets that professional designers use on a daily basis.
This October’s top tip maybe not help you with your marketing but it’s some great advice none the less. Some things are too good to lose, especially if you’re a small business.TagBak UK, the innovative UK lost and found solution, will move heaven and earth to get your lost possession back to you in less than 24 hours of finding it. Protect your possessions with TagBak UK.
Get a clear overview of your Twitter stats using Twitter Count. Track statistics of more than 100 million Twitter users, using this free and easy tool.
