member

Jet and helicopter operator SaxonAir, based at Norwich Airport, get ready to support the future of aviation through the launch of an ‘Electrical Propulsion Innovation Zone’ as local MP Chloe Smith visits the International Aviation Academy at Norwich during the Department for Transport’s launch of their new campaign to boost aviation recruitment, Generation Aviation. SaxonAir, alongside NUNCATS, NEBOair, and Swift Aircraft have joined forces to put together a showcase of Electric Aircraft at the academy, following the recent Summer School success which saw students given the opportunity to take part in the build of an electric aircraft, trying their hand at basic engineering. The group have also collectively formed the NetZero General Aviation Training Group (NGAT) and will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) during Chloe Smith’s visit on 4th November 2022. NGAT will look at the specific training requirements that net zero aviation development requires, recognising the cross-over with STEM opportunities as well as general engineering training opportunities – in particular, electric automotive engineering, with other transport sectors represented locally. The formation of NGAT reinforces SaxonAir’s commitment to the future of electric aviation, following their recent work with NEBOair to champion an aircraft charging network and take electric aviation to the next level. SaxonAir CEO Alex Durand said: “Norwich’s International Aviation Academy has significant potential. A unique space with workshops and classrooms spaces, the academy hosts a fully certified Boeing 737 allowing an exclusive opportunity to apply aircraft engineering theory to live aircraft – which we believe was a world first.” “The Academy is incredibly relevant to STEM pathways and raising local aspirations. To demonstrate our commitment to propelling the future of aviation, we have taken a lease in the building and are already delivering Flight Attendant training alongside other courses, which alternative engineering pathways in development which may have relevance to beyond the aviation sector,” he continued. “And in light of the government launching their new campaign to boost aviation recruitment, we believe now is the time to accelerate efforts to upskill young people and offer them basic engineering skills which can be delivered for school, Further Education and Apprenticeship levels with specialism into aviation, automotive and similar coming later,” he concluded. Norse Group CEO Justin Galliford said, “We are proud to host this initiative and look forward to seeing the project come to fruition. The work that NGAT will undertake will see high-value job opportunities for local young people and tackle the issue of skill shortages in the aviation industry.” Photo credit: SaxonAir

Above: An assistance dog on a station platform. Credit: RDG Greater Anglia has joined an industry wide scheme that is providing thousands of people with physical disabilities or mental health problems with a handy laminated card that will help them educate fellow passengers. The card explains why the assistance dog needs to sit under an unoccupied seat. By raising awareness, this simple card should also improve the overall experience of passengers who want to travel by train with their assistance dog. The cards can be particularly useful on services where it’s not possible to book a seat in advance – customers can simply place the card on the seat next to them to make other customers aware that the seat and the space under it should be kept free for their assistance dog. The card is available on the Greater Anglia website for customers to download and print at home, or they can contact National Rail Enquiries to request one to be posted out to them. The Rail Delivery Group has unveiled the guidelines following feedback to improve the journey for customers with assistance dogs. Jacqueline Starr, Chief Executive Officer of the Rail Delivery Group, said: “We’ve all seen guide dogs when they are out and about supporting their visually-impaired owners. It’s less well-known that many of our other four-legged friends have their own skills and character quirks that help people with a range of support needs. These include people with physical disabilities and those with autism, epilepsy or other complex health conditions. “Many of these conditions are not visible so we want to make life easier for the people whose daily lives they affect. Being able to place the card on the seat next to them – together with the other ID the dogs carry – should achieve that on their train journeys. It will also help fellow passengers adjust to the sight of assistance dogs doing their job while apparently relaxing under a spare seat.” The cards, which were tested with charity Assistance Dogs UK, can also act as a red flag for customers who are allergic to dogs or afraid of them. Vicky Worthington, Development Manager with Assistance Dogs UK, said: “More than 7000 people rely on a highly trained assistance dog from one of our member charities alone. They enjoy the greater independence that such dogs bring, including when traveling. “We’re delighted to support this scheme and very pleased to see that rail companies are making it easier for disabled people and people with medical conditions to travel while educating the public about how these wonderful animals change – and even save – lives.” Greater Anglia’s Accessibility & Inclusion Manager, James Bonehill, said, “We are really pleased to be involved in this new initiative because we want to make it as easy as possible for everyone to use our services. “Our new trains offer a significant improvement in terms of accessibility and we are striving to improve accessibility in all other parts of the customer journey too, including customer service, station access, journey planning, information provision and making improvements in line with customer feedback.” Above: The assistance dog card on a Greater Anglia train seat. Credit: Greater Anglia Above: The card. Credit: RDG

When you think of another Teams or video call, do you groan inwardly (or outwardly)?

In spite of the fact that they are now a common part of our working lives, that doesn’t mean that they are any more exciting.

Introducing mesh avatars for Teams, Microsoft’s version of Metaverse avatars.

You’ll be able to create and customize your own avatar, including its appearance, accessories, and even reaction gestures.

Microsoft reports that after spending a lot of time in front of the camera, we tend to feel stressed and tired. These new avatars can be used to reduce stress by giving you a virtual representation of yourself.

Even better, you won’t have to spend a lot on a virtual reality headset. Microsoft Teams has an app store that includes an avatar app called Avatars.

The Metaverse – a virtual world that mimics the real world – is being developed by big tech companies for billions of dollars. Shops, workplaces, and even social spaces are among the things you’ll find there.

Imagine a virtual world like this – 20 years ago it was hard to imagine having a video call with someone on the other side of the globe on a regular basis.

It’s exciting to see how times change.

We’ll get a general release date soon for the new avatar feature, which is currently available only in the Teams preview build.

Are you going to encourage your team members to use personalised avatars in Teams? Would you like some help? Get in touch to day.

Image and video provided by Uptech

Hi and welcome to our weekly newsletter, which aims to share our knowledge at Bigfork in creating successful websites. If you haven’t already subscribed to the Web Insights newsletter then please click the ‘Join the Conversation’ button at the end.

Lead generation websites for manufacturers.

If you want your website to be a lead generation superstar, use these proven techniques to get started.

What does a website lead look like?

Your website could be sending leads in a variety of different ways. For example:

• An email
• A telephone call
• An enquiry or quote request from a form
• Data capture from downloads or email newsletter signups
• A registration for your distributor portal

To increase leads, start by identifying all the different ways people can contact your company. Think about your typical customers and how they prefer to engage with you. Some people prefer to call, but don’t forget about people who will want to contact you out of hours.

How are you going to track your website leads?

It’s important to track how many leads your website is generating, and Google Analytics can help you do it.

If you want to track which channels are the most effective for generating leads, set up “conversions” in Google Analytics. A conversion is a type of lead, such as an email link click or enquiry form submission. You can then measure how many leads you are generating, and what the best lead generation channels are.

To calculate your conversion rate, you just work out the percentage of website visitors who convert into a lead. For example, if you have 10,000 website visitors and 150 turn into leads, your conversion rate is (150 ÷ 10,000) x 100 = 1.5%.

What’s a good website conversion rate?

It depends on the products or services you offer, how competitive your industry is, and other factors. In a study of landing pages by Unbounce, they found a 12% conversion rate is considered good. On the other hand, if your website conversion rate is below 1%, that’s not good and you have work to do.

How to spot your best lead generation pages

Before you begin improving your website’s lead generation abilities, look at Google Analytics to find out which pages are currently generating leads. Typical lead generation pages for manufacturers are product pages but check other important pages too, like the home or contact pages.

Also check which pages are your most popular landing pages. Landing pages are the first page someone visits on your site, either directly from typing in your website address, from search, or from a link on another website or social media. It’s normal for the most popular landing page to be your home page, but you might find that product / service pages and contact page are popular too.

These pages are the ones you need to be optimising for lead generation, so with this knowledge you can get started on improving your website.

Review your user experience

If your customers can’t find the content they want, they will leave your site.

Focus on what your visitors want

Make sure your products and services (or whatever your customers are looking for) are the main focus on your home page and menu.

Make your site easy to navigate

Add breadcrumb trails, internal links, and easy-to-use menus.

Break up your content

Use headings, bullets, images, and videos to make your content easier to follow.

Keep it simple

People don’t like to learn new things, so keep navigation and page layouts conventional and straightforward.

Write better copy 

Website copy is as important as design. Make sure your content focuses on the key benefits of your products and services in a language that your customers will understand.

Copy is so important we’ve written a whole article on the matter – how to write effective website copy. Some good tips are:

Write for your customers

Use language, style and tone that appeal to them.

Don’t overcomplicate things

Avoid use big words or industry jargon when simpler alternatives will do.

Write for “scanners”

Most website visitors are searching for information and are scanning pages quickly. Headings, bullet points and images make it easier to read a page this way.

Use your keywords

Your keywords are what people will be typing into search engines to find your products and services. Make sure you include keywords in page titles and body copy to make your website search engine friendly. But always remember to write for people, not search engines.

Focus on benefits

Your website copy should communicate the benefits of your products and services. What do your customers really buy from you? What problems does your product solve?

Design with your audience in mind

If your website is meant to convert people into leads, it’s best to design for your target audience. Focus on what’s most important – getting quality leads, and not what people in your company think you should do. Design essentials include:

High-quality images and video

Present your company, products, services, and team members in the best light.

Stay on brand

Your website be consistent with your branding – for example it should follow the look and feel of your company logo, colours, visual style, and tone of voice.

Convey the right image

Be sure to position your website correctly. If you offer a premium service, your website should reflect this.

Clear and consistent messages

Your messaging should run throughout your website and remind people who you are, what you do, and what the benefits of your products and services are.

Make a great first impression

First impressions are everything. If your site has bad images or looks unprofessional, visitors are unlikely to give you their contact information or buy anything from your website.

Effective calls to action (CTAs)

A call to action (often shortened to CTA) is an instruction you give your website visitors.

Every website should have calls to action to guide people. To create good CTAs, think about what you want your customers to do, and what they might want to do.

Remember that everyone is different; some people like to pick up the phone, others prefer to send an email.

Example website calls to action: 

• Call us for a quote
• Book a demo
• Request a call with one of our experts
• Download a technical datasheet
• View a product tour

When creating CTAs, use links and buttons that stand out in size, colour, and style. These should be prominent to attract attention and increase conversions.

Use Google Analytics to track the performance of each CTA so you know which ones are working and which ones aren’t.

Build your mailing list

It may take a few visits before some of your website visitors become customers. To stay in touch with them, you can capture their details so you can remind them of your products or services through email marketing or direct mail.

To encourage visitors to give you their data, offer them something in return. This could be access to data sheet downloads, “registered users only” content, or exclusive updates for people who receive your email newsletters.

You can also collect email addresses when people fill out a form on your website. Remember GDPR requires you to obtain consent for ongoing marketing. You can do this by adding an “I agree to…” tick box and an explanation of how you will use their data.

Establish your credibility

When a potential customer lands on your website, they will ask themselves “Why should I use this company?” . They will be looking for signs that you are a professional company who will deliver on service and solve any problems.

What things make a website credible? 

• A professional design
• Client list and customer testimonials
• Case studies to demonstrate expertise
• Trade associations and membership logos
• Guarantees and warranties
• Relevant policies such as terms and conditions and customer charters
• Address and telephone number of your business

Does your website work properly?

If your website is slow or breaks, your visitors will get frustrated and leave.

How much of your website’s traffic comes from mobile devices? Chances are, it’s quite high. Use Google Analytics to find this information and check your website on smartphones and tablets to assess the customer experience.

Your website should be “responsive”, meaning it will automatically adjust to look good on any device. Many people will research companies out of hours or on the move, or at other times when they don’t have access to a PC. So, it’s essential your website is great on a smartphone as well as a desktop computer.

Do you know if your site works in the most popular browsers? Your customers are using Edge, Chrome, and Firefox. Make sure you don’t lose sales because your website doesn’t work in a specific browser.

And is your website accessible? A good website is easy to use for everyone.

Display your telephone number clearly

At the top of every page, make sure your telephone number is visible. If you have more than one number, show a “contact us” call to action instead and link it to a page with your phone numbers.

Many people still prefer calling, even in a digital age. Not showing a telephone number can reduce people’s trust in your company.

Keep your forms short and simple

Forms are a great way to capture data, but only if they work. Keep your forms short and only ask for the information you need to follow up the lead. Remember, the goal is to get leads at this stage, not to ask for every possible piece of information.

Short forms, with fields in a single column, are shown to have the best conversion rates.

Make the most of video and animation

If you use videos and animations correctly, they can be effective lead generation tactics. Use videos to answer potential customers’ questions or to enhance your case studies. You can show how your products or services work with “explainer” animations. Keep in mind that people may get bored if your videos are too long.

Engage with your customers

Adding live chat to your website is a great way to engage with potential customers. Many people like using live chat while they’re browsing other sites or doing other things like scheduling a Zoom meeting or having a tea break. It’s not just a lead generation tool: it’s helpful for existing customers too, who want more info or support from you.

You can get live chat services for free. If you don’t have the resources to run a live chat, then chatbots and managed chat services are also available.

A trade or distributor portal can be an effective way to engage with your customers too. A good portal should provide information and interactive features to make the most of your relationship with them.

Find out more about what makes a great distributor portal.

Never stop testing

Lead generation is a never-ending task, so don’t be afraid to try new tactics.

Use Analytics and heat maps to see how people are using your website. Try different calls to action, design and copy variations, button colours and wording, and see if they make a difference. If you’re unsure, you can run A/B tests to directly measure variations to see what works.

Lastly, take a look at your competitors’ websites. Are they using any good lead generation tactics that you can learn from?

Need a new website? Then please get in touch.

Mark Ellaway, Bigfork

PS – You can find more great successful website insights on the Bigfork website.

A children’s hospice has launched its new Virtual Gifts webpage – giving the public an opportunity to buy meaningful presents that keep on giving this Christmas.

The initiative is now live on the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) website and features five options – Gift of Comfort, Gift of Play, Gift of Compassion, Gift of Memories and Gift of Creativity.

They range from £15 to £40 and allow people to buy and personalise a gift, while directly helping children, young people and families being cared for and supported by EACH.

“We’re very proud of our Virtual Gifts,” said EACH Director of Fundraising Kevin Clements.

“It’s a simple way to donate, while at the same time treating someone special to a meaningful present that keeps on giving.

“We all have family and friends who are difficult to buy for but this is a new way to get something special, while making a significant difference to our charity.

“Every purchase will help support children and young people with life-threatening conditions, and their families, across East Anglia.”

Gift of Comfort (£15) could pay for an hour with a care assistant, Gift of Play (£15) could put a smile on a child’s face as they discover inclusive and accessible play for their abilities and Gift of Creativity (£24) could pay for an hour of music or art therapy. Gift of Memories (£35) could pay for a memory-making kit full of activities for the whole family while Gift of Compassion (£40) could pay for two hours of bereavement support with a specialist EACH counsellor.

A card acknowledging the gift can be sent to the recipient and there is an opportunity to add a personalised message.

To find out more, click here or head to each.org.uk/virtual-gifts

In addition to its Virtual Gifts webpage, EACH is again politely requesting that people consider giving a monetary donation, rather than buying a physical gift, this Christmas.

Kind-hearted members of the public often donate toys and books for children at the hospices.

However, many are unsuitable because of the children’s varied physical and cognitive abilities.

Monetary donations can be put towards running activities and support groups, providing short breaks at one of the hospices or extra support in the family home.

It could also help fund a visit by a specialist nurse or pay for family members to spend time with a counsellor or therapist.

“Christmas is approaching and, as ever, we hope to make this festive season extra special for the children, young people and families receiving our care and support,” added Kevin.

“We know the public are always keen to help us and appreciate the generosity continually shown to EACH. We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without it.

“This year, as before, we’re politely requesting monetary donations, rather than physical gifts.

“Monetary donations help in so many ways, including being used to run activities and support groups for families, giving them the chance to create memories and have fun.

“The money could also fund short breaks at our hospices, allowing parents and carers to rest and recharge their batteries, or a visit by one of our specialist nurses, to help a child who is experiencing difficult symptoms.

“This ‘gift of care’ really does make the world of difference to the lives of the families we support and we thank you once again for your support, kindness and understanding this Christmas.”

EACH supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk.

It has three hospices – The Nook, in Framingham Earl, near Norwich, The Treehouse, in Ipswich, and at Milton, near Cambridge.

Image credits – EACH

The re-vitalised Stars of Norfolk and Waveney Awards, in association with Chambers members, OPEN are looking for new sponsors to support this amazing initiative.

This year, there are fifteen categories celebrating the region’s most hard working, caring, and talented individuals.

• Carer of the Year
• Young Person of the Year
• Sporting Achievement of the Year
• Education Champion of the Year
• Outstanding Bravery Act of the Year
• NHS Person of the Year
• Fire & Rescue Person of the Year
• Police Person of the Year
• Community Champion of the Year
• Team/Community Group of the Year
• Charity Fundraiser of the Year
• Cultural/Arts Person of the Year
• Unsung Hero/Heroine of the Year
• Judges’ Special Award
• Overall Star of Norfolk and Waveney

The award ceremony is scheduled to be held on Thursday 05 December 2019.

Anyone wishing to sponsor these brilliant awards should contact the Chief Executive of OPEN, John Gordon-Saker on: [email protected]

Flagship Group and Suffolk Housing Society have announced that they are in talks to consider working in partnership, with Suffolk Housing potentially becoming a subsidiary of Flagship Group.

Talks are at an early stage, but the boards of both organisations have agreed that working together could generate more opportunities to invest in local communities. They share a vision to deliver excellence in customer services across East Anglia and to drive forward new thinking about how to meet the housing challenges faced in the region.

Speaking about the plans, Carole Taylor-Brown, Chair of Suffolk Housing, said, “By pooling our experiences and resources we will make faster progress.

“Most encouragingly, Flagship appreciate the importance of continually improving services to residents and share our purpose to provide homes for those who need them most. By joining forces, we can create an enhanced offer for our customers as well as increased career development opportunities for colleagues.”

Peter Hawes, Chair of Flagship Group said, “We are in very early stages of talks, but we believe that by working together we can better meet the challenges faced by all housing associations to deliver more homes, better services and continue our strength for years to come.”

After more than two
decades of running their business, one of our recent clients was facing a
perfect storm: the lingering impact of Brexit, the financial fallout from
Covid, and a growing mountain of debt nearing £200,000. The weight of it all
had become overwhelming – until they picked up the phone and spoke to us.

That first call made
all the difference.

From the outset, our
adviser Daria offered calm, supportive guidance. For this client, whose first
language isn’t English, speaking to someone who could communicate clearly and
compassionately in Polish helped break down the fear and uncertainty they were
feeling.

“From the first call
till now, all staff have been helpful in explaining each step. Everything was
done online to save time and speed up the process.”

— Client Testimonial

With Daria’s help, the
client began the process of closing their company through liquidation. They
were guided through every step — from understanding their responsibilities to
completing documentation — with clear, jargon-free advice, full support, and genuine
empathy.

For many directors,
making the decision to close a company is emotional. But the right support can
transform fear into relief.

“I feel free.”

Three simple words that capture what many
business owners feel when they realise they’re no longer stuck and can
finally move forward.

We’re
Here When You’re Ready

At Leading, an
experienced insolvency and business restructuring firm, we believe in having
early, honest conversations, because the sooner we talk, the more options we
can explore together.

If your business is
experiencing financial stress, or you’re supporting a client who is, we’re here
to help. We offer confidential, no-obligation guidance tailored to each
situation.

We’re happy to speak
directly with business owners, or work in partnership with accountants, HR
professionals, or other advisers.

Let’s
take the first step together while there are still options on the table.

You can contact our friendly and experienced
team on 01603 552028 or email us at [email protected].

Photo: Attleborough renewable heating firm Finn Geotherm receiving the National Energy Efficiency Award for its installation at Paragon House. Left – right; comedian Hugh Dennis, Paul Taylor – UK sales manager for Panasonic Heating & Cooling Solutions, David Alston – technical director at Finn Geotherm, Leanne Gill – operations manager at Finn Geotherm, Guy Ransom – commercial director at Finn Geotherm, and Nick Davies of Switchee who sponsored the award.

Image: National Energy Efficiency Awards Copyright: National Energy Efficiency Awards

– Finn Geotherm recognised for first installation of its kind in Europe –

Attleborough-based renewable heating expert Finn Geotherm, has won a national award for a landmark air source heat pump project, which is the first of its kind in Europe.

The company has been awarded Renewable Energy Project of the Year at the recent National Energy Efficiency Awards for an air source heat pump project undertaken at Paragon House in London. The installation saw Finn Geotherm installing the first Panasonic 210kW air source heat pumps in Europe to provide heating and hot water for the 14-storey teaching block owned by the University of West London (UWL). Finn Geotherm designed and installed the heating system, which replaced an existing gas boiler and is expected to save around 1,058,000kWh of energy per year.

Paragon House is one of three decarbonisation projects Finn Geotherm has completed for UWL. Across the three projects, an annual saving of more than 500 tonnes of CO² is expected to be made.

David Alston, technical director at Finn Geotherm, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won this national award. This was a highly significant project, which saw us installing the first of these colossal 210kW Panasonic air source units anywhere in Europe. The project demonstrates the vast opportunity for air source in commercial applications, particularly in areas where ground source heat pumps aren’t an option due to space limitations in city centre locations. I am immensely proud of the expertise of the team at Finn Geotherm who worked so hard to deliver this landmark installation, which is helping UWL to make huge reductions in its carbon emissions.”

For more information on ground and air source heat pumps and details on Finn Geotherm, visit www.finn-geotherm.co.uk.

 

Photo 2: Finn Geotherm has installed the first Panasonic large scale heat pumps in Europe at Paragon House, University of West London. The heat pumps were installed on the roof of the 14-story teaching block.

Image: Finn Geotherm Copyright: Finn Geotherm

Passport to Puppetry is at the first stage of an exciting initiative which we hope to grow well beyond our launch critical mass of 25 passports throughout our 40th Anniversary Year, 2019-2020.  Many young people live in financially restricted households or difficult circumstances, unable to afford access to creative cultural experiences which can greatly improve children’s health and well-being, sense of aspiration and ambition.

Together we’ll provide the access to enjoyable creative experiences at no cost to the families in need, passports for whose use your company’s sponsorship will make possible.  10 donations of just £250 will enable 25 passports allowing access to show and workshop events at Norwich Puppet Theatre.  

We are working with leading local charities and services – Break, Benjamin Foundation, Nelson’s Journey and others – to set up safe and secure connections between the families with children we aim to benefit and ourselves.   We are talking to transport providers like Norwich Door2Door to help overcome transport barriers.

Book now for our launch event or call us on 01603 516654, email [email protected] to find out more. We welcome Enquiries from charities in the social and children’s care arena as partners to help the right children and families benefit from the scheme.     https://www.norfolkchamber.co.uk/events/be-good-company-norwich-puppet-theatre

Why do we believe we can deliver benefits from this? For 40 years Norwich Puppet Theatre has inspired, entertained and enriched audiences both nationally and internationally, and we are a unique asset in Norwich – one of only three dedicated building based puppet theatres in the country.  Our track record is to champion the ancient, unique and multifaceted art of puppetry, welcoming children, young people, families and adults into a world of imagination and storytelling.  We are a trusted and committed partner providing creative entertainment and skills for everyone, producing high quality puppet shows and workshops.

Latest developments: we are so excited! With the help of Arts Council and local matched funding we have two projects under way.

Beastly Belle is an exciting reimagining of our 2015 Beauty and the Beast show, updated to be able to extend our touring repertoire and featuring as our Christmas 2019 featured show.  https://www.puppettheatre.co.uk/whats-on/puppetry/beastly-belle

Puppets in Libraries is exploring how we can use puppet shows and workshops in local libraries to bring creative experiences and interest in further skills and learning in Norwich’s Millennium, Brundall and Aylsham Local Libraries. The learning and feedback from this we hope to take to a Libraries all over our region!   https://www.puppettheatre.co.uk/media/dContent/uploads/Creative_Learning/Creative_Learning_Programme_2019-20_mail_out.pdf Our work is not just for children! ​Our exciting partner Hocus Pocus gives the lie to any idea the only clowning is in international politics. “Where do you go when you feel low? How do you cope when your negative thoughts begin to spiral? What do you do when the blues turn black? Could it be that laughter really is the best medicine?”. In a takeover of our lovely venue, Hocus Pocus offer an exciting immersive experience with their Fun Clinic for 16+.  https://www.puppettheatre.co.uk/whats-on/puppetry/fun-clinic For general information and programme bookings, check out https://www.puppettheatre.co.uk/whats-on

View Mindset – HR November Newsletter here