Member Blog

People often love the idea of starting a home-based business but are too afraid to take the leap and make it happen. They fall victim to common myths about working from home, allowing their fears to keep them from even exploring the possibility. Although the thought of starting your own business can be overwhelming, it is still worth considering.

If you have taken the plunge and find yourself needing that extra space for your office there is a faster way to sell your home to upgrade to a bigger place. Take a look at Ready Steady Sell for a no obligation valuation on your home.

Don’t give up on your dream, reflect on the following 10 benefits of working at home:

1. You decide when to work.

One major advantage of being your own boss is that you get to set your own hours. That means that you can plan your schedule around other aspects of your life. Are you most productive at night? If so, you can start your workday when everyone else is going to bed. Do you want to take a break in the middle of the day? All that you have to do is plan your schedule accordingly.

Of course, there are some risks associated with being in charge of your own schedule. There is always a chance that you could get distracted or that you could succumb to procrastination. To stay on task, make sure that you have a plan in place that will allow you to make good use of your time.

2. A flexible schedule means you can spend more time with your family or doing things that you love.

When you work at a regular job, finding time for your hobbies or your family can be challenging. Starting a home-based business gives you a lot more flexibility, making it easier to spend time with the people that you love. Some people are even able to homeschool their children thanks to the fact that they run their own business.

Keep in mind, however, that you still need to devote time to your business if you want to succeed. That means that you most likely will still need someone to watch your children so that you can focus on work.

3. You can design your business around something you are passionate about.

Imagine how amazing it would be to earn a living doing something that you enjoyed. Turning something you are passionate about into a business makes going to work a real joy. It is easy to get motivated to spend time on your business when you are doing something that you love.

4. You don’t have to worry about a long or expensive commute.

Think about how much time you spend traveling back and forth to work. Now, think about how much money you spend. Reducing the distance of your commute could save you a significant amount of money. Not only that but the cost of maintaining your vehicle is also usually a lot less since you aren’t driving it as often.

5. You decide how much money you want to make.

One of the biggest fears that people usually have about starting their own business is that they won’t have a steady pay-check. Although it is true that you need to plan for slow times, being a business owner also gives you a chance to decide exactly how much money you want to earn. In most cases, your earnings will far exceed what you could make at a traditional job.

You are in charge of setting your own prices. As long as you don’t undercut yourself by pricing your products or services too low, you stand a good chance of making a profit particularly if you master the art of marketing.

6. You get to take advantage of a lot of business write-offs.

As a business owner, you can write off a lot of your purchases, which can save you money on your taxes. Any supplies or equipment that you purchase for your business can generally be written off. If you use part of your home exclusively for your business, you may also be able to claim a deduction for that space. The same goes for your car. You may already be paying for certain services that you could deduct if you used them for your business. Your Internet service is a good example.

When you work for someone else, all of the money that you earn is taxed. As a business owner, however, you have a chance to deduct all of your expenses before calculating your taxes, meaning that you only pay tax on your actual income. Always work closely with a tax specialist to ensure that your business is in compliance with tax laws.

7. You are in charge of your own dress code.

If the thought of wearing a necktie or pantyhose makes you cringe, think how nice it would be to be able to wear any outfit you want to work. You can literally work in your pyjamas if that is how you feel the most comfortable.

Keep in mind, however, that the clothing you wear can impact how productive you are. Dressing up for work in business casual clothing can put you in the right frame of mind to get a lot of work done.

8. There is no one else to report to.

If you don’t like the idea of a boss or manager breathing down your neck, owning your own business is a great option. You are in charge of making all the decisions, meaning that you can do things your own way.

If you have to be late for work one day, it isn’t a big deal as long as no one is waiting there to meet you. If you wake up feeling sick, you don’t have to call in. If you want to take a vacation, you can simply go without having to get permission.

9. Owning a business can be extremely satisfying.

When you are satisfied at work, you also tend to be happier in your life. The more successful you are at your job, the better you feel about yourself and your abilities. This can positively impact every aspect of your life. When you are happier and in a better mood, people will naturally enjoy spending time around you. This can help you form deeper bonds with your loved ones while also allowing you to live a much more fulfilling life.

10. You can continually change things up.

One of the biggest complaints that people have about their jobs is that they have to do the same thing day after day. When you run your own business, there naturally will be some tasks that you have to perform every day. However, you have a lot more freedom to try new things or to change the way that you work. For example, you could take your work to a local coffee shop for a change of scenery or you could rearrange your schedule so that you do the tasks you usually save for the end of the day first.

Remortgaging is a popular option for homeowners looking to secure additional funds against the value of their home. Nevertheless, there are instances where a secured loan could prove more accessible, effective and affordable than a comparable remortgage product. Particularly when considering the various types of specialist secured loans available, such as bridging finance. In order to determine which of the two is most appropriate in any given scenario, it’s first worth considering how each of the two works:

What is a Secured Loan?

As the name suggests, the term ‘secured loan’ applies to any type of loan secured against assets owned by the applicant. In most instances, loans are secured against the applicant’s home, though it may also be possible to use other valuable assets as collateral. In the specialist secured loans arena, lenders are often happy to accept residential and commercial properties, land, automobiles, jewellery, fine art and other personal possessions to cover the cost of the loan. A secured loan can typically be taken out for absolutely any amount with no upper-limit, in accordance with the agreed value of the collateral provided. In addition, there are no restrictions as to how a secured loan can be used, allowing borrowers to allocate the funds for all personal or professional application they choose.

What is a Remortgage?

Though technically a secured loan in its own right, remortgage products are somewhat more restrictive than secured loans. In most instances, a remortgage is taken out as something of an extension on an existing mortgage with the borrower’s current provider. Their home is therefore the only acceptable collateral for the loan, which may limit how much they can borrow. In addition, the remaining balance owed on the mortgage and the borrower’s history of timely payments (or otherwise) may affect their eligibility. In addition, remortgage products are usually only available for very specific applications. Examples of which include improving or extending the property itself – restrictions varying from one lender to the next. As is the case when applying for a mortgage in general, securing funds by way of a remortgage can be a time-consuming and complex endeavour.

When Is a Secured Loan the Preferred Option?

By considering the points outlined above, it becomes clear that there are certain instances where a secured loan could be preferable to a remortgage. If the funds are needed as quickly as possible, a secured funding solution like a bridging loan could be ideal. If you intend to use the funds for a non-standard purpose, a secured loan may be the only option. The same also applies if you have an imperfect credit rating or proof of income, which could count you out of the running for a remortgage (iConquer). This isn’t to say remortgage products aren’t without their advantages and shouldn’t be considered. Instead, it’s simply a case of ensuring you explore every available option, prior to submitting your application.

Seek assistance from an independent broker or financial adviser, if unsure which secured funding solution best-suits your needs.

It has taken far too long but we are finally waking up to the fact that our planet is vulnerable, its resources are finite and that the lifestyle choices of everyone is contributing to the destruction of our environment. Going ‘green’ is not just some fluffy tree hugging eccentricity it is an essential shift in our social behaviour, and businesses should be setting an example and acting as responsible role models to their employees.  If you are still not convinced by the environmental arguments, then how about the economic ones. The average business that employs 10-49 employees spends £12,327 on electricity and £7011 annually on gas, and those figures are certainly ones where by adopting more energy efficient practices, significant savings can be made. Consider these suggestions, make your business an example of an energy responsible environment and trim your outgoings in the process.

Do you know what your business consumes?

The first step toward making savings on your energy consumption is accurate data on what you are using, not estimates. How does your energy consumption fluctuate during the year?

Look at your business premises with energy efficiency in mind

Is there scope for using more natural light and less electric light? Is your building sufficiently well insulated?  Are doors and windows draft free?  Are heating appliances located in the optimum position or is their heat being blocked?

Choose new equipment for its energy efficiency

Laptops use less electricity than conventional computers and offer more scope for creative ways of ways of working but whatever new equipment you are buying, whether it’s a photocopier or a fridge, there will always be an option which is more energy efficient than another.

Make your staff energy conscious

The UK wastes £171 million a year by leaving lights on. Only 5% of the power drawn by a charger is used to charge a phone.  All those chargers that are left plugged in are wasting energy and costing you money, it’s not for nothing that it’s known as vampire energy. Reduce the brightness of monitors and set screens to go to sleep after five minutes. Encourage staff to fill kettles with the amount of water they need rather than always boiling full kettles.

Don’t provide single use plastic

The UK throws away 2.5 billion coffee cups every year and less than 1% is recycled. Microplastics are a serious threat to our environment and the use of plastic cups and plastic bottles is economically wasteful. There is nothing sophisticated or business like about chucking plastic cups in a bin, provide your staff with a proper cup. 

Go paperless

Going totally paperless may not be possible but even a small reduction will result in financial savings and increased efficiency.  Digital documents are quicker to access, receipts and invoices can be scanned, clients can be emailed or texted, which is faster and cheaper. Digital files can be accessed from any location and cloud-based accounting systems provide automatic backups on a pre-scheduled basis, so you don’t have to spend time doing it. Cloud-based systems also offer a high level of data security.  The days of fax machines and document couriers are long gone and if you still have an energy hungry photocopier then maybe it’s time to say goodbye to that too. Think of all the money you’ll save on ink cartridges once there’s no more paper.

Provide recycling facilities

Make staff aware of the need to recycle and provide facilities for the recycling of batteries and paper.

It makes PR sense

Making your business an energy efficient business is an essential part of a positive public image. Why not hold a fundraiser and donate to a renewable energy charity?

We belong to a fortunate generation; one which has acquired extensive knowledge of what makes us who we are and what forms the planet we live on.  Industrialisation has led to strong global economies, thriving urban environments, and new heights of technological advancement. A heavy environmental price has sadly been paid, however, for the improvements we see today.

Thankfully we are witnessing a far more concerted effort than ever before from businesses and individuals alike to reduce the carbon footprint that we continue to create.  Many companies are now investing in ‘greentech’ and adopting a corporate social responsibility business model.

Green is the New Black – Rethink Your Ink

The UK alone consumes around 65 million ink cartridges every year and the majority of non-domestic inkjet printers use inks containing strong solvents, possessing a high volume of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) which when evaporated into the air are known to contribute to global warming.  There are, however, other options on the market which are markedly less harmful to our atmosphere. Fo example mimaki ink, which is eco-solvent, and aqueous inks are a very cost-effective solution to help diminish the potential health and environmental risks associated with traditional solvent inks.  

The “Eco” in Eco-solvent in fact stands for “economical”, because on top of its greatly reduced VOC content (as low as 4 percent compared to the 25 to 40 percent of solvent inks) its is also a low-cost alternative.  This ink type is far less likely to clog printers, vastly improving their lifespan. Due to the reduced solvent content, the ink dries faster but still provides a wide colour gamut, boasting great scratch and fade resistance which makes it perfect for outdoor applications such as signage and vehicle graphics.   

Food for Thought, and for Fuel!

There’s a good reason that the government provides us those little black bins into which many of us dispose of our toast crusts and banana skins. These degrading leftovers are ultimately placed into an anaerobic digester which is used to create a mixture of CO2 and methane, coined ‘biogas,’ which can be fed into the public grid and used to provide heating for homes and businesses. Most of this type of energy is generated from large-scale systems installed on farms or factories; however more compact versions are becoming increasingly popular, predominantly in the industry of food and drink. Restaurant and supermarket businesses are leading the way in what hopes to be a future of small scale self-produced clean energy.

Green Incentives

It’s not just the consumers who prefer to give a little extra money to greener businesses.  Most governments offer financially rewarding incentive schemes for companies who invest in eco or renewable energy technologies. The UK for example started a Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) in 2011 which pays quarterly dividends for a twenty year period to companies who utilise sustainable energy sources for their heating such solar thermal and heat pumps.

Are Broken Links Breaking Your SEO?

Let’s imagine you found a treasure map. A super detailed one that made it really easy to find the place where the big pot of gold was buried. You followed it to the letter, grabbed your shovel, dug deep and found a note that said ‘sorry, this treasure has been moved or destroyed, sorry!’ Annoying, right?

Well, this is kind of what a broken link would look like in the real world.

Ok, but in technical terms, what is a broken link?

In the most basic terms, a broken link is any link that doesn’t work or takes you to the wrong place.

They’re the little gremlins that lead you to those infuriating 404 pages which say things like ‘page not found’, ‘the page you were looking for doesn’t exist’, or simply ‘error’. No one likes them, and they make for terribly annoyed web users. If you’re the owner of a website selling products and services, I’m going to guess that you probably don’t want your users to be terribly annoyed.

That makes sense! But why are broken links bad for SEO?

To help understand why broken links are bad for SEO it’s worth remembering that links are how we as users navigate the web. They’re the signposts we look at when deciding which site is most likely to give us the information we’re looking for.

In other words, links are the cornerstone of our user experience.

As a company which aims to be constantly improving our user experience, Google naturally pays very close attention to links. Should Google detect that your links are regularly sending users down dead ends, it’s going to punish you in the only way it knows. That’s right, it’s going to drop your site further and further in the rankings.

This translates to less traffic which translates to less sales.

Sounds like I really need to avoid broken links, but what if I need to remove pages from my site?

Don’t sweat it, it’s totally possible for you to reshuffle and remove things from your site without creating a trail of broken links.

Websites are constantly evolving beasts and it’s often necessary to move pages around or remove them altogether. The key is putting measures in place that mean links to these pages still take users to an appropriate place on your website.

To illustrate an example of how we as an agency avoid broken links, I present to you the Norfolk Yacht Agency (NYA) website.

They sell boats. Some really nice ones, in fact. The trouble is, they’re also really good at selling them, and a sold boat naturally means that page is no longer required on the website, so default website behaviour dictates that this is removed so not to get in the way of the remaining stock.

In order to avoid this from happening, we have created an archiving process which triggers once a boat is sold, leaves said boat in the listings for two weeks and then archives away out of the listings. But crucially, the page still sits within the framework of the site so that if Google has ranked the page in its listings, or if a user has bookmarked the page, the content remains.

Therefore, the page we’ve created to advertise that boat is no longer linked to from the ‘boats for sale’ page. It simply exists behind the scenes.

‘So why not let it delete?’ you might (reasonably) ask. If we did that, though, we’d create a broken link. Let me explain why.  

When the page was created, it got indexed by Google. A link to the page might also have featured on a boating blog or maybe have been tweeted out by a yachting enthusiast. These links won’t magically disappear if the page is removed. No, they’ll remain clickable and will take users to an error page that we’ve already identified as being a terrible thing to encounter.   

Instead, by moving the page to an archive, users are still able to access it. Whilst they may not be able to purchase the boat, they’ll be presented with a list of similar models for sale as well as the necessary contact information to get in touch with NYA.

All in all, this archiving of sold boats is good from both an SEO and business perspective.

Obviously, an archive isn’t going to be the answer in every case. Sometimes web pages need to be taken down as they no longer serve a purpose. In this instance, the best thing to do is to put a redirect in place that takes users to a relevant page or simply back to the homepage. This avoids any nasty 404 errors and helps the user find what they’re looking for. 

Keeping on top of all this stuff ultimately keeps the user happy, who keeps Google happy. As everyone knows, keeping the search giant happy is the key to ranking well. It’s what SEO is all about.

At Nu Image, we make it our job to keep up to date with Google’s best practices. This allows our clients to be found by users who are interested in their products and services. If you’re looking to get ahead with your digital marketing efforts, why not get in touch with us today to find out how we can help.

It’s one of the top buzz words in technology for 2019, but what is multi-cloud and how could it benefit your business?

What is multi-cloud?

As the name suggests, multi-cloud is the weaving together of various (primarily cloud-based) data storage methods to meet an individual business’s or project’s needs.

This may include mainstream public cloud services (like AWS or Azure), private cloud solutions (like our MIGSOLV.cloud), data centre colocation and existing onsite servers.

What are the advantages?

Multi-cloud lets businesses select the most appropriate solution for each element of their IT and flex as their requirements evolve.

It helps organisations safely separate critical services and increase their diversification and protection against physical and cyber threats. It’s a good way to control costs too.

For example, IT projects can be partitioned, every-day services can be stored locally, remote workers can benefit from public cloud and critical data can be better protected with colocation or private cloud.

Access priorities and speeds can also be better controlled by placing big or critical data in highly connected and available environments, like colocation or private cloud.

Is it the future?

In 2017, a study by Microsoft and 451 Research found nearly a third of organisations were using four or more cloud providers. This is typically to increase resilience and counter the rising costs of mainstream cloud which some experience as their data grows.

One of the newest weapons in the war on costs is private cloud. An exclusive cloud environment is created (in a known location) which provides the flexibility of public cloud but with greater security and lower operating costs as data volumes rise. With our partners, we’ve developed one of the most innovate private cloud solutions now available.

GDPR and other regulatory forces are increasing the need to demonstrate data protection and sovereignty. Multi-cloud is being adopted by many companies as a way to minimise threats, isolate customers data and reassure stakeholders.

How can MIGSOLV help?

At MIGSOLV, we provide a complete range of managed solutions to help you blend private cloud, public cloud, colocation and your existing IT.

With our dedicated connections to major peering points, we can improve your access to public cloud services including AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and SoftLayer.

As mentioned, we’ve developed a private cloud, hosted in our world-class data centre, which provides a highly-secure, fully supported and easily accessed cloud environment, exclusive to your business. As your use of mainstream cloud services rise, it can help reduce costs.

At the centre of our services remains colocation in our Gatehouse data centre, ensuring world-class protection with high physical security, 24/7 support and diverse connectivity.

With MIGSOLV, there’s no need to settle for a single solution to your changing needs. We can help you determine the right mix and enjoy every benefit of a modern multi-cloud solution.

Visit www.migolv.com or contact us today on 01603 510323 to find out more.

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Our spring series of Director Insights sessions, held in partnership with Grant Thornton, looked at the subject of cyber security and shared expert insight on the steps organisations can take to identify and guard against cyber crime.

Attacks on business IT systems are common in the UK and can affect organisations of all sizes. These attacks aim to steal information, money or to disrupt a business by hacking. As cyber attacks increase in quantity and sophistication, the global cost is estimated to hit $6 trillion by 2021. This makes effective security a critical issue for business leaders and it is also a subject of extreme importance to us here at Pure. We are putting robust strategies in place to protect our client and candidate data and to prevent any disruption to our business operations.

Nadia Mullins-Hills, Pure’s IT & Projects Manager, attended all of the Director Insight sessions. She said: “We learnt a lot about how we can build on our ongoing work to secure our systems and data. It was also evident from the sessions that the levels of understanding about cyber crime varied among attendees and that local organisations were all at different stages in their cyber security journey. The positive and main message which everyone took away is that 80% of attacks could be avoided by good cyber hygiene. This simply means being aware of the potential threats to your business and getting the basics right to mitigate against data leaks and hacks.”

Here are some of our cyber security top tips, compiled from the sessions and our own work here at Pure.

Improve user awareness

The human element is one of the biggest risks factors of cyber crime, whether criminals are targeting businesses or individuals. Taking the time to increase understanding of the potential threats and to raise awareness of the types of potential crime will help to protect your employees both at home and at work.

At Pure, we recently carried out cyber crime training with our management team. This included some fantastic, free business support and training from Rebecca Tinsley, Regional Cyber Project Coordinator at the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU). We looked at the potential threats, such as phishing attacks where fraudulent attempts are made to obtain sensitive information such as user names, passwords and credit card details. We also highlighted the potential impacts on our business, including a loss of money, a loss of data or the installation of malicious software. Most importantly we shared top tips on what to look out for and what to do if anyone is unsure about a phone call, message or email they may have received. We will be following this up with company-wide training and we will also include cyber crime awareness as part of our induction process for all new employees.

Password policies

One of the key areas we are raising awareness of is password security. People should have passwords that they can remember easily, so they don’t have to write them down, but still use a different password for each platform. This makes it harder for cyber criminals to infiltrate more than one system or account. If the same password is used across numerous different platforms, cyber criminals only need to hack one account and could potentially gain access to a wealth of different information across multiple accounts, from credit card details stored online through to personal data. Following advice from the National Cyber Security Centre on what makes a good password, we have recommended that people choose three different, random words which are easy for them to remember and then to use variations and combinations of these to make up a separate password for each different platform.

Use two factor authentication

Two factor authentication is something many people will already be familiar with and will be doing when they access accounts such as their internet banking or cloud storage. This is when you are asked for a second piece of authentication, beyond just your user name and password, if you are trying to log on from a different device or carrying out a high value or new transaction. The second piece of authentication could be additional memorable data provided when the account was set up, or it could involve a separate passcode being sent to your mobile phone. The two authentication elements needed to log-in makes it extremely difficult for cyber criminals to access accounts. Even if they do have your password, they will still need more information or to have access to your mobile phone. What many people, and businesses, may not be aware of is that this form of additional cyber protection is available for free across many other platforms including Google and Windows. It is worth reviewing all systems to see where this is available and to activate this as part of your account settings.

Create disaster recovery plans

As well as putting plans in place to protect against cyber crime, we are also assessing all the possible risks our organisation may face and creating disaster recovery plans, just in case the worst-case scenario should happen. Cyber crime is not just an IT problem, it is operation-wide and these recovery plans will form an important part of our overall business continuity strategies. As with all business recovery plans, whether in the event of a serious office fire, or a data hack, everyone needs to know who does what, how the communication process will work and what actions they need to take. The recovery plan should be fully tested before it is finalised. All the processes and back up plans put in place then need to be reviewed regularly, for example every six months or annually, to check they are still suitable and to keep on top of any new areas for consideration.

The topic of cyber crime, and the impact it could have on businesses and their employees, was discussed at the spring series of Director Insights, delivered by Pure Executive and Grant Thornton. These quarterly events, held in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich and Norwich, bring business leaders together to share experiences and gain insights from industry experts. They are part of an extensive calendar of events by Pure to support local businesses and the economic growth of the Eastern region.

Making sure that your website and secure for you and browser is vital. Taking steps to ensure your website’s security is strong helps to prevent it becoming vulnerable to hackers, as well as the potential for sensitive information to be released. Making sure that your website is safe needn’t be complex: there are a number of basic steps that you can take to safeguard your website. Whether you are a service provider, small business or carry out affiliate marketing, making sure your website is safe is of vital importance.

Use SSL encryption on login pages

An excellent and easy way to make your website safe is to use SSL encryption when browsers log into your site. SSL means that sensitive information (like credit card numbers, personal addresses etc) can all be transmitted in a secure manner. All information that is entered on this login page is encrypted, meaning that it prevents hackers from trying to access your login credentials or to try and get hold of private data.

Choose a secure host

Make sure that you are using a reputable web hosting company for your website. Ensure that it is aware of threats and dedicated to keeping your website secure. They should be also backing up your data on a remote server in the event your site is hacked, so it can be easily restored. Furthermore, choose a host that provides technical support as and when you need it.

Use HTTPS

Not only is having HTTPS important for SEO reasons, it is equally important to keeping your website secure. HTTPS guarantees that the integrity and confidentiality between the user’s computer and your website is safe. Setting up HTTPS can be easily organised through your web hosting company and typically costs around £100 per year or can be included as part of your domain package (depending on the domain registrar). See an example from Slotsandtables.com 

Use a captcha form

Using a captcha form can also be another effective security measure that you can easily implement. It helps to protect your website from spam bots. If you have any web forms on your site that collect information from customers, it is susceptible to getting spam submission, and by using a captcha form you can help to tackle this issue directly.

Have a strong password policy

These days, hackers have built extremely sophisticated software in order to crack passwords. Therefore, it has become more important than ever to ensure you use strong passwords on your website. It is recommended that strong passwords should have a mixture of both uppercase and lowercase letters, special characters as well as numerals. It is also best practice to have the password at the very least 10 characters long.

Following on from Chambers Chief Executive, Chris Sargisson’s call for member input into a now shared column of the EDP, and the thoughtful ‘change’ themed response from Dave Wilson at Tiger Eye, we were left with plenty to think about. Moreover we were energised into sharing some of our own thoughts about change within business, especially in our field, event marketing.

For many in the business community, ‘change’ is often synonymous with themes of modernity and progress as well as perhaps disruption and challenge. Take the events industry for example, all too often the demise of live events has been touted by those riding the crest of a wave of ‘change’. The internet, digital marketing, social media, viral marketing…all examples of when a change and indeed evolution in the approach to marketing, was thought to have put a final nail in the coffin of live events. Yet events and exhibitions remain a crucial and undeniably valuable part of the modern marketing mix. So was the ‘change’ wrong? Well no, but perhaps just badly marketed (ironic eh)?

When change is spoken of in industry, all too often it can been deemed ‘disruptive’. A term regularly used by the tech industry in particular, with technological advancements ready to disrupt industries and shake up the established order. Whilst we don’t disagree with the need to disrupt some industries, businesses and practices, it would be myopic to assume that such disruption has a place across all of them. Heading back to our events example, arguably this idea of disruption is nothing new. There was a time when the internet was seen as the great disruptor, why would people waste their time on events when they could video conference and email? Indeed for a while people believed this, live events saw a downturn…in fact so radical was the perception that the internet would reign supreme, that cinema and theatre were also impacted. But it didn’t last.

Yes the internet and video conferencing and social media and digital marketing and influencers and content and all that incredible ever-evolving change in how we market and communicate our business and brand, remain pivotal to our success. Yet so do events. Why? Because they have not been disrupted by change, they have been augmented by it. Far from being the butt of a digital joke that only the most ‘modern’ of brands can giggle at, events more than ever are being included and augmented into this change. Where else can you shake an entrepreneur’s hand and see in their eyes the passion they have for that product that your business needs? Far from being left guessing how to pitch or tone your communications to serve your audience, you can respond in real time to the human being standing in front of you, laughing, smiling…doing business the ‘old fashioned way’. But then again you’re not, you’re at a modern event. You’re at an event that you’ve spent time promoting digitally, pre-arranging appointments via email, engaging with live via social media, an event that has been enriched by change, an event that embodies change.

Some may say it’s purely semantics whether change is ‘disruptive’ or ‘augmentative’, perhaps so, but it’s the attitude behind that’s what we really want to get at.  We revelled in Dave Wilson’s person-centric and value led attitude to change, it’s this same attitude that we apply to our own work. When change is led by values and purpose it not only leads to improvements, but the protection of those core components that already provide value to us. It’s an important reminder that whilst ideologies like ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it‘ are insidious for business, so too are those that blindly embrace a disruptive approach to change without considering value, or purpose or people. It’s those reasons that keep events relevant in the modern marketing mix and why we are so passionate about every business having opportunity to use this unique and very personal platform. Even if it means changing, how they think about events in this ever evolving, ever more digital business landscape.

Freebridge is once again inviting applications to their Community Fund, with £5000 being made available to local community groups and charities.

The housing provider’s annual fund gives local groups the opportunity to apply for grants of up to £1000 to support community and voluntary activities that meet the needs of the community within West Norfolk. 

Applications are welcome from groups whose aims include:

• Promoting health and wellbeing;
• Tackling disadvantage;
• Supporting local solutions to local needs;
• Promoting community cohesion;
• Developing sustainable and supportive communities, and
• Improving the environment.

Last year among the successful applicants to the £5000 fund were 4 Transform, Age UK Norfolk, the Hanseatic Union, the King’s Lynn Men’s Shed, Sing Your Heart Out, South West Norfolk Youth Opportunities Project and The Garage Trust Ltd. The allocation of the money available is decided by a panel made up of Freebridge employees and members from their Tenant Panel.

Freebridge Director of Housing, Robert Clarke, said: “Freebridge is committed to supporting community groups and the work they do across our region and through our fund we can provide financial help to projects and initiatives that are making a real difference to people’s lives and helping to support a better West Norfolk.”

Norfolk Community Foundation manages the fund on Freebridge’s behalf. Any community or voluntary group wishing to apply, or just find out more about the Freebridge Community Fund can visit https://www.norfolkfoundation.com/Freebridge-Community-Housing-Fund.html or telephone 01603 623958 or email [email protected]. The closing date for applications is Friday 17 May 2019.

Pictured: Last year’s successful applicants.

It’s interesting to see how the evolving digital landscape is continually changing the way businesses communicate with their audience. There’s a story being told in the developing partnerships between huge, multi-national companies, underlining how seriously digital marketing is being taken in today’s world.

Back in November, Google and Disney announced a global strategic partnership that would enable Disney to evolve the way they reach consumers, widening the reach of their portfolio of brands onto smartphones and tablets, moving away from traditional television advertising and onto live-streaming, mobile ads and video ads across the web.

Google will become the powering force behind Disney’s advertising campaigns, and the world’s biggest search engine will now be one of the primary partners that connect Disney the brand, with their millions of consumers on a daily basis.

Search engines, primarily Google have been one of the foundations that have contributed into rapid growth of the internet and what it is today. Millions of people are now using the plethora of Google products; search, YouTube, Gmail are just a few examples. And in 2019 the majority of those are primarily engaged with on a mobile phone.

People’s behaviour is shifting almost entirely online. We watch video online, we shop online, we find new brands online and we review everything from restaurants we visit, to egg timers we purchase on a whim online. Whether you’re Disney, a small-medium sized online retailer or the local coffee shop, the best chance you have of finding new customers is by promoting yourself online.

And that’s where we come in.

The acronyms are all a little old school (SEO – the process of getting your website high up the natural listings. PPC – paid search advertising. CRO – optimising your website to improve the number of people that either purchase or submit an enquiry) but they’re all relevant concepts, if your business hasn’t put an emphasis on a digital strategy within its marketing plan – it’s time to start.

At Affinity we look at it slightly differently. There’s not a single one-size-fits-all approach that your business can take to deliver results, every business will have a different set of needs, which is why we always recommend you strategise based on your strengths, weaknesses and by assessing the visibility of your brand and its presence online.

When you sit down to plan a marketing strategy, every business needs to evaluate how much traffic they currently get to their website, where it comes from and the strength in which it converts. Those factors will start to determine the route you take to begin to grow your presence online.

Some businesses will require a structured approach to improving their site so users can better convert, others have all the foundations in place and the next step is to deliver the right audience onto the site.

So, if you haven’t already, how can you define your online marketing strategy?

The first piece of advice we always give is; tracking, tracking, tracking. The majority of businesses we talk to prior to coming on board aren’t accurately tracking their digital activity, from users to the site, on-site behaviour, to sales and attribution. All factors are so important to accurately form a robust strategy which is led by data.

From there we work alongside businesses to really draw out what it is they want to achieve, both short and long-term, and devise a plan that sets key measurements and KPIs. There’s never been any gain in overpromising, or setting unrealistic goals – one of the most important steps is to look at what’s realistic, and the beauty of digital marketing is that the data is always there to provide the evidence.

Are you 100% confident in how you’re marketing your business online? If you think you could improve the way your website performs, or feel the traffic to your site isn’t qualified enough; or maybe you’re spending a horrendous amount on advertising and you’re not sure it’s giving you the return you’re expecting, get in touch to speak to one of our experts with a track record of delivering transparent, honest and realistic assessments on marketing strategy.