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Why are we waking up groggy during lockdown?

Wed, 29 Apr 2020 09:14:09 GMT

The lockdown has forced many to adjust to a slower pace of life as officials try and get a handle on outbreak. With us only having to leave our homes for exercise or to go to work if unable to work remotely.

Ditching the dreaded commute and enjoying a longer lie-in should be leaving us feeling bright eyed and bushy tailed. As we prepare for another day in lockdown, however, many have never felt so groggy. So why is this?

With socialising off the table, day-to-day life may be feeling pretty monotonous. Many of us are trying to embrace the extra time to read, watch films and complete odd jobs around the house, however, the disruption to our routine can affect how we sleep. It’s likely because our routine has changed and we've disturbed our normal rhythm. Our highly-sensitive body clock can also be affected by reduced physical activity and vitamin D exposure as we spend more time indoors.

Reduced social contact may also be leaving many feeling unstimulated mentally. Us humans are hardwired to be social beings and we thrive on social connection, co-operation, competition and love. In the midst of lockdown, our lives have changed immeasurably and we find ourselves living a kind of surreal existence dominated by isolation, high alert, anxiety and unease about what might happen as a result of this pandemic.

This intense anxiety about the uncertainty can cause us to feel tired, reduce our energy levels, cause physical or mental exhaustion and a lack of motivation.

Now we’re in lockdown for a prolonged period of time, those who can should try to take advantage of a little lie-in as it may improve how you feel in the mornings. A lie-in mid-week may feel unnatural, but could be key to starting the day with a spring in your step. Factoring in your new lie-in, try and stick to a set bed and wake time.

It is recommend drinking a glass of water first thing to help rehydrate you in the morning and getting exposure to sunlight soon after waking to help you feel more sprightly. If you find your sleep is being disturbed, taking a break from all the doom and gloom could put you in a more zen state of mind.

It is also recommended that you watch or do things that make you laugh. This can be whatever brings a smile to your face. Laughter boosts mood and can give us respite from intrusive and negative thoughts.

Don't forget we're all in this together and you're not alone.

Take care and stay safe x

Vegan Banana Bread......Yummy!

Tue, 28 Apr 2020 09:22:39 GMT

One of my favourite recipes this lockdown...!

Like many of you we have all had to find things to do to keep ourselves (and our children!) occupied in this COVID19 lockdown. Some things I have been successful at other times not so much, but when its got tough digging out this recipe has always put a smile on everyones face!

Before lockdown I wasn't a baker, a gardener or many other things infact! I now bake and also becoming a pro at gardening (lets hope my plants don't die!) as well as juggling my multiple businesses and family life it does get tough and time is very limited. With this recipe in my life, life couldn't be any simplier and I would like to share it with you and best of all only takes 20 mins (if that) to prepare...

Ingredients

3 large bananas
75ml vegetable oil or sunflower oil, plus extra for the tin
100g brown sugar
225g plain flour (or use self-raising flour and reduce the baking powder to 2 heaped tsp)
3 heaped tsp baking powder
3 tsp cinnamon or mixed spice
50g dried fruit or nuts (optional)

Method

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Mash 3 large black peeled bananas with a fork, then mix well with 75g vegetable or sunflower oil and 100g brown sugar.
Add 225g plain flour, 3 heaped tsp baking powder and 3 tsp cinnamon or mixed spice, and combine well. Add 50g dried fruit or nuts, if using.
Bake in an oiled, lined 2lb loaf tin for 20 minutes. Check and cover with foil if the cake is browning.
Bake for another 20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
Allow to cool a little before slicing. It's delicious freshly baked, but develops a lovely gooey quality the day after.

Enjoy!

Stay tuned for more of my favourite recipes this lockdown

New Home Offices During Lockdown

Tue, 28 Apr 2020 09:03:32 GMT

One in 12 Households Investing in New Home Offices During Lockdown

There are many ways to create a home office that is tailored to your needs, from ensuring adequate lighting to adding an outbuilding. The Covid-19 pandemic has prompted one in 12 households to invest significant funding into a new home office, research shows.

The average amount being spent, which took into consideration any decorating, new equipment or furniture, or the possibility of converting another room, is £1,759.

The prolonged and indefinite period lockdown could be the catalyst for a number of home improvements across the nation – particularly now with question marks shrouding the housing market once again.

In the current climate, with more time to complete the work, this presents people with a good opportunity to get a few jobs done. If you are at home with your family, the key is to maximise the space so that you can work comfortably and efficiently during this time.

Create the Optimal Home Office

Working from home can be enjoyable for many providing your environment is tailored to your needs. And creating the optimal space for a dedicated home office is a great idea.

If you have a room that isn’t used very often, or is used for storage, such as a spare room or garden room, consider setting up your home office there. Working from the corner of a spare room, kitchen or living room can be suitable in the short term, but is, in most cases, impractical in the long term.

Here’s some tips to help you create your home office:

Make sure you have adequate natural light and consider adding some task lighting (which is useful if working later in the evening)
Avoid placing your desk in such a way that your computer will face a window – on sunny days the glare can make it hard to see the screen
Ensure you have adequate power points and a good wifi signal
If you have the space, choosing a room for your office which is located close to or with an adjoining WC helps to minimise the risk of household distractions
If you are moving your home office into a storage room, you’ll want to remove the stored items in advance, helping you to optimise the space.

If you need to shut yourself away from the rest of the house, a loft space is a good candidate, but unless it has already been converted, this is a relatively expensive solution.

Add an Outbuilding for a Home Office

If you’re struggling to find the ideal home office within your home, consider moving the office into your garden. A garden room or outbuilding can make a great home office – as it’s separate from the rest of the home, you can avoid unnecessary distractions.

You’ll need to make sure it has sufficient electricity supply and sockets, suitable lighting and heating options and reliable internet access.

Good insulation is also a must if you want to use a garden office all year round, as is lighting (an electrician should be able to connect an outbuilding to the electricity in the house fairly easily), sockets and a heat source. Think too about double glazing and good security measures.

A Mindful Walk

Sun, 26 Apr 2020 16:46:31 GMT

A mindful walk is an excellent way to clear your mind of clutter and restore your sense of focus. It can also help create feelings of wellbeing, encourage better sleep, improve mood and manage stress.

Why not make one of your daily walks a mindful one? Not only is this good for your mind but in this climate we need to stop and think about things, its a way of our mind communicating.

Find a quiet space to walk. It could be outdoors, but it could also be in a hallway, or even a large room, walking back and forth.

Mindful walking uses all of your senses — sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch — to bring awareness to your body and surroundings.

Just be mindful of what you are doing, so you can begin to live in the present moment.

Here’s how to do it:

As you walk, notice how your body feels. How do your legs, feet and arms feel with each step you take?

Feel the contact of your foot as it touches the ground, and the movement of your body from side-to-side as you move into your next step.

Whatever else captures your attention, come back to the sensation of walking. Your mind will wander, so without frustration, guide it back again as many times as you need.

Now using your sense of sight, look around and try to notice every detail – colours, patterns and shapes.

Then, use your sense of smell to notice any aromas or scents. Are you able to notice any tastes as you walk? Can you taste the air? When doing this the other day the first thing that came to mind before take a deep breathe in was this was probably the only time we are going to be breathing in this clean non polluted air.

Now using your sense of touch. Perhaps it’s the feeling of warm sunshine, cool rain or a cold breeze. Perhaps it’s the sensation of the soles of the feet touching the ground with each step, or the weight of the arms swinging at your side. The intention is to simply acknowledge the sensations for thirty seconds or so, without feeling the need to get involved in thinking about the feelings.

With openness and curiosity, notice any sensations, thoughts or feelings that arise, without lingering on anything in particular.

Whatever you decide to do with your time, stay safe and stay home. We're in this together.

Spruce-up your garden ready for Spring in this lockdown period

Tue, 07 Apr 2020 07:46:03 GMT

With Summer just around the corner, and with daylight hours on the up there’s more time to get out into the garden and smarten it up before the warmest months are upon us. This lockdown period doesn't have to be all doom and gloom, why not dig out that dusty spade, get out and enjoy the outdoors, at home of course!

Try these simple tips for freshening up your outside space.

1. Give the lawn a trim

Choose a dry day and give your mower blades a sharpen-up first. Neatening up the edges will also make a huge difference so, if you don’t have a strimmer, use a spade to sharpen the border edges, or grab some large scissors, get down on your hands and knees and get snipping!

2. Prune your plants

The rules for what plant to prune when can be a bit of a minefield, so it’s always best to read up about a specific tree or shrub. But as a general rule, pruning summer-blooming plants in early to mid-spring will allow time for the new growth and flowers to appear later in the same year.

3. Plant up some pots for a pop of colour

Planting colourful flowers in containers is a great way to brighten up even the smallest of outdoor spaces. Some attention-grabbing options include primroses, pansies or violas – and there are around 3000 registered varieties of tulip to choose from.

If you’re in to plants that you can eat, then why not pot up some parsley. Remember that, unlike plants in the ground, potted ones will rely on you for food and water – so avoid if you’re a forgetful gardener.

4. Rig up some hanging baskets

Hanging baskets offer another great way to make the most of limited space, or add some greenery to the front of your home.

You can plant any of the above flowers, or take advantage of the height with some overhanging foliage. Primulas and geraniums like to dangle down or for a cascade of green opt for ivy.

5. Get weeding

Spring is a great time to rid your borders and vegetable patch of weeds, before blooming plants make them difficult to reach. Make sure you root out the roots so they don’t grow back. Top tip - Weed when it’s wet. The damp soil will make it much easier to pull those roots right out.

6. Remove dead leaves

Along with the weeds, clearing out all those dead leaves that are a hangover from the autumn is a simple but effective way to neaten up the garden. If your patch is small enough and covered in fake grass then a quick solution is to wait until the leaves are dry and whip around with the hoover!

7. Turn some compost into your borders

Fold some organic matter like compost or recycled green waste into your dried out and flattened down soil to give it a new lease of life. Spread around four inches worth of compost over the soil, then turn the soil to a depth of around ten inches with a garden fork. Manure is a great option too, but not for those with a sensitive sense of smell.

8. Fix fences

Before any climbing plants get going, fix any rickety or broken fences, gates and trellises. And wait for a dry day to give any wood a lick of wood-preservative or paint.

9. Give your birdbath a bath

Birdbaths and feeders can get grubby over the winter months. Disinfect your bird feeders with some very weak bleach solution – and be sure to rinse thoroughly before stocking them up with seed. Remove any moss from birdbaths with a good scrub, again with a very weak bleach solution, and refill. Well you wouldn’t want to wash in dirty water, would you?

10. Add some twinkle with fairy lights

One way to glam up your garden is to rig up some outdoor friendly fairy lights for instant ambience! There are lots of solar powered lamp, lantern and light options out there so you don’t have to worry about your electricity bill.

All these things will help your lockdown period a little more bearable and add a little colour to our lives right now.

Stay safe, stay home!

Posting on Social Media

Thu, 13 Feb 2020 10:08:38 GMT

Want to boost your social media engagement? Craving more likes, shares and comments? Make sure you’re getting the most from your audience, with the best times to post on social media below...

Online marketing is a must for all modern age businesses, marketers and personal brands. So it’s no wonder that we’re all trying to optimise our posts, increase our reach, grow our following and boost our engagement rates.

Purely by posting when your audience are most likely to be online, you increase your chances of reaching more people. engaging your followers and growing your audience.

The Best Times to Post on LinkedIn

LinkedIn began as a resume and job posting board, but has now grown into a social network designed for the business community. Given that their users are largely professionals, when do you think the most useful times to post are? While the business community are at work or when they’re home?

Yeah, you guessed it, we’re all a bunch of slackers…

…the best time to post is weekdays between 8am and 6pm . LinkedIn sees most use during the middle of the week, Tuesday-Thursday , probably because workers have loads to think about on a Monday and are already planning their weekends, (on other networks) on a Friday.

LinkedIn users don’t tend to use the site at night. So, steer clear of any late posts. In fact, don’t even bother between 10pm and 6am. Weekends are also a definite no-no. Stick to the weekday posts and aim to post at the times listed above, (or just before).

The Best Times to Post on Twitter

The best times to post on Twitter are largely dependent on your target audience.

Timing is everything though on Twitter. This means you can tweet the most amazing valuable content, but nobody will see it if it isn’t published at the right time. Twitter newsfeed uses a completely different algorithm to that of Facebook, Instagram or Linkedin, making the importance of posting at the right time absolutely crucial to your success.

People use mobile to check their profiles while commuting, taking breaks at work and towards the end of their working day (when their attention is wondering). Twitter’s usage spikes during midweek . The best times to post on Twitter are Tuesday-Thursday , between the hours of 12pm-2pm and 5pm-6pm .

That being said, if you really want to get the most out of Twitter, you need to post a lot (3-7 times per day) every day (or every weekday at least).

It goes without saying that posting at night (10pm-6am) will reach fewer people.

The Best Time to Post on Instagram

Instagram is the fastest growing social network currently and is becoming increasingly important to businesses in a wide range of industries. When it comes to the best time to post on Instagram, there are a few different factors to take into account:

Instagram was created for mobile and is very rarely used on desktop. So, when are your target audience most likely to be on their mobile phones? Do they work 9-5? Does their demographic have to commute?
The platforms algorithm ranks posts by user behaviour and relationship (with the post publisher), interests, timeliness and engagement. So, what type of content is most likely to appeal to these factors (and therefore rank higher on the newsfeed for longer)? And what type of content will help form a closer relationship with your followers on Instagram?
Instagram is particularly popular with 18-35 year olds .

Timeliness is a ranking factor for Instagram, but it isn’t as important as engagement or user relationship and interests. This means that even if you post at the perfect time, your followers still may not see your post at the top of their feed.

The quality of your content is more important now than ever before. You must make sure that your posting strategy is up to scratch, before worrying about the best times to publish posts.

Instagram sees an increase in users during weekday lunch hours (11.30-1.30pm) and in the evening (6-10pm) . Saturday’s also see an increase in user numbers, particularly in the late afternoon and evening.

The Best Time to Post on Facebook

The success of your Facebook posts is very much audience dependent. The network has so many users, in so many different countries, almost anytime is a good time to receive engagement, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good time to engage your target audience.

Facebook is increasingly being visited by mobile users, but one of their most popular times is at the start of the working day , these visits are predominantly from desktop users. It’s thought that the days with the highest engagement, run between Thursday-Sunday . In fact, Facebook activity increases during the weekends . That being said, don’t rush off and publish all your content during weekend evenings (after 8pm).

I’d recommend posting early(ish), 10am-12pm on a Saturday , and throughout the rest of the week (especially the end of the week, Thursday and Friday), during working hours .

How to take advantage of social media

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 12:14:45 GMT

Make it gram-worthy – as we know, Instagram is a visual diary of people’s experiences. Whether you’re designing a scheme, building or even a hoarding – making it worthy of sharing on Instagram should be high on your list of objectives.
Put it on the map – research shows that posts with a location get 79% more engagement than posts without.
Hashtag it – hashtags both optimise campaigns and categorise content and, moreover, are of increasing importance with user-driven engagement. Seven out of ten hashtags on Instagram are branded. By creating a unique hashtag for your brand or campaign, you can encourage others to adopt this as part of their content.
Influencers are your new friends – using influencers is a great way of spreading brand awareness and engagement. Last year brand-sponsored influencer campaigns were the fastest growing form of online customer- acquisition marketing, seeing over 12.9 million of these in 2017. It’s clear that marketers and brands believe in the effectiveness of using influencers and this trend is expected to increase in the future, with roughly two- thirds of marketing departments looking to up their budget for influencer marketing over the next year.

So who are social media influencers?

Influencer marketing is when a business collaborates with an influential person on social media to promote a product, service, place or campaign. These people are known as ‘social media influencers’ and have a dedicated and engaged following. They can be a celebrity or a general member of the public who post about their everyday life; this type of influencer is particularly powerful as they are still perceived as mostly normal, down-to-earth people.

Influencers have big networks and a large following at their reach so can quickly and effectively endorse a message or be ‘seen’ at a particular place.

An effective strategy requires you to know your audience and create an authentic message using the right tools – sparking the right conversation about a new development or rebrand requires quality over quantity. In other words, don’t get fixated on the number of likes or followers and expect it to go viral. Create content that is relevant to your audience and brand.

Tips to writing a blog post

Tue, 03 Sep 2019 13:07:36 GMT

You really only have 2 – 3 seconds to grab your user’s attention and convince them to click and actually read your blog post.

So how do you make sure that your content marketing efforts aren’t going to waste? Well, follow these helpful tips in writing a blog post that converts.

Know your audience

Before you start writing, it’s crucial that you know who your audience is, and what they are looking for.

Write Compelling Headlines

If you don’t have a compelling headline, then there is a very good chance that your blog post will not be read or shared.

As humans, we’re shallow. We judge a book by it’s cover and a blog post by it’s title. This is why your blog post title is crucial for the success of that blog post.

Add Subheadings to break the page

Formatting is crucial for blog posts. There’s nothing worst than reading a blog post that’s just one giant paragraph.

Most of the time people skim through the content before they actually decide to read it, so I always recommend breaking your article with subheadings. Anything you can do to make it easy on the user’s eyes is going to help them read your blog post (and take the action that you want them to).

Use Bullet Points

Since we know that people skim before they read, you need to make sure to highlight your best information.

Aside from subheadings, bullet lists are perfect because they’re very easy to skim through.

Express clear benefit. Think of bullets as mini-headlines.
Keep your bullets symmetrical. 1-2 lines each.
Avoid bullet clutter. Don’t write paragraphs in bullets.
Remember bullets are not sentences. They’re just like headlines.

Add Images

Human brain processes visual content a lot faster than text based content. That’s why adding captivating images can help boost your engagement.

Add Clear call-to-action

Add a clear call-to-action. Whether it is to ask your readers to leave a comment, share your blog post, follow you on social media, or purchase your product, make sure you clearly state what you’d like them to do. A good call-to-action is something that’s easily distinguishable and stands out.

Ways social media negatively affects your mental health

Tue, 02 Jul 2019 16:46:29 GMT

The rise of social media has meant that we as a global population are more connected than we have ever been before. However, our reliance on social media can have an negative effect on our mental health, with the average checking their phone as much 28 times a day!

While social media platforms can have their benefits, using them too frequently can make you feel increasingly unhappy and isolated in the long run.

The constant barrage of perfectly filtered photos that most platforms are bound to knock many people’s self-esteem, while obsessively checking your Twitter and Facebook feed just before bed could be contributing towards poor quality of sleep.

Here are six ways that social media could be negatively affecting your mental health without you even realising:-

Self-esteem

We all have our fair share of insecurities, some that we speak about openly and others that we prefer to keep to ourselves. However, comparing yourself to others on social media by stalking their aesthetically perfect photos or staying up to date with their relationship status on Facebook could do little to assuage your feelings of self-doubt. Becoming more conscious of the amount of time you spend scrolling through other people’s online profiles could help you focus more on yourself and boost your self-confidence.

Human connection

As human beings, it’s so important for us to be able to communicate and forge personal connections with one another. However, it can be hard to do so when we’re glued to rectangular screens, becoming more acquainted with our friends’ digital facades than their real-life personas.

Memory

Social media can be great for looking back fondly on memories and recounting how past events occurred. However, it can also distort the way in which you remember certain tidbits from your life.Many of us are guilty of spending far too much time trying to take the perfect photo of a visual marvel, all the while not actually absorbing the firsthand experience of witnessing it with your own two eyes.

Sleep

Having enough sleep is of paramount importance. However, many of us use our phones too soon before choosing the hit the hay, making it harder to doze off. Try setting yourself a strict rule of not going on your phone for at least 40 minutes to an hour before going to bed, and see if that makes a difference to the quality of your sleep.

Attention span

It’s not just your subconscious brain that you need to worry about, but also the extent to which your brain is able to fully concentrate when you’re awake. While it’s incredible to consider the amount of information readily available at our fingertips thanks to social media, it also means that people have become far more easily distracted. If you’re unable to not check your phone for at least a few minutes, then you’d do well to practice exercising your willpower on occasion.

Mental health

Not only has social media been proven to cause unhappiness, but it can also lead to the development of mental health issues such as anxiety or depression when used too much or without caution. While you don’t necessarily have to quit social media for good, if you feel like it’s beginning to bog you down, why not consider allocating social media-free time slots during your daily routine? The slight change could do you a whole lot of good.

How to ensure you have a relaxing break this summer!

Tue, 02 Jul 2019 16:08:49 GMT

Switching off completely can be a challenge for busy people. But the benefits of getting away from it all or even taking time out at home should not be underestimated.

Ideally, a quiet weekend or a holiday should be a time for recharging your batteries and getting away from the stresses of everyday life. But in today’s highly connected world, switching off entirely can be a real challenge for many of us.

How often should you check your email – or the news headlines? If you are away, will the hotel offer good wifi and will local mobile reception be easily picked up? These are some of the questions many will be asking before a summer break. It’s worth a little planning to make sure your time off is truly relaxing – especially if you’re leaving significant workplace or domestic responsibilities behind.

Top tips to make your summer count

Plan for your absence

The better you can prepare for being away, the more chance you’ll have of being able to enjoy an uninterrupted break. Try to tie up as many loose ends as possible before you go, and leave clear instructions for colleagues and employees about what needs to be done in your absence – as well as who is responsible for doing it.
Be realistic about your availability

However much the idea of going totally off-grid might appeal, for many people it simply isn’t an option – some form of contact may have to be maintained. You could let colleagues or friends know that you’ll be looking at emails once or twice a day, say, but will not generally be available on the phone. You could also set up an out-of-office response on your email and/or voicemail that explains how often and when you’ll be checking messages.
Limit your digital exposure

Your tablet or smartphone may not be used exclusively for work, but just looking at your device typically means being notified of new emails or other messages related to your daily duties. You’ll be able to immerse yourself more fully in your break if you can manage to ditch the digitals for the most part – only going online for a limited period once or twice a day, for example, even if this means leaving your phone out of reach.
Understand the benefits of your break

A stress-free break won’t just benefit you on a personal level; clearing your mind and relaxing for a few days will mean you can return to the office or your usual busy life revitalised, with a fresh perspective on things and some positive new ideas.

Before you go...

Take a note of important telephone numbers
Save important numbers to your phone and write them down as a back up. Take your bank’s international phone number as well as the one for your travel insurance provider.

Check your passport expiry

Some countries may not let you enter if your passport is just a few months from expiry, so make sure you check before you go.

Seek Foreign Office advice

The UK government offers guidance to travellers heading to destinations all over the world with information on everything from potential civil unrest to recent crime trends.

Have a great summer where ever you go, abroad, close to home, or even staying at home, make it a relaxing one!

Why is Social Media so Important for your business marketing?

Thu, 13 Jun 2019 17:25:54 GMT

It doesn’t matter if you run a small local shop or a big national company. Social media is an essential piece of your business marketing strategy.Social platforms help you connect with your customers, increase awareness about your brand, and boost your leads and sales. With more than 3 billion people around the world using social media every month, it’s no passing trend.

Here are six reasons why investing in social media is a wise business move.

Build Awareness

If people don’t know about your business, they can’t become your customers. Social media boosts your visibility among potential customers, letting you reach a wide audience by using a large amount of time and effort. And it’s free to create a business profile on all the major social networks, so you have nothing to lose.

Define what you want to get out of social media to develop a strategy. Do you want new customers to discover your services? Do you hope to bring more local shoppers into your stores? By keeping your strategy specific, you can determine which social media channels are the best fit for your business.

Show Authenticity

Customers aren’t interested in businesses that publish dry, corporate-style social media posts.

Instead, let your brand shine through in everything you share on social media. What does your brand voice sound like? How does it represent who you are?

Practice getting your tone just right, whether it’s casual and funny or formal and friendly. Be true to who you are, not who you think you should be. Followers want to see real people behind your social profiles. Show them.

Communicate Authority

Customers are increasingly savvier and more discerning about which businesses they support. Before making a decision, they’ll do a quick search to browse your website and social media.

Will they find an empty storefront or a rich source of information? Setting up robust profiles that you update frequently with relevant content will build your brand’s authority and make sure you make a positive first impression through social media, showing that your business is trustworthy, knowledgeable, and approachable.

Look for ways to demonstrate your expertise as a thought leader in your industry—like writing pieces related to your expertise or expanding on your company’s mission. By showing what your business offers and values, you will establish confidence in potential customers.

Provide Support

Social platforms have successfully broken down barriers between companies and their customers. Now, instead of calling a customer service line, many people turn to Facebook or Twitter to solve problems or find information.

Develop your reputation as a responsive, caring brand by offering support through social channels:

Create a system for tracking customer comments, questions, and complaints on social media.
Respond as quickly as possible to questions and concerns.
Go out of your way to be positive and helpful.
Listen to criticism and make customers feel heard.
Know when to resolve public conversations in private messages.

Encourage Engagement

Social channels evolve, constantly releasing new features, and this rapidly changing environment can be intimidating for some business owners.

But remember: you don’t have to do everything. Play with new ways to connect with your audience, and give yourself permission to learn as you go. One day, you could post a series of stories to give customers a behind-the-scenes tour of your office. The next, you could host a quick Q&A session via facebook live video streaming. Over time, you’ll get a better idea of your followers’ preferences.

You can create engaging video content for social media with a simple setup—good lighting, a smartphone, and a tripod. Also, do a test run before you go live to make sure your internet connection or hotspot has enough speed to avoid delays and interruptions.

Grow Affordably

Marketing costs add up, and not every business can afford huge campaigns. But you can get a lot of value for your dollar with social media advertising. Your business, regardless of size or budget, has an opportunity to grow your audience and reach your objectives through ads on social platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

When building an ad campaign, know who you’re trying to reach and what goal you want to achieve so you don’t waste any of your budget on unhelpful advertising. Avoid overly salesy ads, and opt for content that educates or entertains (or does both at the same time).

Social media is a crucial part of your business marketing, but it doesn’t have to be stressful to manage. Take the first step, create a profile, and start engaging with your customers.

Importance of having a website

Tue, 18 Sep 2018 09:52:49 GMT

It is surprising how many small businesses still do not have a website as 93% of business purchase decisions start with a search engine search.

Here are 3 reasons why having a website is important to your business success:-

1. Makes you look more credible and professional

Without a website many people will not even consider you as an option when they are looking for products or services. If they can’t find you online they simply write you off as an option. A good website informs and reassures customers that you know what you are doing and can deliver what they need.

2. Increases your reach to customers

When you have a website your reach becomes far wider – you have a global audience that can access information about your company anytime, anywhere.

3. Cost effective way to market your products or services

For the cost of printing flyers and distributing them locally you could get yourself a professionally designed website which, when coupled with social media can extend your reach way beyond that of print.

So to round it all up, If you’re not online get online!

Harnessing the web as a business tool is important, even for businesses that may consider themselves as primarily offline. Beauty businesses, fitness businesses, plumbers, driving instructors and any number of other service businesses ultimately all measure success by their ability to build offline relationships – and the web can play a huge part in that. So no matter how established your businesses is offline, it’s crucial to get the basics of online in place.

As a small business, it’s unlikely you’ll have big budgets, staff or free personnel hours to invest in a complex online strategy, but there are certainly some simple steps you can take to start reaping the rewards that the web can bring.

Don’t get left behind, get started today!