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Build your business: how to attract new customers

Written by Haze Carver on .

NatWest Business Builder: Customer Segments

Business success depends on your ability to reach out and hold on to new customers. Here, four experienced entrepreneurs discuss how their approach to attracting new clients has evolved.

No matter how well run your company is or how impressive your products or services are, your business will only be successful if it can manage to attract and retain customers.

For new enterprises in particular, identifying a target market and developing a strategy to reach people in that market are two of the most important elements to consider.

Social media and digital marketing have made it far cheaper and more straightforward to promote what your business has to offer while also focusing on specific demographics, for example. But an online-only approach isn’t necessarily the right choice for every company.

We spoke to a number of entrepreneurs to find out how they go about attracting new customers and making their businesses stand out from the crowd.

The value of the personal approach

Entrepreneurs shouldn’t overlook the importance of the human touch, says Claire Gamble, managing director of Unhooked Communications, a Manchester PR agency.

“In a digital world, the power of face-to-face interactions can be really effective when it comes to winning new business – especially if you run a service-based business,” she says. “And I don’t just mean attend some networking groups and hope to meet someone who you’ll work with in the future – think bigger than that.”

Gamble’s approach involves Unhooked organising its own events – from panel discussions and workshops to purely social functions – aimed at people who work in the marketing and creative industries. “Since January we’ve organised several events on topics such as influencer marketing, women in business and GDPR for marketers, which have attracted hundreds of attendees who are relevant to our business somehow.

“These events serve so many purposes – they get us in front of prospective clients, introduce us to other marketers who we can collaborate with, generate great content we can use in our marketing and PR, and help us improve our knowledge of current hot topics. We’re only halfway through the year and we’ve already secured three new clients and several projects as a result of the events that we’ve organised.”

Gamble says the events are promoted to attract specific target audiences or relevant businesses. “The beauty of these events is that you get to meet people who aren’t in your network yet, which is really valuable – especially if you’re a new business or looking to expand into new sectors or regions.”

Know your customer

For James Woodall, co-founder and chief technology officer of Intoware – a business that develops software for wearable devices – there’s “no magic bullet solution” when it comes to finding new customers.

But ensuring sales staff understand the businesses and sectors they’re selling to is crucial. “We make sure our salespeople are experts in the industries we’re targeting,” Woodall says. “Of course, this means they understand particular nuances and speak the right language. But more importantly, it means they absolutely know where the inefficiencies and real headaches are, which a generalist wouldn’t.”

“In a digital world, the power of face-to-face interactions can be really effective when it comes to winning new business”

Claire Gamble, managing director, Unhooked Communications

He adds: “Being able to target the specific pain points has worked well for us. Automotive businesses have different issues to manufacturers, who use different processes to those in aerospace. Being able to tailor our approach so we understand them and, more importantly, they understand us, has been key.”

The way Intoware pitches to potential customers has also evolved over time, Woodall adds. “It’s not about our product solving all a business’s problems – customers simply don’t buy that – but it’s about identifying one big problem and giving them a solution to address it.”

Stand out from the crowd

Nathan Cable is co-founder of Party Hard Travel, a package holiday business aimed at “a niche audience” of people aged roughly between 18 and 23.

“That has a huge impact on our marketing,” he says. “You can’t just put an ad on the radio as our audience are more likely to be listening to music on Spotify. And we wouldn’t spend on a huge outdoor advertising campaign as the majority of people walking past it wouldn’t be in the right age range. So when it comes to attracting new customers, we’ve had to think more creatively.”

For the 2018 summer season, Party Hard decided to organise a tour of UK nightclubs to give clubbers “a true sense of what being on holiday with Party Hard Travel in a resort would be like”, Cable says. “Travel is a very competitive industry: young people have really high expectations of their holidays and, like the rest of the population, are really busy.

“You can’t expect that customers are going to just come and find you, even if you have the best product offering in the world. To be successful means finding new and unique ways of connecting with potential customers that align strongly with your brand values.”

Use publicity wisely

Danny Curran, founder of heir-hunting firm Finders International, says that businesses that do interesting work should leverage the fact to generate publicity, as well as fully exploit any publicity that arises.

“It’s no longer enough to expect potential clients to be reading publicity or press releases when they’re published,” Curran says. “We are lucky to enjoy a healthy degree of local public relations stories in areas where individuals concerned with families we help trace are located. But these stories need to be put to good use.”

He says that the company’s sales reps, for example, populate their social media profiles with articles on the business in order to gain trust. “You should also ask new or potential clients if they have seen recent relevant articles about the company; this helps provides trust, credibility and familiarity.

“On a recent taxi journey I took, the cabbie told me he’d heard me on a radio interview and referred me to a solicitor with a case which we were eventually given instruction on. Publicity helps, but promoting it once it’s live is just as important.”

Further Reading

Big Idea Entrepreneurs

Letting Go: How and when to delegate

Make yourself investable

To view the Introductory video for this module click HERE

‘Want to learn more? Register for NatWest Business Builder to view all of their business development tools. Click HERE‘

Rainy days and sunshine, the birth of an online accelerator

Written by Haze Carver on .

Magic Sauce

So, you’re probably wondering why we’re giving away free stuff and why we’re asking people to join a waiting list to get access to an online accelerator.

Our journey began a few years back as the only tech accelerator in the East of England. In that time we’ve been selective over the companies we’ve wanted to help, and the survival rate of those we’ve helped is fantastic at roughly 80%.

We focused on quality over quantity in that time, and we’ve made our mistakes. We’ve either tried to help companies that didn’t actually want or need investment, we’ve tried to help companies and we’ve discovered that the founder isn’t fully focused on the platform they’ve approached us to help with, and above all, there’s been an honest feedback loop between us and our startups.

We’ve always struggled though with the desire to reach more people in more recent times as we’ve become better at what we do. We’ve found that we don’t need people around us from 9-5 to get stuff done (founders need to focus on getting startup stuff done like meeting the people who’ll build the product, buy the product and invest in the product for example).

The CV19 pandemic meant we HAD to work differently because we were equity dependent, sponsors dried up (along with their money) and the accelerator wasn’t reaching enough people to help them on their journey. As much as that meant we had necessity to change how we worked, it also meant an opportunity to fulfil other aspects of our vision.

We wanted to democratise tech startup acceleration and we noticed the following on our journey:-

1. People who weren’t white, middle-aged men struggled to either join an accelerator or get invested

2. There were plenty of deck aggregation sites out there who’d feed your deck to waiting investors, but investors found quality lacking in favour of quantity

3. There was a lack of trust from front to back in the startup to investor journey and we wanted to change that through early definition of the ambition or ability to scale of a startup to help filter

4. The rise of ‘spin-off’ businesses meant that there was an underserved market of people who wanted to accelerate outside of 9-5 hours

5. We’ve talked to plenty of founders who’d prefer to pay cash for services rather than equity

6. We wanted to join a cap table from our own choice (and money reserves once built) as we think that would lend credibility as a lead investor 

7. We wanted to focus on tech platform businesses (SaaS/PaaS) as that’s what we’re best at, particularly B2B

8. Nobody wants to help companies with an idea and no money, so we wanted to provide a journey to help them that started with free stuff and graduated to our acceleration programme that’s designed to help people once they have a proof of concept and then get them to work through their strategy and investment proposition. Once that’s ready, they’ll get that deck in front of investors who want to see the type of thing they’re looking to scale.

9. We wanted to give something back, so we designed a way to get investors involved early in deck feedback and give something to charity as a result.

10. We wanted to offer expert advice from people who’ve been there and done it as part of the journey, and build a community so we can create our own online ecosystem of partners, founders and investors to share stories and tips.

Hence Magic Sauce was born in lockdown, and it’s worked so far (kinda virtual).

The next step on the journey is our own investment round to build and scale a platform that can allow people to accelerate their startup, discover its’ potential (or not) and get some key strategies nailed that will help them get to the next point in their journey. We want the platform up and running in the New Year, so get moving on that proof of concept and we’ll see you on the waiting list.

You can get in touch with Magic Sauce here

Kathy Ennis, LittlePiggy Ltd & 24 Degrees

Written by Haze Carver on .

Who we are26th Apr 2021

About Kathy Ennis and LittlePiggy

I became a Business Mentor because I know exactly how amazing it feels to start out on your own, armed with a big idea, a strong work ethic, and a head full of dreams. And, after 20+ years experience of running my own businesses, I also know how hard it can be to turn those dreams into a profitable business without advice, guidance and support.

As an Accredited Practitioner Mentor with the Association of Business Mentors, and an Accredited Master Mentor with the International Authority for Professional Coaching and Mentoring I have the qualifications to be able to help businesses at any stage of their development. But, more importantly, as someone who has had three businesses in the past 20 years I have the hands-on, business knowledge, experience and empathy necessary to understand and support business owners. They get their business mentoring from someone who has been there, done that and bought the T-shirt.

So, my role is simple. It’s to help business owners turn the passion they have for their products and services into a profitable business. The way I do that can be described as ‘a brain to pick, an ear to listen – and a push in the right direction’. Through discussion, direction and sometimes training I help busy business owners innovate, prioritise, and implement the changes that will make a difference.

As a Business Mentor I help business owners harness the Business in their business so it becomes less of a chore and more the rewarding experience it should be – both emotionally and financially.

We’re 24 Degrees.

24 Degrees is the brainchild of Kathy Ennis, Founder of Norfolk-based, business mentoring and training company, LittlePiggy and Emma Goode, Founder of the award-winning, Brentwood-based, digital marketing agency, 24 fingers.

Kathy has over 20 years of business experience and is an expert in helping businesses start-up, scale-up and turn their passion for their idea into a profitable business. As a successful Business Mentor and Trainer with 30+ years experience, Kathy has a no-nonsense, you can do it attitude. She specialises in enabling business owners to put the business into their business. Kathy knows that success and failure go hand-in-hand and that planning, processes and systems are the missing link between passion and profit.

With her team of expert content creators at 24 fingers, Emma works with companies who are all fingers and thumbs with their online marketing. She enables them to grow their business and brand through highly effective digital marketing. Whether that’s getting more leads from social, increasing brand awareness or engaging with customers, Emma’s 24 fingers help to add extra digits to a company’s bottom line.

 We think you may also find this interesting: Boost your business – top tips from a success business

You can view this blog and many others on the LittlePiggy website by clicking here

MIO Conferencing Solutions

Written by Haze Carver on .

Who We Are26th Apr 2021

Kay Daodu, Director
Kay Daodu, Director

I have over 15 years’ experience in both international business development and business management within the Unified Communications industry. I set up Mio Conferencing Solutions, providing SaaS (Software as a Service) services to corporates, with global clients across a wide range of industries; spanning 120 cities in 40 countries. I have worked with some of the industry leaders in Norfolk and dealt with global clients. I also hold BSc in Development Economics from SOAS, University of London and an MBA from University of East Anglia.

Mio Conferencing Solutions was given the Norfolk Future50 award for innovation and ambition in 2019, as well as being an active member of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce. This allows me to invest in local relationships and making the most of my connections in the region.

Whilst growing my company, I have also led an active life raising three young boys. Juggling the art of parenthood while running a successful business has certainly required me to be disciplined and highly motivated. I believe this to be a skill that has been helped by my background as a rugby player in my university days as well as being a keen cyclist to this day.

Phone: 07877497601

Email: kay@miocommunications.co.uk

LinkedIn

Six New Year Business Resolutions You Should Make for 2021

Written by Haze Carver on .

Kathy Ennis, LittlePiggy

Apparently, the older we get, the less likely we are to make new year’s resolutions. Perhaps it’s because the longer we live, the more we understand how those vague resolutions to lose weight or stop smoking are doomed to fail! But what about making New Year business resolutions?

From a business point of view, making resolutions can be a much more positive experience, giving us an immediate sense of focus as we head into dreary January.

To help get you started, here are six of my favourite new year business resolutions that should help get your mo-jo working in January. 

Oh, and by the way, I’ve tested them all myself in the years gone by, and I’m happy to say I’ve kept each one!

1. REALLY Get to Know Your Customer

Relax. I’m not advising you to follow customers home, or stalk them online.

Just take a few moments to think about your ideal customer – in detail. 

Where are they likely to live? How old are they? What kind of work do they do? Have they got a family, or a favourite pet?

Understanding who your ideal customer is will help you find the best ways to approach them, so you don’t end up wasting time and that hard-earned marketing budget on content that doesn’t work.

2. Be Where Your Customers Are!

Here’s another question: what social media platforms do your ideal customers use?

For example, there’s no point in you composing snappy tweets, taking umpteen selfies for Insta and creating chatty Facebook posts about your business, if the people most likely to buy from you are on LinkedIn!

Do your research, but don’t forget to check your analytics, too. You’ll need to keep monitoring your social media activity, to make sure it’s reaching the right people at the right time.

3. Help Customers Get to Know You

Being consistent goes a long way to building lasting trust and rapport. 

So, make sure all your content speaks with the same voice, in a style and tone your business naturally uses.  Your profile pictures also need to be easily recognisable across all platforms.

4. Don’t Rely on Happy Accidents!

Fate is a wonderful ingredient in a romantic film. But if we want the best chance of success in real life, we have to plan.

That means knowing what you want to achieve, then setting goals that allow you to work purposefully towards it. 

(If you’re thinking, “why should I plan anything, when 2020 was so unpredictable?” having goals in place means you can simply adjust them to reach your target, rather than going into ‘headless chicken’ mode!)

5. Create Reusable Content

My marketing motto of, “write it once, use it many times” has to go down as one of the biggest time-savers in business!

Examples include re-posting seasonal content, or chopping an old blog post up into bite-sized posts and content for ‘Lives’. 

You could also turn your videos into podcasts, or a Facebook post into an engaging infographic (for this, you might find wonder-sites like Canva helpful!)

6. Measure Everything!

As the famous quote goes, “you can’t manage what you don’t measure.”

Measuring the results of your marketing will help you avoid the common business trap of creating content you enjoy, rather than content that attracts and engages customers.

Instead of posting into the dark, regularly checking your website stats and social media analytics will help you focus on what works, so you can ditch what doesn’t.

If you need more help planning content, my Big Social Media Marketing Organiser will whip you into shape in no time at all!

Meanwhile, if you need some help taking your brilliant ideas from passion to profit, why not book a complimentary, half-hour Breakthrough Session, and get 2021 off to a purposeful start?

Connect with Your Customers Instantly: With the Google My Business Messaging Feature

Written by Haze Carver on .

Help improve your response time and customer relations

Nu Image

Certain means of contact such as telephone calls and emails aren’t always the most reliable. For instance, emails have limited access, requiring Wi-Fi or an internet connection. What’s more, businesses may be too busy or unable to answer a phone call. This can often represent a missed opportunity if the customer forgets to ring back or leave a voicemail. Admittedly, texting would cover a few of these implications as it can be sent whenever and sits in the receiver’s phone until they look at it. However, texting isn’t deemed professional in the working world and this is where Google My Business’ new messaging feature could step in…

 What is the new Google My Business messaging feature?

In the words of the search engine giant themselves: “Google My Business messaging allows customers viewing your listing to message you directly. Respond to questions, share information, and quickly connect, for free.”

 What industries would this feature work best for?

This feature will work best for small businesses who interact personally with their customers and clients. This includes businesses such as hairdressers, taxi services, and car garages.

Typically, businesses such as these will benefit most as they’re able to answer customer queries relating to the business and find out more detailed information about what the customer needs. Instant contact also means their less wasted time that comes hand in hand with the delayed back and forth of email and missed phone calls.

On top of this, small businesses target clientele in their local area for the most part and will have the scope to answer questions from customers who live or are visiting the area. National companies may not have the knowledge of everyone’s local area to answer their questions accurately, so this could well present a golden opportunity for smaller businesses.

 What is required to do this?

With this being a Google product, for the time being it’s only available to Android users. If you do own an Android device, the first requirement is to download the Google My Business app from Google Play or the App Store.

From here, it’s simple. All you need to do is open the location in your Google My Business account that you wish to manage messaging through, tap the ‘Customers’ tab and select ‘Turn on’ under ‘Messages’. You can also turn these off here, as well as delete or block any unwanted messages.

Once you’ve turned on this option for your Google My Business location, users will be able to see the ‘Message’ button within your listing. It can be found close to the ‘Call’ and ‘Website’ buttons.

Upon setting up this feature, there are various aspects to bear in mind:

  • You will receive notifications whenever a user contacts the company, so there’s no need to worry about missing messages.
  • It is possible to create an automated welcome message to ensure customers are aware that you’re active and likely to respond when given the chance.
  • Anyone who has access to your Google My Business location will be able to respond to messages – make sure you’re happy for everyone who has access to do this.
  • Customers will be able to see the profile name and photo of whichever Google account user responds to their message – ensure everyone has a professional and appropriate selection for these.

 What does this mean for your other means of contact?

Whilst many customers, particularly younger audiences, may be quite taken with using this approach, there will be customers who prefer to speak to someone about their query or who need to carry out research on your website first.

Although it certainly seems that Google is constantly introducing new features to Google My Business that could make some aspects of your website redundant, your website is still the best platform for users to find out more information about your services and products. Once a user lands on your website, they’re unlikely to return to your Google My Business listing in order to contact you.

For now, we would look at the messaging feature on Google My Business as an addition to your current means of contact, helping to improve your response time and customer relationships.

Cyber Security Needs A Strategy

Written by Haze Carver on .

Keep your business safe onlineCyberScale

Many organisations are great at thinking strategically when it comes to their overall business but neglect to follow the same approach when it comes to Cyber Security, instead employing tactical “solutions” – or none at all.

This is a key reason why despite having made some investment in Cyber Security, organisations frequently suffer financial loss and/or reputational damage due to hacks, ransomware or other types of malware that somehow seem to circumvent the measures they have in place.

Over the last few years, technology, and our reliance on it to run our businesses has changed significantly and continues to do so fast. That brings enormous opportunities -but also new risks. As we rely more on technology, and particularly Data, so we suffer more if that data is unavailable or compromised. Compromise to the Confidentiality of data (think Personal Data under GDPR particularly) can lead to reputational damage as well as trouble from the ICO. There are many ways in which this can happen.

Our reliance on data and technology used to be less, and it used to be more straight forward to protect, before the advent of cloud-based file sharing, tablet and mobile phone access and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device).

Like many things, you can approach Security strategically, or tactically.

An effective Cyber Security strategy needs to:

  • Be based on the risks to your business
  • Focused on the Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability of Data and Systems
  • Consider People, Process and Technology
  • Consider ALL of the copies of data
  • Evolve, constantly
  • Include a plan to deal with incidents and breaches

The Cyber Security of many organisations is more tactical in nature, frequently based on technical solutions only. This leads to many gaps, which not only leave them vulnerable to ever evolving Cyber Threats, but also would likely fail the test of “appropriate” measures in the event of an investigation following a Personal Data Breach (if you’re not familiar with Article 32 of GDPR, check it out). 

Common reasons for this include:

  • Belief that Cyber Security is just an “IT Problem” (Hint: It’s a BUSINESS problem)
  • IT Security that has grown “organically” over time rather than to a plan
  • Focus on Technical Solutions only (ignoring key things like policies and processes, user training and business continuity planning)
  • Lack of investment (Time, money, skills)

So, What Next?

If you haven’t started approaching your Cyber Security strategically yet, here’s a quick outline of steps:

  • Understand what data you have and where
  • Understand what, and who accesses it
  • Consider the threats (and weakest links)
  • Assess the risks and impacts to your business (and to Personal Data)
  • Plan to reduce, mitigate (or accept, where appropriate), the risk accordingly
  • Document those decisions
  • Implement the plan, record progress, and evolve

Whether you’re looking at Cyber Security because of GDPR or because your clients are asking more questions around how you secure data they share with you, or just because you’ve become more aware of the risks to your business, the important thing is to get started!

Start to assess where you are. If you need help just with that piece, an initial Cyber Security Assessment or audit can cover this for you.

Build a plan; start with simple steps and incorporate some quick wins to reduce your risks quickly. We’ll cover some common ones in another blog. Include an Incident and Breach response plan.

Doing something is better than doing nothing. Once you get started, you’ll start to build momentum, and all the time you’ll be gradually reducing your risk.

XLwerks projects a bright future for mixed reality with Trimble XR10

Written by Haze Carver on .

James Lee Studio

XLwerks is an architectural design practice based in Norwich (UK) that was conceived as a collaborative concept. In this brainchild of founder James Lee Burgess, a team of architects, urban planners, sustainability experts, interior designers and technology experts works together on urban planning and designs, interior landscapes and future-proof buildings. Focus is on collaboration, innovation and technology, all leading to integral sustainable designs.

“Our collaborative mindset, combined with a high level of technology adoption, enables us to tackle sizable and complex projects with a small core team,” says Lee. “As a team we are constantly looking for solutions that help us to not only deliver better design work, but also enhance our customers’ involvement and engagement in the design process.” For XLwerks, collaboration also means making the client an integral part of the process. And it is this set of qualities that has made the company move into mixed reality content design.

Mixed reality

To bring its designs to life for its clients, XLwerks acquired two Microsoft Hololens and two Trimble XR10 mixed reality devices. The XR10 is developed on Microsoft’s Hololens 2 technology and features holographic glasses mounted on a standard type hardhat. It is the only safety-certified HoloLens device available. The wearer can view and interact with 3D designs projected as an overlay over the real world. Head tracking and eye tracking makes for high accuracy, a microphone and a Bluetooth headset with bone-conduction enables two-way communication with the office. Gesture control enables the user to truly interact with models stored in the cloud and accessed through Trimble Connect for HoloLens software.

Collaborative design

XLwerks launched a program called ConstructXR, a mixed reality program, and under that umbrella is working on a collaborative design project, the Digi-Tech Factory (DTF) Building for City College in Norwich. The DTF is designed to be an inspirational facility for digital skills development for students of Norwich and beyond. The new four floor building will be instrumental in the continued growth of regional digital education provision. The college is keen to play a key role in delivering innovative, industry-standard learning. It has developed a digital skills curriculum with strong input from employers from the region.

From brief to handover

“ConstructXR is delivering training to project partners in the use of the mixed reality devices and the Trimble Connect for Hololens, demonstrating its capabilities in the design process: from the initial brief stage up until final handover of the building. We’re all about continually improving the practical implementation of Mixed Reality as there is an enormous potential in terms of project efficiency and transparency. We are recording our findings to overcome challenges faced onsite and highlighting where potential improvements can be made.”

On the Digi-Tech project, XLwerks works with the whole design team (RG Carter Construction, Coffey Architects, Clear Consulting and Design and Clancy Consulting) bringing their 3D design to life through mixed reality. The designs are all stored in the Building Information Model (BIM) and with the help of Trimble Connect for HoloLens, the designs are available on site at scale. All this helps the contractors on the project to get a feel for the building and its scale. Their feedback is logged for future reference while they virtually travel through the construction project, which is helpful in getting the design fine tuned.

Engagement boost

Lee, “What we find is that design professionals, once they get into the technology – which takes only about 15-20 minutes – are without exception enthusiastic about the possibilities.” On the Norwich Castle Museum renovation project, another construct.XR project that the Trimble XR10 is being used on, XLwerks gave Conisbee Structural Engineers the possibility to see their steel structure design come to life in the real world through mixed reality. Norwich Castle Keep, the five-level structure at the heart of the bigger castle complex, is a twelfth-century castle. It is being maintained and managed by the Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service. In this project, part of the bigger Gateway to Medieval England initiative, all five floors of the Castle Keep will be opened up and made accessible through a steel structure with staircases and walks. Visitors will then be able to see the Castle Keep as it looked at the time when it was a Norman medieval palace

To-Do list

Seeing their design projected as a mixed reality overlay of the real-world situation with Trimble XR10, the structural engineers could immediately put in their to-do items in the design. The museum client meanwhile got to see an impression of the finished product and got a real feel for what the end result would look like, which Lee says helped tremendously in terms of engagement. Conisbee have since asked XLwerks to assist them further with the coordination of the steel structure with the existing fabric.

Game changer

XLwerks, through its digital collaboration business strategy, believes the Trimble XR10 to be a real game-changer in the field of construction. The company already was an avid user of Trimble’s SketchUp 3D design software, and with the XR10 now has a novel way to quickly present 3D design concepts to clients. The possibilities for the mixed reality technology stretch far beyond construction alone. XLWerks is now exploring the possibilities of using the Trimble XR10 in marketing initiatives and is training firms to use the technology as well. Lee concludes, “There is a huge potential for technology like this in different areas, anywhere where you want to present a customer with an idea and have them truly interact with the concept in a penetrating way.”

You can view the original article here on Trimble

Get in touch with James Lee Works

Cyber threats (and criminals) don’t care that you’re a small business

Written by Haze Carver on .

Cyber Scale

Be smart about your online safety

All too often when speaking with small business owners, we hear how Cyber Security is not a major concern.

Cyber Criminals only go for targeted attacks against big organisations with huge assets and valuable data right?

Why should a small business choose to spend any of its valuable and limited time, money and resources on Cyber Security? Surely it would be better to focus on operating and growing the business, instead of just mitigating a risk that isn’t deemed to be much of a risk in the first place?

Well what if attacks aren’t targeted at all? What if launching a Cyber Attack against your small business and thousands more like it was only as much ‘bother’ as clicking a button? What if you don’t fully appreciate what your data is worth? What if the easiest way of attacking big corporations to get at their valuable data is by attacking a smaller business in its supply chain- a small business where Cyber Security is not a major concern??

Unfortunately, this is the reality of the Cyber Threat landscape your business is facing today, and regardless of the size of the organisation you need to make sure that Cyber Security is firmly on your radar.

Not convinced? Let’s look at some facts.

  • Small businesses are typically less protected and less security-aware than larger businesses and therefore ‘low-hanging fruit’ for Cyber Criminals to pick off at will
  • Data is where the real value is today (particularly financial data) and every business large or small holds data. Data for employees, data for customers, data for suppliers… you don’t want to be the ‘weak link’ in any supply chain you may be involved with by letting attackers in
  • The majority of Cyber Attacks are not targeted at all. Most Ransomware and phishing attacks are actually automated ‘scattergun’ attacks, fired indiscriminately at whatever mailing list or list of web domains an attacker decides to choose that day.

Bottom line, you don’t actually need to be a target to be hit with an attack.

Still not convinced? Okay, well consider this: Cyber Security for small businesses isn’t just about mitigating risk, it’s about gaining a competitive edge.

You can be sure that the majority of larger organisations are fully aware of the Cyber Security risks they face and are fully focussed on mitigating that long list of risks as far as possible. You can also be sure that near the top of that list is the supply chain.

Big businesses are now more often than not seeking to ensure that Cyber Security is a concern for any company they do business with, no matter the size. Many are now demanding that existing and potential suppliers prove, and can demonstrate compliance with security standards such as Cyber Essentials or ISO 27001- just to even be considered as a business partner. This means that a significant deciding factor in retaining contracts, winning tenders and even just building a relationship of trust with clients and suppliers could be down to how Cyber Secure that business is.

Having robust and demonstrable security policies in place show that your business has taken steps to protect not only its own interests but those of clients and suppliers alike- and that is precisely what companies are looking for when choosing partners or suppliers to engage with. If your business can’t show this consideration then you risk losing out to competitors who can, and if nothing else then surely that is a risk that every business owner can understand.

With this potential loss of business, financial fallout of an attack potentially running into the thousands, loss of confidence in your business and all that potential reputational damage, how long can your business afford to ignore the risk?

It’s best not to wait to find out. The good news is, there is plenty of free information around to help you improve your cyber security position and get ahead of the game (and your competitors). The NCSC site from the UK government is one good place to start but here are plenty of others, take a look.

Above all, if you own a small business, don’t be one of the reported 60% of business owners who assume they’re not at risk. Don’t bury your head in the sand and don’t miss out on an opportunity to grow your business, and set it apart from the competition.  Doing something is better than doing nothing, and the best time to do something is before your business becomes just another statistic. So, start today.

Hethel Innovation – Beginners’ PR for Ethical Entrepreneurs

Written by Haze Carver on .

PR Coach & Strategist Elma Glasgow

Become your own ‘PR star’ in the new year with the help of online course creator, PR coach and strategist Elma Glasgow

If you joined us for our ‘Introduction To PR’ workshop back in October you’ll be familiar with the brilliant Suffolk-based PR consultant, Elma Glasgow, as she gave us a rundown of what it takes to create successful PR for your business.

When starting a business or even a few years down the line, it can be an ongoing struggle to stay on top of outward processes that your customers and followers see. Having good PR can do wonders for your brand, from boosting awareness to having better transparency with your audience, however many SMEs don’t have the time or resources to apply themselves fully.

It’s clear from scrolling through media outlets that the trending focus is becoming more and more interested in ethical issues, which is great for ethical businesses. From climate change and environmentalism to access to food and racial equality; more businesses are expected to show what they’re doing to combat these issues. Once again, smaller companies typically find it harder to respond and get their expertise and stories across. Enter Elma!

For ethical entrepreneurs who want to put more thought into their PR but don’t know how, Elma’s soon to be launched ‘Beginners’ PR for Ethical Entrepreneurs’ business courses are the perfect place to start. Having over 25 years’ experience working freelance and in-house with agencies, Elma’s passion is working with brands and experts who share the same goal in having a positive impact on the world, with much of her focus surrounding arts, charities, ethical and well-being brands.

The two courses designed for the ethical sector are set to launch on Monday 11th January. They will provide businesses with key PR skills to secure their own media coverage, which will help their business grow and have a greater impact. Both courses offer similar content, with one course offering the added benefit of live coaching sessions from Elma to help deepen learning.

Check out this fantastic testimonial from just one former student, already reaping the rewards from their new PR skills!

Make sure to get in touch with Elma to sign up for your chosen course and sign up to her newsletters which are bursting with news, advice and carefully selected media opportunities.

Take a look at what events Hethel Innovation has coming up in 2021 or contact us if you need support with your business at info@hethelinnovation.com.

Business-to-Business (B2B) Marketing Trends for 2020

Written by Haze Carver on .

Full Mix Marketing

Is 2020 a Pivotal Year for B2B?

As B2B marketing specialists, we thought we’d look at some of the trends in B2B marketing which may influence all businesses in 2020.

Though not every development will be applicable, there are national and global trends in B2B marketing that small and medium business can capitalise upon too in the year ahead.

Marketing Personalisation

Direct marketing has long been one of the most important and effective tactics of B2B marketing. In 2020, the rise of personalised marketing is set to increase.

Today’s consumers expect a lot from the brands they interact with. B2B relationships are becoming no different, as business buyers begin to anticipate the same level of personalisation they receive from B2C brands like Amazon and Netflix.

Increased personalisation means the content of marketing materials is tailored to the individual target organisation and their interests, activity and interactions with your business. The more personalised the method, frequency and message, the greater the results. For example, emails with personalised subject lines are 29.3% more likely to be opened.

‘Hyper-targeting’ may become one of the buzzwords of 2020. It is used to identify the perfect person within a business to target and seeks to understand their values, aspirations, attitudes and selection triggers. Whether sending emails, mailers, social media messages, presentations or proposals, it’s best to find the specific decision maker you need and devise something relatable to refer to in your message.

Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

In 2020, the zenith of personalised B2B marketing may be Account-Based Marketing.

To become more efficient and effective, B2B marketers will expend energy selling to those customers they know would truly benefit from their product or service, rather than speculatively marketing to a broad audience. Online marketing is more targeted, sales pitches are more refined and relationships are more carefully nurtured. Each interaction has a defined purpose and clear objective.

For B2B firms who sell products or services which have a long sales cycle, or involve many stakeholders and decision -makers, Account-Based Marketing represents a more effective way to generate new business.

A 2017 report claimed 87% of B2B marketers said Account-Based Marketing had led to their largest return-on-investment. If you know exactly who you are targeting, your product is high-value and the sales gestation period is long, you should consider Account-Based Marketing.

B2B Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing has long been a feature of B2C marketing with celebrities, experts and social media stars all affecting buying behaviour.

In 2020, similar tactics may see another incremental increase in B2B marketing though the tactics are different.

Businesses aren’t looking for celebrity testimonials but do appreciate reliable, authoritative and research-backed evidence and opinion of why they should choose a particular product, service or supplier. Customer testimonials and case studies help to influence decision making, as do referrals from current and past clients.

The newest trend is for podcasts where B2B organisations provide entertaining and informative video or audio content which subtly introduces their product and expertise. These are likely to increase in 2020 and can be a powerful tactic for small and medium businesses too.

Longer-Form Content Marketing

Content (in the form of blogs and written articles) has long been an important B2B tactic to grab attention, attract customers and prove your business’s skills and leadership.

For many years, convention has been that content should be short, immediate and to-the-point. 85% of content published on the web contains less than 1000 words. However, articles with more than 1000 words gain much greater engagement and SEO benefits. For 2020, the trend may increasingly be for longer content that is of more value.

Readers who feeling overwhelmed by endless blogs and articles are increasingly finding long-form content better researched, more analytic and more valuable. Google too favours long form content for SEO on the assumption that the information within it is more useful and reliable.

Longer content (over 1,000 words) can put off readers who want quick answers to easy questions. However, these people are generally less likely to be future customers. The remainder tend to have a more genuine interest in your ideas, products or expertise – and are willing to invest their time to gain valuable information.

B2B marketers are moving away from making accessing valuable content (reports and guides etc) subject to completing a sign up or contact form. Gated content deters many, restricts reach and many businesses then fail to use the contact details effectively anyway. People who submit their details often cannot be relied upon to be good leads. As content marketing becomes more important in B2B marketing, the mindset is to distribute content far and wide without restriction.

Video Content

As in 2019, next year is likely to see B2B marketers increasingly turning to interactive visual and video content to better engage their target customers.

A HubSpot survey found 81% of businesses use video content and 74% of business people say they’ve made a purchase after watching another company’s video.

Short-form videos for use on websites and social media are seeing greater use across B2B businesses of all sizes. Other visual content, such as infographics, motion graphics and animations are also becoming more prominent and frequently used to explain products, processes and complex information.

In 2020, this is also likely to lead to greater use of social channels – such as LinkedIn, Facebook and even Instagram – to share video content with other businesses.

Social Selling

In 2020, social selling may become a wider tactic in B2B marketing.

LinkedIn in particular has over a half a billion members, of which 40 million are decision-makers and 61 million are senior level influencers.

Social selling takes advantage of the fact that if you’re active on LinkedIn and other platforms, you’re most likely already connected to individuals who could be your business’s next customers. Social selling simply means prospecting for leads through already built and trusted relationships and LinkedIn is typically the most effective way to do so for B2B.

Employee Advocacy

In 2020, B2B businesses may increasingly encourage – and even incentivise – employees to represent their brand and showcase it to the world.

The most common type of employee advocacy is employees using social media to share and endorse content from their organisation with their own networks.

Only 17% of firms say they currently use such tactics but those who do claim it leads to increased attraction, shorter sales cycles, new revenue streams and more growth.

Experiential Marketing and Immersive Events

Live events such as trade shows and conferences have long been a staple of B2B marketing. Despite of the importance of digital marketing, many B2B marketers consistently rank live events as the strongest tactic for converting leads into new clients.

Live events have evolved hugely in B2C marketing and B2B may follow in 2020. Whether at trade shows, exhibitions, seminars or social events, companies will need to give their audience something memorable that will raise emotions and build relationships.

Tactics and technologies which may become more mainstream in B2B include:

  • Creative scenic design which moves away from the tradition pop-up stand and table to a more staged trade show presence with lighting, visual displays and comfy furniture
  • 3D projection of images, video or graphics onto walls and surfaces to create a more immersive experience
  • Interactivity, AR and VR using digital technology to deliver new experiences and information as visitors explore your trade show presence

Website Design and Optimisation

Counter to the recent focus on content market, client experiences and account-based marketing, many B2B firms may once again focus on their website in 2020.

Almost all B2B marketing brings prospective customers to your website. As all modern websites up their game, a B2B website should thus serve as a platform for differentiation, thought-leadership, business development and attracting talented staff – all whilst delivering a great user experience.

In 2020, firms many approach their website redesign or update differently by focusing squarely on their audience and building around the user, not the firm.

SEO will continue to be more critical than ever in competing for online visitors as Google and other search engines become the first port of call for most B2B buyers. The focus of SEO will again include page speed optimisation, mobile-first design and improved security.

Voice-Generated SEO

With the rise of smart speakers and other interactive devices, more people than ever may turn to Alexa, Siri or Cortana for internet searches in 2020.

Google recently released a ‘speak-able schema mark-up’ which allows web designers to nominate sections of their content to respond to voice activated searches. Though still in early development, it’s an area which will play an important role on B2C marketing and trickle down into B2B.

While B2C marketers have been using artificial intelligence (AI) for a while, B2B has been slower to react. With benefits including better insights, detailed analysis, prospect identification, hyper-targeting, content personalisation and automation, it may also become a rising feature of B2B marketing in 2020.

Is 2020 a Pivotal Year for B2B?

Though B2B marketing is always evolving, 2020 may very well become a notable year for a shift towards personalised direct marketing, longer and more valuable content marketing and greater focus on business’s websites as critical to success.

You Want a Successful Business?

Written by Haze Carver on .

Kathy Ennis, LittlePiggy

Follow These Seven Golden Rules

You’re here because you want a successful business, right?

Well, let me start by asking you this. What’s the difference between a successful, profit-making business owner, and one who struggles to pay the bills?

Successful Entrepreneurs Do Their Homework

If you answered that the successful business owner is prepared, you’re right!

The popular myth surrounding top entrepreneurs is that they are talented and intuitive mavericks who fly by the seat of their pants.

But in reality, successful businesspeople prepare. They research their industry, their market, their competition, and their own offer… so when an opportunity arises, they can grab it with both hands.

To the casual observer, these opportunities seem like risks. To the entrepreneur, they are calculated business moves!

The Seven Golden Rules of Business Success

If you want to be a successful business owner, you’ll have to constantly question your assumptions. Not just about your chosen industry and the market you’re operating in, but your own offer.

Each of the Golden Rules below contains a set of essential questions to ask yourself, so you can help lessen uncertainty and risk and do more of what works…

…all of which will, ultimately, help you increase your business profit.

1. It’s All About Outcomes, Not Inputs

You’ve got a great business idea, and you work hard. Surely that’s enough to make a profit?

Factors like these are important, but they won’t generate success on their own. Business success is all about creating outputs for the customer, rather than inputs from you, the business owner.

Turn your focus to the people who are most likely to buy your product or service. Why would they? How, exactly, will it benefit them?

2. Don’t Make Your Business ‘Fit’ a Customer, Decide Who Your Customer Is

‘One size fits all’ isn’t a successful business strategy, so you’ll have to get specific about what works for your target customer (and forget the rest!)

First, ask yourself who they are. Then, why would they buy from you, rather than someone else? What else do they need, and how might you provide it?

Analyse your offer in detail. Are there other customer groups who could benefit from your product or service? Who are they, and where will you find them?

3. Know Your Competition (Then Do It Better!)

Many businesspeople have to steel themselves to look at what their competitors are up to. What if they’re more successful?

But understanding who else is out there, doing what you do, is a golden opportunity for you to do it better!

So, take a deep breath, and get researching. Where are your competitors, and what exactly do they do? 

How does your product or service compare… are there any tweaks you could use to make it better, or more unique?

4. Understand Your Market

You may have heard of SWOT and PESTLE before.

If not, they are extremely useful tools you can use to analyse and understand your business market. 

SWOT helps you identify Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats for your business, while PESTLE looks at Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental impacts in the wider market.

Start by grabbing a piece of paper, and try to list at least two thoughts under each heading. 

If you need any help with this, why not book a Breakthrough Session so we can talk about it?

5. Ensure You Are Pricing for Profit, Not How Much You Think They Will Pay

Pricing can be one of the toughest decisions business owners make. 

But there are some questions that will help you find the right price points. First: which of your products or services make the most profit? Could you raise the price on those now? Which ones could you increase the prices for over time?

Don’t forget to analyse the purchasing patterns of your ideal customer, so you can feel confident about providing them with the right product or service, at the right price.

6. Make Friends With Your Numbers

Do you know how many customers you need to meet your annual turnover target?

(In my experience, it’s surprising how many business owners don’t!)

If not, get a calculator and start crunching those numbers.

You should also think about how much your business costs to run – things like website maintenance, marketing, and professional memberships all count. 

Your financial targets should consider the amount you need to make in order to both cover these costs, and have some money to live on.

7. If It’s Not Working – Ditch It

Now it’s time for some brutal honesty!

Go through your products and services. Are any of them under-performing?

If so, they should be dropped, NOW.

Getting rid of ‘dead wood’ means you can give your time and energy to the products and services that your customers love the most (and the ones that make you the most profit!)

What Next?

Although this is by no means an exhaustive list, following these Golden Rules should help you plan and prepare for business success.

If you need help answering some of the questions, why not book a complimentary, half-hour Breakthrough Session, and we can talk them through together?