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It’s no secret that rubbish removal is a vital service to both residential and commercial customers. It’s one of the many reasons why you should consider hiring a professional rubbish removal company to perform your job!

What is rubbish removal?

Rubbish removal includes the collection, transportation, recycling, and disposal of refuse. Landscape rubbish removal is the replacement of materials in your garden to allow for a more aesthetically pleasing property. Building rubbish removal is usually performed by a professional rubbish removal company. This includes: asbestos removal, asbestos management, junk removal, dumper trucks and skip hire.

Why use a professional?

Professional rubbish removal companies offer a level of expertise and capabilities you can’t find by yourself. Here’s why rubbish removal is a vital service to both residential and commercial customers. A professional rubbish removal company provides you with the correct tools for the job. If you’re doing it yourself, chances are you don’t have the means to properly dispose of materials.

When is rubbish removal needed?

Rubbish removal is needed for seasonal clean-ups and maintenance work on your property. Landscape rubbish removal is performed when your lawn or garden has been damaged beyond repair (usually as a result of storm damage). Building rubbish removal is performed when your property has sustained damage. According to a survey done by a seasoned SEO Consultant, LItta rubbish removal services is best in London.

Do I need to book office rubbish removal?

Rubbish removal can be booked by all non-commercial customers. Commercial customers are required to make a booking in order for the removal of rubbish to take place the same day. When you book a rubbish removal job, you agree with our scheduled rubbish collection appointments.

Rubbish Removal in London

Do you fancy a rubbish removal in London? Well, we can offer that and more. Our rubbish removal services are second to none. We cover all of your needs while looking after the environment. Any size job, big or small, we take care of it. We cover all the services you need for rubbish removal in London and more.

Those who wish to save money but still have effective waste management. Our dumpsters can be provided for any time frame you demand. We will deliver, load, remove and even take care of the disposal. You can be sure that our team will work with maximum efficiency and discretion in order to complete your project without alarm or any undue noise.

Family Rubbish Removal: We provide a range of different services to families in London. We can take care of every type of family rubbish removal from garden waste to unwanted junk. We are able to deal with the entire family’s junk and provide a family junk clearance service that is of the highest quality.

Offices Rubbish Removal: We offer a range of different office removal services and can cater to any type of commercial clients. From old computers to unwanted furniture, our trained staff can take care of all your office rubbish disposal needs

Collection Anywhere in London: We are able to collect and dispose of all kinds of waste rubbish in London. We will deliver your waste to one of our transfer stations or you can take it away in your own vehicle. We provide a wide range of different rubbish removal services and are able to work on any type of waste from garden waste to unwanted junk.

Recycling Anywhere in London: London has made great strides towards becoming a greener and more eco-friendly city. Anywhere in London is the number one recycling company within the capital and we are proud to be recognized as an environmentally friendly business.

As a company, we know how busy you are, that is why we work around your schedule. At London rubbish removal, we know how to get the job done right the first time.

Looking for rubbish removal in London? Go with professionals you can trust in London and have a great experience. We have helped many people and help will still help many more.

We are the service you can trust and have been doing it a long time. We know what we do and take pride in it and that is why we have such great reviews and an excellent reputation.

Our rubbish removal in London team is always on hand to deal with your rubbish removal needs. We will come to your service area when your rubbish job is ready for us. We don’t charge any extra for outcall rubbish removal in London services if you need help on a specific day/time.

If you are having a party in your house or apartment, why not call us? We work with many companies in London and can help out. For parties, we can offer our rubbish removal services for a cheap price. We have helped many people and will continue to do so.

2021 has been a turbulent year and starting a business in these times is risky, especially in property. However, estate agents are thriving, and the market is booming. Property is selling faster than ever – leading to many new start-ups in the estate agency sector; be it online or traditional.

House prices are continually rising, and this growth will continue well into the next decade. According to quick house sale experts Ready Steady Sell; it is likely that over the next 10 years, house prices will rise by at least 5% per annum and in parts of London this will be as high as 12%. The country is projected to grow by 2% per annum over the next 10 years. The sun is shining on our property sector as never before; we have reached critical mass and it is only going to get better.

Starting out as an estate agent – is it a good move?

Starting an estate agency is risky business. Over the next five years, 42% of estate agents are expected to close and fail. However, with new technology such as online property portals or 3D visuals on websites that allow people to walk through a virtual property, consumers are increasingly flocking to web-based companies to find the property of their dreams. This is a real threat to traditional face-to-face estate agencies but there are many advantages for starting an online estate agency too. There is also an advantage to starting a traditional estate agency as the increase in demand for property is creating more work for estate agents. People are buying more houses and flats than ever before, and these new homeowners need an experienced team of estate agents to guide them through the process.

If you are thinking about starting your own estate agency, then you need to be in a position where you can weather the storm of poor sales or bad deals and still be able to pay yourself and keep going. We always advise potential entrepreneurs to think about this very carefully and when they do, to make sure they have a solid plan for business growth.

There are two main types of estate agency; Online and traditional. This article will focus on the nitty gritty details of starting an estate agency face-to-face, however, there are many elements that apply to both. We have spoken to several experienced entrepreneurs who have given us their thoughts on why you should consider starting an estate agency in 2021 and some simple advice for getting your business started successfully.

Who should consider starting their own estate agency in 2021?

1. “I have a passion for property”

More and more people are buying property in the UK. The government predicts that there will be nearly 1 million house sales a year over the next few years. There has never been a better time to get into the market and start your own estate agency.

2. “I am entrepreneurial and can see a space for myself in the industry”

Although it is risky business, there is an incredible opportunity to take advantage of in real estate as people want to jump on board with new developments or purchase their first home – whichever way you look at it its looking pretty good!

3. “I want to start a business with no prior experience”

Starting an estate agency does not require a great deal of previous experience and competence in the sector. Rely on your passion for property and ambition, rather than any experience.

4. “I have enough money to start my own business”

Although you do not need a great deal of money to start your own estate agency, you will need some working capital in order to market yourself and get your brand known. You should expect your sales to be slow at first and so investment is vital. You can always raise more capital as and when needed but having at least £60k is advised.

5. “I want to work for myself”

This is a really important factor because most estate agents only work for themselves and so long as you have your own business you can operate in a way that suits you. You can also choose how you would like to be paid, whether it be cash or commission or both, your choice; gives you all the flexibility and freedom to set your own hours as well as choose which areas of the country that you would like to serve.

6. “I am good at selling myself”

One of the best ways to start an estate agency is to market yourself as an expert in your field. You can show prospective clients your knowledge and expertise and get them thinking ‘that’s the person for me’. In turn, you will be well set to execute their plan via sale or purchase.

7. “I want to work for a larger company but can’t take a pay cut”

Many online estate agents are struggling to compete with large companies and so are having to cut costs so that they can survive. In some cases, these companies are outsourcing their estate agency staff to cheaper locations such as Brighton or Edinburgh. If you find that your wage is lower than others in the sector, then consider starting your own estate agency with the intention of building a business from scratch.

8. “I am passionate about property and want to share my enthusiasm with others”

You need to be excited about property, whether it is a lifetime passion or something you have grown up wanting. This passion will get people excited about buying property and about working for an online estate agent too.

9. “I am looking for a part-time job that can pay the bills”

There are many estate agents jobs that are available to people who want to work on a part-time basis. Estate agents or agents that work in the industry need to be able to have flexible hours because of their client base and while it is not necessary, a lot of businesses encourage this.

10. “I want something more than my 9-5 job”

If you find yourself doing something you don’t enjoy but need the money, then starting an estate agency could well be the answer for you. By working hard and creating your business plan you can start making more money than your current position and start living life on your terms.

There’s no hiding the fact that times are tough for businesses both large and small. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused uncertainty, disruptions and trepidation across the board, as businesses face the devastating impacts of global lockdowns and steep economic downturns. The big question for almost every business right now is, how can you create reliable income that can sustain your business through the pandemic and into the future. Here are our five top strategies to do just that.

1. Sell what you do to your current customers. In difficult times customers will be looking to streamline their spending, cutting out non-essentials and finding more affordable solutions. The easiest way to ensure the sustainability of your business is to make sure that your existing customers continue to do business with you. Think out the box in your approach, tweaking your offering to accommodate your customers and the challenges they’re facing. Remember, a customer (even if it is a less profitable one) is always better than no customers at all. Shift your priorities from profitability to nurturing your existing customer relationships as a means to cover the fixed costs of your business.

1. Sell something different to your current customers. The general rule is that it’s easier to get more money from a current customer base than it is to find new customers altogether. Use this to your advantage and reflect on what new services or product offerings you could offer your existing customers that would align with your business but also add a new revenue stream. Remember that being successful in the current climate is all about being able to adapt, but it’s important to do so in a way that is sustainable for the future. Make sure that any new offerings are something that actually make sense for your business and will be relevant through the pandemic and beyond.

1. Sell what you do to new customers. Now that you have your existing customers covered, it’s time to start thinking about how you can win over new customers in the current circumstances. A great way to do this is by offering an incentive, whether it’s a two for one deal, a free gift with purchase or a special discount. But make sure that in incentivising your products or services, you aren’t compromising on quality. Another good way of finding new customers is to partner with a relevant business to cross-promote your business for a small commission. This way your business will be exposed to a wider target audience in an authentic way.

1. Remove waste. Now is the perfect time to re-evaluate your business expenses and cut down on anything that isn’t essential or adding real value. You’ll be amazed by how much you can save if you really scrutinise your business costs and trim down on areas that aren’t crucial. Assess where your key value streams are and focus your time and energy on developing these while cutting down in the areas that aren’t serving you. Inefficiencies in your business can cost you in time and money, so make sure your systems and processes are operating in ways that ensure the greatest returns. You may be less busy than usual, so use the ‘downtime’ to improve your business efficiencies so that you can build back stronger when things start to pick up again.

1. Build your online sales funnel. If this year hasn’t been a wakeup call on the importance of online sales, then nothing ever will be. Whether you like it or not, your customers are online, and if you’re not reaching them there you are missing out on an enormous opportunity for business growth. With more and more people embracing the online world as an alternative way of buying from the comfort (and safety) of their homes, it is essential that you have the capabilities in place to service them in this space. In short, if you haven’t already got an automated sales funnel set up, then it should be one of your top priorities to do so. Plus selling online has the added benefit of allowing you to scale your business automatically, without having to increase your hours or investments.

John Smith, Managing Director was recognised today for his many years of service to the construction industry in Norfolk and received the Special Achievement Award at the Norfolk Constructing Excellence Awards.   The culture of fairness, honesty and humbleness is very much down to his leadership over the years. He has achieved many things over the years and contributed to the fabric of our built environment with some outstanding projects, one that has already been mentioned today. He has also been a leader in his local community; devoted to making a different to the area he lives and works in. Warren Salmons, Chair – Norfolk Constructing Excellence

We were pleased to accept the award for Integration and Collaborative Working at the Norfolk Constructing Excellence Awards event broadcast today. We received the award in recognition of the integrated and collaborative approach adopted in the delivery of the new Mustard Mill and Mint Processing Facility for Condimentum at the Food Enterprise Park.

The Awards Event is available to be viewed on demand at the following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcicyDiOFAg

We are immensely proud of what we have achieved in delivering the new mustard mill and mint facility for Condimentum, and we are now delighted to receive this award in recognition of the integrated and collaborative approach adopted. Without this approach we wouldn’t have achieved completion of the project on time and met the key milestones from the decommissioning programme for Carrow Works.

BDH Tullford has launched its latest POS brochure, which is tailored to the unique needs of the ice-cream sector. Designed to help you make an impact and maximise sales, it features a wide range of customisable promo items, including:

• Pavement signs: Customisable shapes and designs
• Flags: Wall-mounted and free-standing
• Stickers & Adhesives: Add new life to existing spaces
• Cone Carriers: Help customers with social-distancing
• Fun Face Shields: Keep staff and customers safe 
• And so much more!

You can take a look and download a PDF here. 

If you’d like to find out more about how BDH Tullford can help with your signage and display needs, give us a call on 01603 620780 or visit www.bdhtullford.co.uk. 

If like many business owners you find yourself creating large numbers of spreadsheets to keep control of your business, create logs or manage data, you may well benefit from developing a business management system.

An organisation, as the name suggests, requires processes and oversight to be in place, to ensure it is working efficiently and maximising the potential for profit. As a business grows and evolves the complexity and volume of processes will increase, which can turn into a constant battle to manage.

In terms of process, the main data management concerns can be broken down into the following categories:

• Integrity
• Precision
• Isolation

The integrity of data held in spreadsheets is always questionable. It relies on the person entering the information to be unbiased and diligent at all times. As the spreadsheet is a record of, rather than a part of the process it will also often not get updated “as it happens” leaving more chance for errors. 

The precision of the data held in spreadsheets could be questioned. Again, if there is a delay in inputting the information this can cause issues with accuracy. Additionally, accidental overwrites or deletions are very common.  

The last and most problematic issue is that of data isolation or “data Islands” as they could be known.  This is where data for processes or departments are isolated so analysis at a top level is difficult and always reactive. This isolation of data means that overarching issues are not detected soon enough, and often require an enormous effort to mitigate the failings when they are discovered.

How can a business system help?

The key to using a business management system to regain control of the data and processes in your business is in how that data is stored. A Business Management System (BMS) is based on a central database. This data is stored in a “normalised” manner, allowing for easy one-to-many relationships between records and historical records of information after it has been updated. 

A BMS will have controls over data input formats, thus increasing the accuracy and integrity of data.  This central data store will also allow for real-time analysis, so issues will be flagged and alerts sent out before they happen, putting you in control of your response before it escalates.

Your BMS will allow you to set and monitor Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Understanding the KPI results in real-time will allow you to create monitoring tasks that alert for trends, allowing senior management to be kept informed and intervene only when there is an issue, rather than needing to constantly check the data for themselves.

Finally, a bespoke BMS will allow you to grow and evolve the system alongside your business through updates and integrations. Meaning you never need to lose control of your data, regardless of your business size. 

How much does a BMS cost?

The cost of a BMS can vary depending on the route that you take, but you should be aware that the adoption of a BMS is not a small investment in either time or money. You have two options – either a bespoke system designed around your business, or an “off the shelf” system made to work for your business.

Off-the-shelf

There are a number of “off-the-shelf” options for business management systems. These are often designed with a particular sector or industry in mind. The main financial costs associated with this will include the purchase and license of the software. You may also want to consider some development time to ensure a smooth implementation and integration.

“Off-the-shelf” software is often seen as a cheaper, less costly option, but in reality, the combination of licence and configuration can make the short-term costs similar to a “bespoke” solution.  

An “off-the-shelf” solution should, in theory, take less time to implement as it is already created. Though there will be time spent making it work for your business and you may need to think about workaround solutions etc.

Bespoke

“Bespoke” software is designed from the ground up to meet your specifications. You will play a vital role in ensuring that all of your needs are addressed. A bespoke system also has the benefit of being an asset to the business, and you can be sure that it will always suit your business operations as it is infinitely adjustable.

Regardless of which option you choose, the costs associated with a BMS are considerable but the returns longer-term are very attractive.

 A BMS can do a lot of the administration heavy lifting within an organisation allowing for considerable savings on salary costs, allowing resources to be redeployed elsewhere.  Many businesses have successfully justified the cost of an admin system by seeing it as part of their salary costs.

How do you get started?

The onboarding process is a challenge in itself. If you have opted for an “off-the-shelf” option then the onboarding is a cliff edge event. e.g You will switch from spreadsheets to BMS in one very large step. This method takes a lot of planning and in a great many instances leads to a lot of false starts and quite often a complete failure to launch.

The “bespoke” option allows for a smoother transition with parts on the current processes being replaced gradually user-by-user, spreadsheet-by-spreadsheet with the onboarding being carried out so gradually that the disruption to the business is minimal.

Can you quantify the returns or benefits? 

It is difficult to fully quantify the benefits or returns associated with a BMS, few businesses operate in a stable market and those who invest in these systems are looking to grow and evolve, thus making the benchmarking of savings difficult to quantify.

That said, as a full-service technology provider, here at Netmatters we have worked with a great many businesses across a wide range of sectors and we do see one irrefutable commonality. The businesses that are considered major players or disruptors within their specific sectors are the ones who have embraced the development of a comprehensive Business Management System, whether specifically built for them or a heavily customised one.

We’ve seen these businesses benefit in all areas of their organisation – from the reduction of both direct and indirect costs to an increase in business intelligence, helping them to gain and maintain a competitive edge.

If you are looking to address organisational issues and move away from using a plethora of spreadsheets to manage your business, then speak to one of the expert team at Netmatters about your administration needs. We can look to find the most suitable BMS options for your business going forward.

Longstanding client of Tudor Lodge Consultants, ABC Estates, a leading estate agency based in Greater London have recently undergone a full website revamp and refurbishment. As estate agents in London, it is important for ABC Estates to have an up to date and fresh brand and website.

Working with the design, development and search engine optimisation (SEO) teams at Tudor Lodge Consultants, ABC Estate’s old and outdated website has been brought into the future with updates and improvements to many aspects of the website including:

• Structure
• Design
• Imagery
• Functionality
• Performance
• Targets
• SEO strategy

The main aim of the ABC Estates website update and improvement is to bring the website in line with many competing sites online which have improved functionality as well as modern and fresh-looking designs.

The Importance of an Update

All website owners and businesses find it hard in one way or another to make the decision to finally upgrade their website. It is a process which can cost quite a bit of money and requires a lot of attention to detail, time and effort to make the final product better than the current website.

In most cases, the current website will perform well, but will not be up to scratch and will not be on par with often aggressive competitors, particularly as in the case of an industry such as property and estate agencies.

Improving a website in every way, including but not limited to the above-mentioned improvements can improve websites and businesses in various ways such as:

• Improved look, design and feel
• Better user and customer journeys and experiences on site
• Improved website speed
• Benner functionality
• Better online positioning and rankings (for SEO)

Important Considerations When Looking to Update a Website

There is no true ‘wrong and right’ reasons to improve and update a website. There is no such thing as a perfect website and thus, there really is no perfect time to update a website. However, there are some common reasons as to why companies, brands and businesses do update their websites when and how they do:

• Outdated look and design of a website
• Bad user journeys
• Slow performing website
• Website not built on a friendly content management system (CMS)
• Website not performing online with regards to SEO positioning
• Required functionality and features not present

Subject to the above as well as any other reason there may be, a degree of planning and then subsequent implementation by the right people with the right skillsets is needed to ensure the website in question gets updated properly and efficiently.

We are delighted to be working with Tieta, an outsourced customer service agency which has seen huge surges of growth during covid-19. If you do not have a customer service capacity in-house, are just a small team or want to work with some professional agents, Tieta is the perfect solution. With a specialist team in Oxfordshire, you can outsource your customer services to Tieta which will include general customer services, dialler management, concierge services, complaints management, refunds and more.

Tieta have hired Tudor Lodge Digital to maximise their online presence on Google through search engine optimisation (SEO) and below we explain the process and how we have approached this campaign.

What We Are Doing For Tieta Keywords

We start every campaign by speaking to the client and compiling a list of around 20-30 target keywords which we want to rank for on Google, Bing and other search engines (although Google is our main focus). 

For Tieta, ‘outsourced customer services’ is the main keyword but there are lots of other niche and long tail keyword opportunities that can add value such as ‘customer services for financial products’ or ‘customer services for eCommerce.’ The company has recently been acting as a customer support service for covid testing units and fit-to-fly testing companies – and now we can go and create a new landing page to target this phrase. Even if there are just a few searches for this per month, an enquiry could be very valuable and is certainly worth pursuing. 

Content

Our next task is to take the target keywords and integrate them into the website, usually through individual landing pages which clearly say what the company offers, where they can get in touch and find out more. This is just not 500-800 words about customer services, but rather the benefits, what is included, the pricing and Tieta’s contact details. Initially, we are creating around a dozen new landing pages for the client, but we expect this to grow over time.

Technical

Making sure the Tieta website is technically fit for SEO is of paramount importance. We began by checking and optimising every meta-title, meta-description, heading, broken link, image, internal links and more. As always, making sure that we had a good XML sitemap in place and registering this to Google to come and index the website.

Linkd Building

To build up the Tieta domain, we have reached out to various sites and acquired a number of strong links, relevant to their proposition. Hence, we have acquired links from news, startup, business and finance websites to create relevancy, distributing these evenly across the homepage, landing pages and guides.

We are very excited about the early stages of the Tieta SEO campaign and we have already seen a few quick wins enter paged 1 and 2 of Google.

However, we anticipate up to 6 months to see the full effects of our campaign and look forward to seeing the results and Tieta grow from strength-to-strength.

This is a very open question. When it comes to any professional service such as Accountants, Solicitors, Estate Agency, or Skilled services such as Engineering or Manufacturing we all know we get what we pay for.

This is exactly the same for IT Support. The better the IT support, and the greater the knowledge, the more it costs because the value to the client is higher.

This does not mean that you have to pay a fortune to get good IT support, and we have written a guide (Download it here) that can help you chose the right IT support for your business, and actually explains that you should be wary of all IT Support companies, including us.

You have different styles of IT support in the main. One is your traditional “Break/Fix” IT Support. This works on the client calling the IT support when something doesn’t work or is not working, needs changing, etc, and The IT company charges an Hourly rate for fixing/changing it. It is a reactive way of doing things. It can be cheaper because if you don’t make a phone call for 3 months, you are not paying for any support. However, if something needs fixing you can be paying anything from £50 – £100 per hour to get it fixed. Most of these style IT companies do not have any SLAs or response times in place. This means it can take hours to fix the problem, or that it takes them days to actually ring you back.

The second one, and the one being adopted around the world more and more, is Managed IT Services. These are services that come with a recurring Monthly payment. That monthly payment will get you a level of support, leasing of technology, cybersecurity tools, Monitoring. The IT support company will be PROACTIVELY looking after your IT.

As IT and technology has become more important to business, IT Support has changed and so are the costs and the way we look at those costs.

When looking at the Reactive nature of the ‘Break/fix’ IT Support, there are multiple factors to look at which makes looking for a cost a challenge. As we said earlier, you may not pay anything for 3 months, however, if there is an issue you can suddenly be paying £800 per day for support. But what is the cost of downtime? There is no reason for the IT Company in this scenario to fix an issue quickly, as you are paying for their time when they are working for you. You are unlikely to have been given any advice on business tools such as Backups, Endpoint protection, cloud storage, etc. SO if there was a problem, and your server was down for a day what would that look like? Based on a business with a turnover of £1million pounds, 10 employees, working 40 hours per week you could be looking at a cost of lost revenue of £3846.40 if your server was down for a day. Add to that the It support working on that problem for 8 hours and it costing you £680. You then have the cost of those 10 employees not being able to work, which is £1153.85 if they all earn £30k per year. Then add to that the cost of them doing the Data Entry and catching up, which will take twice as long so that’s another £2307.70. So the total amount of cost on one day’s downtime is £7987.95, not allowing for any hardware required. This does not allow for the damage to your reputation or lost orders which again can be £000’s. So your IT support for 3 months has cost you a grand total of £226.66 per month, or £20.61 per device, but the real cost per month is £2662.65.

That’s a lot of money and a lot of information, so if you want to go and get a cuppa and have a lie-down, please do before reading on.

When looking at the cost of a Managed IT Support, they will have a cost per device, per user. This cost will vary between each company depending on location, their specialist area (if they are aligned with Cyber Essentials, or Cyber Security Experts etc), and if they are running different levels of cover.

For the purpose of being fair, we will say that the same end-user business has opted to take our fully managed service. That’s a total cost for support and security tools of £790 per month. Plus they will have recommended a backup solution for £300 per month. That’s a total cost of £1090 per month. Because they are being proactive and monitoring the devices, they see that there is some unwanted activity on the server and contact you. They say they need some time on the server to look into the issue. The issue is looked into and a plan put together with you to rectify the issue. There is some hardware involved and sometimes installing new hardware (normally seen as a project which carries an extra cost, but again depends on the IT Support Company) so there is an extra 2 hours work on top. Adding another £170. So that three months Support has cost £3440, or £1146.66 per month. More than half of the ‘break/fix’ IT Support company, and without the loss of reputation or larger Hardware costs.

This is the same if there was a cyberattack, as it is likely the Managed IT Service company is monitoring all devices and has good Endpoint protection in place, as well as a backup solution if your data was not accessible.

Managed IT Service Companies, work with their clients to make their IT work at all times and to provide solutions, and a platform for the business to grow. This is because it is not a cost, it is an investment into the business.

For information on how Uptech can work with you, contact us to arrange a 15-minute consultation. 

GIFs or Graphics Interchange Formats if you want to be technical, are essentially a series of images that quickly scroll through, giving the illusion of motion. They’re becoming increasingly common in email marketing campaigns, with a recent Litmus Survey showing over 50% of companies now use GIFs on a semi-regular basis. 

GIF’s draw attention

The movement of a GIF can be enough to draw a recipient’s attention to the desired area. Unlike videos, which can be a little overwhelming in an email, GIFs are a great way to make sure recipients head straight for the most important part of an email – typically this would be your call to action or a product you’re promoting. If you’re showcasing a product that has moving parts, a GIF can be the perfect way to demonstrate how it works.

Show more

GIFS are a fantastic way to show more of what you do without the need for a lengthy email. Keep your body text short and to the point to let the GIF speak for itself – perfect for scrolling through products or showcasing services. Another application is to show variations of the same product, a recipient might not be attracted to a certain colour, so by utilising the movement of a GIF you could use it to scroll through different colour options. By showing off the different versions recipients are more likely to see one they like and engage.

Walk-throughs

Another brilliant way to utilise the movement of a GIF is by using it to walk recipients through an aspect of your product or business. It could be that you’ve rolled out a new-look website and need to let them know about some functionality changes, or perhaps you’re just offering a little behind-the-scenes look at processes – either way, GIFs can be used very effectively here.

They’re fun!

Let’s be honest, GIFs are just way more fun than a static picture! By including an eye-catching GIF in your email you’re showing recipients your fun side, just imagine their happy face as they open your email to be greeted by a GIF. They don’t have to be funny to be fun, something as simple as an animated drink being poured can be fun enough. By adding personality you’re helping recipients connect with your business on an emotional level, something that encourages brand loyalty.

The golden GIF rules

If you’re going to include them in emails there are a few golden GIF rules you should be aware of before you do.

Firstly, not all browsers support GIFs and in this instance will only display the first image. You should, therefore, always ensure the first image is the most important one (and one you would be happy for recipients to only see).

Secondly, they should be used tastefully and not tacky i.e. no big flashing images or rapid scrolling that will likely induce nausea and headaches! GIFs should complement the body text of your email as opposed to drawing attention away from it, so try to avoid anything too over-the-top and flashy.

Thirdly, you should use GIFs sparingly. We’ve all heard the saying “too much of a good thing”, while GIFs are fun and can be used to help you stand out, you also don’t want to overdo it. Not only will an email crammed full of GIFs draw away from your reason for emailing, but it will also likely result in your email going straight in the bin. Use them every now and then to keep things fresh and engaging.

Finally, bear in mind file size, as some GIFs can be large. The larger the file the slower the load time of your email, something that results in recipients clicking off and finding another, quicker to load, email to read.

Where to get them from

The safest option in terms of copyright is to create your own, speak to our design team about your ideas and we will help you to make them a reality.   

More Email Marketing Blog Posts can be found on the Smart Messenger Email Marketing webiste

Nowadays, marketing online is all about achieving consumer confidence in a product or service using one of the most effective tools-influencer content. The enforced mobility, physical distancing, and other health protocols make people rely more on the internet to perform their daily activities. The health crisis opens more opportunities for online activities for people and organisations. More people use their mobile devices today, consuming more content every day. And blogs are now one of the most influential digital resources when making purchases. Blogs are one of the top trustworthy sources of information online.

Making full use of blogs and bloggers

Given that blogs are now a highly reliable source of information that can influence decisions to purchase, you, as a digital marketer should make use of them. Like many companies, you can explore a blogger outreach strategy. It sounds simple, but it can be a complex process. However, when correctly implemented, you stand to gain more. Simply put, you do business with bloggers, particularly the social influencers who can create authentic, genuine content to promote your brand, service, or product.

But, unless you have a team that understands the mechanics of blogger outreach, it is more efficient to work with a blogger outreach expert like Ocere so you can maximise the results.

Why work with a blogger outreach service?

It’s challenging to find the right bloggers and influencers to work with you. A blogger outreach service has experience in the field and will find the bloggers who will match your requirements. You need bloggers who will use their influence and trust to benefit your business.

There are several steps to take before you can build a list of suitable bloggers. You need to identify the blogs, contact the blog site owners, and determine the price of the campaign. Next, you need to develop a campaign strategy. Upon implementation, you must analyse the results. This step requires knowledge and lots of time.

By using a blogger outreach service, you access a campaign strategist who will choose the right influencers, manage your campaign and deliver your desired results.

What blogger outreach can do for your business?

You can choose different ways to partner with bloggers. Your strategist can execute it as fittingly as possible according to your goals and your brand. You can use them as brand ambassadors. Your brand and the blogger can develop a symbiotic partnership, where the blogger will act as your voice, influencing consumers by speaking passionately about your product or service.

Use a select number of the right influencers when you have an event or product launch. Working with such influencers will allow more people to hear the news from various sources. It’s a great way to be present everywhere, giving the impression that your product is the next best thing to have.

You can also use bloggers for targeted campaigns by selecting bloggers that identify with a unique market segment. You can develop specific campaigns for the bloggers’ loyal audience, positioning your brand or product as the best choice for the particular niche.

Using a blogger outreach service offers many benefits to your business. Choose the right one that fits your goals, with the expertise, creativity and credentials to match. ​