Member Blog

We are delighted to announce that we are working with Aura Smart Air to help boost their visibility on search engines such as Google and Bing.

Aura Smart Air is a brand new invention designed to monitor and regulate air quality, with an easy-to-use app for shops, retailers, clinics and more.

Tudor Lodge was approached by Aura Smart Air to help rank for their brand name and make the most of an increased demand from covid-19.

Our Approach

The website has been built on Weebly and whilst we prefer custom-code or WordPress, we have had success ranking with Weebly in the past and were quick to add our SEO techniques to boost a site’s ranking including:

• Meta-title optimisation
• Meta-description optimisation
• Image optimisation
• Internal link optimisation
• Sitemap optimisation
• Robots txt optimisation

In addition, we have been acquiring natural links by putting out press releases on high quality sites relating to news, tech and more. By strengthening the domain, it will help Smart Aura Air rank quickly for their brand name and other keywords too – to be completed in phase 2 of the campaign.

We allow Google around 4 to 6 weeks to fully index the site and we aim to speed up the process via adding more content and generating quality links to the site.

Contributing to the New Normal, or How to Improve your Business Management System (BMS) Many people, me included have commented with regards to the ‘New Normal’ as the country and business recovers from the impact of the coronavirus. Obviously, as yet we don’t know what the changes will be and what (new) demands it will place upon our organisations. One concept that has gained widespread traction is remote working – by necessity during lockdown, but increasingly now as a matter of choice. There are real gains possible arising from the reduction in travel/ commuting and then a reduction in disturbances and the associated loss of concentration. One of the key success factors will relate to the full availability of information from the company management system to all staff that need it. Effectively this will mandate a paperless, on-line (cloud-based) solution. This is often there and available for larger organisations and those with strong IT frameworks, but not so commonly for smaller, more traditional businesses We, at P+P have been considering the options for a practical, pragmatic and effective solution and as a result have developed RAMS (Remote Access management System). This covers all aspects of Quality, Environment, Health & Safety and Data Security (ISO’s 9001, 14001, 45001 and 27001) frameworks, including the audit and management review elements Performance variations and the impact of changes can be flagged through a Dashboard module, tuned to the specific needs of each organization. Staff and managers can thus keep abreast of trends and act accordingly. All (management) system information can be obtained via a Control Panel available to all approved users, but with a close control on the changes and authorisation loop. The audit (Verify) module is another important element that really enhances the remote working capabilities for audit on an internal and external basis, including those of the standard registration bodies. The module is structured to guide users from the plan (schedule) to the specifics and guidance for each task, to the evidence capture and then the corrective action and improvements. The evidence may include documents, photographs or video clips of areas under review. RAMS has many more facets that we would be happy to discuss and explain further if you are interested. P+P and RAMS making the ‘New Normal’ work.

If you want to begin email marketing, or you’ve already had success and want to go further, finding the right platform is critical. Many people turn to Mailchimp, the email marketing juggernaut with a mindboggling advertising budget. However, there are some excellent alternatives to Mailchimp out there – including Smart Messenger. Why should you choose Smart Messenger over Mailchimp? It’s all about the personal touch.

When we speak to people about big email marketing platforms, one of the common complaints they have is that if they get stuck, they can’t quickly get help. Even the most digital-savvy amongst us might come up against an issue using a new piece of software and need some guidance. Many of us don’t want to search on a help forum or type out our query in a chatbox, just to get an automated response. Instead, we want to speak to an expert.

One of the reasons Smart Messenger is an excellent alternative to Mailchimp is that you get a dedicated account manager when you sign up. If you are working on an email campaign and come up against a problem, you can call our Smart Messenger team, and we’ll help you through it. Mailchimp is so big that they can’t offer that personal touch, but we know it makes all the difference when you are trying to get things right. Our team are all based in Norwich under one roof, and there’s no call waiting system. When you ring, we pick up ready to help you.

When you are trying to craft email marketing campaigns that will truly engage and excite your potential customers, expert help is invaluable. Being UK-based and able to offer phone support and advice at any time, we’re able to get to know our customers, their businesses and help them meet their goals. Over the years, Smart Messenger has been chosen as the Mailchimp alternative by plenty of our customers and we’ve seen what works well for different types of businesses. It’s great to be able to share those insights and use our knowledge to help our customers and their businesses succeed.

If you’d like to learn more about Email Marketing, please call one of our friendly team on 01603 858250.

What Is The Secret To Success For SME’s? THE NEWS IS OUT Usually success is attributed to an amalgamation of efforts working symbiotically, however, arguably the most critical component of success is the ability to manage a working cashflow. The mastering of such a discipline is one easily facilitated through funding solutions that have been designed in accordance to your specific business growth plans and requirements. Last year The Bodycentre took full advantage of one of our products and they have not looked back. Since 1996 The Bodycentre have been on a strong trajectory to success. With their customer-base increasing exponentially year on year, it was time to take the business to the next stage with the support of Chatsbrook- moving to larger premises, hiring new staff and purchasing a substantial amount of specialist equipment. Requiring further financial investment, Chatsbrook advised that the best course of action to conserve cashflow would be a combination of commercial loan and a hire purchase agreement to mitigate additional costs in the most efficient format. Directors of The Bodycentre stated “Adrian [Director of Chatsbrook] has worked with us since almost the beginning, he has provided finance from a fleet of courtesy vehicles 7/8 years ago to the Commercial Loan most recently. He has always been very professional, and we know that The Bodycentre have been appreciative of him taking the time to understand the intricacies of our business. When he suggested the Commercial Loan, we understood that it was because he knew it would be the best option for our business. The funding has helped with overall expansion and with the ability to keep up with demand.” Commercial Loans are one way to help to sustain a healthy, working capital but they are preferable to SME’s for a number of other reasons including; – Providing the ability to receive investment without having to relinquish a share of ownership over your business. -Enabling investment in multiple aspects of your business at once. -Ensuring terms are tailored to suit the needs of your business. -Repayment plans are agreed in advance and calculated on affordability and practicality.   “It was important to set our business apart from the competition, the investment into new premises and three spray booths has put us more than a few steps ahead of our usual counterparts. The Commercial Loan has improved many facets of our business but the two main aspects it has helped is the overall productivity and quality of our work. Our workflow and efficiency have improved tenfold with the new equipment, they really are an asset to us. The spray booths are in a whole other league and we are able to offer a whole new level of customisation to our clients.  It would be fair to say that the alternative funding solutions that Chatsbrook continue to provide are a real driving force behind our growth as a business.” Director of Bodycentre   The ‘not so’ secret to sustainable growth comes from the opportunities that funding alternatives can provide.

EXPLORE OUR FINANCE PRODUCTS.

For impartial advice, expert knowledge and access to funds for your business within days, get in touch with a member of our team on info@chatsbrook.co.uk or 01603 733500. 

From signing a lease agreement to completing the onboarding process for new employees, e-signatures are used for a range of different circumstances. They’re a solution used in contracts throughout the world, and offer a safe, convenient way to obtain signatures. E-signature use is growing, and fast, with reports showing that in just five years transactions increased from 89 to 754 million. The government states in their guide on Electronic signatures that:

“More and more businesses and individuals are using, or are seeking to use, electronic signatures and trust services and, with an increasing number of government services available digitally, there will be continued growth in this market for some time to come.”

However, in spite of this, and the multiple benefits it can provide, there are some businesses and organisations who are hesitant to use e-sign technology, unsure of how it works, and when it can be used. In reality, e-signatures solutions like an effective e-signature API for businesses can be used for a whole host of different situations, especially within the business sector; easy to implement and even easier to execute, streamlining numerous different contractual processes. Below we explore just some of the many areas where e-signatures can be used.

Employee Onboarding with E-Signatures

Hiring a new employee typically comes with a large amount of paperwork, with consent forms, contact forms, performance appraisals and more. Working your way through the onboarding paperwork can take up a considerable amount of time, and if handwritten, requires people to take time out of their day to meet up and sign the agreements together. E-signatures can help to improve this process, with all the forms listed above, and more, able to be signed quickly and efficiently. When using e-sign during employee onboarding, all parties can fill in the numerous documents anywhere, anytime, making the process a lot more efficient.  

Legal Agreements

E-signatures can also be used in a variety of different legal documents. This again, helps to speed up the process of completing contractual agreements, improving the efficiency, and overall ease, in which these practices are conducted. E-sign technology can be used for intellectual property licensing and for NDAs, in addition to a multitude of other legal agreements. Lawyers, and other professionals within the legal industry, will work their way through a fair amount of paperwork, much of which will rely on signatures from clients and other relevant parties. By using e-sign technology, those in the legal industry can save time previously spent chasing up on unsigned documents.

E-Signatures and Sales Agreements

Whether it’s business-to-business (B2B) or a business-to-consumer (B2C), sales agreements can be made faster with e-sign technology. Using e-signatures can take a lot of the hassle out of signing a contract, enabling businesses to close on deals faster than ever before. For a multitude of organisations, sales contracts are one of the most frequently used documents, and often, one of the most important. Therefore, helping to streamline this process and making it faster than ever can help businesses to improve their overall efficiency and productivity.

All this and access to the design service included.

For our first issue, we designed the following advert for local comic Reynard City Chronicles

Norwich Nights Magazine publishes 10 issues a year free online and in print. Our print copies are distributed through local venues and via ordering the website. While Norwich Nights Magazine was designed as a Norwich magazine for the local community, we soon found we had a global audience on our website with 15 different countries checking the blog regularly, due to this and the variety of authors who showcase their books with us we decided to plan the launch of an additional global publication. E/E Magazine will be launched in January 2020 and will focus on the same key areas but will also contain lifestyle features – It is being developed to be the place where entertainment meets lifestyle. As we want chamber members to be able to take advantage of our global audience reach we have offered the same 25% discount on advertising and 10% on printed copies of E/E Magazine as it will be a paid-for publication priced at £4.50 and will be 3 times longer than Norwich  Nights Magazine at a massive 144 pages.

E/E Website: https://everydayessentialsmagazine.wordpress.com

Any questions contact me on email: Norwich-nights-magazine.com

Recognised to be the best place to enjoy a pleasant gambling experience, the United Kingdom has legalised many firms associated with this field since 1961. Apart from the sports betting sites and internet casinos, other services to reduce the problem related to gambling are also growing there. These agencies have the main purpose to encourage responsible gambling as well as to support people who suffer from gambling addiction. 

National Online Self-Exclusion Scheme (NOSES) is a company mainly known for its non-profit entity called Gamstop. Since the self-exclusion solution is one of the best options to prevent and minimise harm from gambling, Gamstop is among these services bundled with effective policies. This organisation allows the players to block access to all gambling sites licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission. Located in Harrogate, United Kingdom, NOSES is part of the government’s industry.

A Brief History of NOSES

Under the 2005 Gambling Act, the gambling activities in Great Britain must be regulated and controlled by UKGC making the UK one of the best place for safe and legal gambling. In February 2016, this Commission informed all remote gambling holders than a new self-exclusion scheme would be introduced to promote responsible gambling and to restrict people’s gambling activities. 

This company is NOSES which was established in November 2016 by both the Gambling Commission and the Remote Gambling Association (RGA). Its system Gamstop was set-up in April 2018 to help the UK resident players excluding themselves from all licensed gambling platforms. This online self-exclusion program has partnered with more than 50 operators in this sovereign country. On the 31st March 2020, the law to integrate all remote operating licence holders took effect. In this act, these operators must join Gamstop whereas others who have already accepted the scheme are required to check the entire consumer database every day.

How does Gamstop Work?

To access Gamstop, the first step the players have to do is register on this website. In this registration, they will be required to provide their personal details confirming their identities. This information includes names, date of birth, postcode, and e-mail address. After signup, they will receive a confirmation message on their e-mail within 24 hours resuming all the details of this scheme. Once the confirmation is done, these players will be forbidden on their chosen gambling sites. 

On that self-exclusion, they have three options depending on their choice. In fact, they can be banned to play on a platform for 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years. Obviously, these players cannot access gambling platforms until their chosen period has expired. When this period ends, they can ask to remove their self-prohibition. 

But even after self-exclusion ends some operators refuse to accept these users and gamblers are looking for non Gamstop bingo sites without self-exclusion and other casino games as stated at CasinoGap. This Gamstop app is advantageous for both the consumers and operators because the players can prevent problem gambling after being banned. As for the operators, promoting social gambling will certainly increase their reputation.

Gamstop Duties and Responsibilities

As stated above, Gamstop is a program for self-exclusion for gamblers who are at risk to develop a gambling problem. This project plays an important role in minimising gambling harm in the UK. Moreover, the self-exclusion in other gambling platforms that they don’t have an account is also allowed provided that these websites hold a licence from the UKGC. Aside from that, the NOSES scheme also supplies support to people with pathological gambling behaviour. 

Gamstop offers gambling and practical help as well as debt and emotional supports. What’s more, as Gamstop encourages responsible gambling, all operators who offer services in the UK are required to get a licence from the UK Gambling Commission. Unfortunately, this body cannot prevent the consumers to access gambling operators who are not licensed by this British regulator.

Final Words

NOSES is a company whose main goal is to prevent gambling problems within the UK. With its app Gamstop, the consumers will be banned from the licensed gambling platforms of their choice. As these players exclude themselves from the sports betting sites and online casinos, this ban will be for a limited period of time. 

Besides, since the firm is also responsible for encouraging safe gambling, its program Gamstop comes also with effective supports and advice to the gamblers who experience pathological gambling. Out of its various helpful features, Gamstop also offers the players an option to register for multi-operator self-exclusion.

Gambling in the United Kingdom has existed for centuries and with technology development, this field has become the main recreational activity in this territory. Internet gambling products have grown there making this country the top place to have the largest regulated online gambling market in the world. Nevertheless, with the rise of this industry there, the issues related to gambling have also increased. That is probably why the organization like Remote Gambling Association (RGA) was launched to reduce gambling harm. 

Working with the UK Gambling Commission, this company was established to help this regulatory meeting its purpose regarding its codes of practice and licence conditions. This company actually aims to prevent gambling problems with its program called Gamstop allowing the gamblers to ban themselves from gambling websites. However, these gambling platforms must be licensed and regulated by the UKGC or among the white-listed regulators.

General Info and Connection with Gamstop Scheme

Remote Gambling Association is a trade association for online gambling companies established in August 2005. This firm is an alliance between different trade bodies such as the Association of Remote Gambling Operators (ARGO) and the Interactive Gaming, Gambling and Betting Association (IGGBA). This pointless organization represents the largest remote gambling firms and the world’s leading developers. 

It was the owner of Gamstop¸ a self-exclusion scheme allowing the gamblers to ban themselves in the gambling platforms run by the UKGC licensed operators for a period of their choice. Despite this fact, some non Gamstop poker rooms accept excluded gamblers as NonStopCasino says. Located in 31 Southampton Row, London, England, this association comes with the policy to promote a responsible play by applying both legislation and regulation to the gambling industry in Europe. Today RGA no longer exists as in July 2019; it was changed to Betting and Gaming Council (BGC).

RGA Duties

The Remote Gambling Association is the founder of the National Online Self-Exclusion Scheme Limited (NOSES) that run self-exclusion scheme Gamstop and GamCare forum. This latter is a program to minimize the gambling problem within the UK. Released in 2018, the Gamstop program allows the players who are at risk to experience gambling harms prohibit themselves in the platforms licensed and regulated by the UKGC. In addition, the self-exclusion on other gambling websites that the players don’t have an account is also possible with Gamstop. 

Nonetheless, these other platforms must be licensed by the UKGC. Apart from this self-exclusion project, NOSES also launched a support program for gamblers who experience gambling disorder. In this project, various schemes are available like practical and emotional supports. Aside from Gamstop, RGA also ran Gamban, a gambling website blocker launched in 2018. Out of the self-exclusion project, the organization has the same duties as the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB) which both ensure responsible gambling in Great Britain. The only difference is that ABB focuses more on land-based operators.

The End of Gamstop Ownership

In September 2019, RGA ends ownership of the program Gamstop. This self-exclusion system is now independent and is owned by the National Online Self-Exclusion Scheme (NOSES). Today, the project Gamstop leads by the non-executive director Mike Dixon who has also been the chief executive of addiction and mental health of the organization. 

Besides, he was previously an assistant chief executive of an organization supporting the victims or witnesses of the crime called Citizens Advice and director of Victim Support. Gamstop was criticized for defects in the system because this organization still allowed self-excluded gamblers to continue gambling. According to Mike Dixon, a strong challenge to improve this scheme will be set out.

Latest News about Remote Gambling Association

• In November 2019, the Betting and Gaming Council announced that a new code of practice would be released. This new protocol would focus on the VIP players and operator seduction. The code details would be launched in spring 2020 to enforce the measures on implementing safer gambling.

• In August 2019, the prohibition of ‘whistle to whistle’ on gambling advertising during all live sports took effect. In fact, after ‘whistle-to-whistle’ received criticism, the Industry Group for Responsible Gambling (IGRG) had suggested this interdiction. Nonetheless, this ban would not be applied to horseracing and greyhound racing sectors.

• In July 2019, Betting and Gaming Council was launched. This entity substituted the duties of the Association of British Bookmakers and the Remote Gambling Association. Obviously, this body has the main goal to ensure a safe betting and gambling through its code of conduct and codes of practice.

Like every business, the first question the operators ask when releasing an online casino is how to run successfully this site. White label platform is one of the solutions that new web-based casinos need to grow their companies since it is experimented on pushing gambling sites to achieve its goal. Besides, these platforms are the keys to reinforce the existing operators’ position. 

Among several online gaming white-label providers, Progress Play holds the best position for strengthening the online casinos and sports betting websites. Established in 2012, the company has already collaborated with several gambling sites and web-based casinos in many countries.

General Information

Holding a licence from the renowned regulators, Progress Play actively operates legally and fairly. In fact, the company is licensed and regulated by three powerful authorities including the UK Gambling Commission, Malta Gambling Authority, and the Ireland National Excise License Office. 

Aside from supplying gambling licences, Progress Play is turnkey solutions for the gaming and gambling industry such as payment processing, player management, Customer Relationship Management (CMR), API Integration Interface, and customer service. 

The firm is also the premium provider of the casino and sportsbook products. As Progress Play offers full mobile casino service, all its platforms are designed using the HTML5 format meaning that the games are adapted on mobile devices without downloading any app.

Main Markets (UK, EU, NZ)

With the growing numbers of operators choosing to run companies related to gambling, the competition has become fierce especially in the countries which gamble the most. That is probably why Progress Play has expanded its services in several nations including the United Kingdom, the European Union, and New Zealand. 

As Progress Play holds a licence from the great UK Gambling Commission, it is not surprising if it operates within this territory. In 2020, the company launched several online casinos that accept UK players. Aside from the UK, the firm also provides the necessary support of the markets in the EU. As a matter of fact, this full-service white label casino solution headquarters in some regions in the European Union. 

What’s more, since New Zealand has become the best location to appreciate a superb online gaming experience as $10 Paysafe casinos accepting NZ players and powered by this white-label offer their services and minimum deposit products to this country. The web-based casinos operated by Progress Play offer to the Kiwi players a good selection of games from the leading providers. This means that this solution for white label gaming operator continues to extend its footprints across the globe.

Casino Products

One of the main reasons to push people to register or not at an online casino is its games portfolio. Since the platform provider Progress Play has cooperated with the renowned software developers, its selection of games promises a pleasant online casino experience. When the words reputed developers are mentioned, the things that come to mind are the names like NetEnt, Microgaming, Nextgen Gaming, Big Time Gaming, and many others. 

The casino games offered by Progress Play are, hence, supplied by these gaming software vendors. Some of them are specialized in slot games whereas others offer outstanding mobile gaming experience and table games. Therefore, its partners are able to choose from hundreds of casino games that are often bundled with quality graphics and lucrative options. Likewise, the largest progressive jackpots can change the life of the gamblers within a matter of seconds. 

Furthermore, as the live casino has attracted the attention of the mainstream, Progress Play platforms are the ideal destinations to enjoy the best live dealer games titles. The games from the providers like Extreme Live Gaming and NetEnt guarantee the thrilling land-based casino mood.

Sportsbook

Although sports betting has been around for several years, this entertaining activity has remained the most attractive. The fact that it gives an opportunity to earn a huge amount of money in an exciting atmosphere makes it so seductive. Progress Play sportsbook provides customizable interface solutions allowing the new websites to create the products and services they desire. 

With multi-currency and multilingual options, the punters from different countries can bet quickly and easily. Moreover, Progress Play also proposes a sportsbook mobile platform and as it utilizes the most advanced technology, the players are able to have fun on their mobile phones. Flash and HTML5 products supplied by numerous developers are offered to the operators who want to launch a business in the gambling field. Every month, its sportsbook mobile and tablet platform comes with 30,000 live matches, 55,000 pre-match events, and more than 140 different sports.

Accepting The Changes COVID-19 Brings to Business

In our the original post on our website we spent some time reiviewing data from an Ernst and Young research report, you can view the full dataset on our original blog but for simplicity, it stated that consumer confidence has taken a hit through COVID19. Unsuprisingly so. What it cannot clearly give a steer for every single industry and brand positioning, it does demonstrate the significant swings in consumer confidence and buying behaviour. People have touted this for a long time, and not with too much data, given this type of assumption didn’t require it. What the EY dataset shows us, just how different they may be.

This leads us to accept and plan for the fact that these changes cannot simply be taken at very surface level, we must embrace the fact that there will be changes that fundamentally affect and require our businesses to adapt to them in alignment and process.

What Matters To Our Customers?

Market segmentation and alignment is intrinsic to the success of any business. Those that do it well, understand their customer segmentation and align their value proposition to each segment effectively. This makes buying from such businesses easy because they are meeting our demands clearly. Good businesses either stumble upon this segmentation and alignment through chance or make an engaged and meaningful approach to deliver their value proposition in such a way.

COVID-19 however, is likely to change what our customers buying behaviours are. I touched on this lightly in a post aimed primarily at smaller businesses. In this post I discussed how existing qualifiers and differentiators had changed through COVID-19. Now more than ever it is important to understand these buying decisions by segment and align closely to them.

Finding out a customer’s buying profiles always seems to baffle businesses. If you want to know what your customers want, it really is as simple as just asking them. Believe it or not, most of the time they will respond with a very truthful answer.

Adapt Your Business Post COVID-19…

Adapting a business model, or go to market strategy for a segment may seem like a daunting task. There is of course, a proven process to business process redesign. After all, it in itself is simply another business process. What businesses are generally lacking is the knowledge or rationale to execute it. COVID-19 and its ramifications may just be the reason to put that project into place. Ensuring that your processes take into account the new set of buying decisions and segment requirements.

Or Another Business Might

I hate to make any post sound like it is doom filled, or cliff edge stuff. It rarely is in business and I don’t truly believe that adapting your business model post COVID-19 is any different. If there is to be a revolution in buying behaviours, and one that affects businesses. It will not be instant. It is often best to describe it as an iteration and there will be iterations to business. Those that adapt quickly will benefit from the first mover advantage and this diversified approach will deliver gains to those willing to “fast prototype” their response.

Whether viewing this as the ‘new normal’ or a temporary obstacle to overcome, one thing we can all agree on is the need to adapt. With the national lockdown set to progressively ease over the coming weeks, more businesses will need to adapt so they too can reopen their doors and look to recovery. To support this collective recovery, we have created this guide to help you create a COVID-Secure workplace that works for you.

  Review the Right Guidance

With so much speculation, it’s really important that you get the most accurate information on what you need to do for your particular business. A visit to the official government guidance on working safely during Coronavirus offers 8 guides that cover a range of workplaces. As no one will know the intricacies of your workplace quite like you, the first step is arguably using the appropriate guide(s), to determine what you need to do. Once you have an idea of the official guidance for your business, then you may wish to refer to wider guides, expertise or services to support you. Layrd Design offer a great ‘Welcome back to the office’ document, outlining changes that can be made to adapt an office space to meet COVID-Secure guidance.

Assess Risk to Plan your Response Not only does developing a risk assessment help you plan an appropriate response, it also forms a crucial part of your commitment to the welfare of staff and visitors. Government guidance indicates that every employer should be carrying out a COVID-19 Risk Assessment. Often the idea of developing a risk assessment can be over-complicated. Regularly carrying out risk assessments for a variety of venues, events and exhibitions, we advise a step by step approach that asks common sense questions:  

– who might be harmed and how?

– what you’re already doing to control the risks?

– what further action you need to take to control the risks?

– who needs to carry out the action?

– when the action is needed by?

You can find further guidance and templates on creating risk assessments at HSE. If you need support developing your own risk assessment feel free to ask us for advice. By creating a clear common-sense assessment, you can then determine what actions you need to take.

What do you ‘Need’ to do? Notice we say ‘need’. That’s not because you don’t also ‘want’ to keep your employees and visitors safe, of course you do. However you may not need the slew of products and services currently saturating the market. As we developed our own range of products, we strived to do so with empathy and an understanding that this is not a ‘want’. With almost all business under immense strain, cash flow challenged and recovery uncertain, the last thing any of us really want to do is cash out on unnecessary kit. So our simple view remains, if you don’t ‘need’ it, don’t buy it. There are many changes you may need to make that can be achieved by a simple rearrangement in-house or by getting a little creative yourself. Of course, if you have a ‘need’ for any products or services in order to get your business up and running there are many options out there. Just make sure you explore what these options truly are. You may find that under the surface the products on offer don’t actually exist yet, aren’t genuine or due to the complications arising from coronavirus there is a pretty significant lead time. If you’d like any advice on products to manage a COVID-Secure workplace, please feel free to ask us.

Communicate COVID Related Changes So you’ve assessed risk, created a plan, but have you shared it the right way with the right people? The situation is certainly new on us, as increasing google searches for the phrase ‘unprecedented’ have highlighted. As a result, injecting some clarity wherever possible is a welcome remedy that helps all of us manage the situation and get back to business more effectively. With employees this will likely be a case of outlining your risk assessments, indicating responsibilities, changes in procedure and safeguarding measures you have in place. Having a core document or guide to refer to may be a helpful touchstone for staff. Be prepared to have questions or issues that arise on the fly, chances are a few considerations flagged by staff or visitors may prove a valuable part of initial planning, so open up the conversation early. Both employers and employees can find useful information from ACAS here. With regard to your visitors, this is where some signage, however rudimentary may come into play. By now most of us have been herded around a supermarket following floor markings, waiting patiently on a sticker with shoe-prints on it. It may seem a little odd at first, but these directional signs do help visitors follow guidelines and keep everyone safer. Consider both the general messaging as well as specific points for your workplace. Keep it simple and ensure the information is easily visible, don’t forget digital either, consolidating your message with email and social media can help you remain COVID-Secure while also spreading the word that you’re open for business. You can find a customisable poster with general safety messaging for download here. Or if you did need specific safety posters, displays or stickers, you can find some of our products here. Remain Responsive Whilst the return to some form of working normality can’t come soon enough for many of us, it’s also worth bearing in mind that a return to lockdown could also be ahead. It may not be quite the same lockdown we have experienced, but uncertainty over a ‘way out’ and how we manage COVID-19 longer term remains. We should continue to celebrate the little wins and collectively support our businesses and economy recovering. However, it will be important to take lessons from our experiences and prepare a more agile and responsive workforce for the foreseeable future. Retaining an ability to work from home will not only help you manage staff upon reopening, but soften the impact of a second tightening of restrictions. Equally as restrictions loosen and teams can come back together in a sense, it could prove an ideal time to collectively form continuity plans. Certainly easier said than done for many of us, with ourselves reliant primarily on the return of events and exhibitions. However this responsive planning may also involve getting creative with, to use another buzzword of the times the ‘pivot’. Whether this is augmenting an existing service or products, or developing something new, what is it they say about necessity and invention? We will shortly be launching our very own ‘pivoted’ services…although something we have been planning for sometime, there’s no doubt that Covid-19 accelerated our plans. Relaunching our dedicated marketing brand ‘Image Development’ as well as a new interior graphics service, we considered our existing strengths and where we could best offer genuine support to our clients and collaborators while accommodating the challenges brought by Coronavirus.

We hope this guide helps you start creating COVID-Secure workplace to support your future recovery. If we can be of wider support across interiors, marketing or COVID-19 specific products, please get in touch.

• COVID Management Products – Screens, Information Signage & Sanitiser Units

• FREE – General COVID-19 Safety Poster with Key Messaging

• FREE – Customisable COVID-19 Safety Poster with Key Messaging

Some helpful resources referenced above to support you implementing COVID Secure guidance:

• Government Guide Documents on COVID-Secure

• 5 Steps to COVID-Secure Checklist

• HSE Advice on Writing Risk Assessments

• Layrd Design ‘Welcome back to the office’ Guide

Branding is no longer about defining a slogan, name, design, symbol or image or combination of any or all of these elements; it is far more complex. Branding isn’t just about being selected by your target market over the competition. In the digital age, branding is more involved with subtly suggesting your business is a problem solver even though your potential client doesn’t consider he or she has a problem to be solved. There are many sub-headings and elements which, when meshed together, will enable you to form a clearly defined strategy to successfully deliver your brand to a waiting world.

Know Yourself

If you don’t know yourself, how can you project your identity through your brand? Creating a brand from the ground up, your personality and the way you interact with others will be part of the defining elements of the brand. Leadership, combined with a sense of purpose and an understanding of what your target market is searching for are powerful tools at your command.

You will be the central foundation of the business. Leading your business, invoking purpose in your team and crafting a vision for the future are the first steps to success.

Define Values

Branding really isn’t about your logo; it is about the message you promote. For example, if your business is female fashion for example, you’ll want to promote your clothing brand as one which cares for the environment. Showing transparency of supply lines, showing your products are not produced in sweatshops populated by exploited women and children is a positive image. Likewise, if you’re setting up a new casino slots in the UK business, emphasising that your business values clients’ security and protects their personal data. You may also want to project real concern for their welfare; gaming and gambling can become addictive, fun can turn to misery if left unchecked. Supporting clients and valuing them if they need your help is an essential, positive element of your particular branding strategy.

Create a High-Profile Event

If you want to help yourself to better your brand overall, then you need to try and create a high-profile event. Invite CEOs from other companies to join you and try and put something together. When you do, you will soon find that you are able to get way more visibility and that you can appeal to a much wider audience too. Regular events for brand promotion should be an integral element of your business strategy.

Use Great Images

A lot of businesses really are personal brands. This means that you are ultimately the face of your entire brand. The days of a boring headshot are long gone. If you want to really boost your business, then you need to use graphics and images which reflect your personality and that of the business. You will also need to style your online presence so that it stands out from the crowd. A picture paints a thousand words, but what use is a picture if the words do not mean anything?

Focus on Products and Services

Focus on delivering quality products and service; don’t compromise. Consumers do look at the price of what the goods or services for which they are searching. However, most people are savvy enough to know that a low price often means lower quality. Do not allow your brand to be associated with poor quality. You brand has to stand for all that is best. Lay these foundations and you’ll not only win over your target market, you’ll also win their loyalty. Loyalty is a valuable commodity in marketing and branding, but it is a two way street between customer and supplier. This may lead to trust issues. If you want to stop this then make sure that you do everything you can to monitor things across your physical products as well as your digital presence.