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Hoopla! There it is!

Tudor Lodge is delighted to be working with Hoopla Loans (https://www.hooplaloans.co.za/) – using our expertise of the UK and US lending market and transferring this overseas to South Africa.

We were approached by Hoopla to help with their SEO (search engine optimisation) and help overcome their fall in rankings following a Google algorithm update that impacted the brand in June 2021.

Google has an algorithm update every few months to ensure that users get the best quality in searches – and sometimes this can impact even well-known and successful companies. So to overcome this, Tudor Lodge were hired to reassess their on-site and off-site work and help get the site back to the top of Google and ranking where it deserves to be. 

We have undertaken the following steps to recover the website’s rankings:

Technical fix-up

We started with Hoopla Loans with a technical fix-up, running through all the meta-titles, descriptions, headings, internal links, external links, sitemaps and images – to make sure that the site is technically clean from top to bottom. This ensures that the site can be optimised and indexed fully from this point onwards. In terms of the meta-titles, we ensured that these were optimised specifically for Google’s loans algorithm, making sure that they include certain words and phrases to maximise performance. With technical SEO 99% complete, this gives us the opportunity to build on other areas such as scaling up the content and improving the backlink profile and from this point onwards, we will only need to make small technical adjustments, since getting this out of the way early is of paramount importance.

Fresh content

A great way to get re-indexed by Google is to upload new and fresh content, as a way to say ‘Hi Google, come index me.”

We have created more than 10 new landing pages which are more than 1,000 words long and include a range of target keywords to help rank for all the loan related search terms. With fresh content, this is an excellent way to get back into Google’s good books and next we can work on a number of guides and blog posts to consolidate Hoopla’s position in the industry as an expert.

New links and backlink clean-up

The backlinks are key to any SEO campaign and this refers to any links that point back to the Hoopla website from external sites. With some good links and some spammy links in the background, we made a conscious effort to remove any low quality links and replace them good, authoritative links from real sites. We have started with a round of 10 good quality links and am to increase this to 20,30 and 50 over the remainder of the year, building up strong authority from real, newsworthy and business-focused websites.

In terms of results, the website saw an initial spike following the implementation of our changes. We expect to see slow, but strong changes emerge in the coming weeks. But as with Google’s temperamental algorithm, we may have to wait until the next update to see the true value of our work – and this could be within a matter of months. 

What Makes a Good UK CEO?

It is time to recognise the greatest CEOs in the UK for 2021. Glassdoor’s Employees Choice Awards honoured the leading thought-leaders for 2021 who are, not only driving their companies forward with their exceptional strategy and execution, but they are also engaging and motivating their employees, so much so that their employees have left stunning reviews on Glassdoor.

It is proven and evident that CEOs make more money when compared to regular workers. For example, Tim Steiner, chief executive of online supermarket Ocado is one of the highest paying bosses in the UK. Similarly, Denise Coates was paid a total of 421 million in GBP last year due to her successful year with bet365 online betting platform and casino. Whether this discrepancy is justified remains subject to great debate. However, Daniel Pryor, head of programmes at the Adam Smith Institute claims that

‘CEOs are key to success… It’s quite clear there are a limited number of people that have the skills, the personality and disposition to be the CEO of a top company, and those limited number of people are highly sought after.’

In 2021’s Employees’ Choice Awards, Glassdoor has revealed the top 50 CEOs, featuring chief executives across various industries including technology, finance, retail, healthcare, manufacturing, and more.

Glassdoor’s own CEO, Christian Sutherland-Wong, claims that ‘company leaders around the world faced unprecedented challenges to support employees during the COVID-19 crisis. Now, the employees have spoken and it’s clear that these CEOs excelled and found new ways to support their people when the world of work flipped upside down.’

He also claims that ‘it’s inspiring to see Top CEOs who, according to their employees, adapted to change, redefined visions and led with transparency while putting the health and safety of employees first.’

BlackRock’s CEO Laurence D. Fink earned first place in 2021’s Awards. He had been featured in the Top 50 CEOs in the UK list each year ever since 2017. Fink has pushed towards sustainability to transition to a net-zero economy. BlackRock and Fink are setting a great example by aiming to make the commitment to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 or sooner. According to reviews, Fink has been admired to have strong executive leadership while also handling frequent communications with his employees.

Glassdoor’s list includes 80% newcomers in 2021 including British Heart Foundation’s Dr Charmaine Griffiths and the LEGO Group’s Niels B. Christiansen. The Top 10 CEOs in 2021 in the UK are:

  1. BlackRock’s Laurence D. Fink (99 percent approval)
  2. Microsoft’s Satya Nadella (99 percent approval)
  3. Softcat’s Graeme Watt (99 percent approval)
  4. The LEGO Group’s Niels B. Christiansen (98 percent approval)
  5. British Heart Foundation’s Dr. Charmaine Griffiths (98 percent approval)
  6. UBS’s Ralph Hamers (98 percent approval)
  7. Roche’s Severin Schwan (98 percent approval)
  8. Unilever’s Alan Jope (98 percent approval)
  9. Airbus’s Guillaume Faury (98 percent approval)
  10. PepsiCo’s Ramon Laguarta (98 percent approval)

Congratulations to all the CEOs honoured in 2021 and thank you for trying to make the workplace a better place for your employees!

How to Boost Your Confidence in Business

When it comes to work and business, there are no ‘perfect’ answers with regards to what is the magic potion to success. However, confidence is key, as in all walks of life and therefore, if you can increase and enhance your confidence in work, business and even further afield in life, there are many benefits to be had.

There are many ways in which you can help boost and improve your confidence even if you are a naturally shy and unassuming person in a particular environment.

You should remember though, that you will need to take a leap of faith to start out with; taking those steps towards wanting to improve yourself and your confidence which will in turn improve your work and business.

Online Courses

You may consider a whole host of online courses that can help you with your confidence both generally or in particular situations. For example, if you are having problems with presenting to colleagues and others, undertaking some presentation skills training courses could do you the world of good.

These courses are geared towards helping you overcome some of the particular problems and obstacles you may well face on the way to successfully presenting anything from a standard pitch deck or strategy document all the way to pitching for large investments and funding for a startup.

Jump in the Deep End

Until you try something you will never really know and understand what it will take to conquer it. The same applies when it comes to anything requiring confidence in business. If for example you find yourself struggling with presenting to groups of people or perhaps you find yourself struggling when it comes to a particular kind of business engagement, try and muster up the courage to just give whatever it is a go anyway.

You may well surprise yourself and find that you are better under a little pressure. You may also find that there are only small elements of whatever the challenge is that you struggle with and, overcoming those you will find yourself well on the path to success.

Ask, Ask and Ask Again

As the saying goes: “the only bad question is the one that isn’t asked.” This resonates and is very much the case in work and business. If there is something you need to improve at and if there is something you are not sure about, the best thing you can do is ask for assistance or help from a manager, partner or acquaintance, who will more than likely be happy to help.

It doesn’t tend to be a problem if someone, be they new or experienced asks many questions or makes the odd mistake. After all, we are all human. The only time a problem will arise is if a question that should have been asked is not and then a big and impactful error is made. Therefore, always ask questions and never shy away from seeking advice.

Costs of Buying a Franchise

If you are considering investing in a franchise, you need to fully understand the costs associated with the process. This will help you to ensure the success of your new business through thorough budgeting and financial forecasting. While all franchises will bring some costs, the scale of expenditure can vary significantly depending on various factors. For example, if you invest in a home-based business, your costs will undoubtedly be lower than if you need to hire office space. Here are some of the costs you can expect to incur when investing in a franchise.

Franchise Fee

The franchise fee is a one-off payment you make to the franchisor to acquire the rights to use their name, business model and sometimes manufacturing processes. Franchise fees can vary substantially between businesses. Sometimes they can be as low as £5,000, but if you plan to set up a full-service restaurant in a prime location, the fee could be north of £300,000.

This fee will generally reflect how much it costs the franchisor to set you up in business and the amount of support the franchisee requires. As a result, it is possible that if a franchise has a higher fee, it could be better value for money if the franchisor is willing to provide more support.

If you are searching for a low-cost franchise, then check out Franchise Local. Here you can compare what franchises are available within your budget and find one that fits your requirements perfectly.

Set-Up Costs

The set-up costs you are likely to have to pay will also vary depending on the nature of your investing business. As mentioned above, the overheads and set-up costs associated with a home-based business will be significantly lower than a restaurant would have to pay.

If you are selling the franchisor’s products, you will also need to stock up on inventory, which can entail significant costs depending on the nature of the business. If you need storage for these products, you may need a warehouse and vehicles to transport your inventory. Ultimately, the franchisor should clearly outline these costs before you invest, so you should have a good idea of the set-up costs before putting money down.

Royalty Fees

While the initial franchise fee is a one-off payment, you are still probably going to be expected to pay ongoing royalty fees to your franchisor. Most franchisors use royalty fees as part of their business model, so it is more likely than not that you will need to pay these. 

These can take the form of a fixed monthly fee payable to the franchisor or taken as a percentage of your profits or revenue. It is more common for the franchisor to take the fees as a percentage of sales, as it is easier to calculate. However, if your costs regarding sales are high, these can eat away at your profit margins.

Conclusion

In summary, there are many costs associated with franchises, and these vary depending on the nature of the business. Ultimately, when you pay for a franchise, you get many benefits for your money, so it is an excellent model for an aspiring entrepreneur.

What are the 4 biggest broadband issues people have and how do we solve them?

In an ideal world, broadband would always work seamlessly without any glitches or interruptions. However, the reality is far from this. Everybody has experienced broadband issues at some point. Whether this is to do with speed, intermittent connection or even having no connectivity at all, it can be extremely frustrating. Particularly when something important, such as your work or social life are dependent on the broadband doing its job.

So, what are the most common broadband issues that people come to FreeClix looking to solve? And (more importantly) how do we solve them?

  1. Slow broadband speed

There’s nothing worse than pressing play and being met with the buffering symbol. When you’re trying to send an email, download a file or even order a new pair of shoes, you want to do it quickly right? Unfortunately for many people, fast internet speeds feel a million miles away. 

There are several reasons you may be experiencing slow broadband speeds, such as: 

  • Broadband type – ADSL, which works through the copper wires of your phone, is the slowest broadband available. 
  • Location – the further you are from the exchange, the weaker the broadband signal will be. 
  • Provider – different providers offer different speeds. Some can provide much higher speeds compared to their competitors. 

FreeClix can help find the perfect broadband solution for you. If you’re struggling with old ADSL broadband or located far away from the telephone exchange, you might want to switch to 4G LTE broadband. The potential for superfast speeds will be much higher, even if you’re in an area with poor 4G signal. As the master distributor of SimRush, we can get you set up with a brand new 4G system that’s tailored to your individual broadband requirements. 

There’s nothing worse than pressing play and being met with the buffering symbol. 2. Internet dropping out 

Unreliable connectivity can be just as disruptive as slow broadband. You might be able to achieve great speeds which allow you to stream, video call and download with ease. However, if you’re only able to access these speeds intermittently then your connection isn’t much good to you. 

Dropouts are often caused by faulty or poor equipment, whether this be your router or your wiring – something likely needs upgrading. Lost connection can also happen as a result of congestion, where too many people are trying to use the same broadband infrastructure at once. 

FreeClix provides leased lines for totally private internet access that is dedicated to you. This means the service will be completely uncontended and won’t slow down or drop out at peak times. Leased lines are ideal for businesses who cannot afford to go offline. Internet dropouts will be a thing of the past. 

3. Can’t cope with demand 

This is an issue we are hearing more and more of since so many of us have started working from home. Your broadband connection that used to do the job is now falling well below par as it simply cannot cope with the extra stress of your increased online activity.

SimRush is business grade broadband that is designed to work in complex technical environments with high volumes of users. Switching to this 4G solution, will give you a quality, robust connection, with the option to extend the WiFi around the premises so you have full coverage.  You can be certain your home office will have excellent access to the internet! 

SimRush also works fantastically for internet failover. If you want to keep your existing broadband connection but feel it could use a little backing up, why not invest in a SimRush system that will integrate seamlessly into your set up? If anything goes wrong with your primary network, the SimRush will step in and keep things running smoothly so your working day is never disturbed. 

4. New broadband provision delays 

Often a new broadband installation requires new infrastructure to be put in place. Sometimes this can be a lengthy process requiring multiple engineer visits to complete.

In a lot of cases, waiting this long for a broadband connection is simply not an option. If connectivity is critical for you, why not invest in a solution that can be installed lightning fast.

SimRush does not require any existing infrastructure, such as a phone line, to work. We can simply carry out a desktop survey for your postcode to see which carrier will offer you the best 4G, choose the correct model for you and then organise your install. Even the installation itself is quick, taking around just two hours to complete.

You can have a full working system, providing reliable superfast speeds installed in no time at all!

  Get in touch

If you are experiencing any of these issues and want them solved, get in touch now! Our friendly team will help you find a broadband solution that works for you.

Get Your Google Ads Flying

It’s safe to say that Google Ads could be the best decision you make as a business owner. With every Google search conducted – and trust us, there’s plenty – businesses are provided an opportunity to convert users on the website. 

Google uses Keyword Planner to gain insights into how keywords might perform and the volume of average monthly searches behind them. Using this forecasted data you can create specific ads in answer to these users’ searches. 

Are you currently running Google Ads? More importantly, are you utilising your Google Ads campaigns?

What are Google Ads? 

Formerly known as Google Adwords, paid search rebranded in 2018 to Google Ads. This is Google’s paid advertising system which allows website owners to bid on certain keywords in order to increase their chances of appearing more prominently in the Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs).

The position of your ad is determined by your ad rank and this is graded against several factors including:

  • Bid amount 

  • Ad text quality and relevancy

  • Expected Click-Through Rate (CTR) 

  • Landing page experience

  • Intent behind search 

If your ads aren’t scored highly for the above requirements, you will be penalised with low quality scores and, therefore, decrease your chances of appearing prominently on the first page of Google. As well as appearing in the top positions for the ad results, there is another reason for wanting a good ad rank; a better ad rank leads to a lower Cost Per Click (CPC), enabling you to acquire more clicks for less money. 

Around 40% of users click on the top three ad results in Google and the rest click on the top performing organic results, consequently running ads that don’t appear in the top three paid search results is a waste of time and money.

Whilst it’s relatively easy to set up Google Ads, it takes well thought out campaigns, in-depth keyword research and data analysis to ensure you make the most of every single click.

So, how can I improve ad rank?

In the complex world of Google Ads, it’s good to break down each area of weakness in order to work through it methodically and understand which change has contributed to an improvement in performance. Let’s start with landing pages…

Landing page experience 

Traditionally, the main web page a user would land on to start their journey on a website would be the homepage, however as users become more impatient for results, Google’s ranking selection has adapted to rank landing pages on your site that provide the user with an answer in fewer clicks. To the point where featured snippets have taken place as the #1 organic search result and enable the user to find their answer without clicking on a website at all, also known as a zero-click search. 

Therefore, it’s important that landing pages are designed and optimised to answer a specific search, enabling for a better user experience and higher conversion rate. 

Landing on the homepage or an irrelevant web page may lead to you losing the users attention immediately and them clicking off your website to find the information or product they’re looking for elsewhere. First impressions mean everything. 

For example, for our client Anglia House Clearance, we focused on ensuring that the range of locations where their house clearance services are available was prominent when you land on the website via the ads. Because of this, they noticed an increase in enquiries from customers further afield, as well as from those based in Norwich, Norfolk.

Nail your ad text 

Next, aligning your ad text to match the content on the landing page and the user’s search should increase your relevancy score and the chances of your ads appearing in front of your competitors.

Any misleading ad text could result in an irrelevant user landing on your website and bouncing back off, wasting your ad budget that could have been spent on a user who would have been more likely to convert. It’s a simple theory, but ensuring you’re getting in front of quality users will transform your conversion rate without having to increase the level of traffic arriving to your site via the ads. 

A great example of this is Golf Geeks, leading suppliers of secondhand golf clubs. Ensuring that users were not mislead into thinking the ads would take them to brand new golf clubs was a top priority, primarily to avoid user frustration, but also to decrease the number of users that click on an ad and click straight off the website when they realise the products are used, second hand or ex demo. Highlighting that the products are secondhand from the get-go via the ad text was of the utmost importance.

Choose your budget 

Choosing an ad budget requires careful research and planning, and is different for every industry. 

You’ll first need to decide on a campaign type;

  • Search ads – these are the most common type of paids ads, text ads which sit at the top of the search results page.

  • Display ads – image ads which appear on Google Partner sites and the display network.

  • Video ads – these work similarly to display ads, you’ll often see these on Youtube.

  • Shopping ads – the second most recognisable paid ad format, you will find these either at the top of the search results page or on the right hand side, and these normally comprise of a product image, price and link to the product.

Different campaign types will require more budget for wider exposure.

The rate at which your keywords are searched and the competitiveness of them will also impact the necessary budget required to run your ads throughout the day. You can use Google Keyword Planner to help with your decision on how much budget you need to keep up with the search volumes behind your keywords.

It’s important to remember you pay for each click you receive on an ad, therefore you’ll want to ensure you’re targeting the correct audience in order to prevent wasting budget that could have been spent somewhere else. 

Measure your Click Through Rate (CTR)

Understanding Click Through Rate is important when monitoring the success of your ads, this ratio shows how often people who see your ad end up clicking on them. Using this data will allow you to refine your keywords and tweak your ad text to improve CTR and, in turn, your conversion rate. 

What’s the intent behind the search? 

Knowing your audience and their intent behind a search is key to a successful campaign, without this understanding, you’ll end up wasting important leads because of misguided targeting. Ultimately, losing valuable budget that could have been spent elsewhere.  

The questions you should be asking yourself before settling on your keyword list include but are not limited to:

  • Why are users likely to use your services over a competitor?

  • What answer are they hoping to receive in response to their search? 

  • Who’s ads currently pull through when searching your chosen keywords?

  • Which landing page on your website returns the best answer to your search?

Taking these points into consideration when setting up or managing your ads, you should notice a positive change in performance. 

If you’re still bewildered by Google Ads, or intrigued by the prospect of rolling out ads for your business, our team of PPC wizards are always here to help. Contact us today on 01603 859007 or find out more about how our digital marketing services can help you here

4G vs Satellite internet: Which is better and why?

4G and satellite internet both offer a potential solution for rural broadband issues. If you can’t access decent broadband via traditional methods, you might be considering switching to one of these alternatives. But which is better and why?

What is satellite broadband?

First let’s clarify what we are talking about.

Satellite broadband is connectivity provided through low-earth orbit or geostationary satellites. It requires a satellite dish to be placed on top of your home or business which sends and receives signals from the orbiting satellite. The principle is the same as watching TV from a service such as Sky, but instead of just receiving information, satellite broadband allows you to send it too.

Satellite internet connection can be provided virtually all over the world but is generally considered a last resort option.

What is 4G broadband?

4G internet is completely different to satellite.

4G broadband solutions use the same signal as your smartphone to access the internet. One way of doing this is through a dedicated 4G router which can handle multiple devices and traffic levels. Availability of 4G broadband is dependent on your location and how strong the 4G coverage is in your area.

How do they compare?

Before we dive into the details, here’s an overview of which option has the edge on the most important factors.

   

As you can see, 4G edges out satellite broadband for every factor except availability.

4G solutions are capable of much higher speeds compared to satellite broadband. Even more importantly, 4G broadband has significantly better latency at around 15-30ms compared to Satellite which is much slower averaging around 600ms. That’s a HUGE difference!

As a result, the user experience on 4G is far superior as there are fewer noticeable lags when doing more heavy-duty activities such as gaming or streaming.

4G broadband is also the more stable and reliable option out of the two. Although neither rely on physical cabling, with 4G broadband you are connected to a mast which is relatively nearby as opposed to being connected to a satellite that is thousands of miles away. Therefore, factors such as the weather are far more likely to impact a satellite service than a 4G connection.

Satellite broadband’s only win comes on availability. This is because it is an option for virtually any household, whilst 4G broadband is reliant on access to a 4G signal. However, 4G technology, such as SimRush, can pick up 4G signal even in areas where your mobile phone cannot. So, even if you’ve got poor signal in your area, 4G could still be a viable option for you!

Final verdict

Both alternative solutions are ideal options for rural areas. But when it comes down to which is going to provide a better service – it has to be 4G broadband!

If you’re struggling to get decent internet where you are give us a call and find out what our 4G broadband solution can do for you.

A Thumbs Up for Working on Finger Finance!

Tudor Lodge Consultants have started working with Finger Finance (https://www.fingerfinance.com), a loans connection service operating in a number of U.S. states, helping customers to find loans best suited to them via a panel of lenders.

Finger Finance provides a free service, working on a commission basis with their partnered lenders. The service aims to help borrowers find safe and manageable borrowing options, and avoid illegal or high-cost offers available on the street.

At Tudor Lodge, our SEO consultants have been working to optimise the Finger Finance site using a variety of specialist tactics to help improve rankings, following our success with a similar site called Pheabs.

What Are Tudor Lodge Consultants Doing for Finger Finance?   

The Tudor Lodge team are helping to improve the Finger Finance website via a range of different tactics, including the following:

  • Planning and creating landing pages

  • Blog content creation

  • Improving user experience

  • Link research 

Our team have been working on planning and creating landing pages for Finger Finance, optimising these for the site’s chosen keywords throughout the pages’ content, meta data, imagery (e.g., alt-texts), h1s, h2s and more. 

While creating these landing pages, we’ve made sure to include answers to common questions prospective borrowers are asking, helping to keep users informed all while optimising the site. 

We’ve also created blog content to help further improve the site, writing and uploading informative guides that relate to the services Finger Finance offers.     

Following on from this, the Tudor Lodge team have also been working on improving the user experience of Finger Finance’s site. This has been done through effective implementation and positioning of call-to-action (CTA) buttons throughout the site’s landing pages. 

In addition to this, we’ve also designed informative and aesthetically pleasing banners in-keeping with the client’s colour scheme and overall style and placed these on relevant pages throughout the site. These banners help to not only inform users but also to make the site look more attractive.

Our specialist team have also conducted link research for this client, using the tool Majestic to help explore any appropriate sites to reach out to for link opportunities, including insertions in pre-existing posts and guest posting. 

Why Every Business Should Hire a Marketing Consultant

Every small business owner wants to see their business grow and thrive, but this is easier said than done, especially under difficult economic circumstances and in competitive industries. One way to set yourself apart from the competition is to invest in your marketing. However, marketing isn’t always the easiest subject to tackle.  It is a broad discipline that involves a combination of traditional channels, social media marketing, PR and SEO. Understandably, this can be difficult for a new business owner to get their head around.

For this reason, it makes sense to hire a marketing consultant to help grow your enterprise. These consultants can offer useful insights that can be beneficial to your business. If you are on the fence about hiring a small business marketing consultant, here are just a few reasons why it is an investment worth considering :

They Will Help You Establish a Strategy

Unless you are able to change the context of how your target market sees your business in a way that renders all the competition irrelevant, your marketing efforts will fail to have the impact you desire. A good marketing expert will help you build an efficient strategy that focuses on the most effective channels to drive your business forward.

They’ll Streamline Your Objectives

Having the input of an expert will help you determine which objectives are the most important in relation to the business’s future. A marketing consultant will know how to prioritize the business objectives that are likely to have the greatest long-term benefits for you. A consultant will help to take baby steps towards broader goals.

They Will Help You Locate Resource Gaps

Many small business owners have a ‘do it yourself’ attitude. While educating yourself and broadening one’s skill set is always great, this can be detrimental at the early stages of setting up an enterprise. Taking on too much work can make it difficult for you to see where you need some external support. For example, you might be able to put together a website using various online tools or establish a social media presence simply by creating regular content, but these tasks can be time-consuming. More importantly, handing these types of tasks over to someone who is accustomed to doing them can free you to focus on where your strengths lie.

An Impact On Your Bottom Line

Many novices get caught up focusing on social media likes and website traffic, but a trained professional will focus on conversions and the bottom line. Figuring out how to get visitors to your website to actually make a purchase is what will help your business grow and become a truly profitable venture.

Being a small business owner is never going to be easy. At the start up stage every penny counts, and it is understandable that you’ll want to save money wherever you can. However, marketing is not something you should compromise on. Unless you have a background in marketing yourself, it’s a good idea to enlist the services of a reputable marketing consultant. Carefully consider the impact of investing in a marketing consultant in relation to the long-term growth of your enterprise.

The Explosion of E-Commerce

E-commerce is not a totally new concept and it is something that businesses ranging from small startups to the likes of John Lewis and Argos have been doing for quite some time.

However, there have been many businesses over the last few years who have not fully and comprehensively embraced the rise and rise of e-commerce. With the Covid pandemic hitting much of the world in 2020, all retail businesses sought out the internet for opportunities.

Although the likes of Amazon dominate online sales, customers are very willing and able to seek out and find specific and individual retailers for e-commerce and shopping opportunities. Sellers of products ranging from goose and duck down duvets to food and even bespoke and artistic items have all seen sales explode in the last year.

Although the competition has therefore heated up and become a lot stiffer, there are also many opportunities for online sellers, particularly when their product offerings are bespoke, niche or very specifically tailored to a particular audience.

The clear benefits and the key factors helping people move into e-commerce include:

  • The reduced need for physical premises
  • The ability to incorporate drop-shipping solutions
  • Scalability potential
  • The ability to sell via a business’ own website as well as facilitating platforms like eBay and Amazon
  • The global marketing potential of an e-commerce business

The Covid-19 pandemic didn’t spark a revolution of e-commerce. The trends were already there and businesses and companies were already making (albeit insufficient) moves into the online world of e-commerce and online shopping.

With most of the world forced to stay at home during various periods of 2020, people turned to online solutions for everything from shopping and leisure accessories to e-learning and socialising. E-commerce was no different.

A key difference however between e-commerce and many other areas is that whilst some online adaptations will soon revert to their former selves, for example meetings, socialising and some forms of shopping, when it comes to e-commerce more broadly, people are moving towards rather than away from it.

The great deal of convenience and the immediacy with which e-commerce allows for is almost unrivalled. More people than ever have rather than adapted, totally changed the way in which they live and buy items of any type and persuasion. For example, rather than going to the grocery shop, then a chemist and then another shop, all of the above can be done safely, efficiently, swiftly and in the comfort of your own home with no more than a few clicks and a debit or credit card.

E-commerce is here to stay and the more businesses that jump on the e-commerce trend, the longer it will remain.

4 Things To Consider When Creating A Business Intelligence Strategy

In the current economy, businesses that wish to thrive need business intelligence (BI). In fact, BI has become an integral part of the strategy development plans of many leading organisations. Even the Fortune 500 companies implement it.

What’s business intelligence?

Business intelligence (BI) is the art of leveraging data to find patterns and insights. It’s a necessity now as companies can’t survive without gaining essential information about their business. BI helps them predict future trends by analysing past and current data. (1)

Business intelligence provides various insights to business organisations such as the following:

  • How their marketing efforts are performing 

  • Which product to launch 

  • When is the best time for new product launching 

  • Which demographic market to target 

Basically, business intelligence acts as an organisation’s roadmap towards success. Indeed, business intelligence is essential to any company. However, many business organisations still struggle with their BI strategies. (1)

With that said, this article will take you through the process of creating a BI strategy. An effective strategy aligns with an organisation’s management goals and vision. It means that each approach to BI is unique. There are, however, several things that all businesses should consider when crafting a BI strategy. Read on.

Objectives for implementing a business intelligence strategy

What questions do you wish to answer through business intelligence? Or what problems do you want to solve? You must know what you’re really trying to accomplish before creating and implementing a BI strategy.

Of course, your vision will depend on how your business operates. However, your goals should be broad and clear enough that anyone can understand them. They should also be as concise as possible to have a detailed roadmap that you and your staff can follow. 

The objectives you have in mind will guide you in creating your BI strategy. They’ll also help you develop a measurement plan. (2)

The most important things to remember as you identify and establish your BI vision and goals are as follows: 

  • Objectives should be specific and measurable 

  • Data collected should be relevant to your goals 

  • Measurement should be accurate 

  • Strategy design should be for improvement (better understanding of shopping trends, identifying production process pitfalls, etc.)

The current state of your company’s data 

The next thing to consider is your data’s current situation. Analyse or assess the current state of your company’s data by asking the following questions:

  • What are your existing data sources? Most companies gather data from different sources. For instance, they rely on their website but also use a CRM system. Some organisations even have their own mobile apps. Others choose to work with third-party data providers, especially when doing company searches.  

  • Which existing data source in your company can provide information? Will this information help you craft a robust business intelligence strategy? You must select the best data sources because not all of them will prove valuable in achieving the perfect BI strategy.

  • How is your data stored? Part of data analysis is evaluating how information is stored and shared. More and more businesses choose to establish a data warehouse that acts as a central database for all their data. Some set up a warehouse internally, while others rely on third-party BI solution providers. (3)

How do you document your processes?

Documentation is crucial in any business intelligence strategy. It’s an essential step for future system development. The most logical way to do it is to use documentation software. A system can help avoid data bottlenecks, lags, and blockages that can impact data reporting in your organisation. (1)

A competent BI strategy implementation team 

So you’ve already defined the current state of your company’s >https://financesonline.com/business-intelligence-key-performance-indicators-kpis-with-examples/

Annual Award Ceremony 2021

Following the easing of the restrictions, we held our Annual Awards Ceremony last week. The event at Oak Street was attended by 150 guests and the prizes were presented by the High Sherriff of Norfolk, Richard Gurney DL, the Lord Mayor, Dr Kevin Maguire, Clive Lewis MP and, Jeff Fuller representing Bricklayers and Tylers Company, and Jay Mehta, representing NFCI. The centre, which offers vocational training and support for young people who have not prospered in traditional education settings, managed to enjoy a very successful year in terms of learner achievements, despite the obvious difficulties presented by Covid.

Chair, Mr David Fullman, paid tribute to the efforts of both the students and the tremendously committed staff team led by CEO, Lorraine Bliss MBE who was also celebrating an incredible 30 years at the helm. During her address to the gathering, Lorraine referred to the loneliness of these young people being trapped in a feeling of failure. The poignant message of this year’s review, which included music by Green Day and an opening trio of songs from opera singer Daniella Beck, was very much that no young person would ever be alone whilst St Eds was there to support them.

Prize winners were:

  • CEO student of the year – Siaka
  • Construction – Ryan
  • Mechanics – Warren
  • Hair and Beauty – Hollie
  • Catering and Hospitality – Jay
  • School Student of the Year – Jak
  • Maths/English – Katie
  • Community Award – Stanton
  • George Clark Award for Bricklaying – Dovydas
  • Norfolk Forum for the Construction Industry (NFCI) Young Achiever Award – Siaka