By Mark Rawson
Most businesses need a website, or so we are told. But it’s not enough to simply have a website – it should deliver against your business objectives, as South Yorkshire web designer Mark Rawson explains.
How do I choose the most effective website for my business?
I believe it’s important to start from your business objective. By identifying what it is you intend to achieve, you and your web developer can decide how to create the most effective website.
(more…)When we run our own businesses, we often give them our hearts and souls. The business can become an extension of who we are. For some of us, when asked “could your business survive without you?” it’s tempting to proudly reply, “no it couldn’t!” We might see ourselves as the lifeblood of the business – without our input at every level, everything would fall apart.
(more…)Thanks to the pandemic, many of us are doing more online shopping than we used to. We’re also spending more time on social media: Facebook Instagram and WhatsApp all report a surge in social media activity while we’ve all been stuck at home. So it makes sense for social media platforms to bring these two phenomena together and provide Facebook and Instagram shopping. This is a trend that has gained momentum during the last year, and we believe retail businesses should be seizing the opportunity to showcase their products to a new audience.
(more…)There were mixed feelings among the Get Ahead team last week as schools reopened. While many of us were glad to be able to work without interruptions again, getting back to normal after lockdown is still an upheaval for us all. Fortunately, by being mindful of the change and embracing the new opportunities it brings, owners of “non-essential” businesses can get ready for reopening in April or May and have the successful summer they’ve been hoping for.
(more…)Last year, Get Ahead founder Rebecca Newenham published her first book, Virtually Yours. It was an incredible learning experience, and having written it, Rebecca is seeing a variety of benefits that she hadn’t anticipated. Writing a business book has advantages for career development, marketing, networking and more. Here’s how Get Ahead benefited from publishing a business book:
(more…)In March 2020, the world turned upside down. Britain went into lockdown for the first time, many people became home workers, and parents became homework supervisors. We clapped for the NHS on Thursday nights and “hero” became a buzzword. Some businesses were ready; others were not. Across the business world, we all reached out to each other with moral support and a lot of forgiveness. But nearly a year later, what signals should businesses give? Is Corona Kindness still relevant content for blogs and social media? Or is it time to embrace the new normal?
Let’s take a closer look.
(more…)A virtual assistant (VA) can be useful for a small business at any time of year, but especially so over Christmas, when things get busy and people start taking time off for the holidays. Get Ahead VA’s franchisees know how much their VAs are needed during the festive season, and they offer a wide range of services to help out local businesses at this time. Here are 5 key ways that hiring a VA can make a difference to your business this Christmas.
(more…)Our West Yorkshire franchise has recently had a number of requests for support with landing pages and newsletter automation. Landing pages are great for increasing conversions, and newsletters are a great communication tool. Best of all, once your automation is set up, it’s easy for you, your team or your virtual assistant to run email marketing campaigns without having to start from scratch each time.
In this blog, we look more at landing pages and automated newsletters, and how virtual assistants can help you.
(more…)By Marie Peters, Regional Director for West Surrey
2020 has seen an increase in time spent on line by all age groups, with UK adults now spending over 4 hours a day online.
People are spending more time on social networks to connect with others as well as catch up on the news, whilst newspaper print sales plunged during lockdown. Consumers and businesses alike are always online and you need to be able to reach them there.
(more…)In any other year, businesses would have booked their Christmas party back in August or so – big room, catering of some sort, maybe a magician visiting your table doing some close up magic. If you were really (un)lucky, someone might even have hired a karaoke machine.
But this year, it will all be different. Lockdown didn’t just introduce new restrictions; it introduced a new way of working. So many businesses have noticed how much easier remote working is that it’s looking like it’s here to stay, even when restrictions are finally over. What’s certain is that we’ll be having our works Christmas parties remotely, and we’re proud to report that our VAs with Zoom expertise are already receiving bookings to provide tech support during the virtual party season.
Here are some ideas for virtual Christmas parties!
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