This is something we’ve seen coming for a while now, but as of two weeks ago the UK officially entered a recession. Of course, this is unsettling news for all of us, and with tough times ahead most business owners are likely to be affected by the unpredictable economic climate.

So is there anything you can do to take care of your business and protect it against the worst of what’s to come? We’ve put together some useful steps you can take to prepare your business for the difficulties ahead, so you can ride out the storm and maybe even continue to grow.

(more…)

Photography is a key tool for any business – you can use photographs on your website, marketing materials and social media. So does your brand’s photography have a distinct style? And if so, have you ever put it into a style guide? Perhaps you know what you like and you style your photographs accordingly, but if you ever need to brief somebody else or hire a photographer, having a formal style guide can be very useful. 

Fortunately, today is World Photography Day, so this is the perfect opportunity to build a style guide for your brand’s photography! If you’ve never written one before, here’s a short guide to get you started. 

(more…)

Virtual assistants can provide invaluable services to businesses at the best of times, and especially so right now, when many people need extra support to keep their businesses running smoothly during lockdown. Remote, flexible working is the comfort zone of the virtual assistant, and that’s why we’re well placed to help you adapt to these extraordinary circumstances. Want to know more? Here are 5 key ways a virtual assistant can help you during lockdown.

(more…)

A little while ago, we were invited to a celebration lunch with one of our clients. During the lunch, the company’s marketing manager told us she had been approached by the Sunday Telegraph who wanted to do a piece about them. The marketing manager was delighted that the VAs had created such a wealth of blogs and factsheets for her to draw on – all she had to do was copy and paste the right paragraphs and send them off to the journalist. We were delighted too – it’s this kind of repurposing that makes content marketing great value for money, as well as empowering our clients to take their own action.

Even if you haven’t been approached by a Sunday paper (!) it’s still a great idea to repurpose your blogs, factsheets, ebooks and social media posts.

Here are some of our favourite ideas:

(more…)

A lot has changed in a week, and this continues to be a very strange time for the world. The UK government has now ordered all pubs, restaurants, cafes, libraries and gyms to close, as well as shops selling non-essential items.* Many businesses are feeling the impact of these new protective measures, especially small businesses and independents, and many business owners now find themselves in the position of trying to keep things running while also heeding expert advice.

If you are one of the many people trying to come to terms with this new reality, we’re here to help, with some advice about how to market your business, mindfully and sensitively, during this difficult time.

(more…)

Some brands achieve something magical: they inspire an impressive amount of loyalty in their customers, which in turn can lead to invaluable word-of-mouth marketing for the brand. As a business owner, you might be wondering how you can bottle this magic for your own business, so this Valentine’s Day we’re bringing you 4 top tips to help you encourage your customers to fall in love with your business!

(more…)

Get Ahead VA offers a wide range of business and marketing services. In our Service Spotlight, we take a closer look at one of these, and show you how our virtual assistants can help you and your business. This month we’re looking at email marketing.

What is email marketing?

Email marketing is the use of emails to promote products and services to, or to build a relationship with, current or potential customers. Email marketing has lots of advantages over traditional direct-mail marketing: it’s cheaper, you can reach a wider audience, and you can more easily track data to help you refine you marketing efforts. Email marketing is one of the most powerful online marketing techniques out there – according to some research, every £1 spent on email marketing can provide an average return of £38.

(more…)