Category: Small business

Outsource graphic design for fantastic results to convert your customers. Statistics vary, but all conclude that we process visual information incredibly quickly. This means that, when we visit a website or read a printed flyer, we make the decision about that business in a matter of seconds.

For this reason, it’s really important that our graphic design is as great as our business. In this blog, we look at the five main reasons you should outsource graphic design.

  1. High quality work

Graphic designers create stunning artwork for clients every day. They’re always in creative mode and have high-powered, graphics-friendly tech at their fingertips. And if they work for Get Ahead, they’ll have at least three years’ experience to draw on too. This means that when you outsource graphic design to them, they can produce the outstanding work your business deserves.

  1. Powerful visuals to drive conversions

Experienced graphic designers know the importance of creating visuals that reflect your business and tell its story. They understand how graphics work on a subconscious level, like the significance of different colours and subtle differences between photographs. Of course, you want your website to look appealing and professional, but a good graphic designer can create visuals that work on a deeper level too.

  1. Speed

If you do your own graphic design, it probably isn’t part of your usual working day. Even if you enjoy it, you won’t do it as quickly as someone who does it on a daily basis. But when you outsource graphic design, you’ll know it will be completed in a faster time frame than you could achieve yourself.

  1. Correct file sharing

Outsourcing is always better value when it’s sustainable. When you outsource graphic design, you can expect to receive the designs in the right file format for future use. This means that it’s really easy to commission future marketing collateral, like printing your logo onto promotional items. If you’ve ever needed a new website but don’t have your logo saved in a digital format, you’ll know what we mean! Fortunately, with the correct file format, it’s easier to repurpose photos and layouts, saving you money in the future.

  1. One less thing on your to-do list

We know what it’s like to be a busy business owner – there are so many plates to spin! Fortunately, outsourcing graphic design means that you don’t have to do it all yourself. Pass it on to one of our virtual experts and gain some time back for running your business.

Outsource graphic design to Get Ahead

All our graphic designers are experts in their fields with strong track records of producing outstanding work. If you need graphic design support, we’ll find the right virtual expert for your business – someone with the right personality too! Contact us to find out more – we’d love to hear from you.

Copywriting services are a great solution for regular blogging. Outsource your blog and then turn your attention to your core business, secure in the knowledge there’ll be on-brand content ready to share on a regular basis.

However, just because a blog is published regularly, it doesn’t mean it has to follow the same structure every time. In this blog, we look at ideas for alternatives to the usual format. Read on for inspiration!

  1. Listicles

This amusing and oddly high-pitched word wasn’t in the dictionary ten years ago. But it is now. Listicles – lists that are articles – are increasing in popularity. They’re a great way to share information in bite-size chunks, and they’re easy to repurpose into social media posts. Use the listicle structure (like this!) to share top tips, pros and cons or new ideas.

  1. Quizzes

Everyone loves a quiz and the quiz structure works well in a blog too. Dynamic software is now available to gather and interpret answers (we’ve used this for our online quiz) but you can also create a basic quiz yourself. Write a multiple-choice quiz and ask readers to evaluate their own answers. If they scored mostly As, for example, it might mean they’re coping with their workload well. But mostly Bs would indicate that they need your help. Or something else! Tailor your quiz to your business and make sure one of the results is a clear call to action.

  1. Stories

Marketing folk are always talking about “storytelling” – why not use your blog to literally tell a story? Ask your copywriter to get creative and write a fantastic short story about your business. Invite your readers to peruse it on their tea break. Consider creating characters to represent your ideal customer, or use a setting that relates to what you offer. Have fun with it!

  1. Photo blogging

Depending on what your business does, making a picture-led blog might be the best way of showing potential customers what you offer. Consider a gallery format, with stunning photos of your team or products. Arrange the pictures so that they tell the story. This format is particularly good if you have before and after photos, or you’ve worked closely with a client to develop what they need. However, not all blog pages are set up for pictures so remember to check with your web designer before you get too enthusiastic!

  1. Video blogging

Another idea for a visual blog is to embed a video on your blog page and include the same information in written format underneath it. This means that you’ve catered to people who love video as well as connecting with people who prefer to read. The written text will also give you a chance to optimise the video for a search engine – always a good move.

Copywriting services from Get Ahead

We hope you like our five brilliant ideas to liven up your blog! If you need some blogging support, our experienced copywriters would love to help. As well as writing the copy, they can give guidance on titles, subjects and formats to get the best results for your business. Contact your local regional director to find out more.

Outsource web design and benefit from a fresh pair of eyes, expert knowledge and a quick turnaround.

The internet revolutionised the way we do business, but it has also raised the bar in marketing. Now every website needs a website, and every website needs maintaining. Fortunately, our web experts are here to help! They’ve pooled their three favourite ideas for improving your website without going back to the drawing board. Here are some little changes that could make a big difference.

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Blog writing services help SEO in many ways. When you optimise your website for a search engine, you take steps to help the search engine find it. Adding blogs is one of those steps.

In this blog, we look at four ways in which writing and publishing regular blogs boosts your search engine rankings.  

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ChatGPT is a hot topic at the moment. Businesses are considering whether it could make their lives easier. And skilled content creators are wondering if they’re about to be replaced by a bot. We’ve noticed that savvy business users are weighing up the pros and cons, working out where ChatGPT is the right solution and identifying where a real person will do a better job.

Let’s take a closer look.

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What does “choose your own hours” look like for a Get Ahead franchisee?
All the support and none of the targets

Get Ahead’s regional directors have the freedom to work as much or as little as they like. This because, unlike other franchises, they are not given targets.

When Rebecca Newenham first founded Get Ahead, she wanted it to be flexible so that regional directors and team members could have work life balance the freedom to adjust their priorities if needed. That is why she doesn’t set targets – she just gives loads of support instead, exactly the right kind of motivation for the business to grow.

A scalable business model

One of the reasons Get Ahead regional directors can work flexibly is that the work is scalable. Each RD is a team manager for their local team of virtual experts. The virtual experts deliver the work for the clients, whether that’s social media management, admin, marketing or something else.

The franchisee does not need to deliver work themselves – instead, they can spend their time connecting clients with team members or building their networks. They can push themselves and become a local business support hub, accepting every job because they know they can outsource it to the team. Or they can limit their client base, maybe to manage their own workload or because there’s something happening at home which has to take priority.

What could choosing your own hours mean for you?
The best of both worlds

Choosing your own hours means the best of both worlds. You can lead your team and run a thriving business, working for yourself but not by yourself. But you can also have a happy family life, with the flexibility for hobbies and lunch dates. Our franchisees find ill partners and school snow days less stressful to deal with too!

Work life balance

When work and life are truly balanced, they should each be important and each fulfil you. A true balance is difficult to find, but we believe our flexible model comes very close.

A healthy attitude to work

Bags of stress and fifty-hour weeks are bad for us. So is measuring our worth only by how hard we work. Fortunately, choosing your own hours means you can nurture a healthier attitude. You’ll have time to exercise both body and mind. You’ll have time to spend with the people who bring out the best in you. You’ll have time to be a hand-on parent instead of being the one who’s always late for school pick up.
With more balance and less stress in your life, you should be able to keep things in proportion. We’ve seen this translate into working more effectively, and having fewer parental meltdowns too.

Become a Get Ahead franchisee

Rebecca founded Get Ahead to provide flexible support for business owners…and flexible opportunities for team managers like you. If you’re looking for a better work/life balance, we could be your next career move. Contact Rebecca to find out more.

Social media strategy is essential if you want to take your business channels to the next level. If you have a small business you’re planning to scale up, social media is a great tool to help you reach new customers. And it’s well worth investing in social media strategy to increase your chances of getting the results your business deserves.

In this blog, we look at why a strategic approach is important, and what you should consider when you’re planning future social media posts.

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2022 has been quite a year! With war in Ukraine, price rises, loads of industrial action and three prime ministers, very few businesses will have experienced completely plain sailing. But sweet are the uses of adversity. Here at Get Ahead, we’ve learned a lot about ourselves and our business. We’ve seen interesting opportunities arise and we’re already feeling positive about what 2023 has to offer.

In this blog, we look at how businesses can learn from mistakes and find exciting opportunities to take them into the new year.

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As you prepare your business for Q1, you’ve probably made some key decisions that will affect the whole organisation. For your business to carry these out and achieve the goals you’ve set, it is essential that you take your employees with you. When employees are fully engaged with the goal setting process and understand the direction the business is going, they are more likely to deliver the work you need.

In this blog, we look at ways you might engage staff and communicate your new goals to ensure your employees support your business direction.

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As we look ahead to the New Year, we can start to plan our next steps for business growth. Part of this process is breaking down an overall priority into strategic goals and identifying what your business needs to achieve them. This might be anything from moving to a new premises to using an outsourced lead generation service, but the important thing is to identify it and act on it.

In this blog, we take a closer look at strategic goals, how to write them and how Get Ahead can help you achieve them.

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