Category: Virtual support

Christmas is one of the most important times of year for any business, and it’s especially important for SMEs because seasonal spending can provide such a valuable boost in sales. Last year, the UK spent more than £78 billion on Christmas, and this festive shopping spree starts early, with more than 50% of people planning to do most of their shopping before December.

It can pay, then, to start thinking about Christmas now. Not sure where to begin? Here are some of the key ways you can prepare your business for the most wonderful time of the year.

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LinkedIn SlideShare is “the world’s largest community for sharing presentations and other professional content” online. It has 80 million users and it has been around for a number of years, but it is still only used by 17% of B2B marketers. That’s a huge missed opportunity for businesses looking to promote themselves online.

If you’re a business owner and you want to know more about how SlideShare can help you, look no further! Let us give you the lowdown.

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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 website development.

What is website development?

Website development is everything to do with creating and maintaining a website. This includes designing, building and hosting – basically, everything that makes a website look good and run well. Web development is usually divided into the ‘front end’ (e.g. design, usability), which the customers will see, and the ‘back end’ (e.g. coding, hosting), which only the website’s owners will see.

Having a good website is one of the most important elements of modern business, even if you operate your company out of a physical office or a brick-and-mortar store. Studies have shown that 88% of consumers will research a product online before making a purchase, so having a website is essential for boosting your credibility and your sales. Having an online presence is also crucial for marketing – creating a mailing list, engaging with customers on social media, and finding new customers through online search all require a strong, well-designed website to be effective.

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‘Tis the season of ghosts, ghouls and all things ghastly. That’s right, Halloween is just around the corner (31st October) and many of us are already getting ready for the spooky celebrations.

No wonder, then, that Halloween is big business in the UK. In 2016, consumers spent around £310 million on Halloween goodies: mainly sweets and fancy dress. But Halloween isn’t just a good business opportunity for confectionary and clothing shops; anybody can take part in the celebrations.

If you want to get involved in Halloween this year, here are 5 marketing ideas you can use, whatever your business.

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October 9th is World Post Day, a global celebration of the postal service, designed to “raise awareness of the Post’s role in the everyday lives of people and businesses, as well as its contribution to global social and economic development.” But in our increasingly online world, it can seem like print and postal marketing (e.g. leaflets, flyers, newspaper ads) has had its day.

So is there still a place for print marketing? According to many, the answer is yes. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that print is not only still relevant, but an important part of modern business.

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Service Spotlight: Copywriting

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 copywriting.

What is copywriting?

The term ‘copywriting’ covers all sorts of jobs related to the production of written materials (i.e. copy). From blogs to adverts to newsletters to websites, if it involves putting words together for a particular purpose – to sell, to engage, to educate – then a copywriter can usually do it! Depending on the copywriter, they may also do other related work, including researching, editing, proofreading, planning campaigns and managing projects.

Copywriting is hugely important for all businesses, big or small, because having good, well-written copy can help you grow your audience, sell your products and do well in online search rankings. For example, research by HubSpot has revealed that companies who published 16 or more blog posts a month got nearly 3.5 times more traffic to their website than companies that didn’t blog at all.

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In the month of Get Ahead VA’s 8th birthday, we’d like to celebrate by looking back at some of the lovely things our clients have said about us over the years. We pride ourselves on doing good work for all our clients, and when they’re happy we love to hear about it! So here are 8 quotes from our clients about why they love Get Ahead VA.

“Working with Get Ahead VA has been a godsend. I simply did not have the budget to hire a part-time dedicated person to focus on my social media needs, or the time to manage them. My VA designed a social media strategy for me. Social media marketing is now an effective part of our business strategy, thanks to Get Ahead VA.”
—Martha, FabLittleBag

“The great thing about Get Ahead VA is that they are an extension of your team. With the fluctuating demands on human resources which are typical of start-ups, we prefer to invest in staff who align with our core business, and outsourcing everything else is a great idea. We are making good progress and that is proof of the great partnership we have with Get Ahead VA.”
—SmallOutside.com

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This week is National Eye Health Week, a vital campaign which aims to “promote the importance of eye health and the need for regular sight tests for all.”

Eye health is a hugely important issue in the UK, and yet many people still don’t understand how to look after their sight. So, to celebrate this event, we’ve rounded up the latest expert advice to help you understand eye health and show you how to take care of your vision.

The realities of sight loss

For many of us, the thought of losing our sight is terrifying. In fact, research by the RNIB has found that 44% of UK adults fear losing their sight more than other health conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or heart disease. However, sight loss is on the rise: in 2008 there were around 1.8 million people living with sight loss in the UK, and this number is projected to double by 2050.

So what’s behind this worrying trend? Modern lifestyles – and especially modern workplaces – are often cited as a contributing factor. Consultant ophthalmic surgeon Mr Ali Mearza says, “Looking at a screen requires your eyes to focus on something up close for long periods of time, and this can lead to eyestrain and headaches. Increased exposure to screens can contribute to the development of some eye conditions that intensify with age.”

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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 social media management.

What is social media management?

Social media management is a vital part of any modern marketing strategy. It involves engaging with your customers and creating a persona for your brand on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and so on. You can do this by creating and sharing content, and responding to questions and comments from your audience. (more…)

Press releases are a fundamental part of media relations work and one of the main ways you can share your news with journalists.

But unless you work in PR or comms, knowing how they exactly work and what they can actually achieve is somewhat of a mystery. For instance, just because you’ve issued a release to the media, doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to get any coverage.

In this blog, former journalist and Get Ahead VA team member, Sanina Kaur, sheds some light on the world of press releases.

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