Research from recruitment specialist Michael Page found that 73% of British workers factor workplace benefits in their decision to turn down a job. From motivating your team, to retaining and attracting new talent, workplace benefits have the potential to play a big role in your business’ success.

Key findings from PageGroup study*

• 82% think businesses over-complicate workplace benefits
• 37% of respondents did not know what their benefits package comprised of before they accepted the job
• 65% were surprised to find a particular benefit was available only after working in a role for some time
• 85% said a flexible benefits package was desirable to them but only 20% were completely satisfied with their current package
• The most popular benefits were flexible working (71%) and the ability to work from home (55%)

* Survey conducted among 1,000 UK adults 18+ years

Employee health and wellbeing

Companies such as Airbnb that offer holiday allowances to employees, and Netflix, that doesn’t have prescribed time off policies for salaried employees, are a new breed of organisation pioneering benefit concepts that appeal to a new generation of job candidates. Rather than focusing on conventional monetary benefits, there is a clear trend towards providing employees with a better quality of life, both inside and outside of work.

Deloitte predicts that millennials will make up 75% of the global workforce by 2025, and much research suggests that their motivations and values are different from the baby boomers before them.

A recent study by Fit Small Business found that, while many businesses are introducing novel benefits geared towards ‘millennials’ such as free holidays and office dogs, 34% of those aged 18-34 stated that they actually see healthcare as the most important benefit that their employer can offer.

Not only are healthcare and wellbeing benefits now proving popular with the latest generation of workers, benefits related to wellbeing are becoming a strong tool to help businesses maximise their profits, with advantages including the retention of employees, increased productivity, and fewer workplace accidents.

The World Health Organisation compiled a list of the advantages of health promotion at work, which includes:

• Promoting a caring public image
• Improving staff morale
• Reducing staff turnover
• Lowering absenteeism
• Increasing productivity.

Common wellbeing initiatives offered by companies to their workers include stress management, weight loss support, and gym membership; all of which are proven to keep your team engaged with a belief in the organisation and a willingness to ‘go the extra mile’.

Wellbeing initiatives can be implemented based on business objectives, incorporated as flexible benefits that address particular HR concerns, or can be based on employee feedback. When benefits are driven by feedback, it can encourage increased engagement in wellbeing efforts.

Employee engagement is a critical part of a company’s success – the staff are the means by which the business plan is executed, and their engagement determines the company’s outcomes.

When employees are engaged with their job, they are connected with the company’s overall vision and see their role as integral to achieving the organisation’s aims. It is a positive emotional attachment to their work.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has identified three parts to employee engagement:

• Physical – When they’re engaged with their job, employees go all-out to complete their work, using high levels of energy to fulfil tasks
• Emotional – Having an emotional connection to their work means employees are strongly involved in what they are doing, and have a sense of purpose. They are inspired and challenged by their job
• Cognitive – Employees are fully immersed in their work – and less likely to ‘drift off’ on the job.

When teams are engaged on each of these levels, they are more invested in their work. But according to Gallup, we are facing a worldwide engagement crisis that could have long-lasting effects on the global economy. Gallup’s research revealed that worldwide, 87% of employees are not engaged with their organisation. It also found that companies whose workforces are highly engaged outperform their competitors by a staggering 147% in earnings per share.

How to elevate your employees’ engagement levels

If your employees are not engaged, you could be putting yourself at a competitive disadvantage. Businesses that can improve engagement levels among staff stand to improve their profits, retain talent and gain customer loyalty. Here are some tips to help bring employees on board.

Empower staff

When your team feels empowered they will feel more engaged at work. According to the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), good leadership should empower and motivate rather than control.

Embed company values

Another key ingredient is company values – these should be embedded throughout the organisation, and ‘lived on not just spoken’.

Promote positive relationships among colleagues

Bad blood among colleagues will most certainly result in a disengaged team. To create engagement, build a supportive environment in which employees help each other and treat each other with respect and integrity. Management can help promote this positive culture by focusing on the strengths of employees as a team, not praising individual performance.

Creating a culture of engagement

Engagement involves a cultural shift in the way organisations behave. It should be rooted into the business culture, rather than addressed annually, for instance when staff return an employee survey. Employee engagement should be at the forefront of every interaction between management and their teams.

Focus on strengths, not weaknesses

Research from Gallup shows that when management focuses on strengths rather than weaknesses, the result is greater engagement among staff. It found that employees learn their roles more quickly, produce more and significantly better work, and stay with their company longer. When managers support their employees’ growth and development by focusing on their strengths, team members are more than twice as likely to be engaged.

Shared goals

Employees are more engaged when they have a strong connection to shared goals, and an understanding of how their role fits in with the wider organisation. When staff are aligned with company objectives, they – and the company – are more likely to be successful.

Pietro Carmignani is UK country manager at Gympass. 

Further resources on employee engagement and wellbeing

• How to reinvigorate your workforce and make engagement a priority – Phil Sheridan, senior managing director of Robert Half UK, on the benefits of making employee engagement a priority
• New Engaged Employer Report Highlights Key Benefits for Attracting and Retaining Talent – This report from Moorepay is available to download
• How to improve employee motivation in the workplace – We chat to the business owners that managed to create a motivated and engaged workforce, and explore how you can recreate their success
• 6 ways to minimise work-related stress and health problems – Gemma Harding encourages business owners and managers to make the effort to help your employees towards better mental health

The post How to elevate employee engagement levels appeared first on Small Business UK.

In an increasingly crowded marketplace, more and more businesses are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) tools to boost their marketing efforts.

AI can help to drive sales, improve customer journey, automate repetitive tasks and facilitate fraud detection and prevention – an extra spot of reassurance for your customers.

Here, we’ll be explaining what to look for in AI marketing tools and taking a peek at what’s on the market right now.

You won’t find an all-rounder product that has AI functionality for every part of your marketing plan. Rather, they’ll focus on key areas such as your SEO, content or analytics.

Harvey Morton, founder of Harvey Morton Digital, explains what AI tools you could utilise to better your business.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) tools

AI-powered SEO tools assist marketers in optimising their websites and content for search engines. These tools offer features such as keyword research, content optimisation and competitor analysis to improve rankings and organic traffic.

Content strategy platforms

These are AI marketing tools to automate content creation and optimisation. They generate high-quality, SEO-friendly content tailored to specific keywords and niches, saving time and ensuring content performs well on search engines.

Social media marketing tools

AI tools for social media marketing aid in audience segmentation, content scheduling and sentiment analysis. Marketers can create highly targeted and engaging social media campaigns that resonate with their audiences.

Google Ads optimisation software

AI-driven tools optimise Google Ads campaigns by automating bidding strategies, analysing ad performance and refining targeting parameters. This maximises the return on investment for paid advertising efforts.

Email marketing automation solutions

AI-powered email marketing tools segment audiences, optimise send times and personalise email content. Marketers can create more effective email campaigns and increase engagement with subscribers.

Predictive analytics platforms

These tools utilise AI algorithms to analyse historical data and predict future trends and customer behaviours. Marketers can make data-driven decisions for their digital marketing strategies, improving overall effectiveness.

Chatbots and virtual assistants

AI chatbots and virtual assistants enhance customer engagement by providing 24/7 support, answering queries, and offering product recommendations. They improve user experiences and boost customer satisfaction.

AI marketing tools use machine learning algorithms to make tasks such as content writing easier. They analyse customer data from places where customers dwell such as social media, email and engagement with your customers. This in turn gives interesting insights into customer behaviour and trends.

On the plus side, Morton says that tools like these can boost output at a lower cost and increase customer engagement while giving you accurate insights to drive your marketing plan and reach your goals.

Data from Sitecore tells us that the top three benefits of using AI for marketing are:

• Being able to do faster market research on prospects and customers (70 per cent)
• Create and scale content faster (65 per cent)
• Inspire future campaigns and ideas (63 per cent)

However, there are downsides to these tools. They must be used responsibly, especially when handling sensitive information. Morton points out that small businesses must ensure that they have proper data protection measures in place when using AI marketing tools. “Respecting customer privacy and complying with data protection regulations is crucial for maintaining trust and loyalty,” he added.

Content is also a sticky subject here. Left entirely to AI’s devices, content can come across as cold, bland and clearly not written by a human. “As a digital marketing consultant, I’ve been aware of a couple of instances of clients using AI for social media content and copy, and the output is often not very good. It’s easy to spot when somebody is using AI for content generation and it’s not genuine,” said Morton.

To combat this, you need to teach the AI your tone of voice, but more importantly, ask a human to have a glance over any copy to ensure it doesn’t read like robot drivel. Morton recommends having a person responsible for marketing output and to consider working with a freelancer for £250-£500 a month.

Simon Bacher, founder of the Ling app, also warns of the potential complexity, cost considerations and the risk of over-reliance on technology when using AI platforms.

So, is it time for you to adopt an AI marketing platform? Peter Wood, entrepreneur and chief strategy officer at Spectrum Search, told Small Business that when considering AI marketing tools for businesses, especially small ones, it’s paramount to focus on practicality and scalability. “As someone deeply entrenched in the tech industry and AI innovation, I’ve observed that small businesses often grapple with the allure of cutting-edge tools that promise grand outcomes but lack practical applicability in their specific contexts.”

He recommends starting with AI tools that enhance customer interaction and engagement, pointing out that tools that provide insights into customer behaviour, predict trends and automate responses can be particularly beneficial. That being said, tools must have a proven track record of delivering results for similar-sized companies – this could be in the form of case studies or testimonials, for example. If they’re available, consider starting with a trial period to get an idea of the tool’s effectiveness for your business’ needs.

“Innovation doesn’t necessarily mean adopting the most advanced technology available; it often means utilising the right technology effectively,” said Wood. “For small businesses, this could mean choosing AI tools that integrate seamlessly with their existing systems, are user-friendly, and/or offer tangible benefits in terms of time and cost savings, as well as improved customer engagement.”

We’ve gathered a selection of AI marketing tools that serve various functions, detailing what they’re used for, along with features and cost.

Jasper.ai

https://www.jasper.ai/

What is it for? Writing commercial copy 

Features:

• AI everywhere with browser extension
• AI Google Docs integration
• Output content in your brand’s tone of voice
• Different dashboard views

Cost

Creator: $39 (£31) per month

Teams: $99 (£78) per month

Business: Bespoke

ManyChat

https://manychat.com/

What is it for? Reaching customers on social media

Features:

• Identify interested leads and reengaging without running retargeting ad campaigns
• Auto respond to messages
• AI assistant and plug and play templates to build automations
• Customised marketing chat campaign

Cost

Free: £0

Pro: $15 (£12) per month

Premium: Bespoke

AlliAI

https://www.alliai.com/

What is it for? SEO

Features:

• Bulk OnPage optimisation
• Schema mark-up
• Interlinks
• Live editor

Cost

Consultant: $299 (£236) per month

Agency: $599 (£470) per month

Enterprise: $1,119 (£885) per month

Reply

https://reply.io/

What is it for? Sales

Features:

• B2B contact and customer base
• Build prospect lists
• AI-backed multichannel systems
• Analyse outreach results
• A/B testing

Cost

Free: $0

Starter: $60 (£47) per user, per month

Professional: $90 (£71) per user, per month

Custom: Bespoke

Influencity

https://influencity.com/

What is it for? Influencer marketing

Features:

• Find and analyse influencers
• Curate lists and manage relationships with influencer database
• Manage campaigns
• Access fast and unbiased statistics

Cost

Custom: Bespoke

Basic: $134 (£106) per month

Professional: $278 (£220) per month

Business: $558 (£441) per month

Tableau

https://tableau.com/en-gb/solutions/ai-analytics

What is it for? Analytics and data visualisation

Features:

• Augmented analytics
• Forecasting
• Predictive modelling functions
• R and Python integrations

Cost

Tableau Viewer: £12 per user per month

Tableau Explorer: £34 per user per month

Tableau Creator: £60 per user per month

Rytr

https://rytr.me/

What is it for? Writing emails

Features:

• Blog ideas and writing
• Business idea pitches
• Create calls to action
• Write social media ads
• Keyword extractor

Cost

Free plan: £0

Saver plan: $9 (£7) per month

Unlimited plan: $29 (£23) per month

Looka

https://looka.com/

What is it for? Logo design

Features:

• Logo maker
• 300+ branded templates
• All accessible in one dashboard

Cost

From $20 (one-off) for a basic logo package

Brand kit subscription from $96 (£76) per year

Writesonic

https://writesonic.com/

What is it for? Content creation and optimisation

Features:

• AI article writer
• Paraphrasing tool
• Text summariser
• Story generator
• Landing page generator

Cost

Free: $0
Small Team: $13 (£10) per month
Freelancer: $16 (£12.50) per month

Which AI marketing tool is right for my business?

Unfortunately, only you can know that. Take stock of what your business needs and how tools like the ones above can slot into your existing operations. Good luck!

Benefits of chatbots for your business – Chatbots can make customer service more efficient, cost-effective and achieve better customer satisfaction

7 best email marketing software for UK businesses – Factors to consider include the number of recipients you need to mail out to, design customisation to match the brand, integrations, data migration and ease of use

How to write a marketing plan – This guide offers practical advice on developing and writing a marketing plan using simple English

The post AI marketing tools for your business appeared first on Small Business UK.

You will find that a lot of guides to writing a marketing plan are heavily laden with marketing jargon; buzzwords that may sound impressive, but upon closer inspection mean very little. This guide offers practical advice on how to write a marketing plan using plain English.

Why write a marketing plan?

Put simply, the aim of developing a marketing plan is to map out how you can gain more customers for your business, which strategies or tactics are right for your business, and how and when you are going to use them.

It should detail who you intend to sell to, how you will sell to them and how you will let them know about your business.

The marketing plan may form part of your overall business plan as a complement to investor presentations, or you may want to write a marketing plan as a separate document.

The focus should be on gaining new customers, persuading current customers to buy more often and getting inactive customers to return. They’re also useful for establishing what your strengths and weaknesses are as a business, who your key competitors are and what campaigns they’re running.

We’ll be looking at what you should be doing before you write up your marketing plan, how to write one, and examples of common elements you’ll find in a marketing plan.

Before you write a marketing plan

You need to identify the target audience you are aiming your product or service at, or indeed clarify whether there even is one.

Too many small businesses fail because they haven’t done enough market research. Don’t just rely on what your friends and family say, as they may not be the most objective observers.

>See also: Guidelines for conducting market research for small businesses

A market from which you can profit will be made up of people who need your product, or at least have a perceived need, and who will be willing to pay for it. Understanding your customers will allow you to identify the best way to sell to them.

Think about your product or service and who is likely to spend money on it. Remember, if you aim to sell to absolutely everyone, you will be less successful than if you can narrow down your market focus. A product or service aimed at everybody is one aimed at nobody.

Conduct face-to-face interviews

If appropriate, get out there and conduct some market research face-to-face. Ask people in the street if they can see the need for your type of business in the area and how much they would be willing to pay.

Survey the market

Identify who your competitors are and try to spot any weaknesses in their strategy. Can you capitalise on this? Is there a lot of competition in that area or will you be filling a gap? If not, could you find somewhere else more suitable?

How to write a marketing plan

Your marketing plan should consist of two halves: the brand proposition and the communication plan. The brand proposition defines your reason for being and why you answer a need, while the communication plan explains how you’re going to get the message out there.

Know your brand proposition

You need to spell out the thinking behind the brand you want to establish. Why should people care? A clear brand proposition will contain some form of:

Purpose of the brand: the purpose should define what you do – we exist to….? If you find that difficult, try defining what you don’t do – sometimes that marks businesses out from the competition. For example, “We are a locally produced soap product that only uses vegan ingredients not tested on animals.”

A purpose doesn’t need to be a perfectly crafted strapline, nor it is it likely to be seen by the public, but it should reflect what your business stands for.

Who your target customer is: who you think should notice and care about what you are offering – and why. The more focused this is, the better. If you have several focused customer groups then there should be a sense of priorities, possibly distinguishing between their value and the order in which you’ll go after them – these are not always the same.

When thinking about your target customer, try not to think in terms of demographics, such as “Young mums aged between 25 to 34” and more in terms of values, such as, “Environmentally aware women supportive of local independent businesses”.

Pro tip: Visualise your perfect customer and sketch out how they spend their day to tap into their mindset, attitudes and behaviours. Are they cost conscious? Then explain how a bar of more expensive vegan soap is better value than cheap shower gel. Creating this pen portrait may also help you figure out the best time of day to communicate with them.

What is unique about you? What makes your business better than the competition; some use the term unique selling point (USP) but really, it’s what makes you stand out from the crowd. You need to demonstrate what it is about your product, service or business model that will give consumers the reason to believe you.

What is behind the name: If this is not perfectly obvious (usually a good place to be with a name) then what is the story behind your company name? Is there an anecdote you can use in marketing or a press release?

>See also: Britain’s funniest business names

Tone of voice: This is important. The way you want to show up in front of your potential customers, the kind of language you would use, your house style, must be consistent. If you are setting yourself up as a financial adviser, for example, you would want to reassure and be patrician. A novelty kid’s product might be zany. Ben & Jerry’s ice cream still has a Sixties counterculture vibe, even though it’s owned by Unilever.

Pro tip: Create a mood board to illustrate the tone of voice, other brands or services which have the same kind of ethos to yours.

Communication plan

If the brand proposition is to get everybody excited, the communication plan is how you get the message across. Again, this will be defined by your target audience. Marketing channels to consider include:

• Direct marketing – either through mail or hand-delivered flyers
• Social media – where does you target audience like to go? Instagram, TikTok or if it’s an older demographic, Facebook
• Out of home advertising – the cost of renting space on a digital billboard can be less than you think. Digital screens typically cost £1,000 a week, according to 75Media.
• Events and trade shows – best for B2B businesses where you can meet potential customers

Make it short, concise and easy for the rest of your team to understand

Indeed, you may have to pass this on to other members of your team – or other parts of the business altogether – so keep it clear and accessible.

“I think that a marketing-centric business needs to have something that someone who isn’t marketing trained can read through and be like, ‘Yeah, okay, I get that. I know where we’re headed,’” said Rachael Dines, founder of Shake it Up Creative, a marketing firm that helps small businesses write their marketing plans.

Dines has developed her own template, ensuring that it’s very bright and that it’s got clear sections for each of the different areas discussed with her clients. “People could update either one or more sections or the whole thing if they need to over time,” she told Small Business.

Setting a budget

You also need to think about cost. Setting a budget is important and will help keep your advertising spend in check. Consider which of these marketing strategies will give the best return on investment.

“The question I always get asked is, ‘Well, how much budget should I have?’ And that’s not always a set percentage,” said Dines. “But I think you have to look at spending it very wisely. Of course, we know that marketing is a bit experimental. But reviewing it regularly is very important.”

To measure your return on investment (ROI), look at anything that you can track digitally, such as unique tracking codes that can be used, utilising analytics to see where visitors are coming from and whether the specific campaigns that’s utilising all the social media platform insights to get that engagement data, any kind of sales figures that align with marketing activities and marketing, said Dines.

“It can be hard to track because sometimes it takes people a few goes of seeing something before they start to interact with it. It’s never completely accurate, but give yourself a good idea. It’s using a mix of tools, not just relying on one thing.” This could be looking at email open rate, pay per click (PPC), web traffic or video engagement.

You could even ask similar businesses in another area how they go about advertising. You would be surprised how generous people are with their time. Speak to people in a similar situation, but preferably not the businesses against which you will be competing directly.

Get the message across

Having clearly defined goals will allow you to keep an eye on how you are progressing over a set period of time.

Does the message you are putting across need to be short and sharp, or will you customers be willing to spend more time learning about what you have to offer? Either way, there are some key points to consider, which should be included in your marketing material to make it more persuasive:

• Explain the problem facing your customer and identify a need for your product or service
• Emphasise that it is important to solve that problem
• Explain what makes your company different and why it will benefit people to buy through you
• If you have them, give examples of satisfied customers and their comments
• Explain prices and how to pay clearly and concisely
• If you can, give some sort of guarantee as to the quality of your work or product, or offer incentives or discounts for responding within a set time period.

Set targets and review progress

Having clearly defined goals will allow you to keep an eye on how you are progressing over a set period of time. Use SMART targets as a useful way of approaching this area. SMART means that your targets should be:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Realistic
• Time-specific

You could include sales targets and the amount of profit you are looking to achieve, targets for enquiry levels and so on.

Once a month, you should conduct a short review of progress to see how you are getting on and whether these targets need to be adjusted. However, don’t jump to re-adjust targets immediately if you aren’t hitting them. There may be something else in your marketing strategy that could be changed and will allow you to achieve more.

“When I do a plan, I generally go through who the target market is, what the products are, pricing and the process and timings,” said Dines.

Detail is key here. “Normally, it’s that people have things they want to achieve, but they don’t put a time on it. They’re not specific enough. Some of them will just say, ‘Oh, we would like to do X, but there isn’t a time on there.’ There’s no drive or endpoint for them to work to. And they won’t know how long to do their activities for, how much budget would apply to it, etc. That’s the fundamental mistake.”

As mentioned, reviewing the plan can also help you learn from any mistakes and help you adjust. When you write your marketing plan always bear in mind your desired results. The plan is therefore an important tool to help you author your business future.

Dines says that marketing plans don’t tend to be published and are kept internally. However, you might find examples online from larger companies or templates from marketing businesses.

Most are online or in print, but there are exceptions. Coca-Cola did part of their 2020 marketing plan in the form of a video:

The one thing to remember is that the following examples should be used as guides, so don’t rigidly follow them. Each marketing plan will look slightly different depending on the needs, audience and aesthetic of your business.

Bear in mind that a lot of the examples below are stylised too. You can just create Word docs or Excel spreadsheets if that works for you.

Here are said examples. Your marketing plan could be made up of any or all of these things.

Executive summary

This is a rundown of your business and what it does. It also includes a bit of information on market need, target customer and what’s coming up of the firm.

Source: Shopify

Target customers

Source: Venngage

USP

Your unique selling point (USP) sets you apart from your competitors and re-establishes market need.

Source: Shopify

SWOT analysis

You may have come across SWOT analyses before. They look at strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for your marketing to help drive your plan forward.

Source: Zapier

Competitor analysis

This can also help to drive your plan based on what your competitors are doing. Either filling in for their shortcomings or taking inspiration from what they do well.

Source: Venngage

Action programmes

This can be seen as an outline for what’s coming up, sometimes driven by your SWOT analysis. It’s generally one year up to five years, though it still needs to be reviewed regularly.

Source: Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs

Budgets

This will give you an idea of how to get your plan into action and where you can move some money around.

Source: Smartsheet

There may even be sections that aren’t here that you feel are more fitting to your business and its marketing goals.

If you’re still flummoxed by the whole thing, then don’t worry – help is out there!

“There are lots of organisations and support that is available either at county level, or sometimes via various partnerships, like Enterprise Nation or your Chamber of Commerce,” said Dines. “There will always be someone nearby that you could maybe have a power hour with or get a grant to work with.”

Further reading

E-marketing made easy

The post How to write a marketing plan appeared first on Small Business UK.

If done well email marketing can still deliver dependable results. With the sales funnel becoming ever more complicated and GDPR around the corner, now more than ever, businesses need to take charge of every part of the customer journey. Here Andrea Blair from Hallam Internet, takes you through an email marketing checklist for success.

Marketing departments should be thinking about communicating with their customers at many different touch points. Therefore, there is a pretty long list of things that email marketing can be used for; the main ones being:

1. Obtaining new customers
2. Improving customer loyalty
3. Building brand awareness
4. Tracking and measuring behaviour
5. Testing new products and services
6. Generating sales

Email marketing used to be about mass messaging. These days are gone, and have been replaced by a channel that delivers a unique personalised experience. The vast amount of data being collected has allowed us to target based on behaviours and various other elements.

Getting email marketing right can often be a difficult task. Once you hit that send button, there’s no going back. Avoid any disasters by running through this email marketing checklist:

1. Nail Your Strategy

Before you even start to think about sending mass messages out to the world, you need to make sure you have a clear brand strategy. It seems like a bit of a no-brainer, but knowing how you are perceived in the outside world and the behaviours of your target audience are key before you start looking into email marketing. Ask yourselves the following questions:

• Are you clear about your competitive positioning?
• Is this the right distribution channel for your target audience?

Do you have a solid message that stands out from your competitors, and offers the best in the market?

2. Use Email Marketing Software

Use or invest in email marketing automation software. There are a lot of good free tools out there for smaller companies who have smaller list sizes, the main one being MailChimp.

For those bigger databases, you may find restrictions on list sizes and template constraints mean that you’ll have to invest a bit in this. Most of the top email marketing automation tools are really simple to use and allow for things like personalisation and split testing, to make sure you’re communicating and not spamming. Some tools that are worth considering are MailChimp, Vertical Response, Campaign Monitor and Acoustic Connect.

Examples of marketing email software include:

• Acoustic Connect – Acoustic Connect (formerly Silverpop) is a multi-channel marketing platform that covers email, social media and SMS messaging. Its email marketing tool that has a drag and drop editor, AI assistance and behavioral insights.
• ActiveCampaign – ActiveCampaign offers a suite of pre-made automation workflows and over 250 B2B and B2C-friendly email templates. You can split test up to five different email versions to see which performs best. The platform also integrates with PayPal, Stripe, Shopify and hundreds of other software providers.
• AWeber – AWeber is a very good option for beginners as it offers templates based on your website’s URL alone, images from Canva (as well as thousands of stock images) and help from an AI design assistant. It also offers free 3,000 emails for 500 subscribers.
• Campaign Monitor – Like AWeber, Campaign Monitor can draft up an email’s design based off a URL alone, basing it on the brand colours and logo.
• ConvertKit – ConvertKit is geared towards those in creative roles. Its free plan allows unlimited emails and landing pages and the ability to sell subscriptions and digital products.
• Mailchimp – Mailchimp works for businesses of all sizes and complexities. It has a drag and drop editor, email automations (a way of targeting customers automatically based on behavior, such as a purchase) and AI suggestions.
• MailerLite – Like AWeber, MailerLite is a great option for beginners as it not only has numerous templates, a free image gallery and an easy-to-use drag and drop editor, but can craft email copy with it’s AI assistant (well, ChatGPT).
• Vertical Response – Vertical Response offers various easy-to-use email marketing and landing page templates with the option of automated follow-up emails, A/B testing and an AI-powered content assistant. Its deep insights tool is very useful in identifying where your recipients click, the devices they used to open the email and where they’re located, so you can better personalise emails to them in future.

3. Follow These Tips When Composing “the Email”

Pay attention to that subject line, as that’s what drives the recipient to open your email. Keep it short, precise and engaging. The majority of emails are now read on mobile, so make sure the important bits aren’t being cut off. Most importantly, don’t forget to check it for spelling errors.

• Urgency – make the user think that they have to click through
• Curiosity – keep a little bit back to improve the chances of people clicking through
• What are you offering? – people will be more likely to click through if there is something in it for them
• Personalisation – know your audience and share relevant timely information

Segmentation remains one of the highest priorities in email marketing. The one size fits all approach of email marketing is no longer working – although you could argue that it never did work. Using your existing data to segment your emails means that you are delivering a relevant and specific experience, which will ultimately make your campaigns more successful.

Write compelling copy: ensure it is short, catchy, and engaging. Invest time in creating and repurposing good content, and its content that will get customers to open the message and hopefully continue to read, as you send them. Don’t forget the call to action.

4. Check Before You Hit Send

Is it mobile friendly? It is important not to overlook how your message comes across on different devices. Emails might still convert better on desktop, but recipients may make a decision from viewing it through mobile first! Your email marketing template needs to be responsive on mobile devices. Most email automation tools will offer this as standard, but it’s best to check.

The goal of email marketing is to get people to visit your website, so make sure you link back. Added bonus if it’s a dedicated landing page, if you want to increase conversions. Check all your links – there is nothing more irritating than a broken link or one that goes to the wrong landing page.

Check the version of the email is going to the correct list. It is common to create two versions of the same email based on behaviours.

Check your spelling and grammar, then check again. Get someone else to check. Customers are quick to pick up on these things and it could damage your brand massively. This is a vital check that you will find a lot of people don’t bother to perform.

See also: Five email marketing mistakes your start-up is making

5. Follow up and Improve

Report, review and improve. Email marketing is not about setting up your campaigns and walking away. Check your reports or stats following every email, and monitor the negative results and look for ways to improve.

6. Don’t forget GDPR

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a new digital privacy regulation being introduced on the 25th May 2018. Businesses are now required to offer new consumer opt-in permission rules, and need to store and manage proof of consent. They should also offer a method through consumers can ask for their personal information removed.

I would recommend taking legal advice, to make sure you know where you stand. But for starters, you should at the very least, take an audit of your current databases. Know all of your contacts, and how you acquired them. Be transparent and review and disclose your data practices, and think of the future, so look at your upcoming initiatives to ensure compliance now.

In conclusion, email marketing is still an essential marketing tool, by far working as a better conversion tool than social platforms. By following this email marketing checklist, you can ensure that your email marketing campaigns are accurate, engaging and reach your recipient no matter which device they choose to view your message.

Andrea Blair is a digital strategist at Hallam Internet

Further reading on email marketing

Top ten tips to mastering an email marketing campaign – Here, Tom Gottlieb, email marketing team leader at Wix.com, advises us on his top tips for running an email marketing campaign.

Reactivate your email list and re-engage subscribers – Inactive subscribers can be a drag on your email list. But a re-engagement campaign can get them involved and provide useful intel for your business

The post A guide to successful email marketing appeared first on Small Business UK.

The purpose of email marketing is to inform your customers and leads of what’s new at your business – be that offers, new stock, what’s best for the season or as a means to get them to engage on your website.

To best engage your leads, content must be relevant, personalised and be a clear representation of the brand. Email marketing software can help your business achieve this, with easy-to-se drag and drop editors, personalisation tools and AI-generated content to help when you’re struggling for words.

What is email marketing software?

Email marketing software allows businesses to create, send and track emails to their customers and leads.

To maximise the effectiveness of email marketing, your business will need email software that is best suited to its needs. Factors to consider include the number of recipients you need to mail out to, easy-to-use design customisation that allows you insert your logo and colourways, integrations with other relevant software and data migration.

Email marketing software providers offer varying levels of all these factors with price points to match.

7 best email marketing software for UK businesses

Brevo

Brevo’s marketing platform is a relatively cheap option if you’re a small business at £16 a month for a starter package which allows upwards of 20,000 emails a month, customizable email templates, basic reporting and email support. Brevo also has a CRM platform which you can integrate with the email software.

Highlights:

• Automation tools
• Drag and drop editor
• Campaign analysis

Price: £16 a month (starter package for smaller businesses)

Campaigner

Campaigner has a list verification tool that every now and then scans your contact list, rating and flagging any that could result in bounces.

Its drag and drop editor is easy to use (though there’s also an HTML editor) and is completely compatible with all mobile devices, without compromising on quality or functionality.

Highlights:

• Personalisation tools, including by geo location and buying behavior
• Drag and drop editor
• 24/7 support

Price: From £42 per month (starter plan)

Get Response

Get Response offers an affordable software solution from just £10 per month. With that, you get unlimited monthly emails, an AI-powered email generator, A/B testing and Google Analytics tracking.

Highlights:

• AI-powered newsletters
• AI-powered analytics
• Data-driven segmentation
• Integration with over 170 e-commerce platforms
• 24/7 support

Price: From £10 per month

Campaign Monitor

Campaign Monitor One helpful feature is how easy it is to customise to fit your branding. By inserting your URL, the editor will automatically import the brand colours and logo. Another unique feature is Campaign Monitor’s link review, which detects any broken links and flags any that need your attention.

Highlights:

• Drag and drop editor
• Mobile optimisation
• AI tools
• Segmentation and personalization
• Automatic transactional emailing
• Email analytics
• Software integrations

Price: £16 per month (for essentials package)

HubSpot

Like other email marketing software on this list, HubSpot offers a drag and drop editor for ease of use. One differentiator, though, is what HubSpot claims to be superior email deliverability, ensuring it hits the right folder in the customer inbox. HubSpot also has AI tools which can generate copy for you if you’re suffering from writer’s block. The downside is if you take just the email marketing product from HubSpot, it is far more expensive than the others on this list. If you already use the platform as your CRM, however, it is free.

Highlights:

• A/B testing
• Analytics
• AI copy generation

Price: Free with CRM (£702 a month without CRM)

Klaviyo

Like Mailchimp, Klaviyo has a range of templates which make it easy for a beginner to email marketing to get started.

Klaviyo offers advanced segmentation tools for personalization and makes good use of AI with subject line automation, predictive analytics and user recommendations based on their browsing history.

Highlights:

• Advanced segmentation
• Integration with over 300 software providers
• AI tools for personalised send-outs

Price: From $45 per month

Mailchimp

Mailchimp has drag and drop editor tools, meaning it can be easy to pick up for an email marketing beginner. It is also highly rated when it comes to email deliverability – i.e. avoiding the customer junk folder.

Mailchimp offers over 300 integrations with software providers – including Google Analytics so you can measure the success of your campaigns – as well as a host of AI tools such as abandoned cart notifications to help you achieve successful campaigns.

Highlights:

• 24/7 customer service
• 300+ integrations
• AI automation tools

Price: $20 per month (first month free)

More on email marketing

Reactivate your email list and re-engage subscribers – Inactive subscribers can be a drag on your email list. But a re-engagement campaign can get them involved and provide useful intel for your business

The post 7 best email marketing software for UK businesses appeared first on Small Business UK.

Entrepreneurs are facing more challenges than ever before. From the rapidly evolving economic environment, to the increasing need to do more with less, the pressures on small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) can feel overwhelming right now.

You’re probably looking for some solutions you can count on; tools that will make your life a little easier. That’s where Amazon Ads can help.

In 2022, more than 125,000 European small-and-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) sold more than 1.2 billion products to Amazon customers worldwide. This is equivalent to more than 2,200 sales every minute, according to the 2023 Amazon EU Economic Impact Report. Advertising is helping these smaller brands get noticed; small and medium businesses in Europe saw 120% more glance views, on average, within 20 weeks of launching sponsored ads in their home country.

Successful brands don’t exist in a vacuum. Advertising with Amazon Ads is a great way for brands to help get in front of new customers. Think of them as ads that work whilst you work, eat, sleep and repeat. 

Advertising isn’t just for enterprise businesses

It’s a misconception that only big brands advertise on Amazon. Amazon Ads products are designed for everyone, including small businesses, and have helped these businesses grow their sales. In the UK, small businesses saw 23% of their sales, on average, driven by Amazon Ads.

No matter your budget, sponsored ads are designed to work within it. You can choose your ad products based on your goals, and in general, it’s possible to see results like ad impressions, clicks, or sales with a budget of around €10/£10 a day. We recommend starting with Sponsored Products, which are cost-per-click ads that promote individual product listings.

From here, you can move on to incorporating other products into your advertising mix to help with brand building, or reaching more customers, such as Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Display. Sponsored Brands creative ads appear in relevant Amazon shopping results to help customers discover your brand, and Sponsored Display self-service display ads help you engage shoppers across their shopping journey, on and off Amazon.

With low barriers to entry and a flexible budget, Amazon Ads can be an affordable and effective marketing tool for entrepreneurs looking to grow their sales and expand their customer base.

Amazon Ads also provides valuable insights into your ad performance, allowing you to refine your targeting and messaging to improve return on ad spend (ROAS). 

Get your brand noticed by customers

Amazon Launchpad is a program that supports start-ups and small business owners across various stages of their business journey. For example, Amazon Launchpad helps entrepreneurs with marketing or with distributing their products to millions of Amazon customers around the world. To-date, Amazon Launchpad has helped small business owners launch over 4,000 new products. As part of Launchpad, those who sign up receive Amazon Ads click credits to spend on advertising.

Pier Carlo Montali, the CEO and co-founder of Security Watch, the company that invented the WinLet—an innovative portable female protection device—has seen success using solutions by Amazon Ads. Montali is a previous winner of the prestigious Launchpad Innovation Awards, and has since grown his business into a success story.

“We have been investing in Amazon Ads every day for almost a year,” said Montali. “It’s simple, you see immediate results and if you have a quality product, Amazon Ads can help you to sell large volumes right away. Investing in Amazon Ads allows you to be seen by customers who are ready to buy immediately and not by people who are browsing for information or are simply curious. In my opinion, this is the real added value of Amazon Ads and the reason why I would recommend it.”

Advertising on Amazon helps deliver results. Small and medium businesses in Europe saw 57% more sales, on average, within 20 weeks of launching sponsored ads in their home country.

Let Amazon Ads be a helping hand to your business and get started with advertising now.

Learn how Amazon Ads can help your small business.

The post How Amazon Ads is supporting entrepreneurs appeared first on Small Business UK.

If you’re considering starting a business involved in importing or exporting products, you’ll need to know about commodity codes and HS categories. These are used to classify goods for import and export, to make sure they’re moved safely and in compliance with customs, tax and duty regulations.

In this guide we’ll look at when and why commodity codes are used, what they look like, and how to find the right one for your needs.

Here’s all you need to know about commodity codes.

>See also: EU import changes – what’s changing from January 1

What are commodity codes?

A commodity code provides details of the goods you’re importing or exporting, such as what they are, what they’re made of, how they’re used and even how they’re packaged. This information is used for tracking imports into the country, and making sure that hazardous items are properly treated, but also for calculating import duty and VAT.

To import anything into the UK, you’ll need to make sure the right commodity code is included in its customs declaration. If you can’t correctly match your goods to the right code, you’ll not only be be paying the wrong customs duties but also risking serious legal consequences.

Possible consequences of using the wrong commodity code

• Having to pay top-up taxes (import VAT and duties)
• Having to pay a customs fine
• Having your deliveries delayed to frustrated customers
• Having your goods seized

You can find the correct commodity code using the online trade tariff lookup tool. Alternatively, you can get specific advice from HMRC, or use the Government-issued product classification guides to help.

Why you need to know about commodity codes

Commodity codes have a number of uses in import and export businesses. They’re used when completing paperwork for customs declarations and can influence the amount of tax and duty you pay to import or export a product. Using the correct commodity code is also important to make sure you’re following any relevant legal or safety regulations when importing products which might be dangerous or restricted.

Structure of the code post Brexit

Commodity codes now have to be included in the customs declaration that you will need to provide to clear any goods through UK or EU customs. This will make clear how much taxes – VAT and tariffs – you should be paying.

The UK is using the standard global 10-digit format, as does the EU, which can add 4-digit codes required to apply certain measures, such as trade defence or certain suspensions.

Commodity codes are made up with a range of digits that identify a particular product. They specify the type of product, materials used and the production method as follows:

• HS code digits: It starts with the global standard – Harmonised System, or 10-digit HS code. The UK has used this format since January 2021
• EU additional digits: The EU has added up to a further four – making potentially 14 in total. These extra EU numbers are: 2 digits CN heading (Combined Nomenclature); 2 digits TARIC (Integrated Tariff of the European Communities)

For example, if you search for the commodity code for “perfume” on the UK trade tariff search engine, the UK HS code is 3303001000.

You can find the EU commodity code through the Access2Markets online service, which should match in most cases.

Pro tip: The Access2Markets is geo-blocked if you’re in Great Britain and the country you enter in the “country from” field is an EU member state; although it’s not blocked if the “country from” is the UK.

It is possible that the EU and UK do not classify every item the same. However, as both are members of the World Customs Organisation, they apply the Harmonised System, which is expressly designed to achieve uniform classification across contracting parties.

Pro tip: If somebody is exporting from the EU then the EU export declaration would only require the EU commodity code to 8-digits. The longer commodity code would be required on the UK import declaration.

A UK business can use the Access2Markets (with the “country from” being the UK), to obtain a commodity code, truncate it to 8-digits for use on the EU export declaration.  Alternatively, you can use the advanced search function on the EU TARIC website and truncate.  

So with just a few numbers, the importers and exporters – and every other authority and organisation which handles the products on the way – know exactly what they’re dealing with.

Find your commodity code with the trade tariff look up

• Go to the UK government trade tariff look up page
• Hit Start Now
• Enter the search term you want to use – the dialogue box will automatically populate with common searches to help you
• Suggested commodity codes will appear, starting with the HS chapter and headings to help you narrow it down to the correct category of products
• You can continue to search the suggestions using other information, such as what the item is made of or how it is packaged
• Once you find the correct item type you’ll be shown the HS code, and any important information connected to this code – such as whether or not you need a licence to import or export items under this code.

What happens if you don’t have a commodity code or use an incorrect one?

If you use an incorrect commodity code, you might find that your goods are seized or delayed by customs. You might pay incorrect VAT or duty, and – if you pay too little – could be liable for extra fees and charges.

Some items can only be imported or exported with a licence, such as plants, animals, or anything potentially hazardous. If you try to move these products using an incorrect commodity code, you’ll be breaking the law, and will find yourself in serious legal trouble.

How to find out the right commodity code

Another option, if you can’t find the commodity code you’re looking for, is to ask HMRC for advice on the best fit code for your product. You can contact HMRC using the following email address:

classification.enquiries@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

HMRC will respond to your email within five working days. The EU member states have various similar tools.

Before you ask for advice

You’ll need to include information about the product you’re planning to import or export, to get advice on the commodity code. Your message should include:

• Company name, if applicable
• Contact name
• Contact details (email address and a contact number)
• The option which best describes your item: agricultural, chemical, textiles or ceramics – including food, drink, plastics, cosmetics, sports equipment, games, toys, clothing, shoes, electrical, mechanical or miscellaneous – including vehicles, optical and measuring devices, machinery, musical instruments, metal, furniture, lighting, paper, printed matter, straw, glass, wood, jewellery
• What the goods are made of (if more than one material, provide a breakdown of materials)
• What the goods are used for
• How the goods work or function
• How the goods are presented or packaged
• Any code you think best fits your goods
• Part of the code if you’ve been able to partially classify it

You should send a separate email for each product you need help with.

>See also: How will Brexit affect my imports and exports? Where to find customs help

How to obtain an EU-wide BTI ruling

In some cases it might be helpful to apply for a BTI – a Binding Tariff Information ruling, to confirm your commodity code. It’s a legal document that confirms the commodity code agreed for the product you’re exporting, so there’s no guesswork involved.

Getting a BTI can be helpful because you’ll have certainty about the commodity code needed for your imports or exports. It doesn’t cost anything to get a BTI ruling, but you may need to pay if there are tests needed, for example, to determine the materials used in your product.

This ruling usually lasts for three years and is legally binding throughout the EU.

The EU operates a centralised EU Customs Trader Portal that all BTI ruling applications have to go through. All processes through this portal are now done electronically and you can find the relevant details and related resources here: European Commission Taxation and Customs Union – BTI

How to apply for a BTI ruling

tariff.classification@hmrc.gov.uk

Use the above email to apply to access the EU Customs Trader Portal if you’re based in Britain, putting “Enrolment EU Central Service” in the subject line, including your EORI number.

You can find out more about the process here.

HMRC will aim to reply to your email within five working days to confirm you’ve been set up to access the EU Central Service and give you the link to access it.

Once you have the link, you’ll need to provide:

• Detailed information about your goods, which can vary depending on your goods
• Brochures, manuals, photographs and samples where appropriate. If you want this information to remain confidential, you must tell HMRC

You can also let HMRC know what you think the commodity code should be.

What happens after you’ve applied

HMRC aims to reply to your application within four months. You’ll be given a legal document informing you of the correct commodity code for your goods and the start date for the period of validity of the information. The document also shows:

• Unique reference number
• The name and address of the holder of the information, legally entitled to use it (decisions are non-transferable)
• Description of the goods (including any specific marks and numbers) to identify your goods at the frontier
• Basis of the legal justification for the decision

However, six countries – including Britain – have their own BTI ruling application sites that you can go through in addition to the EU central service.

• Croatia
• France
• Germany
• Poland
• Spain
• United Kingdom

Applying for a BTI if you’re in Northern Ireland

Binding Tariff Information decisions can be issued by HMRC to traders or individuals that have an EORI number that starts XI for goods you’re intending to import into or export from:

• Northern Ireland
• any EU member states, if you’re established in Northern Ireland

You can find more information about applying for a BTI decision if you’re based in or exporting to Northern Ireland here.

Why commodity codes are important

Finding the right commodity code is one of the first things you’ll need to do before you can import or export goods. It can be a little complex, but there is help at hand to make sure you get the right code for your business needs. With the resources outlined here, you should be able to find all you need to start getting your import/export business off the ground.

Further resources and guides

Import guide: three essential tips and everything you need to know – Guidance for navigating importing in a post-Brexit world.

Tariffs on goods imported into the UK – How to check the tariff rates that apply to goods you import.

The Border Target Operating Model and how it will affect your business – An explanation of the new rules and processes for food and plant imports that will come into force in 2024

5 things to remember when exporting for the first time – Exploring the key challenges for first-time exporters

The post The essential guide to commodity codes and HS categories appeared first on Small Business UK.

As anyone who frequents any website online will already know, chatbots are already being used by a host of brands to assist a customer with any queries they might have.

And chatbots have a lot going for them. They’re multilingual, can work around the clock 24/7 and can serve an infinite number of customers at once across multiple platforms. They’re also very good at automating routine tasks, such as booking in appointments and reservations.

If a customer has a query and it’s a frequently asked question (FAQ), the the bot will direct the browser to the answer already stated on the website, freeing time for customer service staff. The improved response time and efficiency can in turn also help improve customer satisfaction.

Even the government is getting in on the act, with Rishi Sunak planning on launching an AI chatbot to help the public pay taxes and access pensions on the Gov.uk website, using tech from ChatGPT’s OpenAI.

But it’s not all good news, of course. Before businesses rush to implement chatbots on their website, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is warning of an increased security risk to business operations. Early studies suggest chatbots are more prone to performing harmful tasks by hackers, such as making unauthorised transactions.

“Whilst it’s been beneficial for individuals and businesses – from the implementation of customer service chatbots to content creation – it also poses dangers, such as producing biased or false information,” Dr Marc Warner, CEO of AI consultancy firm Faculty, warns.

Warner says AI chatbots should be overseen by humans and should supplement human activity, not replace it, in order to limit its susceptibility to misinformation and abuse.

How AI is transforming chatbots

Software companies such as Amazon, OpenAI, Microsoft and Google may be launching AI chatbot platforms now, but live chat platforms such as Zendesk have been around since 2007.

However, whereas live chat platforms have previously gone so far as to greet an enquirer before relying on a customer service professional to deal with the task, now AI chatbots are able to see through a whole query in a human-like manner – and do this with multiple customers at the same time. They can also learn from their experiences, getting better at their replies and flagging customer pain points if an issue is being raised repeatedly.

Top chatbots for business

Ada

A (very) multilingual chatbot (Ada supports over 50 languages in all), Ada can provide customer support on channels such as Facebook and WhatsApp. You can build the bot, which is built on large language models (LLM) without any prior coding knowledge.

IBM Watson

As well as recommending additional topics to its knowledge base so it can improve future interactions, Watson from IBM alerts a business to where it needs more training on topics of its existing knowledge base.

Intercom Fin

Built on Chat GPT, Fin uses a business’s knowledge base to answer customer queries. When it doesn’t understand a request, it will ask questions back to the customer. If it’s still struggling, it will alert a member of staff to help. All its interactions are stored and can be viewed by a human at any time.

Salesforce Einstein

Salesforce Einstein can help with marketing, sales and customer service. In terms of the latter, the chatbot can help by surfacing relevant information during customer support interactions and automating summaries of resolutions.

Tidio Lyro

Lyro from Tidio is a customer-facing chatbot that can get to work conversing with customers straight away. It can answer FAQs competently in a human-like way, and if it can’t answer a query, it will direct to a customer service member of staff and flag this to your business as something to add to its knowledge base.

WP-Chatbot

WP-Chatbot allows businesses to have a live chat added to their WordPress website. As it’s a widget, it’s very easy to install and is compatible with all versions of WordPress and hundreds of its themes, plugins and e-commerce platforms. It provides constant support, even if there are no customer service staff available.

Zendesk Answer Bot

Zendesk has been in the live chat game since 2007 and Answer Bot is the latest of its AI offerings. With Zendesk’s advanced AI add-on, its bots will give suggestions, insights and uses deep learning to understand customer intent. For anything it has trouble with, it will direct to a live agent.

More on chatbots

How UK consumers feel about AI and chatbots in customer service – The UK is lagging behind other countries in making it easy for customers to interact with large organisations, says research from Avaya

Chatbots in the future of customer service – For human agents, working in tandem with generative AI chatbots empowers them with the right tools they need to deliver exceptional customer service, says Jordi Ferrer, vice-president and general manager at ServiceNow.

The post Benefits of chatbots for your business appeared first on Small Business UK.

In business, commissioning market research may seem intimidating or even unnecessary when you’re on a tight budget.

(SMEs) often think it is only for big business, but this is far from the truth. Customers can be difficult whether your company is big or small. They have their own vocabulary, their own ‘goods and services’ and can have very fixed perceptions.

In fact, with relatively low budgets and restricted resources, smaller companies may have more to gain from early and effective insight into their customers, and yes, it can be done a shoestring budget. It isn’t about cutting corners, it’s about thinking intelligently and flexibly from the outset.

According to figures from the Federation of Small Business, SMEs account for 99.9 per cent of UK businesses. With so much resting on these economic powerhouses, it is vital they understand how to benefit from customer insight. Done well, it can enable informed decisions which ultimately – through better customer understanding – leads to better design of ideas or communications and grow profit.

When conducting research, it’s always important to carefully consider what you want to learn about your customers and how best to do that. Choosing the right researcher, however small (and there are many one-person consultants) is crucial.

To get the best results, treat your researcher as a partner and invest time with them to ensure they understand you and your business. The more you put in, the more you’ll get out of the process.

Find a consultant or agency that is prepared to be honest with you and be ready to take their advice on board – the good news about what you’re doing as well as the less flattering feedback.

Below are a few extra pointers to get started.

Examine what you already have

Begin at the beginning by analysing the data you already have access to.

You might be surprised about what you already know about your customer base, or potential customer base. Businesses often forget that they are already sitting on customer data.

If you have it, you’ll need to establish how good it is. Check there isn’t bias in it by considering what sort of questions you asked (did they lead towards a specific answer?), how you did it (did the method favour a particular group over others?), and who you asked.

Organise data appropriately before considering adding any more to the mix. By analysing what you already have and thinking about how you can feasibly use it, you’ll be in a position to identify the gaps and give a much tighter brief to your research provider.

Remember to keep GDPR in mind when handling customer data.

Quality over quantity

Prioritising the quality and usefulness of each piece of research rather than simply collecting as much information as you can is sage advice, particularly for SMEs. A huge amount of data is one thing but it’s not much use until it is properly interpreted.

It’s not the information itself that will help you to achieve actionable insight, but the questions you ask of it.

Take advantage of free resources

There’s lots of data out there that you can access without incurring costs.

The Census contains a surprising amount and is an ideal place to start. Royal Mail’s excellent and accessible MarketReach database is useful if you’re thinking of using direct mail in your marketing.

Social media is clearly a great place to establish what matters to your target market, but it must be approached with caution and an awareness and understanding of your sample.

Those who are particularly expressive online represent a relatively small and unique group, so bear in mind that more private or reserved people could be overlooked. Not all age groups use all social media, and some don’t use any at all.  Make sure you’re not missing out on customers by relying too heavily on one data source.

Think flexibly

There are also ways you can adapt your own behaviour to gain insight into your target market. Don’t underestimate the power of qualitative insights (put crudely, talking and listening to smaller groups and individuals) alongside numerical data and trust the instinctive steer such observation gives you.

Something as simple as looking through your target audience’s preferred newspaper can help. This is part of a process to continue listening to your customer in their context. Staying curious about them isn’t just fun, it’ll keep you to stay ahead.

“Don’t underestimate the power of qualitative insights”

This flexible approach to what constitutes valid research is vital for businesses who may be struggling with smaller budgets. By thinking flexibly and realising that useful research is not beyond their reach financially, SMEs have everything to gain.

Jane Frost CBE, CEO of the Market Research Society (MRS)

Further Resources

How to use market research to make smart marketing decisions for your business – Mentor, speaker and author Katie Tucker on understanding your customer better and creating research-driven product awareness strategies.

8 Templates to Plan and Organize Your Market Research – These free templates from Milanote include a Brand Positioning Map, Customer Personas, SWOT analysis, and other classic market research projects.

20 Market Research Tools (With Importance and Types) – A comprehensive list covering data analysis, software, and competitive intelligence resources from Indeed.

Why market research is so important for a start-up business – Eric Brandenburg of market research company Marketest, looks at how unbiased research will uncover the merits of a new product to a market.

Smart marketing tips for start-ups – Advice on creating a consistent, varied and impactful marketing strategy.

And also, checkout this succinct explainer from OnStrategy on How to Conduct a Market Analysis in 4 Steps

The post How to do your market research on a shoestring budget appeared first on Small Business UK.

All new businesses have one thing in common – tight purse strings. The thought of coughing up for professionals to set up the various aspects of an online business, from SEO advisor and marketing expert to accountant and website-builder, causes understandable worry.

This need not be the case. The web is chock-a-block full of free platforms and networks that cost nothing to use or maintain and can give small businesses the edge, right from the start.

LinkedIn is key to new businesses for its networking possibilities; Mailchimp provides an email platform with excellent design and tracking capabilities; and WooRank tells you how your website is communicating with search engines so you can improve your SEO. These ‘freemium’ services, where the product or service is provided free of charge, but an affordable premium is charged for advanced features, are a gift to budding business owners who only 20 years ago would have paid thousands of pounds for these types of services.

The same applies to website building which is the first major undertaking for most new businesses.

Every savvy business person knows the value of a good website, but most new business owners perceive web design as complex, technical and time consuming and so will usually take the decision to outsource this task. But it’s not always necessary to throw thousands of pounds at a professional web designer. Freemium services, like Wix, enable businesses to create their professional and dream website on a shoestring.

Here’s how you can retain complete ownership of your company’s web building process so you end up with a beautiful website with a minimal amount of hassle, as well as saving yourself lots of money and time.

Planning your website

Firstly, it’s important to think about what your website represents – is your brand fun, colourful, minimalistic? Spend time understanding who your brand is, how it speaks and what experience you would like visitors to have when using your site – this will help you choose and build the perfect look and feel for your site.

Then look into the different freemium website building platforms out there, of which Wix is one. This means your website is free to build and can look beautiful with the help of ready-made templates, which can easily be customised by someone who doesn’t have any design or coding skills. Whether you’re a consultant or a hairdresser you can choose from the hundreds of HTML5 customisable designs. The benefit of freemium model platforms is that you only pay for what you need.

What’s more, you’re not restricted to basic website building. There’s also the option to integrate apps that will boost your business’ marketing and social functionalities. Adding music, videos, contact forms, traffic generating apps, blogs, live chat and other business building apps can take your website to the next level of customisation and professionalism.

Starting up your business does not have to be a daunting prospect. Utilise the free tools that the web has to offer and when it comes to creating your online presence this is no different. Reflect on who your brand is, what feeling you’d like it to convey, how your website should function and then research into a freemium web publishing platform and create your dream website within your budget.

More on website building 

How can I promote my small business website? – We answer 5 common questions on how to grow and market your small business website, from understanding SEO to advertising on social media

The post Advice for small businesses on building a website on a shoestring appeared first on Small Business UK.

Now that you’ve chosen your domain name and created your website, it’s all about getting noticed.

We’ll guide you through the key principles of generating traffic as well as advertising and selling through social media and promoting yourself through other people’s websites.

How can I drive traffic to my website?

Where to start? First, you need to ensure that your small business website is regularly updated with fresh content, as this keeps Google interested. Remember, your website is a digital mouth to feed.

And what Google especially likes are hyperlinks within content: both to elsewhere within your own small business website and to other people’s websites, which helps you gain what’s called “page authority.”

• Create useful content that answers a question – which is how we all use the internet.
• Learn about search engine optimisation (SEO), which is how to angle content to generate the highest web traffic possible. Often, it’s just tweaks.
• Create content that people in turn want to link to.
• Structure your content with subheads, bullet points and tables — just like this article! (It helps Google’s algorithm find your website and promote it up the rankings.)
• If you’re selling products, sell via bigger affiliate networks which get a percentage of each sale made.

The importance of video

Google regularly updates its mysterious algorithm, pushing some sites up the rankings and some down. It never announces these updates in advance nor divulges its thinking. One thing we do know is that video is increasingly important for websites, as Google prefers websites with video embedded. So, unleash your inner Steven Spielberg and think video first.

Getting your business listed

If you have a physical premises, whether it’s a shop or a pub or restaurant, Google My Business allows you to link your website to a box that comes up whenever someone Googles your business including your opening hours, contact details, and a map of your location.

Think about influencer marketing

Influencer marketing involves endorsements by popular individuals or groups on social media. Influencers with a relevant audience can direct their followers to your website, making them a powerful recommendation tool.

As an SME, focusing on nano and micro-influencers (1,000 to 50,000 followers) can connect with an online audience genuinely interested in what you’re selling. influenceers with smaller audiences, micro-targeted at what you’re offering, charge more affordable rates, making them a great opportunity for SMEs with modest marketing budgets.

What’s more important – sales or getting sign-ups?

Personally, I would always take a signup over a sale. A sale is a one-time transaction if the customer doesn’t want their details remembered or they don’t sign up for your mailing list. A signup is the start of an ongoing relationship and opportunity to connect with email newsletters, special offers and other promotions. Email addresses are data gold and obtaining them can be a high hurdle, even more so since the EU introduced its GDPR data legislation.

The importance of email

An email address is still the most valuable tool in your marketing toolkit. Being able to message customers telling them about your new or revamped website is marketing gold. Some of us are squeamish about marketing but think of it as a service to your customers – how can you serve them if they can’t find you online?

However, make sure there’s a way for people to sign up through your website. Offer them something in exchange for their email address, such as a free gift or entry into a prize draw.

How to collect email addresses through your website

• Ensure that people can input their email address on your home page. Your connected email service collects addresses on your behalf. Remember, it’s effective to give something free in exchange for the email address, an offer of some kind. A prize draw or a discount on their next purchase often works.
• Or send email signups to a landing page. This is a simpler page on your website where you can send visitors from a social media ad. You can have as many landing pages on your website as you want as they are invisible to casual visitors and allow you to segment your mailing list.
• Popups and slide-ins are separate boxes that either pop up or slide in somewhere on your website to collect people’s email address. Yes, they can be irritating to some, but many websites say they are the most effective tool to collect email addresses.
• Gated content. This means you have to input your email address to finish reading a complete article or if you want to be emailed a report or whitepaper. Again, it’s something for something.
• Header bars that sit at the top of a homepage, again giving you the chance to input your email. No matter how far you scroll down the website, the header bar sits there.

Should I advertise on social media?

The answer is “of course” – with caveats. What people don’t like is being hit over the head with sales messages. Whether you post an ad for your site on Facebook or Instagram or tweet a link to it, your content has to be both engaging and arresting.

The beauty of social media is that instead of the reach you’d get on a billboard or on TV or in a newspaper, social media allows you to drill down exactly into your ideal customer. Whatever your ideal customer profile, Facebook can find suitable matches by interests, age, gender and geography.

Even better, if you feed your customer email database into Facebook, the social network will then find their actual Facebook profiles and create a “lookalike audience” based on their interests, amplifying your potential ad reach. Ideally, you need to have a thousand email addresses to feed into the algorithm before Facebook gets to work. Scary, huh?

How do I sell things from my site on social media?

Here’s a 5-point checklist for creating any social media ad:

• Decide what you want to sell
• Who do you want to sell it to? — Choose age/gender/interest/location
• Select an image — Make it arresting
• Write compelling copy — Keep it snappy and short
• Pull your ad after a fortnight – social ads age quickly, and your target audience is being served the same ad repeatedly. Don’t outstay your welcome.

Facebook

As we have seen, Facebook is brilliant at identifying potential customers in highly targeted ways. And you can add a “buy now” button to your Facebook ad. However, the social media giant is happy to gobble your money regardless of how many sales conversions you make.

Don’t think you can just promote your website to your existing Facebook followers: organic reach on Facebook has dropped to anything between 1.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent. Facebook has very much become a pay-to-play – or, more accurately, a pay-to-be-seen platform.

First, you need to set up a Facebook Page for your business in addition to your personal Facebook account. This page will only be seen by people who have “liked” your page — in effect, they’re giving you permission to advertise to them.

Once an ad has been running for a few days, you will see a “relevancy” score to calculate whether your ad is engaging its target audience.

There are four types of Facebook ads:

• Sponsored which feature in a box on the right of your Facebook newsfeed.
• Page posts that appear in people’s newsfeeds.
• Sponsored stories that are sent to your newsfeed if a Facebook friend has previously engaged with the brand
• Promoted posts that are regular newsfeed posts that have been boosted in order to increase reach.

Instagram

Showing a customer a photo of your product and having them tap to buy it instantly is a compelling sales platform. You can go from being inspired to making a purchase within a couple of taps.

When you see a shopping bag on an Instagram post, it means you can purchase by hovering your finger over the item. Items are marked with price tags.

Also, you can add hashtags to photos to help Instagrammers find your products such as #shoes #trainers #oldskool #hi-tops #basketball to get more reach.

As a service, shoppable Instagram is free — although you do need to connect it to your Facebook business page and create a catalogue. And although your catalogue is not connected directly to your website, you can link the two — and your inventory — through a third-party e-commerce platform such as Shopify.

As with other social media platforms, do not post boring white-background product shots on Instagram — you need to create interesting, engaging images. You don’t want your Instagram feed to be one continuous sales catalogue.

X/Twitter

Somebody who follows you on Twitter is 72pc more likely to make a purchase from you.

And, like Facebook, X/Twitter ads enable you to target users by interest, gender and geography.

The simplest way to get started is to pay for a promoted tweet, just like the ones which appear in your own timeline. Again, using X/Twitter to promote a prize draw in exchange for website signups is probably better use of your marketing shilling than selling directly.

Reddit

This is a good way to promote a consumer website, but it doest take time to cultivate. Before you begin promoting your website on Reddit, you’ll be expected to join in conversations on sub-reddits (specific interest forums) and only share links to your website where on an appropriate basis.

Can I promote my website on other people’s websites, blogs or podcasts?

Yes. In this media-savvy age, people understand that you offer something for something. Mentioning your small business website when being interviewed for a podcast is perfectly acceptable and often comes in the form of the interviewer’s wrap-up question, “So, where can people find you?”

Offering to write blog posts with a link to your small business website on other people’s more widely followed sites is again perfectly standard. However, this is a time-consuming way of promoting your site. On the other hand, having your weblink on an authoritative third-party website does help what’s called “page authority” and pushes your site up the Google rankings. (Which is why national newspapers almost never link out of their own sites.)

Learn how to achieve more online with free and trusted advice from the UK Domain. Browse articles, guides and more here.

Further reading

Get your business online with this 7-step action plan

The post How can I promote my small business website? appeared first on Small Business UK.

Import licenses are government-issued permits or authorisations required for individuals or businesses to import specific goods or commodities into the country. These licenses are a part of the UK’s trade regulations and are used to regulate and control the inflow of certain goods, often for reasons related to public health, safety, national security, or economic protection.

The process may involve meeting specific criteria, providing documentation, and paying fees. Importers typically need to apply for these licenses well in advance of the intended importation.

Failure to obtain a required import license can result in legal consequences and the rejection or confiscation of imported goods at the border.

Do I need an import licence for the UK?

Deciding whether you need an import licence to import goods into the UK depends on what commodity you are importing. Your first step is to identify the customs HS code which should be available from your supplier/manufacturer that you are purchasing the goods from.

Related: The essential guide to commodity codes and HS categories

When importing goods into the UK, there is a lot of documentation involved. Although a vast majority of products do not need an import licence, a few do.

Products do often need licenses to “export” them before they’re allowed to leave their country of origin – but, unless you’re buying on EXW terms, the export licence cost is not your responsibility.

Who needs an import licence?

The thing to remember about import licences is that a licence is a way for the Government to cap and monitor imports. Most goods will be unaffected, but certain goods like firearms and military-use goods will require a licence. Goods that require a licence are the same; items that the Government would not want an unlimited supply of saturating the market.

An example of a few goods you need an import licence for are below:

• Military goods
• Paramilitary goods
• Dual-use technology
• Artwork
• Plants
• Animals
• High risk foodstuffs
• Medicines
• Most chemicals
• Waste

How do I get an import licence?

You can apply for an import licence via the Department for International Trade here. Email enquiries.ilb@trade.gov.uk for advice on the import controls ILB is responsible for. Read “Import goods into the UK: step by step” on the Government website here for information on licences and certificates.

>See also: How to import from the EU

What documents do I need for a licence?

When it comes to importing, the certification that is needed is not the same across the board. There are, however, certain documents that all importers will need to get their goods into the country, regardless of what those goods actually are, namely a commercial invoice and packing list. Thereafter you should find out the HS code of your commodity and yourself or your freight forwarder can check the HM Customs & Excise tariff to see if that HS code requires more documentation such as certificate of origin, test certificate, material safety data sheets and so on.

Paula Bellamy is managing director of freight specialists OL UK

Further resources

Import guide: three essential tips and everything you need to know

Trade Tariff: look up commodity codes, duty and VAT rates

EORI number – What it is and how to get or check one

Everything you need to know about customs brokers

The post Do I need an import licence? appeared first on Small Business UK.

The number of independent sellers has ballooned since platforms like eBay, Amazon Marketplace and Facebook Marketplace came to the fore.

They’re great for first-time and casual sellers with a ready-made market of customers searching for items that they’d struggle to find in the shops. However, you could be facing commission and listing fees, which will reduce your profits. You also have less room to customise your product description and how you present them. Bear in mind that they’re competitive selling platforms, especially for saturated markets like health and fitness.

Before you jump in, think about whether selling through your own website would be better for you.

Amanda Johnson, owner of Elsie’s Attic, talks about why she moved away from the big selling platforms.

What made you decide to go from eBay and Facebook to selling through your own website?

Selling on eBay is quite tricky as there are lots of hoops to jump through including fees and competition, so it can be quite tricky for a small business selling relatively low-value items to stand out.

Similarly, Facebook was great, but it meant I had to personally interact with every customer for a sale and issue invoices through PayPal. While it is always lovely to chat to customers, that model was simply not scalable and it was very difficult to take any time off, as I would worry we would miss messages and, by extension, sales.

Also, Facebook is going through a lot of changes, which means it is harder for businesses to have their content shown to potential customers. So, having our own website was the obvious answer. People could see all our items and shop with ease and confidence any time of the day or night.

What were the main challenges you faced?

When we started this business neither of us had any experience in the field, so we had no idea what to expect. There were just so many challenges. We had to have a crash course in how to manage and edit a website for starters.

Before our first site launched, I worked 27 hours without a break just to load all the products for the first launch! Now we are more experienced, we ensure our agency does this work prior to launch. After we launched our first website, it was more popular than we could have ever imagined and we were in no way prepared.

The site often experienced outages and the company that hosted us originally then refused to host us, as we were also taking down all their other sites. A nice problem to have, really!

What steps do you need to take to make the transition?

Finding someone that is used to dealing with e-commerce is a massive advantage.

The first person we used was great and we paid a very small fee, which certainly helped the business grow. However, our first web developer lacked e-commerce experience and was really only available to us during regular business hours, not usually the hours that people are shopping online. Our site regularly crashed on Sunday evenings due to the sheer volume of traffic and there was often no one available to help us.

“Finding a good agency or web developer that doesn’t cost the earth is the real key”

Finding a good agency or web developer that doesn’t cost the earth is the real key. As well as ensuring you have all the product information and images, there are lots of policies and basic information that you must display for visitors to be complaint – particularly following GDPR.

What advantages does selling on your own website have over eBay and Facebook?

The main advantage is that customers can browse our products 24/7 and we don’t have to be present to answer questions and issue invoices. All of that is done automatically through the site. People are able to view all of our products and necessary information in one place and we can also link sell.

For example, if a person purchases a dress, the site also suggests suitable petticoats, shoes and other items to go with the dress. We can also use our site as a platform for interacting with our lovely followers by posting blog entries.

Further, once a person has visited our site, they will hopefully sign up for our newsletter so it’s easier for us to make direct contact with them in the future.

Designing your website for improved customer retention

Here, Brenda Cresswell looks at three aspects of design that are some of the best ways to start moulding your visitors’ emotional responses.

For centuries, humans in western cultures have been lying to themselves. We have maintained the myth that we are rational beings, and that we can make logical decisions that are unaffected by emotion.

Recent efforts in neuroscience have shown this idea to be false. Scientist and business expert, Janet Crawford, described the stark reality of rational thought in an interview with Forbes: ‘The conscious intellectual brain steps in to provide a rational backstory to justify impulses generated in the murky corners of the unconscious mind’.

Crawford explains how our emotions are essentially shortcuts built into our brains to help us use our past experiences to respond to situations much more quickly than if we needed to work out a rational response.

This understanding of emotions is invaluable for web designers and business owners looking to convert more visitors into loyal customers. It tells us that building sites that trigger emotional responses in visitors is a much better way to persuade them to meet our goals than aiming for more intellectual stimulation, even if we’re using emotional subtext to push the visitor towards what they think is a rational decision.

Emotional focus in UX

User experience (UX) is an established part of web design. It refers to the entire experience of someone using your product (in this case, your website), and looks at aspects such as the accessibility and the value that the site adds to your visitor’s life.

While UX certainly has the scope to be improved by the understanding of emotions that neuroscience has given us, emotional experience (EX) has never quite had the impact that it could.

Some of the language around EX makes it sounds as if it is replacing UX, but EX at its best is a development of the existing discipline that builds on what has already made it a success, and keeps it in line with the best scientific insights from fields like neuromarketing.

Incorporating EX into your UX and user interface (UI – the aesthetic side of web design) means being more intentional in considering the emotional implications of different features on your website, and realising that visitors will attach emotional significance to elements of your design whether or not you want them to. A focus on EX means a commitment to taking control over the emotional implications of your site design choices, and using them to your advantage.

With that in mind, I want to take a look at three aspects of design that are, in my experience from 20 years in retail, some of the best ways to start moulding your visitors’ emotional responses.

Colour: the foundation of EX

Colour psychology is a well-trodden path in marketing, and its importance underpins much of EX. Colours are some of the simplest visual stimuli available to humans, and their appearance causes us to have a variety of emotional reactions.

At a basic level, warm colours like red and orange heighten our emotional arousal, making us more excited and passionate. Cooler colours, like blue and purple, tend to make us calmer and reduce obvious emotional responses (though this, in itself, is an emotional response).

Alongside those basic associations are extra associations that culture has created, sometimes building on basic natural instincts. For example, yellow has cautionary associations in cultures that use it in warning signs.

Being in retail, and managing a company that sells lingerie specifically, there are some associations that I can make use of. Red is a perfect colour for me, because it makes people more passionate and likely to make spontaneous purchases (which is why it’s normally used in sale signs), but it also has cultural associations with love, along with similar colours like pink. By incorporating red into my site, in elements like sale icons and the logo, I can benefit from these associations that make visitors more likely to make a snap decision to purchase my products.

In contrast, a service company like a law firm, along the lines of the one in this example, might use blue around their site to encourage a sense of calm in their visitors, and help them to evaluate their services with a clear head. Before deciding on colours, you need to think about your brand and products in order to make sure your choice supports the actions you want your visitors to accomplish.

A picture is worth a thousand words…or emotions

Images can create instant emotional responses that you just can’t replicate with words. Factors such as the subject matter, size and perceived proximity of your images will all have an emotional weighting.

Thanks to empathetic responses now believed by scientists to originate in specialised parts of the brain called mirror neurons, human brains respond when they see an image of someone performing an action that they are also capable of doing.

Let me break that down a bit. If you see someone looking happy wearing clothes from a certain brand, it’s easy to imagine yourself doing the same. If you see someone typing on a new keyboard, it’s easy to imagine yourself doing the same. As Dr Vittorio Gallese, a scientist at the university that first discovered mirror neurons in apes, says, ‘It seems we’re wired to see other people as similar to us, rather than different. At the root, as humans we identify with the person we’re facing as someone like ourselves”. If you’re trying to sell a product, then showing your visitors images of people enjoying using that product is a great starting point.

You can also use images in a similar way to colours, choosing images where the subject matter and themes evoke responses of excitement, fun, or calm. Using visuals in this way is referred to as ‘priming’, and it works. A study on the phenomenon found that visitors to a car site would look at more expensive models if the background colour was green (like American money) and showed images of pennies.

Arrange your site’s layout for maximum effect

In high street retail, we know that arranging displays in the shop will make customers more likely to buy certain things, and the same principle applies for your online stores and websites.

If certain elements are more prominent than others, you can guide your visitors’ attention to the right places, and evoke the emotional responses that you’re looking for. Many sites already do this, with banners displaying featured products appearing large at the top of the page, or pop ups displaying your most important calls to action (CTAs) appearing in bold colours in the centre of the screen.

You may already be doing some of these techniques, but I would urge you to pay attention to the emotional content of each element. Is your CTA telling customers to shop in your sale in cool, calming colours rather than the more desirable hot colours? Or is your featured product banner devoid of any images that might encourage visitors to identify with people already using the product?

Humans naturally pick up on certain aspects of a scene and pay attention to them more than others, a phenomenon referred to in cognitive psychology as ‘prominence’, and you have the power to change what appears as prominent. If you don’t, your visitors’ attention might be dragged to other areas of the page that won’t lead to them becoming customers.

All of these features of EX that I’ve talked about are simple to implement in your design with a little bit of thought, and the principles can be applied to more than just these basics. In all that you do, think about how you want your customers to respond, and what you can do to make them respond in that way. You have nothing to lose by paying more attention to EX, and a lot that you could potentially gain.

Brenda Cresswell is founder of Bare Necessities.

Further reading on website design

Taking it to the next level: Remixing your digital presence – Stefano Maruzzi discusses the importance of your website sticking out from the pack

Building and designing your perfect website – In partnership with the UK Domain, we give you some handy tips to help you design and build a website for your small business

How to market your e-commerce website – How to get your small business website noticed. James Cooper of digital marketing solution Convoboss outlines all the tools you need to give your ecommerce website visibility

The post The pros and cons of selling through your own website appeared first on Small Business UK.

Entrepreneurs are generally aware of the positive effect that social media can have on their business, but sometimes lack a clear strategy to guide their output.

In this article, we’re going to look at social media strategies in a bit more detail, covering what a social media strategy is, why you need one and how to react and adjust your strategy depending on changes in your business.

Before we do so, and before you start creating your own social media plan, let’s establish how we – and your potential customers – use these platforms.

Statista cites that there are 45 million active social media users (67pc of the UK population) and 39 million active social media users on mobile (58pc of the population).

Statista cites that, as of January 2023, there were 57.1m active social media users (83 per cent of the UK population).

In 2023, Facebook is still the most widely used social platform in the UK – ambiguity surrounds whether WhatsApp is a social media platform so we won’t count it. Here are some key figures:

• A sizeable 66 per cent of all internet users in the UK use Facebook (Social Shepherd)
• Meanwhile, there are 30.6m Instagram users in the UK, which is about 46 per cent of the UK. (Social Films)
• 23.15m users are on X/Twitter (Statista)
• There were 38.1m LinkedIn users in the UK in June 2023 (Statista)

According to Meltwater, there are around 57.10m YouTube in 2023.

What is a social media strategy?

With statistics like the above, it’s no surprise that social media can help small businesses grow online. But to really get the most out of the channel, you need a social strategy. Why? We’ll answer that in a moment.

A social media strategy is a plan of how you’re going to handle your output over a set period of time – it could be a week, a month, a year or another suitable measure.

>See also: Social Media Metrics – It’s Time to Measure What Matters

It’ll typically include your goals and a content calendar of the posts that you’re going to publish and when they’ll be published.

Social strategies also tend to document the vital stats of your audience to keep who you’re targeting in check, which can help you separate your content types (videos, infographics, guides, etc.) and adjust your language according to what works for different demographics.

As well as your posts, a social strategy will help you set out time to respond to interactions, complaints and requests.

Ideally, you should be creating a social media strategy before you start posting but having experience with your audience has its advantages too. Use the knowhow you’ve gained already to sharpen your strategy.

If there are multiple people involved in your social media output, put the strategy in a shared file or programme so that you can all make adjustments to it.

When you’re getting started you can save yourself hours of needless work by finding a social media template – there are countless examples online.

>See also: 8 steps to creating a social media strategy for your small business

Why do I need a social media strategy?

Having a strategy makes your social management easier and more efficient.

It also means that people in your team aren’t just posting whatever pops into their heads. This protects you from saying something that might come across as offensive or harmful. What’s more, planning in advance evens out your posts to reduce the risk of spamming – or deserting – your followers.

At a base level, having a social media strategy helps you navigate the tangled world of web and social media. Experiment with different elements to see how they perform and track individual campaigns, rather than posting bits and pieces here and there.

A strategy also lets your relevant team see what’s happening on the social media front and gives them the chance to share their thoughts on upcoming posts. And for handovers and new staff, a written plan is much simpler to follow than verbal instructions.

Laying plans out clearly lets you know what’s going on in terms of competition as well as in your own social media performance. It could well act as an early indicator of market trends, giving you the advantage against your competitors.

Dealing with mishaps

Your social media strategy should include (or be paired with) information specifying what to do if something goes wrong. For instance, a member of your team might say something inappropriate or post from a different account by accident. Detail how to deal with customer and user complaints here too.

Remember to mention procedural bits like the protocol around creating passwords and how often you update them.

Changing your strategy

It’s vital that you regularly review your strategy to keep up with changes in your business, your products and your audience. If there’s a certain type of content that performs well or boosts sales, consider putting more focus on it.

Speaking of which, it’s a good time to consider adding sales features like Instagram shopping, if they’re relevant to your business and industry. Some companies have reported growth of hundreds of percentage points through social media shopping.

When thinking about your strategy, keep these 2023 stats – cited in Moneyzine – in mind. In the UK:

• 29 per cent of people use social media to research brands
• The average UK user spends one hour and 48 minutes every day on social media
• People in the UK use 6.3 social media platforms on average
• 73 per cent of people in the UK use Facebook or Instagram daily

An obvious marker for measuring success is your analytics and these will vary from platform to platform. Aside from specific analytics, keep track of how many followers you have, engagement, click-through rate and how quickly you’re responding to customer service enquiries. Let this shape what happens in the future of your social media planning.

It doesn’t solely have to be about changing your strategy: take the opportunity to purge fake accounts and followers, look at new scheduling platforms or purchase a programme to monitor your social media – anything relevant that needs attention, really.

Whatever your process, try and review your strategy every six months. This will keep you informed, motivated and inspired while helping your business to grow.

For more tips on your social media management, head over to The UK Domain and check out their social guides. You can also find more help and advice on social strategies in this online guide, complete with a checklist you can follow to create, execute and monitor your very own social media strategy in just eight steps.

This article was brought to you in partnership with the UK Domain.

Read more

How to create a social media strategy as a business leader

The post A guide to social media strategy for small business owners appeared first on Small Business UK.