In 2019, the Telegraph revealed that 20% of new ventures will fail within just 12 months of opening their doors, with that figure climbing to 60% within the first three years.

In fact, failure at the start-up phase is so widespread that many entrepreneurs have taken to writing a “failure post-mortem” to assess where they went wrong in the hopes that other aspiring entrepreneurs can avoid the same pitfalls.

New businesses fail for a variety of reasons, but being aware of some of the most common setbacks is crucial for recognising the weak points in your own business model. Ignore them, and you risk becoming part of that growing 60%.

Cash flow woes

Without a cash flow you don’t have a business, and poor financial planning and management is one if the primary reasons so many start-ups fail.

A business in its infancy might appear profitable on paper, but it’s important to remember that money owed is not the same as money in the bank. Failing to account for the gap between delivery of your product and service and the receipt of actual payment can leave you in a financially risky situation.

Both a healthy cashflow and a firm grasp of costs incurred are needed to grow and scale your business or secure additional funding. Developing strict budgets and creating cash flow forecast will enable you to stay on top of your finances and plan for both the short and long-term.

Lack of vision

Without a clear vision in mind of where you and your company are heading from the very start, you risk losing motivation.

A clear vision also acts as a foundation for your entire business, allowing you to develop a strategy for the long-term that engages and unites your staff in what you are working towards and why.

Defining a mission statement isn’t simply stating what your vision is, but actively laying out the framework to achieving that vision, so you can establish clear goals and start to measure progress.

Poor branding and marketing

A strong brand identity is crucial, but so many start-ups completely neglect this aspect of their company altogether. Your brand is what communicates your values, and is what will help you build trust and recognition, and effectively tap into your target customer base.

Though a strong brand identity is what will differentiate you from your competition, this is futile without a solid marketing strategy in place to ensure people actually know about your business. Without proper marketing, you might have the best product or service on the market, but your ability to generate leads, acquire clients and ultimately convert them into sales is going to be severely hampered.

Successful companies, no matter their size, understand the importance of both brand identity and marketing. Though start-ups often operate on tight, limited budgets, omitting or severely cutting your marketing budget is always to the detriment of your own business.

There are plenty of opportunities for small companies to market themselves without breaking the bank, and however you choose to do it, always have a strategy in place, and regularly measure your marketing efforts to track their effectiveness and ensure you are getting a good ROI.

Hiring the right team

In the early stages, having the right people can make or break your business. The hiring process can be an arduous one, more so when you have limited capital to spend on personnel, so ensuring you take a discerning approach to your first hires can save a lot of time and resource in the long-run.

Bringing in too many people too quickly can create problems – particularly if you don’t have the cash and income to sustain payroll. In the early days, it’s often better to have a small, dedicated team who understand the vision and direction of the business and can help you establish a positive working culture that will pay dividends in recruitment further down the line.

Failing to scale

The goal of every entrepreneur is to ultimately grow their business into something bigger and better, but growth that your business is not prepared for could be damaging if you don’t have the structure in place to support it. You may find your business is currently thriving, but don’t let this tempt you into jumping headfirst into scaling without any strategy or plan.

Take the opportunity while your business is still in its infancy to create the structures it needs to scale. By implementing the right procedures and systems in the early stages, you will avoid the headache of playing catch-up later on as your company expands, and without negatively impacting customer service and/or product delivery.

Conclusion

Navigating the many pitfalls of building a new business may seem like a daunting task, but resilience and a readiness to change tact when something is not working are hallmarks of a good entrepreneur. And finally – in the words of Winston Churchill – never, never, never give up.

Read more:
Why start-ups fail: 5 barriers to business success and how to overcome them

Apple announced big updates for iCloud and iOS 15 at the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference this June, with a particular focus on privacy and data tracking.

Newly unveiled features from the tech giant include the ability for users to load remote content privately without disclosing their IP, as well as using “burner” email accounts to sign up for email offers.

This comes hot on the heels of the iOS 14.5 update, which has major implications for targeted advertising on Facebook, as well as limiting the reporting of specific goals and actions on websites, by allowing users to opt out of personalised ads by default. This hampers the ability of marketers to effectively reach and engage with segments of the audience, as well as collect user behaviour data to measure the efficacy of ad campaigns and provide a more personalised experience.

These new updates, which come as part of a wider response to the debate concerning consumer privacy rights, demonstrate the need for marketers to adapt their digital marketing strategies to keep in-line with the changes, whilst continuing to engage and resonate with target audiences.

What are the changes?

A central feature in Apple’s iOS 15 update is Mail Privacy Protection, which comes in response to concerns about how brands gather and distribute consumer data. MMP gives users the ability to view emails without disclosing their IP, while also introducing a pixel-blocker. This means that ESPs like Mailchimp, who use an invisible one-pixel image to track unique and gross open rates, can no longer do so, and in turn can no longer track the effectiveness of subscriber engagement.

Another feature unveiled in the new iOS update, Hide My Email, allows users to sign up for email offers with a randomly generated address from Apple in place of their own. This address operates as a burner account, with Apple forwarding the email to the user, leaving them to delete the temporary address to prevent it from being spread online. The flip side of this is digital marketers will be at a loss to tell whether an email sign up is legitimate, or merely a burner account.

The introduction of App Privacy Reports also allows users to gain more information on how apps collect and use their personal data, and display how much of that data is being shared with third parties. This is a particular problem for marketers who rely on second- and third-party data for tracking and ad targeting.

The impact on digital marketing

The downside of the new iOS updates is primarily the risk of collecting unreliable data. MMP means that many optimisation services used by ESPs, as well as subject line tests will be more likely to yield unreliable results, as these are often based on open rates. Similarly, optimisation for send time can no longer track opens, and therefore cannot determine subscriber engagement, while “live” experiences that are delivered based on collecting subscriber data for open times will be far less effective.

Given the changes, KPIs will need to focus on benchmarks for delivered emails instead of email opens, and marketers will need to test open rates and establish before and after benchmarks for subject line and send time before the iOS 15 update this autumn. Due to the new features introduced with Hide My Email, it is important that marketers monitor email deliverability, and ensure they have an ESP that can remove bounces.

New strategies for digital marketers

With email mostly being opened on smartphones, if Android adopts similar privacy options it would mean nearly 98% of smartphone users would be able to opt out of disclosing email opens. This places strategies that do not require the data of email opens at the forefront for the future of digital marketing.

Utilising first-party data from platforms that deliver real customer value, such as loyalty programmes or interactive digital experiences, will create a more integrated and seamless experience across multiple marketing channels, not merely email.

By using customer data platforms, marketers will be able to bring consented customer data together into a unified customer profile, making it far more useful as it gives a fuller customer profile, and allows marketers and brands to create a personal experience for the customer.

Though these strategies must be done at the planning and delivery stages of marketing campaigns, successfully navigating them will allow digital marketers to move away from an over-reliance on email marketing, and place more emphasis on business outcomes and the overall value of marketing separate from merely open rates and digital engagements.

The updates to iOS 15, though posing a host of new challenges – particularly as marketers are likely to feel the pinch of targeted ads being impacted in the earlier iOS 14.5 update – also gives both companies and marketers a chance to shape their own data and customer privacy policies, allowing them to better understand and engage with their customer base, driving increased loyalty and resulting ROI.

Read more:
How the latest iOS update impacts your digital marketing campaign

The internet is awash with help and advice for business owners. With all this information at your fingertips, is it worth having a dedicated mentor? The short answer is yes, without a doubt.

For me, the ultimate Apprentice prize was the opportunity to receive the 1-2-1 guidance and mentorship from Lord Sugar and his wealth of experience that came with it. Working in the same office as him for the first years of my company taught me so many invaluable lessons that couldn’t simply be gleaned from reading a book.

In the business world, the power of a good mentor is a known fact, and the statistics back this up. CNBC reported that 91% of workers with a mentor are satisfied in their jobs, while SCORE found that 30% of entrepreneurs reported increased growth in their business after just one interaction with a mentor, rising to 43% with five or more interactions.

With the likes of Bill Gates receiving mentorship from Warren Buffet, or Mark Zuckerberg from Steve Jobs, it’s clear to see a direct link between solid mentoring and high performance in the corporate world.

Business growth

When you consider the average lifespan of a new startup is just 20 months, according to Saleforce statistics, having a good mentor can be the difference between your business making it or not.

Inc.com reported that 70% of mentored small businesses survived more than 5 years, which is staggering when you consider that it’s almost double the rate compared with non-mentored businesses over the same time period. A good mentor can anticipate the common downfalls of new businesses and offer precious guidance on how best to navigate them, so it’s unsurprising that 88% of businesses owners have said that having a mentor was invaluable to them.

Mentors that have successfully scaled their own businesses can help you drive growth in a similar way, as they can readily identify any adjustments that need to be made to ensure a positive impact on the bottom line, without affecting your product or service delivery.

Experience and networking

Experience truly is the greatest teacher and working with a seasoned mentor gives you the opportunity to learn lessons not just through what they say, but how they act in business.

It’s difficult to not be inspired by the achievements of a good coach or mentor, and this can be a strong motivator for achieving your own goals in business.

A mentor can also help with opening doors that might otherwise be shut to you. Their time in business will usually come with a much greater circle of influence and a long list of contacts that a mentee will benefit from. They may not have all the answers, but will most likely be able to connect you with relevant and mutually beneficial contacts, service providers and investors, that will assist in expanding your own circle of influence.

Challenge your perceptions

Let’s face it, your business is your baby. It’s easy to become attached to a particular strategy or way of doing things, and risk stagnation due to tunnel vision. A mentor is like a drone, they can hover above your business without being entrenched in it, offering clarity and insight in places you might otherwise overlook.

Having that objective perspective allows mentors to more readily recognise problems and opportunities, whilst also identifying weaknesses. On the flip side, it also keeps you accountable, as they can challenge you on why you’re spending your time in a particular way or on areas of the business that are struggling because of a certain line of approach you’ve decided to take.

A sounding board

Running your own business, especially during these recent unprecedented times can be a lonely and isolating experience. It’s no secret that business is tough, but having a mentor with similar experiences is invaluable in reassuring and navigating you through the tougher periods

Most importantly, they can act as a sounding board that won’t just tell you what you want to hear, but will actually provide you with useful, experience-tested feedback. They also force you to articulate problems and ideas in a clear and concise way, stopping you from getting bogged down in the irrelevant detail during times of elevated stress.

Business EQ

We don’t often link business with emotion, but having a high emotional intelligence is directly correlated with high performance. Being aware of your own strengths and weaknesses, developing productive working relationships, and how you act under pressure are all key skills in business.

A good mentor can give you direct feedback on how you come across through your words and actions. This guidance is invaluable in enabling you to effectively coach your leadership team and in collaborating and delivering constructive feedback to your employees on an individual or group basis.

Conclusion

Put simply, having a solid mentorship is a no-brainer. No one is expected to know it all when it comes to business but having the right guidance and support from an experienced mentor doesn’t just help you on your business journey, it helps you to put your business first so it can flourish and grow.

Read more:
Why mentoring does more for your business than you think

According to the latest statistics, the UK economy is forecast to have grown by 6.6% during July 2020, meaning it will have recovered 88% of its pre-lockdown size.

This is a somewhat positive change from the 20.4% downturn reported at the close of Q2.

A vast percentage of this growth would have come down to the re-opening of shops, bars, restaurants and other hospitality establishments, together with many businesses like Manufacturers being able to re-open their doors.

However, with threats of local lockdowns looming, combined with changes to national COVID-19 restrictions, business leaders across the country now need to focus on continuing to push their business forwards and recover any losses garnered through the peak of the pandemic.

With that in mind, what can business leaders do to ensure they continue to maintain momentum and actually emerge stronger post COVID-19?

It starts with Mindset

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, business leaders divided into two clear camps. Those who retracted out of fear and those who continued to push forwards and weather storm. Option A should no longer be a consideration and those now concerned about what the next quarter will bring need to focus on continuing to push forwards instead of succumbing to the media frenzy and worrying about what the next quarter will bring.

The measure of success in business isn’t determined by how well you do during periods of growth, but how you handle and overcome challenges. Having a focused, diligent and driven mindset is key, where the business leaders who were focused on pushing forwards at start of lockdown are those far more likely to be ahead of the curve some 6 months later.

Don’t ‘Go Dark’

History has shown us that the businesses who cut their marketing spend and ‘go dark’ during an economic downturn, are those who will struggle as markets start to recover.

The lesson here is clear. While reducing marketing and advertising spend in the short-term may result in initial savings, it will significantly impact your ability to bounce back and generate sustainable profits in the long-term.

To ‘emerge stronger’, take the time to review your existing digital marketing and lead generation strategy, analysing level of spend and resulting ROI. In the areas where you see the greatest return, increase your budget to dominate against industry competitors, particularly at a time where they are likely to have cut their own spend.

If you don’t have an effective digital marketing strategy in place, there is no better time to start. Instead of worrying about costs, think about the fact your potential customers are out there right now looking for your product or service and without any form of marketing, they are more likely to find and buy from your competitors. Reading this should provide clarity: Although marketing will cost money in the short-term, it will generate return in the long-term, enabling you to increase market share.

Sales = Success

So many businesses rely on inbound sales queries, either received via referrals or organic search, and then wonder why they experience ‘slow periods’ with minimal sales leads to work with. Although customers that come via word of mouth are more likely to convert than a ‘cold lead’, the only way you will be able to drive growth and ‘emerge stronger’ is to put a proactive sales strategy in place.

One of the best places to start is with LinkedIn, which enables you to source, contact and engage with your target customers via the click of a button. There is no other tool like it and aside from the time you have to invest to generate engagement, it’s incredibly cost effective.

Remember, the key to a successful sales strategy is diligence, discipline and perseverance and, of course, the implementation of a standalone sales team. Until you reach this point in your business, remain focused and schedule time in your calendar each day to remain on track, driving incremental growth.

The COVID-19 pandemic may have wreaked havoc across the globe, but the economy isn’t going to improve overnight and you won’t get an influx of sales by sitting still and doing nothing. Too many businesses stood still at the start of lockdown, but to return to or even surpass pre-lockdown revenue, you have to keep pushing forwards, regardless of how challenging it is.

Ultimately, the biggest risk is not taking any risk.

Read more:
How businesses can ‘emerge stronger’ post COVID-19

Phillip Hammond’s Autumn Budget has pledged to make Britain ‘Fit for the Future’ – announcing an increased living wage, tax thresholds and additional funding for new homes and vital systems like the NHS.

Yet, with every budget comes scrutiny. Where some felt Hammond has ‘skulked’ around the issue of Brexit, Corbyn expressed complete discontent, advising that the Government is not fit for office.

Negativity aside, the Budget certainly isn’t all bad, and for the business sector there are actually a number of plus points:

VAT Threshold

Hammond has announced that the small business VAT threshold will remain at £85,000 per annum, understanding the pressures small businesses face in growth and development. According to his calculations, this will result in an overall saving of £2.3bn for some 3 million small businesses across the UK.

Britain actually has one of the highest VAT thresholds worldwide –but instead of a dramatic threshold drop, Hammond has advised that he will review VAT over the next two years, focusing on different ways to incentivize small business growth. This is a great move from the Government, and will play a key role in aiding small business survival as Brexit looms.

£1.7bn Transforming Cities Fund  

Encouraging start-ups, business growth and business development can be difficult, but introducing the Transforming Cities Fund is one way to support this. Location isn’t everything in Business, but it certainly counts for something. When Business Owners look for an office move, Cities are selected on travel links, commercial premises, business development opportunities and more.

This fund will help significantly, with a massive £250m already assigned to Andy Street and the West Midlands region alone.

£30m to Digital Skills Development

Three in four UK businesses have reported a digital skills gap amongst their workforce, which continues to rise as technology advances.

Hammonds £30m investment in digital skills distance learning courses should go a long way to supporting digital skills development, which is not only vital for supporting and protecting business growth, but also for ensuring UK workers have the right skill set to secure future employment positions. 

Millennial Rail card  

Encouraging Millennials to continue their daily commute, Hammond has announced an extension of the ‘Young Persons Rail card’, where the 30% annual discount will apply to those up to the age of 31.

This sounds trivial, but rail fares have risen steadily year on year, with many young people put off by City based job opportunities as a result. By increasing the age threshold, this should encourage more millennials into the City roles, helping businesses secure young talent who can help drive business growth and fill the advancing digital skills gap.

Ultimately, as we head closer and closer to the Brexit deadline, the reality of the situation and its impact on the UK economy will start to come to light.

Although Brexit was not directly addressed in mass detail during the Budget, Hammond’s savings of £3bn to prepare for every eventuality suggests it will certainly won’t be an easy ride. However, in taking steps to support business growth and development, whilst inspiring professionals to advance their digital skillset, Britain will hopefully be in the best position possible to tackle the post-Brexit era, and its resulting challenges.

Read more:
The Autumn Budget and business

Brexit Deal or No Deal, Theresa May is facing increasing pressure to walk – as her lack of negotiation skills, combined with poor leadership is leaving her to scrutiny.

Let’s face it, since the referendum announcement in June 2016 very little has happened. No concrete trade deals have been confirmed, and a potential divorce settlement figure in the realm of Billions has accelerated concerns throughout Parliament, amongst the general public, and predominantly within the UK Business sector.

Take this week, for example, MPs have demanded that May publishes a series of official studies into the economic dangers of Brexit, where speculation lies in the fact 88% of the economy will be compromised as a result of various exit terms. An extremely alarming statistic for any Business Owner, large or small.

For me, the real question here is whether Theresa May is the right person for the job? A question, I doubt, I’m alone in thinking. For months, I’ve argued that Brexit should be negotiated by Business Leaders, the Men and Women of Britain who boast invaluable experience in driving a hard deal and achieving the desired result.

Don’t agree? Perhaps these points will change your mind:

Deadlock

In a recent article by The Independent, Carolyn Fairbairn, the Director General for Confederation of British Industry advised that the lack of progression on the Brexit Divorce Bill is ‘deeply concerning to many businesses in the UK and rest of the Europe’.

The problem here is that this lack of progression has existed for over a year now. May has failed time and time again to move discussions forwards – whilst the Business sector has become increasingly concerned by the impact a potential ‘bad Brexit’ will have on the UK economy.

Uncertainty

Despite her efforts, May is extremely poor at quelling uncertainty – I’m yet to come across a Business Owner who is encouraged by her leadership skills. She doesn’t inspire confidence, and certainly doesn’t run a steady ship, both in and out of Parliament.

This sense of uncertainty is rife throughout Britain – where even those who voted Leave are starting to question their decision.

Economic Outcry

The pound continues to trade at one of its lowest rates in years, with top economics firms claiming business investment will ultimately collapse, if the Government does not secure a transition deal with the EU within a matter of months. May is more than aware of these reports, yet the Country remains at a standstill.

Negotiating the Brexit deal was never going to be easy; however, I cannot see how a leader who lacks a key ‘Business Skillset’, together with the support of both Parliament and the Public, will succeed?

But, for the sake of the UK Business sector and wider economy, I very much hope that I’m wrong.

Read more:
Brexit should be left to Business Leaders

Last week, news broke that London retained its position as the World’s top financial centre, despite controversy over Brexit.

The same report also revealed that the UK’s main economic rival, New York, experienced the largest fall in the bi-annual Z/Yen Global Financial Centres Index [GFCI, with Trump’s views on Free Trade to blame.

For the business sector, Brexit remains a clear risk factor – where this report, for many, will seem somewhat surprising, as the Pound continues to fair badly against the Euro, not forgetting other foreign currencies.

For others, questions over the true impact of Brexit have started to rise, where positive statistics, such as those revealing UK unemployment rate is now at its lowest in 42 years, have imposed a rose-tinted perception on what is actually one of the most difficult economic challenges the UK has had to face.

That said, why has the GFCI result not shed a more damaging light?

Too early to tell

The truth of the matter, is that Brexit has simply not yet happened. Come 2018, the GFCI report may reveal a very different turn of events, as more financial corporations and banks start to move their London based headquarters overseas, and Asian cities, such as Singapore, continue to close the economic power gap.

For Business Owners treading with caution – ask yourself why? As the GFCI result confirms, nothing has changed to date, which means now is a better time than any to continue to build your business. Britain, today, is still part of the EU, where both the single trade market and free movement still very much exist, providing us with the opportunity to grow, expand and develop the businesses we have worked hard to create.

Fail to plan, plan to fail

What’s important to note, is that discussions around the GFCI result have showcased one clear change: That large corporations, pre-dominantly banks and financial institutions, have already started to make their move – with either Dublin and Frankfurt signposted as new Headquarters for Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase and Morgan Stanley, as leading examples.

This move alone will pull hundreds of jobs from the Capital – whilst pushing British and European talent into alternative cities and out of our economy.

But, as the saying goes – Fail to plan, plan to fail. We cannot predict how Brexit will truly impact the UK economy right now, and we certainly cannot stop it whether for or against. Yet, the GFCI result has provided us with a fair representation of where we currently stand and what we can potentially expect.

Whilst May pushes for post-Brexit trade overseas, we as British businessmen and women cannot sit back and wait.

The true realities of Brexit will not come into play until the end of March 2019, so instead of cautiously assessing the eggshells beneath our feet, let’s grasp the next eighteen months and protect what we have built – putting clear and affective strategies into place that will continue to support and aid business growth for the long term.

Read more:
The Global financial centres index Result: A Representation of Brexit & Business

She’s been described as the Underdog by many, initially unable to hold a conversation in the boardroom, let alone hold her own. Yet, criticism aside, The Apprentice is over for another year, and here’s 5 reasons why Alana deserved to take the winners crown:

Business Acumen

At aged just 24 Alana boasts an excellent business acumen, established during her seven plus years of running her own firm. Her natural flare for leadership and authority came from an early age, demonstrated by the fact at just 14 she started her own card making business and sacked her best friend, Chloe, for not creating products in line with her expectations. Ruthless, right?

Alana’s natural leadership has come to light in the latter part of this Apprentice series, particularly in episode 10 where she successfully led the team’s ‘Giin’ pitch.

Honesty

Alana has moved through the entire Apprentice-process with both integrity and honesty. She has never once pretended to be nice to another Candidate’s face and then later in the Boardroom, thrown them under the bus. In fact, she has always voiced her concerns and stuck true to her word no matter how uncomfortable the conversation. As Business Owners’ we face circumstances like this day in and day out, and, as a result, I am in no doubt her natural honesty and integrity will go a long way in helping her succeed.

Eat your own dog food

One piece of advice that I always give to business start-ups is that they must eat their own dog food to demonstrate their capabilities. For example, you would never trust an overweight Personal Trainer to deliver a diet and fitness plan that works, just like you would never sign a contract with a Marketing agency that fails to market themselves.

This is true of Alana – despite the fact there may have been little interest from the likes of Claude at the interviews, Alana took the time to demonstrate that she can create indulging, gratifying and delicious cakes – proving this to Linda Plant who took the plunge and tasted one.

Aside from proving her produce was worth investing in, Alana also highlighted during the interview process that she more than knows her industry, her business sector and her customers…. So, watch out – Alana is coming!

People Management

Despite a few initial stumbles at the start, it has been clear that Alana boasts excellent people management skills.

In episodes 9 and 10 she has demonstrated that she can more than hold her own in a business pitch, and in episodes where she has been PM or Sub-Team Leader she proved that she is not only just a great leader but one that listens to her team members –  engaging well with other candidates and their ideas, and later expressing any form of disagreement with respect.

Growth and development

As Business Owners and Entrepreneurs, we do not claim to know everything. In fact, part of the process of owning and growing a business is learning and developing from successful examples around us – namely Lord Sugar.

Alana is a living example of this – she has never proclaimed to be the best, to be the leader of all leaders and know everything about business. In fact, she knows full well that the real prize in winning The Apprentice is not so much the £250,000 investment, but more so the guidance and advice that you gain from Lord Sugar.

Alana is hungry to learn and at such a young age I am no doubt that over the next years, with Lord Sugar at her side, she will go on to achieve amazing things – so well done and well deserved Alana, welcome to the Winners circle!

Read more:
Unsure about Alana? Here’s 5 reasons why she’s the clear Apprentice winner

Wondering what 2017 has in store? Political developments aside, the following three points will be key for digital marketing success:

Mobile is here

To echo Google, ‘Mobile is here’. In fact, 2016 saw one of Google’s biggest changes to AdWords – with the search engine giant dropping the right hand side ads on desktop to make the search experience consistent across all devices.

During 2017 Google will continue to expand on its ‘mobile-first world’ strategy, introducing changes to both search and display ads.

What can you do?

If you’re website still isn’t mobile optimised, and you haven’t included device targeting within your digital advertising strategy, start TODAY!

Video Video Video

When was the last time you flicked through a social media feed without seeing video content? Can’t remember? Neither can I. The truth is video content is here to stay, with users now calling on this type of media in all times of need – whether looking for advice when buying a particular product or to find out more about a brand or business. 

What can you do? 

Utilise video to think of new and innovative ways in which you can engage with your target audience. Personal Trainer? Develop a step by step fitness and diet plan for Dry January. Recruiter? We all know January is one of the most popular times for individuals to search for a new job. Utilise this trend and engage potential candidates with top tips videos, from re-wording C.Vs to aceing an interview! Video can work for all industry sectors, just make sure it is working for you.

Voice Search

With more of us talking to our mobiles through Cortana, Siri or Google, together with the recent launches of Google Home and Amazon Alexa – optimising content to support voice search and voice delivery will grow heavily in 2017.

What can you do?

Think about your target audiences when writing your content and ensure the information is both valuable and engaging, providing answers to ‘typical’ and relevant questions, whilst including phrases site visitors are likley to use in speech. Remember, the majority of people will be using voice search on mobile devices, so ensure your site is optimised!

Read more:
Make your marketing work harder for 2017

Be yourself: When people go into business, they often try replicating both business plans and business management based on other successful companies, or in the way they have seen others do it. This is the same for many candidates on The Apprentice.

I have always found that being yourself and putting your own personality into the products, staff and customers makes your business unique, fun and different to the competition. If you try to be that someone else, you will never be as good as them. If you try and be you, you will be the best at that. Series 12 candidates, take note!

Believe in your business plan: If you are not a good advocate of your own business plan and do not believe in your own success, then no-one else will. It’s called ‘eating your own dog food’ – if you’re a personal trainer, you should have the body and the healthy diet to go with it, if you’re an accountant your own accounts should be more than in order.

For years so many candidates have entered The Apprentice with business plans for an idea that is completely separate from their knowledge and experience. Be true to yourself and develop your expertise to be the best in your own sector – you will be far more successful than if you started something completely new!

Work hard to build strong relationships: I am in no doubt that every business owner will say the same thing – but one of the hardest things in growing and building a business is finding and retaining quality members of staff that you can really trust.

Ok, so it can be extremely hard to build quality relationships on The Apprentice whilst you’re all competing for the same prize, however you can quickly see who would or wouldn’t throw others under the bus in day-to-day working life. Despite the fact business is a hard and cut throat game, a trustworthy businessman will still go further much faster!

Hold your hands up to mistakes: We all remember the Tesco coughing fit – yes I choked in front of millions of people, yes it was terrible – but instead of palming my error off onto one of my team members, I owned up to my mistake and proved myself to be a credible and honest individual, which are qualities found in every good businessman. Lesson for Apprentice candidates – be honest and maintain your integrity or you will get fired.

Utilise your business mentor: I have said this time and time again, but the real prize in winning The Apprentice is working having Lord Sugar as your business mentor. All of the great businessmen have and have had mentors – from Richard Branson to Steve Jobs.

Aside from being more experienced than you in business, a good business mentor can advise and guide you when making important decisions, which is vital when you’re struggling to see the wood through the trees. Apprentice candidates sit up and listen, as you are about to learn some of the most important business lessons in your life!

Read more:
Winning qualities in business…and in The Apprentice

Believe it or not, it has been 20 years since pay-per-click was first introduced to our screens, which, according to research, was developed by online directory site, Planet Oasis.

Fast forwards to 2016 – PPC ads are now clicked by 67% of users for every search term, and Google made in excess of 67 billion dollars in ad revenue during 2015 alone.

What does this tell us? Right now, PPC isn’t going anywhere and for businesses looking to increase their profile online it’s certainly a case of if you can’t beat them – which you won’t – join them.

That said, I have put together a list of my top three pointers that all businesses need to consider when creating a new PPC campaign:

Goals and objectives

When creating any form of digital marketing campaign, it is important to define clear and realistic goals as a measure of success.

Whether you want to use pay-per-click to increase web traffic or generate new online sales and conversions – knowing exactly what you want your campaign to achieve provides focus, and will enable you to confirm whether or not it has provided a positive return on investment [ROI].

Mobile

Last year the number of mobile users overtook the number of desktop users for the first time and this figure is only increasing. Therefore, it is important to take into account mobile devices when setting targeting options for any PPC campaign – limiting yourself to just desktop not only reduces the number of potential customers clicking your ads, but also gives away a vast proportion of consumer traffic to your competitors.

Content

Content still very much reins as King, and I’m not just talking SEO. Creating compelling Ad copy and ensuring your Landing Page content is up to scratch is so important for gaining those top ad positons. Remember, Google want to reward advertisers for creating a good user experience, which means the entered search terms or keywords need to appear in both the ad and the landing page to confirm relevancy. 

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PPC for Business

We now live in an age where there are more mobile phone subscriptions than people worldwide, where individuals are spending up to and over five hours per day on their mobile devices, and where paperless offices are becoming part of the normal 9-5.

Despite the fact these statistics will seem mundane to most, there is still a mass percentage of businesses that have and do not engage with the power of digital – from operations and internal processes, to marketing and business development…and I’m not just talking about using LinkedIn!

Mobile

In 2015 the number of mobile users overtook the number of desktop users for the first time – and in 2016, this figure has and will continue to grow. That said, it would be interesting to know roughly what percentage of UK businesses actually have and implement a mobile strategy? From app development, data capture and the use of mobile trends – mobile provides the perfect platform to really understand and engage with your target audience, delivering content, information, services or a product to a device that is used daily.

EdTech

Continued Professional Development should be a priority for all employers and employees, and prior to the explosion of digital platforms, this would have meant attending full day or week-long training courses. However, with the growth of technology has come accessible and affordable education – where in most we don’t realise or perhaps appreciate how much we can learn from a simple online search. Want to help your staff expand their knowledge to better support your business? Embrace the of the world of Edtech – encourage wider reading, the download of apps and the use of video, as just 5 minutes per day could build you a better and stronger workforce in a matter of weeks.

Your digital brand

What do you do when you want to find out more about another brand or business? You Google them, right? Well that is exactly what your potential customers or clients are doing for your business. I meet a considerable number of business owners per week and am still astounded by the percentage of them that either don’t have a website or aren’t happy with the one they do have. A large part of embracing digital in business is to ensure digital successfully represents you and your brand. Your website is your shop window, LinkedIn your sales tool, and SEO and PPC your competitive edge.

Inspired to embrace digital? Find out more about London Technology Week here: http://londontechnologyweek.co.uk/

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Celebrate London Technology Week by embracing the digital age

On Thursday 19^th May Climb Online hosted its first ever event, ‘Do Digital Differently’, at London’s prestigious Brand Exchange, and fortunately we were delighted to see many faces old and new as we talked about the importance of digital marketing for business growth.

However, like every good event, the Climb Online team worked for weeks in advance calling on our expertise in digital marketing to ensure a good turnout – with the following pointers key for success:

Social media

Facebook advertising: For very little financial output, Facebook advertising provides an excellent Return on Investment (ROI), enabling you to target and reach many more potential guests than just relying on your day to day followers to spread the word.

It is also important to note that according to statistics one tweet has a lifespan of approximately 18 minutes, which means running a low cost social media campaign will reach further and last a lot longer!

Hashtag: Developing your own recognisable hashtag in all pre-event promotional activity will increase guest engagement prior to and during the event, whilst providing a searchable term for you to measure the event’s success through guests’ comments and feedback.

Email Marketing

There is a fine line between creating a successful and engaging email marketing campaign to just filling someone’s inbox with junk. Evidently they both have very different outcomes.

Creating a strategic email marketing campaign that uses video and innovative design to really engage your guests during the build up to your event will guarantee names on the guest list, whilst providing you with a whole new list of potential customers to engage with during and afterwards.

Content

Remember content is still very much King, which means you need to engage with a relevant industry sector platform or blog to help you spread the word through useful and relevant content, which perhaps provides insight into what your guests could learn or gain from attending – not forgetting the use of your own company blog!

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Digital Marketing and Events

Competitors. Sadly in business the old line ‘if you can’t be them join them’ doesn’t ring true and very much undermines the purpose of trying to grow and develop a market leading company.

So what can you do?

Niche marketing

It’s great when you can find a niche in the market, but in the majority of cases your business will offer the same product or service as hundreds of others. Flip it on its head and find a niche way to market instead. Build a brand and business culture that both employees and customers want to be part of, package your service in a unique and innovative way and really think about the USP’s of your product and use them to reach and engage with new members of your target audience.

Social sharing

As a brand you need to be likeable, and to be likeable you need to let your customers in. Use social media channels and related apps, like Periscope, to really engage your target audience and showcase to them why you are different from your competitors. Let’s face it, you wouldn’t buy something from someone you didn’t like, so why should they?

Reputation

We’ve all heard of Warren Buffet’s famous phrase ‘It takes twenty years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it’, but how many of us actually focus on the former? Maintaining a good reputation is key to setting yourself aside from your competitors, and in most can be achieved by the simple things: focusing on your company values, sustaining a market leading product or service and ensuring all customers large or small are provided with quality customer service at all times.

Over the past 16 months, the team at Climb Online have worked extremely hard to help create a brand and a culture, and as a result we are now one of the UK’s leading digital marketing agencies.

Join us on Thursday 19^th May at London’s Brand Exchange to see exactly how we ‘Do Digital Differently’

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Setting yourself aside from your competitors

Aside from the fact this is a staggering figure – this statistics also demonstrates two clear points:

1. Video content is becoming an increasingly popular medium for consumer engagement, where even Facebook reported in 2015 that twice as many users now watch video via the platform.
2. Businesses need to incorporate video within their digital marketing strategy to adhere to this growing demand, and contend with industry competitors.

For businesses that haven’t used video before this can appear as a pretty daunting task: do you create an animation to promote products or services or do you film ‘thought leadership’ talks to educate the masses?

Through Climb Online I have found that one of the most effective ways to reach consumers is through Twitter’s periscope app. For those yet to experience it, Periscope is Twitter’s live-streaming video app that allows businesses to broadcast a video from anywhere in the world… providing you have an internet connection of course!

Unlike pre-recorded video content, Periscope provides a raw insight into your business in real time, allowing your target audience to learn more about you, your employees and your band on a readily engaged, free and popular platform.

When used right Periscope can be a real asset to your digital marketing strategy – providing a low maintenance and cost effective medium to really engage with your target audience and increase brand loyalty through fun and positive video experience.

To aid those stuck for content ideas, the best or most successful Periscopes tend to include one of the following:

• New product launches and demonstrations
• Customer service responses
• Behind the scenes – i.e. ‘Office insights’
• Company news and announcements
• Interviews and industry related news
• Q&A Sessions

Here at Climb Online we use Periscope every two weeks to host a live Q&A session entitled #AskMark to engage directly with our Twitter followers. To date we have experienced an incredible response, and have also seen an increase in our Twitter following as a result!

If you’re interesting in Periscope and would like to find out more, please read here or check out the Climb Online’s next live stream of #AskMark on Friday 31st March … all questions welcome!

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The Power of Periscope

This telling statistic highlights both the increasing power of digital, combined with the fact both PPC and SEO are valued marketing activities that have and are able to provide businesses with a healthy return on investment.

For the uncertain 10% and other SME’s who may question the value of both PPC and SEO, I have pulled together a short explanation with clear benefits of both activities:

SEO

Not so long ago SEO was viewed as a dark art that fooled Google and other search engines into ranking a website perhaps higher than it should be.

This has changed, and now digital marketing agencies work closely with Google to really understand its different algorithms and how they rank each and every website. As a result, this Information is then used to form an effective SEO strategy that increases the positon of a website within the Google SERPs [search engine results pages] to a rank where it is valued by both the search engine and web user.

This increase in rank comes with the following benefits:

• Increase in brand awareness online
• Increase in web traffic with increased position
• Increase in online conversions

PPC

In contrast, Google AdWords is an advertising platform which offers one of the quickest routes to the top of Google – providing it is done right of course. What’s more, it has been estimated by Search Engine Land that a massive 66% of web users actually click the Google ad instead of an organic listing, which means those who don’t use Google AdWords are actually missing out on a vast proportion of web traffic.

Like SEO, PPC provides a number of clear benefits – including the following:

• Increased brand awareness online
• Tracked online conversions
• Increased revenue
• A strong return on investment for ad spend

With all listed benefits in mind, the cost of both PPC and SEO should be considered as a valued investment, as when implemented correctly, both activities guarantee an increase in web traffic and resulting positive ROI.

Interested in finding out more? Join me on Thursday 31^st March at Quay House, Canary Wharf where I will be hosting the first seminar and Q&A of the year – including top tips for campaign improvements and how to get you started!

To reserve your place please book here

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Do you value PPC and SEO?

In 2013 I decided to apply for The Apprentice. Why? Because I was unsatisfied with both my role and the business practices of my then employer.

In short, I wanted to start my own business, but with no idea about how or where to secure funding I jumped at the opportunity of battling it out to win a partnership with Lord Sugar and that all important £250,000 investment.

Evidently this is not a viable strategy for all start-ups looking for investment. But what is?

In an age where everything is entering the digital arena, more and more start-ups are looking to secure investment online through crowd funding and kick starter campaigns – calling on the general public to back their innovative idea and drive it forwards in return for equity in their business.

For me, crowd funding and kick starter campaigns represents the growth of funding online – offering an easy to use platform with no high payback figures.

However, they aren’t perfect and there are certainly a number of loop holes. For example, in most if you don’t reach your required investment amount within a 30 or 60 day period, you don’t receive any of the monies raised, even if you fall short by a small percentage of the fee.

In addition there is little guidance and support provided by the platform itself, leaving you to take the reins on promoting what offer you have on the table.

However, when you have a new business idea and want to share it with the world there is nothing better than knowing others believe in you too – and this is something crowd funding does very well. It proves that you are on to a winner when it’s successful, without having to make that gruelling appointment with the bank manager.

For those who don’t want to give away equity or shares there are alternative routes of funding available, but it’s so important to assess and outline what works for you personally, and then what would work for the business – as the two may be completely opposite in outcome.

Ultimately business funding and investment can be a real minefield, with conflicting ideas, offers and funding opportunities up for grabs. My advice? Join myself and a vast team of business professionals – including top mentors, financial advisors and investors – at the Business Funding Show this February!

The Business Funding Show will be taking place on Tuesday 2^nd and Wednesday 3^rd February at Old Billingsgate, London. To book your tickets please click here.

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Do you know how to secure investment?

With that in mind and in the spirit of business development, I have put together my top five tips for start-ups, beneficial for all new businesses across the UK.

1: Prioritise your expenditure

Whether you secure £25,000 or £250,000 in investment I guarantee that the money will quickly run out! Therefore it is vital to prioritise your expenditure, only investing in what is necessary for day-to-day success and business development. When you reach the point of making a profit, it is so important to stick to the business plan and reinvest funds to secure that steady growth.

2: Mistakes are there to learn from

No matter how hard you plan, prioritise and organise there will still come a time when you make a mistake – we’re only human after all. However, there is very little point in wasting time obsessing over it. Instead, be productive and focus on what you have learnt and what you can now do to prevent it from happening again.

3: Spend time sourcing the right staff

Hiring the right employees is essential for every business and I cannot stress this point enough. Really take the time to source, interview and develop new team members, ensuring they are right on board you when it comes to your vision and goals for the future success of the business. I have said this before, but will say it time and time again – bad staff can break a business, but good staff can make it.

4: Source a good business mentor and listen!

Every good businessman or woman has or has had a business mentor. Richard Branson and the late Steve Jobs included. In winning the Apprentice 2015, Joseph will now benefit from the invaluable advice of Lord Sugar, which from experience is the real prize. A business mentor has the experience, the patience and the belief to guide and help you when it comes to making those all-important decisions – often providing an alternative perspective, which, in most, is difficult to see for yourself.

5: Marketing Marketing Marketing

You may have the best business concept, product or service in the world, but there is little point if no one knows it exists! Make sure you take the time to research your market and develop a coherent strategy that will focus on promoting your USP to the right target audience. At risk of stating the obvious, online or digital is the best place to start, and will be the first place people look when searching for a similar product or service.

Mark Wright, Director of Digital Marketing Agency Climb Online

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Top Five Tips for Business Start Ups

Earlier this week the Oxford Dictionary announced that the ‘face with tears of joy emoji’ best represents the ‘ethos, mood and preoccupations of 2015’.

From a marketing perspective this not only highlights the potential value of including these famous yellow faces in consumer campaigns – but, more importantly, demonstrates how far the digital landscape has morphed into daily life.

We now live in a world where there are more mobile phone subscriptions than people, where the term ‘Google’ has become some form of verb, and where no evening out is complete without that standard selfie shot.

As a digital marketer this is all great news, as, let’s face it, SME’s that haven’t implemented some form of digital marketing strategy would now really struggle to compete in their market sector.

However, one of the main difficulties is the fact the digital landscape is only getting bigger – different channels are introduced all the time and algorithms are constantly updated.

That said, there are five fundamentals I would currently advise all SME’s to incorporate into their digital marketing strategy – if implemented well, I guarantee you will soon replicate the Oxford Dictionary word of 2015:

Never under estimate the power of Google. Never.

Being on the first page of Google is still the top of my list and it should be the top of yours too. Web visitors rarely look past page one, knowing the best results are presented to them first. If you haven’t made simple steps for improvements, such as registered with Google My Business, then now is the time to do this.

Utilise your data

We now have more access to data than ever before including demographic information such as gender, age, device of choice, location etc. Monitor and use this – for example there is little point in trying to implement a targeted Facebook campaign if none of your web visitors are referred from Facebook.

Harness the power of social advertising

The importance of utilising social media for consumer engagement continues to grow apace, with the added dimension of social media advertising. Though another cost to incorporate into your marketing budget, social media and particularly Facebook advertising can bring you amazing results for very little financial outlay.

Be responsive

In 2014 users accessing the internet via a mobile device overtook desktop users for the first time. These stats have increased again in 2015 and are predicted to do so year on year. Therefore if your website is not mobile responsive, do something about it!

Content is still King

Both search engines and your target audience value useful and engaging content. Shared content is even better, and will quickly spread the message that you are a trusted source of information within your market sector.

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Communications in the emoji era = digital marketing