New Accounting & Payroll Service for Small Businesses

A new accounting and payroll service, aimed at sole traders and small businesses, launched its website this month.

www.bepro.com provides low cost, hassle free, accounting, payroll and HR services for small and medium sized businesses – enabling them to save time and money on their bookkeeping and accounting requirements.

The service is simplicity itself. Each month, you just fill a Bepro envelope with your sales invoices, receipts and bank statements and return the envelope to Bepro. Bepro do all the bookkeeping, payroll and VAT, then produce a set of monthly accounts and return it to you. The service involves no spreadsheets, no software and no fuss – saving time and money – not to mention frustration.

In terms of cost, as a guide, a sole trader could expect to pay £35 + VAT for a monthly accounting package and a limited company £65 + VAT per month. In fact Bepro guarantee that they will save you money on your current accounting and payroll service.

Business owners and sole traders can request a quote at www.bepro.com

How slow is your broadband?

Kent, Essex and Norfolk all featured at the wrong end of the table when new research into broadband speed was published this weekend by broadband comparison website, Top10.com.

Two streets in Kent featured in the 4 slowest broadband streets in the UK, with Railway Hill in Barham, a few miles south east of Canterbury officially the slowest with an average download speed of 0.13Mb. To put that into perspective it would take the residents of Railway Hill almost 2 days to download a movie online!

Second place went to Tewkesbury Road in Clacton-on-Sea, with an average broadband speed of 0.14Mb. And Norfolk is also home to two of the slowest 20 broadband connected streets in the country, whilst overall, eight of the top 10 slowest streets are in the south, with just two in the north.

The average speed for the UK is 6.21Mb, almost 50 times faster than the download speed available at the slowest streets in Kent and Essex.

Check out the full list at http://top10.com/company/press/britains_slowest_street/

iPhone 4 deal

I decided to treat myself to a new iPhone 4 to use for work and was amazed at the variation of offers, deals and prices across the main networks and retailers.

After a bit of research I plumped for the 16MB version on the One Plan with 3. This gives me 2000 any network minutes and unlimited data for £35 a month, plus £69 for the handset. This seemed to be a great deal – made even sweeter when I used QuidCo to give me a cashback of £106. So all in all I’m feeling pretty pleased with myself – just waiting for my phone (and my cashback) to arrive.

Anybody out there know a better deal?

Reflections & Resolutions

No this isn’t a post comparing screens on the latest mobile or tablet devices – it’s just some musings having spent a few digital free days over the New Year….

My site and blog are still less than 3 months old, but I’ve been pleased and thankful for the generally positive response and the steady stream of visitors I’ve been getting. I’ve had a chance to reflect a little on the purpose of the site and my blog and what the new year holds in store.

Firstly, the primary purpose of the site (and the blog) is to promote my services as a freelance online marketing specialist. The site provides a reference point for potential clients (and partners) and is in many ways my primary marketing tool. What I have found interesting and challenging is that I have found that I have several audiences that I am trying to cater for and communicate with, and this is already giving rise to a somewhat eclectic mix of content.

A key audience is small business owners that need help with all aspects of online marketing – from site development and search marketing through to social media. For this audience I want to provide some useful information, tips and guidance, to help them and also establish my credibility as somebody who can help them.

Another key audience are the digital agencies and other marketing services agencies, large and small, who have the potential need for freelance expertise. Again I want to establish credibility and highlight my skills and experience – as well as showing that I have my finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the digital space. A secondary audience here are the recruitment consultants that many agencies use to help them find the talent and resources they need.

What’s really interesting is that when I look at my ‘social’ networks, primarily LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, I find the lines between these audiences overlapping and blurring – whilst sometimes still retaining very clear distinctions. Thus agency contacts whom I’m linked into may well follow me on twitter – but not feature in my Facebook friends, whilst more personal friends and contacts I’ve made in ‘the real world’ may be part of one or more of these networks – or indeed none. My initial plan was to find or generate interesting content and then decide how to use my networks to share this. However I have found that from time to time my content matter has been influenced by the people I’m meeting and the networks or channels that have been responsive – creating content for the channel rather than the audience.

It’s sometimes easy to worry whether a story about Facebook or Google’s latest beta project in the US will alienate the small business owner who is still grappling with the basics. Conversely there can be a concern that some of the more basic tips and how tos may leave a more advanced audience somewhat cold, and unlikely to return. Perhaps some more editorial planning is called for to address this. I should be able to serve a range of audiences with some tasty titbits.

In the background of course is that other key audience, the search engines. Here I’ve adopted an approach that relevant interesting content is the first priority, whilst trying to be search engine friendly. Again I have been pleasantly surprised, as I seemed to have gained some traction on search terms beyond my own name in a relatively short space of time. For search engine optimisation, content and crawlability are still the key cornerstones upon which the necessary social and linkbuilding activity are built. I believe that I’m building solid foundations – but time will tell.

My biggest reflection is that somewhere along on the line my own character and personality are at best hidden from view, and at worst completely absent. Perhaps concentrating on different audiences, content and search engine friendliness means that I don’t blog, tweet, or write as myself – but more as a business image that I think I want to present.

My favourite tweets (and/or facebook updates) tend to be exchanges between people I already know pretty well – where their personality brings an extra dimension. As a golfer, the other exchanges I’ve enjoyed are those involving Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Graeme MacDowell, Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson and other top golfers – again personality shines through. As Samuel L Jackson said: “Personality goes a long way”.

So is the reflection (or should it be the resolution?) – more personality? Well sometimes the most boring people are the ones who are trying too hard to show how interesting they are – and that’s not a gang I want to join. So I’m going to expand my blogging beyond my work and see what happens.

And perhaps I’ll just try to hit the ‘publish’ button just a little quicker – the temptation to read, tweak and improve often means cleaner content – but also renders it sterile.

Let’s see how we get on in 2011….

Do Twitter and Facebook links impact SEO?

Earier this month Bing and Google confirmed in a Search Engine Land interview that links shared on Facebook and Twitter can have an impact on SEO ranking. However it isn’t a simple “more links on Facebook = higher search results” equation.

Bing and Google both have social media-specific search results pages that are influenced by users’ friends and social graph, based on the links they are sharing. And both search engines also offer real-time results of what’s being shared generally on social networks. However, these results are separate from regular search results.

What Google did reveal is that it uses a measure of author authority in its SEO ranking of sites, using Twitter users’ “author quality”. Meanwhile Bing has a similar measurement called “Social Authority”.  Both search engines say that this social or author authority can influence organic search results.

Marketing Times expanded on this, suggesting that Google and Bing might assess how influential a link is on Twitter using factors such as:

• diversity – the more Twitter accounts sharing a link, the more social authority
• timing – breaking news vs. links with greater longevity
• context and content – maybe using the full tweet as a replacement for anchor text
• engagement level – the number of clicks, retweets, shares, etc

So, if we consider all these points together, then a highly influential Twitter user (who shares a variety of tweets, which are retweeted, commented on, or shared) can potentially build authority and the links they share could enjoy an SEO boost.

It will be interesting to see if anybody can now bring forward a case study to demonstrate this effect.

Links shared on Facebook could be treated similarly, However, the search engines say that they don’t have access to personal information on Facebook walls, so they cannot calculate authority in the same fashion.

Lord Sugar most trusted by SMEs for Business Advice

Small business owners have named Lord Alan Sugar, star of the hit BBC show, The Apprentice, as the UK’s most trusted straight talker, in a recent T-Mobile survey.

2,000 small business owners were asked to choose their top three most trusted business personalities for straight talking business advice. Lord Sugar was chosen by 42% of respondents, followed by Richard Branson and Peter Jones from Dragon’s Den.

Martin Lyne, Director of SME Marketing at T-Mobile said “Lord Alan Sugar’s popularity shows that most business owners just want people to get to the point. They don’t have time to waste listening to waffle or jargon.”

Lord Sugar will choose one of Stella English and Chris Bates to join him when the final of The Apprentice is shown this coming Sunday, 19th December.

Preview of Motorola Tablet & Vector Based Google Maps

Preview of Motorola Tablet & Vector Based Google Maps:

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/06/motorola-android-tablet-prototype-makes-a-cameo-at-d-dive-into/

My Top 10 Tips for using LinkedIn

Are you using LinkedIn?

If you are you probably know already that it’s a great way to showcase who you are and what you do – and build and maintain a contact network online. If you’re not then it’s probably time you joined in. Either way I’ve put together my top 10 tips for getting the most out of LinkedIn.

Before we start, I believe that it’s important to think of LinkedIn as more than just a networking site – it’s a valuable business tool that I’ve used to help generate business contacts and opportunities, recruit staff, and even find employment myself. It keeps you ‘Linked In’ with your own network of friends, clients, customers, colleagues, employers, employees, business partners and beyond. It can strengthen and extend your existing network of trusted contacts and also show potential customers, employees or business partners what you could do for them.

So without further ado, here are my top ten tips for using LinkedIn

1. Make sure your profile is complete
Your profile is searchable, so if it’s not complete with previous roles, employers or even key skills, people may miss you when they search. LinkedIn will show you whether you have a complete profile – but a profile that’s 100% can still be missing key pieces of information about your skills and experience. Ultimately if an old client searches a company you used to work at you want your profile appear in the results they see.

2. Use a profile photo
An essential part of a complete profile is your photo. In my opinion it’s better to show a photo of yourself than a corporate logo. And don’t be afraid to use a picture that shows some personality. People like to see the face of who they’re doing business with.

3. Make sure your profile is updated regularly
Check your profile content regularly – ideally every week. This may sound a little strange as you don’t normally rewrite your CV every week, but your work life and job role can change. Think of your profile as a shop window for your skills and experience and make sure it reflects the latest and greatest version of your key product – YOU.

4. Update your status regularly
Your status message area is a fantastic tool which many people forget. You can use it to share your latest blog post, highlight new products and services, or just let people know what you’re up to. It’s your chance to get a free message out to your network. And if you use any of the multi network profile applications out there you can even update your Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn profiles at the same time. You can also integrate Twitter into your LinkedIn profile – although this does mean that if a high proportion of your LinkedIn network also follow you on Twitter your tweets may become repetitive.

5. Be proactive in building your network
Try to build your LinkedIn network in a similar way that you would build up your contacts book in your working life. When you meet people ask if they use LinkedIn and ask them to connect. Search out previous colleagues, clients and contacts. Don’t just search names, search companies too, and even browse through profiles in your area – you might be surprised at the old contacts you’ll come across.

6. Make it easy for others to find you
I’ve already highlighted the importance of having a complete and up to date profile to maximise your visibility in LinkedIn searches. But you should also show people that you’re on LinkedIn at every opportunity. Use your LinkedIn profile link on your website, emails, in forums and on social media sites, on your blog and maybe even your business cards. Try googling your name – there’s a good chance your LinkedIn profile will show near the top of the first page.

7. Think about the quality of your network
Whilst it’s important to build your network proactively, don’t substitute quantity for quality. Showing you’ve got thousands of connections on LinkedIn doesn’t make you more professional than someone who only has 25 connections. In fact if those 25 connections are all people who are willing to personally recommend you then that is arguably more valuable. Try to build your LinkedIn network in a similar way that you would build up your contacts book in your working life. When you meet people ask if they use LinkedIn and ask them to connect. And don’t be afraid to reject invitations or disconnect from people you don’t know or you believe have suspect motives.

8. Ask for recommendations
Ask for recommendations from previous colleagues, clients, friends and other relevant contacts. But don’t just send the standard LinkedIn request out to loads of contacts. Instead include a personal message outlining why you’d like a recommendation and offer to reciprocate where appropriate. You can also proactively recommend people in your network who may choose to return the favour. And don’t be afraid to ask your connections for introductions.

9. Join groups and answer questions
There are thousands of LinkedIn Groups which can be community or interest based. Seek out some groups that you believe are relevant to you, join these groups and get involved. Answering peoples questions will not only raise your ‘expert’ level on LinkedIn but show potential clients and partners that you are able to share information, that you know what you are talking about and are willing to help others. Even if you don’t have time to join discussions or answer questions it will extend your potential connection base and with clever use of LinkedIn’s search function, help you to find relevant contacts in your industry sector and/or geographical area.

10. Company pages
If you own your own company or are the spokesperson for your company then make sure you add a company page to LinkedIn. And remember to apply the same principles to your company page as your personal page.

Finally here’s a bonus tip: Keep in touch!
Add LinkedIn as a homepage tab that you can check on each time you go online. Take a look at what’s happening in your network. Check out who’s looked at your profile (even though this is fairly limited). And use LinkedIn’s mobile site http://m.linkedin.com

Remember what you put in to using LinkedIn will directly affect what you get out of it. So be prepared to invest a little time and effort.

SEO & Social Media: A new workshop approach

Are you a business owner or manager who thinks you should be using Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) to improve your website’s search ranking? Or do you wonder if you should be using Social Media to help improve your business? Does the mere mention of these terms fill you with dread? Or do you just feel blinded with science? And are you just a tad apprehensive about finding the right person or people to help?

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Social Media agencies and consultants in the market. The overwhelming majority of these do a first class job for their clients, but there are always a few who fail to deliver what they promise, leaving their clients both dissatisfied and even cynical about the industry as a whole.

There are also plenty of clients who, if pressed, would confess that they actually know very little about Search Engine Optimisation, or Social Media. Similarly they have no idea how to use these channels and opportunities to benefit their business. Ironically, this lack of understanding can itself hold clients back. And it can also be a contributory factor to the breakdown in the client / consultant relationship.

So I’d like to do something different, by offering a workshop based approach to SEO and Social Media. I’ll sit with you, the client, and not only demonstrate how these channels and techniques can be used, but actually action and implement recommendations with you. This approach not only arms you with a greater understanding of SEO and Social Media, but gives you practical advice and guidance in how you can actually do it yourself.

My SEO and Social Media workshop sessions are individually planned for each client. No two sessions are ever the same, because every business faces different challenges, and every client has a different level of knowledge and understanding. What’s more, my workshops can help you decide how to best take advantage of the opportunities available – and whether you need more help.

A workshop for your business could cost as little as £399. A small investment that could both save you money on expensive agency or consultant fees. And an investment that could generate handsome returns.

To book your workshop session, please contact me or give me a call on 07827 806722

Pickles announces help for small business owners

Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles has announced this week that small businesses will find it easier to get tax relief and cuts as Government form filling rules are to be scrapped to help increase take up.

Small Business Rate Relief has already been doubled this year, but the Government also wants to help as many small businesses as possible to claim the discounts they are eligible for.

The new changes in the upcoming Localism Bill will end the legal requirement for ratepayers to fill in an application form first. Councils will be free to administer Small Business Rate Relief in a way that best serves local businesses and local needs. Legislation will also ensure that all eligible businesses automatically have their discounted bills calculated using the small business multiplier.

There are also proposals to look at ways for Local Authorities to keep the business rates they collect locally – which would give councils incentives to promote local economic growth. In addition, councils will get the power to set local discounts on business rates – enabling councils to respond to local circumstances and encourage new start-up enterprises.

http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/newsroom/1778439