5 steps to launching your website

5 Steps To Planning Your Website

by with No Comment ArticlesBlogs

You have made the decision to invest in a website, but what do you actually want to be on your website?

There is a lot more aspects that go into creating a website than just making sure you have content and beautiful images. The following steps make sure you have a comprehensive plan for your website, so it delivers exactly what you need.

1.      Identify the Purpose of your website

For most websites this is to drive sales or increase enquiries but how are you going to do that? The actions you want your visitors to make needs to be clear and at the forefront of your mind throughout the entire build of your website.

Are you selling products – then make sure the content and layout educate visitors on those products and encourage visitors to travel through the website to the shop.

Are you selling services – your focus needs to be on educating people on your service, making it clear the solution your service provides and encouraging visitors to get in touch or book in an appointment/purchase the service.

Sharing information – Consider what format your visitors will absorb that information. Do they prefer podcasts, blog/articles, How to Guides?

2.      Features

Once you know the purpose of your site you need to consider the exact features you will need. Features can include:

  • A theme
  • Possibly a page builder
  • Plugins
  • Specific content
  • Connections to 3rd party integrations

When selecting a theme there are a number of things to look at, in particular if the theme is compatible with the plugins and 3rd party integrations you want to include. Many purchased themes come with a number of plugins included to help you obtain the look provided in their demo version and will list popular plugins they are compatible with – mainly WooCommerce and page builders.

I highly recommend Themeforest.net for themes, there is so much choice to pick from and the way its all laid out makes it clear to see how updated the theme is, how response their customer support is, and the compatibility with other plugins/WooCommerce/WordPress versions. You want a theme that is updated regularly, with good customer service and works with the plugins you need.

WordPress has its own built in page builder Gutenberg blocks, but for additional elements and styling options a page builder such as WPBakery or Elementor are recommended.

3rd party integrations can be features such as payment gateways, email marketing, booking software; and working out whether they are compatible or require specific plugins to work.

If you provide a membership, or sell certain products, you are required to include certain terms and conditions or even use certain terminology on your website. Research will be needed to ensure you use the correct ones for your site.

3.      Create a Content Inventory

Now you know the focus for your website and have looked at themes you like, you can cater the content to fit. It is a really simple process and extremely useful part of the planning process. The content you use has to be of benefit to the visitor, so consider the jargon they would understand and the way they absorb information.

You can use the demo of a theme you like the look of to assist in determining layouts and available sections.

A content inventory can simply be done using a spreadsheet, think of it like a map of your site and its content. The following column titles can get you started, but feel free to add more if needed.

  1. Page Title – These need to clearly identify what is on the page and are the first thing Google sees when doing an SEO search.
  2. Page Sections – Break your pages down in to sections with things like a larger header image, About us section with text and image, Our work gallery with 3 columns, CTA, Footer
  3. Content Required – its at this point you need to really think about the content each of the sections you will need. The header image needs a short snappy sentence and CTA button, the About us section needs max 100 words and an image, the Our Work Gallery needs 3 images of previous work that links to portfolio pages, CTA needs another snappy sentence giving the visitor a reason to click on the button, the footer needs social media links, a sign up form, 2nd menu etc
  4. Content Ready – when you have all the content you need for that section/page you can place an X in this column helping to keep you on track.

4.      Get your branding in place

When compiling your content, particularly the imagery you need to consider how it ties in with your branding. If your branding is bright and relaxed, then dark or corporate style images may not work.

You also have to consider how to pair the colours from your branding. When placing buttons on top of coloured areas colour combinations can either work really well or leave your visitors squinting at it trying to work out why. If you place elements on top of images they can blend in if the wrong colours are picked, even if you place an overlay on the image you risk it distorting the image just to make the element fit.

Another important element of branding to consider is your logo and how it will work with a theme. If you have a theme in mind look at the logo being used in the demo, would your logo fit in that place? If you want an inline menu layout (Menu options / Logo / Menu options) will your logo fit in within the menu line or stand out too much? On a website I completed the branding was a logo that looked very much like a clothing tag, because of this we chose a theme that had a side bar menu so the logo could sit as if coming out the side of the screen. It wouldn’t have worked with an inline menu or sitting above the menu.

5.      Content

The content to place on your website can actually be one of the hardest steps of preparing a website. The words have to entice a customer to journey further into your website and react to your call to actions, they have to speak to the customer in a way they understand while still showing your expertise, knowledge, and personality.

I highly recommend to all my website build clients that they work towards 500 words minimum per page to help get in their keywords and their message across to customers.

The content needs to be presented in such a way that it keeps the readers attention while providing all the information they will need. The most pertinent details should be placed near the top of the page with short and simple sentences. Don’t limit your content to generalised, high level statements though, be specific with real world examples to help readers visualize your message.

Each industry has its own jargon that makes sense to those in the know, but customers may not. So always nix the jargon as much as possible and keep it accessible. Find yourself using the same words over and over? Then why not check out Thesaurus,com for alternative ideas. It can get pretty boring reading what appears to be the same words over and over again. Ensure though you keep your key terms consistent to avoid confusing visitors and search engines.  

Don’t be afraid of white space either, visitors will generally scan through webpages first skipping over large sections of text looking for bulle or numerical lists and smaller paragraphs. The use of headers can hep break up the text even more, clearing highlighting key areas to engage with and help search engines navigate the page.

There is so much more you can do with content these are a few starting tips to help.

Next Steps

With just these 5 pieces of information you can get started with your own website build or be able to provide a well thought out plan to a website designer to build the site for you. Check out other sites in your industry or with a similar feel to what you are aiming for to give a better visual idea once building begins.

Keep referring back to your content inventory, your branding and your message throughout the build to ensure you are staying consistent and providing the best customer experience possible. Once completed send it out to a few friends and get their opinions to help catch anything you may have missed – think of it as quality control! When ready get sharing remembering to keep everything up to date.

Wordpress Versions - which one?

WordPress – What Is the Difference?

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Mention a website building platform and guarantee WordPress will be one of the names mentioned, if not the first. First released in 2003, WordPress now has around 58% of the CMS market share depending which survey you look at (CMS is Content Management System), and around 75% of live websites are either built on WordPress .com or using the .org installation.

But what is the difference between .com and .org? And what is the difference between normal hosting for WordPress and WordPress managed hosting?

WordPress .com

This version of WordPress I hosted by WordPress itself, on their own servers, and there are a number of levels/packages of flexibility available.

  1. Free Package – The most basic package is their free blogging package that provides you with a WordPress domain and a basic platform to blog. They only have 3gb of storage for this site so best for small sites.
  2. Personal Package – Similar to the free package but this allows for a custom domain. A domain ca be bought via WordPress or with an external provider.
  3.  Premium Package – The minimally suitable website for freelancers and business owners who are wanting a platform to advertise their services. This is the first of the packages that allow monetization of the site, including a PayPal button – the Free/Personal packages do not allow any selling on their sites at all!
  4. Business Package – Perfect for a growing business with unlimited storage and monetization allowed. WordPress advertises this as coming with SEO tools as well as Google Analytics integration. This Package also allows the uploading of Plugins and installation of 3rd party themes.
  5. Ecommerce Package – Everything from above plus integrated tools to sell directly through your site. These integrations include currency tools, shipping methods and ecommerce marketing tools – social media and Mailchimp tools.

While perfect for personal blogging and a starter business this version of WordPress can get costly as your website grows, and to a point requires some HTML/CSS knowledge. This is because to achieve a personalised look you will need HTML to code the layout of the pages themselves.

WordPress .org

This is my favourite version of WordPress, and when you ask around in Facebook groups for websites, or how to on websites majority of commenters will be talking about this version. This requires a hosting package, as well as your own domain name but all it takes is a quick 5 minute install – which many hosting companies will do for you – and your site is up and ready to get going. The fees associated are usually an annual fee of your hosting and domain name, while the WordPress version itself is free.

This version allows you to install any number of themes, or to even code your own pages if you prefer using PHP templates page templates. There is thousands of free and paid for plugins that allow you to do anything from take a subscribers details, place a Cookie notice or host a course and membership on your own website.

Not confident in HTML/CSS/PHP – no worries! Page builders such as WPBakery, Divi or Elementor make creating any number of layouts possible, and you can easily drag and drop on to the page different elements such as images, text blocks, sliding images etc

This version of WordPress has been used for websites such as UPS, CBS Radio and countless other Top 500 Companies.

WordPress Managed Hosting

This is where most people get confused when looking for hosting for their WordPress website.

Managed Hosting for WordPress is usually slightly higher in price per month than normal shared hosting, yet cheaper than dedicated hosting. So what exactly is managed hosting and why is it more expensive than standard shared hosting?

Well, it is exactly what it states. The hosting company manage the maintenance of your website for you, running updates and controlling your Cpanel for you – which is perfectly fine if you do not know what you are doing but a number of times I have needed access to a Folder to install something for a client and the hosting company refuses access. The servers themselves used to host these sites is specifically configured to optimise Wordpress websites, and the support you receive is from expert support staff. A down side is though a number of plugins are blocked form running on Managed WordPress sites, usually ones that could potentially slow down your website – however sometimes these plugins are essential so load time has to be sacrificed.

Managed WordPress Hosting Packages comes with a number of pros and is really good for small business owners who need the technical support and want to leave things such as updates to someone else to worry about. However, sometimes you have to weigh the costs, would it be cheaper for you to get Managed WordPress Hosting, or to pay £75 for 90 minutes of training on how to keep on top of your plugins and the basic knowledge of maintaining your site?

 So there we have it, the basics of WordPress Versions. Have you built your site already on WordPress? Then why not share your site on my Facebook page.

Not got a website yet but interested in using WordPress for your site, then give me a call to discuss my WordPress Website Building Packages, all designed to make building your site easy as possible.

Save Money in Business

Saving Money in Your Business

by with No Comment ArticlesBlogs

One thing people are always looking for is to save money. However, following on from a recent networking event the attendees realised that we may not always be as open to saving money as we think. We discussed savings in gas and electric at home, but it got me thinking about ways we can save money in business as well.

So here are my top ways you can save money in your business.

Regularly check contracts

You would be amazed how many people forget their contract end dates. Usually at the end of a contract where you received a really cheap deal at the beginning, the rates will triple in price. If you do not keep track of those contracts due to end you may get stumped with an unexpected payment taken from your account. Such services are hosting packages. Many companies offer an introductory rate for the first 12 months, but on renewal it will go sky high.

Keep a note of these renewal dates and about 2 weeks before they are due start looking around for better deals elsewhere. The same for mobile phone contracts. I saved £20 per month by shopping around for a better deal.

Consider Paying ‘Get Out Fees’ to make long term savings

My mobile phone contract was due to renew in April, at a monthly cost of £53 per month but I had been offered a far better deal by a different provider saving me £20 a month. So, I paid the get out early fees (£40) and saved myself £200 long term that I can look at investing in my business.

Many services from internet and landlines, to service providers such as those of point of sale devices, will have a get out early fee arrangement. It is worth getting someone to look over all your bills for you and see what savings can be made compared to staying with your current provider.

Do You Really Need it?

Another great money saving trick is to check if you actually need a service, or a different level of plan with your current providers. Take for example Dropbox, I was paying monthly for 1TB and yet had less than 1gb of files stored in it, files which I had not touched in around 6 months. At the same time I was paying monthly for my Office 365 business account, which comes with 1TB of One Drive. I removed all business files from my drop box, added them to the One Drive and cancelled the plan. Saving around £90 a year.

Similarly with Hootsuite, I had their premium version which I got at a discount several years ago, yet I had not used it in 18 months! So I cancelled my plan, disconnected the platforms I no longer use and saved my self around £150 a year.

So how could you save money in your business?

Social Media as a Marketing Tool

Social Media – An Important Marketing Tool

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We all accept that social media is essential for a business, but not necessarily understand why. Business owners who hire someone to help with their social media see the money going out and not always see the money coming back, in direct relation to their social media activity.

That is because the return on investment can be low on social media, especially if you choose to avoid using the ads. If you do choose to use ads you find yourself forking out a fortune on them. People get stuck in a rut of feeding money in to the ads, while actual interactions and sales on social media are low.

This is why I feel there is a misconception of how social media can be used as a marketing tool.

How to use social media as a marketing tool – for free!

It is very rare to find anyone over the age 13 who doesn’t have some form of a social media account. It is estimated that by 2020 there will be 2.9 billion social media users worldwide (according to Statista). Just think of all those people scrolling down their screens who could see your business!

And that is just it…

Social media is not necessarily about selling – because to be honest who checks their Facebook or Instagram to go shopping? Social media is about being seen. It is about sharing your brand with the world, so they get to know you, learn about the people behind the brand and for you to build a relationship with them.

Don’t get me wrong, you do still need to post about your product/service. How else will people know what you do? But if all you do is post selling posts, well you can wave good bye to the number of interactions on your page.

When social media first started, it was all about the numbers. The more followers the better, using systems such as like ladders to build a huge following bigger than your competitors. Now though social media is more about the interaction numbers – the impressions, the reach, the number of actions on your page/posts. To obtain these numbers your posts must give people a reason to interact and share with their friends.

Examples of ways to make free social media work

Are you an Author? Then do a leading quote from your book, or even your favourite book, with an eye catching graphic as the background. Are you a Make up artist? Then share a picture collage of your most favourite looks – on you – with one or two tips to make it possible. These types of post are related closely to your business, give a sneak peak in to your services and an insight into you as the owner. It is these types of posts I have seen get some of the highest interaction rates than any other post types.

For example, I recently did a post on procrastination. I was struggling to come up with a plan for a website and was easily getting distracted by personal chores that needed doing. So, I cleaned under my stairs, and took a break. Suddenly the idea I had been struggling to grasp hit me like a 2 by 4 and I was able to sit and complete the website. The aim of the post was to show that even as a business owner I struggle with productivity at times, but it also dropped in a touch of one of my services.

Now this post didn’t get me a rush of people wanting a website, but it did get me a few comments from people, who then mentioned it to their friends. Helping me expand my reach and spreading my business name.

And that was the aim, to interact with those that currently follow me, and have them naturally share my name to others through their interactions with others. All while giving an insight to me as a business owner.

All it takes is just 15 minutes a day to put up a post and interact a little in groups where your audience can be found. Or you can schedule your posts upfront on a weekly/monthly basis then spend 5-10 minutes just interacting a day. While your waiting for the kettle to boil, or the kids to come out of school, there are plenty of easy short times to interact on social media without allowing yourself to get absorbed in it – which I know I can be guilty of!

Social media is about being social, not about selling – its even in the name!

So do not worry if the selling post you put up last week did not result in any sales, as long as your reach/impressions are at least 20% of your followers that post worked to get your name in front of someone, and next month when they are shopping, your name will come to mind!

Business Process, Personal Note from RedRite

Changes to RedRite – and a Personal Note

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Dear Clients (current and potential),

Throughout July and August I found myself struggling a lot with all my commitments, to you as my client, to my kids as their mum and to myself. Mistakes were made all round to which I apologies for and will be making amends where possible.

Reflecting on those mistakes and looking forward to the next few months I have come to the realisation my business has developed and grown beyond my current processes, to the point they are actually having a negative impact on my business. I find myself checking emails before I have even opened my eyes in a morning, or checking them as they close on an evening. I have found myself trying to research and build websites on my phone while walking around parks with my kids during the day. This as expected has a negative impact on my love for my business but even more so it has a negative impact on the quality of service I am providing.

As many of my clients know I have medical conditions, and a son with disabilities, so we both require a number of medical appointments. As of the 3rd of September I will be taking on the task of going through the Autism Diagnosis process with my son, which will require more than the usual medical appointments. I am also under going treatment on my eyes to prevent any vision loss due to my medical conditions, and will be starting a new medical regime to hopefully improve my health – I have to fight for funding first though! I do not envision this having a major impact on my work but I will keep you updated.

Also in the upcoming months I will be starting Uni studies again. My course starts on the 1st of October and in April I will be taking on a 2nd course which will overlap. These are the last 2 courses for my Uni degree and vital to me receiving my degree so I will need to be able to dedicate the necessary time to them.

Taking all these upcoming changes in to consideration I am changing aspects of my business process to ensure I can fulfil these commitments and also fulfil your projects.

  1. I will no longer reply to messages before 10am in the morning, and after 8pm at night. The exception to this rule is
    • Wednesdays, where I will stop answering messages at 2pm so I can spend the evening studying.
    • Monday’s and Friday’s mornings till 12pm where I will be taking care of household errands and studying.
    • Times when I am involved in my kids after school activities and it is difficult to (usually between 3:30pm and 6pm)
  2. Instead of instant replies with minimal information, replies may take longer, so I can guarantee a more in depth reply with more relevant information. This will avoid messages getting missed, or small tasks being looked over. I understand these are all important but they sometimes are overlooked when buried in emails with big project details.
  3. Sunday’s are my social media day so anything you wish posting for the following week will need to be provided by 1pm Sunday.
  4. Any documents that require regular updates – such as reports or tracking documents – will be saved as an online file for easy access, and to avoid having several copies of the file floating around. A link to this file will be provided when the first document is created.
  5. I have turned off email notifications on my phone to negate the urge to reply while on the go as this has shown to cause quite a few problems, with mistyping and missed messages etc

I hope you can understand the need to fine tune my contact hours, and the way I work to provide a better service to you while also being me, a mum and a student. Many of my clients have always been accepting of my many roles and at times restrictions, to which I am appreciative as I know it can be hard when you want something done urgent. However, this way should create a smoother more efficient working process for all.

If you have any concerns then please do get in touch and I will work with you to relive them.

To anyone out there thinking they are alone struggling with being a business owner – you are not! We all have something going on in the background and it is doesn’t need to be hidden away. You will be surprised how many people are understanding and appreciative of knowing, creating a better working relationship between you.

Care and support

Shari Sant

RedRite Founder

Working with a Virtual Assistant, Remote work, RedRite

How to work with a Virtual Assistant

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Be warned this holds my personal opinions which some may not like

One of the most common questions I get asked when discussing being a Virtual Assistant with people is how does it actually all work though? Like, how do they send me the tasks, how do they know what tasks to send me, and the questions go on. If you are not sure what tasks to outsource, then check out my Services Page for some ideas.

It can be a daunting task knowing you are handing over responsibility of your business, even just parts of it, to someone else to manage. Many people who have built their business all on their own can struggle with letting go, so knowing how the process works will help ease some of that anxiety.

The biggest success factor of working with a Virtual Assistant is trust, although we don’t expect you to trust explicitly from the word go – because it is very rare you trust someone after meeting them the first time – a little bit of trust and an honest open working relationship can quickly develop that trust to a point you wonder why you didn’t consider hiring a VA before!

There are so many articles online that discuss working with a VA but I found none of them really explained things from our point of view and the ways we feel comfortable working with you. So, here are 3 important factors I feel create the best working relationship between a VA and their client.

  1. Communicating is Key

Usually one of the first questions asked is how do you communicate tasks to a VA? The answer is simply yet very broad. What ever works for you and the VA. Some VAs prefer to use project management or CRM systems such as Trello or Slack which allow you as the client to enter a task, and then communicate any information relating to it. You can then track the process of the task as the VA works on it.

Some, like myself, are happy to just use email or Whatsapp to confer, alongside weekly/monthly telephone calls to update you on the progress. If you have a preference it is always best to discuss this before you get started, so you both understand what is preferred and why.

Regardless of the tools you use what is important is that all the necessary information to complete the task, and your expectations are clearly communicated. Avoid sounding patronising and doubting in their ability to complete the project and offer that bit of trust that they can do it – you wouldn’t have hired them if you didn’t feel they could.

As Virtual assistants we feel more valued if our clients talk to us, let us know where they want to take their business, any problems they are coming across and anything that could help us improve the services we offer, as well as have a greater understanding of you and your business.

  1. Sharing is caring.

Sharing necessary information and documents is vital to getting a project off the ground, and if your assistant has them all upfront then there is less time and stress on both sides later on. You can share via email, or via a transfer system such as WeTransfer. A more efficient way and beneficial for long term work is creating a shared folder in a system such as Dropbox to keep everything in one place. What is better is if it can be integrated with the project management system to keep files and information linked with the task associated with it.

I strongly suggest sending files though with identifiable titles. Instead of xyz123.doc, save the file as Project A Information.doc this way it makes it easier to locate the file and link it to the required project/task. Also if you update the file change the title to state the date updated or which version it is, there are a number of times I have been sent the same file yet it has a number of changes from clients and when looking for them later it has taken tracking the original email to identify which is which version. I had one client who send each file with v1, v2 etc afterwards and this made it so easy for the pair of us to track everything.

  1. Respect

It seems a silly thing, but respect goes a long way to building a trusting long lasting work relationship.  I hear so many heart wrenching stories of Vas who have been treated like a lackey or as close to a coffee girl as you can get remotely. It wears a person doing being treated like that, especially one who is also a business owner and is there to help you with yours. We have a far better understanding of the trials and tribulations that a business owner goes through, allowing us to sympathise with you and offer solutions that actually work. We, like you, have working hours, we have times when we are happy to contacted, and we also have families and other commitments.

More and more VAs are ending agreements with their clients because of this lack of respect. We accept it can be hard to let go at first, but if after 6 months you still can not let go and are micro managing then that VA is not the one for you because no trust has been built.

Not all VAs agree with my methods, feeling their personal lives should be kept separate, but I am upfront with my clients about my children. about my uni studies (which will end in September 2019) as well as my medical conditions. So, they know in advance why I have the hours I do, why sometimes I am delayed in replying and I feel it helps them get to know me as a person better.

Working with a Virtual Assistant is no different to working with any employee/Business partner, you share necessary information with them for them to complete their assigned tasks, you chat to them about the tasks so they know what your expectations are and you be nice to one another. The only difference is the software used and the fact meetings have to be done via video conference (unless like some of my clients you live close to one another and can meet for coffee). The hardest part is you can not watch over their shoulder while they do the work like you might do with an in-house assistant.

So, what is now stopping you from working with a Virtual Assistant?

Time Management, Deadlines, Business, RedRite

Deadlines and Time Management

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February has seen me taking part in a group project as part of my university studies, and it was a testament to my time management skills more than anything else I have ever done.

I am use to juggling several projects, children commitments and my own personal commitments but this project required me to work to someone else’s time table and to do so with a group of 15 other people. Now you can image how hard it is to get 15 people from all over Yorkshire together at one time when we all work different hours, have different commitments and the odd technical issue thrown in. But we have managed it and the 28th of February saw the end of the project and a sigh of relief from us all – even though we loved having the collective support!

It got me thinking though about time management and meeting deadlines – how do you manage your time to meet a deadline? Here are my top tips to managing.

1)     One bite at a time

I use a number of tools and those that receive my emails or follow me on LinkedIn will have seen what those tools are – number 1 being Trello. It helps me to break down a project into bite size manageable chunks, similar to the timetable our tutor gave us with set deadlines for each step of the project.

I take a project and create a series of milestones for that project. Then I note these down on a board, with a cut off point for each milestone – these are my deadlines. As I am aware of the time frame most tasks will take it is then possible to slot work in around other projects and still have it done within my self-allotted deadlines. However, it is essential to always add in extra time for any unexpected problems e.g. system down, delay in client feedback etc

2)     Keep Track

It can be easy to get distracted or go off on a tangent, but then you find yourself with a bunch of half-finished projects and no track of where you got with them. This is where I love reminders – they maybe pesky little pings on your phone but they do save your projects.

Each deadline has a 24hr reminder before it’s due and any emails or conversations associated with that particular task is all kept in one place. I find sending the client and myself a summary email every few days keeps us all on track. We know what has been done, what is still needed and if there are any issues. Try this yourself, have a draft email with each task and as you go through add any notes, comments or accomplishments and at the end of every day/week send it to yourself so you can see where you are – many email apps will no let you schedule emails so auto schedule it and it will be one less thing to remember. (If your email client doesn’t allow this there are various ones that will aid this – depending on the client you use.)

3)     Observe Time

Whether you’re having fun or not, time will fly by without you noticing. That 5 minutes break on Facebook, or a quick look at the news can turn in to channel surfing and before you know it an hour has gone by and your deadline is ever closer.

I am guilty of this but found timing my breaks helps me restrict them and cut back on distractions. I will turn the kettle on and in the time it takes to boil I will flick through Facebook, or put a bit of washing away (downside to working from home!) then as soon as my cuppa is ready I am back at my desk and working away.

Taking a break though is not a bad thing, twice a week I take an hour break for gym and twice a week I start late so I can spend time with family/friends or take care of housework, this helps me get out and about as well as benefits my health. These are breaks for set times on set days, so I can easily plan my work around them and nothing has to suffer. What breaks do you take, and how often?

The number one thing not to do when you have a deadline is stress! Yes I know easier said then done, but when you stress you make small mistakes that suddenly seem overly proportional and you start seconding guessing yourself. So a 2 minute job to fix ends up taking 20 minutes, a few blue words and handful of hair pulled – or is that just me?

Need help with your Time Management? Then get in touch and let me help you put together a workable time table.

 

Business Tips, Leeds, RedRite

Top tips to Spring Clean your Paperwork

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In our third instalment of Spring Cleaning your business, we look at the paperwork side of things.

Not just physical but also the electronic side including emails.

 

A big thing that is becoming popular in offices, small and big, is having a virtual office only. This is the reduction of paper materials unless absolutely necessary. No more printing out of emails, no more printing out of signed documents and no more scraps of paper lying around. Not only does this de-clutter your space but it is good for the environment too. I know a few individuals who follow this, but others like me still enjoy scribbling notes in a note book.

If you want to completely remove all paper forms from your desk then consider getting either a system such as Dragon – where you dictate your notes directly on to your computer, or a graphics tablet to take notes instead.

 

Not ready to lose all the paper?

If like me you still use a few bits of paper, or still have a need to print documents off then here are some simple tips to follow to de-clutter the papers you do have.

 

Firstly, check the need for some of those papers. If you have any old client papers, such as their personal details from an order, or even an old order form GET RID. The Data Protection Act states that personal information must only be held for as long as it is needed. If you no longer need to know the address of a client from 3 years ago, you do not need that paper file.

 

If you want to keep a copy of any paper invoices, or order forms, then scan them into your laptop and save them in to a cloud storage facility (we will look at storing e-files in a minute). This way you still have a copy of transactions for your record, without the piles of paperwork associated.

 

The same for any notes you have taken associated with a client, find a couple of hours – or hire a VA – to type up all those handwritten notes and then file them electronically before recycling the papers.

 

A cheat I saw off a fellow VA once, and loved(!), was to have a notebook for each client. Or you could use a notebook per month/year etc and then type up all those notes once the note book is filled. It is a good way to keep track of all the notes, rather than lots of scraps of paper.

 

How to organise those e-files

Just because your files are on your PC does not mean they are organised. In fact, you may find it harder to find an e-file than to dig through a paper mountain. The following tips will help you get organised, and reduce time hunting around.

Most laptops are used for work and personal, a good way of separating the two is to create two accounts. A personal account and a work account, this makes it easier to avoid distractions and switch between the two uses for your laptop. It also helps organise your files a bit better.

Secondly create a folder for the following:

  • Each Client
  • Personal Admin – documents such as expenses, receipts, company registration paperwork etc
  • Important Documents – things such as copies of contract templates, client registration files, price cards, website back up files etc
  • Education – I will explain this one in a moment.

Then organise each of the files you hold in to the relevant folder. If you have a folder full of information for a client that is associated to one project then keep it together in the folder, and place that folder inside the client’s folder. It may seem like a lot of folders but this way everything is perfectly filed away and so easy to locate.

If you download a lot of images for work, create an Images folder either in the main Work document location or in each client folder (depending on the need of the image). This saves digging through your download file for something you downloaded months ago – just remember to move it as soon as you download it.

The education folder is for any files that in some way teach you something, whether they are a freebie from signing up to a newsletter, or notes from a webinar you have seen, or even a copy of a webinar you have seen. This way you have all those educational, development supporting files together.

As you organise your files, consider how important they are for you to keep. Have you accessed them in the last 6 months? Do they hold any important information, legal information? Is it the only copy, or are there several copies of the same information? This way you can cut down on the number of files you hold, and create more storage space.

On the Windows interface in File Explorer you will have a tab on the left-hand side called Quick Access. This is where you want to add a shortcut to your work folders. I have my top client’s I access on a regular basis and my Important Documents folder. When I open File Explorer I just click there and saves me having to go into documents, then in to where the files are saved… Saves so much clicking and time waiting for things to load.

 

What about Email?

The e-filing method can be used for your emails as well. Create a folder for each client/project and create a rule in your inbox that will automatically send the emails to these folders without you having to touch them. They will then keep all necessary emails together and save having to dig through your inbox if any is needed.

If you have a lot of subscriptions, go through each of them and remove yourself from any subscriptions you have not accessed within the past 6-8 weeks – if you haven’t looked at them at least once a week you are not interested and they are filling up space. Make sure your spam settings are set to high to avoid your inbox being filled with random sales emails and advertising stuff you have no interest in – any slip through just select either label as spam or unsubscribe. I helped a client with this recently and he went from receiving over 500 emails a day to 200 emails a day! He can now see what is important, and what can wait a few days. I also advised him if it was of no interest to just delete, rather than keep it hanging around his inbox (he has had to increase his inbox capacity several times, so trying to cut back now).

Get in to the habit of flagging emails that require your attention, yet you might not be able to provide when they arrive. For example, I receive my emails to my phone but I cannot always sit and read them. So, I flag them and in the evening when I sit to do admin I go back to the flagged emails and deal with them. You can also leave them unread, that way just filter by unread emails and keep them unread until dealt with. It is easier to manage your time replying to emails if you sit and do it at once rather than every few minutes during the day.

If you need a little help organising your files, and emails, then do not hesitate to get in touch. I will sit with you and assist you every step of the way to cut down on the noise that prevents you from easily accessing what you need. Just book a coffee with me today 😊

Put a spring in your Business, RedRite, Leeds

Put a spring in your online presence with these simple steps

by with No Comment ArticlesBlogs

As Spring makes it’s presence even more known, we look at spring cleaning your online presence. Part two of our Spring Clean Series.

In my last blog post we looked at running a business audit in order to spring clean your business. I would love to hear your feedback on that, because now we are going to look at spring cleaning your online presence.

I have recently looked at the importance of being online (Visit the blog post here) but this time we will be looking at how to be consistent online with your brand, and the benefits.

There are 3.773 billion internet users, and 2.789 billion of those users are active on social media in 2016 and out of those internet users 1.61 billion sales were made online in 2016. Accessing this audience, and becoming recognisable is important to start making those sales and achieving your financial goals.

So how can you be consistent online?

1.       Imagery

Apply your logo to any imagery you use. It does not have to be big and bold, as long as it is clear and recognisable. Software such as Canva, or Photoshop, can assist you in placing your logo on any imagery you use. You can have variations of your logo such as a vertical logo, square logo without writing, or a horizontal logo to fit within the different marketing materials, as long as the logo is the same content.

If you haven’t already, select a collection of colours that ties in with your brand and use them on your website, in your logo and even in your imagery. For example for RedRite, red is the prominent colour which I try to use in my logo, and in the floral images I use by selecting red/pink flowers.

Talking about images, make sure the ones you use relate to your business. If you sell clothing, and use images of individuals wearing the clothes, or clothes flat lays, then keep it consistent and use the same type of images on social media and adverts.

 

2.       Content and tone

Different social media platforms do require different approaches on tone, such as professional on LinkedIn and chatty on Facebook. However, you can still keep the message of your business consistent. Think of a singer, whether they are singing a ballad or something more upbeat their voice is recognisable by their audience – this is what you want. Keep the language the same, just apply small tweaks to the tone in order to match your business. If you brand is happy go lucky yet using LinkedIn as a platform, you can keep your posts light-hearted while still being professional.

Keep your business name the same – seems silly but I don’t just mean your actual business name but also the usernames you use. When setting up a social media account check that the username you use on other profiles is the same. If it is not available do not pick something off topic, just insert a ‘_’ instead or ‘-‘. This keeps it as consistent as possible.

Content is not just the words you use but also the font you use for those words. On social media you are of course limited to the fonts of the platform. However, for your website and marketing materials, eve your logo, it is possible to mix up the fonts you use. Select 2-3 font families that you can use throughout all platforms. If you use a decorative font in your logo then, select third less decorative font that compliments it for use in written content.

A big question I see a lot online is whether or not to have the same posts posted to different platforms at the same time. The answers are always mixed, my opinion is that to be consistent you need to share the same content throughout all your platforms, not necessarily allposted at the same time in the same way but yes you need to post the same things. Use the same imagery but change the tone of the message to match the platform, such as Twitter – make it sharp and witty but to match the same message you have expanded on in Facebook.

 

So what now?

If your imagery and content is not on brand then start to make the changes to match them up. If needed hire a designer to create your perfect logo in various formats so it can be used in all the ways you need.

 

Create your brand colour board, with related image themes you wish to use, add the font families you want to the board as well. Then keep this file somewhere safe so you can relate back to it whenever you feel you are losing focus.

 

The benefits won’t be noticed overnight but the longer you stick with consistency the more your audience will start to recognise your brand and therefore take notice when they see you online.

 

If you need help taking these first steps I offer a 1 hour free consultation where we can go over what you currently have in place and how to change it. Email me to day to book in your consultation.  

Spring clean your business with RedRite Business support Services

Spring clean your Business today with these first steps

by with No Comment Articles

Spring is in the air, the sunshine is slowly starting to make an appearance and people are considering spring cleaning their homes.

But what about their businesses?

 

Spring brings to mind the thought of renewal and clearing away the old for new growth, and with the first quarter of the year nearly behind us now is the best time to start taking a look at your business, and consider what needs cleaning. In this blog post I will walk you through the different aspects of your business that you may have left unattended for some time without realising it.

Let’s take a look at what you currently have going on through an audit. Not a financial audit, which is the first thing many people think of when hearing the word, but a business audit. Looking at what is and isn’t working for your business. It requires the use of spreadsheets and some time to sift through everything but the end results is an organized, on brand business.

Run a business audit

In order to start cleansing your business you need to understand where it currently stands. Start with your most public representation – YOUR BRAND. Your brand raises awareness, credibility and touches every aspect of your business. If one aspect is out of sync it could be costing you clients every month.

Start with a list of all the areas your brand is seen. Not just social media and your website, but directories, Google, and your business materials.

With this list check each avenue for consistency. Your brand needs to be consistent to be recognised, including colours, typography, imagery and even the language in which you write. Ask yourself the following to check:

  • Is your logo/profile image consistent throughout all avenues?
  • If you have a different logo for printed materials, is it still relatable to your online presence?
  • Are the headers and other imagery consistent across profiles and your website?
  • Does your bios, descriptions, and business stories match? Is there any details you could now add?
  • Is the content written to match the personality of the platform while still allowing your personality to shine through?
  • Do you really need all those newsletters, and sales emails coming through? Consider when was the last time you opened them.
  • Does your email signature let people know what they need about you?

Once you answer these questions you can start looking at what needs changing. If you have answered ‘No’ to majority of these questions, then it is time to consider what is working for you and what needs updating.

Take a look at your insights from social media, email marketing and Google analytics. Assess how often you are posting to each platform, and the results you have achieved from this.

  • Engagement
  • Number of followers
  • Where the traffic has come from
  • Number of posts in a month

Pay close attention to which type of content is resonating with your audience more, this will be an area of focus when making improvements.Keep a list of everything you have audited for future reference.

Sign up to my newsletter below and receive a free audit checklist to get you started.

Keep a list for future reference, business tips RedRite Leeds

Does it resonate with your goals and brand?

Once you have your audit in place you can compare it to what you want for your brand, and your overall business goal – including your desired audience.

You set a goal of being a fun loving, family brand that helps other families with their services/products Can your audience see this and feel this through your content?

Once you know whether you are achieving your goal, and on target with your branding you can tighten your focus, make creating plans easier and organise your brand easier. Providing a professional and organised front to your audience. Even if in reality, your office looks like it has been hit by a tornado!

Join us next time to see what to do now you have audited your business as we work through each aspect and start improving your consistency and organization.