I’ve been writing, OK moaning, almost annually about the stupidity of some people, feelings that are based on nothing more than their choice of passwords.

Every year, I hope things will get better. And every year they never seem to. More and more people are falling victim to Cyber Crime.

What happens is that major data centres are hacked and the hackers release details of the accounts they have acquired. Then a security company, such as NordPass in this instance, comes along and grabs all the data and simply finds which are the most popular, least popular and weakest passwords. Then they publish a “Top 20” of the most common passwords.

And the fact that things rarely change shows that a lot of people aren’t learning the lesson. There appears to be an assumption that simply picking a password that includes a per name, a birthday or something similar will be OK.

But, guess what, if you are being targeted by a hacker, they’ll already have that information, and they’ll use it to break in to your bank/savings accounts, go shopping online using your Amazon account (or a different shopping account) and have their ill gotten gains delivered elsewhere. Alternatively they’ll use a Pavement Pirate to steal the delivery from your doorstep.

According to the research, the passwords used for streaming platforms are often the weakest but if I can get in to your Amazon Prime Video I can also get in to your Amazon Shopping account and don’t fall in to the trap of using the same password for multiple accounts, or simply incrementing a password for different accounts. So, no more Password1, Password2 etc.

And, for the record, I have 1,175 unique, very strong (over 16 Characters, numbers and symbols) passwords securely stored in my Password Manager and if you want to check to see how secure your password is, NordPass provide a secure way to see how long it would take a hacker to crack a password of yours. Their tool will also let you know whether your passwords have been found in any Hacker databases.

And PLEASE, if this applies to to you – STOP USING PASSWORD or 123456

Have a great Christmas, a happy new year and stay Cyber Secure. I look forward to communicating with you in the new year. If you need any help, please, just ask. You can reach me by phone – 01793 238020 – email – andy@enterprise-oms.co.uk or just hunt me down on Social Media

In today’s interconnected digital world, Solopreneurs, sole traders, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face an increasing number of cyber threats that can have severe consequences for their operations, reputation, and financial stability. Cybersecurity has become a critical aspect of business management for all businesses as they are often targeted by cybercriminals seeking to exploit their vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities that are easier for the cybercriminals to take advantage of than in larger companies that have dedicated cyber security teams. This article explores the importance of cybersecurity for SMEs, highlighting the risks they face and the measures they should take to protect themselves.

Growing Cybersecurity Threats:

Small businesses and Sole Traders are an attractive target for cybercriminals. This is due to their limited resources, inadequate security infrastructure, and lack of awareness. This makes them a very profitable target for Cyber attacks such as data breaches, ransomware attacks, phishing scams, and social engineering opportunities. All of these are on the rise, and SMEs are increasingly falling victim to these malicious activities. The financial and reputational damage resulting from such incidents can be devastating for a small business.

Financial Implications:

Cyberattacks can lead to significant financial losses for SMEs. Data breaches can result in the loss of sensitive customer information, leading to legal repercussions, fines, and lawsuits. The cost of recovering from a cyberattack, including investigation, remediation, and system restoration, can be exorbitant for SMEs with limited budgets. Additionally, businesses may experience a loss of customer trust, impacting future sales and long-term growth.

Reputational Damage:

The reputation of an SME is a valuable asset that can take years to build but can be destroyed in an instant due to a cyber incident. A breach of customer data or a successful hacking attempt can tarnish a company’s reputation, resulting in decreased customer loyalty and damaged relationships with stakeholders. Rebuilding trust and recovering from reputational damage can be a challenging and time-consuming process for SMEs.

Compliance and Legal Requirements:

SMEs must comply with various data protection and privacy regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and industry-specific requirements. Failure to meet these obligations can lead to severe penalties and fines. Implementing robust cybersecurity measures is crucial for SMEs to ensure compliance with these regulations, protecting both their customers’ data and their own legal standing.

Competitive Advantage:

Investing in cybersecurity can provide SMEs with a competitive edge in today’s business landscape. Many customers prioritize security when choosing a service or product provider. By demonstrating a strong commitment to protecting customer data and maintaining secure operations, SMEs can build trust with potential clients and gain a competitive advantage over less secure competitors.

One of the most effective ways of demonstrating cyber security to the outside world is through the Cyber Essentials schemes where businesses that can demonstrate their cyber security are provided with a certificate that proves their cyber security credentials to existing and potential customers

Supply Chain Risks:

SMEs are often part of complex supply chains, working closely with other businesses. Weak cybersecurity measures within an SME can create vulnerabilities that can be exploited by cybercriminals to gain access to larger organizations. A breach in one link of the supply chain can have a cascading effect, affecting multiple businesses. Therefore, SMEs must prioritize cybersecurity not only for their own protection but also to ensure the security of their partners and customers. Many large organisations often demand proof of good Cyber security practices and the Cyber Essentials program is a good way to demonstrate this

Employee Awareness and Training:

Employees play a crucial role in maintaining cybersecurity within an organization. SMEs should invest in cybersecurity awareness and training programs to educate their employees about best practices, common threats, and how to respond to potential incidents. By fostering a culture of cybersecurity, SMEs can empower their employees to be proactive in identifying and mitigating cyber risks.

Proactive Cybersecurity Measures:

SMEs can take several proactive measures to enhance their cybersecurity posture. Implementing strong password policies, regularly updating software and systems, utilizing multi-factor authentication, encrypting sensitive data, and regularly backing up critical information are some essential steps. It is also advisable to invest in reliable antivirus software, firewalls, and intrusion detection systems to protect against external threats.

Collaboration

Collaboration and External Support: SMEs can benefit from collaborating with cybersecurity experts, industry associations, and government agencies. These partnerships can provide valuable insights, guidance, and resources to help SMEs strengthen their cybersecurity defences. Engaging with third-party cybersecurity providers can also offer specialized expertise and solutions tailored to the specific needs and budget constraints of SMEs.

Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning:

SMEs should develop comprehensive continuity and disaster recovery plans to ensure business operations can quickly resume in the event of a cyber incident. Regularly backing up data, testing backup and recovery processes, and establishing redundant systems are vital components of such plans. By preparing for potential disruptions, SMEs can minimize downtime and mitigate the financial and operational impact of cyberattacks.

Ongoing Risk Assessment and Adaptability:

Cybersecurity is not a one-time effort but requires continuous monitoring, risk assessment, and adaptation. SMEs should regularly evaluate their cybersecurity measures, identify vulnerabilities, and implement necessary updates or upgrades. As technology and cyber threats evolve, SMEs must stay informed about emerging risks and adopt proactive measures accordingly.

Building Customer Trust:

Strong cybersecurity practices help SMEs build trust with their customers. By prioritizing data protection and privacy, SMEs can assure their clients that their information is safe and secure. This trust can result in increased customer loyalty, positive word-of-mouth recommendations, and repeat business, contributing to long-term success and growth.

Conclusion:

Cybersecurity is of paramount importance to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in today’s digital landscape. The increasing prevalence of cyber threats and the potential financial, reputational, and legal consequences emphasize the need for robust cybersecurity measures. By investing in cybersecurity, SMEs can protect their sensitive data, maintain customer trust, comply with regulations, gain a competitive advantage, and ensure the continuity of their business operations. Through proactive measures, collaboration with experts, and a focus on employee training, SMEs can mitigate cyber risks and safeguard their future in an increasingly interconnected world.

If you need help with your Cyber Security I can help and can even point you in the direction of a really excellent Cyber Security company if you need more in-depth help and support.

Get in touch – even if it’s just for a free consult. You can call me on 01793 238020 or 07966 547146, email andy@enterprise-oms.co.uk or book a slot using my calendar and we’ll take it from there

Web Safe Fonts – What are they and do you need them?

What are Web Safe Fonts? Do you need Web Safe Fonts? What Impact will they have on my website?

Every single internet connected device has, pre-installed, a number of fonts. These are instantly available to web browsers.

Which Fonts are Web Safe?

• Comic Sans
• Courier
• New Georgia
• Times New Roman
• Verdana
• Trebuchet
• MSPalatino
• Tahoma
• Arial

These are a mix of “Serif” fonts (those with little “tails” such as Times New Roman and “San Serif” fonts – which don’t have any fancy frills.

Times New Roman is a Serif font, and was designed to look good, on printed paper, It was designed in 1931 for The Times newspaper.

The Aerial font was designed in 1982. It is a license free variation of Helvetica (so free to use) and both were specifically designed with the aim of being easy to read on a computer screen.

When a Web Safe Font is used, the device accessing the website doesn’t have to download any font to open the web page in the browser. This is the fastest way of presenting written content.

Non-Web Safe fonts are great, though. They can add fun, they can add a certain seasonality, they can look like handwriting (Cursive fonts).

They give a web designer access to hundreds, thousands, perhaps millions of individually crafted fonts, which can really enhance the look of a website, when used effectively.

However, before a browser can display a page with a non-Web Safe Font, the browser first has to find where it can download the font from, and then download the font. In this era of speed (needing to open a website in under 3 seconds) this can slow the site down.

Web Safe Fonts – the Font Size Conundrum

Not only that, but if the font can’t be downloaded, the website will default to Times New Roman (typically) and this could make the site look ugly because the page formatting will be out, and it could render the text unreadable because some fonts have to be set to a significantly larger size to be rendered in a readable way on screen.

Thanks for reading and remember, if you have any problems with your website, SEO or any other part of your digital marketing please don’t hesitate to get in touch. I’ll be only too happy to answer any questions that you might have

Find me:         
https://www.seo.enterprise-oms.uk/ 
andy@enterprise-oms.co.uk
Follow me:     Twitter ¦ Linkedin
Phone me:      01793 238020 ¦ 07966 547146

We’ve all had that feeling at one time or another when surfing the internet and felt that everything was running slower than it should? You could reboot your computing device, PC or Mac, Laptop or Desktop, Phone or Tablet but things won’t be much better.

You reboot your router in the hope that will make a difference but after the 5 minutes that it takes to restart you realise that you’ve forgotten the password and your master password list is stored in the cloud so you get on your phone and struggle to log on to Google docs. You get there eventually, find your password and key it in – only to remember that you changed it 2 weeks ago and forgot to update your master list so you try to log in to your router from your phone – but can’t remember the password so you Google how to reset your router and make a note of the master password.

Finally, you are back online but nothing has changed, accessing websites is still like struggling through deep snow.

You run a speed-test and everything appears as it should be and yet everything still feels slow, just like when you input an address into your SatNav and it lets you know that the journey will take 1 hour, you set off at 2pm and don’t arrive until 4:30 but you didn’t get caught in any traffic jams, there was just way too much traffic on the roads.

You go to your favourite search engine to see whether anyone else has the same problem and the interweb is full of people with the same complaint.

The reality is that the interweb is just too congested, too many people are using it, there are just too many bits, bytes and bobs zooming around and it’s going to get worse. More and more people are buying phones and tablets to get online whilst out and about, Smart Thermostats are connected to the internet so that people can turn their heating up and down whilst out and about, light bulbs are getting internet connections so that you can turn them on and off, up and down and even change colour whilst away from the house.

Fridges are getting connected so that they can order groceries as soon as you take them out of the fridge, connected microwaves will enable you to zap your food when you are minutes from home so that it’s ready for you the moment you walk through your front door even spectacles will soon be useless without a connection to the internet.

And on top of all this, your toilet will soon be connected, emailing an analysis of your urine or faeces directly to your GP for close examination

However, Enterprise Online Marketing Solutions has been snooping around some of the hidden places on the interweb and have discovered that a solution could be close at hand.

You won’t have heard about it yet because it’s a big, big, big secret but we’ve found about it, tucked away in an article in Hello magazine when they were covering Benedict Cumberbatch’s sixth wedding anniversary plans.

Apparently Benedict had a lot of very smart people around for tea and discussions about his choice of Covid Friendly venues one afternoon. Being a bit of a geek he’d got some of the brightest tech people together to crunch this difficult problem. Bill Gates was there, as was , Tim Berners Lee, Vint Cerf, Brian Cox, Dara O’Briain and even the late Stephen Hawking & Steve Jobs (by seance).

The conversation meandered (as they do) and one of the topics touched on was the frustration caused by the slowness of the interwebs and they decided to work on a solution, there and then, and the solution they reached will blow you away with its amazing simplicity.

All that needs to happen is the introduction of another w and all we need to do is get used to this. www. is changing to wwww. and we have a year to get used to it because the Wider World Wide Web is being introduced on April 1st 2021 .
You can discover how this is being achieved at wwww.enterprise-oms.uk

Questions or comments to Andy Poulton
Email andy@enterprise-oms.co.uk
Tweet @andypoulton
Phone 07966 547146

Take advantage of a Bounce Back Loan

Posted on May 23, 2020

It looks as if we are looking not at the beginning of the end but at least at the end of the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK. The government has slightly relaxed lock-down and hopefully will further relax things as the infection rate and number of deaths continues to fall.

There is no doubt that the UK government has thrown a vast sum of money at supporting businesses with the aim of helping them survive corona virus and ensure that they are able to restart and ramp up.

However, nobody knows how the economy will recover. There’s been talk of a quick return to business normality in a V shaped recovery.

Other wise minds think it could be a U shape return with the economy bobbing along the bottom until things pick up, a W shaped return might be the outcome should there be another peak of infection and even an L shaped recovery is possible, which would be no recovery at all.

With over 20 years of supporting small businesses I have been through a number of recessions and know that businesses that really WANT to trade, and even increase their market, can do so provided their business is fit and well and ready to return to the fray.

And I also know that there will a lot of companies hunting for new business but a lot of them will just re-open and hope that what worked before lock-down will work post lock-down.

Pull ahead of your competition

Use this as a golden opportunity to pull ahead of your competition

And it’s not difficult. You can take advantage of one of the government support packages to give your marketing activity a boost. The coronavirus Bounce Back loan is perfect for this.

If you are a small to medium sized business that has been affected by the pandemic then it is highly likely that you will be eligible. You must be

• is based in the UK
• established before 1 March 2020
• adversely impacted by the coronavirus

And that’s it. The loan is 100% backed by the government and so the ultimate risk to lenders is negligible.*

You can borrow between £2,000 and 25% of your turnover, to a maximum loan of £50,000

And here come the best bits

There is nothing to pay for 12 months, and during the fist year the loan attracts no interest either.

Then you pay the balance back over up to 5 years at an extremely attractive interest rate of just 2.5%

You could use the loan

• to fund a completely new website
• to fund some training
• to pay for professional support and consultancy
• to pay for your SEO
• to fund a Pay per Click campaign such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads etc
• to fund a complete rebrand
• for printing of marketing collateral
• for running a mail shot campaign
• etc.

You could could mix and match any from the above – as the following example demonstrates

• New website – £3,000
• 12 months SEO support – £2,160
• Google Ads campaign – £500/month -£6,000 for a year
• 12 months Social Media management – £2,880
• 12 months email marketing support – £2,160
• Total £16,200 + VAT

You would pay nothing for the first 12 months

Then just £303.75 per month for 60 months bringing your total borrowing in at £17,229.38 – a loan cost of just £1,029.38*

That’s just £14.30 in interest per month, over the lifetime of the loan

If you wanted/needed less, here’s what £10,000 and £5,000 loans look like

£10,000 loan

• Monthly Cost – £187.50
• Total Cost – £10,635.42
• Total Interest – £635.42
• Monthly interest equivalent – £8.83

£5,000 loan

• Monthly Cost – £93.75
• Total Cost £5,317.71
• Total Interest £317.71
• Monthly interest equivalent £4.41

Don’t delay, start today

But I wouldn’t put it off. Only the government knows when the loans will end and your competitors may already be seizing this opportunity. And as more companies take advantage the waiting list for your chosen professionals will be growing

Note that you are only eligible for one Bounce Back Loan so please make sure you have every eventuality covered.

Shameless Self-Promotion

I am yet to hit peak capacity but I’ve already had a couple of client take advantage of the Bounce Back Loan and have asked me to ramp up the marketing and coaching work that I do for them

So, don’t miss out – plan what you want to do. Get in touch for a quote, apply for your loan and then we can get started

Get in touch for an informal chat by email (andy@enterprise-oms.co.uk) by phone (01793 238020) or ask me on Social Media – Linkedin or Twitter and I’ll be only too happy to talk. Thanks for reading and I hope you stay well

*I am not a financial adviser and you should take expert advice from your accountant, business adviser or other professional before proceeding. My figures come from the Lloyds Bank Bounce Back Loan Calculator

Enterprise Online Marketing Solutions accept no responsibility for any action that you might take after reading this post.

I am frequently asked whether Twitter can help with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and my answer is usually a pretty vague “it depends”.

Your Twitter account DOES NOT have an impact on your ranking (the position your website comes up in the Google Search Engine Results Pages – SERPS) but it DOES have an impact on your visibility. Although this sounds contradictory, I hope the following adds a little clarity

Try this – carry out a Google search for your brand, for your key competitor brands as well, and see what shows up. For this example we’ll assume that my brand is my name simply because @AndyPoulton is my Twitter handle and this is what Google shows – my 3 most recent posts

Google’s Twitter Carousel

Back in 2015 Google did a deal with Twitter which gave Google access to the whole Twitter news-feed. The result is that where an account is active, and regularly posts content, Google will find this and display it as part of their search results.

By frequently sharing relevant, interesting content, Google will be keeping an eye on your Twitter account. Share little and Google will quickly lose interest.

Influencing Google’s Twitter Carousel

Grab the attention of new audiences by regularly posting (I post at least 4 times a day although I do use some tools and automation to manage this and make it a less time consuming task). And this is NEW posts, not replies or re-Tweets. Have a look at my “6 Steps to Social Media Success” to learn how I manage to do this,

Find interesting, relevant and timely topics to discuss, try to make them engaging to encourage people to “Like”, “Comment” and Retweet. Where possible you should reference your sources – they might Like and Retweet your content too – making sure that it reaches a wider audience. Use relevant #HashTags – TrendsMap shows you #Tags from around the world.

Promoting or over sharing

Twitter is like a waterfall. If a boat goes over a waterfall whilst you are looking, you get to see it. However, if the boat went over before you arrived, you’ll only find out about it if you go hunting for information about it (searching), or if you overhear someone talking about it (retweet) or if someone has filmed it. This means that the more times you share your news the more people will actually see it.

So, if you have created some great content, don’t share it just the once, share and share again. This is where tools such as Hootsuite and Buffer make things easier.

Make your Twitter Bio interesting

When someone is searching, it’s probable that your Twitter Bio will come up on Page one of Google. For maximum engagement make sure that your profile is descriptive, accurate, interesting, relevant and engaging.

In Summary

Google uses more than 200 different “signals” when reviewing your website and where it deserves to appear in their search results. We’ll NEVER know what they all are so we can only work with those that Google tell us about and those which have been discovered through empirical research.

Your job, as a website owner, Search Engine Optimiser or Digital Marketing Professional is to understand everything you can and leverage every single opportunity that comes your way.

Remember, just like the two hunters faced with a hungry bear*, you don’t have to be perfect, just better than your competitions

If you want any help with your digital marketing please don’t hesitate to get in touch for an informal chat by email (andy@enterprise-oms.co.uk) by phone (01793 238020) or ask me on Social Media – Linkedin or Twitter and I’ll be only too happy to talk.Thanks for reading and I hope you stay well

*Two hunters were in the woods when they saw an angry bear rushing towards them. One of the hunters said that the bear was running faster than either of them could run.

The other hunter said that it wasn’t a problem, he only had to run faster than his mate to get away

In these corona virus times I thought I would share a typical day with you. Because of the nature of my work, I am able to continue providing search engine optimisation and other digital marketing services which means that I continue to support to my clients – those who are still trading anyway.

My day typically starts at 8am which is when I get to my desk, boot the PC, switch on the radio (Nick Ferrari’s morning show on LBC) and go and make that essential first coffee of the day.

The first task of the day

The 1st task of the day is to open my dairy to see what appointments are upcoming, what preparations are required and how any meetings are taking place – a physical meeting, a phone catch-up, a video meeting etc.

Next, it’s a look at my To-Do list to see what’s on the agenda for the day.

The hunt for content

Then it’s time for a look at the news to see whether there are any IT/Marketing/SEO/IT Security stories worth sharing and then I start my proper hunt for content for Social Media.

Tools that I use include Drumup.io, Google Alerts, Search Engine Watch and Search Engine Land.

• Drumup is like a search engine for articles. I save some keywords and it finds relevant news articles for me to share. I only use the free account
• Google Alerts, another free tool, carries out the same process on Google. I save some keywords and Google emails me a list of new content that includes my saved terms.
• Search Engine Watch is a website dedicated to search engines and search engine optimisation. It was where I learned a lot of my craft in the early days. It was started by Danny Sullivan who went on to found
• Search Engine Land and now has a pretty high flying job with Google. With both sites, I look for interesting/helpful articles to share

I open each story or article from all sources in a new browser tab. I’ll simply hold the CTRL key down as I click – which forces my browser to open the clicked link in a fresh tab. Then I scan thorough each article to check quality and relevance before using another free tool, Buffer, to add the stories to my social media posting queue. This means that I can easily and quickly build a content list that will be shared by Buffer at a time of my setting.

I may also look at one of my pre-written “Top 10” hints and tips lists. Update the publishing dates, ensure the content is up to date and then upload the spreadsheet to Hootsuite where the platform will share the tips to the platforms of my choice at the times I have set.

Then I’ll repeat the exercise for those clients for whom I manage their Social Media activity.

Email Time

Now it’s Email time. I open Outlook and work through my emails. Spam gets deleted, urgent mail is responded to, acted on or added to my “To-Do” list – which is on paper. Even though I love my technology, and have tried numerous digital To-Do applications I still find that pen and paper works the best for me.

The To-Do list

Now it’s time for me to look at the top items on my To-Do list and start working through the day’s tasks.

Number one task every day is to log in to ManageWP where I have registered all the WordPress sites that I am responsible for. ManageWP has them all stored in a dashboard and reports which sites have plug-ins that need updating or whether any particular site needs attention.

Once any updates have been applied it’s now time for my second coffee and logging on to a site to start on the required search engine optimisation activity.

This could include a fresh scan of competitor websites to see whether there’s anything different that I should be targeting, another round of keyword research to make sure that I am targeting key words and phrases used by prospects and making sure that all the elements of the site are well optimised, particularly where the client has access to the site and may have added fresh content or swapped out images and a hunt for opportunities to build more backlinks

Second look at Emails

Before lunch I’ll take another look at my emails, delete all the junk, act on urgent ones and “To Do list” those that need action but which are less urgent.

It’s probably about 1pm by now and time for lunch. A poached egg on toast, a two egg omelette, a sandwich perhaps another coffee or glass of water, and a walk in the fields, weather permitting

After that I may turn to content creation, writing a blog post or an email or finding topics for my clients to write about that i can then provide an SEO “polish” to for optimum search engine responses.

I’ll look at the Google Ads, and other PPC accounts that I’m managing on behalf of clients. Making sure that the Ads are performing, that the key words are relevant and that the campaign is as well optimised as possible.

If I’ve written a marketing email I’ll get it approved by the client, upload it to MailChimp (my email platform of choice), make sure the address lists are up to date, create an email and send a draft to my client for approval.

Once signed off, I’ll schedule the sending, Early afternoon, middle of the week, for business clients and early evening, possible on a weekend, for retail clients. Timings determined by the optimum open rates.

The hunt for content continues

Time for an afternoon coffee and a swing back through various news sites, this time tech platforms such as

• Techradar
• Gizmodo
• The Register

For tech related articles and Search Engine Watch and Search Engine Land again, just to see if anything new has been posted

Back to the Search Engine Optimisation

As we enter the middle part of the afternoon I’ll look another client website and look to repeat the SEO activities for them.

If I’ve received any enquiries for quotations or new proposals I’ll look to pull my thoughts together and send my proposal for consideration.

As the working day draws to a close I’ll take a 3rd look at my emails and respond to anything that can’t wait until the following morning.

I might email clients with ideas to improve their websites, carry out some more SEO on a site, perhaps register a client website with some web based directories and see whether there’s anything I can do to my own website to improve performance

Finally, I’ll update my To-Do list in preparation for the coming day, shut down my PC and have a quick tidy-round.

If you want any help with your digital marketing please don’t hesitate to get in touch for an informal chat by email (andy@enterprise-oms.co.uk) by phone (01793 238020) or ask me on Social Media – Linkedin or Twitter and I’ll be only too happy to talk.Thanks for reading and I hope you stay well

Don’t make knee jerk decisions with your marketing budget.

Remember, In the middle of the storm it can be difficult to see anything but chaos but the storm will pass. Your best defence is to do everything that you can to still be standing when the storm passes.

The purpose of this post is to give you some marketing things that you can be thinking about during these troubled times and to make an offer that will save you £50.00 on one of my services so that your website can come fighting fit on the other side of the Corona Virus pandemic.

When I was working as a business consultant during the 2008 recession I heard of many businesses who chopped their marketing budgets as a reaction to the turn-down. They then wondered why they weren’t attracting any new business and as their competitors recovered they were left behind.

Businesses that I was working with at the time recognised that there was an opportunity to step in to the gap left by companies which appeared to have disappeared. They took more considered action, reduced their marketing budget and put plans in place to ramp marketing back up once it was clear that the recession was coming to an end.

This put these clients in a prime position and they went on to prosper.

In these troubled times this is the action that you should consider. I know that times are dark, and likely to get darker, but if we don’t think positively and plan to still be here when the Covid-19 pandemic recedes then I know that some of us won’t be in business when that time comes around. 

The role technology plays in business continuation

Working from home, and in self-isolation, will be new to many people. Technology will have provided you with an opportunity to work from wherever you, and your staff, are with the only requirements being a device (desktop/laptop, phone or tablet) and an internet connection.

Cloud based audio and video conference solutions help maintain teams and enable client communications. Skype, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Webex, Slack, WhatsApp and more prove both free and subscription options to communicate, train, make presentations and simply remain in touch.

As more of us work form home it’s likely that online search behaviour will change as more people mix business searches with personal during their working day.

How will your business cope? 

As with any crisis, how your company responds is key, are you calm and taking action or are you panicking?

Either way, here are a number of things that you can be working on when faced with the current situation

Stay ahead of your competition

If you pause your marketing activities and your competitors don’t who do you think will be in a prime position when things begin to improve? Stay in touch with your clients using eMail, Video and Social Media, Keep an eye on search trends, are there any opportunities that you can make use of.

Remember that SEO is a long term strategy

I know that SEO is one of the services that I provide but it is worth remembering that it IS a long term strategy, taking weeks or months to have a proper impact so give your Search Engine Optimisation due consideration when reviewing your marketing budget. Google’s servers and algorithms won’t be taking a break.

Don’t buy cheap SEO

I know that it might be tempting to take up one of those “all you can eat” SEO offers at £75.00 per month but the risk to your business could be a lot greater than the small amount of money that you’d save. As the marketplace improves you could find yourself left with no rankings, no traffic to your website and possibly penalties from Google from trying to game the system.

Move offline marketing spend online

If people aren’t going out and about they are not going to be looking at advertising hoardings and billboards. They’re not going to be seeing “in-store” marketing either so think about whether you could shift some of your offline budget online to make up for this.

Understand search trends

By understanding trends in search you’ll be in an ideal position to leap on any opportunities and’or changes in direction. By keeping an eye on how people are searching you’ll be able to create content that meets the needs of those searchers. Google Trends is a really great way to stay on top of this

Produce more digital content

Consider using this as an opportunity to create those webinars you’ve been thinking of. By 2025 research is estimating that online learning will be worth about $158 Bn. Lessons learned now will be incredibly valuable going forward. Think about adding video conferencing and video calling to your communication options to reduce face-to-face meeting but stay in touch with key contacts, potential clients and your market. 

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And if you want something to listen too, have a listen to some of my Podcasts, you can find them on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and my website.

If you want any help with your digital marketing please don’t hesitate to get in touch for an informal chat by email (andy@enterprise-oms.co.uk) by phone (01793 238020) or ask me on Social Media – Linkedin or Twitter and I’ll be only too happy to talk.Thanks for reading and I hope you stay well

Find me:         https://seo.enterprise-oms.uk/  |  andy@enterprise-oms.co.uk
Follow me:     Twitter ¦ Linkedin
Phone me:      01793 238020 ¦ 07966 547146

What do people see when they search for you and your business? What can they find without looking too hard? What does it say about your business and you?

Are you easy to find, as a business and perhaps as an individual. If not, you might need some help.

Carry out a search on your favourite search and see what comes up.

If the results are not what you were expecting then some work is required.

I couldn’t find anything on the first page

If neither you, nor your business, come up on the first page of Google search then you need some Search Engine Optimisation. Either learn how to do your own or bring in a specialist who will be able to go over your website with a fine toothed comb, identify opportunities for improvement and then implement them. But don’t expect miracles – it takes weeks (at the best) and many months (at the worst) for SEO to take effect.(insert shameless plug for Andy Poulton and Enterprise Online Marketing Solutions here).

If your search results look something like these then you are off to a good start. Google has found a lot of references to the search and you can investigate them to make sure that you can see the type of content you would hope for, and expect.

Reputation Management

If the results are not what you hoped for, perhaps a  negative review appeared or somebody had made a negative comment on Social Media then you need to do some Reputation Management. This will involve mitigating the negative content in some way.

If it’s a negative review then you should

1. post a rebuttal – if possible and without sounding mealy mouthed or catty
2. encourage more positive reviews to push the negative comments out of the headlines

If it’s a negative blog post, or similar, then you should start to write similar looking posts, but with a positive spin. The goal being to, again, swamp the search results with fresh, positive content, with the aim of pushing the negativity off page one.

What to do next

If you need help with your visibility or your reputation needs some management then give me a call (01793 238020) or email me, for a no cost, obligation free, chat about your challenge and I’ll see how I can help

You can watch the video, listen to the podcast or read on

YouTube, great isn’t it – more cat videos than you can watch in a lifetime!

However, it’s also a great source of information AND a really powerful way to reach web users who prefer to watch videos rather than read stuff. Imagine you want to learn how to fly fish. Just go to google and search “learn how to fly fish” for example, and Google shows you that there are 135 million results and the top is dominated by YouTube videos .

Getting Started

Making videos has never been easier with great quality cameras in our phones, our tablets, our digital cameras – the list of devices goes on.

Before you start recording, however, you need to make sure that your video has a purpose. Then you need to make a short list of keywords that are relevant.

As you record your video and add your commentary you need to make sure that you use these words and phrases from your list.

For the video accompanying this blog I’ve concentrated on “optimising your video”, “making your video easy to find” and “SEO for YouTube”

Watch your video, does it look OK? Does it sound OK? If you are happy then you’re ready to move to the next step.

Uploading your video to YouTube

Once you’ve recorded your video and checked to make sure that you are happy with it the next step is to upload it to YouTube. Now you need to make the video easy to find and and make it easy for Google to understand what it’s about so that your video stands a chance of appearing in Google results, not just in YouTube search.

Next on the “to-do list” is to do is give your video a name that includes the types of words that people might be using when searching – so for the video that goes with this blog I’ve called the video “How to optimise your YouTube video”

Then you need a description so that YouTube can understand what the video is about.

Finally you need to add captions, in other words translate your speech in to text so that watchers don’t have to turn their speakers up or plug their headphones in. YouTube will automatically create the captions but you need to check that their speech t text translation has translated accurately and if there are errors you can go in and correct them.

Vimeo.com

Although powerful, YouTube has a number of annoying traits – not least
1/ The ability to show “People who watched this video also watched……”
2/ The ability to place annoying adverts on your video – ads which might come from your competition if you’re not careful.

So, before you embed your video in your website or share through your Social Media channels and email campaigns get on over to https://vimeo.com and set up a free account.

Vimeo is a “YouTube for professionals” and doesn’t take Ads and won’t recommend similar videos so your viewers wont get dragged away down the YouTube rabbit warren and forget where they started.

As a professional video platform it is mainly funded by subscription accounts but the free account should be more than adequate for your use.

Use the Vimeo embedding tools to add your video to your website, your blog, any email marketing that you conduct and your social media

And that’s it. If you have any problems with recording your video, optimising your video or anything else to do with your digital marketing then just give me a call on 01793 238020 for a free, obligation free, chat or drop me an email to andy@enterprise-oms.co.uk