Total Number of Planning Permission Applications in England Has Fallen by Almost a Quarter Over the Last 10 Years

Property

Elliot

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7 November 2017

Total Number of Planning Permission Applications in England Has Fallen by Almost a Quarter Over the Last 10 Years

Government data has revealed less planning permission applications are being submitted than a decade ago.

Over the past year, there has been great scrutiny over the UK finance and property markets and the latest government planning permission release has proved an interesting read.

As part of its ongoing campaign to educate investors about the development process, commercial property finance broker, Pure Commercial Finance has drawn attention to statistics which reveal the number of planning permission applications made in England has dropped 25% since 2007.

Back in 2006/2007 there were 645 planning permission applications received in England. This fell to just 486 in 2016/2017.

Further research has revealed that in the year ending 31^st March 2017, the least likely place to get a major planning application granted was in Epsom and Ewell, Surrey, where just 38,46% were granted. Spelthorne and Bournemouth also saw low success rates with 50% and 52.08% of major development applications granted respectively.

Despite this decrease in planning applications, the probability of plans being granted has improved. Ten years ago, 82% of applications were granted, but last year this rose to an 88% success rate. Furthermore, in 2016/2017 there were 18 locations in England where 100% of all major planning applications were granted. This included high population growth areas such as the City of London.

Ben Lloyd, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Pure Commercial Finance, said:

“Commercial property finance is our bread and butter and we help arrange funding for development projects across the country on a daily basis, so we were intrigued to see where these were most likely to get permission and at what rate.

“We are pleased to see a number of planning bodies across the country are keen for the redevelopment and expansion of property on offer in their areas, and are delighted to provide our current and future clients with an insight into this data.”

For further insights into the data analysed and to read the full report click here.

5 Ways to Boost Employee Efficiency

Business

Elliot

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7 November 2017

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Business leaders and managers all work toward the same goal of improving the efficiency of employees. Many people mistake this process for saving as much time as possible. But saving time doesn’t do your business any favor if your workforce doesn’t know what to do with that time. This explains why some businesses still fail to reach their objectives even if the workers exceed the standard 40-hour work week. The following are some tips on improving employee efficiency:

1) Match Tasks to Skills

What did your employees go through before getting hired? A job interview, right? This interview is meant to learn as much as you can about prospective workers. It’s not all about reading their resume and looking at credentials. You should take the time to know the skills and behavior of your employees so you can match them with the appropriate tasks. For instance, an out-of-the-box thinker may be the best person to pitch unique ideas to clients. But giving the same person a detail-oriented task could end up catastrophic.

2) Introduce Telecommuting

Afraid of letting your employees work from home? This can prove to be a scary thought for anyone who hasn’t tried it before. Interestingly, many studies show that those who work from home are more productive than those who are stuck in the office. It’s high time to embrace telecommuting. Voice-to-voice communication may be traditional, but it beats chatting and exchanging emails especially for urgent concerns. Setting up a virtual phone number can be an excellent investment. You can get yourself a 029 number, for example, to increase the reach of your business while using the virtual phone system to streamline communication within your team.

3) Delegate Effectively

After learning the skills and work styles of your employees, it’s time to figure out how you can delegate tasks effectively. A lot of managers think this is easy at first, but effective delegation proves more difficult than it sounds. There’s also the constant thought of your employees not living up to expectations. You might end up going over the same tasks you have given them just to double check. But this wastes so much time. It’s important to trust your employees. You hired them after all, so provide them the opportunity to boost their skills and acquire leadership experience.

4) Give Incentives

In Economics 101, we learned that people respond to incentives. Sometimes, it’s not enough to tell your employees to be more efficient. You have to give them a reason to take action. This doesn’t necessarily equate to a raise. You can offer them a paid time off, a free meal, or even a simple “thank you” note. When you recognize their efforts, your employees will feel more compelled to work efficiently.

5) Exchange Feedback

There are cases in which employees do not realize they’re being inefficient unless you tell them. If you’re not doing performance reviews, then you’re probably wasting countless hours. These reviews are important to let your employees know about things they excel at and the areas they need to work on. It’s also beneficial to hear from your team. Ask them what you can do in helping them improve. This allows you to formulate an effective and immediate strategy based on what your employees actually need.

Three Changes that May Change Your Trading Result

Elliot

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6 November 2017

0

Three Changes that May Change Your Trading Result

New traders spend a lot of time reading and learning. There is a ton of information available online and this is widely used by beginners. However, oftentimes, once a trader has developed their trading plan and begun trading, they put their learning aside and just stick to making trades. Here we will look at how you can continue to improve your trading result by making these 3 changes that will help you continue to learn and invest time in your trading plan.

Practice, Practice, Practice

There is a lot to learn and the best way to learn is to practice. Continue reading information online, but don’t make the mistake of keeping it theoretical. Make sure to put what you read into practice. But, don’t just practice anything and everything you read. Create a trading plan and practice something specific until you become fantastic at that. Start off by practicing one component of your trading plan. Open up a demo account and put that strategy to work. Do this until you really have it and then move on to the next component of your trading plan and focus on that. Put in the hours, but be specific. And at the same time, make sure you continue to read and learn about the component you are focusing on.

Review Your Trades Daily

Simply practicing a trading strategy will not help unless you review your trades. This gives you the opportunity to critique your plan and how well you are able to follow it (self-review). Self-review should be done on a daily basis. You need to go back to every trade you placed and see how well you followed your trading plan, if there were trades you took when you shouldn’t have or trades you should have taken, but didn’t. Look at how well you stuck to your exit plan or if you hung on to trades for too long or exited too early. At the end of the week and again at the end of the month, go through your self-reviews and find the patterns so you can work on improving in those areas. At the end of the month, check your trading plan by analyzing trends and outcomes and work out where you can improve it.

Tweak Your Trading Plan

Reviewing your trading plan is not enough. You need to improve the plan itself based on that review. Don’t make changes before a full month of trading has passed – your plan needs to look at long-term trading rather than individual trades. Make sure to only make small changes at a time as these will be easier to implement and practice during the month. Also, do not make many changes at once or it will be too difficult to isolate which of the changes worked and which didn’t. Once you have made a change, use your new trading plan for a full month and then review it once again. Continue this process until you feel confident that your trading plan is working ideally.

Here are 3 Business Ideas that Changed the Market Scene after Brexit

Business

Elliot

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6 November 2017

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Here are 3 Business Ideas that Changed the Market Scene after Brexit

Before the referendum, all predictors seemed to have the same opinion that, thanks to Brexit, Britain was headed for an economic apocalypse. The uncertainties and scaremongering seemed to skyrocket and businesses and entrepreneurs were even more hesitant to explore opportunities. In the months after, however, even with the potential future uncertainty, the start-up community is booming and many Brits are seizing the opportunity to create new businesses, abandon their daily jobs and explore entrepreneurship.

People have come to the realization that the basic steps involved in creating a business has not really changed and even with the predicted impact of Brexit on funding small businesses, Banks will continue to back propositions that seem solid. Here are a few business ideas that changed the market scene after Brexit.

Brexit Consultancy Services

The impact of the UK leaving the EU is likely to stretch out over years. While UK businesses were still unsure of what measures to put in place to appropriately cater to Brexit, the management consultancy sector came up with Brexit consultancy services to bridge this gap. Both the sectors providing financial services and the public sector need consultants to navigate Brexit successfully. A survey of companies that use consultants revealed that 24% already had to increase their use of consultancy services as a result of Brexit.

While businesses can only hope to respond to situations as they unfold, having the services of an expert on Brexit to help them deal with incoming legislation and bureaucracy will give them the upper hand against revenue loss and any arising legal issues.

Insurtech

Insurance technology is one of the latest technology branches which is related to insurance as you can easily guess from its name. Insurtech creates insurance as an in on-demand mobile services that enable customers to easily buy their insurance from their mobile phone with the push of a button.

Insurtech has developed rapidly in the post Brexit economy and recent skyrocketing of investments in insurtech has caused such a disruption that only insurers and brokers that embrace the new technologies are expected to evolve and thrive.

Proptech

Property technology is an emerging trend in the property market, using technology to upgrade and reform or completely redefine the services involved in the buying and selling of property. Despite the slump in the UK national housing market, which could be blamed on the uncertainties and increase in stamp-duty post Brexit, proptech start-ups are making waves in the business community.

Two proptech start-ups were named in WIRED’s top 10 hottest start-ups in London this 2017. Proptech has been defined as some as “a silver lining” of Brexit, due to its ability to make the processes involved in the traditional property market more efficient, less costly and redundant. Proptech startups help speed up mortgage applications, as well as sale of property. Owners also get a fair price for their property due to their increased efficiency in the sales process with the use of technology.

The Brexit impact on businesses has only made investors more cautious. More and more start-ups are taking advantage of a post Brexit UK to create their niche or improve upon existing services.

4 Key Insights All Small Business Owners Should Know

Business

Elliot

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6 November 2017

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4 Key Insights All Small Business Owners Should Know

A small business is a big responsibility. Making the right choices early on will establish the security, efficiency and organisation that a business needs in order to grow. Before you launch your company, you should be aware of four key factors that could affect its success, and help with the smooth running of your new operation.

Get your personal credit score as high as possible.

Particularly in its early stages, a small business will require loans. If your credit score is sub-standard, you’ll have to take out smaller loans at a higher interest rate. When starting a small business, you’ll want to have the bandwidth to borrow as much as is necessary. Therefore, it’s a matter of getting your credit score up to scratch.

Whilst exact numbers might vary, here’s an example of a general credit score breakdown.

Excellent/very good: 700 to 850
Good: 680 to 699
Average: 620 to 679
Low: 580 to 619
Poor: 500 to 579
Bad: 300 to 499

Whilst credit scores don’t lend themselves to a quick-fix solution – they tend to be the product of of long term borrowing practice – there are things you can do to help improve a credit score:

Register to vote. If you’re not on the electoral role, you’ll find it harder to get credit.
Check your file. Little mistakes can impact your score, so make sure all your information is accurate and registered correctly.
Pay bills on time. Prove your reliability by responding when payments are due (even something like a phone contract can be used to show diligence)
See who you’re linked to. If another individual’s credit rating is connected to yours through a joint account, their poor score might be affecting your own.
Route out fraud. Somebody applying for credit in your name is a clear cause for concern. If you have reason to suspect fraudulent activity, make sure to update your file immediately.
Reduce existing debt. If possible, eradicate or minimise outstanding debt before applying for new credit.
Stay put. Evidence of living at the same address for a significant period of time is often appealing to lenders.

Find the right accountant

Small business accountants provide invaluable advice on financial infrastructure and economic planning. A reliable accountant will allow you to delegate financial management as your company begins and grows.

Few small businesses have the funds to hire an in-house accountant. But technological progression has meant that, through the automated outsourcing of accounting processes, similar services can be procured at a lower cost.

There are many small business accountants based in London, but the best services will provide you with online accounting software and a dedicated personal assistant. Cloud-based applications make remote accounting a convenient option, and several services will offer packages tailored to the needs of a small business.

Separate business and pleasure

Your personal and business accounts should be kept discrete. Failing to separate your personal finances from those of your business will be logistically and economically problematic. Not only will it be more difficult to keep track of expenses, manage the payment of employees, share details with investors and receive or deposit payments – not having a separate business account will prevent you from designating certain items as write-offs.

Whilst familiarity is appealing, when setting up a business account, don’t just go straight to the bank you’ve used as a consumer. Be sure to check out the competitors, as other account servicing options might offer more valuable expertise.

Know what you require before choosing a banking policy for your business. Think about what services you’ll need; whether it’s cash management or a balance transfer credit card, you’ll want to do some research before setting up a new account.

Have affinity with your bank

The relationship between small businesses and banks has a reputation for being complicated. Applications for this year’s Future of Fintech awards were dominated by the observation that ‘small businesses are poorly served by banks’.

In September 2017, many small firms accused HSBC of freezing their assets or closing their account without notification. Small business owner Calan Horsman complained that the suspension resulted in his company losing a month in production schedule, as his stock was stuck in China. Kelly Molson, co-founder of a design agency, accused the bank of essentially shutting down her business without warning.

These potential tensions make it all the more important to choose wisely when it comes to small business banking. Make sure you check fees and compare facilities such as overdrafts, online banking, advice and overseas banking, before deciding who to bank with. It may be the difference between business collapse and economic take off.

How much does it cost to rent a kitchen for your food business?

Business

Elliot

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6 November 2017

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How much does it cost to rent a kitchen for your food business?

You may have delicious recipes, dedicated staff and a determined mindset, but you’ll never get your food business off the ground if you don’t have a commercial kitchen. Kitchens are at the heart of every food and catering company, but it rarely makes sense for a new business to buy one outright or rely solely on a home kitchenette. That’s where renting comes in.

A rented commercial kitchen can act as the perfect base for a pop-up restaurant, food truck, or catering company. But renting a commercial kitchen doesn’t always come cheap. Here are three things to keep in mind to get the most for your money.

Monthly rental costs

A commercial kitchen’s monthly rental cost will be one of your business’ biggest expenditures. Depending on a number of factors, kitchen rents can be anything from £100 to £1,000 per week.

Finding the right cost for you is more complicated than picking the most affordable, though. It all depends on what each rental kitchen includes. Dephna offers rental commercial kitchens with cold storage on site, which can make the day-to-day running of a kitchen so much easier. But they are unfurnished spaces so you will have to buy in all your own equipment.

Kitchens may come with multiple ovens, microwaves, workstations, mixers, stoves and baking utensils. Factor these facilities into your decision. A better-equipped kitchen with more practical storage space can be worth the extra money.

Some businesses take out loans to finance kitchen rentals, viewing it as an essential expenditure that is too important to sacrifice.

You business’ location

Your business’ location should play an important part in your rental kitchen calculations. Depending on where you are, renting a kitchen nearby could be difficult. This is especially true if you are based in the centre of a city, where rental costs are often high.

London, for example, has been crowned the second most expensive city in the world to rent in. If you’re operating in an area as expensive as this, it’s worth looking further afield for a commercial kitchen and transporting your food between destinations.

The cost of transport will add to your overall kitchen expenditure. If you’re travelling too far between kitchen and venue it might be worth biting the bullet and paying the higher premium for a local rental. But if it does work out cheaper, there’s no reason not to go the distance.

If you’re yet to lockdown a location for your catering company, it’s worth scouting around for towns or cities with a good ratio of affordable kitchen space to hungry customers.

The cost of kitchen equipment

Even when a kitchen comes with many facilities, it’s likely you’ll still need to invest in some kitchen equipment.

The Balance’s commercial kitchen equipment checklist includes dozens of items that you will have to buy before your food business can really get started. Your rented kitchen may not come with its own pans, stockpots, tongs or spatulas, for example. Purchasing these items in bulk can be expensive, so The Balance recommends buying used kitchen equipment as a way to save money.

It’s also possible to hire out commercial kitchen equipment whenever you need it. This will cost less in the short term, giving your business time to earn money and pay for equipment of its own.

With a catering business, there are also expenses for simple supplies like trays, bowls, cartons and even cutlery. These, too, should be considered, though their prices are likely to be lower than equipment and facilities.

Consider low budget alternatives

If all of this is sounding like a little too much, there are other ways to launch your catering business. If it’s feasible, you could start small and use your home kitchen. It’s also an option to use a food van with its own oven if you plan to serve a smaller number of customers at a time.

These solutions might suit your business model, or they could act as temporary solutions. Either way, they can help push back the inevitability of renting a commercial kitchen until you are financially ready for it.

3 ways to improve media transparency

Business

Elliot

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6 November 2017

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The Guardian, Sky, Vodafone, and a number of advertising agencies and banks pulled all of their advertising from Google in early 2017. Why? Their adverts were appearing alongside white supremacist hate speech on YouTube. Ultimately, this happened due to a lack of media transparency.

The debate on how to improve media transparency comes as a host of marketers face headaches in ensuring such transparency. Companies are finding a lack of transparency from media agencies they’ve used, with issues such as where adverts are being placed and how much they are costing.

So how exactly can you improve this and protect the money you are investing in media marketing?

Use an impartial third party

One way to improve media transparency is to employ an impartial third party. For example, media audit companies such as AuditStar offer a range of services, including media audits, to create this transparency. Independently carried out media audits ensure that media agencies are fulfilling their obligations as a service supplier to advertisers.

They thoroughly assess any media agencies being used, such as through establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) for the agencies. They carry out a media audit in order to identify how and where to improve the performance of the agency. They also set incentive based KPI’s for the agencies in order to implement an efficient working process, such as by clearly defining their scope of work, team roles and responsibilities.

Additionally, they provide media training for employers to deal with the the agencies, this empowers both sides, by helping the business to understand how the agency works and do some of the explanatory work that the agency may struggle with.

Move your media spending in house

Another effective way to improve media transparency is hiring an in house marketing person to give you direct access to how you are spending your money. A survey carried out by the WFA (World Federation of Advertisers) discovered that 65% of brands surveyed hired internally for positions such as media directors over the last year. A number of companies have taken this step, such as Tesco employing former Mindshare executive Nick Ashley to oversee media spending and internal controls.

Alternatively, you can even develop current employers if they are likely to have suitable skills for the role. As Alessandra Di Lorenzo, Lastminute.com’s commercial officer for media and partnerships states: “by developing in-house expertise, brands will be better placed to understand how their budgets are being spent and drive greater transparency right up the supply chain.” She points to such positions as operations or trafficking experts that could make a good audience buying manager.

Greater communication with the agency

For many companies, employing a third party or moving your media spending in house is just not viable, for financial reasons or otherwise. It is therefore recommended in such cases that you instead find ways to communicate clearly what you want from the agency you are using, and not letting them tell you what you think you want to know.

As Alessandra Di Lorenzo contends: “As advertisers and brands get more savvy about buying media, the whole industry will have to move towards greater transparency…”, such as through “…a more honest dialogue with agencies.” By simply engaging in more honest conversations with media agencies you can go a long way to making sure they are doing what you want them to do.

Media training by third parties, even one offs, can go a long way to provide employers with expertise to deal with agencies and understand the work they do. Importantly, it helps you to understand their value. Ensuring more transparent conversations with media agencies and ultimately getting more out of the relationship will better media transparency across all businesses.

Five tips when picking a condo

Property

ABC Staff

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6 November 2017

0

If you’re someone who has ever considered purchasing a condo, then chances are you’ve already considered the many different advantages that this type of property can offer you, such as living closer to town, not having to perform as much maintenance, and, perhaps more important, being more in your overall price range. However, there are certain tips that you should make note of when it comes to selecting the right condo so that when the closing is finalized, you will be completely happy.

Here are five useful tips to consider when it comes to picking a condo.

1. Determine if the Condo Complex is Approved by the FHA

This is perhaps one of the most important things to keep in mind while considering your purchase, as the FHA, which is short for the Federal Housing Administration, enables borrowers to only pay a downpayment of 3.5% thanks to the popular FHA mortgage loan. This means that if you are purchasing a home for the first time and you don’t have a sizable savings account, you will be in luck. If a condo complex is FHA-approved, then someone looking to purchase a condo will not be able to do so without first obtaining an FHA mortgage loan. On the other hand, if a condo complex is NOT FHA-approved, this can affect buyers and sellers equally. You can obtain more information regarding FHA approval for condo complexes and the FHA mortgage loan from the Federal Housing Administration. You can visit their official website here.

2. Make Inquiries About Storage

One of the most common issues with condo complexes typically involves storage, as these types of residences normally aren’t designed for those who have a lot of things that need to be stored. If you think storage may become an issue for you, take the time to figure out what your particular storage options will need to be, as there are some condo complexes that do offer garages and other types of storage areas for you to utilize.

3. Hire a Real Estate Agent Who Has Experience with Selling Condos

This is another important tip to make note of, as this type of real estate agent will be able to assist you with getting through the entire purchase process. Purchasing a condo is much different than purchasing another type of property, such as a single-family home, multi-family home, or even a vacant lot. Furthermore, there are many different contingencies that are put into place that are separate from the more common contingencies that you would normally find in a sale and residential purchase contract. Even the purchase contract for a condo is different, as, in addition to signing a sales contract, you also will generally be required to sign a contract for the condo complex, which basically states that you agree to and understand all of their rules and regulations. This is why it’s so important to hire a real estate agent who knows all of the ins and outs of selling condos.

4. Ask About What the Condo Includes

Before making any kind of a final decision regarding your purchase, take a moment to ask about what all the condo would include. For instance, if you wish to have someone come and visit you, will there be extra parking spaces available for your guests to use? Will you have your own reserved parking area? As previously mentioned, are there options available in the event that you need extra storage space?

5. Do Research Regarding What Your Condo Association Fees Will Include

As important as it is to know how much your condo association fees will be, it’s also equally as important to know exactly what those fees will be getting used for. Typically, the majority of those fees will be put towards covering factors such as maintenance and insurance; However, you should take the time to do some of your own research in order to determine if there are any potential exclusions that may apply. Additionally, your condo association fees may also be put toward covering the following:

*Landscaping

*Maintaining your lawn

*Snow removal

*Regular trash pickup

*Sewer/water services

*Road maintenance

*Electricity

*Heating

Furthermore, if you live in a condo complex that offers amenities such as a swimming pool, clubhouse, etc., these fees may also be used to help keep those up for residents as well, even if you don’t plan to use them yourself.

These are just a select few of the many tips that you should make note of when it comes to picking a condo that is right for you and/or your family. There are so many other interesting ones that are available as well, which can be found simply by doing a little extra research. In the end, you should always make sure that you have all of the details you need before you make your final decision on the condo that you want, as this will help you make a more informed choice.

Ways to Write Off Debt In The UK

Finance

ABC Staff

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6 November 2017

0

It happens to the best of us: unexpected expenses come up, we put them on credit or take out loans, and suddenly find ourselves in over our heads with debt. It can even happen with recurring payments like a mortgage or regular bills. You may have gone for a period of time without work, or perhaps your salary was reduced, or you fell ill for an extended period. Whatever the circumstances, there are options in place in the UK to help you more quickly pay off your debts.

Debt Relief Order

A debt relief order is meant for those with low income and few or no assets. Once you and your creditor have agreed to a DRO, you stop making payments on the debt for a year. If your income does not increase to a suitable level for making repayments within that year, the debt is completely written off. Typically, creditors will agree to this only if they believe you will never be able to repay your debt anyway.

Individual Voluntary Arrangement

An individual voluntary arrangement freezes your debts, meaning no more interest is added on to them, and then allows you to make payments on them over an agreed upon period of time. If you still owe money after the agreed upon time period, the balance is written off. In order to qualify for an IVA, you need to prove that you have regular income, and that it will last for several years. This method of debt resolution is set up by someone known as an insolvency practitioner. They can help you put together a proposal for an individual voluntary arrangement and bring it to your creditors. Keep in mind that this type of agreement is legally binding, so you cannot back out of it once you and your creditor have agreed to the terms.

Debt Management Plan

If most of your debt is on credit cards, personal loans, store cards, or overdrafts, a debt management plan, or DMP, can help you pay off your debts as you can afford it. A DMP provider helps you to negotiate the terms for your DMP with your creditors, and then takes a monthly payment from you, which they relay to your creditors. A DMP cannot be used for debts accrued on TV license costs, council tax, court fines, utility bills, child support payments, mortgage payments, or rent payments.

Bankruptcy

Many people fear bankruptcy, and there are some very good reasons for it. While your bankruptcy is in progress, you will not be able to apply for credit without disclosing your bankruptcy, and after your bankruptcy, which remains on your credit rating, credit can be hard to obtain or very expensive. It also costs money to apply for bankruptcy, but the fee can be paid in installments if you cannot afford the lump sum. You may lose many or all of your assets during the bankruptcy process. It is best to discuss bankruptcy with a financial advisor before applying for it online.

Take your business to the next level

Business

ABC Staff

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3 November 2017

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There comes a point when growth plateaus and you chug along at the same level. So it’s time for a new plan. A plan that’ll drive your business forward and take it to the next level.

Customer Focus and Talent Development

In 2015, Brand Learning published Growth Drivers an in depth study looking at some of the key growth opportunities for businesses of all shapes and sizes. The two biggest opportunities identified were 1) customer happiness and 2) development of talent within an organisation. So on a strategic level this is something you can work on to drive growth.

Put the focus on your customers

How can you deliver more value? Take the time to research them, understand what they’re about. Talk to them, listen and make changes that enable you to increase their satisfaction.

Invest in your team

Make it easier for your staff to learn new skills, maximise their talents and be involved with the growth of the business. This will help them be more productive and motivated, creating fresh energy that contributes to your drive-for-growth.

Develop a Membership Strategy

You can drive your business forward by offering your customer a membership plan that delivers added value to the brand experience. Some of the benefits include:

Long-term engagement. Members stay loyal and will actively get involved with your
Warm You’ll have a database of people who already trust you. So you can create campaigns that generate more business.
Members are more likely to recommend your brand.

Team up With a Membership Management Service

Creating a truly meaningful membership experience requires excellent planning and implementation. You need to think about printed welcome packs, membership cards, regular communication and other benefits. This can be costly and time consuming, especially if you don’t have the skills and resources at your disposal.

However, you can get around this by using a professional membership management service. Because they specialise in creating and maintaining membership experiences, they’ll be able to implement yourstrategy to a very high standard thereby making sure it gets results.They can take care of the design and printing of literature, thecreation of membership cards, the mailing out of communications, as well as offering expert insights that can help you improve your strategy and ultimately drive your business forward.

Keep up with technology

The world is changing rapidly. New technologies emerge every year and they’re affecting the way we do business, the way we deliver value to customers and the way we operate. Look at the latest developments; how can you exploit them? By keeping up with the latest technology, you can get ahead and win valuable market share from your key competitors who themselves might be slow in keeping up with the times.

Digital: Business Blogging

Business Blogging is one of the key tactical areas of generating online growth. It contributes to several strategic objectives:

Brand awareness and Positions you in the market as a trusted authority. Gives people a chance to engage with and learn about your brand.
Helps you rank well in search Producing authoritative content on a regular basis means you have more pages being indexed by search engines. Not only that, but other high authority publications might reference your material on their websites, meaning you get high quality backlinks which boost your domain authority.
Helps you get found by People go online to seek information. Having relevant material that ranks well in search engines means you’re more likely to be discovered by potential customers.
Drives social media Sharing high-quality content on social media will help drive traffic to your website and, in the long run, improve conversion rates.

Traditional: Direct Mail

While many companies are reaping the benefits of digitisation, there is a significant opportunity in traditional marketing tactics. Direct mail is one of them. A clever andcreative direct mail campaign is a great way to get noticed because people value tactile experiences more than digital ones. By reaching places that digital marketing can’t, it can help you generate additional sales and forge new customer relationships.

Total Number of Planning Permission Applications in England Has Fallen by Almost a Quarter Over the Last 10 Years

5 Ways to Boost Employee Efficiency

Three Changes that May Change Your Trading Result