Contactus Ealing - Oct 2020 - Issue 21

Contactus

EALING Local business magazine

ISSUE 21

Oct 2020

FREE – please

take a copy

West London’s #1 magazine for showing off local shops & services

• online & in print

How to promote your business in Ealing in 2020 • pages 4–8

Cover illustration:

Pitshanger Lane W5 During Lockdown 2020 Painting by Carlene Bender

Contact us NETWORK

p4

The

Read online at:

contactusealing.co.uk

Contactus is 100% independent. Made with love in Ealing.

p8

Contact us NETWORK On the cover

The

ADVERTISER FINDER page(s) ������������������������������������������ advertiser CONTACTUS EALING (no ads)

18 ������������������������ The Dodo Micropub Ealing pub of the year

EXPO GUIDE (flip over to read)

17 �����������������������������������������������SmartPA admin support

6 �������������������������������������������� A2Dominion residential housing

18 ��������������������������Friendly Homecare home care services for the elderly

8 ���������� Ealing Council Regeneration local government 9 ����������������������������������������������Work West recruitment and training help 10 ���������������������������� Ealing News Extra online magazine from Ealing Council 10 �����������������������������������DK Locksmiths emergency locksmiths 11 ������������������������������Holmqvist Design graphic design services

The Contactus Cartoon

PITSHANGER LANE (facing west) during London Lockdown 2020 – no traffic, no footfall, shops closed.

Cover painting by Contactus editor/publisher, Carlene Bender.

Made for us to remember what Ealing was like in 2020.

12 �������������������������������HR Dept – Ealing human resources support

19 ����������������������������������Handelsbanken local bank 20 ���������������������������������Acmmos Media all your IT needs 22 ����������������������������������� Tecric Hosting website hosting 23 �������������� Minute Business Videos short videos for small businesses 23 ����������������������������������������������Fearxless statement jewellery

16 ���������������������������������������������Contactus promotioning service

24 ������������������������������������� Rconsultancy Grenada cocoa butter

18 ������������������������������������ Macandmoore active wear

24 ��������������������� Ealing Business Expo merchandise shop

“Covid the Destroyer”

Illustration: Carlene Bender

THE COVID EDITION

Features

Cinema latest

T

he great unveiling revealed the cinema’s original art deco frontage. But we still don’t know when we’ll be able to go in to watch a film! contactusealing.co.uk @ContactusEaling

CONTACTUS EALING 1-8 • Cartoon 2 • Update: Ealing cinema 3 • Wordfinder puzzle 3 • Q&A: Alex Pemberton 4 • Promoting your biz 5-7 • #whereinEaling answers 7 • #whereinEaling pics quiz 8 EXPO GUIDE (from other side)

Explaining how the ‘Expo Guide / Contactus Ealing’ double-cover edition works: youtu.be/wLA4apIn4SA

• Stands: Expo 2020 2 • How to attend the Expo 3 • Event schedule 4-5 • Speakers information 7-9 • Online networking tips 11 • Meet the exhibitors 13-15 • “Thumbs up” 17 • Standing out on Zoom 18 • Following up 23

So we’re here again

Contactus Wordfinder (a bit of weekday fun)

Ealing events that got cancelled/ switched to online due to lockdown Find the UNDERLINED words below.

- EALING BLUES/ JAZZ/COMEDY/ BEER FESTIVAL - THE AVENUE VINTAGE MARKET - EALING BUSINESS EXPO

Hello

Contactus Ealing / October 2020 / Page 3

W O C B R E A K F A S T M I

A

I

C X H N M N A E

Q W R U S Y O H O E M X U R N M R M O H B T A P

- GCSE AND A-LEVEL EXAMS

E O

- LIVEMUSIC - HANWELL HOOTIE - SHOWS AT QUESTORS - EALING HALF MARATHON - BEAT (ART TRAIL) - ACTON CARNIVAL - PITSHANGER PARTY IN THE PARK - EALING BUSINESS BREAKFAST

S T V A L A

I

F E S T

I

V A L O

I N I

V K O

T C A O R W E J N W C F O O L A T O N A T B E Y R D M E U Z E X A M S L S D B P V A G L G Y Z N P

I

T S H A N G E R C O

I

E L

I

V E M U S

I

C C

The last time there was a ‘Contactus Ealing’ magazine was Issue No.20 back in Nov-Dec 2016. A painting of the Ealing cinema building site was on the cover, which is interesting because the hoardings from the site have only just come down as we were going to press (see pics above left).

But it is coronavirus we have to thank (if ‘thank’ is the right word) for bringing us back here, with the renewed interest in offline marketing like magazines and advertising among local business owners.

Happy clicking through this issue and be sure to connect with your favourite biz.

Don’t feel shy once you get to the end of ‘Contactus Ealing’, to flip over and read ‘Expo Guide’.

Thanks for ‘shopping by’.

Carlene Bender Editor-publisher, Contactus Web: Email: Twitter:

contactusealing.co.uk info@contactusealing.co.uk @ContactusEaling

Find Contactus on Facebook, Instagram, Issuu, LinkedIn and YouTube.

‘Contactus Ealing’

Local business magazine, West London Content (articles, photos, drawings), advertising and marketing – Carlene Bender, unless otherwise credited. Magazine concept, design and layout – Carlene Bender Created and produced in Ealing, just for Ealing

Page 4 / Contactus Ealing / October 2020

“I have recognised a lot more collaboration in Ealing over the years”

F

irst of all, how do we say the name of the company: is it like the 90s game?

Q&A

Alex Pemberton CEO, Tecric Hosting Taking care of the techie bits and helping businesses get their business right

A: Back in 2012 I had decided to put all of my skills in one box and offer them as a package to new and small businesses.

A: Did you mean Tetris? No. That brand was called Socios Pronunciation: Tech-Rick. Can I Media. Out of Socios Media be honest? :) When we started came multiple brands. using the name, we thought it Tecric is the middle sister to sounded interesting and it was three of our brands. good enough. It doesn’t really We have a hands-on mean anything. Secrets out! approach to our services so our customers can focus on the This isn’t your only business other aspects of business. though. Tell us about the others.

Socios Media, which

specialises in photography and video production, is all about helping businesses represent themselves with good visual story telling.

Launch Seven focuses on helping people start and develop business ideas. The Launch Seven team helps ideas to get off the ground quickly and get customers as early as possible – the best way to test and prove ideas.

You’ve been involved with Ealing Business Expo since 2016, when you first exhibited at the Acton Business Expo, and then as an exhibitor and speaker in 2017, and in 2020 as a headline sponsor (see advert on page 22) and speaker. From what you’ve seen, how has the B2B business landscape changed in Ealing?

A: I really like the community aspect that the Expo has created and has played a part of in and around Ealing.

I have recognised a lot more collaboration in Ealing over the years, with Ealing entrepreneurs and business owners coming together to network frequently.

Photo: @alexdpemberton

And lastly, what are your top two tips for making a website work in 2020?

A: 1. Consider who the website is for (your target customers) and what you want them to do upon visiting your website.

2. Keep it secure: Get SSL certificates, make sure passwords are strong and have frequent website backups.

Contactus Ealing / October 2020 / Page 5

40 1. Go business networking.

With Zoom, Teams, Skype, Remo and all the rest, there’s been no shortage of opportunities to get networking online. The great majority of business-owners see networking as their most effective marketing tool.

Most of us prefer meeting up face-to-face of course, but until government regulations allow, and until people feel more comfortable about crowds gathering in-person, we have to make the most of online.

Options for business networking include membership groups, pay-as-you-go networking, and free meetups.

Find out about the Contactus Ealing Business Diary at tinyurl. com/EalingBusinessDiary – the Diary is published monthly with links and contact details for several Ealing-based meetups.

The Covid-19 situation has stopped us from much of our usual marketing, so here are some virus-proof methods to try

ways to promote your business in Ealing in 2020

2. Tap into Google’s power.

Get reviews, get on Google Places, and show off your location as Ealing, West London.

Set up your free business listing at business.google.com which highlights your business details in the search results sidebar whenever someone searches for you online.

This is a great way to make your business stand out further, and will work to boost you up the Google rankings.

Also explore the rest of Google’s business offers, including Google Adwords, Google Analytics and Google Adsense to see how they would direct nearby customers to your business.

3. Make the most of your business page on Facebook.

Arguably the preferred social

Continued on next page

Page 6 / Contactus Ealing / October 2020

media app among Ealing-based businesses. Having a business page on Facebook means you’re easy to find, and you can stuff a lot of your company information in there.

If you are still saving up for a website (or a website update), you can get away with using your Facebook page in the meantime. Remember to pick ‘Ealing, London’ when saying where your business is located.

There are several dedicated business groups, first and foremost being the ‘Businesses in Ealing – Contactus’ group (over 1700 members), and its baby sister group ‘Businesses in Acton W3 – Contactus’ (over 294 members).

6. Pay to advertise or boost posts on Facebook.

This can be costly, as you do have to commit to spending a certain amount before returns 4. Use your personal page on can be seen. Bigger businesses Facebook to highlight your with the right budget have a business page. lot of good things to say about You don’t have to do it every day, advertising on Facebook. as you don’t want to spam your For somewhere like Ealing, personal friends (or do you..?), though, with such a close but at least share posts from network of businesses, your Facebook business page to here at Contactus we would your personal page from time suggest making the most of to time. In your personal profile, local resources first before be sure to link to your business reaching out to pay too much to page, for example where it asks Facebook right away. for work information in your profile intro.

7. Twitter: tweet about your business, but not too much.

5. Post regularly in local The 80/20 rules of content Facebook groups. work here: 80% social, and 20% There are quite a few busy ones, selling. That means just one as Ealing is a big town (with a in five posts should be directly population of over 347,000, about your business offer. it’s nearly the size of Iceland).

To avoid being seen and In groups, as you can only post shunned as a spammy account, as your personal profile rather the other four posts in every than from your business page, five can be information-sharing, that’s another reason to make replying to others’ tweets, or sure your personal profile focused on a related topic. shows a link to your business.

Increase the value and Quick reminder: Facebook visibility of your selling tweets by has in the past shut down including links, tags, hashtags, businesses masquerading photos or a video or a gif, and of as personal profiles, so your course a call to action, so that personal profile really must be readers know what to do next. ‘personal’.

The busiest local Facebook 8. Twitter: tag others in order groups in Ealing are the to get noticed. neighbourhood ones like Hanwell With an estimated 350,000 Friends (Ealing Area Community tweets sent every minute, Group) with 23k members, your 280-character mini blog Ealing & Northfields Friends with masterpiece can disappear in a 16k, Ealing Broadway Friends, fraction of the time it takes to Pitshanger Area Friends, West write it.

Ealing Neighbours, We Love Increase the life of your tweet Acton, etc. by tagging others (you can

tag up to 10 people if you add photos, but don’t do this too often, or don’t tag the same people too often as it can end up negating the purpose).

9. Twitter: ask for retweets.

The basis behind this is: if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Another tactic not to use too often.

But if your tweet is worded in the right way, and what you’re asking for makes the retweeter feel good, and look good to their own followers, you can get quite far with a “#pleaseRT” request.

10. Twitter: use #EalingHour to engage with the local community Every Tuesday since April 2014, our 60-minute local tweetchat has been running 8pm to 9pm, under the hashtag #EalingHour.

It’s an open forum for residents and businesses to post about whatever going’s on in the borough, and is a useful place to share about upcoming events, business news, and special offers.

For some people, it’s the only time you can be sure that they’re online and reachable.

Join in and see for yourself (with the ‘View Tweet Activity’ function) how useful it can

13. LinkedIn: local groups These are not as connective as Facebook groups, but there is a lot of untapped potential.

14. Your website: SEO etc.

15. Other social media.

YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest 16. Magazine advertising.

In Ealing, besides Contactus Ealing, we have Ealing Council’s ‘Around Ealing’ magazine

St Peter’s church, Mount Park Rd

17. Use local radio stations.

Advertise, or use community bulletins e.g. at This is Westside

19. Call cards in shop windows

Dickens Yard

18. Printed flyers to hand out

Haven Green

be. For example, my recent tweet showing the revealed frontage of the Ealing cinema site, which began with the #EalingHour hashtag, shows 35 likes, 9 retweets and 5 quote tweets, which equals 3,725 impressions (at time of writing this), and 711 total engagements.

Admittedly #Ealingcinema is a popular topic, but apparently the tweet could reach an even bigger audience if Twitter were paid to promote it (but refer to no.6 above).

Contactus Ealing / October 2020 / Page 7

A40, Greenford

20. Ealing Business Expo.

Take an exhibition stand, become a sponsor or supportsponsor, access any of the other promotional opportunities on offer (see ealingbizexpo.co.uk/ exhibit), or just attend for free as a visitor (online for now).

EALING PICS ANSWERS

12. LinkedIn: because that’s what it’s there for.

Even business people who don’t care for social media will still allow themselves to have a LinkedIn account, as that is the platform dedicated to business.

21. Guerrilla marketing; 22. Piggyback on big events when they’re back on; 23. Local (outdoor for now) fairs and markets; 24. Leaflet distribution; 25. Newsletters; 26. Printed promotional materials: t-shirts, banners, pens, balloons; 27. Email marketing; 28. Donate a raffle prize; 29. Sponsor a local charity; 30. Direct post-mail; 31. Talk to people about your business; 32. Join a club; 33.

Give a talk; 34. Wear your logo; 35. Partner with other local businesses; 36. Launch event; 37. School calendars and fairs; 38. Bus and tube ads; 39. PR; 40. Volunteer.

Ruislip Road East

11. Ask fans and followers to turn on notifications for your account.

You have to be really confident about your content to ask for this one. It depends on the type of business, for example if you run a popular event, or if you go live at random moments that your followers don’t like to miss. Works across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

St Augustine Girls’ school, W5

Those are by no means our “Top 20” methods, but here are a few more to keep you going until our next magazine.

Page 8 / Contactus Ealing / October 2020

Bonus pictures: #whereinEaling E

1

very Tuesday during the #EalingHour tweetchat on Twitter, we post a “Where in Ealing?” challenge, featuring a cropped photo of somewhere in Ealing. Here are a few that are exclusive to ‘Contactus Ealing’. Answers (i.e. the full photos) overleaf, on page 7

2 3

4 5

6

Photos: Carlene Bender