BUSINESS CONNECTOR Autumn/Winter 2015
e d i s In Why the Acordia Business Network Can Work for your Business!
BUSINESS CONNECTOR magazine
Whether its on a personal level and you want to change your mortgage, or if you have always wondered what exactly ‘filled gold’ is, our contributors have it all explained! This edition also covers, why Text (SMS) Marketing is now coming to the fore as an essential marketing tool for SME’s, and how business networking is still a critical marketing tool for business growth. Also, How can the Self-employed deal with waiting lists in the NHS? As the situstion worsens, it may be time to consider Personal Private Health Insurance as well as coverage for employees, as small business owners can’t afford to be sick, and they simply can’t afford to have abscent employees. Let us know what you think! email: connector@acordianetwork.com
All contributors to The Business Connectors Magazine are practicing professionals. They can provide practical advice and offer tailor made business solutions.
BUSINESS CONNECTOR magazine
The Acordia Business Network - Belfast - Bangor - Lisburn!
A The strategic approach fostered by Acordia, facilitates business persons in building a complimentary business network around themselves to maximise sales referrals and business growth. The Acordia method is highly systemised and underpins the ability of member firms to build their businesses in their normal market, as well as through strategically planned business networking practices. Additionally, Acordia supports the development of Advanced Networking Skills to enhance the capacity of its members to maximise the benefits from participation in their group. Reasons to join Acordia include: Building Business Knowledge & Skills Developing Strategic Partnerships Gaining Sales Referrals Personal Development Find out how the Acordia Business Network can help you Grow your Business - Contact: connect@acordianetwork.com www.acordianetwork.com +44 (0)754 601 7062
North Down & Ards: Belfast: Lisburn:
Blackwood Golf Centre, Bangor Weavers Court Business Centre Island Civic Centre , Lisburn
Tuesday Mornings Wednesday Mornings Thursday Mornings
08:00am (Breakfast Meeting) 09:15am 08:00am
BUSINESS CONNECTOR magazine
6 Reasons Why Text Marketing Works Even Better! By Rodney Doherty
T In fact, it is this sector, which has the least to spend on marketing, that can stand to gain the most from mobile marketing technology. To explain the advantages of the use of SMS in marketing campaigns, I have set out six reasons why Text Marketing is even better than before!
70% of the world's population has a mobile phone or device that can receive SMS messages. 80% of mobile phone subscribers use SMS regularly. Indeed, research shows, that most mobile users keep their phones turned on over 80% of the time.
Despite all the other ways we can communicate today, such as Facebook, Twitter, email, apps, Skype, etc., text messaging remains the most popular. Not only is it more widely available, and often more affordable than other technologies, It is in fact, probably the easiest to use for most people.
For many years, SMS has been widely accepted as a valid marketing channel by consumers, enabling many firms using SMS to keep users updated with
offers, general updates and other types of special deals.. However, with the ‘distraction’ of the Internet, many businesses continue to overlook the sheer untapped value, and interactive nature of SMS marketing, which offers a major advantage over passive marketing methods such as print advertising.
SMS remains largely ‘clutter free’ in comparison to the average person’s email inbox, which fills up fast with unwanted spam resulting in lowering open rates for email marketers. With text campaigns, your marketing messages has a vastly increased level of visibility, and a much greater chance of being read.
Besides sending basic 160 character text messages, SMS marketing can also include digital content such as animations, ring-tones, pictures, logos, wallpapers and money-off coupons or vouchers.
Once you have a database of customer mobile phone numbers, you can continue to send out messages on a regular basis. The cost of sending these messages is more affordable, and generates a higher ROI than newspaper, radio or TV advertising. Overall, text marketing is more cost effective relative to ROI than email marketing. You will enjoy greater visibility, stronger audience targeting, and guaranteed delivery; qualities you cannot expect from other platforms such as print or web advertising.
BUSINESS CONNECTOR magazine
Roisin Lindsay
Are you considering Re-Mortgaging?
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But before you’re tempted to a new lender offering an attractive introductory rate, it’s worth considering the bigger picture.
Moving to a new deal could save you money. However, if you change your mortgage before the end of your current deal, you may have to pay an early repayment charge. It’s also worth factoring in legal, valuation and administration costs that may be associated with signing up to a new mortgage deal. In some circumstances, you may find that over the long term, the costs of switching outweigh the costs of taking on what looks like a better deal.
As part of the Mortgage Market Review (MMR) in April 2014, the Financial Conduct Authority introduced new rules around mortgage lending. For instance, the lender must now take greater steps to ensure you can afford your mortgage not only now, but in the future if interest rates were to rise. That means if you took out your current mortgage a few years ago, you may be asked for more information this time around. This may include details of how much you typically spend on things like travel, clothing, entertainment and childcare.
When looking at new deals, you may want to consider a different type of mortgage arrangement to your current deal. For instance, you may decide that you would benefit from the option of payment holidays, or a more flexible repayment arrangement. If you have significant savings, you may want to switch to an offset or current account mortgage, where you use your savings to reduce the proportion of your loan on which you pay interest.
When changing your mortgage, remember to review your protection arrangements as part of the process. This could protect you financially if you become unable to meet your monthly repayments, should the unexpected happen. Reviewing your protection needs is all the more important if you don’t have cover in place already, or if your circumstances have changed since you last reviewed your cover. With so many areas to consider, it makes sense to seek professional mortgage advice. We can help you weigh up the financial benefits of re-mortgaging, choose the most appropriate deal, handle your
If you’d like help choosing the right mortgage, please contact Roisin Lindsay: 07515950479 For this service a fee of £395 or 0.5% of the loan amount if greater is payable on completion.
YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE.
BUSINESS CONNECTOR magazine
Neil Rooney
The Prestige Recruitment Solution
P We pride ourselves on our accurate matching, efficient service and professional approach. We do this by initially arranging a client visit to gather all the essential information about the role and the person criteria in order to source the required professional for your organisation. In essence, the client; you, go through the same rigorous vetting as the potential candidates enabling us to fully understand your company ethos and 'vision'; as well as the requirements of the role to make that perfect match.
We don't simply provide a number of CV’s for you to do the short-listing; we seek to find the hidden talent, so that you receive only the best applicants. Our fee structure includes a unique support service that provides a framework for the right person to be selected. Apart from the standard agency provision of Candidate Sourcing, Short-listing, Candidate Preparation and First Round Interviews; we go that bit further.
Once your candidate interviews are confirmed, our experienced HR Consultants, who are fully CIPD qualified, will assist you with the interview process by drafting specific Competency Based Interview Questions related to the post, coaching on Interview Skills and sitting on the Interview Panel to provide best practice and legal guidance if you wish them to do so. Not only that they will draft and provide a Contract of Employment for your newly appointed employee. We are confident that our unique service gives you peace of mind that your process is ethical, successful and meets all employment and recruitment legislation. Additionally, our flexibility allows you to decide to what extent we get involved in your recruitment campaign. If you are confident in your ability to conduct the interviews and select the right candidate, then we assist with the sourcing, first round interviews and short-listing. If you have less experience, or if you are not as confident with the whole recruitment process then we provide the full range of support including candidate sourcing, first round interviews, short-listing, drafting interview questions, sitting on the interview panel and drafting of the final contract of employment. So, whether you are an experienced internal recruiter or someone who needs a higher level of support, we have the solution for you. For more information on our range of services do not hesitate to contact me to arrange a free consultation.
BUSINESS CONNECTOR magazine
Julie Wood
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W Have you taken the time to think about what you are asking and what the call to action is producing? Are you getting a return on your investment, for the effort or lack of effort that you are putting into it? With over 31 million users in the UK on Facebook, it is a social media platform that without doubt can help build your business but it does require some work. Here are a few tips to boost your profile and help get you new customers and referrals!
To build a substantial audience is great; however, to keep your page active on Facebook ask for opinions, interact and create short forums for discussion with your followers. This is an opportunity to share tips, promote events and show your audience that you know your market. The more engagement, the more your page will be organically shared in front of new potential customers.
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to use visual images and short videos. This is much more engaging and people can see what you offer and choose to buy from you because you got their attention with something fun, rather than a hard sale! No one likes to be hit with buy this, buy this, buy this… Interesting content about products or services is much more appealing and will keep your audience engaged, as does unrelated content fun images (cats and dogs are always a winner). Your page will be shared more often when it’s full of good quality content.
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On facebook, your profile is your
brand; keep it up to date and current. Check your settings and make sure you have a good summary about what you offer and your USP. Always keep the profile picture as your logo but change the background picture regularly to keep it fresh and show your promotions / offers / calls to action etc.
Keep your posts short and snappy! Try
– Always follow the Facebook Rules
on competitions. If you spend time and money on building your audience don’t break the rules, as Facebook won’t ring you up and tell you – they will just delete your page…
BUSINESS CONNECTOR magazine
Ryan Magee
Is there anything you’d rather be doing than Payroll?
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BG Payroll will help free up your time so you can focus on your business, and offer a cost savings to help you enjoy your holidays. Coming up to the holiday season, as a business owner your focus isn’t exactly on when you’ll have time to finish up your Christmas shopping.
Our aim is simple; we offer a customised payroll and HR solution to exceed our client’s individual requirements on anything from outsourced payroll, to coemployment services, and managing HR.
Most business owners like you, will spend large amounts of time in December ensuring their staff are paid on time, or indeed, before their normal pay date.
Bradley Gieves can assist you by processing wages and pay-slips, advising on HR procedures, and ultimately if you qualify for our unique co-employment model, returning capital into your business!
You will be finishing end of year orders, ensuring shifts are properly staffed with minimal absenteeism, and covering the extra hours your shop will be open if you run a retail business or restaurant, for example. Dealing with these additional pressures, typical of the season, will be your main priority.
The demands on your personal time and efforts during the Christmas season can be endless, and that’s where we can help.
So go ahead and plan your Christmas Shopping. Partner with Bradley Gieves for Complete Payroll and HR services and enjoy your festive cheer just a bit more this year!
BUSINESS CONNECTOR magazine
BUSINESS CONNECTOR magazine
Complete Events & Catering Solution for North Down
29 In response to being asked to provide catering solutions, and holding events in establishments without their own catering facilities, Owner Joanne Brennan felt there was a gap in the market that she could easily fill. The bulk of Joanne’s business comes from Funerals and Christenings, and she also provides catering solutions for Weddings, Birthday Parties and Corporate Events. By offering great food at reasonable prices while delivering exceptional customer service, Joanne has been able to gradually grow the outside catering arm of her business while maintaining the existing offerings at both Cloud 9, located at the Ulster Flying Club Newtownards, and Nineteen Coffee House, located at Blackwood golf Centre, Bangor. Going forward, Joanne intends to offer, not only her ‘menu’ of ‘simple’ catering solutions, but also a complete event organising service where the company will take events from the initial stages of planning, right through to delivering the complete package.
I’m passionate, dedicated and energetic about creating the perfect image for my clients.
IT’S WHAT I DO. To me, the best commercial photography takes the chaos of the multi-dimensional world and transforms it into two dimensional perfection - a photograph. Clients want imagery that meets their needs precisely and eloquently. Whether that means images that are true to their corporate style; or photography that casts a fresh and dynamic light on their products, premises, people or services; or photographs that capture a whole new concept, the aim is the same: photography that makes their market sit up and take notice. Luckily that’s what I do. I have the passion, the experience, the equipment, the infrastructure and the energy to deliver the images my clients want and need.
connortilson.com
BUSINESS CONNECTOR magazine
How do you know where your website ranks? Personalised search explained.
H If so, you’re noticing the effect of personalised search – and if not, having read this article, you will start noticing it now! Personalised search means that search engines are trying to present you with as relevant information as possible, which means that your own browsing habits can affect the search results that you see. For example, sites that you like and visit often will show up higher in your search results than if you had never visited those sites. Can you change this feature of Google? Yes – if you opt-out of Google Web History.
Indeed, you can use the following link to help you to effect this opt-out: https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/4540 094?hl=en What about the SEO reports that we send out each month? The ranking numbers in those reports are based on non-personalised searches, which gives the best relative results for your and your competitors, allowing you to make accurate comparisons. This can be a problem when you are trying to find out where your site ranks and what effect SEO campaigns are having. Your own site will seem to rank higher in Google. Because you visit your own website quite often, it will affect the position of your site in your search results, so you may think your website is going up in the search rankings. Similarly, if you click on your competitor sites, their sites may appear to be higher in the search rankings than for other people.
BUSINESS CONNECTOR magazine
Kate O’Neill
New Administration Service from ‘SMART PA’
A SmartPA support offers a safe pair of hands for your administration and office needs. By adhering to best practice and standards, our service guarantees to maximise productivity and efficiency, whilst remaining cost effective and flexible.
Whether you’re a consultant, start-up or small business, we can help. All you have to do is become a client.
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Front of house brand-building: Answering your calls, so you never miss one again Writing your Tweets Chasing your payments Coordinating travel Document formatting and editing Updating your website content.
SmartPA delivers more than just exceptional PA, Secretarial and Administrative services. SmartPA quickly and seamlessly integrate into your business. We think, act and behave like a member of your team so your business always appears consistent and professional. When you’re working smarter, it makes an impression to clients and customers. It turns you into a brand they can trust and, in business, trust is everything. Join hundreds of successful businesses and get more done with SmartPA SmartPA have the widest skill-set available to your business. Our team come from a variety of professional and educational backgrounds, so we’ll always have the right skills when needed. With a team of support specialists, SmartPA guarantees that someone will always be on hand to support you and your business.
Contact: Kate O’Neill E: kate@smartpasupport.com T: 02844 821404 M: 07490 786500 W: www.smart-pa.com
BUSINESS CONNECTOR magazine
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Andrew will address all business-tobusiness and fleet sales with a focus on developing relationships with local corporate businesses in Northern Ireland. Building and maintaining customer relationships from sole traders to large organisations. Andrew will also advise our Lexus fleet customers about business and personal taxation, and will provide competitive contract hire quotes alongside direct purchase prices. Andrew said: “This role will allow me to focus on the impact Lexus can have in the corporate vehicle sector. I hope to introduce the luxury and efficiency of the Lexus brand into many more businesses in Northern Ireland and beyond. Driving a Lexus is an experience that all companies should take advantage of and I look forward to developing long-lasting relationships with our corporate customers.� Here at Lexus Belfast, We look forward to seeing Andrew develop our fleet customer base whilst continuing to uphold our first-class customer service standards.
Self-Employed Cannot Afford to be Sick!
T While there are obvious advantages to being selfemployed, such self-reliance comes at a cost – because if you don't work, you don't earn. There will be no employer paying you when you take 'duvet days' or, more seriously, when you are off work for a long time due to illness. And, apart from that, who is going to ‘mind the shop’ when you are not there? If you can't mind your business because you are too ill to work, then your customers are going to go elsewhere.
By Edmund Tirbutt
And while the National Health Service (NHS) does the best it can with limited resources, it's not exactly geared up to the needs of the self-employed. The Self-employed really need to be able to pick and choose their appointment times and where they go for treatment. If you're responsible for your income, it's a challenge to make your work fit around hospital treatment but that's what you'll have to do if the NHS is your only source of healthcare. That's why private health cover is seen as a necessity for the self-employed. It gives you control over your recovery while helping you juggle the needs of your business, your family and, most importantly, you. One health insurer, WPA is particularly notable for the way it focuses on the needs of the self-employed below the age of 65 years, where premiums are discounted to reflect the lower claims made. Uel Campbell, WPA’s Ballyclare based Healthcare Partner, explains:
So it's easy to conclude that if you work for yourself you can't afford to be sick. Yet it's surely going to happen to you at some point? Most of us will at some time suffer a condition debilitating enough to demand we stay off work.
“You may already have life insurance and, possibly, critical illness insurance. Both are good ideas if you're self-employed because they offer you the kind of benefit that employees often enjoy through their companies. Arguably, however, they are not as vital as private health insurance. If you are ill, then you want to be seen quickly, at a hospital of your choice and by a consultant you feel happy and confident With”.
BUSINESS CONNECTOR magazine
Uel Campbell
“The self-employed tend to see their health plan as a back-up for when things go wrong because, when they do, you want things sorted quickly, and you want things done the way you want. With health insurance you regain the upper hand and it helps you take control of your recovery and keep control of your business.”
Contact Uel Campbell: Office: 02893324245 Mobile: 07713273027 Email: uel.campbell@wpa.org.uk Web : www.wpa.org.uk/uelcampbell
1 Uel Campbell is an Appointed Representative of WPA. WPA are authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority. 2 The WPA Healthcare Practice is a trading style of WPA and the titles ‘Senior Partner’ and ‘Partner’ are terms of recognition for Directors of WPA’s Appointed Representatives and individuals who are WPA’s Appointed Representatives. Edmund Tirbutt is a multi-award winning freelance journalist who specialises in health insurance and protection issues. He contributes to national newspapers like the Guardian and the Telegraph as well as to a wide range of specialist publications.
BUSINESS CONNECTOR magazine
Gold Filled Jewellery - An Affordable ‘Lifetime’ Choice! By Patricia Beattie
G Please do not compare gold filled jewellery to plated jewellery (usually only 3 ml's layer) as there is no comparison. Gold filled, is much more valuable and tarnish resistant than plated. It does not flake off, tarnish or discolour. It is extremely long lasting and if taken care of, will last you a lifetime.
Gold filled jewellery is a terrifically economical alternative to solid gold jewellery. Only you will ever know it’s not solid gold!
Do not wear your jewellery in hot baths or swimming pools. Also, always take jewellery off when using laundry or cleaning products. And NEVER, NEVER clean it with bleach.
Use jewellery cleaner and a soft cloth to clean your gold filled jewellery. If you do not have jewellery cleaner, you can use mild soap and warm water. Never use any harsh cleaners such as bleach or abrasives
Never wear your jewellery in hot baths or swimming pools!