Article by Chris Maguire, editor and co-owner of the UK’s newest tech magazine BusinessCloud.
“What do you know about tech?” asked an unnamed family member.
As ringing endorsements go this was hardly what I was looking for when I announced I was leaving my safe job as editor of the North West Business Insider for a leap into the unknown.
I’m the first one to admit that I’m not a ‘techy’ person. I don’t sit at my laptop in my underpants at 3am in my bedroom coding. I know very little nothing about HTML but throughout my 25-year career as a journalist I’ve realised there isn’t a single tech sector any more – every sector is tech.
Think about it for a second. From calling an Uber; booking a holiday; ordering the weekly shopping; staying in touch with friends; and downloading flight tickets, everything involves technology in one form or another.
Retail, healthcare, sport, property, finance, travel, education, manufacturing etc are all underpinned by tech. If you want to scale your business you need tech.
However, when I was the editor of Insider, I spoke to more than 1,200 businessmen and women and I was struck by how many chief executives, managing directors and business owners paid lip service to tech. “I’ve got a chief technology officer who takes care of that for me,” they would say. Ask them about their social media and a common reply was: “I’ve got someone who tweets for me.”
This struck me as odd. How can you shape the direction of a business if you don’t understand the benefits that technology can bring? And that’s how BusinessCloud was born with the simple aim being to demystify tech.
Of course I couldn’t launch BusinessCloud without a partner and I’m lucky to have Lawrence Jones in my corner. Lawrence is the co-founder and CEO of fast-growing Manchester headquartered tech firm UKFast. One of the country’s highest profile tech entrepreneurs he and I are committed to making a difference.
And that’s exactly what’s happened. So far we’ve produced five editions of BusinessCloud; hosted 40+ events; overseen a growing website; and launched a weekly newsletter. Our social media following is flourishing and the feedback has been brilliant.
From artificial intelligence to virtual reality; from automation to holograms; from bots to big data; from algorithms to social media; from cloud to cyber security; the list goes on.
We’ve held events in Manchester, Liverpool, Lancashire, Leeds, Newcastle, Birmingham, Bristol and Belfast. We’ve interviewed start-ups to unicorns.
Because we’re a tech company we’ve embraced tech. We film our roundtables, breakfast events and conferences and upload the videos and podcasts onto our YouTube channel. Some people like to read stories; some like to watch videos; and some like to listen to interviews. In this day and age you have to be omni-channel.
So how can Bermans clients and contacts benefit?
To learn about all that is going on in tech in the North West I suggest that you sign up to our quarterly magazine, which is the bedrock of BusinessCloud. It’s 80 pages and is completely FREE. If you want to subscribe just email subscriptions@businesscloud.co.uk or complete the form on our website – http://www.businesscloud.co.uk/subscribe.
Every quarter we like to get out and visit businesses in the region and help promote the interesting things they are doing. We’re gaining real momentum and working with some big name clients like KPMG; NorthEdge; Peel Ports; recruitment experts Search; Jumpstart; Watch This Space; and OBI Property. We have also recently featured Bermans clients, SRO Solutions Ltd and Smartlife Inc. If you are doing interesting things in tech we would be delighted to hear from you and feature you in the magazine.
We also host events for the business community to get involved. Some of these have been joint events with Pro-Manchester and Business Growth Hub. I have listed below details of our calendar of events that you might want to consider attending and if you have an idea for an event in your particular industry then get in touch and we will see if we can work together.
If you haven’t seen BusinessCloud then you don’t know what you’re missing. Let us demystify tech for you.
About Chris Maguire
Chris Maguire is the editor and co-owner of BusinessCloud and was previously Editor at Insider Media’s North West Business Insider magazine from January 2012 to March 2016. Over the course of a 25-year career he’s also worked for the Daily Mail, Gloucestershire Echo, Yorkshire Evening Post and his career started at Chorley and Leyland Guardian.
My name is Sam Jones and I am the managing director of Tunafish Media, a business I founded with Richard Brooks and James McDonald at the age of 22. We are a Manchester based content marketing and media production agency that work for a variety of clients across a wide range of sectors including CarFinance247, The Royal Society of the Arts and Barber Barber UK.
Along the way we’ve been named ‘Team of the Year’ by Insider Business Magazine, ‘Creative agency of the year 2015’ by Downtown in Business and won the Grand Prix for Campaign of the Year at the 2014 PR Moment Awards.
2. Which solicitors do you use at Bermans and how do we compare to other firms?
If I am perfectly honest, I do not have a great deal of experience in dealing with other firms however since our formation we have worked with Berman’s Steve Kuncewicz for our IP matters and contracts and could not be happier with the level of advice and service we have received.
3. What are the biggest challenges you face in growing your business and maintaining profits?
We’re growing quite rapidly at the minute and there are of course going to be growing pains as we start to scale. It is obviously a nice problem to have but managing that growth is the biggest challenge for me at the minute. The one thing I would say is that there is never a shortage or support available for young or first-time business owners and thankfully I am getting advice from a lot of people with more experience than I have.
4. Tell us about your typical working day?
I tend to get into the office between 7 & 7.30 and start the day by catching up on my emails and reading the local business news. The rest of my day will then be made-up of a combination of client or prospecting meetings and working on client accounts. I then try to spend the last hour catching up on emails again before finishing between 6 and 7.
5. What has been a highlight for Tunafish over the last 12 months?
There have been many but I get know greater satisfaction than helping our clients grow their businesses and brands. For example when we started working with Barber Barber eighteen months ago, they had a single barber shop in Manchester and big plans for the future, now they’re in five cities with a multi-million pound turn-over. Being there as they opened their flagship London shop in Spitalfield’s market was a great moment and I am very proud that we have had a part to play in their success.
6. What are your plans for Tunafish for the year ahead?
It’s exciting times at the moment and I’m just looking forward to building on the solid foundations we have built over the last couple of years. In the past 6 weeks we have doubled in size from 6 to 12 staff and with further growth expected, I am looking forward to getting the new people settled in and seeing the ideas they have and the creative work they bring to the table.
7. Is there are sector or industry that you are strong in or looking to develop opportunities?
We have never really been sector specific however have done completed some great work in the property sector recently and I think there are big opportunities there. The north-west property sector is booming but I still don’t think it is a sector that has particularly embraced video, creative or social media as much as it could.
8. Do you find social media assists your business and if so, how?
Social media is a vital part of my business for a number of reasons. First of all it is a service we offer and we manage the social media accounts for a wide range of businesses. Secondly, we have used it as a business development tool and have won a large amount of work through it too and as a creative business it is also a great outlet to showcase our work and expertise.
I do think that it is becoming a vital tool for all businesses. At the moment, I only think that about 30-40% of businesses are using it correctly but industries like professional services are beginning to wake up to it and I think that number will be closer to 80% in a couple of year time.
9. If you were chancellor, what single change would you make to help improve the economy and/or your business?
If there was one job in the UK that I wouldn’t want right now it would probably be that one. I’m currently hoping that the big investment and plans that have been discussed for the North-West over the last couple of years are still seen through.
10. What are your passions away from business?
Last year I started a homeless support network called Not Just Soup http://notjustsoupkitchen.co.uk/ which see’s local Manchester restaurants provide food to the city’s homeless. At the minute it is one-day a week but that is about to roll-out into two days, so if you’re a restaurant who would like to get involved then please give me a shout.
I love watching football or films and I try to read as much as possible. I’m currently trying to teach myself various DIY activities but if I’m honest I’ve been more destructive than productive so far.
There continues to be a huge buzz around content marketing, due to its potential for raising awareness and winning new customers. However, what makes it really powerful is understanding your customer’s journey, and saying the right thing at the right time and in the right place.
Daniel Nolan, Managing Director
1. Awareness
How do you make your product or service visible to people who don’t even know they need it? The key to the awareness stage is providing content that is useful and interesting to your prospects – such as answering a problem or question they may have. It could be an infographic, tweet, blog, press release, stats piece or calculator; however you provide the answer, it needs to be easy to digest, highly shareable and optimised for search engines if possible. Your prospects can then stumble across your brand name while researching their problem or question.
2. Consideration
At this stage, your prospect is aware they need a product or service similar to the ones you offer; now, you need to be as helpful and authoritative as possible. Content marketing at this stage uses powerful storytelling to explore your product or service in more detail. Think downloadable guides, whitepapers, case studies, unique research, webinars and FAQs – whatever will demonstrate your value to the prospect. This content should ideally be of interest to authority websites in your niche which your prospect may be consulting, potentially leading to a link, share or guest article.
3. Decision
At this final hurdle, standing out from your competitors is the difference between winning and losing. You have that prospect on your website one last time, so ensure your content is persuasive – and make it easy for them to convert, by including clear contact details. In addition, client testimonials, reviews and videos can really bring your brand to life and inspire trust, so make sure they’re prominent on your website.
Social media should be part of your campaign, not an afterthought.
There’s more to content marketing than just producing a great piece – you have to give it a helping hand with social media to get it seen by the right people. As well as existing followers who may be in the consideration stage, there’s huge potential to expand your reach through the social ripple effect and get your awareness content seen – if you promote it correctly.
What’s more, Global Web Index found that between 17% and 35% of people (depending on their age group) use social media to research products and services; for B2B buying decisions it’s even higher, reportedly between 50 and 80%. So it’s vital you use your social channels to make a great first impression, be real, be engaging and be helpful – it’s far too important to see as an afterthought or leave in the hands of the wrong person, as we all know the implications of managing it poorly.
Need to upskill your team?
theEword is a digital marketing agency in Manchester and we’d like to extend a very special offer to Bermans clients – a half price social media training session.
Our social media and content marketing experts will take an in-depth look at your social channels and provide bespoke recommendations and practical tips on how to make the most of your online marketing.
We’re offering this half-day, in-house session for £500 (normally £999) for up to 8 members of your team.
Are you a Facebook Fanatic, Tweetaholic or Instagram addict?
Well, imagine getting paid for doing the stuff you love.
Bermans is looking for a bright, creative and enthusiastic social media apprentice to join its team in Liverpool while studying for a City and Guilds social media apprenticeship from The Juice Academy.
Note: The Juice Academy will recruit a number of apprentices to start in April and while you’re applying for the Bermans job, you may be placed in another, equally exciting role in a different company as part of the programme.
Independent, proactive and creative – law doesn’t have to be boring! Founded in 1970, Bermans is a niche practice of commercial, forward¬ thinking lawyers with offices in Liverpool and Manchester. It prides itself on its expertise and distinctive culture, you’ll be involved in all areas of the marketing mix from events to data capture for this well-rounded role! If you feel you could spice up the social for this leading law firm then what are you waiting for?
This is a great opportunity to get some real on-the-job training, a recognised qualification and be job-ready at the end of it all. Oh, and did we mention you get paid £11,500 for all your hard work?
Digital marketing is one of the fastest growing sectors in the UK, so prospects upon completion are very promising.
If you have 5 A-Cs at GCSE including English and Maths or equivalent we want to hear from you.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend a selection day on 14th April where the lucky apprentices will be chosen. If you are selected you will be expected to start your apprenticeship on the 18th April, please mark clearly on your application if you will be unavailable to start on this date and we will consider you for future selection days.
We met up with Colin Watson (pictured below), co-founder and Commercial Director of Wallsauce.com, who from their base in Lancashire provides inspiring wallpaper, removable wall murals and giant wall graphics to enable you to create a home or office environment just for you!
1. What is your business?
We’re a worldwide producer of bespoke wall murals, our main channel to market being our website www.wallsauce.com. We also have a growing B2B customer base who deal with us directly, sectors covered being almost limitless. We’re particularly active in the leisure, care home/hospital, education and serviced office sectors. Prices for the murals start from around £22 + VAT per square metre and the permutations are almost endless. Just find an image already licenced to us, or supply your own, then give us the dimensions of your wall. A maximum of 7 working days later we’ll deliver your made-to-measure mural.
2. Which solicitors do you use at Bermans and how do we compare to other firms?
We use Jon Davage for corporate work and Steve Kuncewicz for our IP and licencing requirements. Both these guys really know their stuff but the main reason we use them is personality fit. Both Jon and Steve have taken the time to get to know our business, and are a pleasure to deal with. It’s mostly about people at the end of the day.
3. What are the biggest challenges you face in growing your business and maintaining profits?
Probably the same answer that most business people would give – availability of funding! Just over 3 years ago we entered a market which, even now, isn’t that well understood. Getting banks/investors to back us was a big challenge but we’ve managed to fund our growth thus far. We could probably raise substantial funds to now fast-track that growth, particularly in foreign markets, but we’re content (for now) growing modestly using the cash we generate from trading activity.
4. Tell us about your typical working day?
My typical working day starts with me dropping my 5-year old daughter at school. I absolutely love being able to do that as it was not something I was able to do with my now grown up son. That’s one of the main benefits of being my own boss. One of the others is the fact my office is only a 5 minute drive from the school so I’m at my desk by 9am. Thereafter, every day is different and it’s certainly not boring. My role covers all things financial, administration and commercial. The bits I really thrive on are developing new relationships with B2B customers and generally helping to get the Wallsauce brand out there.
5. What has been a highlight for Wallsauce.com over the last 12 months?
There have been a few and I couldn’t pick just one. I’d say the rapid recent growth in orders from foreign markets (particularly USA) is a big one. Getting to the top of the organic listings for practically every key term for our products is another. And I wouldn’t want to leave out the development of some great B2B relationships where repeat business opportunities are impressive. The most high profile of these would have to be the relationship we’ve now got with Tesco Plc.
6. What are your plans for Wallsauce.com for the year ahead?
Just to keep developing the business and improving the offering on every level. We’re about to launch a series of new website variants, for example, which will allow numerous foreign countries to purchase products from us using their own currencies. At some point soon we’ll also be offering foreign language versions of the site. All these types of developments will, we’re sure, significantly improve our conversion levels. At a much higher strategic level, the aim for the year ahead is to keep building the brand and increasing profitable turnover. Right now, we’re tracking at a trebling of monthly turnover compared to the prior year. If we keep doing that, we’ll be a pretty big business in the not too distant future!
7. Is there are sector or industry that you are strong in or looking to develop opportunities?
We’re particularly strong in the care home sector. They love our products and typically go for bygone era and local interest imagery. What makes this sector even better for us is the pile of research evidence showing how beneficial this type of imagery can be for residents suffering from dementia.
8. Do you find social media assists your business and if so, how?
Social media is hugely important to Wallsauce. Thus far we’ve mainly concentrated on Facebook and Twitter and have got some great customer engagement. Our offering is so visual, you don’t really have to say too much – just show the audience a picture and let them like/share/comment! Only a few weeks ago we got some nice Twitter exposure when a client of ours, Climb Online, tweeted some photos (See below)and a Wallsauce link – it helped that Climb Online is part owned by Lord Sugar and his tweets were exposed to a following of over 5 million people.
We’re about to do a lot more with Pinterest and Instagram so that should prove interesting.
9. If you were chancellor, what single change would you make to help improve the economy and/or your business?
Do something to make it easier for new businesses to secure debt funding, without the requirement to give PG’s and/or personal security. Obviously there would need to be safeguards but we have to make it easier for entrepreneurs to start new businesses.
10. What are your passions away from business?
Sport used to feature quite significantly, both spectator and participant, but now it’s all about family. Just love spending time with my wife and little girl. One day I’ll even break the habit of looking at Google Analytics on my mobile phone – I hope!
SPECIAL OFFER! FOR BERMANS CONTACTS
As a gesture to all Bermans clients and contacts, Colin will offer a 10% discount on all enquirers mentioning this article.
To get in touch with Colin at Wallsauce:
e: colin@wallsuace.com
t: 01772 284110
WANT TO BE FEATURED NEXT TIME?
To feature your company in the next issue please contact our Business Development Manager, Colin Dean 0151 224 0555 or colin.dean@bermans.co.uk
Continue Reading
The business continues to perform well and you may have seen some of our recent press in Insider and BusinessDesk confirming we are looking to attract new talent . We value the people we have and retaining them and attracting others of the same quality is a key element of our strategy.
We do hope you have found the articles in this newsletter useful. We want to provide you with content that will assist your business and provide you with useful information . As part of this process over the next few months we are going to undertake a communications survey that will allow us to distribute more tailored updates with a frequency and in a format you prefer. This process should start towards the end of April/early May and should take no more than 5 minutes of your time. We would be very grateful if you can assist us in gathering this information.
We are delighted to have recently been accredited with ISO 9001 certification for quality management system and ISO 27001 certification for information security management. Part of our commitment to our clients is to engage more and to obtain feedback that will help us shape and affect how legal solutions are provided to you as our clients.
We want to engage more effectively with you in order to obtain a better insight into your business so that we can add value in addition to providing
effective legal services.
Finally I would recommend that if you are an employer, you or someone in your business responsible for HR attends our employment department`s seminar on Thursday 28th April. Attendees will receive an update on the latest legal changes, be able to ensure they are fully compliant with them and be given the opportunity to mingle with other HR people.
Sign up here
Two years ago, leading comms consultancy, Tangerine, launched The Juice Academy social media apprenticeship to help fill a massive skills gap by moulding the natural skills that young ‘digital natives’ have so that they can be applied commercially, for the benefit of companies and brands. The first of its kind, The Juice Academy has since trained more than 150 young people, employed by companies across the North West as diverse as JW Lees, Pets at Home, BJL and Greater Manchester Police.
The apprentices are trained in all elements of social media management by practicing industry experts and invited guest speakers. The training is a mixture of the theoretical knowledge and essential practical skills apprentices need, including other important elements like professional resilience and time management to enable them to be successful in the workplace.
Hiring an apprentice costs only £9,000 salary (with a £2,500 bonus on completion of study) The next scheduled intake is on 14th April with an interactive ‘boot camp’ assessment day, where employers get to meet a selection of potential apprentices.
Sandy Lindsay MBE, founder and Chair of Tangerine/The Juice Academy and Apprenticeship Ambassador, comments
“Manchester and the north west is a hot bed of creative and digital technology businesses. There is a huge shortage of skilled talent in the sector. Colleges and learning providers are doing a great job of delivering apprenticeships across the UK but we felt this Apprenticeship could be delivered most effectively by an employer in the industry. The course combines industry-leading insight with practical application of technique and uses Tangerine’s investment-led approach to really empower young people to succeed in the field. Social media is not an enigma, it’s a discipline and this apprenticeship is truly employer-led, delivered by practising professionals who will give real insight into using social media in a professional context.”
For more information about The Juice Academy, visit: www.juiceacademy.co.uk – or call Carly or Amy on 0161 817 6600.
| 
