UK Blog Awards 2016: Can I Have your Vote?

 

UK start-ups and small businesses are my passion, which is why I’ve entered the UK Blog Awards 2016. 

We’ve seen how UK entrepreneurs and small business owners have been the backbone of the economy during the recession, “making up 99.3% of all enterprises“.

Entrepreneurs in London and the South of England alone were responsible for creating 32,000 jobs with a turnover of £2.8 billion in April 2015.  [The Business Magazine]

However, being a start-up or small business owner isn’t easy.  Embracing the entrepreneurial way of life involves stepping way outside comfort zones and working long hours without any kind of guaranteed income in the first few years.  Sole traders who work from home often experience a sense of isolation, which is when self-doubt creeps in.

 

“Knowledge is power”

[Sir Francis Bacon]

If start-ups and small business owners know where to find the right kind of knowledge, information and support they need at the right time, they’ll stand a much better chance of success.

 

Virtuoso Assistant Blog & RESOURCES

My aim is to provide B2B small business owners and start-ups with up-to-date and actionable information about how best to stand out from the crowd online and market their services.

135,000 people attended Glastonbury this year.  Can you imagine how hard it would be for one person to stand out?

Now think digital.  There were estimated to be around 74,652,825 WordPress sites alone, according to figures taken last February.   The Internet is an immensely busy and competitive place and, in order to stand any chance of creating attention and generating interest in a brand, a start-up would need to have the best tools and information at their fingertips.

Fortunately, technology, digital tools and apps provide a relatively level playing field today from which a small business can generate as much interest online as some of the big brands.

Virtuoso Assistant blog teaches start-ups how to harness the power of visual content with visual marketing.  

➣  Create awareness on social media with an amusing gif, a thought-provoking quotation, or a beautiful image and then drive new traffic back to a blog or website.

➣  Write blog headlines that will compel readers to click through to your article.

➣  Hook a reader’s attention & ensure they  don’t click away by writing  expert content which provides answers to questions and solutions to problems.  Keep them coming back for more by being the ‘go to’ expert in a particular niche.

➣  Create an irresistible Call-to-Action by understanding some simple psychology and start building a winning email list with which to market your services.

This is the kind of information I aim to provide on my Virtuoso blog.

 

Why Do I Bother?

I’ve not been blogging for long, perhaps one and a half years or so.

Prior to setting up my business I worked as a legal PA in Civil Litigation.  I loved my job.

However, when the recession struck, being Bipolar suddenly made me rather unpopular with employers.  January and February 2013 were dark months psychologically during which I wondered whether I would ever work again.  However, I’ve always been a firm believer that unpleasant circumstances are somehow ‘meant to happen’ for a good reason.  My ‘good reason’ turned out to be Virtuoso Assistant, which I set up shortly after losing my last job.

I’ve never looked back.

 

Why Listen to Me?

I have the experience as a start-up, I know what it’s like.  In fact, I’m still on that rollercoaster ride called “Small Business Owner” as I approach the third year milestone in September 2016.

I can help provide you with information I know you’ll find helpful.

I’ve learnt from the best social media and marketing experts and influencers like Martin Shervington, Peg Fitzpatrick, Mike Allton from The Social Media Hat and Warren Knight.

 

Testimonial

 

If you trust me with your vote I’ll put it to very good use.

I don’t consider winning awards to be about me as an individual.   It’s about how I can use the publicity for your benefit.  Winning a UK Blog Award would enable me to reach more start-ups, more entrepreneurs and small businesses who may need the kind of help and information I can give them.

 

Here’s How You Can Help

You can vote for me until 25th January 2016  by clicking the link to my UK Blog Awards entry, or clicking on the image below

Thank you all very much for your confidence in me: stay tuned and I’ll keep you updated with progress! 

SlideShare: the Perfect Platform for Curating Content

 

“Finding and sharing exquisite content has never had more value than it does today.” – Buffer.

 

There’s no doubt about it, we’re all searching out and consuming content like a shark in a feeding frenzy.  There seems to be an unspoken race to be the first to share the most relevant and useful piece of information as soon as it’s published in order to stand out from the crowd. 

“82% of marketers curate content” – [I Make News Inc]

Curating content is part of the marketing process today. 

Ian Cleary, of Razor Social confirmed that consistently sharing the most useful and relevant content is a great way to build trust and authority in a brand, and become the ‘go to’ expert in a given field. 

“Over 50% of marketers that curate content indicate that it has increased their brand visibility, thought leadership, SEO, web traffic and buyer engagement.” – Curata

However, we’re so time-poor these days that marketers are increasingly on the lookout for one place from which to curate all their content.  As Mike Kaput suggested,  shopping for content is rather like shopping for groceries,

“Back in the day, you’d buy meat from a butcher, veggies from a grocer … Grocery shopping was a multi-stop affair.  Now, you visit a local supermarket or a big-box retailer that has everything you need in one place.”

 

So when marketers can visit top content ‘supermarkets’ like Feedly, Storify, Curata, Flipboard, scoop.it why would they consider looking at SlideShare? 

Time Saving Tips from the Experts

 

It’s 8.30am, Monday morning.

You’re sitting at your desk, compiling your ‘To Do’ list.

It’s busy and you need to prioritise your schedule.

The plates start spinning.

The phone rings.

You need to concentrate but you have to answer. 

Time is ticking. 

 

WHERE DOES TIME GO?

Captivating Visual Content for Business: Top Tips from the Pros

 

Visual content in business is a very powerful way to generate interest in a brand, increase online visibility and effectively communicate your message to prospective clients.

According to a study run by Social Media Examiner for their “Social Media Marketing report 2015“,

“Marketers plan to increase their use of visuals (73%), videos (72%), blogging (69%) and podcasting (26%) …”

 

Visual content also helps to make connections with customers or clients on a deeper, emotional level and encourage content to be shared on social media platforms. 

Twitter for Business: Be Seen and Heard!

“No, I’m NOT going to have a Twitter account!”

This was my bold assertion back in September 2013 when I first launched my small business. One and a half years down the line I’m now a Twitter evangelist and I’d like to explain to you just why you should consider using Twitter as part of your small business marketing strategy.

WHY USE TWITTER FOR SMALL BUSINESS?

Twitter is fast-moving.

Responses are almost immediate and results are fast.

To start with I was just dipping my toe in the Twitter ‘pool’ to see if it was okay to jump in.

I was amazed with the results.

Instagram: a Powerful Visual Platform for Small Business

DON’T IGNORE INSTAGRAM!

If you’re a small business you ought to consider incorporating Instagram into your marketing strategy.

“Each day the Instagram community posts more than 70 million images and videos” – [Social Media Today]

 

Cast your mind back just for a moment to when you first started a new school, a club or a group.  Do you remember that feeling of being the ‘newbie’, knowing nothing and having to work hard to catch up with everyone?

It’s hard work!

Will you ever feel like you ‘belong’ and be as knowledgeable as everyone else?

When I started my own small business it seemed like I was constantly playing catch-up with other businesses.   I wondered whether I’d ever reach the stage where I’d feel ‘comfortable’ with the knowledge I had.

So I understand how you might feel when presented with yet another social media platform to get to grips with.  Did you get that ‘deja vu’ feeling?

However … Instagram may surprise you.

Take just a few minutes and let me explain. 

6 Compelling Reasons why your Business needs Google Plus!

Google Plus should be an essential part of any small business’ social media or online marketing strategy.

There are irrefutable benefits to be had with regards to search engine optimisation as interaction on the Google Plus social media platform has a direct influence on how a business is ranked in Google searches.

I’ll wager you that, by the time you finish reading this article, your no. 1 priority for the coming week will be to create a Google Plus profile.

How to Create an Effective Business Blog

“Businesses that blog are 13 times more likely to see a positive ROI than those that don’t.” – HubSpot, State of Inbound 2014

Looking back on my first few blog posts I cringe with embarrassment.

What on earth was I thinking?

I was a small business blogging about … Guy Fawkes night?!

Not a great start.

So, if you’re new to blogging or if you’ve already started writing a blog for your business, this article will hopefully get you started and running in the right direction from the word go!

“Virtually News” Magazine for Entrepreneurs and Small Business

It’s out!

February’s FREE new-look magazine was published today {fanfare} and I’m very excited to be able to share it with you.

 

I have an awesome line-up for you, including:-

➣  Top business events to attend and topical business articles

➣  7 fantastic entrepreneurs showcase their skills in a special “Virtually Valentine’s Day” shop – find out what they sell and what they’re offering YOU! 

How to Use Pinterest for Business and Target your Audience

Are you using Pinterest for Business?

Are you in the B2B sector and sell SERVICES as opposed to products?

Would you agree with the following statement [be honest!] …

“Pinterest is too ‘fluffy’ and I don’t have any product images to share”

If yes, this article is for you!

Benefits of Using Pinterest?

➤  Did you realise that Pinterest is the second largest driver of web traffic from social media, next to Facebook?

➤  80% of all pins are shared – imagine how this increases your reach!

I don’t know about you but I couldn’t miss out on such an opportunity.

So today I’m going to show you:- 

Virtual Assistants: Genies of the Office

You’ve all heard of Aladdin & the genie of the lamp?

Virtual assistants ARE THE OFFIce equivalent!

Well … they can’t really fit into an oil lamp or grant three magic wishes but they’d do an excellent job of finding perfect solutions to your business problems.

So what are the benefits to you of hiring a virtual assistant? 

Get your Brand Noticed on Twitter in 7 Easy Steps

Small businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs often struggle to get their profile noticed on Twitter

I’m going to show you exactly how you can:-

➤   Increase your brand’s visibility on Twitter

➤   Generate the interest you need around your brand

➤   Increase brand awareness

➤   Drive new business leads to your website

As with most things “it’s easy when you know how”! 

A Sting in the Tail

Small business support & promotion without a sting in the tail

You’re a small business, working hard on a shoe-string budget.

How do you feel when you receive emails or telephone calls offering you fabulous opportunities to market your business or advertise your services on websites and magazines, only to be stung at the last minute by a huge price tag?

It’s unrealistic, isn’t it, and slightly exasperating.

We realise that there’s no such thing as a free meal and nobody really expects something for nothing.

At Virtuoso Assistant we believe in providing entrepreneurs, freelance workers and small business owners with cost-effective business support services.

Visual Content: How to Grab Attention Online like a Superstar

How do you Increase Visibility Online & Generate New Leads?

The Internet is an increasingly busy place with thousands of websites and bloggers battling for attention.

If you were standing in the middle of a large crowd in Central Park, NYC, or Hyde Park, London, how would you draw attention to yourself and make yourself seen and heard?

How to Make your Blog More Visible Online

“On 20 February 2014, there were around 172 million Tumblr^[5] and 75.8 million WordPress^[6] blogs in existence worldwide”

Have you figured out how you’re going to get your blog read amongst such competition?

It may seem overwhelming, but fortunately there are plenty of great resources available on the Internet to help the newbie and even more experienced blogger.

When I first started up in October of last year I didn’t have a clue how or what to write about.  I started educating myself by setting up a profile on Google+ and getting to know the blogging ‘gurus’, the ‘movers & shakers’ who wrote the best content about blogging.

From what I’ve already learnt, as long as you follow certain guidelines and strategies, you can make your blog much more visible online.

How to Use PicMonkey: 9 FREE Tutorials

Use PicMonkey to Edit and Customise Photos for your social media projects!

PicMonkey: the Best Photo Editing Tool

So, as promised, here are my video tutorials which I’ve produced for you.  I hope you find them helpful and will get you creating your own stunning photo images for your social media projects.

As you know, VISUAL social media is becoming increasingly important and prevalent … I explained not so long ago that “One Image is worth 1,000 Words“.

Why?

• Images are more engaging;
• They can convey a message in a very succinct way;
• A website or blog is more appealing with beautiful images and is more likely to be read than paragraphs of plain text;

Sign Up: Create Unique and Eye-Popping Images!

Nicky on Google+

PicMonkey: the best photo editing software

Remember I said I was going to write a second instalment regarding inbound marketing this week?

I’ve had a change of plan!

I’ve decided to share with you one of the best FREE photo editing tools available – PicMonkey.

How many of you have used it before?

I’ve mentioned previously that visual social media is becoming increasingly important when writing content.  By ‘visual social media’ I mean the use of images, photos, Infographics, Vine videos, YouTube videos, etc, within your blog, tweets, posts on Facebook and Google+, for instance.

Why is it becoming increasingly popular?

Have you noticed how quickly your attention is drawn to a fabulous picture that pops out from your Twitter stream?  They’re a marketer’s dream.

Images serve to promote your brand.  Articles that include beautiful images are more often shared across social media platforms than plain text.  I can’t think of a better way to introduce your brand to a wider audience.

Images can also be optimised for improved SEO.

One person who has been really inspirational to me and has fed my love of visual social media is Donna Moritz from “Socially Sorted” in Australia.  Donna not only has her own business as a social media and content strategist, she also writes for Entrepreneur Magazine, Social Media Examiner, Forbes Magazine and Social Fresh.  She has really wow-ed me with her tutorials and articles.

Donna has shown me that you don’t have to spend a fortune purchasing images to incorporate into your content; tools like PicMonkey are free to use and produce images which are equally eye-catching and unique to you and your brand.

So what are we waiting for?

To learn more about PicMonkey, how to create eye-popping, shareable images and drive traffic to your website, just click on the link below and I’ll either write an article or create a tutorial for you.  I’m experimenting a little on how to present my own content at the moment so you may be seeing me in person via a video tutorial (hmmm… could be interesting!)

Don’t Shout! Subtle Inbound Marketing Tips for Increased Business Leads

If you’re a small business you don’t need to make a lot of noise about your brand to attract new business leads

It’s no longer about ‘shouty’ Outbound marketing; today it’s all about the subtleties of Inbound marketing.

“Boldthink” had a great way to describe Outbound Marketing – “interruptive media”.  It was loud, it was ‘in your face’ and it served no other purpose other than to overload your senses with images and information regarding their product.  Nothing else.  There was nothing altruistic about it whatsoever!

Boldthink: Outbound v Inbound Marketing

Inbound Marketing, however, is much quieter and more subtle.