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“Content Is King” – yes, you’ve heard it all before but in reality, without a well planned content strategy in place your content is more like the court jester. In this post, our guest blogger Annie identifies three tools for content strategy but we also believe our one of a kind Content Marketing course is essential for learning how to create and market content to increase your brand identity and boost your SEO efforts.

When you are running an online business of any kind – be it a blog, an ecommerce store or just a marketing campaign for a tangible, offline company – you have multiple sources of content distribution at your disposal.

YouTube, blog platforms, Twitter, Facebook…social media has become the way of the future in online business. Failing to properly utilise such a resource will severely damage your online visibility, which is crucial in today’s world.

Identifying Weak Areas

When trying to analyse the effectiveness of your content strategy on the web, you should take some time to review and understand what it is you are currently doing right. This will also show you where you need to improve. You can do this through a content audit, which is essentially putting together spreadsheets of all social media campaigns to find where you are lacking.

Unsure about content marketing? Read Why You Should Start Content Marketing.

Once you have taken a fair look at what you have been doing, start looking at how much you are really posting, and the relevance of the content. For example, are you meeting your desired quota for blog posts per week? Are they generating the right response? Are tweets being replied to or retweeted? Have you been communicating with your Facebook fans on a personal level? Are you published a good balance of links, original updates and comments or replies to readers?

If you are clear about what you have and have not been providing, you can improve your social media marketing and so your overall content strategy. These three apps can further help you along the way: Read the rest of "3 Awesome Content Strategy Apps"

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Posted by Guest Author in Content Marketing Training, SEO Training, Social Media Training on March 16th, 2012 | No Comments »

It is very easy to open up your website on a smartphone or tablet and make the snap judgement that because it loads and the links work you can leave it as it is. However, how many businesses go the next step and think about how usable their site is on mobile devices? Or how attractive it is?

In this blog post we have produced a check-list to help businesses perform a mobile site audit to ensure their site is as mobile-friendly as possible. Click the image to download the Silicon Beach Training Mobile Web Design Checklist and then read through this blog to find out why each point is so important.

Come on one of our Mobile Development Courses to learn how to create mobile websites and apps from scratch from our industry expert trainers. We run a beginners Mobile Web Design course which is suitable for all skill ranges and a Mobile Web Design Week workshop which is more advanced, containing HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript training alongside an overview of mobile web best practice. For the more experienced programmers we also provide iPhone App Development training and Android App Development Training. Read on to find out why mobile should be a top priority for business in 2012…

Why Go Mobile?

Regular visitors to the site will know how strongly we believe that the future of technology lies with mobile. Our recent mobile post highlighted how Apple sold more iPhones and iPads in 2011 than they sold computers in 11 years. That is a staggering stat. Another recent figure claims that 1.45 million mobile devices enter the world every day compared to 317,124 births.

For whatever reason, mobile devices have achieved something that desktops and laptops never truly managed – they have become a consumer device. Nobody sees a desktop sitting at home, but people go out of their way to flaunt the latest smartphone and read the news on their iPad on the way to work. They have become a fashion accessory as much as a communication device.

As a result of this, more and more people are accessing the internet on the go on smaller screens. Any business that has not considered a mobile strategy is potential missing out on interest and sales. Mobile use has been proven to have higher click through rates and higher average spend. So not only are some businesses missing out on potential customers but those customers are likely to spend more money!

Silicon Beach Training Mobile Web Design Checklist

This downloadable Mobile Web Design Checklist is not a definitive guide to styling websites for mobile devices but it is a useful list of features to consider to ensure a website works properly on a mobile device. Read the rest of "Mobile Web Design Checklist Free Download"

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Posted by Craig Charley in Mobile Development Training, Web Design Training on March 2nd, 2012 | No Comments »

I really enjoyed watching The Fixer last Tuesday on BBC2. With her usual style and panache Alex Polizzi advises a failing family car repair garage, Guidebridge MOT in Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester.

Honestly (some would say brutally) she administers her hard truths about customer service, organisation and marketing.

When the fleet inspector arrives (fleet work is the name for servicing done for companies with many vehicles to service), he tells her that he likes to find the s**t in people! This is apparently an acronym for:

• Sincerity
• Honesty
• Integrity
• Trust

With usual sharp wit Alex responds “so you want me to help them get their s**t together.”

Customer service has never been more important in my opinion. The family were under the impression that their customer service was good. They then demonstrated otherwise by keeping customers waiting without any explanation of when their vehicles would be ready. Not only that, but customers were made to wait in an area that in her own words “one would want to slit your wrists in”.

In the training business, there are times when clients need answers to questions that only trainers can respond to, so sometimes although we prefer to give all clients immediate responses to their questions we may need to wait for a response ourselves. It is important at all times to keep the customer informed of progress. A polite email or phone call is all it takes to explain any delays so the customer knows exactly when they can expect what they are looking for. It is imperative to keep communication going, nobody likes to be ignored.

A lack of marketing seems to be a common theme in the series. Alex suggests to the garage that they revisit an old idea “Women at the Wheel” where women were invited to a free session enabling them to learn to change a tyre, fill their oil and water etc. Everybody loves a freebie, and if it encourages potential clients to revisit you, even better.

Once customers receive a great or free deal, you have built a relationship with a potential paying client – you now have their trust and have gone a long way towards sorting your s**t out!  These potential clients are much more likely to come back, and loyalty is what you are looking for especially in the service industry.

The highlight of the programme for me was when Alex turned up to the “woman at the wheel” event dressed in leathers.

Alex Polizzi in Leathers

I loved the look on the daughter’s face when she emerged from her car! Read the rest of "Leathered Alex Polizzi Helps Businesses Get Their S**t Together"

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Posted by Heather Buckley in Leadership Training, Management Skills Training on February 24th, 2012 | No Comments »

Stand up meetings – also called Scrum meetings – are an important factor of Scrum project management. Scrum is a form of agile project management that breaks projects down into smaller, easier to manage chunks that are completed as sprints.

Daily Scrum meetings are important as the method is so changeable. They ensure that everybody is on track and minimise the chances of two team members performing the same task. However, because they are daily they must be kept short and so Scrum meetings are usually stand up meetings.

Learn more about Scrum and become accredited with Scrum Training. We run accredited ScrumMaster Training and Scrum Product Owner Training. If you wish to learn a different Agile methodology then we also provide APMG accredited Agile Project Management Training. We train to both Agile Project Management Foundation and Agile Project Management Practitioner levels. 

The Scrum process is explained in the graphic below:

For more information on Agile and Scrum read:

What Is Agile Project Management?

What Is Scrum?

Why Stand Up?

We have already established that stand up meetings are an important part of Scrum as they help keep project on track. But why stand up? Why not have a 15 minute sit down meeting? Read the rest of "Stand Up Meetings – Learning from Scrum & Agile Project Management"

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Posted by Andy Trainer in Agile Project Management Training, Scrum Training on February 17th, 2012 | No Comments »

Many people would think you were mad if you decided to start a business in 2012. All we hear is doom and gloom from the papers about the lack of investment and lack of opportunities. However, there are always opportunities for those willing to branch out and many businesses actually thrive in a recession. If you are looking to start your own venture then one of the best investments you can make is in training. There a number of essential courses for new managers and business owners including Management Skills for New Managers Training and Leadership Training. If you are looking for a more specific skill then we do have a wide range of business skills training course.

Starting a business can be like entering a maze unless you have the right tools.

It is also important to ensure that all of your staff are trained to the same level. Boosting the skills of your employees is one of the most beneficial investments a business owner can make. One of our most popular courses for new or expanding businesses is Social Media training. This will allow you and your employees to build a strong brand identity and solid customer relationship – the key to a successful business.

In this guest post the author guides prospective start ups through 4 steps to starting a successful small business…

Setting up and running a business can be rewarding on both a personal and a professional level, but before leaping in with both feet, budding entrepreneurs should follow the basic steps needed to get their enterprise off to a good start.

Start with a solid business plan

Take the time to sit down and write out a detailed business plan that should include projected costings and expected income.  Far from being a useless formality, the process of writing a comprehensive plan will help you to clarify key issues, such as how you will produce your product, how you will find potential customers, and how you will market your product to those customers.

A business plan can also help you to avoid costly mistakes because it will help you to rule out strategies that are not likely to suit your particular mode of business.  This is much better than trying a “hit or miss” approach to manufacture and marketing.  Unfortunately, those types of efforts almost always miss more than they hit. Read the rest of "4 Tips for Starting a Small Business"

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Posted by Guest Author in Business Analysis & Systems Development, Business Analysis Training, Leadership Training, Management Skills Training on March 9th, 2012 | No Comments »

“Never feel bad for being assertive, speaking your mind, and putting your foot down. What you think is anger, others see as a good solid display of self-esteem. ”  – Alison James

This guest post from our Assertiveness & Confidence Building trainer Sofie explains how assertiveness leads to improved self-confidence. The full 2-day workshop covers techniques for confidence building and boosting self esteem.

Positive communication

It is important to note that being assertive is not about being aggressive.

Assertiveness is a form of positive communication that can be learnt and applied to all areas of your life. It is the skill of knowing and defending your rights but at the same time understanding that others have rights too.

When someone is asserting themselves their primary focus should be on reaching a joint solution, which meets the needs of both people involved. In other words ‘I’m OK and you’re OK’. It is not about getting angry or making someone bow to your demands. This type of aggressive communication is manipulative and threatening and not at all considerate of other people. Equally other non-assertive ways to communicate include passive and passive-aggressive behaviours. Read the rest of "How Being Assertive Leads to Greater Self-Confidence"

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Posted by Guest Author in Assertiveness Training, Management Skills Training on February 10th, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Over the past few months we have shown you how to install Facebook Timeline, explained all the latest Facebook Changes and highlighted some worrying Facebook security issues. Timeline was originally for developers only, then became public but only through opt in. Now, they’re forcing it on everyone. As of this week you don’t have a choice – make the change or get off Facebook (find out how to do that at the end of the post!)

Now that Facebook are thrusting their new Timeline profile structure on to all who haven’t already upgraded to it we thought it would be a good time to give a full rundown of what you can do with it, so you can have full control over your virtual story of your life.

We have covered how to customise your profile, how to manage your privacy settings, any new features that have been rolled out since our last post and how to delete your account. Because there’s so much info we’ve provided a helpful contents list to help you navigate to the right section!

If you’re looking to use Facebook as a marketing tool then you should come on our Social Media course. This 2-day workshop is perfect for learning how to use social media for marketing and can be booked as a package with SEO Training and Content Marketing Training. Call us on 01273 622272 to hear more about the course or to discuss your training requirements.

Update: This post has been updated to include some even newer updates recently made by Facebook.

Read the rest of "The Complete Facebook Timeline Guide"

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Posted by Andy Trainer in SEO Training, Social Media Training on February 3rd, 2012 | No Comments »

A happy workplace is a productive workplace, but in every business, large and small, but especially small, there will be the inevitable conflicts caused by a team of individuals working in close proximity to one another. The source of the conflicts might be petty arguments that are either professional or personal in nature, but petty arguments can quickly escalate into full blown feuds.

Feuds, which if left unresolved will damage the productivity of your business and cause it to haemorrhage money at an alarming rate.

As Spiderman knows, with power comes responsibility. As a manager it is your job to handle conflicts in your business and not just let them fester. However, with the right Management Training, you’ll be confident when handling arguments. Conflict Management Training is a specialised private course that gives you the right tools, techniques and theories to handle conflict and shows you how to use them in practical situations.

The following five tips are an essential guide in reaching an amicable resolution to any conflict which might rear its ugly head in the workplace:

What’s The Problem?

First things first, in this day and age you can’t just solve the problem by banging your employees’ heads together and ignoring the root problem which caused the conflict in the first place. It is essential that all parties involved know exactly what the issue causing the conflict is. Allow everyone to express their opinions, perspectives and thoughts and make sure everyone agrees that there’s a problem. Once the nature of the problem is established you can best identify how the problem can be resolved. Read the rest of "5 Tips to Overcome Work Place Conflicts in a Small Business"

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Posted by Guest Author in Leadership Training, Management Skills Training on January 27th, 2012 | No Comments »