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Presents from Santa…Time saving ideas for Grown Ups

Final CWS Christmas card

This year the Christmas frenzy has been in overdrive since October with incredible gift ideas. The most popular toys this year to fill those magical stockings are tech-based toys. Our children are the future generation of techies who will take over the world with ingenuity.

The top 3 toys this year include are the cute, slightly wacky Hatchimals Surprise, with not just one but two magical creatures hidden inside the egg. Children have to love and care for the egg in order for the hatch to be successful. This year’s egg slowly hatches to reveal not one but two animatronic animals inside. From there they offer a range of interactions and games as they develop.

Next on Santa’s list is Anki Overdrive Fast and Furious. This is Scalextrics for the next generation. The cars steer themselves around the clip-together track. Players use a smartphone to find the racing line and control the speed. On top of that, you can trigger virtual mines, missiles and magnet attacks to slow down your opponents. The sounds and visuals are on the screen but the racing action happens in the real world.

And finally, Christmas would not be the same without a Star Wars toy. BB-8 Hero Droid

the little robot character from Star Wars has captured the imagination of toy makers everywhere. This new big BB-8 is larger than other versions of the droid, with its lifelike scale of 16 inches tall, but it also moves like the real thing too. There is a range of different ways to interact with him too.

So that’s the toys for children covered but what about the grown-ups?. If you ask any working adult one thing they would put on their Santa List would be time, time to live, time to think, time to play. Here at colourways we’ve put our top 3 together that save’s time and money for our business

Our number 1 on the list is the Google Pixel 2, it’s simple to use and has an incredible camera. The most important time-saving function is the unlimited storage, no more backing up photos or sifting through and deleting to free up space to capture that Christmas morning moment.

Our next must-have business partner is QuickBooks, time-saving reporting and user-friendly functionality. From client estimates through to purchase orders and sales invoices, it’s perfect for managing all aspects of our accounting system.. They say time means money, so when an accounting package saves you an abundance of time then that’s a big tick.

Adobe InDesign CC has everything we need to create an eye-catching design for both print and digital mediums, it’s still our favourite creative package. Faster launch times mean the creativity is fast flowing without limitations.

There you have it, 3 simple ways to make more time to do….

Dogs in the office – even Nestle does it!

You may have seen on our Facebook that we have our very own office dog and colleague – Inka, a 3 year old black lab. We are obviously not the only office to have brought dogs into the workplace, Nestle have and they have noted the benefits of bringing our four legged friends to work to create a more sociable and engaging environment.

Nestle even have a 3-step process to make sure your dog is suited for the office environments, likes people and the other dogs. But why are more companies allowing dogs in the office? According to Open Workspace Design ‘Businesses are recognising the impact our canine companions can have on morale and productivity’

A study in the article by Open Workspace Design found ‘During the course of each work day, stress levels of employees with their dogs present declined by 11%. For non-pet owners and dog owners who left them at home, stress levels increased by up to 70%.’ Obviously, there are other factors to consider before bringing a dog into the office such as allergies, phobias etc.

Will you be introducing dogs into your workplace?

Planning your Social Media Content

You know that you need to post on social media regularly, but how do you know you’ll always have content? Make a content calendar you can update and change as and when you need to.

Having a visual calendar of key events, content ideas and things to talk about helps keep your posting on track and helps it flow from week to week. It can be a challenge initially setting time aside to make a list of things you will want to talk about because social media also needs to be reactive and on topic.

Here are some tips to get started:

Print out a calendar template or set up a calendar in Excel. Maybe try to plan 3 Months at a time.
Write down the services or products you offer and will want to share on Social Media.
Research upcoming events in your area and add relevant dates to your calendar. i.e. local runs = tag them and wish them luck.
Find some interesting National Days and key events you can talk about i.e St Patricks Day, Christmas, Bank Holiday, Summer
Plan when your blogs go live so you can write SM posts to support this
Once you have filled your calendar with these dates and ideas you can start writing posts and creating images to go with each event.
Start scheduling!
Don’t forget if you do schedule content you still need to check in on your accounts to respond to any comments and messages as well as to engage with other peoples content too!

Mobile vs Desktop: Where do you prefer to shop?

We are spoilt for choice when it comes to where we can buy products – in-store, mobile, desktop, iPad and in some cases a press of a button placed in our cupboard (of course, that’s thanks to the Amazon Dash). According to Appticles ’85% of people say that mobile devices are a central part of their everyday life’ , but when it comes to entering your details and completing a purchase how do you really prefer to shop?

Do you find yourself browsing for products on you phone but ordering on desktop? You could consider point 2 on this Appticles article of 13 user behaviours – As it turns out, mobile users are generally on the hunt for specific information, while time consuming activities are usually reserved for the comfort of PCs.

Could this be the same for purchasing? You might look for the product on mobile to see prices and specs but when you go to make that purchase you flick back to desktop. It’s a case of personal preference and how comfortable we feel.

How do you prefer to shop?

Planning your next Exhibition Stand

Booked your stand at your next show…. now what?

Even if it’s your first time or fifth time going to a show with your business it can and will be stressful if you haven’t planned how to bring your stand to life.

You need to be able to stand out from the crowd… literally.

Here are our tips to help you.

Before: You should have a clear idea of the message you want to get across, your content and most importantly, your budget. Remember, it is never too early to get in touch with an agency to start designing your stand, so it’s ready in time for your show.

Make a checklist: Even if this is your first show but you have an idea of what you want, write it down! Anything you miss out, your design team can advise!

Agency: Find a creative agency that has experience in designing stands. This will make the process easier for you as they know what they’re doing and they will know how to maximise space.

Brief: Give your chosen agency a detailed brief, budget and deadline – they should keep you informed of ideas and concepts and initial costs.

Concepts: You should see a range of concepts to help see what you do or don’t like and get your stand closer to how you vision it.

Additional materials: As your stand grows you should get a better idea of other materials you will need i.e. leaflets, goody bags, storage containers, uniform etc

3D: As you get closer to your final design you should be able to see the stand in 3D to get a better feel for the stand.

Engage: Think about ways to engage your audience with your stand. Some people offer free water or snacks, some run competitions or use Virtual Reality for demos. Something different that makes you stand out!

Relax: As you and your design team create a show-stopping stand and meet the deadline, it’s time to relax and smile and meet your new customers.

If you need a team that has experience designing and building exhibitions stands on time and on budget then contact us today

McMullen’s Brewery Horse and Dray

Last week in Hertford, there was a fantastic example of the use of traditional transport in a world of fast-paced modern technology. McMullen’s Brewery brought back their Horse and Dray to do deliveries in Hertford and Ware, albeit only on Friday afternoon, but it definitely caught the delighted attention of passers by.

You couldn’t miss the sound as they walked through town even above the noise of the cars and it is easy to forget that before lorries, vans and cars, horses were vital for making those all important deliveries to help businesses grow. Lots of businesses look at using the latest technology to grab their audiences attention, but sometimes it might just be something of tradition and something from your history that conveys your brand message better than anything else.

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Photo credit: McMullen’s Brewery on Twitter @McMullens1827

Customer Experience – why you need one step checkout.

We live in a world where the demand for content and new technology is growing and expected almost instantly. Apple release new phones with new technology every year. Blogs can no longer just have one post a month as the need for content means blogs need to flow with content and this demand is the same for when we order products. From placing an order to it arriving on our doorstep we expect it without delay within a matter of days if not hours with next day delivery or Amazon’s two hour delivery. So it’s not surprising that most people want to able to order the product in seconds which can’t happen if your website fails or has a complicated check out.

In lots of cases, that you may have experienced yourself, you may see a product online, go to purchase it but the checkout is too complex so you say’ll you will ‘get it later’ but when you do go back you find another retailer is selling that product. If your website has the complex checkout you have lost your customer, but you can develop your Magento site by installing a one step checkout plug-in to make that all important checkout easier.

Check out this plug-in from our partners, Amasty

https://amasty.com/single-step-checkout.html

ARTISTIC EXPRESSION

In our opinion music is the most inspiring, motivating creative force. Although music is moving further into the digital age, everyone has a memory linked to that iconic Album cover so here’s 6 of our favourites. Each album cover is iconic in its own way, but more importantly they’re instantly recognisable. We love the digital age and the wealth of opportunities available to brands and businesses across the globe, but there is still a place for artistic expression on physical album covers even more so now as vinyl covers are making a comeback.

Artist: Bowie

Album: Aladdin Sane

Photographer: Brian Duffy

Artist: Nirvana

Album: Nevermind

Designer: Robert Fisher

Artist: Grace Jones

Album: Island Life

Designer: Jean-Paul Goude

Artist: Oasis

Album: Definitely Maybe

Designer: Brian Cannon/Microdot

Artist: Blondie

Album: Parallel Lines

Designer: Ramey Communications/Edo Bertoglio/Peter Leeds

Artist: Bruce Springsteen

Album: Born in the USA

Photographer: Annie Leibovitz

Simple ways to drive traffic to your NEW online store

Sometimes it’s the obvious things that are overlooked when launching a new site, you spend so much time getting the product, price and logistics right that the thought of how to drive traffic to your store can seem overwhelming. Here’s a few simple tips to get you going:

Sharing

Your friends and family, their friends and their friends…. Good news travels. Write a compelling post with a cool image and get your friends and family to share, you will be amazed at the momentum it creates. Offer a discount on their first purchase and get the news out there.

Digital Influencers

Spend time researching the influential Bloggers / Instagrammers in your market sector. Look for influencers who have a high following and operate under similar values to your own business. Interact with them, even send them free samples and accompanying product information, encourage them to feature your products, but make sure you make it easy for them.

Press Release

The press and particularly local press love a unique story. Make sure you grab their attention with good quality images to support your story. Make sure your story is punchy and informative again a free sample will help.

Small Business & Startup Forums

Use the power of the internet, post on forums, start conversations regarding your new business, keep it simple and interesting, the aim is to get people talking about your new business.

Twitter

Start tweeting, upload images and interact with fellow tweeters. Engage with potential customers and get your products noticed. Have some fun with it, check out the hashtags that are trending and reply with relevant tweets. Build excitement and a countdown to your launch.

The key is to build your potential customer base, once you have this and you have established your on-line presence you can use SEO and Paid Digital Campaigns to drive growth.

Looking to set up your own online store?

Take a look at the colourways website for web design and development packages which can be customised to your budget. Or if you are looking for Magento support contact our Magento team today!

How to create fantastic content

An engaged audience wants to hear what you have to say and if they like what they read then they will come back for more, so make sure you don’t bore them in the first few lines. Here’s some help to make sure you create fantastic content.

ORIGINAL

Make sure your content is original, Google, not to mention your site visitors love unique content that’s relevant and useful. It’s far better to have fewer but more exciting posts. You could make your content unique by inviting different employees to write the post, giving a different style of approach can help keep the content fresh and topical. If your content creates a buzz of activity then the search engines will notice that your post is important and come back to your site more frequently.

GRAMMAR

Make sure you proof read your content and check for those annoying little grammatical errors, sometimes you can’t just leave it to a spell check. Accuracy of content gives a more credible content.

HEADINGS

Headings can win or gain a visitor in an instant, if you can’t grab their interest at the headline you have no chance of holding their interest for the rest of the article. Make the headlines relevant and interesting, encourage your reader to read on.

CALL TO ACTION

Give your visitors a clear direction of what to do next, whether it’s to purchase a product or service, find information or seek further advice. Make it easy for them and offer a ‘Comments’ section so your readers can reply to you or comment on the article.

IMAGES

Images are a powerful tool to enhance any article, make your image relevant and powerful, with a crisp clear image rather than a poor low resolution version that’s been poorly copied.

ACCURACY

If you need to quote stats to support your point, then make sure they are accurate and reference where you got the stat from.

PUNCHY

There is nothing better than a brief, to-the-point article filled with information.

Don’t worry about the word count it’s the content that counts.

If you need some advice on content writing then talk to our team today to see how we can help – call us on 01992 552845 or email us at studio@colourways.co.uk