Create an Instagram account, they said. It’s the answer to all your marketing problems.

It sounds easier said than done, and it is.

Mark Ashbridge is Co-Founder of one of Belfast’s best-known coffee shops, Established Coffee (ESTD). In 2020, the business celebrated six years in business, as well as achieving over 25,000 followers on Instagram through organic growth – no ad spend required. 

But Mark didn’t build his audience over night, he and his team have worked hard to grow their following.

Mark shared his story of the company’s Instagram journey at a Lunchtime Learning session facilitated by the Cathedral Quarter BID (Business Improvement District). His talk was packed full of useful insights. 

Here are some key points from his session that could be applied to your business: 

1. You don’t need a qualification

Mark explained that you don’t have to have a marketing qualification to grow your social media following. A good eye for photography, a bit of creative flair, being organised and developing a schedule for posting, and reading up on some tips and ideas all help. 

“No one in our business has any formal qualifications in marketing, but there are skill sets within the team that lend themselves to social media. As a small business, all hands are on deck, so to grow your online presence you could make use of others’ skill sets” he explained. 

2. Don’t try to spread yourself too thin

In order to really do your digital marketing justice Mark believes you need to pick one channel, or a couple, of social media platforms that suit your product and service offering rather than spreading yourself too thin across too many platforms. 

He said: “We don’t post content without an associated image. While we have Facebook and Twitter, most of our followers are on Instagram. We’ve been in business for six years and in that time the popularity of Instagram just shot up, so that could partly explain it. Also, because we’re so image heavy on social media, Instagram works well for us. We do use Facebook events but we probably underutilise Twitter.”

3. Consistency is key

Mark explained that being consistent with image quality, aspect ratio, schedule, tone of voice is important to capture your audience.

He added: “Multiple people contribute to our social media platforms, so it’s important to us that we maintain the tone of voice. We’re usually quite direct, no frills. This can come across as a little cold, but we think our imagery conveys personality. If we wanted to do things a little differently, it might be nice to inject some personality into the post, but the way we do it allows for consistency. The purpose of our social media is to get people into the café. Once they’re there, they’ll get the full experience.

“All of the images on our main feed have a similar look and feel. The consistency in our imagery, our lighting, the slight filter that we use – for us, it’s important to create a cohesive look. When customers take their own pictures and tag us in them, we share those to our stories. This helps us to maintain consistency on the main feed, but also lets followers see another point of view and acknowledges for the customer that we have seen their post and appreciate it.

“New dishes are posted on a Friday on our main feed as a finished dish with a full-length description of the ingredients, but our kitchen put a lot of work into new dishes and some of them could have up to eight elements. They thought it would be a good idea to showcase the ingredients and the work that goes into it, so we “build the dish” through Instagram stories to show the dish being plated up. This also acts as a look behind the scenes.

“Our menu is also saved as a story highlight. It is quite small, but we have a title page before it that instructs people to screenshot the menu so they can pinch and zoom. We’ve found simple things like this save us a lot of time in answering the same questions that people would usually have messaged us with, whereas now all of the information is there.” 

4. Be Deliberate – find your voice

Part of Mark and the team’s strategy is to be authentic and engaging with their content but he says there’s “no ‘right way’ to do Instagram”.

Mark added: “It’s whatever works best for you and your customers. Unlike our approach, @hollybellycafe in France offer a real behind the scenes look at running a café, with the owners sharing a lot about their own lives. @3fcoffee in Dublin shares a wide variety of content and their main feed is quite eclectic in style. Multiple personalities are showcased to represent the different aspects of the business. @siopshop are based in Manchester and they have a unique and deadpan sense of humour that comes across on their Instagram. Not for everyone, but I find it hilarious.”

5. Be Genuine – tell your story

Mark wanted to ensure that what they showed people on their Instagram feed would meet their expectations when they come into the cafe.

He said: “For us, it’s important to match peoples’ expectations. When people see our Instagram and then visit the café, we want their expectations to be met. Be careful of overusing filters or Photoshop to showcase a product in a way that won’t match expectations. With Instagram, you eat with your eyes. Although we’re a coffee shop, we showcase the food. There are only so many ways you can be creative with a cup of coffee.

“When Game of Thrones was being filmed here, Kit Harington came in and he did a post we have called ‘All Of Us’ where we showcase different people like customers and suppliers. That generated a lot of attention.

“We don’t follow any ‘rules’ for the algorithm. We don’t want to be a slave to it, we just do what works for us. We want to use Instagram as a tool to help our business. Some customers will come in and show us a picture we’ve put on Instagram and just say ‘can I have that please?’ 

“Over the last six years our Instagram following has grown and over the last six years our business has grown. It’s hard to quantify what Instagram has done for our business, but we do know that it has contributed to our growth and marketing on Instagram for us, works.”

Check out Mark’s full Lunchtime Learning on the Cathedral Quarter website: https://www.cathedralquarterbelfast.com/whats-on/lunchtime-learning-growing-your-instagram-without-spending-a-fortune

To see more Lunchtime Learning sessions go to: https://www.cathedralquarterbelfast.com/lunchtime-learning 

Father’s Day is fast approaching. And for many people the Covid-19 situation has meant they haven’t seen their dads for the best part of the last three months. 

Or, in other cases, some dads have seen a lot more of their children than usual.

Mary-Lou Fellowes, co-founder at eco-friendly marketplace Loolyn, said: “It’s been difficult for many people to find that perfect gift during the Covid-19 crisis, especially those with fathers who care about the planet.

“In normal circumstances, a day out, restaurant meal or a family get together would suffice, but this year Father’s Day presents mean more than ever.

“We want to show our loved ones that they’re special, that we miss them and that we care for them, a well thought out gift can do exactly that.”

Loolyn is a marketplace website that brings together some of the best eco-friendly, vegan, sustainable products that contain no plastic from across the UK.

Co Founder Lynsey Rebbeck added: “Just because we’re in a global crisis doesn’t mean we should throw out our sustainable mindset and buy presents just for the sake of them.

“Now, more than ever before, it’s important to stay true to your ethical values.”

Here are 12 cool sustainable gifts for your dad this Father’s Day:

Accessories

1. VLeather Lunch Bag, £15

Whether you are back to work or packing up your lunch to take it into the garden, these ‘vegan leather’ bags (aka washable paper) are stylish and perfect to keep your sandwiches fresh until lunch. 

These handmade, washable paper bags are from a mixture of wood pulp, cotton and synthetic latex, you can even put these in your washing machine.

Vleather Lunch Bag

2. Reusable Insulated Coffee Cup, £16.99

A great little addition to the vleather bag, these 340ml insulated coffee (or tea) cups will keep drinks hot – or cold if you prefer. 

Made from a high quality double walled stainless steel construction meaning they will ensure the long lasting and freshest flavour of every drink with no metallic after taste. 

Black steel is one of the most popular colours but customers can choose from a range or colours.

Reusable Insulated Coffee Cup – Various Colours – 340ml

3. Ballyneal Mug in Granite, £20

If you’re looking for something to keep at home instead of taking coffee on the go, you can’t go past the iconic Ballyneal mug.

With a gently curved, solid body and large, pulled curved handle this mug suits all sizes of hands and has a lovely weight to it. Fill it with his favourite sweeties and he will be in for a nice surprise.

Ballyneal Granite Mug

Eco Friendly Skin Care

4. Botanic Man Balm Moisturiser, £10

This award winning moisturiser is perfect for the man who just wants one thing to do all jobs and leave the counter clutter free. 

Tackling beards, face, body, hair, feet and hands. This ‘ALL-IN-ONE MAN BALM’ is a great way to benefit from the healing qualities of herbs and botanicals.

Botanic Man Balm Moisturiser 60Ml

5. Energising Eye Gel, £19.99

All that screen time and zoom calls take their toll on your eyes, often leaving them feeling tired and sore. This energising eye gel comes in a full compostable bamboo pot. It instantly brightens and hydrates the skin below the eye, reducing the fatigued-look and giving an awakening sensation. 

Energising Eye Gel

6. Beer and Bay Soapnut Soap Shampoo, £6

Keeping on the energising thought path, this multi purpose hair-face-body solid shampoo bar gives Head and Shoulders a run for its money when clearing dandruff or caring for a dry, flaky scalp.  It also makes a great shaving bar too. Also available in a pack of 5 for £27.

Beer & Bay Soapnut Shampoo Bar

7. Hand Salve (or ‘Paw Chutney’), £14

All that gardening and DIY dads have been indulging in over the past three months can take its toll on hard working hands. Whether you’re a gardener pulling out roses with your bare hands or a climber that skinned their fingers hanging off an epic overhang (totally possible) this hand salve will promote the healing of the skin and get you back on your A-game quickly.

Hand Salve – “Paw Chutney for Hard Working Hands”

Sustainable Shaving

8. Modern Double Edged Safety Razor, £25.95

These razors look luxurious and are weighted and angled to ensure a perfect shave every time. Just pop in a blade and let the razor do the work for you. Delivered in a cool presentation box they are available in Gun Metal, Black and Chrome. The plastic free razor includes a pack of 5 blades.

Plastic Free Razor-Black

9. Double Edged Safety Razor Set and Stand, £120

If your dad is already convinced the life long razor is the way to go, why not get them a full set of brush, razor and stand. A piece of art in your bathroom. This will definitely ensure they will never reach for your razor by accident again.

Shaving Set – Double Edged Safety Razor Thick Handled

Gift Sets

10. Skin Care Gift Box, £25

A great combo of natural deodorant, lip care and the aforementioned man balm make this a really thoughtful and interesting gift box without a sock in sight.

Men’s Skincare Gift Box

11. Beard Oil and Beard Balm, £26

This Beard Bundle contains both a beard oil and beard balm. The beard oil softens and repairs the beard. The balm nourishes and styles. 100% natural, vegan products which come as a result of years of experimentation by a dedicated team of bearded men.

Beard Oil and Beard Balm

12. The Ultimate Gentlemen’s Pack, £50

The Ultimate Gentlemen’s Pack consists of pieces beautifully handcrafted from recycled Irish whiskey barrels. They have been carved from a recycled Irish whiskey barrel stave with beautifully rounded edges, sanded to a silky smooth finish and polished with handmade Irish organic linseed wood polish. Consists of a hipflask, tie clip, bottle opener, ice blocks and cufflinks.

https://www.loolyn.com/product/ultimate-gentlemens-set/

Grab your dad a sustainable, eco-friendly, plastic free gift this Father’s Day at https://www.loolyn.com 

This Thursday (June 4) a free webinar is taking place that will demonstrate the vital role of a mailing list in business growth.

The webinar Why You Need To Build A Good Mailing List, which is a part of a series of weekly events by Excalibur Press, is being delivered by company founder Tina Calder.

During Covid-19 Tina pivoted her business and, as a result, has increased her mailing list by a whopping 960%.

On Thursday Tina will help attendees find out the importance of building a mailing list for any business as well as some tricks, tips, tools and techniques for capturing the right data.

“I have been torturing my clients for years to look after their mailing lists,” she explained.

“Now I have finally gotten around to doing it myself and have been astonished by the response.

“By quickly pivoting my business and finding ways to communicate with our clients and prospective clients we’ve managed to nurture a new, and growing, list of people who now know what services we provide as a company.

“At Excalibur Press we’ve used our mailing list activity throughout this pandemic to let people know we’re open for business and help them have faith that we won’t desert them when they need us the most.

“Throughout this webinar I intend to share my own experiences and reveal the secrets behind the scenes as well as give top tips and advice from the experts.”

The free webinar Why You Need To Build A Good Mailing List will take place at 3pm this Thursday June 4.

“In this webinar attendees will learn why building an email list should be a crucial part of your marketing strategy,” said Tina. 

“It will include ways to build your mailing list, how I manage my mailing list, some of the scary legal matters you have to think about, ideas for building your mailing list, communicating with your mailing list, and much more. There will be an opportunity to ask questions throughout.”

Tina added that the session is aimed at mailing list beginners and people who have a list that they don’t know what to do with or people who have yet to formalise or create a mailing list. Tina explained it will be an “overview” and not a detailed look at the technical side of managing a mailing list.

As founder of Excalibur Press publicity management, content creation and copywriting agency Tina has been in the business working in Northern Ireland for over 20 years and has worked with a wide range of businesses during that time.

In this session Tina will break down why creating, building and managing a mailing list should be a key part of your content and marketing strategy, how you can use yours effectively and show you some of the tricks, tips and tools she uses to manage her own list.

To register for the free webinar Why You Need To Build A Good Mailing List  book your spot here >> https://bit.ly/3gORAbr 

For more information on other free webinars in the series, go to https://excaliburpress.co.uk/events 

Children with autism often have a hard time dealing with noise, whether that be loud noises, constant background noise or strange sounds they may not be familiar with.

Background noise is a constant nuisance and can be overwhelming for a child with Autism causing difficulties when making decisions, constant confusion and distractions.

Ear defenders or noise cancelling headphones are extremely useful for shielding your child of all unnecessary harmful noise.

Meta Auden from Spectra Sensory Clothing who stock ear defenders explained: “Kirsty my daughter has had them from quite a young age, I didn’t realise how bad it was for her until she showed me a video she found online. Although Kirsty is 19 I’m still learning about her autism, and continue to do so, as we all have to.

“Wearing headphones can lower the overall decibel rate of background noise while still allowing your child to hear someone speaking to them.

“Without headphones your child could become extremely overwhelmed when in a loud environment leading to sensory overload.

“Sensory overload occurs when one or more of the body’s senses experiences over-stimulation from the environment. Sensory overload can happen in places like school or at an event.”

Examples of places your child might need noise cancelling headphones are:

School

Airports and on a plane

Shopping centres

Concerts

Community or school events

Public transport

Meta said the ear defenders, for many, “are a real lifesaver for children, teens and adults with Autism or Sensory Processing Disorder who find certain sounds or loud noises upsetting”.

She added: “As we’re a relatively new business, I would have got around to stocking these eventually, however we brought them due to customer demand. People were telephoning me to check if I had them in stock.”

Spectra Sensory’s Ear Defenders:

These great value, budget ear defenders were designed for professional tradespeople, so they really block out the noise.

Ideal for sensitive souls.

Lightweight and flexible, easy to use

Ear Defenders conform to EN352-1

Padded ear and headband

Fully adjustable

Wipe clean

Sturdy and durable

One size fits all

Can block noises of 22 decibels

To purchase the Ear Defenders go to >> https://www.spectrasensoryclothing.co.uk/product/headphones-ear-defenders/

To watch the video Meta’s daughter Kirsty shared with her check out >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2P4Ed6G3gw&feature=youtu.be

Girls just wanna have fun, right? 

Everyone is missing out on quality time face to face with their friends due to lockdown restrictions. 

However, just recently Amanda Holden, star judge on Britain’s Got Talent, showed us all how important it is to catch up with the girls during lockdown. 

“Amanda and her friends held a girls night in via zoom and invited us along via her instagram to show us girls how important it is to keep the girl power going strong” said artist and designer Kelsey Tyson, owner of Girl Limit, a home accessories and beauty brand.

So, if you’re missing your Sunday spa sessions, Tuesday treats cinema nights or Friday evening catch up drink’s with the girls, well look no further because we have you covered! 

Staying in has now become the new going out.

Check out Girl Limit’s top 7 ideas for catching up with the girls during lockdown: 

1. The HouseParty App

Instead of going out to the party, bring the party to you! HouseParty is the face-to-face social network where you can connect with the people you care about most. 

The app makes connecting face to face effortless, alerting you when your friends are “in the house” and ready to chat so you can jump right into the conversation.

This is perfect for cocktail night’s in with the girls. 

Check it out here >> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.herzick.houseparty&hl=en_GB

2. Zoom Quiz Night

Zoom has been very popular for online webinars and conference calls, however, it has been proving popular all over the UK in bringing families and friends closer together for weekend quiz nights.

Get the girls together for virtual drinks and have a themed quiz night chick flicks, heartthrob actors, dance floor bangers all while having fun from the comfort of your own sofa! 

Check Zoom here >> https://zoom.us/

3. Online Pampering sessions

Who says you have to spend a fortune on a spa day out when you can bring the spa to your home. 

Get the girls together for a relaxing evening unwinding, we could all use a break during the current stressful climate. 

Make your own mud face masks, chop up a cucumber and place on your eyelids, show off your latest skincare routine and rate the products amongst your friends comparing and contrasting, dress in your comfies and pour yourself a glass of champagne. 

Zoom will even let you change your background to make it look like you’re somewhere relaxing. 

Check out some DIY mud masks here >> https://www.siobeauty.com/blogs/news/mud-mask

4. Online Yoga workouts

Get your girls vrtually together and do a workout from your own living room or home gym with online Yoga workouts. 

Ask each friend to research a different exercise and then show eachother how it’s done. 

It’s the perfect excuse to catch up with the girls whilst still maintaining your healthy lifestyle. 

Yoga is also very soothing and relaxing, after the workout stay online and chat to check in with each other, make it a weekly thing! 

Youtube has a great selection of yoga workouts check it out here >> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZkDZKOcvYTh4dRDXQ71m7gQUmWkDmLAl

5. Digital Book Club

Want to clock out of social media? Why not create your own digital book club. 

Choose a book and make it up lifting, a book you can all lose yourselves in. 

Each week  arrange a digital meet up to chat and discuss the chapters you have just read. So pour yourself a glass of wine and escape with your friends.

Check out these bestsellers of 2020 on Amazon >> https://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/2020/books

6. Cook Dinner Together

I know you can’t go to that favourite restaurant you all love but why not bring your favourite foods to your kitchen.

Organise an online dinner night. Pick a theme, make it fun, Mexican night with homemade fajitas, cocktails and why not even dress up? 

Have a starter, main and dessert and share the recipe with your girls. 

The BBC have loads of tasty treats and homemade meals ideas, check it out here >> https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes

7. Just Dance 

Missing tearing up the dance floor with your best friends? 

Well now you can bring the dance floor to your living room. This was originally a game that needed a console and remotes. 

Just Dance have designed an app using a smartphone. Pick your ultimate fav songs and dance the night away, together.

Check it out here >> https://justdancenow.com/

8. Keep Connected

And finally, just connect. If you don’t feel up to any activities don’t stress, just check in on your friends from time to time and let them know you’re thinking of them. 

We all took for granted spending time with our closest girlfriends but staying connected online can make us appreciate them even more when we do get to finally see them in person. 

Looking for the perfect gift for one of your girls? Check out the Girl Limit collection at https://bit.ly/girllimit 

Many small business owners make the mistake of thinking that branding is something that’s only for the bigger players, and they couldn’t be more wrong.

For over ten years, Steve Neill from The Foundation has helped small and medium sized businesses tell their brand stories and communicate with their key audiences. He believes in using design to support strategic business growth and to build enduring relationships between businesses and their customers. 

At a recent Cathedral Quarter BID Lunchtime Learning event, Steve delivered a workshop on brand and design for SMEs, here are the key takeaways: 

“Lots of businesses make the mistake of creating pretty pictures for pretty picture’s sake – your brand has commercial value, so what you do with it should have commercial purpose” said Steve. 

“In years gone by, advertisers believed you had seven seconds to grab your audience’s attention, today we believe it is closer to three seconds. Therefore, you need to share your message succinctly, ensure your branding is distinctive, and tell your story in an engaging way.”

Your brand isn’t just your logo, or your slogan, or even your font and colour scheme. Your brand is what your customers and potential customers say and think about you. This is your brand identity. 

Your logo, and slogan, and font and colour scheme are building blocks that help to make your brand identifiable, and which can visually represent your brand by triggering in customers and potential customers associated thoughts and feelings. 

Steve explained: “The truth is – you have a brand whether you create it or not. All your interactions and communications feed into this story of who you are. If you aren’t intentional about it, it can become messy and unruly. Take control of your brand story and ensure consistency.”

Still not convinced? Here are 5 reasons why your brand matters: 

1. Strong branding creates trust through maintaining a high level of professionalism. 
2. Strong branding improves recognition. This can be boosted with a unique logo, even better if your logo tells a story. Don’t follow trends, go with what’s true for your brand. 
3. Your branding will help your marketing. You can create specific messages for target audiences that are on-brand. 
4. Branding helps you to attract the “right” talent that are a good fit for your organisation. It’s not news that today we have an employee-led market with the lowest unemployment rate on record. Getting the right people into our businesses is crucial and our branding can help to attract top talent, as well as the right talent. 
5. Branding helps to generate new revenue and business growth. Being recognisable and representing high quality helps your bottom line.

A final word from Steve: “Ideally, invest in brand-building early on. Determine your “what”, “how” and “why” – what do you do well, how do you do it, and why do you do it? Use this to create your business’ vision and mission. Identify your key values, also sometimes called your brand values. What are the three or five key things that matter to your business? 

“From here, it’s important to understand your market and your customers – what are their pain points? What problems do you solve, or what solutions do you provide? What matters to them? Finally, engage your audience and remember to respond to them – engage in conversation and dialogue – don’t just sell ‘at’ them.”Want to hear even more top tips about branding for SMEs? Check out the full recording of Steve’s workshop here >> https://www.cathedralquarterbelfast.com/whats-on/lunchtime-learning-brand-design-for-smes-2
Check out other Lunchtime Learning sessions here >>  https://www.cathedralquarterbelfast.com/lunchtime-learning

Monday 1 – Sunday 7 June marks Volunteer Week 2020, giving us the perfect opportunity to say ‘Thank You’ to the amazing volunteers who work tirelessly in our communities each and every day.

Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Alderman John Smyth acknowledged the selfless work carried out by volunteers in a video message to launch this special week; “As Mayor I have been so proud to see so many step up across our Borough and support the Council’s response to Covid19 and provide vital assistance throughout the most challenging circumstances.  I, on behalf of the Council and the Borough want to say Thank You. There are so many examples of amazing community spirit and gallant volunteering that I am delighted we as a Council will be celebrating, showcasing and highlighting many of these throughout this week.  In addition to this we will be lighting up our Civic buildings purple on Monday evening to publicly show our support.”

Volunteer Now, based in Northern Ireland, are leading Volunteer Week locally and the Council are delighted to support this brilliant initiative which covers a different theme each day. These themes include; 

•          Listening and Support

•          Spotlight on Youth

•          Fundraising

•          Covid 19/Civic Action

•          Nature and Conservation

•          Arts and Culture

•          Sport

Previously Volunteer Week would involve numerous events and celebrations to mark the occasion, however this year as we are still faced with the challenges of the Covid19 pandemic, it is even more important to support Volunteer week given what our volunteers have done throughout this emergency to support our communities, especially the most vulnerable.  

Each day next week we will cover a story based on the themes, showcasing the exceptional work being carried out across our Borough by an army of volunteers who deserved to be recognised for their noble efforts.

A free webinar from Empowerment Specialist and Transformational Speaker, Deborah King, this week (Thursday, May 28) aims to help you manage your health and wellbeing in these troubling times.

Deborah’s webinar is entitled Learn How Your Body Speaks To You – The Mind, Body, Emotion Connection.

It covers her personal journey of discovery, and how understanding of the mind, emotions and the physical body helped her maintain her own health and wellbeing including recovering from long term depression.

“This webinar will support you to become more in tune with your body to give you a better insight into how you can be in control of your own health,” she said. “As we all work through the difficulties we face during this pandemic I want to help and assist you to look at your health from a different perspective, address what can be done and how to do it”

Lasting an hour, from 7.30pm on Thursday May 28 the webinar will include a question and answer session as well.

Attendees will also hear from Deborah how to understand the connections between the mind, emotions and body, and why problems in the mind, body or soul can manifest physically.

In addition Deborah will discuss how healing mental and emotional trauma can aid physical recovery, and how to identify problems for some common illnesses and diseases.

“This free webinar is my chance to share what I have learned, what I have used, and the understanding that I believe can make a massive difference to your lives now and in the future.”

Register for Deborah’s free webinar here >> https://bit.ly/2XCequ7

A free webinar will this week (Thursday, May 28) reveal the secrets of creating good quality blogs for your business with creative content, successful campaigns and brand awareness.

The latest in a series of free webinars by Excalibur Press delivered by Tina Calder, Blogging For Business, lifts the veil on the world of blogging in a 90-minute webinar outlining the benefits of blogs, together with a series of tips and tricks to make your content work for you.

“Too often companies work hard on their web presence and social media channels and forget the power of blogging,” said Tina. “This free webinar outlines how the tricks and tips I have learned to make blogging work in tandem with your other campaigns.

“There are pitfalls that can be avoided by giving enough lead time, planning content, rather than as an afterthought, and how you can use it to drive more people to your brand.”

Beginning at 3pm on Thursday, there are still places available to book now for this unique slide/video based session as Tina shows how to make your blog work for you.

The webinar will see publicist, journalist and commentator, Tina cover why blog for business, what types of blog to use, how to create quick and easy blog posts, the key ingredients for a successful blog, the tools, tips and tricks for content, and how to create quick and easy content from blog posts.

“Many still see blogs as something for hobbyists, but they are a key part of explaining your business and relating to your clients,” said Tina. 

“But to make it work for your business you need the focus and direction to make the content do the right thing for you every time.”

“There are a lot of small tips and tricks and tactics that people can use to ensure they create a long-lasting business rather than just something that will subside when the crisis subsides.

“We’ve set aside an hour and a half for this webinar which will help you start thinking about what you need in order to supercharge your digital content. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions throughout.”

Tina will also showcase how blogging enables you to give potential customers much more information on your offering, displaying your experience and expertise.

In addition, the webinar will outline how blogging about relevant topics helps your website achieve a higher Google ranking, how content can be used in many ways and can be written to specifically target potential customers, investors, or even employees.

“Blogging is a conscious effort to add valuable content to your website. Maximise the time and effort they take to create by always including a call to action at the end, and repurposing them on social media channels” said Tina.

“Ideally, you want your blog to break through the noise. Making sure each blog post has a purpose can help this. Blogs should be written to entertain, educate, inspire, excite, inform, or create an emotional connection, with the ultimate goal being to move the reader to take some form of action.”

Throughout the session Tina aims to simplify the blog creation process and give attendees real and practical tips and advice on how you can begin working on their digital content today.

To book your place for the Blogging For Business webinar on Thursday May 28th go to https://bit.ly/3bsosCK

Brain Injury Matters has maintained its services to those affected by Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) despite the challenges of the current Covid-19 crisis.

Shifting rapidly to a range of technological solutions Brain Injury Matters has adapted how it supports children, young people, adults and families affected by ABI.

From regular phone calls through to a web portal the charity has managed to preserve its vital lifeline to users.

CEO, Joe McVey, explained that the shift to remote services was essential given the concerns of those that they supported.

“In the beginning many of our services users found the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown very unsettling, worrying and concerning for their families and themselves,” he said. “There were many questions and queries about how or if BIM will be able to continue to provide services.”

Knowing that they needed to respond a range of options were developed.

“Brain Injury Matters took the decision promptly to move to remote working but ensuring that we maintained the support and engagement of all services users,” Joe explained. “All services moved to telephone and online communication by way of Zoom, Skype, Facebook, WhatsApp and the Family First Portal.

“All programmes are now delivered through these mediums, with staff having become familiar overnight with this way of working. It was also imperative that staff were able to communicate directly with one another and their line managers to ensure support during this time.

“Support was vital to our clients during this time of uncertainty, to help survivors of acquired brain injury to reduce feelings of isolation, anxiety and stress brought on by their brain injury and made worse by the coronavirus.”

Adult service users are now supported by the ‘Positivity Hub’ online (funded by the CFNI) to engage with those who previously attended the Belfast Brain Injury Centre.

Brain Injury Matters children and youth services also continue to provide services.

“While we are unable to visit, we continue to provide support by telephone, online and the Family First Portal,” said Bridget Smyth, head of children and youth services, adding: “The portal has been updated and developed to allow us to communicate better with families so that staff can continue to intervene and support families.

“Our Family First Portal is an Online Tool is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and developed in partnership with the psychology services of BHSCT that allows us to share documents, have conversations, and organise virtual sessions through use of technology such as Zoom & Skype.

“Families are able to communicate with other families through the Portal, and there is now a lovely community of families with children affected by ABI, sharing their experiences of ABI and how they are adapting to life in lockdown. We are also in the process of creating videos to demonstrate skills, strategies and activities that parents can do with their children during this uncertain time.

“While we are developing technology to stay connected, we in the Children and Youth Service do not underestimate the importance of connection through more traditional means such as phone calls, and have been supporting parents and families in this way since lockdown.”

To find out more about Brain Injury Matters please visit www.braininjurymatters.org.uk