Are you a mobile marketing expert? If not, don’t fret – but continue reading, as this skill is one that you don’t want to miss, especially if you are the proprietor of a small to medium sized start up business. As a start up owner, you are expected to be a modern day ‘renaissance man’ (or woman) – you are responsible for a wide array of tasks that are at times completely unrelated, and you must be successful at each and every one of them.

After all, the survival and success of your enterprise depends on your ability to do basic accounting, provide excellent customer service, network and build customer relationships, recruit, train and hire top notch staff, and of course, complete the products and/ or services for which your business is known. On top of all of this, you must be a skilled and effective marketing wiz, with the skills and know how to promote your company to the fastest growing platform across the world – mobile marketing. If you ignore this pivotal marketing opportunity, you are losing clients, business and most importantly – profit.

With mobile commerce increasing 300% over online commerce, this is a massive opportunity for you to super charge your start up. In order to help you get a grasp on this vital concept, here are ten top tips that will get you started, and more importantly – get your marketing information into the hands of the people you hope to convert and count amongst your paying clientele.

1. Recognise the importance of mobile marketing – Before you can embark on a successful mobile marketing campaign, you need to fully grasp why it is an important step to take in the first place. As Kimberley Whitler wrote in Forbes, mobile marketing is quite literally the closest that you can get to your ideal client. She uses the 3 Ps – a person’s mobile is personal (their mobile is likely their most utilised mode of communication, and people form close attachments to their phones); proximity (it is usually within arm’s reach at any given time) and persuasive (most people check their phones constantly). This is too large an opportunity to miss.
2. Ensure your website is optimised for mobile sites – Sites that are programmed solely for a desktop or laptop computer can often look terrible and become impossible to use when accessed on mobile devices. With consumers increasingly doing their shopping on their phones, a poorly designed mobile site will cause them to head to one of your competitors. If programming your website is above your skill level, hire a website developer as soon as possible in order to make sure your site is compatible on smartphones and tablets.
3. Identify your target demographic – In order to ensure that your site is optimised in the most suitable way, you need to identity your target demographic. Here is a handy link that will help you to identify your ideal customer – this is an important thing to do for many aspects of your business’s success.
4. Build your audience on social media – More than ever before, connecting with your clients in a personal and customised way is a key driver of sales. Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat and more can be the perfect way for you to interact with and attract your desired clientele. Remember – social media accounts for business are very different than your own personal accounts – remember to always stay on brand and never be overly familiar.
5. Offer mobile marketing incentives – Offering an incentive (such as a free gift, complementary consultation, discount or sale) to your clients via a mobile marketing campaign will demonstrate the value and importance of your message.
6. Stay on top of new technology – Contactless payment options, Smartphone apps that make mobile shopping more simple, new social media platforms – as a start up owner on the cutting edge of your industry, you need to make sure that you are in the know about advances in technology that could help you with mobile marketing.
7. Email mail outs should be regular, valuable and targeted – Collecting your clients’ emails and putting them to good use is key when it comes to mobile marketing (although you must make sure that your clients willingly sign up for these newsletters). Send a regular newsletter that includes advance information about sales, information about your industry and many calls to action. Here is a comprehensive list of all of the ways that you can harness email marketing strategies for your mobile campaign.
8. Nothing you send should be irrelevant – In addition to the point above, remember – your mobile marketing should be valuable. Put yourself in your clients’ shoes – do you like receiving annoying memes, silly jokes and tangential articles from businesses you have dealings with? Probably not – so keep your marketing relevant and valuable.
9. Timing is everything – Pay special attention to when your target clientele is most active online. If you would like to attract those in an office setting, a Tuesday morning is probably a better time to send out a blast than is a Friday at 1am! That said, with Brits checking their phones 1.1 billion times per day, your clientele might be different – pay this some careful consideration.
10. When in doubt, get some help – There is no reason for you to feel like you are in this alone; if mobile marketing is not your forte, or if you find that it is eating up too much of your time, consider hiring an expert. Expending a few hundred pounds per month on a mobile marketing strategy and implementation plan is a great idea, but do be careful – if you do not begin to see gains within a few months, you may need to assess the company with whom you are doing business and potentially change things up. Don’t spend thousands and thousands before realising that you are not seeing those costs recouped.

If you are a small business owner, you undoubtedly have a lot on your mind – it takes a lot of time and energy to juggle your career, your family, bookkeeping, recruitment and a plethora of daily management tasks. While you are leading a busy and hectic life, there is definitely one more concern that you should be directing your time and energy towards – protecting your data.

While the Internet can be a valuable tool that can help any small business to succeed and thrive in today’s technology driven world, it can also be a dangerous platform that gives rise to thieves, hackers and criminals run roughshod. These skilled cyber criminals are looking for – and sometimes even going to great lengths to create – holes in security through which they can access your important information.

What kinds of data are they looking for?

Most of the data that you store on your computers, hard drives and Internet based cloud storage is banal; seasoned Internet criminals are unlikely to be interested in the information generated by your daily business dealings. After all, cabinet measurements or clothing orders are not very interesting to anyone, let alone a criminal searching for profit!

The two most common types of data that criminals are looking for include (but are not limited to):

• Payment information: this can include credit card numbers; bank account details (branch, transit and account number); direct debit information; money order numbers; traveller’s cheque information; information about bonds; gift card numbers; and anything else remotely related to payment. While you may think a few strings of numbers are meaningless, to a seasoned cyber criminal they can be a gold mine.

• Personal information – Credit card numbers, while of obvious value, are not the only desirable information you have stored in your computer files. Personal information is very valuable to a certain type of cyber criminal; simple things such as a full name, National Insurance number, home address, home telephone number, mobile number, date of birth and country of origin can all be used by a savvy hacker in order to conduct identity theft.

Identity Theft can ruin your business and destroy your credit – forever

Identity theft is so much more than simply someone impersonating you online for laughs; it can destroy your credit, ruin your reputation and change your life forever. Criminals who have accessed your personal information – or your customer’s personal information – can wreak havoc on your life. They can use this information to:

• Open bank accounts in your name
• Apply for countless lines of credit and credit cards using your details
• Take over any existing accounts that you have
• Raise your credit limits on multiple accounts
• Purchase consumer goods on credit in your name
• Obtain governmental benefits (i.e. go on the dole or receive disability allowance) with your information
• Access safe deposit boxes you may have in your name
• Apply for and receive passports, driving licenses, birth certificates and other official documents that will further solidify their claim on your identity

You can see how absolutely devastating identity theft can be for an individual – now imagine if your business was the ground zero of an information leak involving thousands of your customers? Your name could get dragged through the press, and you would undoubtedly lose countless clients – and a lot of business. A data leak could ruin your enterprise forever.

So, what can you do to protect your data – and the data of your valuable customers?

Now that you are clear about the devastating effects that a data breach could have on your business – and on the bonds of trust you have built with your clients, is there anything that you can do to protect your business from cybercrime? Thankfully, the answer is yes.

Here are three simple ways that you can ensure your small business’s data – and the valuable data of your customers – is safe from a potentially career ending breach.

1. Educate your employees – Employee error – this is one of the most common ways that data security breaches occur. Even if you think your employees are fully versed in online security, your front line staff – the ones who are regularly answering emails, logging in online and accessing your software – are most likely the weak links in your security plan. Countless studies point to the fact that poorly trained staff members are more likely to fall prey to online ‘phishing’ schemes (fraudulent websites designed to look and feel identical to official sites) and other cybercrime tactics – in order to prevent this, you need to provide regular comprehensive training on how to spot security scams.
2. Use a reliable antivirus program – While no antivirus program can keep you completely out of harm’s way, a good malware security system can help to prevent security breaches caused by backdoor access, keyloggers and other nefarious programs. These programs are worth you time – and yes, definitely worth your money, as they will save you in the long run.
3. Use unique passwords for every site – Do you use the same easy to remember password for your online banking, accounting software and email accounts? If your answer is yes, you are putting your customers – and your business – in jeopardy. If your password gets leaked (if another business has a data breach) and you don’t realize this has happened, all of your accounts are in jeopardy, rather than just one. Don’t risk it – use strong, unique passwords for all of your important online accounts.

Now that you know just how important online security is when it comes to your business’s success, hopefully you will take the correct measures to ensure that your data is safe, protected and out of the reach of cyber thieves. While no online system is impervious to theft, your clients can rest assured that you have done everything within your power to secure their data – and their peace of mind.

Are you looking to kick start your business, gain the funding that you desperately need to expand (or simply survive), and inject a dramatic new purpose into your career – and your life in general? Accelerator programs are the answer that you may be looking for. Aimed at start- up entrepreneurs who have fantastic ideas but who may be lacking in funds and/ or experience, firms offering Acceleration Programs are dramatically increasing in number year on year.

Barclays is one of an increasingly larger number of corporate giants and multinational firms who are launching their own Accelerator programs, partnered with Techstars, a well known leader in the industry.

Can an Accelerator Program help you and your Fintech business survive and thrive? Read ahead to learn more about these groundbreaking firms and find out if this is a viable and attractive option for you and your business.

What is an Accelerator Program?

Accelerator Programs are taking the business and financial world by storm, with countless organisations springing up and promising a huge, rapid boost for your business. Originally geared more towards start up culture and young entrepreneurs, Accelerator firms can offer their clients an opportunity to network, learn new skills, access to new customers and markets, and most importantly – they can help them to acquire the funding that they need to take their idea to the next level.

In December of 2014, The Telegraph assessed that there were 36 accelerator and/ or incubator programs across the UK, with the vast majority (over two thirds) based in London. Most are located in the so-called ‘Silicon Roundabout’ at Old Street station, home to over 1500 start ups and tech firms. It is important to remember that this number pales in comparison to the Accelerator programs in the United States, with numbers in the thousands (here is an interesting link to the top 20 American Accelerator Programs in 2015). Approximately 40 % of these programs are private enterprises, and over 25 % are run by academic institutions.

The most successful and famous US Accelerator firm is Y Combinator. This illustrious company has invested in more than 1000 start-ups, and their most successful past clients are Dropbox and Airbnb, companies that are worth more than 30 billion US dollars. This is clearly something worth looking into!

What are the Benefits of An Accelerator Program?

These firms can help young companies in their early stages of development to grow, flourish and learn. They often provide seed money and leadership, and research has shown that start-ups that qualify for and secure a place on an accelerator program are more likely to do well in the long term, with higher rates of success than businesses who do not engage in such a program. Money, success, investment possibilities, mentorship opportunities and new skills – these programs have myriad benefits; if you are small business owner or a young start up entrepreneur, it is worth looking into any accelerator programs you might qualify for.

From Start-Ups to FinTech?

At this point you might be wondering what all of these accelerator programs aimed at tech firms and young, kooky app companies has to do with you and the field of Financial Technologies. The answer may surprise you – more often, accelerator companies are branching out beyond the industries that they traditionally supported and taking an interest in other sectors. Restaurants, healthcare, fashion, and banking are all experiencing a surge in corporate- run accelerators, and Microsoft, Telefonica and Barclays are all offering similar programs.

Barclays Accelerator Program for Fintechs

Banking giant Barclays has entered the Accelerator ring with their new program, aimed at Fintechs (Financial technicians). While this program is officially linked with Barclays, it is actually offered by Techstars, “a global eco system that helps entrepreneurs build great businesses.” This is quite an advantageous partnership, as Techstars has years of experience in the industry, while Barclays has heaps of capital and a global reputation for banking excellence over the past 300 years across over fifty countries.

The Barclays Accelerator (Powered by Techstars) is a three month program billed as an ‘intensive start-up accelerator,’ that focuses on “financial technology innovation and disruptive solutions.” This program is currently being offered in London, New York, Capetown and Tel Aviv (although applications are currently closed), with plans to expand further in the near future. They allow between six and ten teams to participate at any given time, and this includes the potential for up to 120,000 US dollars per team.

Now that the program has been operating and thriving for over two years, success stories are starting to emerge from early Barclays Accelerator Alumni. From Squirrel, an app that helps lower income individuals save money and make ends meet, to Gust, a wristband/ app that helps people avoid long queues by using Bluetooth technology and information from past trends – these are interesting and successful companies that have benefited greatly from their affiliation with Barclay’s Fintech.

The Future of Accelerator Programs

It is safe to say that this trend is not going anywhere any time soon – Accelerator programs have been so successful and so ‘buzzed about’ in the media that it is certain that they will continue to expand. We can expect to see this model move from hardware and Fintech to ever more diverse industries. Experts are also predicting that more and more of the investment capital will come from crowdfunding sources, a way to spread the risk across a vast pool of people and create loyal users before the product or app is even completed.

Is one of Barclays Accelerator Program for Fintechs of interest to you? Keep an eye on their site to determine when new submissions will be accepted and start planning your application now.

In today’s world of e-commerce, many entrepreneurs are understandably highly focused on promoting and marketing their products online. Sites such as Etsy, Amazon, and Ebay are just some of the big names in e-commerce, places where small business people can sell their wares, from taxidermy and homemade preserves to bespoke jewelry and high end craftsman furniture. No matter what it is that you sell, if your product is interesting and well made you are sure to find willing buyers for your unique products in many places on the World Wide Web.

With that said, many small business owners are overlooking traditionally lucrative offline markets in favour of solely focusing on internet shopping. This is a mistake – there are still plenty of very beneficial ‘brick and mortar’ solutions that can help you to reach your sales targets for the quarter and the year. Here is a list of ten fantastic places where you can sell your products offline.

1. Create a Buzz with a Pop Up Shop – Pop Up Shops are a huge trend in cities around the world, popular for their ability to create a buzz and a sense of excitement around your product and your brand. You can create a shop within a shop, open your own kiosk or even make a mobile pop up, a’ la the food truck. Pop up shoppers are looking for a unique experience, so make sure that your temporary shop truly represents your brand story. As the Economist recently pointed out, “the pop-up industry has grown to approximately $10 billion in sales,” proving that this is no fleeting trend.
2. Take advantage of events and festivals – Large scale events, such as festivals, concerts, festive celebrations, and street parties can be the perfect place to setup a booth and sell your wares. People are usually in a fun and lighthearted mood at these events, and are often looking to purchase a special souvenir or keepsake to remember their experience. If you plan to sell your products at a festival or event, make sure that your brand is aligned with the demographic who will be present.
3. Hire a Stall at a Market – Many retail success stories have started with a stall in a market – even the retail giant Marks and Spencer began as a wee booth at a Leeds market! This environment offers you a small table that you can call your own at which you can sell your products and interact with your clientele on a one to one basis. There are markets of all kinds across the entirety of the UK – here is a valuable list that will help you locate all of the markets in your vicinity and across the country.
4. Be available for home parties – There is a reason why the phrase “Tupperware party “ has entered into the common lexicon! Selling your products at dedicated parties (or even alongside other traders) can be a hugely successful strategy. Parties offer you a captive clientele, and you can build relationships and customer loyalty by offering demonstrations and discounts. This will obviously work better with some products more than others, but if you think that your goods are suited to a party environment, here is a handy link to help you get started.
5. Take part in Etsy ‘Made Local’ events – Online arts and crafts giant Etsy knows the value of offline sales; that is why they regularly host large craft events and “Made Local” sales featuring the vendors who sell goods on their site. If you are already an Etsy trader, make sure you snag a table at their next craft market or event.
6. Do not underestimate the allure of a Carboot sale – Ah, the humble carboot. While you may write this off as an inappropriate or non glamourous place to sell your products, just remember: people are gathering each week in locales across the country, and they are looking for new, unique and well priced items. While this will be better suited to some sellers more than others, if your product has a vintage or antiques feel, you will find buyers at a carboot.
7. Give Mail Order a try – While you may view this method of reaching your customers as antiquated or irrelevant, this is simply not the case. Millions of people continue to shop via mail order catalogue, and even those who elect to place their orders online are more likely to spend more per transaction after leafing through a physical catalogue. Here are some great tips on how you can start your own mail order catalogue business in order to sell your product.
8. Secure a place at a trade show – Depending on your industry, a trade show can be the perfect place to reach new buyers, especially those with clout and power. If your product has an environmental spin, make sure you sign up to Eco-Fairs or Green Home Events; if your product can be considered useful for the home, make sure you have a presence at every ‘home and garden show’ that occurs in your area each year.
9. Give samples and free products to events for swag bags and prizes – If you are a small business owner, you undoubtedly have a target demographic in mind. Consider the types of events, awards shows and parties that these people will be attending, and contact the organisers with an offer of free goods to fill swag bags and give away as prizes. This will get your products into the hands of the people who you want to reach the most, and will hopefully lead to repeat sales.
10. Sponsor a local team – By sponsoring a local team, event or charitable engagement, you can get your name out there in a very meaningful and tangible way. Those who you sponsor will be very likely to reach out to you when they need to make a purchase, rather than hopping online or going to a competitor.

So Shergar has finally surfaced. The current thinking is that the horsemeat in burgers (horsegate?) is a matter of label fraud. Where there’s fraud there’s an auditor. Presumably the invoices reflected the lower cost of horse meat as opposed to beef. Should an eagle eyed auditor not have noticed that costs were dropping even if margins were held?

I must admit none of the pundits I have heard on the radio have even mentioned this – they call it a labelling issue. Wouldn’t you just love to be a solicitor at the moment? Just imagine a class action for trauma and mental anguish.

And on a lighter note, I understand a “gallop” poll of supermarkets has revealed that burger sales are “stable “.

Formations Direct surveyed their business customers about welfare reforms and 78% of them said that cutting benefits is an important element of the changes. Does this mean that the self-employed are fed up of seeing themselves working hard and taking risks whilst looking at their “neighbours” sitting at home and cashing in?

Presumably people are compassionate and don’t begrudge the sick and infirm a degree of help so the question is where to strike the balance. On the one hand if businesses are “burdened” by disability legislation, surely the disabled need to be working rather than receiving benefits, or perhaps receiving less benefits, but the counter-argument is that we could be acting cruelly by forcing some people into work when they are simply not up to it, which benefits neither them nor SMEs.

From my perspective there should be no sacred cows in welfare reform. Just because something is cherished dearly doesn’t mean we can’t examine it closely and see if it can be improved upon. Perhaps we need to rename the changes as “welfare innovation” and offer a hefty cash prize to the best idea.