Businesses, especially SMEs, are all at different stages of discovering social networking sites and how best to use this new technology within their businesses. With Dell reporting that offers from its Dell Outlet Twitter account had led to more than $1 million in revenue, it just shows us the potential of these sites. We’ve read countless articles on how and why to use Twitter and have come up a top tips list of our own:
Use Twitter to...
1. Find out if people have any issues with your product – and if they do, you can resolve any problems quickly and engage directly with them
2. Track your reputation – search to find out exactly what people are saying about you
3. Promote your business to followers – your sales may increase
4. Drive more traffic to your website and blog by using links in your Tweets
5. Network with people to increase your customer base
6. Search for potential customers who you think would like your product or service – although this may seem a bit like stalking!
7. Build your brand and profile through Twitter and ensure your business has its own personality and your customers feel comfortable contacting you directly.
8. Keep an eye on all your competitors too...
Have a look at our Enterprising Women Twitter account and become one of our followers to hear all the latest news in starting up and growing your business.
Friday, 28 August 2009
Thursday, 20 August 2009
How important are qualifications to business success?
Even though kids are sailing through their exams, with 97.5% passing their 'A' levels this year, concerns have been voiced that this won’t resolve the skills gap problem. Most businesses feel that students are unprepared for work - that the gap between education and work is too large. As the students are fighting over university places, the Forum of Private Business dropped the bomb shell that most of its members would value school-leavers over graduates, with 77% of small business owners saying they don’t even need employees with university skills. Is there a misconception somewhere along the line – that you'll have more chance of getting a job if you have a degree? But we’ve already seen that unemployment among graduates is at an all time high. Student placements, internships and graduate schemes are one answer as this is beneficial to businesses and students, bridging the skills gap. Time and time again, experience and on-the-job training outweighs qualifications in the world of enterprise.
Friday, 14 August 2009
More women than men in high-status jobs
There are now officially more female doctors, lawyers and architects than male ones in the UK, according to research by the University of Cambridge. So why are we not shouting about this fact from the roof tops? It’s being called the ‘quiet revolution in the workplace’, but it seems to be a silent one. Is this not a huge achievement, a milestone, something really positive? Yes, and it ties in with women excelling academically, a higher proportion of us securing places at top universities and achieving higher grades than men.
However, perhaps the one thing stopping us from celebrating is the fact that women are still earning much less on average than men – about 22.6% less. Um, where’s the equality in that? And in some areas, the pay gap is actually widening.
If the ‘quiet revolution’ fails to grab anyone’s attention, nobody will raise the pay gap as a problem. The limited opportunities for women to progress to senior roles such as company director are also affecting the pay gap. But the more these issues are brought into the spotlight, (in the same way Harriet Harmen brought women in politics to the forefront), the more recognition women will receive, both in professional status and in their pay cheques.
So what about a very loud and noisy revolution in the workplace?
However, perhaps the one thing stopping us from celebrating is the fact that women are still earning much less on average than men – about 22.6% less. Um, where’s the equality in that? And in some areas, the pay gap is actually widening.
If the ‘quiet revolution’ fails to grab anyone’s attention, nobody will raise the pay gap as a problem. The limited opportunities for women to progress to senior roles such as company director are also affecting the pay gap. But the more these issues are brought into the spotlight, (in the same way Harriet Harmen brought women in politics to the forefront), the more recognition women will receive, both in professional status and in their pay cheques.
So what about a very loud and noisy revolution in the workplace?
Wednesday, 5 August 2009
Harriet Harman gets women in politics back on the agenda!
Harriet Harman, Minister for Equality, may be a well-known feminist and has confessed to putting men’s noses out of joint, but she gets issues that matter back in the spotlight. And the absence of women in senior political positions does matter. What she said makes perfect sense:
“I think it’s a thoroughly bad thing to have a men-only leadership. In a country where women regard themselves as equal, they are not prepared to see men just running the show themselves. I think a balanced team of men and women makes better decisions.”
But how many people, especially men, would have just ignored her views on this? But with the controversial, “Men cannot be left to run things on their own” comment, she’s managed to make this front page news.
Indeed, cries of sexism from men can be heard from every corner of the room, retorting grumpily, “what if we said that about women? We’d never get away with it”.
But the point is, she whipped the media into a frenzy and now the issue of women in politics is back on the agenda! Clever, eh?
“I think it’s a thoroughly bad thing to have a men-only leadership. In a country where women regard themselves as equal, they are not prepared to see men just running the show themselves. I think a balanced team of men and women makes better decisions.”
But how many people, especially men, would have just ignored her views on this? But with the controversial, “Men cannot be left to run things on their own” comment, she’s managed to make this front page news.
Indeed, cries of sexism from men can be heard from every corner of the room, retorting grumpily, “what if we said that about women? We’d never get away with it”.
But the point is, she whipped the media into a frenzy and now the issue of women in politics is back on the agenda! Clever, eh?
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