Community Catalysts; Unlocking potential effecting change
Do you have an idea that could help older people and people with disabilities at home?
Do you need help to get your idea started?
Are you already helping people in some way and would like to do more?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, running a community micro-enterprise might be for you. Community Catalysts can:
· offer you a friendly and supportive point of contact to explore ideas
· connect you with other like-minded people
· give you practical information on regulation, training and opportunities in the health and social care sector
· direct you to other organisations who can help
What is a community micro-enterprise?
· A community micro-enterprise is a small local business (sole trader, limited company, social enterprise) offering flexible and genuinely caring services or support to older and disabled people
· It is frequently one person working on their own who really enjoys supporting people in their own community and having the freedom to go the extra mile
Community micro-enterprises can offer a range of different services and support to people in their area. This can include:
· help at home such as cleaning, meal preparation, shopping, dressing, bathing
· day, evening or weekend social activities
· help to stay connected to friends and leisure activities
· help to undertake training and employment opportunities
· gardening, light DIY, decluttering, therapies
“As I work more and more with older people, I love it. I definitely want to do more of this as part of my business…I’m glad I have Debra’s support to do this” Sue
What’s in it for the community micro enterprise?
· You are self-employed so you can decide on your hours of work, rate of hourly pay and location
· You will receive guidance on any regulations
· You will receive information about free business start-up support
· You will get help to market your business
· You will receive help to obtain a DBS check
· You can receive a free starter -pack of PPE (subject to availability)
· You will receive information about available training
· You can be part of an informal network of support from other self-employed people
· You can receive guidance and information from Community Catalysts and be signposted to other relevant organisations
Norfolk County Council have commissioned Community Catalysts CIC to work in Norfolk. The project runs until September 2021 and is being co-ordinated by local catalyst Debra Morris.
Work is happening in the Norwich and North Norfolk areas to increase the range and availability of help at home & community options. As well as helping people to set up new enterprises, we will also advise small groups and organisations already established in North Norfolk and Norwich and looking to diversify or extend what they offer.
How we operate
We work hard to recognise local strengths and actively build on things that work well and would like to connect with community, third and public-sector organisations, key stakeholders and supporting professionals who would like to know more about the project.
You can read an article on Claire, a case study, and how Community Catalyst helped her here
Get in touch, we would like to hear from you!
Contact Debra Morris, the local Community Catalyst, for more information about the project:
Claire contacted Debra from Community Catalysts in March 2021 as she had heard about the project through a friend and neighbour.
Claire already ran an established cleaning enterprise, but her experience with a family member had made her think about the possibility of offering services for older people providing a little extra care and support and cleaning, laundry, and ironing services.
As a small enterprise owner, Claire was already registered with HMRC. With this stage already complete, Debra was able to advise Claire on how to obtain an Enhanced DBS check and with NCC funding was able to reimburse the cost.
Community Catalysts provided information about suitable insurers for this type of business as well as templates and guidelines for paperwork Claire might need. Also, information and guidance on regulations around sole traders offering care and support.
They found a local training organisation that is offering fully funded training to undertake an online Social Care Certificate, covering all required standards.
Claire committed to undertaking the study time required, working around her own caring responsibilities.
Debra says:
Claire was so motivated from the start, such a pleasure to support her to offer further services and support for her older customers.
Within only two months, Claire had completed all the necessary study and passed all of the modules required.
NCC have provided a starter pack of PPE to help her get safely underway.
In addition to her regular cleaning, Claire is launching Lasting Sparkle/Helping Hand. Offering older customers help with shopping, appointments, tea and chat as well as a little support with personal care if needed. Find her on Facebook or
She is good to go and looking forward to welcoming her first customer!
Claire says:
I would like to thank Debra at Community Catalysts for all the support and guidance throughout my setting up process
If you would be interested in hearing more about how Norfolk County Council’s Community Catalysts programme can help your small business offer a wider range of support to older and disabled people in their homes, please do call me for an informal chat
During COVID-19 most businesses have relied on their company websites to keep trading, but did you know if you bought your website through companies like GoDaddy or Wix you don’t really own your website? It is not part of your company assets despite it being your primary sales source.
Websites sold through companies like these allow businesses to effectively rent space on the internet. At Media in a Box we think you and your business deserves a better solution that ultimately sees you completely owning your own company website, it’s called Small Business Booster. As part of the launch of this exciting new product one small to medium sized company could win a 10-page SEO optimised website for their business.
Media in a Box will professionally register, design and SEO optimise your website to meet your exacting requirements and once complete hand it over to you, although we can continue to support your website if you wish. The Small Business Booster is inexpensive as websites start from £46 + VAT each month and we offer a huge range of templates to suit all sorts of businesses with 5, 10, or 20-page sites. Our experienced team of web designers will tailor your site to achieve maximum impact and effectiveness in reaching your target customers. Media in a Box offers round the clock support and affordable digital marketing packages specifically designed for the needs of small to medium size enterprises.
Owning and not just leasing a website is key to your company’s continued growth and success. Having your primary source of income as a company asset means you control how it is configured for Search Engine Optimisation.
And remember to register for your chance to win and own a 10-page new website. Simply email us at support@smallbusinessbooster.co.uk with your business and contact details.
From the looming retirement crisis to the fastest ever fall in number of EU workers, we look at the top 10 scariest facts and statistics about HR that are likely to impact the world of work in the near future.
1. Employee mental health & wellbeing
A staggering 70 million work days are lost each year due to mental health problems in the UK, costing employers approximately £2.4 billion per year1. Mental health is a business imperative. People are the most important resource, yet one in four will have a mental health issue. Mental health issues are the number one cause of sickness absence in the UK. Around half of all long-term sick leave in the UK is due to stress, depression, and anxiety.
The statistics are concerning, not just for the pandemic but the predictions beyond it. Over the past year we have seen companies doing great things to support employee wellbeing during the tough times of the pandemic, but employers need to be looking at what additional wellbeing initiatives and support they can offer their employees.
2. Alcohol dependency among staff
There are 31,767,000 workers in the UK. And a recent survey has found that 85% of 2,600 people surveyed have been drunk in the workplace in the last year. 31% of them admitted to being drunk at work or being unable to work as well due to alcohol, at least once a week.2
Based on that 31% sample. This means that 9.8 million of the British workforce in any one week is drunk at work or has impaired capacity to work. That is a massive 1 in 4 British businesses that have, on average, at least one worker per week at work who is drunk. Or incapable of carrying out their job properly because of alcohol.
It is estimated that £7.3 billion is lost each year in business productivity due to alcohol related issues in the workplace. And 17 million working days are lost each year due to alcohol related sickness! And a staggering 200,000 workers turn up to work hungover on any given working day.
3. Company car drivers’ accidents
Did you know that company car and van drivers are involved in a staggering one in every four serious accidents on the road? And sadly, every week around 200 serious injuries and, even worse, road deaths occur that involve fleet drivers.3
The cost of these accidents does not only ruin people’s lives, but it also has a huge impact on the companies who employee the fleet drivers that are involved in the road accidents, more often than not costing them hundreds of thousands of pounds (sometimes even millions) on fleet repairs, insurance, time off work for drivers and court cases, etc.
4. Cost of recruitment
On average, the cost to employers of replacing a single member of staff is more than £30,000, according to a recent report. The analysis from Oxford Economics found that by far the greatest expense (more than £25,000) comes from loss of productivity caused by the time it takes (28 weeks on average) for a new recruit to get up to speed.4
The remaining costs arise from the logistics of finding a replacement, it said. This includes agency fees, advertising costs, HR and management time, and the possibility of hiring temps before the new role started.
The analysis was based on figures drawn from five different sectors: retail, legal, accountancy, advertising, and IT and technology. Over a year, the report said the total costs for the sectors combined would amount to £4.13 billion.
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5. Engagement
According to the 2020 Global Culture Report, compiled by O.C. Tanner Institute, as much as 50% of employees in the UK feel underappreciated at work. 5Added to this, social distancing measures mean that as much as half of the employed population are still working remotely, further adding to the likelihood of them beginning to feel detached and neglected.
Work-life balance is the top driver of engagement at work, but it is not traditionally an aspect that many employers ask their employees about. Businesses tend to focus on standard elements like pay or traditional career progression, but recent studies show factors like showing support for your employees’ work-life balance and giving them a chance to try more lateral things in their role have a greater impact on engagement.
6. Employment tribunal statistics
The employment tribunal quarterly statistics for the period from April to June 2020 published by the Ministry of Justice,6 reveal:
Single claim receipts and caseload outstanding rose by 18% and 31% respectively in this period, while disposals decreased by 21% to 4,496 compared to the same period in 2019. Multiple claim receipts and disposals dropped by 43% and 47% respectively, while outstanding caseload increased by 6%.
Annual compensation and costs awards figures have also been published for the employment tribunals and the EAT. A total of 160 discrimination cases were awarded compensation in 2019/20. The highest award, amounting to nearly £266,000 was for disability discrimination, while age discrimination cases received the largest mean average award (£39,000) compared to other discrimination jurisdictions. Unfair dismissal mean average awards decreased to £10,812 from £13,704 in the previous annual figures.
The Ministry of Justice commented that the increase in single claim receipts was likely to be due to rising levels of unemployment and changes to working conditions during the pandemic. It noted that this was “the highest level of single employment tribunal claims since 2012/13”. Caseload outstanding has surpassed its peak levels recorded in 2009/10.
7. The majority of workers over 50 want flexible working
Currently in the UK, there are 10.2 million people over the age of 50 in employment. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) arranged for a large-scale survey of over 12,000 workers over 50 and found that nearly 80% wanted more flexible hours and 73% wanted to see more part time positions offered. 63% said that they wanted training schemes to help them gain new skills and to deal with technology.7
8. Fastest ever fall in number of EU workers
Figures released by the Office for National Statistics have shown that the number of EU workers in the UK has taken the sharpest fall since records were first taken back in 1997. In the period between July and September 2018, numbers fell by 4.5% compared to the same period in 2017, which equates to 107,000 people.8
The CIPD recently advised that employers are finding vacancies harder to fill due to the decline in migrants coming to the UK since the vote to leave the EU. More than two in five employers have reported finding it “more difficult” to fill vacancies over the past 12 months.
9. Retirement
In the UK today, there are approximately 12 workers for every retired person. By 2050 that is expected to reduce to four workers per pensioner. That is a third as many workers to fund a bill that is going to be three times as large. Or, in other words, nine times as much tax that somebody is going to have to pay.
Excluding those still lucky enough to be in a final salary scheme, the average UK worker today retires with a pension pot of £40,000.9 With annuity rates around 5% that will buy a pension of £800 a year – or about £15.50 a week.
According to one online pension calculator, an 18-year-old on the new living wage who puts away 8% of their pay for their whole working life would end up with a pension of roughly £3,700 per year at age 68. That is assuming their employer puts in the current requirement of a 3% contribution.
It is fairly evident that there is a huge crisis looming and somebody, sometime soon, is going to have to do something about it.
10. Apprenticeships
Recently published apprenticeship and traineeship statistics for final year-end data for 2019/2010 reveal:
Total apprenticeship starts are down 18%. The number of apprenticeship starts for the whole of 2018/19 totalled 393,400, but this dropped to 322,500 in 2019/20. Of those starts in 2019/20, 47% were from apprentices aged over 25, while 25% were for higher apprenticeships.
Starts for both level 2 apprenticeships and under 19 apprentices dropped.
Traineeship starts were also down 18%. Starts on traineeships took another dip in 2019/20, falling to just 12,100 from 14,900 the year before.
Take up of the pre-employment programme, introduced in 2013, hit a high of 24,100 in 2015/16 but have been dropping since.
From August until 12 November 2020, the number of apprenticeship redundancies reported so far was 1,190. Of these, 22% were under 19s, 35% were aged 19 to 24, while 43% were for 25s and over.
The Government hopes to triple traineeship starts to over 40,000 for this academic year, with a higher funding rate for 19 to 24-year-olds, employer incentives and a tender to find extra providers among new measures.
If you would like to discuss how we can Make A Difference to your business through our provision of HR services, please get in touch on 01473 360160 or visit our contact page here.
You can view this original article and other content at Mad-hr.co.uk
As an owner or leader of a business, you have to wear many hats. Whilst HR is most certainly one of them, it can be tricky trying to navigate complicated employment legislation and employee issues, providing strategic HR or managing the coaching and development needs of the team.
Whilst you are unlikely to become an expert if every field, we do think it is worthwhile to understand some basic HR principles as this can help you manage risk, retain your employees, give them the opportunity to develop and contribute more and, inevitably, lead to your business’ success.
Here are five points that we wish employers knew about HR.
1. You are a business owner or leader; you are HR too
A leader or manager skilled in basic HR is a great asset to any business. Do you know the basics of employment law? Company policies? If yes, are you actively using this knowledge to help the business mitigate risk.
Do your employees know what your company policies are and have a basic understanding of them?
Do you have an office manager or administrator who has become your businesses go to for HR queries and fixes? Sound familiar?
It is worth exploring what training have you given them recently, as with all of the changes in employment legislation and government guidance, they may be feeling overwhelmed and unsure even when they are on the face of it doing an amazing job.
MAD-HR offers a training workshop specifically for those we call HR Heroes: the office manager, the PA, the partner of the business owner, the finance person, and those carrying out HR alongside another role and lacking the underpinning knowledge.
This is a four-part training course that has been designed to reflect new working arrangements and restrictions. Available online, the course can be accessed from your own place of work, wherever that may be.
2. People leave their managers, not their job
Exit interviews conducted show that, time and time again, the strongest influence on an employee leaving is the manager’s impact on the employee experience – that’s a lot of pressure!
Those same exit interviews show us that it is the small things that really matter. Many times, we have been told by employees that their manager rarely greets them, never says ‘thank you’, only talks to them when they have done something wrong, never praises their achievements, and so on…
Business owners, directors and managers are under enormous pressure and sometimes fail to pause, reflect and acknowledge. As you rush from a conference call to answering emails and thinking about your next appointment, take the time out to put down your phone and engage your team in a meaningful way. Why not schedule some time to place a call to your team, find out what is going on in their worlds, take a genuine interest? This is incredibly valuable to your team and you will all reap the benefit.
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3. You are the ambassador of recognition and rewards
Perhaps as a business you offer a rewards scheme. How often do you shout about it? Or is it the least visited page on your company intranet?
Challenge yourself to make the most of it; talk to your employees about it, share team achievements, catch people doing things well.
What if you do not have a rewards scheme? There is no time like the present to start! Even rewards as simple as a thank you email, a gift card for a coffee or lunch on you, are enough to help an employee feel valued. Plus, by recognising others’ achievements, it not only improves their morale, but it makes you feel good too.
4. You are a leader/manager 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
As HR professionals, we navigate and mediate a number of workplace concerns that can happen outside the workplace, but directly impact the business. Whether it’s the Christmas party, a few drinks after work, an off-site team building activity, what happens at these events rarely stays at the events. Having fun with your team is important, however, all the policies that dictate professional behaviour, protect against harassment and promote safety are likely to be relevant and need to be followed even when off-site.
Please celebrate and enjoy time with your team but remember to remain professional and lead by example.
5. There are times when you will need an HR professional
In our experience, every business needs effective HR support. Your people are your greatest resource; treating your employees fairly and providing them with opportunities to grow will help you achieve your ambitions and hit your business goals.
HR plays a significant role in developing positive business culture and improving employee engagement, productivity and operational efficiencies.
Do not wait until an employee comes to you raising a complaint, another team member has left during their probation, or your sickness wage bill is alarmingly high. Investing in great HR now will pay dividends, particularly when you are partnering with a champion of your business, your values and culture. A great HR consultant or business partner can be a cost effective way to get the skills and experience you need, when you need them. They will get to know your business and its ethos, demonstrate a return on investment and increase the knowledge and productivity of your employees.
If you would like to discuss how we can Make A Difference to your business through our provision of HR services, please get in touch on 01473 360160 or visit our contact page here.
You can view this original article and other content at Mad-hr.co.uk
Without a doubt, outsourcing your HR services to an experienced, trusted Human Resources consultancy can save both time and money. HR consultants can have a significant impact on your business and selecting a partner that aligns with your own company’s values and culture is crucial.
Choosing a partner who invests time to get to know you and your business – one that works in partnership with you to achieve your business plan and goals – will help ensure that you get the results you need.
Business owners can often think of outsourcing HR as having someone to handle HR-related compliance issues, draw up policies and procedures, deal with grievances and disciplinaries and look after HR administration. However, there is much more that we can do to positively influence your bottom line, helping you to achieve your goals much more quickly.
How will you know that you are getting the best from your HR consultancy?
Cost effective
Outsourcing can be very cost effective. For example, with a team of HR consultants, such as our team here at MAD-HR, you have access to HR professionals who have a breadth of experience and specialist knowledge, ranging from transactional to transformational and everything in between, which you can switch on and off, as and when needed. Having this type of flexibility helps you manage costs, work efficiently, and utilise the right “tool” for the job. Hiring a full HR department to provide the same level of skills and experience would be incredibly costly and add another line of reports to the business leader.
For smaller businesses, it can be more cost effective to hire a trusted HR consultancy who will do the job well and with efficiency, giving you access to what you need, when you need it, rather than increasing your overheads. You never have to worry about holidays, sickness or other types of absences; the service being delivered should be seamless, as you are supported by an outsourced HR team that knows your business, rather than an individual.
HR consultancy complements a business no matter where it is in its growth cycle. Start-ups, growing mid-market businesses and businesses focused on stability or reinvention can all benefit from an HR consultancy partner who can develop and implement a plan that aligns management and employees with business goals and objectives to achieve optimal results.
Efficiency
Experienced outsourced HR consultants can often deal with HR processes quickly and effectively, especially potentially complex HR activities such as recruitment, onboarding, employment contracts, employee handbooks, compensation and benefits, learning and development.
At a minimum, your HR consultant should free the business owner or management from having to handle many common, time intensive issues such as employee leaves of absence and updating policies due to changes in employment law and best practice, for example. An HR consultant should be looking at ways to automate, systemise and simplify processes, where possible.
Consistency and continuity is key. Having an HR consultancy with a robust infrastructure and resource plan will help keep the business on track, effectively delivering projects as well as dealing with the day to day people challenges, deploying the skills, expertise and resource required for each situation whenever, wherever and however.
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Recruitment
A good consultancy can help you source and select strong candidates for your job openings. First, they should have the skills and experience required for drafting job descriptions and identifying the core competencies and behaviours expected of a successful employee. They should also have good knowledge of the best places to advertise open positions to attract qualified candidates.
While it may seem like a small detail, the advert and job description may be a candidate’s first impression of your organisation and its culture and values. Poorly written, this not only places the organisation at risk of potential discrimination claims, it also misses the opportunity to showcase you as an employment destination.
The process does not stop there, however, as it is vitally important that you have a robust onboarding and induction process in place, in order to allow the individual to begin contributing to organisational success as swiftly as possible.
Learning and development
It is critical that any learning and development activity is aligned to the strategic aims of the organisation and to support the individual in their role or in preparation for a future role.
93% of people employees say they would stay longer with a company when they invest in their career development.
Learning and development or training and development, whatever you call it, is a must. Firstly, identify skill gaps among individuals and teams and then develop and deliver training to bridge those gaps. HR consultants should develop and implement learning strategies that meet business needs, through evaluating the business as well as the individual employee development needs, ensuring alignment of learning and development with business goals and optimising implementation and review to improve Return on Investment (ROI).
Benefits
You may have identified a need to improve on the benefits you offer as an employer to attract and retain the best and most desirable people to work in your business. Your HR consultancy should be able to assist you in developing your offer, undertaking market research to ensure you are aligned with where you would like to be and creating a benefits package, with several expected and desirable benefits, such as flexible working, employee assistance programs, wellbeing at work, etc. They can also help you to implement permanent remote work arrangements, which are popular now with employees especially after the pandemic.
Your HR consultant should be able to analyse your compensation and benefits across the organisation to make recommendations to keep your business competitive, your employees engaged and attracting top talent.
Regaining business focus
Business owners often get embroiled in the day to day running of the business, distracting them from the focus of planning for the future and implementing a mid-to-long-term business plan. Outsourced HR allows you to shift your focus back to what you love and need to be doing, while providing the comfort and peace of mind that the HR side of things is being effectively managed.
It can be lonely at the top and a big part of our role here at MAD-HR is working with business owners on a personal level, acting as a sounding board, a safe space, a champion and a critical friend.
Save time
By deploying the right skills for the job, you are more likely to get it done well and right first time. Your HR consultancy can help to create legally compliant, easy to understand documentation and processes that actually enhance and protect your business, rather than restrict it, such as employment contracts, employee handbook, performance management and other policies and procedures.
In turn the documentation builds the confidence and capability of the management team, as well as providing employees with consistent, comprehensive and timely answers to many of their questions.
Minimise risk
Appetites to risk vary from organisation to organisation and a great HR consultancy will be able to navigate the various risks along its journey, standing shoulder to shoulder with the business, achieving a win-win outcome wherever possible. Employment laws change regularly, and it can be difficult for employers to remain up to date on regulations that affect the workplace. It is the job of the HR consultancy to stay on top of these laws, so you do not have to. They should regularly review and update your documentation and practices so that you are always up to date and work with you in a pragmatic and commercial way that protects the business, the team and the reputation you work so hard to build.
Employee satisfaction and happiness
The quality of services your HR consultant delivers will have a direct impact on employee satisfaction. Having an expert speak honestly with your employees about their role, workplace and culture, responding to feedback and implementing changes that are fair and benefit everyone, will lead to greater employee satisfaction and happiness, increased productivity, and lower turnover.
Return on investment
Your people are what create a great product or service, which in turn generates profit, so ROI should naturally be a priority when it comes to managing people.
Every single person employed in your business is an investment, and by guiding your people to perform at their peak, reducing attrition, and investing further in their development, you will see maximized productivity and the subsequent returns.
Are you getting the best from your HR consultancy?
If you are considering outsourcing your HR function or reviewing the effectiveness of your current provision, call us to find out how we are Making A Difference to our clients as their outsourced partners. At MAD-HR we work alongside you to build capability rather than create a dependence and we are looking forward to speaking with you to begin our journey together, today.
If you would like to discuss how we can Make A Difference to your business through our provision of HR services, please get in touch on 01473 360160 or visit our contact page here.
You can view this original article and other content at Mad-hr.co.uk
During our first First Intuition Think Tank (FITT) fortnight, we discussed the topic of Remote Onboarding, a hot topic for many employers. We were delighted to be joined by Felix Mitchell, Founder and Director at Instant Impact and Will Dempsey, Global Talent Acquisition Lead at AstraZeneca. They shared their own experiences of remote onboarding and gave insights into best practice in this area. In our second session on this topic, we were also joined by representatives from the AAT, ACCA, CIMA and ICAEW who provided an industry-specific perspective on this subject.
So much valuable content emerged in the discussions that this article summarises some of the key points. There are also links to the Employer Insight report we commissioned as well as the recordings of both sessions.
If you need any reassurance or advice on the subject of remote onboarding this is a great place to start.
Session 1
Martin Taylor and Hazel Rogers from First Intuition discussed the content of our latest employer Insight Report. The title of this is ‘Meeting the challenges of remotely onboarding new employees and bringing them into your company culture’.
We were also joined by Felix Mitchell, Founder and Director of Instant Impact. He shared his own expertise and some client case studies.
Some key points that emerged:
There is often a ‘black hole’ between when the recruitment team finish their job and the HR team start theirs. This ‘pre-boarding’ period between an accepted offer and the first day at work is actually critical for successfully integrating new team members who will be working remotely.
Social events are just as important when working remotely.
A buddy-system for new starters is invaluable for making them feel welcomed to the team and building organisational loyalty.
Informal contact with senior leaders is important for new starters and needs to be deliberately planned when everyone is working at home as they will rarely cross paths in a coffee room.
During their onboarding, new starters should be encouraged to ‘contribute as well as consume’.
We were joined by Will Dempsey, Global Talent Acquisition Lead at AstraZeneca. He talked about his experience of building a remote onboarding programme including a couple of useful toolkits.
We also invited insight specialists from AAT, ACCA, CIMA and ICAEW to provide their tips and best practice for employers.
Interesting points from this session:
It’s important to identify the potential stress points for each new joiner so that plans can be put in place to mitigate them.
Getting to know individuals is going to be crucial. This may involve some low-level personality profiling such as Myers Briggs.
Someone needs to take ownership of the onboarding process as it often falls down the hole between ‘recruitment’ and ‘induction’.
Ensure that there is communication across teams as well as within them to avoid ‘silos’ developing where staff don’t know colleagues in other departments.
‘Planned informality’ is needed to replace relationship-building communication that would happen organically and naturally in an office environment.
Let’s face it, we’ve all had times when we’ve popped a post up on Instagram, and…well…nothing. Or at least, not a lot. Sometimes, posting on social media feels a bit like shouting into the abyss. And almost without fail, it’s the post that you really worked hard on, and really want to do well, that is the one that bombs. But what if there was a failsafe way that you could guarantee engagement on your posts? Wouldn’t you snap our 24 fingers off? For many Instagramers, this is why they enter into the world of engagement pods.
But, before you nestle yourself in amongst your fellow peas in one of those aforementioned engagement pods, let us have a little word in your shell-like: do your research, and know what you’re getting into. Because we’re here to tell you that Instagram engagement pods, unfortunately, don’t always work.
What is an engagement pod?
Of course, you may be wondering what on earth an Instagram engagement pod even is. Well, the long and the short of it is several Instagrammers who form a group (or ‘pod’) in order to increase the engagement on each other’s posts.
The usual set up is that once a day, you all share the link to what you’d like boosted. This is either in a private message on Instagram itself or on another platform entirely, such as WhatsApp. Everyone in the pod then goes and leaves a bit of love on the post. This is done through adding comments, likes or shares to each other’s posts, usually within a short space of time in order to trick the algorithm into thinking your post is the most popular thing since sliced bread.
A great way of boosting engagement, yes? Well, yes and no. Yes, you can get lots of likes and comments very quickly, which is always an ego boost if nothing more.
But unfortunately the algorithm is cleverer than we think, and becoming cleverer by the day.
Don’t lower yourself to the level of the bots
So, as we were saying, the algorithm is cleverer than we think: in 2018, Instagram announced that it was committed to reducing inauthentic activity. This included cracking down on bots, fake accounts, spam and, yep, you’ve guessed it, artificial engagement.
And you may wonder how it can tell that you’re using an engagement pod. A like’s a like, right? Like, it is, but like, when it comes from the same set of users on every post, and the same sort of comments are applied to your posts time and time again, the algorithm can certainly don its super sleuth outfit and keep an eye on inauthentic activity. And if Instagram does suspect your account of using an engagement pod to boost your likes and comments, it could suppress the reach of your post. Or worse: you run the risk of being banned from the platform altogether *gulps*
There’s a lot to be said for authenticity
Aside from the risk of being given the boot from Insta, there’s much to be said for being authentically you. We’re not about to get all motivational quote on you, but think about it: if you’re an influencer and it transpires you’re using an engagement pod to boost your likes and comments, you won’t appear to have that engaged following you sold your services on originally.
And for brands who are part of a pod, unless it’s very much in line with your niche, do you want to be commenting on other people’s posts as your brand? Besides, the usual ‘nice photo’ comment won’t cut the mustard; you need to make sure it’s meaningful if you want to trick the algorithm, which can be time consuming. Furthermore, likes very much do not equal sales when they come from engagement pods; these people are your peers, sometimes your competition, so they are less likely to buy from you than organic followers.
And on top of all of this, if you’re skewing your analytics with fake engagement, how are you going to work out how your posts are really doing, going forward?
Be less engagement pod, and more your own little pea
If you do decide not to go down the route of using an engagement pod, what can you do to boost your engagement naturally? Well, if you’ve been listening to anything that your Aunty 24 fingers has been telling you for the past however long, there are lots and lots of things you can do:
Put good quality content out there.
Build your network and find your own little tribe.
Engage naturally with other accounts as they are likely to take note and engage back.
Post consistently to both your feed and your stories.
Be yourself: no one else does *that* thing that you do so well, so sell that.
And if you need more ideas for increasing your Instagram engagement, we’ve got a course for that. If you want to know more, get in touch and let our very own 24 fingers drop some love on your posts in the form of good quality, engaging social media planning, training and management.
You can view the original blog and more from 24 fingers here
Just when you think you’ve got to grips with the latest video-sharing technology on the web, they go all Etch-a-Sketch on us and give everything a good shake, this month’s being the launch of Instagram Remix. The social media platforms have been falling over themselves to copy each others’ services, from Linkedin finally realising video is A Good Thing, to TikTok’s nifty Duet feature. It’s the latter that prompted Instagram to give its Reels tool, which is barely out of short trousers, an overhaul leading to – drum roll please – the Remix video editing feature.
It gives Instagram users the chance to create and post their reaction to a Reel, and while it might have a lot of comedic value, it’s also got great potential for business.
Picture the scene: a small or medium-sized company posts its reaction to content from a bigger company, which then goes viral, bringing customers to their door and putting their brand on everyone’s lips. Talk about lights, camera, action…
You can Remix any Reel, as long as the original poster has enabled access. The great thing is, the feature can be turned on and off, either by using the Privacy Settings, which would affect all Reels, or after you share each individual video.
To Remix a Reel, choose the video you want to react to and tap the three dots. “Remix This Reel” should appear if the original Instagram poster has enabled the feature.
Record or upload your new Reel, which should appear on the right side of the screen. Now’s the time to merrily edit and get creative, adding stickers, a voiceover or change the soundtrack. When you’re happy with your content, write a caption and choose your video settings, then share – easy peasy.
We reckon Remix Reels could give TikTok’s Duets a run for its money, but we’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, it’s time for our close-up…
We’re 24 fingers, a digital marketing agency and a proud member of the 42 Club, Brentwood Chamber of Commerce, Excel Business Networking Group, the Trusted Business Community, the Organisation for Responsible Businesses and the Rotary Club of Brentwood à Becket. We help companies who are all fingers and thumbs with their social media grow their business and brand. Book your free strategy call here.
You can view the original blog and other 24 Fingers blogs here
I don’t know how many of us thought that we’d still be adhering to so many restrictions after all this time, but here we are, over a year on and the pandemic is still having a big impact on all of us.
There is hopefully light at the end of the tunnel, with vaccines being rolled out and Mr Johnson’s ‘roadmap’ potentially seeing a better summer ahead. Twelve months on though, how have the markets, and our investments, held up?
An article on this very website in March of last year, commented that despite screaming headlines about big falls in the global stock markets, it was important not to panic. Instead, investors should keep a long-term view.
The initial falls were big. As investors started to realise the economic cost of the pandemic, equities were sold off at record levels. The FTSE 100 index suffered its steepest fall since 1987’s ‘Black Monday’, whilst a volatile S&P 500 index in the US saw record daily falls, and rises, all in the same month.
What about if you had panicked and sold investments in those indices? Well, just look at what you’d have missed out on, this graph shows the markets just before the biggest falls, up until now:
If you’d have sold out at the low point in March, you’d have lost out on the subsequent recovery, and crystallised a big loss. Those who kept patience have either made back their money, or in the case of the S&P 500, made a decent profit. In hindsight of course, March 2020 also provided an excellent buying opportunity for those who were savvy.
Although the spectacular recovery of equities has eclipsed them in recent times, the rise of government bonds and precious metals in the early days of the pandemic, showed the importance of diversification across different asset-classes. This helped cushion stock market falls in diversified portfolios.
There is no doubt that the major fiscal stimulus packages introduced particularly by US and UK governments, have had a big influence on stemming the fallout. In addition, there are some companies which have benefited massively from the pandemic, with tech stocks seeing the benefits of an acceleration in home working for instance. This particularly helped the tech-heavy US stock market, which somewhat outperformed the possibly Brexit-weary UK index.
Of course, none of us can predict what will happen next, but here in the UK at least there seems to be some hope on the horizon. Although the Bank of England think that GDP will contract by 4% in the first quarter of the year, it expects the economy to rebound swiftly from the second quarter onwards, once enough people have been vaccinated to allow Covid restrictions to be lifted. Indeed, it has said that providing all goes to plan, and consumer spending returns to normal, GDP could be back to pre-Covid levels at the end of the year. It cautions, of course, that there is much uncertainty still.
Whatever happens, market volatility is normal, and having a sound, well-diversified, investment strategy could help you to ride this out, paving the way for longer term gains.
This has certainly been illustrated over the last twelve months.
You can view this original Lovewell Blake article and others here
If you have any specific questions or would like to speak to a member of the Lovewell Blake team, get in touch via email info@lovewell-blake.co.uk
A passionate advocate for combining beauty and wellness with the environment and sustainable living.
Juni is the creation of make-up artist & ex-model Madeleine White.
Described as one of ‘The Brands Redefining The Clean Beauty Movement’ by British Vogue, Juni was born from a relentless desire to create make-up and skincare products which are kind to you and the planet, without compromise.
Madeleine discusses the journey to creating a successful, sustainable beauty brand and business.
Why and how did you set up your business?
I’ve always suffered with extremely sensitive skin. While working as a makeup artist on a film set a few years ago I was having a particularly bad flare up to all the products that we were using, simply from being in the same room and having the cosmetics on my hands. It was experiences like these, along with knowing that many of my clients, friends and family also struggle with sensitivities, that pushed me to create Juni. Working as a make-up artist and model I relied on my kit to perform well, and so it was incredibly important to me that any products I designed were not only gentle enough and good for my skin, but also high-performing and the best quality.
I already had a strong vision in my mind of what I wanted to create, but I didn’t know where to start. My first port of call was to NWES. I was assigned a lovely mentor who fully supported me, helped to create an in-depth business plan and secure a government start-up loan.
What makes your business unique?
Juni has many USPs, but it’s our uncompromising approach that really makes us unique. We’ve gone the extra mile to research, design and develop beautiful and innovative 100% plastic-free packaging – something that is extremely difficult and time consuming. All of our products are 100% vegan and prioritise sustainably-sourced, organic ingredients, with no microplastics in the formula, and they out-perform what’s available from premium makeup brands.
The cosmetics industry is dominated by giant international companies, so we’re really up against the big players. To succeed and standout you have to be different, and Juni provides that. We pride ourselves on customer care and we are small enough to have a close relationship with our loyal customers.
What are your business goals for the future?
I have so many ideas for new products! We will keep to lip care and colour for the time being and build the brand on this area of my expertise. We sell mostly through our own e-commerce website, but as lockdown is easing we are getting more interest from stockists, marketplaces and the high street. Lipstick sales are bouncing back and our latest product – a special Rejuvenating Lip Treatment – is already selling well.
I’ve been asked to speak at a couple of events now, so I like to think I have something to say in the sustainability and indie cosmetics brand arena. Juni really is a pioneering brand, and we’re committed to continuing this ethos in everything we do moving forward.
