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How to write good copy for your website

Written by Haze Carver on 28 January 2022.

Bigfork – We’re the Digital People

Your website is constantly being judged.

It’s being judged in different ways by different people from visitors, browsers, shoppers, customers, not to mention Google and other search engines and even your competitors.

The one common goal they all look for, whether they know it or not, is high quality, helpful, engaging and valuable website copy.

With users spending an average of 5.59 seconds looking at a website’s written copy, the fact that good copy is often neglected or treated as an afterthought can be your biggest mistake.

Why write good, if not great copy for your website?

Let’s back track here, good isn’t quite GOOD enough, and here’s why you need to be writing GREAT copy for website.

Ask yourself, would you prefer to trust an elaborate site with low quality copy, or a simple site packed with engaging and informative copy that answers your questions and ticks your boxes?

We’re not saying ditch great website design, we love a beautifully designed website, but without engaging high quality website copy, the design can be wasted. Great copy and great design are a winning formula when it comes to user experience and the success of your website.

Your website is the ‘worlds’ shop window to your business and should also be your top salesperson. Even the best salesperson can’t sell with just an image, it needs to be backed up with words and in the case of your website, authentic and genuine copy.

This example from Gousto demonstrate this, with a sleek and simple design backed up with copy answering potential customer’s questions. Add to this mix, a reason why you should try Gousto plus a great offer to get you started, and they’ve ticked a lot boxes.

Write great website copy

The benefits of good copy

Investing in great copy for your site has virtually endless benefits and quite literally affects every aspect of your online business. It can even inspire customers to visit your bricks and mortar store if you have one, in addition to increased ecommerce sales.

Taking your copy to the next level can:

Attract new visitors
Connect with existing customers
Respond to users’ questions
Get visitors to spend more time on your site
Increase website and brand trust
Generate online sales
Improve conversion rates
Raise brand awareness
Collect consumer feedback
Improve your SEO
Gain better search engine rankings
Establish your authority
Cultivate customer relationships

If you have a beautifully designed website or not, with poor content, users won’t stay. Creating great copy for your website will portray your business in a positive light and let you stand out from your competitors.

How to write great copy for your website

How exactly do you write great copy? It’s certainly not all about quantity, but more about quality and understanding your customers and knowing what they want.

The recipe for good web copy should include:

A consistent tone of voice

This ensures all your communications are on-brand, it’s ‘how’ it sounds when you say it. You should also use your customers language, give it personality, appropriate for your customers to connect and engage with them.

Harrys demonstrate they understand their customers’ problems when it comes to shaving and speak through their copy with a clear, straightforward tone of voice, which is consistent throughout their website.

Show that you understand your customers problems

Writing for users’ intent

It’s essential when creating content to always keep the user in mind, throughout the entire customer journey. This starts with what keywords visitors will be searching for, to answering their questions and solving a problem. Getting the balance of using sufficient detail to educate users, while not boring them is fundamental.

Provide value to visitors

A customer can interact with your brand 20 times before they actually purchase anything. That can be through social media, website copy, marketing, reviews etc and each one leaves an impression.

Good copy should provide value to visitors, for example, people read blog posts to get information, help or answers. Using blog posts to address the pain areas or questions that your audience want to know is a great use of copy.

This example from Candymail shows how a blog post was written on the subject of a question that many customers were asking. Not only does the blog answer the question, but it also resulted in the No. 1 spot on Google for the search term “How hot are Flamin’ Hot Cheetos?”

What questions are your customers asking online?

Using keywords for SEO

While the above example, demonstrates how good copy works for users and search engines, take a look at how Air BNB appears in a Google search. Their copy has all bases covered, from local holidays, UK places to stay and how to become a host.

Researching keywords for your content is essential before you begin crafting website copy. Making your copy work for you is paramount for both search engines to drive traffic to your website and users when they arrive on it.

Find out more about how to write SEO friendly articles.

You can view this Bigfork original article here

Writing a website design brief is an essential first step towards creating your new site.

Written by Haze Carver on 28 January 2022.

Bigfork – we’re the digital people

Here we look at what your brief should cover, what your agency needs to know and the crucial questions to answer before you start.

A website design brief is simply a document that sets out what you want from your website design project.

It deals with areas including what the site will cover, how it will work, how you’ll update it and how people will find it.

A website design brief helps to focus your thinking on what you really need from your web design, so you don’t waste time and resources later on.

Your brief also helps your web design agency understand what you want, resolve any questions and give you an accurate cost.

The better the brief, the smoother the project – and the better the end result.

Want to get started straight away?

Download your free website brief PDF template

Your aims

These days, every firm is expected to have a website of some sort. But beyond that, why do you need a new one? What aims do you want to achieve?

Specifically, do you want to increase sales and leads, target new customers or promote new products and services? Do you want to build your brand’s profile or offer people a better source of information?

Or is it more about polishing up the design, improving performance, smoothing the user experience or making the site easier to update?

Take an honest look at your existing website – or ask your customers, if you can. What do you like and dislike about it? What is working well, and what needs to change?

Business background

A website is a commercial tool – whether you’re using it to sell online, generate enquiries or just build your brand. So your agency needs to understand how your new website will fit with the rest of your business.

In your website design brief, sum up your company history, your products and customers, your markets, your strengths or weaknesses and your future plans.

What is your position within your marketplace? Are you a best-value option, a premium choice – or somewhere in between?

Do you have a marketing plan already? If so, let your agency know what part your new website will play in it.

Competitors

Your website will be going toe-to-toe with your competitors – most obviously on Google’s search results page.

Therefore, your brief needs to include a review of competitors’ sites. Who are they? What are they doing well – and not so well? What opportunities does that open up for you?

Creative brief

As part of your website design brief, explain exactly what you like about other people’s sites – for example, the design, the functionality, the user journey. This helps your web design agency understand exactly what you’re looking for.

Visitors and traffic

Your brief should profile your existing and future customers. Who do you want to visit your website? How do people normally buy from you? Who are your ideal new customers, and what would they want from your site?

Then there’s the question of how visitors will find you. Will you aim for a first-page listing on Google, or direct traffic with pay-per-click (PPC) ads? What part will social media and email play? And what about offline channels like print advertising and events?

Structure and content

Now, think about what pages your website might need. Your agency will be able to help you here, but it’s good to have a basic idea.

For a smaller site, you can just list the pages. For larger sites, you might want to draw a ‘family tree’ style diagram (known as a ‘site map’), showing sections and links within the site.

Think about the content each page will feature. Remember, it doesn’t have to be just text – you can include images, video, documents, maps and more. Aim to give your users what is most helpful to them.

Detail in your brief what content you will be providing and what you need the web design agency to supply. If you need copy to be written then the agency knows they need to quote for this.

Technical aspects

Do you already have hosting and a domain name? If not, you’ll need to set them up. Your agency can do this for you, or work with your existing provider if you have one.

For ecommerce sites, your agency will need to know what platform you prefer (if any), what products you want to offer, what functions you want and the arrangements for payment and shipping.

Your new website will probably need a Content Management System (CMS) so that you will be able to manage most of your website content inhouse. If you have a preferred CMS then add it to your brief, however it may be better to ask what CMS the agency would recommend and why.

A site is a long-term commitment, not a one-off project – so what maintenance and support will you need? This could include updating content and features, security tweaks or just general help and advice. Ask your agency what they can offer.

Budget

How much do you want to spend? This is a bit like saying ‘How long is a piece of string?’ But your agency needs to have some idea of your budget, so they can tailor their proposal.

With websites, you get what you pay for. Think of your site as an asset that you’re investing in, not just a cost. It will be a central part of your sales and marketing effort for many years to come.

Timescale

If you have a timescale, let your agency know up front. A large site can take several months to develop, particularly for a smaller team – so don’t expect them to work miracles.

Download your free website brief PDF template

This sample document is the ideal website brief document that asks all the right questions for you to complete and send out to your list of web design agencies.

Ready to turn your website design brief into reality?

We can translate your website design brief into a beautifully designed, fully functioning website. And if you don’t yet have a brief, we can help you develop one. Find out moreabout our approach to website design, or get in touch.

You can view this Bigfork original article here

Selling is absolutely not a bad or negative thing!

Written by Haze Carver on 24 January 2022.

Brian Bush Online

What can be are the people that use the skills incorrectly. These folks bring the criticism that we often find levied at sales people. We fear the connection and engagement often. We believe that we will be sold something we don’t want or need.

There are two things here immediately. How can we be sold something we do not want? We are not hypnotised by sellers in some Derrien Brown style as at anytime we can say No. If we do not say No then we are willingly purchasing a product or a service by choice. So that’s on us. If we don’t need something why are we looking? So maybe we do want to buy but not from that person or outlet.

See selling is about relationships. It also of course involves a commodity too. That thing we are wanting to solve the problem we are looking to fix. So we have a ‘thing’ we need or want. That’s one part of the transaction and it has an approximate or fixed value that we are willing to meet. So it is now about the process of the sale and the person or people managing it. Do we like them? Trust them? Want to be in their company? Did we find them or did they find us? Do we know people we trust who trust them? And I am sure a number of other questions.

Some of those questions are front and centre conscious thoughts and some may be slightly deeper subconscious thoughts. All of which will stop us proceeding should they be unresolved. See to buy we must first know where to go. Then we must engage with a brand and the people representing that brand. We must feel that the value meets our expectations and that we are comfortable with the aftersales service.

Some brands are really good at not actually selling you anything and instead supporting you to buy it. They don’t need your money it seems and are quite happy to let you ask what you want answered and decide what you want to do. Others will seemingly oversell the product and keep at you until you buy. Think about which approach you prefer?

Could be the exact same product with a different sales approach and the whole process is completely different.

And then we have the nailed down importance of selling. Just think for a moment of all the companies you can mention that don’t sell anything. The brands you know that have shelves full of stuff nobody wants or buys…..exactly! So everyone needs to sell. We produce a product for £X and we sell it for £Y and the profit allows the business to survive and thrive. Without selling there is no business.

We now know the importance of selling, so why do we consider it such a negative activity and why do so many business owners fear it and never develop their skills in sales? Weird isn’t it. I meet many business owners who do not consider themselves as ‘sales people’ and often are annoyed that they can be viewed as one. And I work with sales people who have never been invested in and developed by their employer. So given the reluctance to develop skills in sales can we wonder that too many people practice it poorly

And I work with organisations that have no sales strategy in that they do not know who their customer is so may end up trying to sell to people who don’t want or need their product or service (refer back to paragraph 3) so the issue increases. There is also the simple equation that aiming to sell a product to 10 people who need it is far more productive than trying 1,000 who absolutely don’t.

Selling is about numbers as we hear often and it is orders and not leads that matter. If we flood the market harassing folks that don’t want to buy we not only negate our brand we develop the negative issue of sales.

So lovely people to improve the sales impression outlined above do it better. Know the market and your ideal customer and understand your product or service fully. Excel at what you do. Ask existing customers what they expect and then meet and exceed that expectation. Advertise and market yourselves to people that want/need your offer as doing otherwise is pointless and wastes their time and yours and therefore your profits. Employ people who sell with purpose not just profit in mind. The two can live wonderfully side by side.

Brian is a growth specialist and works with organisations to develop their sales strategy and connect them directly with opportunities from his own extensive networks.

Contact Brian here

https://bbushonline.co.uk/

Tips to keep yourself safe online

Written by Haze Carver on 7 January 2022.

Charles Stanley Wealth Managers

At Charles Stanley Wealth Managers we help clients secure their financial future. In today’s world though just having the right investments and tax wrappers is not enough. As everything moves increasingly online this presents new challenges.

John Harrison ACSI, head of information and cyber security at Charles Stanley, outlines some important security measures we can all adopt to help prevent and prepare for cyber-attacks.

Email

An email account is an attractive target. Hacking it allows criminals to reset other online account passwords, impersonate you, amend emails and phish your contacts. Use ‘Two Factor Authentication’ for your email accounts and change each account password to something unique, long, and strong. Never reuse an email or cloud password; criminals have tools that automatically try one compromised password with other popular online accounts.

Insecure email and secure portals

The global internet is a public network. Standard email sent across the internet is insecure: it can be read or intercepted. Email accounts belonging to individuals are increasingly being hacked. Charles Stanley’s ‘MyCS’ service is a secure website (known as a ‘secure portal’) that offers a safe messaging service for our clients and Investment Managers. As the messages stay inside Charles Stanley’s network, and are not sent across the public internet, the risk of a message being intercepted or tampered with is greatly reduced.

Password hygiene

Starting with your email account, make the password long (over 15 characters) and strong (containing numbers, letters and symbols). You can try using three random words that you can remember easily but mean nothing to anyone else. Then replace some of the letters with numbers and symbols.

Push payment fraud

This is when cyber criminals trick you into sending a payment to their bank account. Try to use a secure payment service like PayPal, or pay by credit card, instead of sending a bank transfer.

Two Factor Authentication (2FA)

2FA uses two pieces of information to prove your identity. Your password, ‘something you know’ is the first factor. The second factor will typically be ‘something you have’, like your mobile phone. After entering your username and password, a code is required before the account can be accessed. This might be sent as a text message or within an app on your mobile phone. An unexpected 2FA code also indicates a cybercriminal has your password, so you can immediately change it.

Zero trust

Protect yourself by adopting a zero-trust mindset, when emails, text messages or phone calls are not believed until proven genuine. Independently verify the sender by contacting them using details obtained from a search engine or official web site.

For more tips on staying safe online, contact a member of our Norwich team for your free guide to cyber security.

01603 856 932

norwichbranch@charles-stanley.co.uk

Past performance is not a reliable guide to future returns. The value of investments, and any income derived from them, can fall as well as rise. Investors may get back less than originally invested. Charles Stanley & Co. Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Top Tip #5 Stay Innovative and Creative

Written by Haze Carver on 6 January 2022.

Kathy Ennis, LittlePiggy

These top ten tips are not rocket science, but they will put a rocket in your profit and make 2022 a truly sensational year for you and your business.

Tip tip 5 is about how to stay innovative and creative.

Stay innovative and creative. Easier said than done, perhaps?

Sometimes identifying your business idea in the first place can be difficult, but then you have to constantly think of new and interesting ways to engage and communicate with your customers. Add to that the need to find ways to keep your enthusiasm (and accountability) for your own business fresh (particularly difficult if you are a one-person micro business) and innovation and creativity can be REALLY HARD.

So, here are five ideas for you to boost your innovation and creativity

1. Change Your Space

If you always work in the same space, at the same desk, sitting in the same chair you will encourage your brain to think in exactly the same way. Creativity and innovation come from allowing the brain to think differently; to make connections or find inspiration in places it has never been before. Changing your space can be a great way of encouraging creative and innovative thought – go to a coffee shop, go for a walk, do some exercise, work from a different desk sitting in a different chair, stand up rather then sit down – all of these things can help.

2. Keep an IDEAS Book with You at All Times

Where do you have your best ideas? With me, it’s when I am driving; with a very good friend it’s when she is in the shower. The point here is that our best ideas often sneak up on us. The best time to have a great idea? It’s when you are thinking about something completely different – like driving carefully or washing your hair!

So having a method for capturing those ideas when they pop into your mind is essential. Otherwise they will pop straight back out again and will be lost. Therefore you need a place to immediately record these ideas and a notebook is just one example. How do I (safely) do it while I am driving. Simple. My car has a Bluetooth phone connection so I call my office and leave a message on my answer phone. And what about my friend in the shower? Would you believe it, she has waterproof a pad of paper and a pen!

3. Do Mundane Things

Following on from creating a method to record ideas, mundane tasks such as filing, cleaning, sorting out papers etc can be a method of allowing your brain free reign to have flights of creative fancy.

4. Talk to People

Obviously getting out of your space could mean attending a networking event or a training course where you will meet other business-focussed people who may act as a spark for your imagination. However, talking to anyone can also help. Yes, you may feel a bit odd striking up conversations with complete strangers, but those people in the queue at Tesco, or the bus stop, or the train journey home can be just as helpful (and if we all did it could make the world a nicer place too!)

5. Do Something Child-Like

The problem with getting older is that we lose the sheer joy and enthusiasm for life that children have. Give a child a plain cardboard box and it’s a rocket ship, a fort, a fairy castle.

Do something child-like – run round the park, play a board game, make something out of a cardboard box – you will be amazed at the ideas you can come up with. And you will have had some fun too.

Next Steps?

If you’re unsure about how to implement any of the suggestions I have made in this article, why not take advantage of my free, half-hour mentoring session?

What have you got to lose?

https://littlepiggy.ltd/stay-innovative-and-creative-top-ten-tips-for-a-sensational-2022/

Top Tip #3 Follow Through Is Essential

Written by Haze Carver on 6 January 2022.

Kathy Ennis, LittlePiggy6th Jan 2022

These top ten tips are not rocket science, but they will put a rocket in your profit and make 2022 a truly sensational year for you and your business.

Top tip 3 is about ensuring you do what you say you will – when you say you will do it. Follow through is essential!

Why Should We Expect Customer Loyalty?

These days our customers enjoy the luxury of being able to easily switch from one company to the other.

Customer service has been proven to be the main element that attracts prospective clients and satisfied customers make repeat customers.

Those customers become prime advocates for your business.

Customer Expectation Has Never Been as High

Customers opt for companies and brands that offer quality products and excellent customer service.

You could have the best products or services on the market, if they aren’t backed up with great customer care you will lose customers.

On the other hand, you may have a less all-singing-all-dancing product or service but because you have excellent customer care and the essential follow through you will probably gain, and maintain, customers.

Let’s face it; as consumers, we all want to feel listened to, valued and cared for. That is why follow through is essential.

The Simple, Three-Step Follow Through Formula

Do what you have promised to do

For the people you have promised to do it for

At the time you promised to do it

If you want more ideas, why not check out my blog The Fortune is in the Follow-Up: Easy Follow-Up Tips For Your Marketing?

Next Steps?

If you’re unsure about how to implement any of the suggestions I have made in this article, why not take advantage of my free, half-hour mentoring session?

What have you got to lose?

https://littlepiggy.ltd/follow-through-is-essential-top-ten-tips-for-a-sensational-2022/

Top Tip #4 Respond Emails and Phone Calls Must Be Answered

Written by Haze Carver on 6 January 2022.

Kathy Ennis, LittlePiggy

These top ten tips are not rocket science, but they will put a rocket in your profit and make 2022 a truly sensational year for you and your business.

Top tip 4 is about being responsive to your customers (and to others making enquiries) because phone calls, emails and messages must be answered if you want to increase sales and engagement.

Being Responsive Doesn’t Mean 24/7

Being responsive does not mean that you have to be glued to your phone, mobile, tablet, laptop etc. waiting for the phone to ring, an email to ping into your Inbox or a notification from WhatsApp or Messenger.

So how do you manage it? Here are some ideas.

Messages Must be Answered: Not Immediately, but Quickly

Set yourself a ‘standard’ such as replies within 24 hours. Consider how you will maintain this standard when you will not be available for longer periods of time, for example, when you are on holiday.

Have a Short, Clear Message

Using the same message on both your mobile and on messaging services such as Messenger and WhatsApp is a good idea (for consistency).

Keep to the basics – “My name is ..; thanks for phoning (contacting); your call (message) is important to me. Please leave a short message with your name and contact number”.

Some messages include “email me on”, “visit my website at”.

Honestly? Too much and too long. They won’t remember any of it.

Consider What to Include in an Out of Office

If you are in a larger organisation and you have colleagues that can answer for you while you are away then an Out of Office email or voicemail that gives the person on the other end of the line or keyboard the contact details of your colleague is really helpful.

But what about the standard Out of Office in a one-person business?

The “I will respond within 24 hours” message.

Personally, I don’t like them. Why? Because they can set unrealistic expectations. For example, enquiries coming through on a Saturday – will you get back to them on Sunday?

Maybe, Maybe not.

Finally on this one – if you put out special information while you are away – please, please, please remember to change the content when you return.

It doesn’t sound good if a caller hears or reads a message telling them you are away in July if they are making the phone call in September (it happens!)

Keep in Contact Regularly

Follow-up is essential, but so is regular contact.

Allow your customers – and potential customers – to get to know you. Encourage them to connect with you via social media and definitely consider email marketing as it reaches the parts social media alone cannot reach.

Ask if you can place them on your mailing list.

Don’t just pop people on your mailing list. Ask them if it is OK. And then make sure you use the list to keep in touch.

On this one, you must give people the opportunity to unsubscribe from your list. Please don’t be upset if they do; we all do it!

Next Steps?

If you’re unsure about how to implement any of the suggestions I have made in this article, why not take advantage of my free, half-hour mentoring session?

What have you got to lose?

https://littlepiggy.ltd/messages-must-be-answered-top-ten-tips-for-a-sensational-2022/

Top Tip #2 Under Promise and Over Deliver

Written by Haze Carver on 6 January 2022.

Kathy Ennis, LittlePiggy6th Jan 2022

These top ten tips are not rocket science, but they will put a rocket in your profit and make 2022 a truly sensational year for you and your business.

Top tip #2 is all about managing customer expectation. It’s based on the old saying

You must under promise and over deliver

This is not a ploy to fool your customers. It is about managing the expectation your customers have about you, your products and your services.

Your task?

To surprise and delight your customers by exceeding their expectations.

Why Managing Customer Expectation Gives You a Competitive Edge

Many businesses think that to compete with their more successful, or more long-established competitors, they have to promise their customers that they will beat prices, deadlines etc.

It is important to understand that not all customers are driven by cost and speed.

Most customers rate the quality of a product or service, and the feeling of being cared for, understood and nurtured, over cost and speed.

The Outcomes of Over Promising and Under Delivering?

What happens to customer perception of your business if you fails to deliver and all the promises you made are not met?

Well, to put it simple, those customers will tell their friends and – more importantly – people they don’t even know.

How?

Word of mouth and online reviews.

When was the last time you booked a hotel or visited a new restaurant without checking the online reviews?

I know I can’t remember the last time I just booked something without checking.

The old saying was ‘give great service they will tell 10; give bad service they will tell 100’. Now add social media and review sites into that mix the ‘tell 100’ can very easily become ‘tell 100,000’

Perhaps the ‘under promise’ should be more ‘realistically promise’ and the ‘over deliver’ could be ‘exceed expectations’?

Next Steps?

If you’re unsure about how to implement any of the suggestions I have made in this article, why not take advantage of my free, half-hour mentoring session?

What have you got to lose?

https://littlepiggy.ltd/managing-customer-expectation-top-ten-tips-for-a-sensational-2022/

Top Tip #1 Communicate With Your Customers

Written by Haze Carver on 6 January 2022.

Kathy Ennis, LittlePiggy

These top ten tips are not rocket science, but they will put a rocket in your profit and make 2022 a truly sensational year for you and your business.

Top tip 1 is all about why you have to communicate with your customers; why you have to communicate often and why you need to be easy to reach.

How Regular Communication with Your Customers Could Save You Money

How much does it cost you to run your business?

Whatever that number is, that is the amount it costs you to create customers. So why would you want to be continually attempting to find new customers when they are so expensive.

Doesn’t it make better business sense to nurture your current customers? After all, it’s easier getting someone who has already demonstrated that they know, like and trust you to buy from you again.

One really simple way of regular communication with your customers is via email, so building your email list in imperative.

Want to know how? Check out this blog – How to Use Email Marketing to Keep Your Customers Coming Back

The Value of Your Current Customers

You have already paid for them

It is 6 to 7 times more expensive to gain a new customer than it is to retain one

Repeat customers tend to spend 67% more on subsequent purchases than they do on the first

After 10 purchases / engagements a customer has already referred you to at least 7 people

Communicating with your customers on a regular basis is the surefire way of ensuring they remember you so that you are their supplier of choice when they choose to purchase again.

Practical Do’s and Don’ts for Ongoing Customer Communication

DO remember to ask for customer details – at the very least name and email address

DON’T just add people to a mailing list – ask permission, you could always offer an incentive

DO have a systematic way of dealing with contact details – if you have a system it is far less likely that you will ‘mislay’ a customer

DON’T have more than one mailing list – keep everyone in one place (an Excel spreadsheet is absolutely fine), you can always split the list into smaller groups for specific purposes

DON’T leave a pile of business cards on your desk with the intention of ‘one day’ doing something with them, do something or bin them!

DO keep in touch with your customers regularly and remind them about what you do and how you do it – don’t assume, just because you have said it a couple of times, that people remember what you do because until they need that ‘thing’ they will forget

Next Steps?

If you’re unsure about how to implement any of the suggestions I have made in this article, why not take advantage of my free, half-hour mentoring session?

What have you got to lose?

5 Ways Low-Code can Accelerate Digital Transformation

Written by Haze Carver on 1 January 2022.

Barclays Eagle Labs

By Ashok Suppiah, co-founder and CEO of the Mitra Innovation Group

The clue is in the name. Low-Code uses visual programming techniques to allow non-coders, or citizen programmers, to create digital applications. Using a graphical user interface (GUI), complex systems can be quickly designed and tested using a simple drag & drop approach. Citizen programmers can solve their digital issues or build new products themselves, vastly increasing the momentum towards digital transformation.

Here we look at 5 ways Low-Code can accelerate digital transformation.

1. Speed: Replacing Legacy Systems Quickly and Cloud Enablement

Legacy systems, for the most part, do their job, and only their job. The bugs have been ironed out over the years and staff are fully trained in their operation. What they don’t do is provide the flexibility to respond to change. Changes can be business based, ie market, customer or product; they can be regulatory or operational or they may be required as new technology becomes available. Legacy systems don’t scale easily, they are costly to run, require specialist management, often they operate with outmoded security and there is no easy way to integrate them with other systems.

There are various strategies for dealing with legacy systems. Building new green-field systems from scratch is an option, as is code refactoring, or a code rewrite. This is where Low-Code can speed up the transformation process. Using visual programming techniques, Low-Code reduces development times, in turn reducing the cost of development and ownership. Traditionally painful, long and costly transformation projects can be undertaken more quickly and at a fraction of the cost. Reducing the cost and time to innovate, accelerates digital transformation.

2. Evolve: Add New Features and Functions Quickly

One of the many reasons to replace legacy systems is to evolve new features and functions and with Low-Code visual programming tools, citizen developers are empowered to create the system functionality they require quickly and seamlessly. Low-Code places a much higher emphasis on the user experience, and with pre-built, reusable modules eliminating the need to code from scratch each time, you can not only evolve new functionality quickly, but also test it and deploy it with ease. With built-in scalability, security, monitoring and reporting all contributing to rapid turnaround times, digital transformation and an enhanced user experience become far easier to achieve.

3. Integration: Easier Integration with Low-Code

Data and systems integration is one of the more complex areas to get right during digital transformation. Think of the out-of-the-box (OOTB) modules used in Low-Code as building blocks that allow non-IT professionals to build applications. These building blocks can be interconnected seamlessly using pre-engineered connectors and accelerators to allow Low-Code modules to be easily and rapidly integrated with existing systems, enhancing functionality and delivering digital transformation with ease. The biggest risk with systems integration is around maintaining data integrity. With Low-Code you stay in control of your data, and with the ability to integrate data from any system quickly, traditional data migration is simply not required.

As a strategic partner of Creatio, we often use REST API, OData protocol, SOAP services, OAuth authentication and LDAP protocols to integrate with other applications.

4. Cost Savings: Economies of Scale Over Time

Low-Code technology goes far beyond just saving time for development teams. Using Low-Code reduces overall costs by accelerating implementation time and time to market and increasing the ability of the business to respond to market led innovation, bringing innovative products and services to market much faster. Maintenance of Low-Code systems and modules is also vastly reduced. The ability to re-use without re-engineering, using prebuilt workflows, templates and modules, implementation and maintenance is easier and quicker.

5. Time Savings: No Re-invention of the Wheel

Maybe the most revolutionary aspect of Low-Code is the ability to re-use pre-programmed and pre-tested functional modules to build applications without the need for traditional coding skills. Pre-built workflows mean there really is no need to reinvent the wheel. Low-Code lowers the barrier to entry for citizen developers, automating processes, and slashing development time. With highly skilled developers liberated from the more repetitive aspects of coding, they are free to be more creative, reinvigorating the development lifecycle and leading the march towards digital transformation.

About the Author

Ashok Suppiah is co-founder and CEO of the Mitra Innovation Group, a global technology provider specialising in digital transformation, product incubation and integration services. He has been a leading light in the tech industry for over 20 years. A serial entrepreneur, Ashok has started more than 10 technology companies in the USA and UK, notably as a member of Virtusa Corp which sold for US$2Billion in 2021 and as Chief Architect for eDocs which sold to Oracle for US$115Million in 2004. With recent successes in Conversational AI, Dynamedics and LowCodify, Ashok sustains his passion for pioneering and disruptive technology, with Mitra providing transformative solutions to clients and partners globally.

You can view this original blog and further Eagle Lab content here

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Instagram allows posting from a desktop but Facebook’s Meta steals its thunder

Written by Haze Carver on 28 December 2021.

24 Fingers

You know the saying “always the bridesmaid, never the bride”? We wonder if Instagram feels a little like that at the moment. Just when it was enjoying a moment in the social media sun with the announcement of a slew of new features, including the ability to post from the desktop (HURRAH and we’ll get to that in a bit), along comes parent company Facebook to elbow it back into the shade.

Congratulations – it’s a Meta! If you’ve no idea what we’re talking about, pull up a chair: Facebook ain’t Facebook any more – it’s rebranded to Meta, complete with a wibbly wobbly new logo that has no end and no beginning.

But don’t panic, the social media platform itself is still going to be called Facebook, but new corporate moniker Meta will be the stepping stone into a wider digital ecosphere. As Mark Zuckerberg explained in a founder’s letter: “The next platform will be even more immersive – an embodied internet where you’re in the experience, not just looking at it.

“You’ll be able to do almost anything you can imagine – get together with friends and family, work, learn, play, shop, create – as well as completely new experiences that don’t really fit how we think about computers or phones today.”

According to Zuckerberg, we’re all going to be zooming about as holograms, from working in the office and ripping it up at a concert, to catching up with friends and family. “This will open up more opportunity no matter where you live,” he wrote. “You’ll be able to spend more time on what matters to you, cut down time in traffic, and reduce your carbon footprint.”

While we’ll have to wait and see what all of that really means for us ordinary mortals, let’s get back to Instagram. For years, many people have grumbled about only being able to access their Instagram feed but not post anything, and now the boffins have finally done something about it.

The new capability is one of several goodies unveiled by the platform that have been created to boost creativity (and, no doubt give TikTok a run for its money). For example, Instagram has made it easier to co-author posts and Reels with other users under the Collab feature.

There are also changes to the fundraiser prompts so you can launch one directly through Instagram and make it easier for people to donate.

And there’s more. Reels is going to get some music features, such as Superbeat, which adds video effects based on a song beat, while 3D lyrics brings up the words in tune with the melody.

If you need a helping hand getting to grips with Instagram’s new features, get in touch and we’ll get you posting like a pro.

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.

Managing Customer Expectation: Top Ten Tips for a Sensational 2022

Written by Haze Carver on 13 December 2021.

Kathy Ennis, LittlePiggy

These top ten tips are not rocket science, but they will put a rocket in your profit and make 2022 a truly sensational year for you and your business.

Top tip #2 is all about managing customer expectation. It’s based on the old saying

You must under promise and over deliver

This is not a ploy to fool your customers. It is about managing the expectation your customers have about you, your products and your services.

Your task?

To surprise and delight your customers by exceeding their expectations.

Why Managing Customer Expectation Gives You a Competitive Edge

Many businesses think that to compete with their more successful, or more long-established competitors, they have to promise their customers that they will beat prices, deadlines etc.

It is important to understand that not all customers are driven by cost and speed.

Most customers rate the quality of a product or service, and the feeling of being cared for, understood and nurtured, over cost and speed.

The Outcomes of Over Promising and Under Delivering?

What happens to customer perception of your business if you fails to deliver and all the promises you made are not met?

Well, to put it simple, those customers will tell their friends and – more importantly – people they don’t even know.

How?

Word of mouth and online reviews.

When was the last time you booked a hotel or visited a new restaurant without checking the online reviews?

I know I can’t remember the last time I just booked something without checking.

The old saying was ‘give great service they will tell 10; give bad service they will tell 100’. Now add social media and review sites into that mix the ‘tell 100’ can very easily become ‘tell 100,000’

Perhaps the ‘under promise’ should be more ‘realistically promise’ and the ‘over deliver’ could be ‘exceed expectations’?

Next Steps?

If you’re unsure about how to implement any of the suggestions I have made in this article, why not take advantage of my free, half-hour mentoring session?

Book here

What have you got to lose?