TOOLBOX
Let us help you make the most of your membership
The team at Landscape House continue to deliver quality benefits and services that are designed to support, promote and inspire you and your business. Are you utilising these important membership tools?
Together we’re stronger
BALI only exists because of you. It’s that simple. We encourage you to work alongside us at Landscape House to make your Association stronger. Over the next few pages, we will show you how.
Together we can make a difference
Landscape service companies contribute £11.6bn GDP
(£6.8bn direct) to the UK economy every year, 47.9% of the total GDP footprint of the ornamental horticulture sector which is worth £24.2bn*. The sector also provided £2.2bn of direct tax revenue to the exchequer in 2017 (£800m from landscape services) making it one of the largest sectors in the UK.
So why then does ornamental horticulture not feature in any occupational sector list when representing a professional landscape person or company? The closest is environmental services, but this is not a true reflection of the all-encompassing work undertaken by our members. This and a number of wider industry issues, such as Brexit, import and export of plant-based materials, non-native invasives and a diminishing workforce, sees BALI continue to lobby to government in all parts of the UK and we welcome you to lend your voice so that we may be heard by Parliamentarians, officials and influencers at the highest level.
BALI has also worked alongside partners from the Ornamental Horticulture Round Table Group’s Education and Skills Sub-group to produce a new report**, the 2019 Horticulture Sector Skills Survey. Landscape services supported the employment of 139,800 people in 2017, once again making landscaping one of the largest ornamental horticulture sub-sectors.
The research for this report on the sub-sector of landscaping was carried out as part of the wider research conducted by Pye Tait Consulting across the entire ornamental horticulture sector in 2019. The wider survey comprised 1,101 businesses in the ornamental horticulture sector.
HOW CAN THIS HELP ME?
It might be you have been tasked with producing a company business plan, or you want to grow the business by employing apprentices, but you need an idea of the size of the employment market first? Use our reports to help you benchmark against the most recent sector and industry results by downloading them from your member’s area at bali.org.uk/login Can’t remember your password, not to worry, you can reset your password using the ‘Forgotten Password’ link.
BALI is also a sponsor of the APPGHG*** to gain access and lobby to ministers and parliamentarians on your behalf. If you have an industryrelated issue that you want to raise which is affecting the wider sector, let us know at contact@bali.org.uk.
If your business does require additional support you can also use our straightforward ‘Help & Advice’ section on our website, bali.org.uk/help-and-advice where you will find important information that can be downloaded on health and safety, pests and diseases, equipment, contracts and the latest on industry regulations. If you need further support, contact Owen Baker, Techical Officer (Policy & Research) owen.baker@bali.org.uk Something missing from this section? Tell us, we are here to serve our member’s needs and if we can research a particular subject then get in touch with Owen Baker.
Membership tools designed to support and promote you
Ask yourself… how many membership benefits am I currently using? Let us help you by showcasing just four ways you could be saving time, money and enhancing your company profile.
Maximising awareness of your brand
One of the best ways to get the most out of your membership is to take advantage of the many opportunities, both free and paid, to really let your brand stand out. Update your profile page on the BALI website, submit editorial content for BALI’s quarterly member-to-member journal Landscape News or try out our brand new public facing magazine by promoting your product or service directly with domestic customers. There are plenty of opportunities to advertise in print and online, including our official BALI member e-newsletter, which sees click-through-rates of over 3%, or on bali.org.uk with over 10,000 monthly users who could see your brand.
Improve your digital knowledge with BALI
Attend regional events and join the committee
Is your website looking tired? Perhaps your social media knowledge is in need of a boost? Don’t let your competitors get the edge online, access our exclusive range of discounted digital packages with BALI Digital in association with Adtrak and see the results of new leads, enquiries or even sales.
Have you heard? We have a full-time Regional Support Officer who has already started working with all our regional committees to stage new and exciting events all year-round. Visit bali.org. uk/news-and-events/events to view a full list of upcoming events which can be filtered by type.
From garden tours to topical talks, train-the-trainer workshops to webinars, we have something to suit all categories of membership. Feeling inspired? Why not join your local committee and help shape the future of the association in your region.
Access to BALI’s HR & HS Support
One of our most popular membership benefits is the BALI Human Resources and Health and Safety (BALI HR & HS) service, in association with Quest. Members have 24/7 access to hundreds of model documents, including employee contract templates, risk assessment models, policies, procedures, forms and guides, as well as a dedicated telephone support line which also covers legal and tax advice. To contact BALI’s HR & HS support service Quest call +44(0)116 243 7881 or access the BALI login page at bali.questcover.com/login.
Visit bali.org.uk/my-bali for direct access to all of your membership benefits* under ‘my benefits’. Can’t login? You can reset your password using the ‘Forgotten Password’ link.
If you need help with membership benefits contact emily.feeney@bali.org.uk or anna.jackman@bali.org.uk who will be able to support you.
To submit content for Landscape News, or to find out the full year’s edition deadlines contact the editor darren.taylor@bali.org.uk or if the weekly e-newsletter is your preferred method of reaching members contact trushali.chudasama@bali.org.uk
If you want to add some advertising into the mix to enhance your company profile contact diane.mcculloch@bali.org.uk who has an updated media pack ready to go. Want to get involved with your regional committee? Get in touch with shinade.kaur@bali.org.uk
*Some benefits only available to certain categories of membership.
Profile your business on BALI’s website
It might seem like a common addition for any marketer’s portfolio, but a website that works well on mobile is vital. BALI’s online offering is no different and provides members with a virtual shop window to promote your services and products, enhancing your company profile.
“An excellent Institute for our industry.”
Mandy Balcombe Tree Systems Sales Platipus Anchors
“My view so far, as a new member (of BALI), is that it is accessible and positive.”
Jilayne Rickards MBALI
Owner
Jilayne Rickards Contemporary Garden Design
Need help?
Contact BALI
“All the staff at Landscape House are doing a fantastic job in supporting it’s members. Thank you!”
David Dodd Owner The Outdoor Room
+44 (0)24 7669 0333 or contact@bali.org.uk
THIS IS ALL GREAT, BUT WHERE DO I START?
The easiest and quickest way to start is to visit bali.org.uk/my-bali and login using the email address and the password of your main contact at the organisation. If you can’t remember, don’t worry, we can help. Drop the membership team a line at emily.feeney@bali.org.uk or anna.jackman@bali.org.uk who will reset the details for you.
Once logged in you can edit your profile by clicking ‘my profile’. Start by checking your personal details and then update your content for the organisation itself. These items can be found in a menu down the right-hand side of the ‘my profile’ page.
Dress to impress
Get started by adding content to your profile. Start with adding a company logo, lead photo, description and check your contact details.
Build your company’s SEO by adding a project (s), client testimonials and accreditations allowing you to bring your profile to life with images of your projects.
With 8,400 potential new clients visiting our directory, why wouldn’t you ensure your profile page was up to date? Visit bali.org.uk/my-bali to start adding fresh new content today. A strong lead photo, the addition of a company logo, short description about the business and a correct website link can make all the difference.
For those looking to add more content, you can add testimonials from clients and link them to projects you have recently completed.
Why not add your team members too, so people see people. A sure-fire way for a new customer to know you’re friendly and approachable.
With over 90,000 unique visits a year and over 7,500 monthly visits our website is attracting potential new clients for your business daily.
In the last 12 months 70% of visitors were new users and the average time spent browsing was over three minutes, which means you have a 180 second opportunity to put your company profile in front of a portion of the 8,400 clients who are looking at the directory pages, with 5,880 classed as new visits from the last year alone.
Our survey says*
In 2019, we received 145 responses to our Membership Satisfaction Survey. You spoke, we listened. A summary of the results has been published here, with a more detailed report of what BALI plans to do with the results, now available in your My BALI member’s area.
How did we do?
Our survey results give BALI a steer as to which way we should adapt our membership benefits and services, tailoring them to your needs. The following statistics give you a flavour of how BALI will be looking to adapt in the forthcoming year.
respondents also took part in the 2018/19 survey 85% of members who completed the survey rated the ‘Speed of response to enquiries/ telephone calls’ as excellent or good
TOP
event types members wish to attend are technical, networking/social and CPD 70% of members who completed the survey rated ‘Access to model documents/risk assessments’ as excellent or good
37% increase of members found the BALI HR and HS in association with Quest service excellent or good compared to last year
of members who completed the survey want to see improvements to regional activity
of members who completed the survey want BALI to focus on promoting members’ services to the general public
of members found the content and format of BALI’s forums excellent or good and 43% of members want the frequency of the forums to increase
of members who completed the survey want further promotional opportunities for their business
of members who completed the survey rated the ‘Administration and turnaround time of LISS/CSCS cards’ as excellent or good
Enter the ring to compete for our Awards
Are you BALI Registered? If yes, you can enter your company into the BALI National Landscape Awards, the largest landscaping awards ceremony in Europe and the most prestigious event in the UK industry calendar. With over 100 companies entering annually and 1,000 guests cheering them on, the feeling of winning an Award will only ever be known by those that have met the challenge.
Inspiring the next generation…
“A much-improved Association over the past 10 years. Very supportive and promotional”
HOW DO I GET INVOLVED?
BALI Registered members can enter the Awards by visiting baliawards.co.uk from February each year, where all available categories will be listed online. If you are interested in taking part, contact leah.brookes@bali.org.uk who can help answer any questions that you may have.
With over 1,000 people in the room annually along with national media coverage worth over £3 million, there are several sponsorship opportunities available. Contact diane.mcculloch@bali.org.uk for availability and pricing.
GoLandscape is a firmly established BALI careers initiative promoting landscaping careers to school pupils, teachers, parents and career advisers, as well as career changers.
The initiative, through its Ambassador network, is inspiring students of today and the next generation to start their own careers in the landscape industry, as well as offering advice on qualifications and support with training and apprenticeships to help with the industry skills deficit.
HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?
Looking to give back to the industry? Interested in supporting the promotion of landscaping as a viable career path? Join GoLandscape’s fantastic team of voluntary Ambassadors, who work with us in schools and colleges throughout the UK. Support the next generation by taking on an apprentice or employ a college graduate. They can offer a fresh pair of eyes and support your company. Are you looking to advertise an apprenticeship? BALI members have a free opportunity to advertise apprenticeship vacancies with Pro Landscaper’s Horticulture Careers. Visit your My BALI member’s area at bali.org.uk/my-bali to find out how.
Credit: Students at Training Provider Member, Brinsbury College, with GoLandscape Ambassador Brian Herbert of Outdoor Options
Credit: GoLandscape Ambassador Anthea Harrison MBALI MSGD of Anthea Harrison Garden Design
Credit: BALI National Landscape Awards 2019 Grand Award Winner, Ground Control, Community and Schools Development, The Children’s Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.
“This is our first year with BALI and we couldn’t be happier with the service we’ve been provided with from the team at BALI. Everyone is friendly, knowledgeable and will go out of their way to help. We have also been able to promote SAiGE using the BALI logo and have seen an increase in other BALI members now using SAiGE. Overall the membership has been very valuable.”
Emma Cox Sales and Marketing Executive SAiGE Longlife Decking
Published by
BALI
Landscape House, Stoneleigh Park
Nr Kenilworth, Warwickshire
CV8 2LG
T: +44 (0)24 7669 0333
E: contact@bali.org.uk
bali.org.uk
Front Cover Credits (from left to right):
BALI National Landscape Awards 2019; (far left) National Award Winner, Garden Club London, Domestic Garden Construction - Between £30k-£60k, Private Residence in Middlesex; (second left) National Award Winner, Greenside Landscapes, Roof Gardens / Living Wall Installations, Old Street; (second right) National Award Winner, Landscape Associates, Domestic Garden Construction - Between £30k-£60k, Private Residence in Peckham; (far right) National Award Winner, Verde Landscapes, Domestic Garden Construction - Between £100k-£250k, Private Residence in Kent.