22
CLH Digital
Issue 51
Top 5 Marketing Tips from Big Business Events’ Adam Stott 1. DON’T IGNORE SOCIAL MEDIA! Today’s mobile phone obsessed consumers spend a lot of time on the major social media networks, so make sure you post regularly on your social media pages. Use a mix of video and images of new products, services, promotions and behind the scenes. Consider using paid ads – as for an investment of just a few pounds per day you could get your content out to hundreds or even thousands of potential customers from your local area. Instagram for example has a wealth of tools that you can use to post timely content such as Reels, Live Video and Stories.
2. CAN YOU EASILY BE FOUND?
UK entrepreneur and award-winning business coach Adam Stott hit our screens this month after appearing in the latest series of Channel 5’s ‘Rich House, Poor House’. After spending a week swapping his millionaire lifestyle for his co-star Kiptieu Sheriff’s budget of £70 a week, he was inspired to use his business expertise and fortunate position to support her life-long dream of setting up a food delivery and catering operation. Adam and his Big Business Events team have helped Kiptieu launch ‘Bongo’s Kitchen’, producing authentic dishes from her home country of Sierra Leone and delivering to customers across London. During six months of working together, Adam has personally invested into the enterprise, advised on delivery partners, social media strategy, branding and web development; all of which has resulted in sales rocketing from £200 to £1,000 a week despite tough times during Lockdown 3. With many catering and hospitality operations finding themselves in uncharted waters during a year like no other, this inspiring story is testament that with the right network and savvy marketing education behind you, businesses can not just stay afloat but turn the tide after the damage COVID-19 has wreaked.
Follow the same Top 5 marketing tips from Adam Stott that have transformed Bongo’s Kitchen:
Use free Google tools such as ‘Google My Business’ many people will use search engines to search for pubs or restaurants in their local area. Create a Google My Business page for your pub or restaurant using your Google account and use it to post updates about your business – this all helps your visibility on Google.
your voice heard. Consider appointing a digital or social media champion in your business responsible for up to the minute organic posts and replies to questions and comments. Having launched a variety of multi million-pound businesses over the years, Adam’s success and expertise comes from lessons learnt, sometimes the hard way… here are his Top 5 pitfalls to avoid when marketing your catering operation:
1. LACK OF FLEXIBILITY If there is one thing that the past 12 months has taught us it is that we need to have a flexible business model. If this happens again, what will you do?
2. UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS Make sure your marketing goals are achievable given your marketing resources and budget.
3. FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT
3. CUSTOMERS ARE YOUR SALESFORCE
Make your outside space the best it can be and feature it in your marketing. Your outside space will be a great asset over the next few months as lockdown restrictions start to ease up – use it to create a good impression and an ambience that people can’t wait to be a part of.
Do not neglect the customer experience, you need to make sure everyone who visits your business leaves with a great impression. Consider investing in staff training and go the extra mile for all of your customers.
4. INCENTIVISE REVIEWS
4. STRATEGY MISALIGNED WITH GOALS
When potential customers search for your business online they will read your reviews so anything you can do to get more good reviews will work to your advantage. Ask clients to review your business on Google, Trip Advisor or Facebook, you can do this by simply putting something on the bottom of your menus or try something more direct. Offer them something as a thank you such as an entry into a prize draw, or even a free drink. Get enough 5-star reviews and you can use them in your marketing.
This is something we often see with social media marketing. There are a lot of different types of ad that you can use to promote yourselves on social media – particularly on Facebook – choose the one that gets you to your goal the quickest, that could be signups to your newsletter, an increase in weekend footfall, or promotion of a live event such as a band (there is a specific ad unit for all these examples!)
5. BROAD TARGETING
5. KEEP A PRESENCE
Use research to define who your typical and target customers are and make sure you marketing resonates with them.
Those that market now and throughout the last of the lockdown will be in a better place when we are back to normal. Consumers have a huge amount of choice and will want to go out – don’t be silent, make
To follow the journey of Bongo’s Kitchen visit @BongosKitchen on Facebook or to find out how to scale your catering business to the next level visit www.bigbusinessevents.co.uk.
How to Re-onboard Furloughed Employees…
By Paul Sleath, CEO at PEO Worldwide (www.peoworldwide.com/en-gb/) On Wednesday the 3rd of March, the UK Government announced that the furlough scheme will be extended until September 2021.
Realistically, many companies who shut down entirely also won’t be at full operations as soon as they reopen (hence why furlough is being extended beyond the hopeful return to ‘normality’ at the end of June). In these circumstances, you’ll have some difficult decisions to make about who to bring back first.
This news will no doubt be welcomed by businesses across many different industries, as the furlough scheme has helped keep millions of employees’ jobs secure and avoid mass redundancies over the past 12 months.
During this process, you should set out clear criteria for recalling staff. Will the decision be based merely on business need, or will you consider individual circumstances? It’s important to be fair and inclusive when making your decision and to document your reasons (such as seniority or operational needs) to mitigate the risk of potential discrimination claims.
However, the extension shouldn’t be a cue for employers to kick back and relax. Now more than ever, it’s crucial to attend to the wellbeing of your furloughed employees and ensure they’re well prepared for their return to the workplace. So, if you’re thinking of bringing your staff back to work, it’s essential to do so in the right way at a time that’s right for both your employees and your business — whether it’s next week or in September.
HOW DO I DECIDE WHO TO BRING BACK? There’s no prescribed way to bring employees back to work, but it’s advisable to give reasonable written notice of at least 48 hours. Remember, some staff members may still have children at home unable to go to school and need to arrange childcare. In an ideal world, you’d want to bring back ALL employees on their previous terms and conditions. However, this might not be possible yet — particularly if they cannot work from home and your office or facility isn’t big enough to allow for social distancing.
So, once you’ve decided who to bring back, what’s the best approach to handling the re-onboarding process?
WELCOME THEM BACK AS YOU WOULD ANY EMPLOYEE Start with an offer letter which states all the information they need to know. The employee needs to know what’s changed (if anything) when it comes to their position, salary and benefits. For example, have wages been reduced across the board? How does being on furlough affect their sick leave or annual leave entitlement? You should also provide details about how you will be ensuring workplace safety and staff wellbeing. As an employer, you also need to understand that transitioning back to work after an extended period can come as a shock (particularly under these circumstances), so it’s essential to allow a degree of flexibility.
for staff shortages. These discrepancies could result in some negative feelings creeping into employee relations, so it’s important to nip any potential conflict in the bud. As an employer, you should look for opportunities to reintegrate employees into the team. For example, you could organise team-building exercises over a video call, virtual quiz nights or depending on the size of your team, arrange a socially distanced BBQ. You should also encourage all managers to have one-to-one meetings with every employee upon their return (even if it’s done virtually).
PROVIDE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES While on furlough, employees may have missed out on crucial training, so it’s important to get them back up to speed. Make sure you provide them with the tools and time they need to complete their training (this may have to be done online if they’re still working from home). If remote working isn’t possible in your industry, it’s your responsibility as the employer to create a safe work environment and promote social distancing. Re-onboarding should include efforts to educate staff in the various guidelines available, which will vary country by country.
OFFER REASSURANCE AND SUPPORT WHEN NEEDED
INTEGRATE THEM BACK INTO THE WORKPLACE CULTURE
This is a time of high anxiety, which has been hard on everyone’s mental wellbeing. Add to that the stress and uncertainty of being placed on furlough, and there’s a chance your returning workers will have some extremely complicated feelings. So, it’s essential to be aware of this and do what you can to reassure and support them.
Employees should feel they are returning to a supportive and caring environment. However, it’s also vital to recognise that the pandemic may have had an unequal impact on your workforce. Some people will have been furloughed (potentially with full pay depending on which country they are in) while others might have had increased workloads to make up
You should offer frequent and transparent communication about the state of the business and recovery plans, as well as an open-door policy so that employees can reach out privately with any questions or concerns. Knowing they are valued and supported by you will be pivotal to their wellbeing.
The Return of the Hospitality Industry Your FREE trading standards legislation guide The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has brought many challenges to the hospitality sector, with some businesses - particularly pubs and restaurants - forced to radically change the way they operate. Indeed, the hospitality sector’s economic output dropped as much as 92% (source UK Parliament) between February and April 2020 during the first lockdown; however, the sector bounced back when restrictions were relaxed last summer, giving hope of a similar recovery this year. Now one year on from the first national lockdown and with the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown response, we look to exit the pandemic measures and return to some sense of normality. It is clear that the public will still hunger for their favourite restaurant or take a trip to the local pub that they’ve been missing for months. This gives the sector the potential for ample opportunities, recovery and even growth in 2021.
For a smooth return, business owners must get regulation right from the outset. Streamlining measures to secure consumer safety enables business owners to build their business without succumbing to regulatory hiccups. Fortunately, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), working in partnership with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), created Business Companion which offers free, impartial legal guidance for businesses, written by experts with years of experience. The Retail Guide Food and Drink annex brings together the tasks and measures that businesses will need to put into place prior to the return of the hospitality industry and beyond. Download your free copy at www.businesscompanion.info/focus/working-safely–a-retail-guide See the facing page for details.