The 5 Best Ways to Make Money from Home During a Lockdown

Reading Time: 4 mins

After more than a year of the coronavirus, most of us all around the world are pretty experienced with lockdowns and social distancing – not to mention a little sick of it. Any novelty that was there in the first place has worn off – but it’s never too late to find new ways to fill your time. And if you can make some money on the side, why wouldn’t you? 

In this article, we’ll run through five ways to make money from home safely, from earning cash by renting out your garage or driveway to those in need of parking or storage space to starting a side hustle.

• Rent out your space
• Invest
• Become a freelancer
• Try tutoring
• Set up a side hustle

 

Contact-Free Ways to Make Money from Home

1) Rent out your space

Own property you’re not using? Have a coveted parking space that’s unoccupied? Don’t just let it sit there. Instead, make some money off it by renting it out. 

Travel restrictions and limits on indoor mixing can make it difficult to let your property to holidaymakers or tenants, but businesses like Stashbee focus on providing customers places to store their goods rather than accommodation – and offer COVID-safe adjustments like remote key handovers.

These companies will also take care of bookings and payment, and offer insurance for added peace of mind. 

2) Invest

If you’re keen to turn the money you’ve already got into more, investing can be a great hobby to pick up. Rather than just letting your money stagnate in a bank account, where it might even lose value over time, you can experiment with investing. 

There’s a good range of apps that are tailored to newcomers, and those who want to can consult with professional brokers on where they should put their money. 

Top tip: While investing can be a great way to make money from home, it’s not risk free. While all you’d stand to lose with the other items on this list is time, you should know that investing can potentially eat up your savings. Stay safe, stay cautious and never put in cash that you can’t afford to lose. 

3) Become a freelancer

This is quite a general heading, but that’s partly by design. Freelancing is a wide world with lots of options to explore, and part of the fun can come from finding your niche.

Types of freelance work include: 

• Writing
• Filling out online surveys
• Managing a company’s social media presence
• And more!

If you’re looking for ways to make money from home, exploring the options for freelance work can be seriously worthwhile. 

Sites like Upwork and Fiverr provide heaps of opportunities for all sorts of odd jobs, and you can even make money from survey sites by sitting at home and watching videos – which, if you’re anything like this writer, you might have spent an embarrassing amount of time doing anyway… 

Getting set up as a freelancer is quick and simple too, meaning you can get started whenever you like. 

4) Try tutoring 

It’s a form of freelance work, sure, but tutoring is different enough that it deserves its own section. 

While in-person tutoring is out whenever there’s a lockdown on, online tutoring has been a quietly booming industry for years now. It has only increased in popularity during the pandemic, as more and more students have found themselves struggling to adjust to disrupted schooling. 

It’s easy to get set up, and most tutoring sites let you register for free. You can also find work through agencies, which can make it a bit easier to get clients as the agency will often match you with a student who suits your skills.

Top tip: Tutoring doesn’t just have to be in academic work. Many sites offer special sections for those who can teach things like musical instruments or even general life skills. So don’t worry if you don’t have any academic qualifications! 

5) Set up a side hustle

We’re not sure exactly when ‘side businesses’ or ‘extra work’ or even ‘hobbies’ became ‘side hustles’, but the phrase has an undeniable charm to it. Car boot sales might not be allowed in the midst of a lockdown, but why would you bother when you can set up an online store? 

Sites like Etsy provide great opportunities to turn your home craft project into a nice little side hustle, and the prevalence of social media means it’s never been easier to act as your own marketing team.

Times are tough, and nothing is going to make a lockdown actively enjoyable – but hopefully these ways to make money from home have given you some ideas for how to make the most of it. 

 

The post The 5 Best Ways to Make Money from Home During a Lockdown appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

How To Help Your Kids Develop An Entrepreneurial Mind

Reading Time: 4 mins

Every parent hopes they have a genius on their hands, let’s be honest! But what if you could encourage your child’s brilliant mind to get them started early in life with an entrepreneurial attitude? That’s exactly what the folks at www.teiyu.co.uk offer. Teiyu use a storytelling approach to build an entrepreneurial mindset in children…and you can find out more below.

Because they believe, as we do, that it’s possible to help nourish kids in developing an overall leadership attitude and skillset.

1. Teach Them About Money Early On
2. Encourage A Leadership Attitude
3. Inspire Creative Thinking
4. Help Them Develop Excellence 
5. More Ways Kids Can Make Money

Teach Children About Money Early On

At school, we hardly get any financial education at all. Sure, we’re taught maths – but there’s no real insight into how percentages (interest rates) and sums (budgeting) really impact our lives outside of the classroom.

Teaching your children about money early in their development doesn’t mean giving them lectures, either! You could start by demonstrating the importance of saving, by giving pocket money each week. For older children, what about showing them how bills work – raise their pocket money allowance, but take some back to pay ‘bills’ (you can sneak it into a savings account for them, if you like!).

Another way to encourage children to think about money is to include them in financial activities. When you go grocery shopping, for example, take a calculator. Tell them your total budget and ask them to monitor whether you’re sticking to it. Or, if you go to a restaurant, give them a budget to spend on their meal and see what they can get with it from the menu.

When they understand how money makes the world go round, it’s much easier to encourage them to consider how they want to make their own money. You can, for example, exchange a few pounds for chores they complete around the house. For older children, encourage them to take on a part-time job – that could be making and selling crafts, taking on a paper round (they still exist!), or helping older neighbours with their shopping or gardening.

 

Encourage a Leadership Attitude

When your child understands how money works, it’s a good time to start encouraging their entrepreneurial mindset. This starts with a leadership attitude!

Teiyu is a great resource for children who want to get ahead. It’s a storytelling strategy about a lizard called Teiyu, who helps children solve problems in the land of Teguria. It’s a positive, encouraging experience that helps children embrace problem-solving strategies on their own.

Other ways to encourage a leadership attitude is to volunteer with community groups, or attend other groups such as Scouts or an after-school sports team. This helps develop important skills like communication, teamwork, and delegation – as well as helping your child identify their own strengths along the way.

 

Inspire Creative Thinking

Another key attribute to help your kid make millions in the future is to encourage creativity. Abstract problem-solving is a perfect way to help your child identify unique ways to reach a solution. You can do this through techniques such as the Teiyu stories, as well as showing them real-world problems that need a solution.

For example, let’s say you have an arts and crafts afternoon ahead of you. Let your children build a castle from a shoebox and cardboard – but tell them it has to do certain things! Does the drawbridge go up and down? Is there a secret entrance? Things like this will help your child take instruction but think creatively to reach the solution.

Creative thinking when it comes to money is another step towards an entrepreneurial mindset. For older children, you could ask what they want to buy with their pocket money. You can work out with them how long it will take to save up for it – and get them to find ways they could make more money to save faster. This might be, for example, selling some of their old clothes and toys that they’ve grown out of at a car boot sale. When they see how much faster they can get the thing they want to buy, if they make money as well as save it, you’re encouraging creative thoughts around money from a young age.

 

Help Your Child Develop Excellence

Being brilliant at something is the most notable attribute of all entrepreneurs. For some, it might be technological savvy. For others, they could be great with social skills. Help your child find their passion – and the skills they’re great at – and nurture them.

This will help them to develop excellence in these habits, skills, or hobbies over time. As they become confident in these areas, it’s easier for them to identify their strengths and how they might be able to use them to make money through an entrepreneurial mindset. One great example of this is the 12-year-old investor we spoke to on the MoneyMagpie podcast! He realised very quickly that understanding the stock market was a great skill, and he nurtured it, and is already a leading example to other children about how to invest wealth!

 

Special offer

Right now, MoneyMagpie readers are able to get an exclusive 50% off the Happy Pack. All you have to do is use the discount code HOPE50 at the checkout.

 

More Ways Kids Can Make Money

There are lots of ways to include your children from an early age when it comes to understanding (and making) money. Here are a few more ideas:

• How Kids Can Make Money
• Child Modelling – A Money-Making Hobby for Your Kids
• 50 Money-Saving Tips for Parents
• 7 Great Ways to Invest for Your Children
• 8 Ways to Teach Your Children About Money

The post How To Help Your Kids Develop An Entrepreneurial Mind appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

6 Tips For Promoting Your Small Business’s Site

Reading Time: 4 mins

About 64% of small businesses have a website. 51% of those businesses increased the number of online interactions they had with clients in 2020. The reason for the sudden increase was the pandemic.

As everyone was forced inside, they fled to the internet, and online businesses soared, and that trend isn’t expected to go anywhere. In fact, by 2022, e-retail revenue is expected to hit $6.54 trillion, up from $3.53 trillion in 2019.

That means that as a small business, your website is more important now than ever. If you want to grow and succeed as business shifts even farther into the virtual world, you need to start promoting your website in new and exciting ways.

To get you started, here are six tips for promoting your small business’s site.

• Join local listing services
• Invest in guest posts
• Create a social media strategy
• Start a blog
• Create compelling videos
• Buy ads on sites

 

1. Join Local Listing Services

Local listing services are sites that have information about businesses in your area. Usually, this information includes the business name, description, address, and contact information.

These services benefit you by getting your website info seen by people in your area. That will increase your number of potential clients, especially if you only operate locally.

Some of the top local listing services you can join include Google Local Places, Yelp, Bing Business, and Merchant Circle.

 

2. Invest In Guest Posts

Guest posting, also sometimes called guest blogging, is when you write content for another company’s website or they write content for yours. It helps drive traffic by creating a link between your site and someone else’s.

This is usually done with sites that have a similar audience to yours. For example, if you sell solar panels, it might be a good investment to guest post on a website about green living. That way, the readers are people who are interested in products like yours and might end up buying something.

Tactics like getting guest posts put on popular websites are at the heart of SEO marketing because they allow you to draw in an audience without making them search for you directly.

Guest posting also increases the number of links to your site that exist on the internet, which helps get you higher in search results. Having a company create guest posts for you is a great way to boost your site visits without having to carve out more time to craft content yourself (although make sure that you follow Google’s posting guidelines, otherwise you could be penalised and damage your traffic.)

 

3. Create A Unique Social Media Strategy

The main way to use social media to boost your website, and make money, is by posting engaging content that isn’t directly selling to the audience. Just be wary of the hashtags you use, as certain ones can land you in jail.

45% of people say they’ll unfollow brands that are too promotional, and 20% say they’ll unfollow repetitive brands. They don’t want their feed flooded with “look at me” content or the same post 20 times. That’s understandable, but it probably leaves you wondering what exactly you should post.

The top three things consumers say they want from brands are engagement with followers, new content, and on-brand content. That means, that you need to post original content that fits your brand but isn’t just “buy this” content.

The easiest way to do this is to share content that fits with your overall message.

Let’s go back to the solar panel company from earlier. If you were running that company, it would make sense to post about other environmental issues besides solar power. That way, the content is relevant to your audience, but not about you.

Over time these tactics draw a following to your social media account, giving you a larger platform to promote your site and services.

 

4. Start A Blog

Businesses that have a blog on their site bring in 55% more traffic than businesses that don’t, according to marketing experts. That makes starting a blog an easy way to bring in more traffic, especially if you add guest posts to it.

When choosing or writing content for your blog, ensure that it’s relevant, interesting, factual, and will be meaningful to your audience.

 

5. Create Compelling Content For Video-Based Sites

Consumers rate video as their favorite form of advertising to see on social media. This makes sense, given that 89% of video marketers say they see a good return on investment from video content.

What that means for you is that if you want to drive traffic to your website, you need compelling video content. This content should be on your site, and also on your social media. That way, people who come across you on another platform have a reason to click over and see what you’ve got going on.

So how do you create compelling video content?

You start by considering what will bring value to your audience. What can you teach them, show them, or help them with? People are more likely to watch content they get something from, so consider what you can create that gives back to your audience.

Once you know what it is you’re making, you have to make it good. Most people will click away if the video or audio quality is bad, so you need to focus on quality as well as the content.

Finally, focus on length. The optimal length for video content is about two minutes. If you go too far past that, people will lose interest.

 

6. Buy Ads On Complementary Sites

Buying ads have always been a great way to drive traffic to your business, and online ads are no exception. That being said, you have to approach them in a very specific way.

They need to be interesting enough to convince someone to click, a hard sell when 79% of internet users say they won’t click on an ad. Out of those who do click, 55% say they need your ad to have a relevant message, and 89% say they want the ad to lead directly to a product.

That means that to get the best bang for your buck you need ads that are interesting, directly about your service or product, and take the consumer right to the “buy” page.

As a bonus tip, keep in mind that 82% of people say they’ll close a webpage that has unskippable or autoplay ads. The trick is to let people check out your product because they want to, otherwise, they just get annoyed.

These six tips can help you attract traffic, increase revenue, and take your site promotion to the next level.

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10 Products You Can 3D Print to Make Money in 2021

Reading Time: 4 mins

No longer considered a new technology, industrial 3D printing has become part of the furniture in modern manufacturing environments. Its incorporation has helped organisations grow stronger, offer faster routes to market for products and provide an impressive platform for prototyping.

• Phone cases
• Jewellery
• False nails
• Footwear
• Spectacles
• Animal figures
• Headphones
• Flower pots
• Skulls
• Toothpaste squeezer

 

3D printing consumer products

As 3D printing’s development continues in the industrial sector, we are seeing spill over into growing expectations of consumer products made with 3D printing. No longer is it unusual to hear about 3D food printers in restaurants and even in the home, we are also hearing more and more about the technology in the art world, science and fashion circles too. With so much progress has come a new ground for making money with 3D printing. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular types of 3D printed products today.

 

1. 3D printed mobile phone cases

Smart phones are a staple personal accessory these days. When your phone is damaged there can be huge implications if you cannot use it. How will you find your way home? Will you miss out on that item you are bidding on and of course, you don’t want to miss that all-important phone call. With this in mind, all the more reason to protect it with a solid mobile phone case. Typically, there hasn’t been a vast array of design options but 3D printing provides a new opportunity to create a larger scope of designs, opening up a new and interested market.

 

2. 3D printed jewellery

3D printed jewellery is another area where profit potentially lies. Jewellery pieces like earrings can be customised and tailored for different trends, tastes and styles using this technology. Added to this, there is a huge wealth of materials you can use to make 3D printed jewellery, such as silver, gold, plastic, bronze, brass and copper. It’s not just large companies that are able to 3D print jewellery, small outfits are able to as well with desktop printers now able to produce quality accessories and products.

 

3. 3D printed false nails

False nails continue to be a hugely popular fashion accessory, the world over. Celebrities, Instagram and the media in general have catapulted artificial nails into a billion-dollar industry. Whether it’s acrylic, gel or shellac nails, there’s profit to be made when there’s a big market demand. 3D printed capabilities widen the scope for fake nail designs even further with raised bumps on the surface and additional, unusual embellishments. What’s more, there’s greater potential for creating bespoke-sized nails that can be made quickly.

 

4. 3D printed footwear

Customised shoes are becoming a more popular fashion statement too, with brands such as Adidas and Reebok adapting to the overall trend of personalised clothing products. 3d printed footwear can be made to perfection using a detailed image of the foot/feet taken prior to production. As an established fashion accessory, it’s clear to see why trainers are popular for tailoring, but flip flops, which are usually massed produced, have also demonstrated a high demand for customisation through 3D printing. Although it’s still early stages with footwear, additive manufacturing (as 3D printing if often referred to as) has also been used to make orthopaedic footwear like insoles for shoes and boots.

 

5. 3D printed spectacles

When it comes to looking after your eyes, prescription glasses can become very expensive and must fulfil a number of criteria, including helping us to see, being comfortable and looking good. This makes them a prime candidate for customisation, and therefore 3D printing. Usually, glasses are mass produced with small adjustments optional often after the point of sale at some opticians. However, these alterations can break the frame in some cases, and are not the most ideal way to tailor glasses. With 3D printed glasses, modifying to ensure a more comfortable fit is much easier, as well as customising for style and aesthetics.  They also offer a cheaper production alternative.

 

6. 3D printed animal figures

Plastic animals have been a popular addition to children’s toy collections for decades. Whether they form part of a set or characters from a book or as a standalone toy, 3D printing provides a greater opportunity to produce more intricate designs with details and features which really bring to life characters to life for children.

 

7. 3D printed headphones

3D printed earbuds can make your listening experience so much more comfortable! Traditionally made in standard sizes, headsets or earbuds are much more comfortable when they are tailored to our own personal ear shape. Some technologies allow your phone to take an image of your ear to scan and create the perfect, personalised headset from.

 

8. 3D printed vases and flower pots

Both vases and pots are ideal for 3D printing, forming simple shapes and designs and ideal objects for customising. It’s possible to 3D print in ‘vase mode’ where there is a continuous stream of filament that produces a hollow container – basically, a vase. This function produces simple designs quickly with less material required. Similarly, flower pots with which to adorn our homes and gardens with are perfect to create a bespoke design for, and complement the increasing interest in, decorating and in some cases, personalising our gardens.

 

9. 3D printed Skulls

Printing skulls is not as macabre as you might think, in fact, it can be a very useful to medical experts and scientists. The skulls of animals can be used to look at extinct species, they can also be used in medical education and in the art and fashion industries too.

 

10. 3D printed toothpaste squeezer

Last but not least is the all-important issue of gaining the most out of a dwindling tube of toothpaste. This is achievable with a 3D printed tube squeezer! This adjustable bit of kit can be assembled using three separate parts, making it perfect for use with different sized tubes. Handy lifestyle gadgets are always popular, and ones that help us decrease product waste and money? There’s always a market for that.

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How to Make Money After Being Laid Off

Reading Time: 2 mins

Being told that you are no longer needed or wanted at work is one of the most disheartening things an individual can hear, especially during these incredibly tumultuous times. Hundreds and thousands of people have been laid off during the pandemic.

Some have gone on to find more suitable jobs, whilst others have taken matters into their own hands to secure additional streams of income. Here are a few ideas on how to make money after being laid off.

• File for unemployment
• Start your own online business
• Rent out a spare room in your house
• Start tutoring online
• Drive for a delivery company

 

File for Unemployment

Many individuals feel embarrassed to file for unemployment but there’s nothing to feel ashamed about. You may feel like you have been wrongfully terminated, in which case you should speak to a lawyer. If you are worried about how much lawyers cost, check out this blog.

 

Start Your Own Online Business

Starting a business seems like a very ambitious backup plan, however, many people have taken advantage of this opportunity and become their own boss. Nowadays you can even set up your business entirely from the comfort of your own home. E-commerce sales have been booming and who’s to say that you can’t get a piece of that pie?

 

Rent Out a Spare Room in Your House

If you are lucky enough to have enough space in your home, you may want to consider renting out a spare room. This can help cover important expenses, like your bills and mortgage, whilst you focus on looking for a new job.

Finding a suitable housemate or tenant is now much easier thanks to the power of social media. You don’t have to settle for the first person who replies to your advert, instead, you can be more selective and get to know the person before you invite them into your home.

 

Start Tutoring Online

Another change that has been brought about by the current health crisis is that more educational lessons are taking place online. This gives you a wider scope for potential students if you decide to start tutoring. You can teach anything online, from languages to math, or even a workshop in career-specific skills.

 

Drive for a Delivery Company

There’s always an opportunity to make a bit of cash on the side somewhere. If you have a car, you can sign up as a delivery driver for companies like UberEATS. These jobs are convenient because you can choose when you want to work. This gives you the flexibility to look for a full-time job and have some extra cash in the meantime.

If this pandemic has proven anything, it’s that your life can unexpectedly change at any moment. Nobody would have guessed that the world would come to a near standstill whilst we battle a global health crisis.

It has also illustrated the importance of having multiple streams of income and why everyone should be resourceful. If you are stuck between a rock and a hard place, make sure to take these tips on board and start making some money.

 

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Tech-Related Mistakes That Every Business Should Avoid

Reading Time: 3 mins

As technology is becoming more integral and complicated, there are many companies struggling to cope with it. Often companies makes several mistakes on their way to success, but some mistakes are so damaging that they slow down the pace of growth. The situation gets even worse if the company is small – small companies struggle hard to survive in the initial years of their launch. According to recent stats, 20% of businesses fail to survive the first year, and 50% fail in the fifth year.

Tech-related problems are found in almost all businesses, but not all businesses respond to them in an efficient way. What if there is a data breach related to customer private data that has gone public? Or could a company survive a computer server crash that has resulted in the loss of all data?

This article will help you get an overview of issues and mistakes that a business should avoid in order to survive in the market. There are businesses with inadequate knowledge about technological advancement, and this leads to loss. In order to avoid such losses, a business should deal with tech-related concerns efficiently.

• Email messages are unencrypted
• Obsolete computers
• Untrained employees
• Cloud computing is not used
• Rushing purchases
• Ignorance

 

Email messages are unencrypted 

Many businesses do not give enough attention to the security risk associated with the encryption of emails. The main reason behind this negligence is cost saving, and it is a complicated process too. There are businesses that do not even consider it an important threat.

However, it is often recommended by experts in the field to get updated with email encryption systems in order to secure all emails and attachments. A business can also purchase an encryption system and install it.

 

Obsolete or inadequate use of computers

Many SMEs do not realize they need to change the old computer systems. The problem is older devices often do not provide the upgraded and new features, and can lead to patchy internet, as well as operating slowly in performing simple tasks.

Old systems are less resistant to cyber-attacks and easily hackable when compared to upgraded versions. This could cost employee productivity, and even lead lead to a data breach!

The systems should usually be replaced every three years to benefit from the latest features and facilities. When a manager of a business realises it’s time to change the systems, it should be done without delay.

 

Employees are not trained enough

This is the most important aspect that many businesses fail to deal with in an appropriate manner. The employees are not trained enough to handle the new technology due to a lack of training. Some employees do not have even the basic required skills in Word, Excel, Windows, and outlook.

If employees in your company are also in the same situation, then ideally you need to train them or bring in new employees who are capable of dealing with basic tech-related activities. The employees must be provided with updated training sessions on all software applications in order to increase workforce productivity.

 

Cloud computing is not used

Cloud computing has made things easier than ever. It’s widely used in many successful businesses as it enables employees, customers, and other users to access data with ease. Cloud-based applications are a much more efficient way of securing and accessing data compared to on-premise counterparts.

Businesses should work on cloud strategy and try to shift some of the data and applications to the cloud. This would include hiring a specialist, to make sure that the transition is successfully installed and configured.

 

Rushing into purchases

Some businesses rush into buying and installing tech-related stuff like software, laptops, ERP, or other technological needs. It’s important to compare prices and other factors before investing in technology. As a result, businesses should be able to find better options that meet their specific requirements.

Another example is if a business invests in stocks through trading platforms, it would be better to find some of the cheapest trading platforms instead of choosing an expensive platform in a rush that charges high commission and fees.

 

Ignorance of upcoming trend

Every upcoming day, month, or week brings a change. It’s very important for businesses to follow new technological trends in order to survive in an increasingly competitive environment.

For example, did you know that mobile devices are responsible for more than half of web traffic?

This means that customers prefer the use of mobile for daily searches and updates, so if a business has an outdated desktop version of their website, the business needs to design a site that runs on Android and IOS apps as well. Many businesses ignore the latest trends and stay in a comfort zone which impacts the business negatively in a long run.

*This is not financial or investment advice. Remember to do your own research and speak to a professional advisor before parting with any money.

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Why your freelance business needs content marketing

Reading Time: 4 mins

Guest article from Fusion Accountants

Content marketing is the most powerful method of marketing on the web. It is consistent, cost-effective, and simple to do and it works well for any size or type of business, and is particularly suited to freelancers.

In this post we are going to briefly set out the benefits and show how you can start content marketing for your business. It can also be a relatively low-cost method of putting yourself on a level playing field to compete with your nearest and bigger competitors.

Here are some great reasons why content marketing is the right thing to do for a freelancer.

• What is content marketing?
• What are the benefits of content marketing?
• Types of content marketing
• How to develop your content marketing
• Content marketing – perfect for freelancers

 

What is content marketing?

Content marketing is the practice of providing something for free to potential customers, to build up trust, credibility and to develop your brand.

The aim is not to explicitly promote your services, but to develop awareness and to make sure that your site is the first place that people go to when they have a question in your realm of expertise.

A good example is a graphic designer who puts out ‘how to’ videos that focus on some of the popular design packages, or a project manager who demonstrates their knowledge of scheduling.

 

What are the benefits of content marketing?

Using the example above, the first benefit is fairly obvious; if our freelancer helps people understand how to carry out simple tasks then when it comes to more complex projects, the client is instantly going to think of them.

Good shareable content does two things for your website; it increases the number of clicks, and it increases the shareability of your assets. Both of these are helpful in terms of enhanced visibility as search engines promote sites that have content that visitors find useful.

As people read your site they will dwell longer and will often consume more than one piece of information. People who enjoy your content will also return more often and all of these are seen as markers of a useful site and consequently help your content rise to the top of the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).

Having good quality content also helps with credibility and this is exceptionally important for services companies that want to demonstrate their expertise.

 

Types of content marketing

Content marketing can take many forms from a simple blog post to a full-scale campaign.

If you just want to hit single keywords or phrases, then blog posts work well as you can target these for the areas you are looking to develop.

Video works if you want to explain complex concepts or show how to carry out practical tasks and with 88% of marketing professionals saying that it has a positive Return On Investment (ROI), it has to be worth considering.

For services companies, longer pieces such as white papers and reports work really well and if you want to develop content that shares brilliantly then you cannot beat a good original survey.

Developing engagement is the whole aim of a content marketing strategy and webinars and podcasts are exceptionally useful in this respect. A live webinar that allows attendees to ask questions of the presenter helps the company to develop a following that could eventually turn into evangelists.

Infographics are helpful if you want to get your readers to share your content and do not forget to develop suitable content for socials like LinkedIn, Facebook and TikTok.

 

How to develop your content marketing

The first place to start is to decide what outcomes you want from your marketing strategy.

Do you want to sell more of a particular service? Do you want to build a mailing list? Do you want to increase your Instagram following? The type of outcome will determine what you produce and how you utilise it.

You may want to enlist the help of a content marketing specialist in this respect. They can let you know what would work well for you and what is less effective so that you make the best use of your marketing spend.

The marketing world is full of fellow freelancers and so it is a simple matter to find people who can help you produce individual elements of your plan. Blog writers, videographers and podcast producers are all available should you need them.

The best advice is to speak to people in your network and see who they recommend or use reputable platforms like Upwork to find freelancers with excellent reviews.

The key to a successful content marketing strategy is consistency. You are much better off producing a single, 700-word blog post every week on a Monday than a 10,000-word report that you only ever publish once, and this is because search engines value constantly updated sites.

Once you have produced your content do not think that it is enough to simply post it on your own website. Make sure that you share it on all of your social channels and if you already have a mailing list, get a newsletter out that tells people where they can find your new post.

 

Content marketing – perfect for the freelancer

Being a freelance often means that you have a varied workload and some really interesting projects to highlight and that’s why content marketing is ideal for you.

Readers love stories about real jobs you have worked on and challenges you have faced and so you should have a wealth of material.

Writing regularly about an interesting aspect of your work is just as valid as a long article about some technical aspects of your sector.

Try a variety of different approaches and see which one works best for your business. Often content marketing is about trial and error until you hit upon that perfect formula for your situation.

 

Fusion Accountants in London is here to provide support to freelancers and their businesses. We understand that your job is not the usual ‘9 to 5’ as your role demands juggling numerous clients and projects at one time. Whether you work as a Limited Company or Sole Trader, we provide comprehensive accounting & tax services for freelancers.

 

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Strategic Ways That Will Successfully Promote Your Brand

Reading Time: 4 mins

Coming up with a business idea and effectively being able to execute it is a huge milestone. However, that is just the beginning of the journey, so do not over celebrate just yet. The second hardest part involves getting your target market interested in your services or products. Many great businesses and ideas have failed at this level. Unlike in the days past, word of mouth, brochures, and fliers are never enough in the modern age. They just won’t cut it as far as successfully promoting your brand is concerned.

Not to fear, however, as we live in a digital era where your target consumers are just a few clicks away. With a strategic marketing approach, it is easier to ensure your brand gets massive recognition from within and beyond the borders. It is largely about how you present and position yourself, and how consistent you are at it. With this having been said, here are some strategic ways you can promote your brand successfully.

• Use of corporate calendars
• Leveraging social media
• Have an optimized website
• Content marketing
• Use Google
• Video marketing

 

1. Use of Corporate Calendars

Calendars will always remain an important piece in our office desks, homes, schools, and any institution you can think of. They stay with us the whole year long, and the next after the next! As a wise entrepreneur, corporate calendars are among the ways you can make your brand known far and wide within your local area, region, or country. As the folks at Cody Group put it, the personalized corporate calendar provides year-round exposure of your brand to your potential clients. This gives you 365 opportunities in a year to have your brand in front of the user’s eyes and mind. Those using the calendar every day will be reminded of your brand daily.

This is all the more reason to have your corporate calendars personalized and designed in an appealing way that best showcases your brand. Also, giving calendars as gifts to your customers makes them feel valued. This leads to loyal and repeats clients.

 

2. Leveraging Social Media

Some businesses have achieved overnight growth just because of social media. Nowadays, it is rare to find someone who is not on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, just to mention a few of the many social networking channels. Using these social platforms can help expose your product, business, service, or brand to a broader audience. Use that hashtag, make that page, advertise on your wall, and run social media contests. These are just a pinch of the many ways you can use social media to advertise your brand and grow your business to the next level.

 

3. Have an Optimized Killer Website

While doing all the above (and below), you don’t want to forget to invest in an optimized mobile-friendly website. In this case, your site will be the face of your brand and business. Even if you run a brick-and-mortar store, having a website increases your reach to customers and maximizes the chances that people will come knocking on your door for products or services. However, this is only if you have a creatively designed website that puts the visitor experience first. When designing a site for your brand, ensure it is:

• Mobile friendly
• Fast-loading
• Optimized for SEO to rank high on search engines
• Has a friendly user interface
• Utilizes social signals

While at it, do not forget to invest in paid search ads for your business. These will help promote your brand, encourage interaction, grow a customer base, and increase sales over time.

 

4. Leverage Content Marketing and Blogging

The one who said that ‘content is king’ was never wrong. By content, we are talking about articles, guest blogs, reviews, your own blogs, press releases, and so forth. When promoting your brand through content marketing, always ensure that the content you provide is unique, informative, simple, and influential. Ensure the content you provide answers questions that the reader might have in mind or provides a solution to a problem they could be dealing with.

You can also include a call to action, especially for web page content. Most importantly, remember to optimize your content to make it searchable and easy to find online. Including relevant keywords, phrases, tags, and relevant images in your content will make it SEO-friendly, which will be a huge plus for your brand.

 

5. Make Use of Google

Being the mother of search engines, Google is an excellent platform to get wide coverage and recognition for your brand. Even if you don’t have your own website yet, you can create a Google My Business account and fill out the necessary information about your business. This information is usually necessary for helping consumers to find you easily. There are also several critical sections like “what’s new”, “offer”, and “Q&A”, which allow you to post text content as well as photos.

 

6. Maximize Your Video Marketing Efforts

Many analytical studies have demonstrated that people tend to prefer viewing videos compared to reading text. This is why your brand promotion strategy shouldn’t fail to incorporate video marketing. This means appealing to your target prospects using unique and creatively-made branded videos. Apart from posting them on your social media pages, you will also want to utilize video channels like YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok, and Metacafe, just to name a few.

To leverage the power of video marketing even further, some of these videos can be posted or featured on your blog or website if you have one. They can go a long way in increasing your site traffic while ensuring your brand stands out from the rest.

A few other strategies you can use to market your brand include:

• Marketing via the use of direct emails and email marketing campaigns
• Consider using influencers: These have great command in the online society
• Form partnerships or connections with non-competing brands to increase coverage
• Marketing through representation in events, whether virtual or in-person

The above piece is simply a summary of what you can do to ensure success when marketing your brand. Using all or a combination of a few of them will help increase your brand recognition and popularity by a significant margin. You never know, your brand might become the next household name in town!

 

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Is selling gold for cash worth it?

Reading Time: 5 mins

Thinking about selling some of your gold but unsure whether it’s worth it? The good news is that there are plenty of gold buyers out there who would be interested in taking gold jewellery, coins, platinum, diamond jewellery or even bullion bars (if you have any lying about!) off your hands, but you want to make sure you get the best deal possible.

The last thing you want is to go through the effort of selling your gold only to discover that you were dealt an unfair hand. There are a lot of considerations to make before you sell gold to ensure you get a fair price and there are also factors which contribute to gold prices you should be aware of (don’t worry, we’ll cover these later).

Keep reading for tips on how to go about selling your precious metals and the pros and cons of cashing in on your gold.

• Pros of selling gold for cash
• Cons of selling gold for cash
• How to sell gold for the best price

 

Pros of selling gold for cash

• You can get money quickly – you have a few options when it comes to selling your gold, but if you want quick cash, you could look into selling online. Many online gold buyers such as Postgoldforcash.com aim to send you payment for your gold within 24 hours of them receiving it. 
• There is always a demand for it – gold is the type of valuable commodity that is always being bought and sold (although, the demand can fluctuate depending on the supply of gold and any economical changes which can affect the gold’s value).
• Many different types of gold can be sold – whether you’ve got gold coins, bullion bars, watches or other gold jewellery, all sorts of scrap gold can be sold for a decent profit. 

 

Cons of selling gold for cash

• You may not always receive a fair offer – at the end of the day, companies want to make a profit and there are buyers out there who may take advantage of those who don’t know the real worth of their gold or are desperate for quick cash; this means that doing your research into gold buyers first is important. We’ll share some tips for selling gold for the best price later. 
• Gold can be a great investment – as gold has historically been seen as a valuable asset, it could be worth hanging onto your scrap gold in case it increases in value over time.
• Gold jewellery may have sentimental value – sometimes gold items will have more value to us in terms of sentiment rather than something more tangible; unfortunately, scrap gold buyers won’t pay extra for any special background stories surrounding your gold. If you have an item of gold jewellery that means something to you, it may not be a good idea to sell it.

 

How to sell gold for the best price

Here’s our top tips on how to sell gold for the best price:

 

1. Understand the worth of your gold

Check the hallmarks of your gold and weigh it to get an idea of how much your gold items could be worth based on what the current price of gold is. Gold is weighed using the Troy measurement system. 

Alternatively, you could go to some of your local jewellers and ask if they could value your gold items (it is likely that they will have more accurate weighing scales and can give you a clearer idea of what it’s worth with their expert eye). That said, remember that they may not give you the full value if they’re interested in buying your gold themselves! It’s therefore a good idea to get your gold valued by more than one jeweller. 

Remember, the price of your gold can be affected by a number of factors, including the current price of gold (based on supply and demand), the weight and purity of the gold, and any changes in the economy. 

 

2. Sell at the right time

You may not know this, but the price of gold changes daily depending on the supply and demand. The price of gold in the UK per gram is determined by the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) and is changed twice each day depending on the amount of gold being traded on online auctions. Essentially, when there is a low supply but a high demand, the price of gold increases; when there is a high supply but a lower demand, the price of gold drops – so make sure you sell when gold prices are high! You can see live gold prices here. 

 

3. Compare gold buyers

When you’re looking for quick cash, it can be tempting to sell to one of the first gold buyers you come across…but you risk not getting the best deal for your gold. Try and do some research into a few different jewellers and online gold buyers, noting down any other benefits of their services. Here are a few things to ask yourself when looking at gold buyers:

• How much experience do they have?

Everyone has to start somewhere, but if you’re anxious to sell to a relatively new company it could be worth selling to reputable gold buyers who have years of experience in valuing and buying gold.

• Do they offer a price match guarantee?

Companies who offer a price match guarantee promise to match the price of offers you’ve received from other gold buyers.

• Do they have positive reviews?

Definitely check the customer reviews of a company before you decide to sell gold to them. Most companies will showcase their reviews and customer testimonials on their websites but you can also check Trustpilot for a deeper insight. 

• For online gold buyers, what is their postal service and are you obligated to sell to them once you’ve sent your gold? 

The last thing you want to do is lose valuable items or spend your own money on secure postage. Read up on how their gold selling process works and check if they will send your gold items back if you are not happy with their offer.

Alternatively, you could save some time by checking out a comparison site to see somebody else’s experience with various online gold buyers. 

 

4. Know who you’re selling to

Even if you do receive a rather handsome offer, make sure that you can trust the gold buyer. Take a look at their online customer reviews to see what others are saying about their services before you decide to send any of your gold jewellery or other precious metal items off. 

 

5. Don’t be afraid to haggle for the best price

If you receive an offer that you’re not completely happy with, why not try your luck in haggling to drive the price up? Whether you’re looking to sell gold online or through local jewellers, try and get quotes from a number of gold buyers so that you’re ready to negotiate. After all…there’s no harm in trying!

But remember, if you want to successfully haggle you should remain friendly and ask for a realistic price, pitting the company against competitor gold buyers who have sent you offers if you can – bear in mind that these should be genuine offers you have received as it is likely they’ll ask for evidence of this. 

So, there you have it – gold can be worth selling for cash if you find the right buyer and sell gold at the right time for the best price. 

Why not take a look at some of our other articles on how to make quick money and sell your stuff for more ideas?

 

*This is not financial or investment advice. Remember to do your own research and speak to a professional advisor before parting with any money or items. 

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Can No Jab Mean No Job?

Reading Time: 4 mins

Many people are worried about their employment rights regarding the Covid-19 vaccine. We reached out to Amanda Hamilton, Chief Executive of the non-profit National Association of Licensed Paralegals, to help explain your rights and potential issues around refusing the vaccine.

There is no law in UK which requires mandatory vaccination, as much as some anti-vaxxers claim otherwise. The Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 devolves powers to Parliament to legislate in order to protect UK Citizens. The law enables Parliament to intervene in an emergency situation, such as the pandemic, and impose lockdowns and restrictions to protect citizens, but it cannot impose mandatory vaccinations. In other words, there is no power to make vaccinations mandatory.

This creates a plethora of issues, from human rights to equality, and balances them against the rights of others to be safe in their workplace. In addition, it raises issues around the possible criminal implications of forcing someone to be vaccinated against their will.

1. Potential Criminal Implications
2. Human Rights and Equality
3. Can an Employee Be Dismissed for Refusing the Vaccine?
4. A Safe Environment for Others
5. A Reasonable Solution
6. Does an Employee Have to Tell Their Employer?
7. More Legal Articles

Potential Criminal Implications

The Offences Against the Persons Act 1861 s20 states that an unlawful wounding would occur if a person were forced to have a vaccination against their will. A wound means ‘a break of the skin’. This statute still remains in force today.

Human Rights and Equality

Compulsory medical treatment or testing is contrary to Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights meaning that it is a human right to refuse medical treatment if you wish to do so. Refusing medical treatment could be because of deeply held religious or other beliefs, and this brings into play the Equality Act 2010. This statute states an individual is protected from discrimination from nine possible characteristics including: age, disability, gender re-assignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and sex.

So, an employer cannot force an employee to be vaccinated.

Can an Employee Be Dismissed for Refusing the Vaccine?

The short answer is no. If they were, then it would amount to an unfair dismissal and the employee could justifiably take the employer to an employment tribunal for discrimination. The case would be brought under the Equality Act 2010 in that the claimant’s refusal to be vaccinated is founded on a fundamental belief or on religious grounds. It would of course, be for the claimant to prove that she/he has such beliefs.

The situation would be the same if the claimant felt that they were being victimised, because of their belief, to such an extent that they felt that they could not continue being in the employ of the employer, and consequently, resigned. This would amount to constructive dismissal. The result being the same as if the employer had dismissed the employee – an employment tribunal case could ensue for unfair dismissal.

A Safe Environment for Others

So how can an employer manage such a situation if there is a statutory duty to provide a safe environment for employees in the workplace? The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 places the responsibility on employers to protect the ‘health, safety and welfare’ at work of all employees and includes others on the premises such as temps, contractors and visitors.

This appears to be in contradiction to the premise that it is an individual’s right to refuse the vaccine. The only way to manage this is to impose certain guidelines on employees such as those we are all asked to follow during the current pandemic, e.g. social distancing, mask wearing and sanitising/hand washing etc.

Of course, all this does depend on job that an employee is employed to do. For example, working in an office environment, following government guidelines may work reasonably well. However, if the employee that is refusing to accept the vaccine is working in social care or in medical care with vulnerable patients, then the standards may change. Being on the front line in such a situation may well mean that refusal to be vaccinated may place those who have not yet been vaccinated (perhaps due to age, medical conditions, or access), as well as themselves, at risk.

A Reasonable Solution

In these circumstances, it may be prudent to find alternative work for the employee until it is safe for them to return. A reasonable solution such as this should be acceptable to an employee.

If the employee doesn’t find it acceptable, they might bring an unfair dismissal case against the employer on the basis of discrimination. A Tribunal hearing such a case weighs up the rights of the employee to refuse the vaccine, taking into account the nature of their work, the alternatives offered, and how many others would be put at risk. In other words, they would look at the situation and apply a test of reasonability.

Does an Employee Have to Tell an Employer?

If the employer can demonstrate that asking staff to be vaccinated is a reasonable management instruction, then asking them for this information will also be reasonable. However, just as you can’t force them to be vaccinated, you also can’t force them to reveal their vaccination status.

Again, equality laws will come into play if there is a risk that revealing their vaccination status will result in discrimination within the workplace.

If they do agree to tell, then this will constitute sensitive personal health data and the organisation will need to comply with GDPR. The same applies to information about who has not been vaccinated and why.

The best policy is one of clear communication. Employers should explain why they’d like staff to be vaccinated and why they’d like the information about their status. An employer should give the opportunity to discuss this privately and look at ways to mitigate the risks and offer alternative working options. This way, as an employer, you have done your best to provide the right working environment, have kept staff informed and engaged in the process and ultimately reduced the chances of a successful Tribunal claim, should it unfortunately come to that.

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