ChatGPT is a hot topic at the moment. Businesses are considering whether it could make their lives easier. And skilled content creators are wondering if they’re about to be replaced by a bot. We’ve noticed that savvy business users are weighing up the pros and cons, working out where ChatGPT is the right solution and identifying where a real person will do a better job.
Let’s take a closer look.
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When you outsource social media content to Get Ahead, your new social media manager will often use a scheduling platform. Scheduling platforms like Hootsuite and Buffer help us keep up a consistent presence on social media channels and definitely make life easier. However, there are some pitfalls to avoid too – our social media managers know them all and they thought they’d be useful to share!
In this blog, we look at the benefits of scheduling social media content, and note the pitfalls to avoid.
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Social media strategy is essential if you want to take your business channels to the next level. If you have a small business you’re planning to scale up, social media is a great tool to help you reach new customers. And it’s well worth investing in social media strategy to increase your chances of getting the results your business deserves.
In this blog, we look at why a strategic approach is important, and what you should consider when you’re planning future social media posts.
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Social media is a fantastic marketing tool, but it’s not without its downsides. Many business owners struggle to find a balance between maintaining their presence online and managing their time. Could the decision to outsource social media be the right one for you?
Let’s take a closer look.
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2022 has been quite a year! With war in Ukraine, price rises, loads of industrial action and three prime ministers, very few businesses will have experienced completely plain sailing. But sweet are the uses of adversity. Here at Get Ahead, we’ve learned a lot about ourselves and our business. We’ve seen interesting opportunities arise and we’re already feeling positive about what 2023 has to offer.
In this blog, we look at how businesses can learn from mistakes and find exciting opportunities to take them into the new year.
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A new year and a new financial quarter is a great time to do a skills gap analysis. Analysing the skills of yourself and your team will help you identify what you already do well and what else you need to grow your business. A review might even help you spot other strengths and weaknesses.
In this blog, we share our five-point plan for an effective skills gap analysis.
Quarter 1 is a good time to do a skills gap analysis
It’s a good idea to do a skills gap analysis every year. This is because team members come and go, taking away and bringing skills that benefit your business. Even if you work alone, you’ll be continually adding to your skills bank and also growing more self-aware. In addition to specific training, your own experience will be expanding all the time, making you more confident in certain areas now than you used to be.
Carrying out a skills gap analysis as you head into Q1 will help you plan ahead and set your next goals. Here’s how to do it.
Whatever your business does, the magic only happens because you and your team do lots of different tasks on top of the core business. For example, if you develop software, you’ll also need to market it, provide customer support, keep on top of accounts and more. Write down all of your own responsibilities, and ask your employees to write down theirs too. And if there are things you know you should be doing but aren’t, put those on the list too.
Remember to include soft skills like communication and empathy too. Your business won’t succeed if your service is not as good as the product you sell.
Now you know what skills your business needs, do you have the expertise within your business to deliver them? Give each employee the list and ask them to rate their abilities in the different areas. For example, your finance manager will be strong on tax returns but might be weaker on marketing.
It’s a good idea to check what your employees have written and take personalities into account too. Modesty and bravado can skew the results!
At this point, it’s a good idea to pause and celebrate all the strengths of your business and your team. We hope the skills gap analysis will also show you how much your business has to offer. It’s also important to remember that you’ve done this exercise positively to help you grow your business. However you close the gaps, see it as an investment in the future of your business.
The results of your skills gap analysis might be as simple as “we’re strong on data but weak on marketing.” Or they might be more complicated. For example, you might have a team member who is strong in an area that is really someone else’s remit. It might highlight someone who is weak in a certain area but has the capacity to become stronger. You might discover that someone has the skills but not the time to use them.
To take your business to the next level, it’s important to close the gaps you’ve identified. There are three ways of doing this: training, recruitment and outsourcing. The approach you take depends on the skills and aptitude of your team. For example, if you have an experienced accountant who is unfamiliar with Xero, the solution might be as simple as doing Xero training. But if whole departments are missing from your team, you might need to recruit to fill the gap.
Outsourcing is also a great solution. When you outsource, you only pay for the hours you use – a very cost-effective way to close a skills gap. It can be a good way to test whether you need someone to do that role full-time, or bridge the gap while you’re waiting for an employee to complete training.
What’s stopping you from taking your business to the next level?
If you’re aware of barriers to growing your business, our quiz could help you identify them. Take the quiz here.
As you prepare your business for Q1, you’ve probably made some key decisions that will affect the whole organisation. For your business to carry these out and achieve the goals you’ve set, it is essential that you take your employees with you. When employees are fully engaged with the goal setting process and understand the direction the business is going, they are more likely to deliver the work you need.
In this blog, we look at ways you might engage staff and communicate your new goals to ensure your employees support your business direction.
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As we look ahead to the New Year, we can start to plan our next steps for business growth. Part of this process is breaking down an overall priority into strategic goals and identifying what your business needs to achieve them. This might be anything from moving to a new premises to using an outsourced lead generation service, but the important thing is to identify it and act on it.
In this blog, we take a closer look at strategic goals, how to write them and how Get Ahead can help you achieve them.
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IT breaches are nearly always serious. No business can afford to compromise data security or risk losing trade because of a computer virus.
In this blog, we look at some of the ways businesses of all sizes can protect their computer systems from hacking, data breaches and other problems. Some of these responsibilities are for management; others are good habits that everyone should get into.
IT responsibilities for management
When all your data can only be accessed through one means, it could get lost. This could prevent you from accessing it when you need it. It’s not just about where on your hard drive or the cloud your data is stored, it’s also about what you could use to access it if there were a power cut. Protect your business by backing up your data.
The business version of standard software sometimes costs more, but it is worth it. Make sure you’re using the right package for the size of your business – this will enable your whole team to access the same system which is more secure than separate arrangements. Depending on what your business does, it might be worth investing in bespoke software.
Anti-virus software is essential for anyone who uses a computer for their business. If your computer falls prey to a virus, you won’t be able to use it and it could cause problems for your business. Employers should consider purchasing anti-virus for everyone on their payroll – this way, you can be sure everyone has the right software and there are no weak links in your cyber-security chain.
It’s important that ex-employees no longer have access to your systems after they leave your business. They may not do anything wrong themselves, but the more people who have access to your systems, the bigger the risk that the system could be hacked or data breached.
IT responsibilities for individuals
All your employees should follow IT best practice so they don’t compromise your systems. Create a positive culture where it’s easy for employees make the right choice and where they value the responsibility you give them. And if you work on your own, these security tips should be no-brainers.
Whatever software and hardware you use for work, you should use strong passwords and change them frequently. It’s also important that you use different passwords for different applications.
Remember to lock your screen when you’re away from your desk so no unscrupulous person can get at the information or pose as you online. Take care too if you’re working in a public place like the train or a coffee shop – it’s very easy for others to see what’s on your screen.
Most of us have a personal email account and social media profiles, but these will not be as secure as those we use for work. Remember, never send work emails from your personal account in case you compromise security. If you need to, talk to your IT support about accessing your work email and server from home so you always have the tools you need.
Outsourced support for IT safety
Get Ahead provides outsourced support for businesses of all sizes. We can help you find the right software for your needs and keep your information secure and compliant. Our diary managers can help you stay on top of updates and software contract renewals, and our communications experts can help you get the message through to your team. To find out more, contact your local regional director.
The marketing community has had cause to wince quite a few times this year, with some glaring mistakes from big name brands who should know better. In fact, these mistakes could probably have been avoided if someone had simply looked at the marketing campaign with a fresh pair of eyes.
In this blog, we look at what can go wrong and how outsourcing can help you avoid it.
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Get Ahead has a team of business support experts ready to provide virtual support to your business