The food packaging industry has evolved massively over the last couple of decades. Gone are the days when packaging was produced as cheaply as possible, with the sole purpose of simply holding a product (and in some cases to extend its' shelf life a little). Now, the expectation is that packaging needs to work much harder for its money. Today, the fact that packaging makes food products look desirable, keeps them well protected and in perfect condition just isn't enough. Consumers want it to co...

First impressions are everything and if “the first bite is taken with the eye”, then regardless of how amazing, unique or delicious your product, the packaging will need to work hard to be successful in the food and drink market. Packaging will often be the first point of contact a customer has with you and your goods, and when it's sat on a crowded shelf or market stall, it needs to excite, entice and engage in a matter of seconds.  The power of food and drink branding In 2016, a top 4 U...

You’ve recognised your vision and shaped your creation, you’ve tested it on your family and friends (they loved it of course); You might even have hit the streets with it, to make sure you have taken on board the feedback on the best flavour, presentation, size, and price. You now need to think about your packaging and food labelling, if you haven’t already started to do so. It’s not just the colour, typography, texture, size and shape you need to consider; there are also regulations and...

So, you've been cooking up a storm in the kitchen and your friends and family are raving about your culinary skills and now you’re ready to see if there’s a place for you and your scrumptious new product on the food market. However, bringing a new product to market can be particularly tricky in the food and drink industry. With so many choices out there already, you need to make sure you get it right first time. Where do you start with launching your new product? Find your USPHow doe...

Pull up a chair, because you're about to be given a whistle-stop tour of how to enhance your business and improve your food operation. You may have seen the huge collection of gold medals that the British cycling team brought home from the Olympics. If so, you might be wondering how they managed such an inspiring achievement? What made our cycling team suddenly succeed at a sport usually dominated by countries like Australia and the Netherlands? The answer is 'marginal gains'. This concept, co...

What is Gutenberg? Since the introduction of WordPress back in 2003, the editing experience of content has primarily been a single editable region. This editor allows you to add and edit content using an interface similar to Microsoft Word. This is set to change in WordPress 5.0, with the introduction of Gutenberg, the new editing experience for WordPress, named after Johannes Gutenberg (not Steve Guttenberg), who invented the printing press. Rather than having a single content area, content wi...

So you have a lovey market stall at a farmer’s market, in a quaint little village and now you’re ready for the next step: you want to sell your produce further afield. You know people like the way it tastes, you have plenty of repeat customers who rave about your recipe and visit your stall week after week. Your customers are making comments like “My friends would love this” and “You need to get this in the supermarkets”. You’re thinking; 'What a good idea, this time next year Rodn...

Instagram’s engagement rate is one of the best of all social network platforms, enabling businesses to quickly establish a healthy following. In the current social media era, where “Charlie bit my finger” can receive over 861 million views on YouTube, it's now easier than ever to connect with potential customers. Using social media businesses are no longer limited to advertising in their 'back garden' – they can now connect with customers from every corner of the world, especially with ...

So you've nailed the farmer’s markets, your products are well known locally, maybe on the shelves of your local shop, but how do you take the next step to grow your food business? You love your product, you're passionate about your product, but Monday morning comes and you have to go back to your day job. You spend your time there trying to work out how you can make your food business pay a decent enough wage to allow you to escape working for someone else and take the reins yourself. This co...

You might have dabbled with Google AdWords before and been disappointed with the results. Without careful research, planning, setup and monitoring, you could easily burn through hundreds of pounds with little to show for it. AdWords can be beneficial for estate agents, as long as you carefully consider what you want to get out of it. AdWords ideas for estate agents To avoid AdWords getting expensive, it’s worth carefully considering which areas it is worth investing in AdWords. Here are som...

To get better email marketing results from your campaigns you need two things, more people in your mailing list and better engagement from those that are already in it. Here’s how to get both... Growing your list Make it easy to sign up Don’t ask for too much information. There’s no need to ask for three different telephone numbers and a full postal address just to sign up for an email alert. Just an email address is fine at this stage. Asking for too much information is off putting and...

If you're not already investing in clever content marketing as an estate agent, you might be falling behind your competitors. Good content can help prospective customers find you, and, even more importantly, trust you. To take it to the next level, create content for your target customers throughout the process – from before they want your services to after they’ve taken them up. For example... Consideration By creating content for your target audiences before they need your services (in ...

When you know how to use analytics, it provides a treasure trove of data that you can use to get more visitors to your estate agency website, improve your website content and convert more visitors into customers. If you don’t already have Google Analytics and Google Search Console set up, then read our simple 'how-to guides' to getting set up on those first.How to set up Google Analytics How to set up Google Search ConsoleOnce you’re all set up, there are five things to look at i...

With increased competition from online estate agents, local estate agents need to work doubly hard to compete. Online estate agents have invested heavily in their websites and therefore there’s a lot to takeaway for local estate agents looking to attract sellers in their area. Check out any of the leading online estate agents and you’ll see they all emphasise:Fixed pricing Reviews Free, no obligation valuationThey present the benefits of their services up front and make it eas...

Facebook advertising provides a wealth of opportunity for estate agents, are you making the most of it? Here's five tactics to try... Boost to reach your existing audience If you’ve already built up a following of interested Facebook fans, then make sure they see your posts. Facebook has significantly decreased the amount of organic reach that posts by businesses get, but you don’t need a large budget to reach more people. Boosting your post, even by just a few pounds, will also give you ...

As a local estate agent, you have something national chains don’t have – local knowledge. When it comes to helping people find you in search engines, that local experience can be invaluable. Here’s how to use local SEO to your advantage... Get to the top with Google My Business When people search for terms like “estate agent” in Google, the search engine often takes into account their location and shows them relevant businesses nearby. This box appears above the main search results s...