News/Blog

Birmingham NEC 22nd – 25th February 2009

Focus on Imaging is Europe's biggest annual imaging show, covering all your needs from image capture through to output and beyond. Whether you are a professional image maker or processor, a buyer of image making equipment or materials, a manufacturer or distributor of products or a keen hobbyist, this is the show for you. 

 If that makes no sense to you (it didn't to me, I think they need a decent copy writer) It's a photographic show as far as I can see. The website is here:

http://www.focus-on-imaging.co.uk/

Business Link are holding a number of free events over next couple of months to help your business through the recession.

1. Managing Cash Flow

2. Saving Money on your Suppliers, Materials and Goods

3. Dealing with redundancies

See the attachments for more information.

Please see attached Flyer.

Flyer for Creative Industry Advice Sessions v2.pdf (2mb)

Raise Your Game with Google Analytics – 25 February & 27 May 2009

In one day delegates will learn how to:

• Slash the cost of your online advertising campaigns
• Identify which marketing activities provide the best return on investment
• Find out why people don’t buy from your website
• Benchmark your website’s performance against your competitors?

For full details and to book go to http://www.ascendancyinternetmarketing.co.uk/analyticscourse.asp

Search Engine Optimisation for Beginners – 18 February & 20 May 2009

In one day delegates will learn how to:

• Find the right keywords to target
• Optimise the copy on your website
• Develop effective internal linking strategies
• Grow the number of external links pointing to your website
• Measure the results of your work and develop your strategy further

For full details and to book go to http://www.ascendancyinternetmarketing.co.uk/seocourse.asp

Going Further with Google AdWords  - 11 February & 13 May 2009

In one day delegates will learn how to:

• Use the Quality Score to your advantage, to outrank your competitors without paying more
• Focus your campaign on the best performing keywords and adverts, cutting costs and improving ROI
• Set up and run campaigns that target specific geographical areas
• Write ads and landing pages that convert visitors into buyers
• Use and understand your statistics, continuously improving the performance of your account

For full details and to book go to http://www.ascendancyinternetmarketing.co.uk/adwordscourse.as

The following is pasted from the Design Council website. They specify design but what they talk about is equally relevant to all creative businesses and their clients.

You can find the full article here: http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/en/Case-Studies/All-Case-Studies/Design-in-a-downturn/ 

When times are tough and revenues are falling there may be a temptation for business to cut ‘discretionary’ budgets - money allocated to activities such as design, perhaps.

But design is a powerful tool in a downturn.

Our research shows that more than half of the UK’s businesses:

• ... are looking to design their way out of downturn
  Over half (54%) of the firms in our survey thought design would contribute to a large or great extent in helping maintain their competitive edge in the current economic climate.
• ... think design is more important now
  Similarly, 53% thought that design had become more important in helping the firm to achieve its business objectives over the last three years.
• ... think design is integral to the economic performance of the UK
  The same number agreed or strongly agreed that design is integral to the country’s future economic performance. 

Fortunes can change for any business – large or small – sending a once successful and thriving operation into decline. Shifts in the economy, in consumer sentiment or changes in the marketplace are just a few of the factors that might leave a company in trouble and unsure how to get back on track. Even mighty corporations such as McDonald’s or entire industries like the Swiss watch industry have fallen foul of changes in the market, but both responded through an investment in design and innovation which helped to turn their fortunes around.

Happy new year to everyone in Creative Shropshire!

Book your place now!

Shropshire and Telford Arts Partnership (STAP) are working with Business Link to bring Creative Industries Advice sessions to the area.

Ann Rosenthal, Creative Business Advisor from Clear Vision working for Business Link West Midlands, will provide specialist business advice sessions for people working within the Creative, Cultural and Digital Sector to discuss their development needs. The free advice sessions taking place across Shropshire and Telford will last approximately 30 minutes. 

During the sessions Ann will:

Identify what business support opportunities are available through Business Link and other Creative Industries opportunities (partners, stakeholders, initiatives, programmes)

Arrange for an in depth Business Review from a specialist creative sector business advisor with specific industry and regional knowledge where needed.

Advice session dates:

19th January, The Hive (formerly Belmont Arts Centre),

5 Belmont, Shrewsbury, SY1 1TE

29th January, Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre,

School Road, Craven Arms, Shropshire, SY7 9RS

19th February, Mythstories Museum of Myth and Fable,

The Morgan Library, Aston Street, Wem, Shropshire, SY4 5AU

19th March, The Place,

Limes Walk, Oakengates, Telford, TF2 6EP 

To book your advice session at any of the venues please contact:

Alexa Mearns, Arts Development Officer, Bridgnorth District Council,

tel:  01746 713194 or email: alexa.mearns@shropshire.gov.uk