wine tasting

Wine Tasting Networking at the Jollys

Grow your network & business – Book now, 17th May

Are you looking to grow your business and make 2023 your most successful year yet?

Come join our business networking event at The Jolly Farmers in Purley for an evening you won’t forget.

Enjoy open networking, wine tasting and get invaluable tips on how to strategically grow your business from your hosts – local industry experts including accountants, marketers and a business coach consultant.
Don’t miss out!
Date: Wednesday 17th May
Place: The Jolly Farmers pub, Purley, CR8 2HA
Time: From 6:30pm with speed networking opportunities hosted by Lexus Croydon
Team wine tasting from 7:15pm – test your knowledge of origin and grape!
Open networking from 8pm

Your hosts and industry experts for the evening include:

Denis Day, Founder, Warren Day Accountants

Simon Cripps, Owner, Smart Cow Marketing

Steve Jebson, business coach at Business Doctors

With thanks to Manesh Patel, landlord at The Jolly Farmers, for the use of his amazing pub garden for what’s set to be a brilliant evening.

Book your place now!

If you have any questions in the meantime, drop us a line:

Denis Day: denis@yourbusinesspartner.accountants

Simon Cripps: simon@smart-cow.com

Steve Jebson: Steve.Jebson@businessdoctors.co.uk

Why attend?
Learn best practice tips and tricks from leading industry experts

Network with like-minded professionals to open up new opportunities

Enjoy the evening in a relaxed, social atmosphere with wine tasting and open networking

Learn invaluable advice on how to strategically grow your business

Join the speed networking sessions to get maximum value out of the event

Take advantage of the knowledge sharing and opportunity to create valuable connections

Enjoy an unforgettable evening with like-minded business professionals!

Social media network

What is Clubhouse?

Clubhouse is looking at being the next social networking app to take the world by storm. It is a new and innovative networking app which is based on audio chat. People can join or start ‘rooms’ where the speakers are involved in conversations and discussions around whatever topic they wish.

This exclusive, invite only radio / podcast / conference call has some big names already registered. From tech and business giants Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg to award-winning rappers Drake and Kanye West and empowering female entrepreneurs including Oprah Winfrey. It sounds like something everyone will want to be a part of.

Having grown from 600,000 to 10 million users very quickly, Clubhouse’s aim for 2021 is to ‘welcome more voices’ and to open it up to the world.

So, in planning for this we will give you a quick rundown on what exactly Clubhouse is and how it could benefit your business.

How Clubhouse works

Currently the Clubhouse app is by invite only and currently only available on the iPhone app store, although an android version will be coming soon.

Like any social media platform, you will have a profile consisting of a picture, bio, followers and those you are following. Your Bio is the first chance you get to promote yourself and your business and you can add links to your other social media profiles too.

On joining the app you are asked to choose your interests such as tech, business, marketing, accounting etc.  With this information the app will recommend individuals and conversation rooms to follow and join.

Conversations rooms are digital conference rooms. They consist of two or more speakers discussing their topic of choice.

As a listener you will not be able to join the conversation, although there may be an opportunity to asks questions at certain points, however you are able to click through to the profiles of speakers and listeners to learn about their background.

What it could do for you and your business

There are a whole host of benefits and opportunities this app could provide for you.

Clubhouse is all about collaboration, sharing ideas, and providing insight into endless amounts of topics.

As a listener you will be able to learn from market leaders and likely accumulate lessons and advice you can apply to develop and grow your business. At some points in the conversations, you may get the chance to ask questions yourself.

Furthermore, while listening you can browse through the profiles of other listeners who are interested in the discussion and create new connections with them, whether as potential clients or collaborators.

As a speaker you will be driving many interesting and insightful conversations. Being an active contributor to these discussions you can network and showcase your company to the listeners.

Build connections

After a year of isolation this might be the app to build connections and further your outreach and make up for those precious lost networking events.

In the meantime, Smart Cow has many tips and techniques to grow your business and increase your social outreach. We have a host of resources dedicated to creating effective social media campaigns; making the most social media channels and providing professional digital marketing action plans.

If you are looking to grow your business in Croydon and the surrounding areas get in touch with Smart Cow Marketing today for expert advice on digital marketing and web design.

Contact us via Saymoo@smart-cow.com or give us a call on 020 3137 1826.

LinkedIn networking

Key to success – focus on one thing

In a recent interview with the BBC the co-founder of LinkedIn gives insight into the secret to success for start-ups – “focus on one thing”.  

Allen Blue said: “Focus your team. Your team can be tremendously creative and innovative, but only if you define the problem they’re trying to solve as narrowly as possible. 

This is invaluable advice for companies wanting to grow their business. It’s important to harness the expertise of the whole team when brainstorming. By constantly looking at ways to solve a problem you will bank other ideas that will help your firm in the long run. So, be open to suggestions but all the time remember that keeping focus on what you are trying to achieve will help you reach a solution faster and improve efficiency.  

Solving problems is also about growing your network, which is what LinkedIn is all about and why it came about. This business social media platform is a great way to debate, share and solve solutions. Whether that’s to engage with people you meet at networking events or through the myriad of groups available on LinkedIn. Or perhaps you want to use it to share your tips and advice as part of your marketing strategy to improve your SEO, LinkedIn increases your network and therefore your expertise as you have a knowledge base at your fingertips.  

Social media for your business 

If you haven’t already explored LinkedIn for your business, perhaps now is the time.  

There’s over 700 million LinkedIn members so it’s a significant social platform to tap into and a great way to continue conversation with a new business lead by asking if you can connect on LinkedIn.  

But when you are on this social platform and you’re completing your profile or sharing posts, just remember Allen’s advice to focus on one thing. This is a great reminder to target your marketing communication to your audience for successful brand awareness of your products and services.  

Watch the full interview with Allen Blue on the BBC.  

Digital marketing mix

We’re a digital marketing agency based in London and Croydon. If you need support for your online marketing plan, encompassing your social media strategy, then book a free consultation with us.

The aim is for your business to become a lead generation magnet which is why we recommend a mix and match approach to digital marketing. Following a review of your current marketing activity we’ll look at ways to improve SEO to help you rise in search engine rankings, work on your content marketing for your website and social media as well as implement any paid search as and when deemed necessary.

Social media resources 

Network using social media

NetWORKing it baby!

Networking is a great tool to meet, learn and collaborate. It’s about growing your business, making new contacts, winning new clients and selling your wares.

We’re advocates of local networking groups (the business card is still key at such events) but it’s not just about turning up to a breakfast meeting or attending a lunchtime network session. Use the digital marketing tools at your disposal to network your socks off and generate quality leads.

LinkedIn

Are you on LinkedIn? If not, get yourself on there as soon you can.

Just like attending a networking session, LinkedIn is about growing your network of contacts to help grow your business.

As a business2business (B2B) social channel with networking at its core this social media platform allows you to connect with other professionals, clients, colleagues, prospects and employers.

Pre event LinkedIn activity  

Whether you’re attending an actual networking event or going to a trade exhibition or conference, the organisers usually share a list of attendees before the event. If you don’t receive one, it’s worth asking the organiser just in case.

Check what companies you’d be interested to do business with or collaborate with. Then send a message to them via LinkedIn to say that you’re also attending the same event and whether they would like to connect. It’s all about building your network.

Our blog – How LinkedIn can Grow your Business – has key points for you to consider.

Post event check list

Remember to log your new contacts into your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system.

Follow up with contacts you’ve met at the event expressing how good it was to meet.

You could send an email with information pertinent to your lead. If you discussed a specific topic, continue the conversation.

Connect with them on LinkedIn!

Research local networking groups

As part of your business development strategy and ongoing networking on LinkedIn, take a little time to research the local networking groups near you. With flexible working on the rise and more people setting up their own business, new style networking hubs are cropping up more and more. Whether it’s speed networking, breakfast briefings or socials, get searching for what’s near you.

Social Media for your business

If you feel you need a kick start on using social media for your business, get in touch today and we can talk about the best digital marketing approach to generate leads.