One option is to unsubscribe from distribution lists that you don’t directly need to be involved in. However, please note this will only work if it was a genuine email from a genuine and caring company. Unfortunately many spammers use the unsubscribe option as a confirmation by you that the email address it was sent to is genuine. Thus clicking the unsubscribe option may result in increased quantities of junk mail not less – plus your details being added to a ‘confirmed mailing list’ and sold to marketeers.

A suggested alternative is to ‘Block’ the sender or ‘set up rules’ based on subject or address content. If you use Microsoft Outlook to download your mail into your computer, go to your ISP ‘s web mail portal,  and set the blocks and rules up there. This will prevent such emails downloading to your computer in the first place.

Now here’s a radical thought….With the right processes and measures in place in your business, you no longer need to receive many of the informative messages you are currently getting. Why? Because if your processes are working effectively, you should find out about any potential problems before they happen, by other means. If this is not happening, you need to revisit your business processes rather than worry about your email.

By streamlining your processes and providing guidelines to your employees, you can save time and resources! Perhaps you could in the process set up an email policy?

A final thought – if you check for emails every 5 minutes, that adds up to over 24,000 times per year!

Examples might include the move from developed photos to kiosk machines which are now available everywhere; or private medical companies using electronic patient records and centralising all services so the customer experience is the same regardless of which location within the group they are seen at; or perhaps stock control systems that automate the process from purchase to sales.

Sadly, IT is so often the tail that wags the dog – with organisations blindly following the trend rather than being proactive, innovative or inspirational.

Waxtie are industry leaders in business IT mentoring, strategy and infrastructure. We don’t sell hardware or software (unless specifically requested) and instead concentrate on our customer’s business needs and requirements. We look at their goals and drivers, their processes, their stakeholders and their staffing; all with a view to ensuring IT deployment is aligned with business strategy, meets expectations and provides clear and focused benefits.

According to Gartner 62% of IT projects fail because of a lack of up-front strategic planning. Whereas 100% of Waxtie projects succeed!

Waxtie leads from the front! Our customers lead from the front! So don’t put off those changes because others have not done it yet, be the leader in your market and shape what others will follow.

In today’s double dip recession, with energy costs rising, banks refusing credit, annual turnovers and budgets falling, plus general doom and gloom on every television screen and newspaper cover, you could be forgiven for thinking that this is the end of the world as we know it. Yet despite all these obstacles, perhaps even because of all these obstacles, the use of social media as a personal and business marketing tool is growing exponentially.

Just think, ten years ago, few people knew of the internet. But now almost everyone has an email address. In fact more and more people are using the internet as their preferred shopping method, their means of entertainment and in some cases their virtual neighbourhood. Social networks like LinkedIn, FaceBook and Twitter each now claim to have more members than many countries have population. So never has it been truer than right now, to say that the ‘web’ has indeed become a ‘global village’ – where you can buy, sell, or in fact do almost anything, from the convenience of your desktop, tablet, PDA or mobile phone.

In the conventional world of advertising, marketing and printing, the cost of launching a global product, creating awareness or setting up an international brand, for most companies, would render such a project futile. In stark contrast, businesses choosing to market products and services via the internet find that it offers greater accessibility, lower costs, and higher levels of efficiency over traditional marketing techniques. Social media is simply the latest marketing weapon in a business’s Internet armoury. It represents a low cost opportunity to communicate with groups of like-minded individuals or businesses, where one to one direct contact is once again possible with a CEO of a large prospective company. And on those grounds, who can honestly afford to ignore such an opportunity?

In a recent ‘Alltop’ survey, it was reported that 90% of Marketeers questioned stated that they use social media for their businesses, 93% of which believed it to be of significant importance to their business! They stated that the use of social media generated business exposure, increased web traffic and subscribers, improved web search rankings, created new business partnerships, generated quality leads and reduced marketing expenses. However, in businesses new to social media, less than 50% stated that it improved sales. By contrast, in businesses that have used social media for a number of years, over 70% stated that social media did improve sales.

So it seems that social networking works – but it requires continual proactive engagement by businesses – and the more you effort you put in, the more you get back. Indeed, businesses who believe in social media and social marketing don’t just create a Twitter account or a single posting on LinkedIn, then sit back and wait for a response – no, they actively network and blog, and continually reach out to their contacts and engage them. Such companies understand that social networking is the cultivating of mutually beneficial, give and take, win-win relationships. According to ‘Alltop’ these organisations average 2 – 3 hours everyday, networking, blogging, freely helping other businesses and generally making their presence known. It is this continual interaction that builds credibility and creates a growing awareness of their presence in the marketplace, increasing the perceived notion of their value and ultimately leading to new business.

So will social media replace traditional marketing? No! It’s an additional opportunity.
Will social media replace the need for a salesman? No! But it can open doors.
Is social media just a load of hype? No! But it’s only as good as you make it!

If you’d like to attend a FREE social networking workshop, please contact Stephen Matthews on 07805 266 263; via email at stephen.matthews@waxtie.com; on Twitter @stephenatwaxtie; or via the Contact Us page of this website.

Well it happened again to me today. As a Mac user – I couldn’t instantly work out how to add my social networking icons to my emails – so being in a lazy mood, I decided to Google the answer instead of engaging my brain. After spending far too long fruitlessly searching – I re-engaged my brain and solved the issue in a fraction of the time. So for those of you who need the answer quickly, here’s how to do it on both Mac and PC:

On a Mac:

1. Down load the icon you need, at the final size you wish it to appear on your email – and save it in a place you can remember on your Mac. A good site to download these from FREE is: http://www.iconfinder.com.
Tip: When downloading your icons, check to see that any others you may need are also available in the same group. Not all groups contain every icon, though there are plenty of groups to browse through.
2. Open Microsoft Word.
3. Insert your icon (Go to the ‘Insert’ drop down menu, slide down to ‘Photo’, then across to ‘Insert Picture from File’, then find your icon.)
4. Once inserted, highlight the icon.
5. Go to the ‘Insert’ drop down menu again, slide down to ‘Hyperlink’ and then key in, or copy in the URL of the web page or social media page you wish to link to. Once done, press OK.
6. Highlight the icon again, and copy and paste it into your email package’s signatures area. Job done.
Tip: To save time using this method, you can set up the whole signature and all your icons and hyperlinks within word before cutting and pasting them into your email signature.

On a PC:

1. Down load the icon you need, at the final size you wish it to appear on your email – and save it in a place you can remember on your Mac. A good site to download these from FREE is: http://www.iconfinder.com.
Tip: When downloading your icons, check to see that any others you may need are also available in the same group. Not all groups contain every icon, though there are plenty of groups to browse through.
2. Open Microsoft Outlook.
3. Go to the ‘Tools’ dropdown menu, and slide down to ’Options’. A window opens with various tabs available.
4. Click on the ‘Mail Format’ tab, then press the ‘Signatures’ button.
5. In the top half of the window you can now create a name for your email signature. In the lower window you can type anything you want to create the wording of your email signature or insert icons.
6. To insert an icon, click on the little ‘picture’ button above the top right hand corner of your email signature window. Locate your saved icon.
7. Now that your icon has been placed within the email signature, highlight the icon again, and then click on the ‘Hyperlink’ button. It’s the one that looks like a world with a chain front of it, to the right of the picture button. A new window opens.
8. On the left hand side of the window, make sure ‘Existing File or Web Page’ is highlighted. If it’s not. Click on it.
9. In the ‘Address’ bar at the bottom of your window, key in, or copy in the URL of the web page or social media page you wish to link to. Once completed, press Ok, then OK again to save your finished/updated signature.

To find your personal URL for:

1. FaceBook: Go to your personal Timeline page. In the web address area at the top of the page you’ll see something like this: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000752866476  Copy and paste this into Word’s hyperlink box.

2. Linked In: Go to your Profile page and under the listing you should see ‘Public Profile’ and an address that looks something like this: http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/stephen-matthews/18/2a8/9.  Copy and paste this into Word’s hyperlink box. Tip: If this is not visible, it means you have no public profile. You will need to make this visible by editing your profile.

3. Twitter: In the Hyperlink box in Word, type in your Twitter address. i.e. www.twitter.com/@youraddress.

Please let me know if this advice has been useful or if you have any further queries. You can contact me at stephen.matthews@waxtie.com or follow me on Twitter at @stephenatwaxtie . Now just before you leave, please remember to bookmark this page to ensure you don’t miss future postings. Thank you.

So what is it?

It is a metaphor for consuming IT services as a utility, similar to how you’d use electricity. Like in the early days of electricity where you would need to know the method that it was generated with and how it was transmitted, everyone had a different plug socket and to use it you would have to generate it, maintain it and expand it at your own cost. It changed through standardisation and consumerisation bringing electricity eventually to everyone.

Similarly the internet and computing services are going through an evolution where by vendors are offering services that have been abstracted from their underlying technologies, servicing and upkeep for a recurring periodic charge. This provides you with the ability to consume what you need when you need it rather than having to purchase everything up front.

What does that mean for me?

If you are a small business it opens up a number of technologies with a level of services that can only be achieved economically by scaling them. This has been an advantage that enterprise organisations have had for years. Whether you are looking for email and calendaring, file storage, customer relationship management, the chances are that a service is available.

So is cloud computing only for small businesses?

Certainly not but as the number of IT users you have in the business increases so does the magnitude on administration. No matter what current service providers say this does not diminish in a cloud environment and in many cases can itself magnify the problem due to the creation of data islands, mismatched service level agreements, regulatory compliance, fragmented authentication and authorisation methods along with service monitoring and management which still need to be upheld by you.

Where do I go from here?

As with any business change you need to start with a good understanding of what you are trying to address or what problem/issue you wish to remediate. We would recommend you take a structured approach so that you can clearly define your functional and non-functional requirements of the service then use this as the measure against using a public cloud service, building your own cloud service or taking a more traditional approach.

With the prolific growth of mobile devices such as laptops, smart phones and tablets, not to mention the trend towards hot-desking and working from home or whilst travelling, many large organisations (not just NHS Trusts) are struggling to balance both requirements. The need to maximise web based opportunities whilst safeguard from Internet-based threats calls for an effective and flexible solution!

Waxtie is therefore delighted to announce the launch of its SAFE ZONE services, a suite of software and hardware options that directly address the subjects of Threat Management Gateways (TMG) and Unified Access Gateways (UAG) whilst working alongside standard Microsoft products. SAFE ZONE protects your organisation from Internet-based threats whilst providing simple data access by such methods as hot-pin technology on mobile devices. Some of the SAFE ZONE products also have the advantage of being straight out of the box options which can be plugged in and used immediately, providing instant peace of mind.

SAFE ZONE can also be deployed as part of Waxtie’s SAFE START programme – a consultative approach to new IT Projects that ensures all deployment of IT is ‘fit for purpose’ in terms of people and technology – and that time and money is not wasted on things that don’t work. Proposed options are tested and ratified by a ‘proof of concept’ procedure and for larger projects are included in a roadmap to final deployment.

To learn more about how SAFE ZONE and SAFE START, can help your organisation, call us on 0845 241 3211 or email info@waxtie.com. You can also post a message to us via the contacts page on our website at www.waxtie.com

Waxtie – so much more than IT

2011 has been a busy but challenging year which has seen Waxtie Ltd grow quite dramatically and I think our success has come from our ability to be able to adapt quickly to market changes.
A high proportion of Waxtie’s consultancy work is for trade partners and whilst that reduces potential profits, it has allowed us to maintain & increase the workforce and has guaranteed a steady and reliable cash flow. This has also given us the capability to address the needs of our direct clients from our wider skill base.
Investment in staff has always been core to our business with continuous training and personal development being of the utmost importance. We have made a commitment for 2012 to continue our recruitment drive and investment in training and have further increased our sales and marketing efforts.  Whilst many of our services are aimed at enterprise organisations, the recent promotion of our Windows 7 Migration and Safe Start (IT Business Strategy and Alignment consultancy service) has put us in a dialogue with a wider business sector.
Lots of businesses need to Upgrade to Windows 7 with the withdrawal of support for Windows XP and this upgrade needs more preparation than is immediately obvious. It will become a priority for most businesses in 2012 to ensure they do upgrade to Windows 7 .
A new service for 2012 which addresses the needs of businesses large and small is our Safe Start consultancy process. By looking at the whole IT and business picture, and creating a roadmap for future IT deployment, Waxtie ensures that a company’s IT strategy aligns to its business needs.

I think 2012 will continue to be challenging and those businesses who have a solid IT and business strategy in place will be first to reap the benefits of an upturn in the economy.

Having reviewed the Innovation Showcase exhibitor list for Venturefest Yorkshire 2012, I feel proud to be a fellow exhibitor. There are 36 Exhibitors, all of which, no doubt, have a great story to tell about what they can offer to the delegates who attend.

What makes Venturefest, now in its 9th year, so special? It’s the entrepreneurial theme, attracting exhibitors to show their great solutions and delegates the chance to see the very latest ideas and innovations in action. OH ! and… don’t forget there are some really inspiring keynote speakers.

Waxtie now in its third year of business, has built a strong IT Strategy and Infrastructure Architecture consultancy. Predominantly supporting the more established big name consultancies, we are now looking to expand our direct client base in the North of England.

For those companies with 50 IT users or more, it is well worthwhile coming to see us in the Innovation Showcase zone and talking to us about how our Waxtie SafeStart consultancy process affords your organisation the opportunity to address its IT business strategy and create an agreed roadmap for your future IT deployment.

There are plenty of areas for discussion… Mobile device access, Data security, Hosting or on-Premise. The larger your organisation, the more important it is that you have a clear IT Road Map.

Call or email ahead and arrange a coffee table chat with one of our architects in the Venturefest café area.  Info@waxtie.com or 0845 241 3211

Richard Rymill, Consultant

Waxtie first ever exhibition stand

I was recently asked to deliver a talk on what it is like running your first exhibitor stand by the Venturefest Yorkshire team and why I chose to come back.

As a fairly young company and my background being more technical and operations focused I remember how daunting the sales and marketing elements of running a business for the first time can be.

Expectation

Make sure you have reasonable expectations. It is very easy to get carried away in the hype and excitement being generated by event organisers that you could find that business partner that will launch your business forward. While this could be true you are more likely to meet a number of very interesting people who you will start to build a relationship with.

Don’t forget that this is a perfect opportunity to hone your skills and the message you are conveying. Use this time as training as well as a better way of getting some direct market feedback on the impression of your sales and marketing. If you have not come form a sales or marketing back ground the chances are you probably have never arranged to exhibit or may not have experience manning a stand or conveying your company message.

You only have 9 hours and you won’t grab everyones attention, therefore set a realistic target of the number of people you would like to talk to and how many contact details you would like to gather so you can get in touch with out of the event. Remembering that even if no one wants your service/product today, they may do in the future or know someone who may do. As such you have now increased your brand awareness.

This is your time, you have paid for it and you want to get as much benefit from it so work out in advance what you want to achieve, then write it down!

For our first ever exhibition my aim was to have talked to 50 people, collected the contact details for 30, have the experience of preparing and managing a stand, and gain valuable feedback about our offerings. I achieved all of these.

Preparation

Being prepared for the event is paramount. Hopefully you have your brand and message ready so now it is a case of how to get it across to the audience.

Start by writing it down and make sure everyone who will be on your stand knows what it is they should say and how to deliver it. Pay attention to how everyone should look so you can be identifiable with your brand.

1-2 weeks for a print company to complete a banner is a good estimate of lead time, then you have the art work itself to prepare beforehand. This goes for other printed works such as posters, hand outs, business card.

If you are going to use a large display screen ensure you have run through your show reel.

Make a checklist of everything you need for the day, the run up and afterwards. Include everything from the physical items you need to take, to stationary, to signage or other branded material, to electronics, to forms or details for the event, personal items, snacks, drinks, activities to promote yourself beforehand and tasks to capitalise on it afterwards.

Grab a box early and start packing it with everything for the day. Power leads, inline breaker, promotional give aways, tape, bluetack, pens, markers, scissors, lead sheets, stapler, etc…

Go setup your stand the day before if possible just in case something is missing, wrong, broken, forgotten, etc at least you have a chance to rectify it as it is a lot more difficult (and stressful) on the day.

And no matter how nervous you feel get an early night before the event. No one want to talk to someone who is tired or looks hungover.

Innovation

Starting up you don’t have the largest marketing budget so be a little more creative. Can you use your home flat screen TV on a table or hire a stand to reduce the costs? Do you need that printed literature or can you provide a PDF on your web site? Do you have to use exhibition lights or will your up lighter work? Do you need to cover the back with a banner or something else, perhaps a wall of testimonials or a drape or 2 posters or roller banners?

Whatever the day brings try to relax, have a bit of run and enjoy it.

The site “Leeds, Live it, Love it” provided a good article covering the main points of the evening, which can be read at this link,

What it does not say is the fantastic hospitality of the LNT group director and staff on the night. I can only say thank you and hope we meet in the future.

For more information about Connect Gazelles please visit the website.