Author: MattRawlings

Matt's Author Bio: Matt Rawlings is a UK-based writer with a real passion for all things gadget related. Whether it's a new laptop, the latest all-singing all-dancing smartphone or just an exciting upgrade, Matt's all over it!

The changing usage of technology in business pitches

1 Reply MattRawlings

Making an impression can make the difference between success and failure. The ability to present either a prospective business partner or investor with a document or product that is professionally designed and of the very highest quality will either seal the deal or do a lot of the hard work for you. So many times people go into business meetings in an attempt to seal investment or new business and leave empty handed with the quality of their presentation often to blame.

Presentation projector in a meetingWith new business proving to be vital for companies in order to continue trading and expanding, the time has come when only the best will do. After all, more and more people are looking to seal the same contracts as you are and if you can find a method of standing out from the crowd, aside from your professionalism, the quality of your pitch and a list of high-flying client case studies then you’ve got a foot in the door.

When it comes to making these presentations, the traditional methods of printing off a few pages using your office printer with branded pages and a slightly more fancy cover page are a thing of the past – well, they are if you want to succeed. Nowadays it pays to invest in the very best technologies available, with firms such as Upper Case Design & Printing Cork offering to do all of your promotional work for you, so all you have to worry about is saying the right thing in the boardroom.

These services can be a huge weight off the mind of those going into the meeting, especially with so much on the line financially in difficult time for businesses of all sizes and all industries. If you can get someone to create high quality designs and marketing campaigns for you, like the graphics on your company website – which is often the first port of call for a lot of business partners and clients who may be considering working with your firm – or creating a DVD documenting some of your finest campaigns, even showing how you go about your business; then you’ve done a lot of the hard work in an exciting way that is likely to really engage with your VIP-audience, as that is how they should be viewed.

People looking to invest their time or money into your business want to be presented with professional-standard information and resources from professional people. You cannot take your business to the next level without going the extra mile yourselves and that involves investment in the latest technologies.

Times are changing and we are now in a world of tablet computers and DVDs as opposed to ring binders and cassettes and businesses need to adapt. A pitch cannot be won without making an impression and the best way to do this is to show that you’ve put the time, effort and money into acquiring the money or business of the people you’re meeting.

Finding a career in SEO and digital marketing

1 Reply MattRawlings

If you’re looking to move into a career that’s only getting bigger and more influential in the IT industry, then look no further than SEO and digital marketing agencies. The industries are growing rapidly, with more and more opportunities for passionate computer and content enthusiasts to make a difference to the online world.

SEO Graph - GoogleSEO – or search engine optimisation to give it its full title – is the process of creating websites that are viewed favourably by Google and meeting the requirements of its algorithm. Get on Google’s good side, and you’ll find the site you’re working on ranks in the highest positions, but get it wrong and the consequences could be disastrous.

Getting it wrong could be anything from over optimizing the page with key terms and phrases that you want the site to rank well for, as Google will see this as an almost ‘spammy’ attempt at manipulating the rankings; or linking to poor authority or frowned upon websites, such as adult entertainment or gambling.

Digital marketing is an area of SEO that has grown out of the main search campaigns, and become one of the most influential strategies going at improving web traffic. In the past, it was a case of blogging on the site itself being crucial, to show that the site is being regularly updated with high quality content on a frequent basis, as opposed to a flash in the pan campaign around peak times.

Now, it’s all about creating the high quality content and distributing it to high authority websites with strong domain rankings, page rankings and more, and linking back to the site you’re working with to build up a backlink profile that Google’s crawlers take one look at and think – yes, I like what this site is about and doing, they can rank highly.

These two areas of the tech world open up a variety of career opportunities for a wide range of people. From those sitting at home having graduated from University or left college, searching the web for jobs in Portsmouth in an attempt to get their foot on the ladder; as well as those in the big city already established in online or ICT careers. For those with a passion for writing, there are content writing positions springing up – either as full-time or freelance positions – and also opportunities for those looking to do something more pro-active with websites and the Internet, challenging yourself to overcome the challenges set by the site owners and Google to achieve what your client demands. This is usually the number one ranking for their “key term”, or the first page of the search results.

SEO: certainly not DIY

10 Replies MattRawlings

While many of us fancy ourselves as DIY experts; sawing, hammering and nailing bits together to create a new set of shelves, or putting a picture on the wall, SEO is not something you can ‘blag’ your way through. There are just too many complicated and frequently changing factors involved that require expertise as opposed to an instruction book.

A lot of people in the IT industry, or working “in IT” for large businesses feel as though their limited knowledge of SEO is enough that the firm doesn’t have to bring in experts in the field, and that they can do it themselves. However, history and case studies show us that this is the start of a slippery slope. A lot of businesses who opt to do their own SEO soon find that they’re being penalized by Google for over-optimisation of their site, essentially ‘spamming’ the site with the terms that they want to be seen ranking highly for, and Google subsequently prevents them from doing so, knocking them down the rankings or not including them at all.

One of the main reasons that firms opt against bringing in so-called SEO experts is that they believe all of the best firms are based in the United States and that they charge overwhelming amounts. However, there are plenty of British and Irish SEO agencies who are gaining reputations for being among the very best in the industry, and, what’s more, they don’t charge the substantial American fees and – for those based in the UK and Ireland – they’re working at the same times as you, there’s no time zone changes, meaning that if you have any issues or need to contact them for an update, they should be on-hand whenever you need them.

An upwards arrowFor those still not convinced on the advantages of bringing in an SEO firm, you have to question how you want to get to the “next level” in your industry. You might be doing very well, but you always want to be doing better – ambition is only natural with any business. But sometimes, no matter how good your existing in-house IT team may be, they don’t have the expertise in SEO to find the strategies to take you from the top 20 search results for your key term to the first page, top 5, number one, wherever it is you want to be.

With so many strategies in an ever-evolving industry, there’s no way this is a DIY job. Reaching the next level is serious stuff and therefore needs the best in the business, not the amateurs.