BT Tradespace Blog

The best of Summer on BT Tradespace

Posted July 3, 2009 5:43 AM by Bian Salins in Announcements

We don't know about you, but we think even business people need a break. And we don't need to tell you that BT Tradespace isn't just about selling, it's about buying, connecting and yes, having fun too.

So, with things heating up this Summer, we reckon now's the time to keep cool, take a break, and immerse yourself in some fresh, fun stuff. Here are some of the ideas we've had to help you (and us) cope with the heat!

For starters, there's the perfect chance for you to get your creative juices flowing in our video competition. We've launched a new video uploader on BT Tradespace TV and as a result, we've gone 'video gaga' - So why not try winning one of the flip camcorders on offer?

If you're a shop-a-holic like some of us in the BT Tradespace team, our shopping community is the place to be. You can find out which of us splashes our cash, meet other shoppers plus swap stories, shopping bargains and tips!

To help you plan your holiday activity, we've also trawled our community, and handpicked a some of the best offerings on BT Tradespace this Summer - so have a look at our Summer essentials page for things to do, places to see and stuff to buy this season. If you have a Summery offering and want to be featured on this page, you just need to update your Tradespace and email us your link.

And finally, if you're a 'can't switch off' type of person, you may want to read our guide to getting a better work-life balance. Because whatever you do this season, don't let stress and work-overload take the sizzle out of your Summer!

Enjoy.

An Apprentice: Who Would You Hire?

Posted July 2, 2009 10:00 AM by Bian Salins in Your voice

Apprenticeships are an increasingly popular option for young people who want to learn a new skill or trade while at the same time being paid for their work. At the same time, a good apprentice could be worth their weight in gold to your business.

Somebody who is eager to learn and work hard while fitting in well with your staff, suppliers and customers could give you a handsome return on your investment as well as providing you with the satisfaction of giving somebody a helping hand onto the employment ladder. Of course, an apprentice is not the finished product and you have to invest time and money in nurturing their raw talent so that they become fully-signed up members of your team.

The search for a capable apprentice can be challenging but ultimately rewarding as Sir Alan Sugar - recently voted by Tradespacers as their most inspiring business figure - discovers every year on his popular TV show.

Every year, the programme generates long-running debates about whether Sir Alan made the right choice and what businesses should really be looking for when they appoint trainees and new recruits.

So, if you could appoint a celebrity as an apprentice who would it be? Would you plump for the precocious talent of 15-year-old Olympic diver Tom Daley or the drive, composure and risk-taking of Formula One star Lewis Hamilton, 24?

You might feel that the down-to-earth characters of Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole, 26, and champion swimmer Rebecca Adlington, 19, would best benefit your business. Or perhaps the determination and focus of Wimbledon ace Andy Murray, 22, would give you a boost.

Then again, the creativity and humour of Lily Allen, 24, the virtuosity of music producer Mark Ronson, 33, or Harry Potter star Emma Watson, 19, or will to succeed of supermodel Lily Cole, 21, might be more to your liking.

Whatever your thoughts, please take a moment to answer the question in our latest Have Your Say poll:

Visitors spend longer on a Tradespace site with video

Posted June 30, 2009 1:51 PM by Bian Salins in Announcements, Managing your site

For years, video has taken over our social lives - what comes through your TV screen is video. Those family memories captured on your handycam is video. YouTube? Video.

So it's no surprise that I've handpicked a video statistic for our trump card series. And what Mary (remember our super sonic Web Analyst?) has found is that, 'visitors spend longer on a Tradespace with video than one without.'

In fact, 59% spend five minutes or more on a Tradespace site with video versus 15% on a site without video.

Now, we know that TV is the most influential channel when it comes to advertising and we know that online, video has taken over the web - so it all makes sense. Or so it should.

The thing is - video isn't that difficult to do. We've all used our mobile phones to take a video at some point, we love our handycams and even experimented with web cams - but somehow, we're missing the boat when using these tools to create video for business.

From our stats, we know video engages your customers. It buys their trust. It gives your Tradespace personality. But most of all - it gives you what you need to keep people on your site. The more time they spend on your site, the better your chances to making a sale.

'Visitors spend longer on a Tradespace site with video than one without.'

Makes perfect sense - doesn't it?

Also read:
- Active Tradespacers get more leads!

- Tradespaces with an 'About us' description and keywords can benefit from natural search visits.

- Win a flip camcorder in our '30 second sell' video competition!

- How BT Tradespace can help you with video.

Dan Wilson's news round-up June 2009

Posted June 24, 2009 3:44 PM by Dan Wilson in Tradespace gossip

The Google blog has a useful review of their services for local businesses. Many small business owners think that because they predominantly draw their custom from their local community, that the Internet isn't an important marketing channel. Google's local services demonstrate the value of local web marketing.

Microsoft has launched a new search engine called Bing and Hitwise reports its early success: it's already attracting more traffic than Ask and Yahoo in the UK. If you haven't taken a few moments to see how your website or Tradespace is performing on Bing, it's well worth checking out that you're indexing properly. Expect to hear much more about Bing in the months to come.

IMRG have reported the online retail numbers for April 2009. The good news is that online sales continue to grow despite the recession.

The hardest bit of plugging into social media as a small business is finding the time to make it work effectively: how do you make sure your efforts are worth it? Convince and Convert has a really practical article about setting social media limits.

And something slightly different to finish with. Check out Nielsen's Global Online Landscape Report for an international perspective on the what the state of play is online regarding online video, ecommerce, social media and other trends. It's a bit of a read, but very well-presented and of enormous value if you're serious about expanding your business online.

Win a flip camcorder in our '30 second sell' video competition!

Posted June 23, 2009 6:30 AM by Bian Salins in Announcements

If there's one thing that's definitely going up, it's the use of video online. For example, did you know, YouTube users upload 15 hours of video every minute of the day?

Here at the BT Tradespace HQ, it's no different. We love video and we want more of it. In fact, we've gone so video steer crazy that we've launched a new upload feature on BT Tradespace TV. Just so you can upload your videos quicker, easier and generally do more of it.

So to kick off the video frenzy and inspire you - we've come up with the '30 second sell' video competition. It's simply your chance to either win a Flip Mino HD camcorder' (1st prize) or be one of two runners up to win a 'Flip Video Ultra SD camcorder'. All this, while selling your business and enhancing your Tradespace all at the same time! That's a three in one advantage as we see it!

The 30 second sell:
Here's the deal - this is not meant to be a super, duper, 'filmed in a studio' type video. It's simply you, at home or at the office, using your handy cam, web cam or even mobile cam to do a video selling your business or even yourself in 30 seconds (we say 30 seconds but we're not fussy about the length really). The more experimental, the better. That's it. Easy peasy.

Our top tips for your video:
• Use any device you have at hand - web cam, handy cam or mobile cam
• Think creative, think customers. Remember 'talk to the hand'? Well, forget it - talk to your customers; keep it personal and relevant.
• Ideas for videos could be - your reason for getting into business, a product demo, or a short intro from your team (if you have one) - whatever you fancy really!
• Don't be overwhelmed, just try it, we're not experts either - remember our Christmas video...? Yeah, we're still laughing at that one!
• Check out our 'How to' guide for creating business videos.

Just a couple of notes:
*We've recommended you keep the video down to 30 seconds but don't worry if it's longer, we'll still enter you into the competition.

**We may ask visitors to BT Tradespace to vote on their favourite videos although The BT Tradespace judges will have the final decision.

Please read our Video Upload Competition Terms and Conditions