Today, February 17^th, is Random Acts of Kindness Day.  The day was started by The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, a non-profit organisation that began in the 1990s in Colorado, USA.

Kindness

Kindness has been scientifically proven to have positive benefits to our health.  It has been shown to decrease pain. stress, anxiety, blood pressure and depression.   And to increase our energy, happiness, oxytocin & serotonin levels and even our lifespan.

The idea behind the day is to pass on feelings of kindness and brighten up someone’s day.

As it says in our name, here at Brighter Directions we always aim to achieve brightening someone’s day And we find that being kind is at the forefront of our work ethos.

Support

From the smallest thing of complimenting each other to bigger acts of support when times are busy and tough.  Being kind is conducive to having the best atmosphere for a healthy work environment.

In truth, compliments are not small things. They inspire a better work ethic and increase productivity, and they take the least amount of effort!

We are a small team here and without supporting each other we would struggle to achieve our goals.  We start small with making cups of tea without being asked, but more importantly we help each other and take on work to relieve each other’s workload as necessary.

Without kindness we would not be able to work as the fantastic team we are!

#RandomActsOfKindnessDay  #MakeKindnessTheNorm

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5th September is the selected date as it commemorates the anniversary of the passing away of Mother Teresa who worked tirelessly to overcome poverty, distress and suffering of the poorest in the world.

International Day of Charity serves to enhance and increase social responsibility amongst us all, solidarity and to increase the public’s support for charitable causes. This day is a great opportunity to raise awareness and provide a platform for charity events to take place on a global scale, as well as create influence on how ‘anyone’ can do a little bit…

Everyone knows that community and great causes are very close to our heart at Brighter Directions, and always has been.

We try and ‘dot our bit’ as much as possible to help support charities and causes, whether it’s a pro-bono project or ongoing assistance at cost. Admittedly, they are not huge things, but it is a small way that we can put commerciality aside and use our skills for the greater good of others. It’s not a business decision, it’s a personal one, but one that we are very proud of and committed to continue.

Our team are equally as committed to this ethos as the business – we all ‘donate’ our time and care to support a local cause that helps people into work, through mentoring, guidance and work experience programs – as well as our ‘fun’ annual charity fundraising event.

#dosomethinggood #giveback #feelgood #inspireothers

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There’s little doubt that we need to create cultural and social norms that give women the connections and context they need to succeed in all commercial environments. There are still not enough women in leadership roles (nowhere near enough) however, by networking and conversing with likeminded and driven women, to gain/share advice and learn to avoid the mistakes they made. Networking is a beneficial skill. It improves your ability to not only learn from others experiences but to also discover new passion and spark from fellow professionals.

It’s proven that women are some of the most motivational and positive communicators and influencers. A fact we have appreciated first-hand through the many campaigns we’ve been a part of, such as Women In Sales Awards, Enterprising Women and Women In Business celebrations and the tremendous talent showed year on year emerging from businesses, yet, these are still a minority.

Influence is power and power can be gained through asking questions and participation in senior situations. Research shows that men are the loudest in the business meetings, men ask the most questions and men are confident with their communication. In comparison, findings show that women, regardless if more qualified, knowledgeable or experienced across a subject matter, are the ones that take a back seat, and this needs to change.

Women are born communicators. Some insights state that women are more emotional, but instead of this being a negative statement, we need to realise that’s logically the reason why we find it easier to converse at multiple levels, and the ‘emotional’ part of our communication style is used to gain authority and influence, such as inviting others for contribution, using empathy to solidify relationships with colleagues, clients and stakeholders, and bridging the gap between commercial strategy and the people that drive those agendas forward. All of which are significant senior skills.

I’m often asked why we promote ‘women’ so much as an organisation – we are founded by a woman, we are a female-dominated team, we are passionate about the development of women in senior roles, not only across our own organisation but as a wider goal – why?

The answer is simple, because we believe that women (and men) are capable of amazing work, we just don’t shout about it enough, or have the confidence to elevate each other, and quite frankly, we don’t have enough peer support through c-suite to drive this strategy.

One of my many mantras is ‘building others up doesn’t dampen your own success” and this statement is incredibly ardent for women in business.

I was incredibly lucky, that throughout my corporate career, in a very male-dominated environment, I had tremendous backing from incredible female (and male) leaders, manages and colleagues who worked together to achieve common goals and support one another, both in the commercial role and to drive my career progression. A methodology I hope that I have carried through to my business and one that I’m passionate about continuing to push across my industry.

International Women’s Day shouldn’t be about bashing men, (although I admit, sometimes they deserve it!), or putting stoke on the fire to the ‘poor women’ topic – it should be about celebrating diversity and understanding that women do have different challenges and experiences across their careers, but the key is being aware of those and inspiring the females in your organisation to excel and rise, which is as simple as recognising this fact and putting equality at the heart of a business, in reality, it should be an easy fix… but the figures still speak for themselves.

So, instead of the traditional ‘women are great’ posts that will no doubt flood our timelines this week, let’s celebrate by recognising and appreciating the superb women we have across our businesses – shout about how and why they are great, what their achievements have been, what its meant to the business and bottom line – and why we, as business owners are better businesses culturally and financially as a result of being a diverse organisation.

Claire Curzon

MD – Brighter Directions

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Employee appreciation has been around forever in reality, (as some of us older ones will recall), we grew up in an environment of work where we compliment those who have done well, recognise hard-work with a social pint after work, and local businesses give out bonuses for company growth – but has this methodology changed over the years?

Global brand Apple recently announced the biggest trend of 2018 was self-care, and this trend is expected to follow into 2019. Self-care is now seen as an essential part of life and not just a luxury; studies also show the link between mental wellbeing and job performance. This is this is why corporate wellness is such a fast-growing industry with HR and wellness professionals have put together strategies to keep employees happy and healthy.

But are they a minority nowadays, and something that only corporates and larger brands are committed to? We think not…and nor should it be.

To us, who proudly boast our ‘family ethos, ‘caring nature’ and ‘team at the heart of everything we do’, these terms aren’t simply marketing gimmicks and words on a website – they are the values in which we operate.

Well-being of a team isn’t as simple as it was back in the day. Additional thought should be put into new challenges affecting our population, such as financial constraints on a difficult economy, family frustrations as work is both harder to come by, and more necessary, and burnout and stress have become much more apparent in the world of work, at least since I started my career. I’m not saying there weren’t stressful situations when I was c-suite management, because of cause there was, however, I notice that my team also carry ownership and a much stronger investment in how we do business, nurture clients and do the best job that they and we can, and that in turn is obviously going to impact stress levels.

It’s important to let staff take time out to relax and recharge.

Personally, I couldn’t run a  business where I didn’t care about my team, and their well-being, both personally and at work.

There are several ways to do this, depending on your business model, and the people you have within your team. There isn’t a right way to be conscious or implement well-being structures in an organisation, it can be as simple as celebrating pancake day and cooking/ sitting together eating and catching up, NOT about work (as we most certainly will be next week!), through to profit bonus and creating better work environments and cultures, which undoubtedly, all contribute towards a nicer place to work.

Today is a great day to assess your current culture, and how you support your team on the whole. This day shouldn’t just be a day to celebrate; it should be an ongoing methodology of progress to do better.

Lastly, thank you to all my amazing team who every-day does such a tremendous job supporting our clients, and each other – you are awesome!

Claire Curzon – MD, Brighter Directions

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LinkedIn provides a modern and professional way to contact business owners or potential employees. With over 500 million professionals worldwide, LinkedIn is a great platform for networking, people can share about both their personal and professional lives. People post stories and document their successes and failures, this is a great and honest way to connect with people. LinkedIn can be used to maintain links with professionals and keep yourself visible for any future opportunities, to ensure you don’t get overlooked.

LinkedIn hosts a lot of data that can be used to specifically target your advertisements, gather information about their performance and see who engaged with them. This can also work with job advertisements as LinkedIn is now one of the biggest social media platforms for recruiting.  It allows head-hunters to prepare for interviews before engaging with perspective candidates and it gives the interviewees the chance to create a good impression via their online presence.

Overall, LinkedIn is a great platform for all types of networking, if you’re in need of any help integrating LinkedIn into your networking plan then let us know. At Brighter Directions we offer outsourced services covering PR, Social Media, Content and more. Call our office today on 01246 586 330 to discuss your requirements.

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Not only do messenger apps allow companies to engage with employees and enhance team spirit, but they also work for engaging with companies and customers too.

Customer service of a brand can be made easier and less complicated for customers with the use of messenger apps. Consumers nowadays like the option to be able to contact any company at any given time with queries or complaints and surveys show that 65% of them would prefer to contact a company via chat. . WhatsApp, Facebook and Apple Business chat are now becoming more and more popular in the increased use of digital communication channels for customer service use.

We all know how important Content Marketing is (we hope you do!), to help customers better understand a product or service, and by building a direct positive relationship with audiences – yet when people think of content an marketing, many forget the benefits of including messaging apps in their marketing strategy.

Statistics show that there is a 95% open rate within the first two hours of sending along with high follow-up engagement. The click-through rate in comparison to other digital forms of marketing is much higher with an average of 60% – are you utilising the best forms of marketing tools for your business, or are you missing out?

To discuss marketing needs for your organisation, and to find out how our amazing team can help propel your marketing KIP’s this year – contact us on 01246 586330.

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It’s the return of the real. With the ongoing spread of ‘fake news’ and data manipulation throughout 2018 consumers have now lost a lot of trust in social media. This trust has converted back to family and friends where they speak honestly about their opinions, no matter the size of their following.

For companies going into 2019, there should be less of a focus on reach and more concentration on creating meaningful and engaging content. More transparency in companies is shown by brands such as Adidas and The New York Times with their respectable ethos. People are joining together more online, creating communities and sharing insights. Brands should take this into account when developing relevant content for their consumers.

Gone are the days of an update post on Facebook and here comes the age of stories. Stories are short slideshow snippets that can only be seen for 24 hours. They are seen to be growing 15 times faster than feed-based sharing with more than a billion users across the main platforms of Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Snapchat.

This means companies should rethink their idea of posting a static block of text on social media and instead look into the less polished, multimedia insight into the brand. With proof that more raw and realistic stories generate highest engagement, there shouldn’t be a reason not to utilise this avenue.

Many social media platforms have had their rise and fall in the past with social media marketing, however, 2019 is the year of LinkedIn. With over 500 million members as of 2018, LinkedIn is a content powerhouse. The pace of growth is accelerating so rapidly for this platform and it could be down to the no-nonsense professionalism, get-away from the long rants and viral memes of the rest of the internet. Companies are now using LinkedIn to merge professional and personal aspects of their business and for stages of recruitment.

Facebook member-only groups have increased by 40% in the past year. For companies in 2019 to succeed in targeting these people they need to tap into their group interests. However this type of marketing can be challenging, these groups are safe spaces for people with common interests, interrupting that with sales pitches can be damaging to the brand. Using changing algorithms and user taste will help companies see big revenue in this area next year.

For any assistance with your Marketing requirements, Brighter Directions are always on hand to provide outsourced services covering PR, Social Media, Content and more. Call our office today on 01246 586 330 to discuss your requirements.

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Here are some of the ways you can stay current:

Social Media

It’s crucial to be on social media daily. Use it to stay connected with the top trendsetters within your industry. That way you’ll see when new trends appear. Customise your business’s feeds on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to easily scan relevant and trending topics. Follow the most influential movers and shakers, on Twitter, in your industry and track what they are talking about in real time. Use Facebook and LinkedIn groups to exchange tips and ask questions of experts about emerging trends and best practices.

Subscriptions

Subscribing to popular mainstream business publications, trade journals or consumer magazines, that cover the latest business or consumer news is still one of the best ways to stay in the know about specific industry issues. It is good practice to schedule regular time in your week to go through the publications, both online and offline, so you can refer to them while you’re on the go.

Networking

Networking is one of the easiest ways to keep up-to-date with what’s happening in your industry which allows you to explore how others are addressing challenges and coming up with new ways to serve their clients. The face time you get from networking is also beneficial to your business and a great way to make new business relationships.

Competitors

Competitors are going to see the same emerging trends and opportunities as you do. It is worth checking up on what they are doing to determine what ideas they’ve followed. Being the first one to try out a new trend isn’t always useful. By observing your competitors, you can then decide which methods will work best for you based on their success—or failure.

Don’t be the last person in the know, devote a small amount of your time to understand the emerging trends in your industry and stay on top. That way you can maximise your PR coverage, target and plan your marketing campaigns more effectively and gain more exposure. Proving your business is up to date and relevant!

We have also shared out best insights on how PR is important for your business, click the link to have a read and digest some useful information https://www.brighterdirections.co.uk/2018/09/04/why-public-relations-is-important-for-your-business/

If you remain unsure about how to implement your PR strategy, or would just like additional information, please contact Brighter Directions on 01246 586330, or at danielle@brighterdirections.co.uk.

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Taking to social media to share opinions and news, to air grievances and appreciation, and to find information, more and more of us rely on these forums to learn about the health problems that influence the world and our lives.

Information found on social media now has an impact on the way people deal with their health, and even influences decisions they make regarding their well-being.

It would be a wasted resource for healthcare companies not to utilise these networks to connect with patients and raise awareness. Just think, through social media you can report knowledge and reach a wider audience by taking the information to them, and the benefits are many. You can:

• Promote awareness and share accurate health messages.

Healthcare campaigns over social media have the chance to go viral, and in effect, take on a life of its own, impacting on people you may not normally reach. As well as this you can be a part in ensuring the information reaching the public is accurate.

• Engage with patients

By gaining feedback it promotes greater individual care. By doing it through social media you offer patients the chance to gain real-life advice and attention by providing the chance to connect to others, which for people with long-term or chronic illness becomes an important part of their coping strategy.

• Be a resource during a community health emergency

In the event of a health crisis, social media is an important component on how word is spread, which means it’s also beneficial in informing the actions for prevention and protection.

• Provide health information

The internet is used as a resource for information on health conditions and ailments. Patients also employ it in addition to their doctor’s advice, engaging with peers to get direct guidance from people who have undergone similar diagnosis. Social media is a practical choice for imparting health information in a way that will reach large numbers of society.

As social media continues to grow in popularity, health companies unwilling to embrace this informal form of engagement are missing out on an important aspect of patient interaction.

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Personal interactions are a foundation of business and we are lucky to work with truly amazing people. At Brighter Directions, we use our expertise to provide services and solutions to assist our clients in their own professional endeavours, and we place great importance on the partnerships we build.

Our clients are at the heart of our business and we honour the trust they place in us when they give us the responsibility of assisting with a part of their enterprise. Because of this we always ensure that we work alongside them, with honest and effective communications, never promising services that we can’t provide.

Throughout our years in business, we have been fortunate to work with clients and businesses within many sectors. It’s what makes our job unendingly interesting and it makes us grateful for every day that we get to be a part of this social industry. We’ve met some amazing, interesting, and wonderful people along the way.

The Brighter Directions team strive for excellence. We work together, combining our skills to provide the highest level of service we can for you, and we hope our clients are as happy with us as we are with them.

We feel truly blessed to work in this industry where every day is different, and we get to make the most of our creativity. At its heart, though, marketing is about people – communication and interaction – and we know that without our clients, we wouldn’t be able to do this job we love.

As Customer Service Week reaches its end let us say that the Brighter Directions team are incredibly lucky and thankful to have made so many wonderful clients and friends over the years and we will always be grateful!

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