First Impressions Do Count for Companies

First impressions are very important for businesses, especially when they are looking to attract new clients in a crowded marketplace. If firms fail to impress from the get-go, they are going to find it very difficult to showcase the value of their products or services. 

This is why companies should be pulling out all the stops when they are targeting new business. One way to create a great first impression when pitching to a prospective client or a new target audience is to use promotional products. Here are some hints and tips on how to use promotional gifts as part of your marketing campaigns: 

Promotional products work 

Research by the British Promotional Merchandise Association (BPMA) highlights just how effective promotial products can be. Not only can promotional items deliver a higher or equal return on investment than most forms of advertising, 66 per cent of respondents to a BMPA survey admitted they remember the brand name that featured on an item they had received after 12 months.

On top of this, 79 per cent said they were likely to do business with the company in the future, while 56 per cent of respondents revealed their opinion of the company was more favourable after they had received the promotional product. 

Lanyards 

Printed lanyards are perfect for carrying passes at events and exhibitions, while they can also act as a holder for keys or cards. One of the key advantages of using promotional lanyards at a trade show is that recipients will display your brand, logo and marketing message to fellow attendees. This could help to generate extra footfall to your stand, and in turn, generate more enquiries about your products and services.

Umbrellas 

More of a seasonal gift, but that does not make them any less effective. Indeed, BPMA research has found that branded umbrellas are a very cost-effective way to achieve marketing impressions (£0.003 per impression), behind only pens and mugs (both £0.001 per impression). Like lanyards, recipients of printed umbrellas will act as a walking billboard for your brand or marketing message. This could be given added impetus if the umbrellas are used at a popular televised event such as a cricket test match, music festival or other large outdoor event. 

Pens 

A perennial favourite, the simplicity and practicality of promotional pens means they will always be well received. going to be distributed to companies. Because pens are used on a daily basis, your brand, logo or marketing message is likely to be seen frequently, and therefore should resonate with the recipient particularly when they next come to think of purchasing your goods or services.

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8 Ways to Achieve Storeroom Success

If you operate a warehouse, or are planning to begin using such a facility in the near future, you'll need to be aware of how vital a safe and organized storeroom is to your operation. Whether your storeroom is well laid out and controlled can be the deciding factor in your business' success.

For some top tips relating to storeroom organization, keep reading.

1) Storage areas should be the right size to house stock - It goes without saying that your storeroom will need to be big enough for the products you plan to stow, both in size and quantity. Think about all the products you stock and how often you take deliveries to ensure you have enough room for everything.

2) Keep it uncluttered - Clutter can be annoying in any situation but especially so in a working environment, where it could result in wasted time, a reduction in productivity and even accidents if things are left lying on the floor, for example. Make sure debris is removed as soon as possible and keep bins on site for general waste as well as recyclable materials like paper.

3) Label everything - To ensure your storeroom is easy to navigate, labelling products and areas is a must. If there are clear signs telling your staff where they can find things, productivity in the storeroom should improve, as workers won't have spend so long searching for stock.

4) Keep it secure - The storeroom is key to your business in more ways than one; it holds your company's value in the form of stock, and as such, should be kept secure to avoid theft. You'll need to ensure your staff have access to the room and that there are escape routes for health and safety purposes, while you might also decide to invest in extra-secure features like lockable partitioning for high-value goods.

5) Avoid trips and slips - Keeping extraneous items like ladders and step stools out of the way can be important in terms of safety, as your staff could easily trip over something left in the main flow area. Carts, trailers and steps should all be parked well out of the way.

6) Keep things organised - Invest in useful organisational items like boxes or pallet racking so your stock is kept in order, rather than simply piling things up. Piles of products can make it difficult to reach all the areas of the storeroom, or make doing so dangerous. If you have some periods that are busier than others, consider buying useful storage options like folding pallet cages, which can be used when you have a lot of stock and folded away when you don't need as much storage.

7) Install sufficient lighting - It's important that your staff can see what they're doing in the storeroom, so make sure the lighting is sufficient. As well as installing ceiling and wall lights, you might also need to consider illuminating shelf spaces.

8) Keep records - Draw up an inventory of all your stock and check it regularly to keep tabs on which items are running low or not selling. This will help give you an idea of when you need to restock and potentially alert you to issues like breakages or possible thefts. It will also come in handy should you need to make an insurance claim and provide proof of your stock levels on specific dates.

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Best Work Laptops 2013

Laptops are essential for enhancing productivity of office work.  But there are so many models in the market that it may be difficult to know which one to buy. It is important to learn the basics specs so that you can make a wise choice.  We have selected three models below which we believe are suitable for work activities. 

Dell Latitude E6530 

Latitude E6530 has a hard drive capacity of 500 GB.  Dell’s battery life is very good making it suitable foron the go business.  Its work time last to about 5 hours. Users have the option of choosing between 30 Wh, 40 Wh, 60 Wh, 87 Wh and 97 Wh batteries.  Latitude E6530 can be between 8.4 W and 56.5 W.  Its speakers are located in front of the desk and provide high noise.

The, Dell Latitude E6530 is the best business laptop in our opinion out of all three here but is very expensive depending on the specs. But if you are looking for a work purpose laptops which is more affordable as well as functional check out these two below.

Samsung Series 6 600B5C-S03

Samsung Series 6 can stand up against major contenders like Latitude.  This model has an HD screen, Intel Core i7-3520M central processor unit, 128 GB hard drive, 8 GB RAM, and NVS 5200M graphics by Nvidia. Series 6 also comes Windows 7 operating system installed. Connectivity features include USB 3.0, eSATA, HDMI and ExpressCard 34.

Fujitsu Lifebook S752

Lifebook is a 14 inch machine (the smallest of all three) suitable for those who don’t have any special performance requirements.  It comes packed with a hard drive of 320 GB, 2 GB RAM and Core i3-2328M. Lifebook’s battery lifetime runs up to 12h and has a capacity of 72Wh.

If you have enjoyed reading our review of the best laptops of 2013 or want to read more in-depth reviews of the above laptops please visit UKTechReviews.co.uk, for more laptop and tech reviews.

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Things You Should Know About Tim Broas

It's an emerging trend that seems to be taking over the corporate law world. More and more companies are leaning on their law firms for comprehensive, strategic direction. Perhaps this has to do with a re-branding of sorts that's been done by many of the major firms over the last few years. After the economic downturn struck, many corporate clients left their firms, leaving those firms scrambling for business. Out of that came a new breed of corporate representation, as firms decided it was time to add more value for their clients. Now, we have a system where corporate firms are much more likely to be a partner in addition to just a legal team for those companies.

An understanding of business is critical
In order for today's firms to provide full value, they have to know more than just the law. They must also have a strong understanding of business if they're going to contribute to the bottom line for commercial clients. Tim Broas is an example of an attorney with this sort of knowledge, and there are many others, too. Today's law firms are helping their clients make good decisions along the way, and that's been highly influential in the corporate world.

Corporate representation covering many different areas
Many of today's companies are entering into a more comprehensive relationship with their law firm. Rather than just calling on a firm when they've been sued or something of the like, today's companies are using law firms to help them craft a policy that keeps them out of lawsuits altogether. Many firms, too, are helping in the process by providing many different services. Some have real estate divisions, litigation sections, and full corporate sections handling everything from mergers to capital financing. By providing so many services, firms are able to meet client needs, allowing those clients the freedom to not have to use multiple legal firms.

The corporate world is changing, as companies look to bring their costs down and law firms look to retain business. Firms and companies have formed a partnership of sorts, and this works out well for all involved. With the help of good firms, companies are able to make better decisions about more than just their legal matters. They're moving ahead financially and positioning themselves effectively for the future. Meanwhile, firms are in a stronger position now than they have been in the past, providing clients with the advice that those clients desperately need.

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Getting a Good Search Engine Ranking for Your Business

When you run an online business site you definitely need to make its presence known by introducing it to the online consumers and advertising it in the best possible way for the site’s popularity. You can do it by having articles linking to your site or have an online advertisement that displays clearly your products and services like video advertising. 

Reference

Since 2007 I’ve been running some sites as well and I learned that quality and relevant videos help the site gain an edge in search engine ranking. I also observed from my own colleagues that they stay longer on sites that contains training videos. It keeps them hooked most of the time and because of that it makes them appreciate the products more. I experienced this by myself when I search for reviews about a certain gadget that I want which directs me to a review via video.

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