'Just Get Started!' - Social Media Experts Share Tips and Stories on Boosting Online Followers!

It’s reported that 3.2 billion people use social media, making it clear to see that if you want to get your voice heard, you should probably be online. With that in mind, we rounded up some of Merseyside’s most savvy social media users to come and share their tips on how to get ahead and start building a following online at our event 'Building Your Social Media Influence'

Hosted by The Women's Organisations Training Co-ordinator, Bernie Cox, our panellists included; Head of Communications at Sefton Council, Nicky Speed, Producer and presenter, Ben Osu and Founder of multi award winning blog 'Mini Travellers', Karen Beddow. With the room full of people ready to start conquering the world of online communication, we eased our panellists in with the question on everyone’s mind.

“Do I have to be on every social media platform to reach my audience?”

In short, the answer was no with all panellists in agreement that it's more important to focus on finding out what social media platform is going to work for you and your business, from here you will be able to find where your audience are. For anyone unsure about what platforms to try first, Karen had a top tip

“Even if you don’t know if you’ll use that platform, I would still go on to register your username. If you decide to use it in the future, you will have an official username that everyone can recognise you by”

Successfully campaigning to bring the MOBO awards to Liverpool in 2010 and again in 2012, Ben shared some of his insights on how to make a campaign work.

“I worked tirelessly, constantly calling promotors” 

He spoke about social media playing a key element in his campaign

 “Social media can really compliment the work you’re doing. When I started campaigning, I used Facebook groups to get an audience together. At the end of the day, it’s all about engaging content. Once you got that in place, the audience will start to build itself”

At the heart of the Sefton Borough, Nicky spoke about how the community spirit influences her marketing team at Sefton Council. “Our biggest strategy for promoting our key messages is engagement. You need to be listening to what your audience wants. We work with different partners and organisations, so we like to share other people’s content and get involved in the conversation online”

The main message to come out of the night, JUST GET STARTED! Social media can take practice, but don’t be afraid to get it wrong!

A massive THANK YOU to everyone who attended our event and our guest panelists! a special thank you to Hala Saeed for taking photos of the event!

Feedback included:

“Really interesting, informative and funny! I have noted somethings I’m going to look at when I get home”

“Really informative! Picked up some great ideas & tips. I’ve been alerted to some things I was unaware of!”

“Fantastic, informative and well-chosen mix of speakers. Can’t wait for the next one!”

If you enjoyed Building Your Social Media Influence, we have TWO more networking events throughout summer. Join us on 17th July, 6-8:30pm for some Summer Collective, and on 21st of August, 6-8:30pm for Speak Out to Stand Out

Alternatively, contact us on 01517068111 or hello@thewo.org.uk for more information.

#WorkOnYourWellbeing: Tips for a happier and healthier life

The following blog was written by our Intern from Liverpool John Moores University, Cerys Evans.

Good health is more than physical health – it’s mental health. Wellbeing describes the state of being comfortable, happy or healthy. But your wellbeing is dynamic and can quickly change impacting our everyday lives. When your mental health is not how you would like it to be, when you feel stressed, overwhelmed or unable to cope, it can impact all aspects of your life.

So, this month, we’re asking women everywhere to #WorkOnYourWellbeing to feel more positive, happier and able to get the most from your life.

Here are some simple steps to better mental wellbeing.

The following steps have been researched and developed by the New Economics Foundation.

Connect - Spend time developing relationships with the people around you like friends, family and colleagues.

Be active - Find an activity that you enjoy and make it a part of your life.

Learn - learning new skills can give you a sense of achievement and a new confidence.

Take notice - be more aware of the present moment, including your thoughts and feelings, your body and the world around you.

Give - be it the smallest or largest act, giving can improve your mental wellbeing and help you build new social networks.

Here at the Women’s Organisation our personal development programmes give women the chance to take time out for themselves and learn how to be the best version of themselves. With the pressures and stress that come with today’s society we are encouraging women to come along to our two new courses focusing on improving your mental wellbeing.

Step Beyond Stress

A one-day course in partnership with Citizens Advice designed to help the women of Liverpool improve their management of stress and identify coping strategies to support this. Mental Health Foundation claims that almost three quarters of people have at some point felt so stressed that they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope – Step Beyond Stress seeks to help women identify coping strategies and better manage feelings of stress.

Motivate Your Mind

A one-day course in partnership with Citizens Advice enabling women to learn how to reduce stress by building positive think strategies, improve your ability to deal with difficult situations and therefore become a calmer and more resilient person.

These courses are open to women living in the Liverpool City Council area who are suffering from stress or living with a disability or health condition. To find out more, or enquire about booking onto either of these courses, please contact us on 0151 706 8111 or hello@thewo.org.uk.

Manchester Businesses? Excelerate Labs Is Here To Help!

Is your business registered in Greater Manchester?

Are you looking to grow your business?

Do you sell to other companies?

If the answer is yes, then read on...

We believe in nurturing our businesses and giving them the support they need to develop.

That is why the Women's Organisation Growth programme ‘Excelerate Labs' offers a comprehensive range of business support to help companies to grow and thrive.

Set in the context of the fast-growing Greater Manchester region, we are here to help businesses by improving their systems, developing their people and helping to create great leaders and managers.  

We at The Women's Organisation along with Manchester as a city region is committed to entrepreneurship.

Manchester has for centuries been at the heart of shaping the UK’s economy. Since the days of the Industrial Revolution, Manchester has played a pivotal role in developing how the world does business. The ten metropolitan boroughs of Greater Manchester – Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, and Wigan – represent the most significant city region economy outside London.

As the UK’s second-largest economy, Manchester is an important economic engine driving the country’s growth and prosperity and has a GVA of £59.6 billion. Since 2010, the city has seen an overall increase in employment of 68,154 jobs, which makes it the seventh best for growing employment in the UK.

Today, Greater Manchester’s economic growth is driven by its diverse industry base, which has specialisms in business, finance & professional services, manufacturing, health innovation and creative, digital and technology.  

Manchester’s business strengths have helped it to develop a strong reputation as a competitive place to do business. It is anticipated that the levels of job creation in Manchester could outpace that of cities such as Berlin, Tokyo, and Paris between 2015 and 2020.*(* Beyond the City 2015, Oxford Economics)

Everywhere around the city development is taking place delivering new office blocks and homes. The north-west is now home to major broadcasters such as the BBC and ITV at MediaCityUK in Salford Quays. Additionally, Greater Manchester Internalisation Strategy (GMIS) has plotted a course for success by 2035 centred around eight critical priorities including being the global gateway for the UK and the North and becoming a magnet for foreign direct investment in key growth sectors. Upgraded transport, affordability and a digitally skilled workforce are helping to bolster this strategy.

Helping your business grow

Whether you are an SME, global company, trading charity or a location consultant, our team will work with you to build your strategy and business case for growth, find the investment routes, source the ideal property, recruit the right staff and introduce you to networks on the ground to help your business grow.

Through ERDF funding, The Women Organisation has been providing support to Companies with steady incremental to dynamic high growth strategies that have created and safeguarded jobs for the last few years.

At the beginning of  2017, we have been rolling out a new business growth programme called Excelerate Labs. With partners including DownTown In Business and The Princes Trust, we are already creating more new jobs for Companies we support; as well as further increasing their GVA (Gross Added Value) 

Excelerate Labs offers support for Greater Manchester SMEs across a range of sectors including manufacturing, digital, creative and technology, food, education, low biomedical carbon, and environment.

Our Excelerate Labs impartial specialists, Mike Marsden and Ameena Ahmed, have a reputation for understanding diverse business needs and helping to remove barriers for companies looking to grow. 

All of our services are tailored to your business and will save you time, money and effort. Some of the areas covered are:

Business Plans

Bank Loan Applications

Developing a strategy

Grant Searches/ Applying for tenders

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Social Media Training

Sales Training

Develop Marketing Strategies

Recruiting the right staff

Relocation Plans

Brainstorming idea generation to grow your business

So are you driven to take your Company and team to the next level?

Find out more here!