Why.

we want you to succeed

We’ve always had this crazy notion that every business should have access to agency-type services, without agency-level costs. Mad, huh?

But do I really need a website?

This is the most common question and …well yes, frankly.

In today’s digital age, having a website is crucial for small businesses to establish a strong online presence and reach a wider audience. Don’t forget, your website is accessible 24/7 from anywhere in the world! A website serves as a virtual assistant, providing potential customers with essential information about the business, its products or services, and contact details.

A well-designed website reflects professionalism and attention to detail. It shows that the business is serious about its image and committed to providing a positive experience for its customers.

It offers credibility and professionalism, instilling trust in potential customers. Additionally, a website enables businesses to showcase their unique offerings, differentiate themselves from competitors, and attract new customers through search engine visibility and online marketing efforts. Overall, investing in a website empowers small businesses to compete in the modern marketplace and unlock growth opportunities.

Overall, having a website signals to customers, partners, and stakeholders that the business is committed to its long-term success and growth by embracing digital tools and strategies.

 

 

Work smarter, not harder

Workflow management tools like SmartSuite, Trello, Asana, and ClickUp are invaluable assets for small businesses, acting as digital Swiss Army knives for organisation and productivity. As a SmartSuite Partner, there may be a slight bias towards that option, but having used all these tools over time, we can certainly help find a solution to help your business thrive.

Go on…

All these tools offer a plethora of benefits, starting with centralised task management. Rather than juggling multiple spreadsheets, emails, and sticky notes, everything is neatly consolidated in one place, accessible to everyone involved. This alone saves heaps of time and minimises confusion.

Furthermore, they provide clarity and structure to workflows, breaking down projects into manageable tasks, setting deadlines, and assigning responsibilities. This clarity not only keeps everyone accountable but also fosters transparency within the team, eliminating guesswork about who’s doing what and by when.

Collaboration is another area where these tools shine, facilitating seamless communication and file sharing among team members, whether they’re in the same office or scattered across the globe. This ensures that everyone is on the same page, working towards shared goals, and exchanging feedback effortlessly.

Additionally, these tools are incredibly adaptable, catering to the evolving needs of small businesses. Whether you’re a one-person operation or a growing team, you can customise workflows, add or remove features, and integrate with other software to create a tailored solution that fits your unique requirements. Moreover, they offer insightful analytics and reporting capabilities, allowing you to track progress, identify bottlenecks, and make data-driven decisions to optimise efficiency.

Ultimately, by streamlining processes, enhancing collaboration, and providing valuable insights, workflow management tools empower small businesses to work smarter, not harder, unlocking their full potential for growth and success.

 

 

Email marketing is invaluable

A sweeping statement, but when you consider how much time (and money!) can be spent sending information about new products, services and news, it has the potential to recover that time (and money!).

Email marketing plays a pivotal role in the growth and success of small businesses. It serves as a highly effective means of directly engaging with customers, fostering brand loyalty, and driving sales. Unlike traditional forms of marketing, email allows businesses to communicate with their audience in a personalised and targeted manner. Through tailored messages and relevant offers, businesses can establish a rapport with their subscribers, keeping their brand top-of-mind.

Moreover, email marketing is a cost-effective strategy, offering a high return on investment compared to other marketing channels. With the ability to track metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversions, small businesses can refine their email campaigns for optimal results. In essence, email marketing empowers small businesses to reach their audience effectively, nurture relationships, and achieve their marketing objectives with precision.

As it’s very likely that you already have a list of your customers email addresses, so why not use it wisely? Here are just a few ideas:

  • Customer onboarding: this could include welcome emails, instructional guides and helpful tips.
  • A regular newsletter, sharing latest news, posts and/or products, helps you stay connected with your audience;
  • Product launches – sending out teaser emails can generate excitement about a new product or service;
  • Promotions and sales – excellent for limited time promotions and can be segmented to target specific audience groups;
  • Re-engagement campaigns can be used to help reignite interest among customers/subscribers.

You may look at some of those and say, well I can do most of those on social media. Well, yes you can, but what happens if your best customer doesn’t have social media? You could have lost your best customer.

 

Saving you precious time

Implementing automation tools like Zapier or Make.com can be a game-changer for small businesses, streamlining processes and boosting productivity in remarkable ways. These tools essentially act as digital assistants, seamlessly connecting different apps and automating repetitive tasks, saving valuable time and effort.

Some examples:

  1. Customer Follow-Up: Set up an automation to send a personalised follow-up email to customers after they make a purchase on your website. This could thank them for their purchase, provide order details, and include a request for feedback or a review.
  2. Appointment Scheduling: Implement an automation that syncs with your calendar and allows clients to book appointments online. This could include sending confirmation emails, reminders, and follow-up messages to ensure a smooth scheduling process.
  3. Lead Nurturing: Create automated email sequences to nurture leads and move them through the sales funnel. This could involve sending targeted content based on the lead’s interests or actions, such as educational resources, special offers, or invitations to events.

We specialise in Mailchimp and MailerLite, however there are specific sales-based options available such as ConvertKit, which offers excellent reporting and analytics.

 

Make your digital presence shine

It’s the little things that can make a huge difference: for example, when you look at a businesses social profile, you’d probably notice if their social logo was grainy, or only partially visible (tip: rectangle into a square doesn’t go!). What about the header image on their social profile? Does it reflect their business? Is it actually there?!

It’s not always about having a new logo – most of the time, we can clean up the one you have. However, we’re great fans of a rebrand as it allows you to reflect the business you are now, rather than the one that you were 15 years ago when you first started out.

While we do use Adobe’s fantastic Creative Suite, we’re great fans of Canva and how it’s allowed small businesses the ability to create quality digital graphics for use on social media and suchlike. If you are looking for a headstart, we would be happy to design you some templates, using your branding, that you can use on social media, which will promote brand consistency making you instantly recognisable in a social feed.

We’re passionate about helping all businesses access digital tools that could help them become more streamlined, time-efficient and visible. For example, using apps that could make their social media presence easier to manage, creating automations to handle the repetitive day-to-day tasks, designing social media templates that promote brand consistency, or creating a website that clearly reflects the business.

We are constantly researching better ways to do things, too. Making businesses – including our own – the most efficient they can be, encouraging a better work/life balance.

After all, that’s the goal surely?

Who.

behind the scenes

Lowenna Luke

Partner & Design specialist

Fuelled primarily by coffee, Lowenna is the digital creative at Awenek’s heart, as well as being the SmartSuite Consultant. Drawing on previous experience, she uses the “No Code” methodology to design tools and templates that can be used by anyone to improve their productivity.

Her main areas of speciality are:

  • Web design
  • Workflow management systems
  • Digital assets, such as logos & templates
  • Email marketing

Make your tech work for you, rather than against.

Jamie Luke

Partner & IT specialist

Jamie brings a wealth of experience to Awenek, after working in many different industries. He gives excellent advice for how to improve your business efficiency through use of technology and we are particularly impressed with his tea-making abilities.

His main areas of speciality are:

  • DNS & server management
  • UC (unified communication) systems
  • IT infrastructure recommendations

  • Whole-business process overviews

Don’t be a busy fool – make your productive time count!