Articles by Tiffany Hurd

The writer of this article currently manages his own blog and is managing to do well by mixing online marketing and traditional marketing practices into one.

Smart Ways to Organise Your Garage

Garages are often the place to put things that either aren’t used that often or that there isn’t room for indoors. They are often messy and it can be difficult to find things, or even remember what’s in there.

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Although modern garages are very rarely used to store cars, in a recent survey 41% of people still put a garage on their list of ‘must-haves’ when buying a new house.

Roof Space

Making better use of garage space can create valuable extra storage and make it a lot easier to find and store belongings. For example, utilising the roof space by using some plasterboard can create a large dry space for Christmas decorations and suitcases.

Walls

Using the walls can be a great way to store garden tools and even bikes. Specialised hooks can be bought easily and are simple to attach. For smaller tools, a simple tool rack can be a great space saver and make selecting the correct tool for the job quicker and easier.

If your garage is quite small, or you need a lot of extra space, attaching a wall-mounted folding workbench which is easy to pull out and use when needed can be a great solution.

If you need a larger garage workbench or heavy-duty design, companies such as https://www.garage-shelving.co.uk/garage-workbench supply a wide range, including models allowing you to sit down and work, as well as portable workbenches and those with additional storage.

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Technology and Security

There are many available gadgets which can show you when your garage door is open and connect to a display in your home or to your mobile phone. Sensor systems for lighting are also popular as well as remote control door opening, which is helpful especially if you do wish to park a car or motorbike inside the garage.

Fitness

Many people have started using their garage for fitness equipment such as rowing machines and boxing bags. As long as there is natural light and good air circulation, a garage can provide the perfect home gym.

Zones

Depending on how organised you want the garage to be, having specific areas for certain things is a good way to keep it tidy. For example, if you keep the garden chairs and BBQ together, the minute the sun comes out you can make the most of it.

Glass in Music

Glass has long inspired us, both in poetry, movie-making and in music. It’s transparency, strength but fragility, its beauty and its dangerousness are all elements that fascinate us. Not really a liquid or a solid, glass is a unique and essential part of our lives, from the windows we look out of to the components in our mobile phones. Here are just a few famous songs inspired by the enigma of glass:

1 Heart of Glass by Blondie – this is probably the first song that pops into everybody’s head when you ask about songs with glass in the title. This song never loses its timeless appeal, even though it was originally released in the 1980s. If you love music from that era, or just good music, then you’ll be sure to know this Blondie hit about the fragile nature of a person’s heart.

2 We Are Glass by Gary Numan – another top UK performer from the 1980s. He was truly a pioneer of electronic pop and this glassy classic featured on his last studio album and was ground-breaking at the time. If all this talk of glass is reminding you that your doors and windows need replacing, then consider Double Glazed Doors Evesham by https://www.firmfix.co.uk/doors/

3 Bitter Glass by Feeder – Another British band. I guess we seem to have an obsession with glass! This is a moving and poignant track with sad undertones but features lyrics about getting yourself out of a dark and depressing place. It has a lovely acoustic sound, and if you don’t know it, you should definitely give it a listen.

4 Set Down Your Glass by Snow Patrol – These alternative rockers hail from Scotland and Ireland and released this melodic track on their 2008 album titled A Hundred Million Suns. The message is clearly about living for the moment and deep, profound love.

5 Glass of Water by Coldplay – This track was never an official release from the Viva La Vida album but still did really well in the charts. It’s quite a deep song but still became a real fan favourite and a popular part of the band’s tour set list.

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6 Raise Your Glass by Pink – This is much lighter song than some of the others on this list. It’s a fun song, perfect for a party and is the singer’s ode to partying with your friends and being a bit crazy.

7 Walking on Broken Glass by Annie Lennox – After her huge global success with the Eurythmics, this Scottish songstress went on to have a glittering career as a solo artist. The catchy melody and painful lyrics make us feel the sharp pain of losing love like walking on shards of broken glass.

Why is a Partition Wall Useful in Your Warehouse?

The ability and speed with which businesses adapt to change can make the difference between success and failure.

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Here’s how a semi-permanent partition wall can give your warehouse an edge.

Renting the Space

If you are renting a warehouse, a partition wall saves installing a permanent wall whilst zoning the space for a range of different uses, such as production or storage.

Partition walls provide a cost-effective answer to separating the space, and you can also remove the walls at the end of the tenancy.

For efficient storage, enquire with a company specialising in industrial shelving in Ireland, such as https://www.rackzone.ie/shelving/industrial-residential-shelving.

Partition walls also shield zones from dust and enclose hazardous work spaces.

Flexibility and Expansion

If you manufacture seasonal production lines or must have different areas that are segregated, partition walls could be the ideal solution.

A sturdy and temporary solution, production zones can be quickly installed and moved if required. Delivery areas and production areas can be partitioned, with designated clean zones easily separated from the rest of the warehouse.

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For example, if catering different food types such as nut-free products, there must be a dedicated processing area as an allergic reaction to nuts can be extremely dangerous.

Cross-contamination risks are reduced with the segregation of zones and packing areas.

Future Requirements

It is essential that specialised food manufacturers are able to cater to increased demand or unexpected changes. The ability to produce new or multiple product lines at one facility can prove extremely valuable to your business.

Partition walls can be installed in any structure and in any size in response to increased demand.

Cost

With easy installation and a quick turnaround, partition walls are a cost-effective solution. There is no chaotic construction or building works, no drying time for plaster or paint, and there is no downtime required to install the walls.

If you choose to also transform the warehouse layout, partition walls are semi-permanent and can be moved and adjusted.

Natural Lighting

Partition walls are semi-translucent, which allows light to pass into the segregated areas, making cold, dark processing zones a thing of the past.

Moreover, by allowing more light into the processing zones, you will potentially need less electrical light in the area, reducing energy bills.

 

How to Encourage Customers to Book Online

Imagine if the bookings your business was taking were not limited by numbers of staff or working hours. Online bookings can take place 24 hours a day when you have the right systems in place.

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Customer Service

While getting to know your clients and anticipating their needs can win you great customer service ratings, it can also foster a culture of dependency where you need to spend hours with a customer answering questions and reassuring them before they make even small purchases. Being tied to the phone wastes an enormous amount of time for many businesses.

The first thing you need to do is having an efficient and easy online booking system in place. Make sure that it’s easier and quicker for your clients to book online that by ringing you. Get booking software that is clear and straightforward and confirms by email straight away.

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Online Resources

Many customers pick up the phone because they have questions and they cannot find the information they require. Often these questions are fairly common and can be dealt with by a well-thought-out FAQ page that has real questions and proper answers. Index it, make it user-friendly and put lots of practical information in your FAQ page and this will pay off handsomely by saving you time, energy and money, particularly if you are running a small business. For more tips on how to harness the power of the internet to drive a small business forward, see this report from The Guardian.

If you want to find out more about a Facilities Online Booking System, then it would make sense to consult experts in the field such as https://www.ofec.co.uk/web-and-software-development-services/facilities-online-booking-system.aspx. A company like this can give you tips and advice about a Facilities Online Booking System and present a range of options to choose from.

A big part of training your clients to go online to make their bookings is to give them the right online booking system. It should be one that is intuitive, thorough and very reliable. Once your customers trust your software for online bookings, then they will happily use it and this will free up the time of you and your staff for attending to other important tasks. Make going online an experience that is positive, and customers will be happy to embrace it.

How to maximise the space in a small wardrobe

Although many of us live in small homes, with limited storage space, this isn’t something necessarily to be lamented, but rather enjoyed and celebrated. Living in a more compact space provides the perfect environment to find things faster and more easily.

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However, it may not seem like that if you’re dealing with a small wardrobe. The prospect of organising your mountains of clothes into a tiny wardrobe may be a daunting one. Fear not – with a pinch of imagination and by applying the following tips, you can make the restricted space in your wardrobe work better.

1. Beware of clutter

Attempting to cram every piece of clothing you’ve ever bought into your tiny wardrobe will only drive you crazy. Avoid such a calamity by purging the contents of your wardrobe, disposing of anything you haven’t worn in a year or more. Not only will you create much needed space, but you will also feel happier and save time selecting clothes.

If decluttering seems like an overwhelming undertaking, check Good Housekeeping’s article for some excellent tips.

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2. Carefully select hangers

Although they don’t have to be the same colour, it is wise to choose hangers that are the same type and size. A simple hanger with a bar is a perfect option for trousers, skirts and tops. They will help you see your clothing all at once and will enhance your efficiency when choosing something to wear.

3. Rotate with the seasons

To save space, consider rotating the contents of your wardrobe along with the seasons, using other areas, such as under your bed, or your attic, to store off-season items.

4. Use limited organisation tools

There is an abundance of organisational products available, designed to make efficient use of tiny spaces. Use them only if they actually save space, since too many of them will actually clutter your wardrobe.

Wardrobes, such as the Hampshire fitted wardrobes, found at https://www.lamco-design.co.uk/, work better when you use other organisational tools sparingly.

5. Categorise items

If you have struggled to find a particular item of clothing in your wardrobe, categorise your clothes, firstly by type (trousers, skirts, tops, jackets) and then by colour within each of these categories. This will help you find those beautiful tailored trousers much more easily.

Could your company’s manufacturing supply chain be at risk?

We have seen a flurry of articles exploring whether business people might soon find that their supply chain is under threat; in turn, this could threaten to scupper their entire business.

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The business environment is becoming less benign

Many of these anxieties stem from worries about a trade war and the increasingly unfriendly words being exchanged between the US and China on the subject. Even without a full-blown trade war, trade restrictions could interrupt the supply chains that many businesses rely on. Industry Week recently described a scenario where trade relations are less stable, inflation is going up, earnings are being hit, and cost-cutting is no longer having enough effect on the bottom line.

Watch for warning signs in your supply chain

It is not just global developments that can adversely affect a supply chain, as serious problems can also arise locally. There are several warning signs that should not be ignored, as they may be indicators of a future supply chain breakdown.

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An obvious sign is when a previously reliable supplier seems to suddenly start having quality control problems. These can be the result of issues elsewhere in the chain or in their business environment that are impacting them and that they can’t control. ‘Sub-tier’ suppliers are what used to be called subcontractors. If your direct supplier doesn’t understand how to measure and manage risk amongst these, your supplier could be vulnerable to sudden failure.

Supply chains are complex and many tiered

Take a high-tech product – let’s use a metal bonding adhesive such as http://www.ct1ltd.com/product-applications/metal-to-metal-adhesive/ as an example. It may seem to be a reasonably simple process to manufacture it; however, by the time you have brought together the materials and the delivery mechanism, designed the packaging, moved it from the factory to the warehouse and finally delivered it to the retail hub, you have built up a complex chain of suppliers. Any of these could be using their own sub-tier suppliers.

The last thing you want is a key supplier failing. Your business will suffer disruption and you will have to spend time finding another supplier. It pays to help them to be the best supplier to you that they can possibly be by encouraging them to be open and transparent if they have problems and helping them to find solutions.

Why Laminate Is the Best Flooring Solution for Your Child’s Playroom

When it comes to choosing the right flooring for your children’s playroom, it can be a precarious balance between functionality and style.

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A playroom may not always be a playroom. As your children grow, develop and eventually leave home, the needs of the room will change, and so it is important to find flooring that is versatile and broad enough to meet a variety of demands. Having said that, in the interim period of your children being small, it also needs to be durable enough to cope with clattering footsteps, toy cars, Barbie heels and plenty of rough and tumble. So what is the best option for you?

Laminate flooring could be the answer to all of your problems, and here’s why.

Cost-Effective

Floor Critics places laminate in the top five inexpensive yet effective flooring options. It can be bought on a tight budget and installed relatively simply yourself. What’s more, it is designed to last, meaning you won’t need to worry about replacing it for a number of years.

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Durability

Laminate flooring from https://www.woodfloorwarehouse.ie/laminate-flooring.html is durable and designed to stand the test of time. You can pick up scratch-resistant laminate these days, but even if your regular laminate does become scratched, it is generally very easy to buff up, fill and repair.

Easy to Clean

One of the main considerations any parent has to make when designing a room specifically aimed at their kids is how easy it is to maintain and keep clean. A carpeted playroom would be a nightmare when it comes to paint splashes or drink spillages. Carpet can also harbour the type of dust and allergens that can exacerbate asthma and other respiratory conditions. Laminate, on the other hand, is famously easy to keep fresh, clean and shiny. Although using vast amounts of water on laminate is discouraged (as this can distort its shape), it is very simple to mop up spills and sweep up debris.

Variety and Design

These days there is a vast market for laminate floors, and as such you’ll find a wide range of colours, designs, effects and widths when you are shopping for your flooring. This means you can slot laminate into pretty much any room in the house and match it to any decor – traditional or contemporary.

5 more easy steps to improve your business digital signage strategy

Here are another five tips on how digital signage can have a positive impact on your business and how aligning it with your business aims and objectives can make for great marketing.

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Build anticipation

Creating anticipation is a sure-fire way of hanging onto your audience and keeping them interested. This does not need to be complicated; for example, it could be as simple as a slide that encourages viewers to come back for more, such as ‘our 20 per cent sale starts next week, so make sure you don’t miss out on some great offers.’ In store music can help to create mood and expectation.

Don’t forget the power of user generated content

User generated content (UGC) can help to create credibility around your brand and products. These platforms, which include review systems such as Trip Advisor and Yelp, engender a feeling of social proof in addition to offering a forum for feedback. Digital screens can also gather UGC.

Feedback is king

Marketing material can only really be effective if it works for your target audience. It is worth running a mystery shopper-style exercise to get a clear picture of what works and what doesn’t. A fresh pair of eyes can offer constructive criticism that can be incorporated into your design and content. You may well have a fabulously designed digital signage platform in your store from a specialist such as
https://moodmedia.co.uk/in-store-music-for-business/ ; however, your more discerning customers may well comment on your professionalism if the content is badly written.

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Tracking your metrics

Promotional codes and unique URLs are two ways of tracking the effectiveness of your digital signage. It is also worth checking how many potential customers have taken an action after engaging with your display; in this way, you can refine your calls to action, enhance your content if needs be, and add extra features to your screens.

Review, review, review

Unlike many other forms of marketing material, digital signage is not static and can be continuously reinvented. This means you can work on it over time to perfect it and tailor it more and more to your customers.

Whether you have one or one hundred screens, remember that your communications need to be personable and targeted. Follow these tips and see the effectiveness of your digital signage skyrocket.

5 Beautiful Area Rug Trends to Try

Area rugs are one of the fastest and often cheapest ways to update your home with the latest trends without carrying out a major renovation or decoration project. With plenty of stunning trends set to come over the horizon this year, we take a look at five absolutely beautiful area rug trends to try in your home.

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New Boho

Bohemian rugs will literally never go out of style. We are talking rugs inspired by ancient Persian, Native American or Asian patterns. Couple these rugs with bold blacks and whites for a truly statement look.

Natural Fibres

Apart from soft grass, nothing quite feels so beautiful underfoot as natural fibres. These are increasingly common in rugs as we move away from the man-made fibres of yesteryear’s rugs such as polyester. Instead opt for cotton, wool or hessian, all in beige or earthy tones.

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Scandi Elegance

Scandi Chic has evolved again into an ever more elegant levels of sophistication. Soft natural fibres with pastel greens and blues are set to take over the homes of the most elegant and refined among us. Rugs that epitomize Scandi Elegance make use of natural coastal colours and organic fibres. Green Scandi rugs are perfect when laid over light shades of laminate flooring, such as the options available at https://www.woodfloorwarehouse.co.uk/laminate-flooring.html.

Pink Hues

Pink is the colour of the summer of 2018. You’ll see it everywhere, from men’s shorts to summer dresses and even in the home too. A pink rug is an excellent way to incorporate this trend into your home without painting the walls pink, which you may regret in a couple of years. Sometimes referred to as ‘Millennial Pink’, this rose blush is light, dainty but self-assured, ideal for cosy lounges or airy bedrooms. Match pink rugs with green walls for the latest Pinterest trend.

Dark and Moody

Perfectly matched with teal walls, brass detailing and walnut furniture, rugs dyed in rich dark colours make a serious style statement in the home. Think fuchsia, turquoise or maroon; the deeper and moodier the better.

Take advantage of the power rugs have to update your interior look. These five varied rug trends are ideal for area rug options all around the home and can be mixed and matched according to your existing decor style.