Author: Hilary Steel

As founder of three prestigious Award Ceremonies in Kent I have a privileged view of business across this thriving county.  From those starting out to those who are established or people who are climbing the career ladder. As a member of The Institute of Directors, (IOD)  the Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Small Businesses, (FSB) I have invaluable support at my fingertips to help grow my own business. This kind of support is priceless but it isn’t just the benefits that each organisation offer to members, it’s the opportunities to meet other people in business who are in, or have been in a similar situation to me and learn from them. There is a real sense of a collaborative culture in Kent that I am extremely proud to be a part of. Businesses are forming strategic partnerships that are helping them both grow and reach a level of success that otherwise would not happen. The power of combined ventures is motivation for me to encourage further growth through this method. When the entry forms come in for the Kent Women in Business Awards, the Kent Independent Traders Awards and the Kent Health and Beauty Awards I see the commitment that motivates people to become more successful and I can learn a lot from them. It seems to me that successful people have similar traits and that they are prepared...

I am passionate about small business development and a BIG part of this is how small businesses can adopt a marketing strategy that works for them. If you are using social media platforms as part of your strategy you could actually, in my opinion, be a) wasting your time or b) alienating your potential audience. If you were to walk in to a room full of strangers and shove a business card or flyer in their hand without any form of introduction what do you think they will do with what you have handed them? What would you do if you were on the receiving end? Pasting an advert in groups or on pages on Facebook has pretty much the same effect. A very important part of marketing is being able to engage with your audience, people still buy from people even if they haven’t physically met. If I receive great service in a business I am likely to tell people about it, if I receive poor service I am also like to tell people about it. Wouldn’t it be much more effective if you could get me to portray your business in a positive way? Cue referrals. I use social media platforms to discover what my potential clients are up to, what they are interested in and then work out how best to engage with them. I call...