I began my career in digital marketing back in 2012, after completing an Msc in Marketing Communications. Before I’d even handed in my final dissertation, I had secured a job in digital marketing at an innovative Manchester digital agency with offices in the (back then) up-and-coming MediaCityUK area.

An exciting time, but as a digital novice with limited education into the complex world of SEO and social media marketing, there was still so much to learn. Like any good graduate, I relied on my research skills to figure out how things work, what the jargon means, how to apply best practice and how to get the best results. But as much as I tried to learn from colleagues
and use my initiative to research on my own, it felt like I needed some hands-on training to improve my confidence levels. In 2013, a colleague of mine had just enrolled onto the Social Media Marketing course at ONECPD, so I convinced my boss to let me do the same.

Creating a strategy for any business can be difficult, remember that the strategic marketing process is dynamic. You need to regularly measure and evaluate the results of your plan in order to succeed. With that being said, we have done all the hard work for you, with our simple beginners guide to creating your own digital marketing strategy.

It’s easy to become overwhelmed at the sight of a ‘Digital Marketing Strategy’ but all in all, strategy is simple. In other words, it’s a plan of action on how you can most effectively achieve your goals. Furthermore, the size and scale of your business will determine your overall Digital Marketing Strategy, comprising of either a single or multiple digital strategies, each of these with slightly different goals. However, reflecting on our simple 5 step rules of strategy can help you stay positive and focused on meeting your set objectives.

What is robotic technology and how will it impact your businesses success?

Robots have been appearing in sci-fi movies and on TV for decades. When we think of robots we think of the Terminator, Transformers, Blade Runner and the list goes on.

Thanks to these movies we’ve been dreading the rise of robots for decades. 

Yet we still believe that robots are a fantasy concept.

If I had told you twenty years ago that your favourite robot movie might become the real thing, you would’ve laughed, right?

But guess what?

The future is here, and it’s bringing robots.

“94% of businesses in the UK and US said they either embrace robots or felt a robotic future is inevitable”.

The truth is robotic technology is amongst us and finally making their way into the real world. We’ve all been fascinated by the idea of futuristic robots but this type of artificial intelligence also leaves space for some scary speculations!

Read more…..

As a cyber security specialist / independent consultant at NATO, Frank Satterwhite has in-depth insight into the best practice on how to protect online assets with cyber defence strategies. While Frank is not a spokesperson for NATO or the military, he has extensive experience in NATO, Coalition, and military environments.

He is now sharing his skills and experience with the next wave of cyber security professionals that are to emerge from the Certified Information Systems Security Professional course with Salford Professional Development. Frank is also due to be a keynote speaker at one of Europe’s largest Cyber and Cloud Events – the cyber security cloud expo – about building a stronger, more cyber-aware workforce.

“Cyber security is everyone’s responsibility”

We are incredibly excited for Frank to join us in this boot camp style CISSP programme, so we’ve been in touch to learn a little more about the in’s and out’s of cyber security and why you should attend this course:

Read more…..

How many times have you heard the phrase ‘digital inclusion’?

It’s pretty obvious by now there’s a global movement towards digital inclusion, and there’s no denying that the housing sector needs to get to grips with digital inclusion. 

Housing associations face new challenges from having to adapt to different tools and technology that can assist in meeting increasing service demands and help them operate more efficiently.

This is why it makes sense for the housing sector to be digitally ready.

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Without a doubt, advancements in digital innovation are revolutionising the way we operate. It is more than just embracing the latest technology, it requires businesses to remodel their strategies and undertake an ongoing culture change.    

In recent years, digital innovation is causing a storm in the business world, since it is obvious that innovation is the only thing consistent in digital transformation. It is important for you as an organisation to stay ahead of the competition.

With digitalisation leaving a digital disruption on existing business models, this is forcing organisations to move quickly to capture opportunities in this digital era.

In order for organisations to be ready for the next digital revolution, you must understand how to transform digitally and embrace change, this could well be how to survive.

The question is how do we embrace change? Get the tools that you need here. Read more…..

Many ask themselves the fundamental question, what is digital marketing?

A great analogy to describe it is that it’s like playing a game of chess…

In a game of chess, the player begins with six different types of pieces and each piece moves differently.

Like chess, digital marketing has six fundamental pieces:

• Content marketing
• Search engines
• Websites
• Social media
• Email
• And mobile…

Digital marketing has always been about connecting to your audience in the right place, at the right time. Unfortunately, most businesses can be compared to a beginner chess player who makes predictable moves without any real plan behind them. This is not a good strategy for success, which is why we’ve put together this list of ways to claim the throne to digital marketing… Let’s begin! Read more…..

What is cyber security?

Definition: Cyber security is the digital technology, protective processes and practices within an organisation that are designed to guard devices, data, programs, and networks from unauthorised personnel, data breaches and cyber attacks.

As more modern-day technologies rely on online storage and systems in order to be able to store vast quantities of data, organisations are having to advance their information security measures in order to protect online assets and customer details.

Cyber security has changed exponentially over recent years to keep up with the rise of cyber crime and the rapidly evolving methods of online criminals.

Read more…..

Do you remember your favourite bedtime story? Of course you do!

We all grew up hearing and telling stories.

Our world as we know it has transformed from reading your favourite bedtime story to now watching your story unfold. I’ve heard through the critics that ‘storytelling’ specifically, video storytelling is now the next ‘big thing’ when it comes to content marketing. And there is no better way to tell your story than offering an unlimited amount of video content. Yet, this can’t be done without a video content strategy.

A staggering 72% of people would rather use video to learn about a product or service.

So are you ready to win an Oscar for branding your business?

I hope you’re comfortable because its story time?

Read more…..

This may come as no surprise, but we are living in a digital world whereby upgrading our smartphones is essential and communicating on social media is necessary.

In this ever-changing digital environment we now live in, the question we ask ourselves is, how up-to-date are you with modern technology? With new technology always around the corner, the digital world is forever evolving, and we are evolving with it but are we evolving fast enough?

So you may be wondering what the secrets to survival in this new landscape are? Well you’re in luck, here are my top secrets to surviving social media: Read more…..