Wednesday 20 November 2019

The Rural Business Development Grant Pilot Scheme

Image result for rural businessThe Rural Business Development Grant Pilot Scheme aims to sustain and support the development of micro rural businesses across Northern Ireland by providing a small capital grant for the business. 

This Scheme is being administered across all rural areas by local Councils. 

Mid Ulster Council
Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council
Fermanagh & Omagh Council

Ardean ¦ Funding


Monday 11 November 2019

22 Amazing Websites with Stunning Free Stock Images

Image result for photos galleryWe know your pain. You’re looking for the right images for your online store, website, or for social media. You don't have time for DIY product photography, so you’ve searched far and wide for stunning, free images to use, but keep running into cheesy stock photos of people high-fiving in boardrooms or laughing at their salad.

The good news: there’s a huge variety of excellent free and paid stock photography websites for commercial use available online. You just have to know where to look.

Take a look, and enjoy!

Ardean ¦ Marketing Communication

Wednesday 30 October 2019

The Ultimate DIY Guide to Beautiful Product Photography

Image result for photographyThe perceived value of your products and the trustworthiness of your brand is often judged based on the quality of your visual presentation. That means having high-quality, beautiful product photography can go a long way.

However, not every store owner can afford to invest in a professional photography studio, especially when they’re just starting out. DIY product photography provides a great alternative, and as long as you know the proper tools and techniques, taking compelling product photos is well within your grasp. Learn More Here>

Ardean ¦ Marketing Communication

Tuesday 1 October 2019

Crowdfunding is an increasingly popular option for any small business looking to raise money

Image result for moneyCrowdfunding is an increasingly popular option for any small business looking to raise money and it's one of the most accessible ways of financing a new idea or product. But launching a successful crowdfunding campaign isn’t as easy as setting up a page on Kickstarter or Indiegogo and waiting for the money to roll in.

This guide, looks at how to plan, prep, and launch a successful crowdfunding campaign, as well as how to transition your idea into an enduring, self-sustaining business once your campaign is over.  Learn More By Clicking Here

Ardean ¦ Funding For Businesses

Wednesday 25 September 2019

How to Boost Your Facebook Organic Reach: 10 Powerful Ways

Image result for facebook postDue to the ever-changing Facebook News Feed algorithm, many marketers believe the days of organic Facebook reach are over. 

But while it might be more difficult for your content to perform well organically, it's surely not impossible. 

Read on to discover ten effective ways to beat the algorithm and improve your organic reach! 

Ardean ¦ Marketing Communication 

Tuesday 17 September 2019

New online shopping rules

EU law to prevent online payment fraud to be introduced September 2019

From September 2019, online shoppers will need to take an additional authentication step when making online purchases over €30 online.

Fraud is a major problem in the UK. Criminals stole £1.2 billion through fraud and scams in 2018. Personal and financial data theft allows much of this fraud to happen. The Revised Payment Service Directive (PSD2) aims to prevent this by using extra security steps to online purchases. Learn more about PSD2

Ardean ¦ Marketing

Monday 9 September 2019

10 Low-Investment Business Ideas You Can Start Online

Image result for 10 Low-Investment Business Ideas You Can Start OnlineStarting a business can seem like a mountain of a task. But the amount of time, money, and risk involved all depends on the business idea you chase.

Contrary to popular belief, there are actually many ways to start a business that let you focus less on the logistics and upfront costs and more on getting started.

These low-investment online business ideas make a great entry point for beginners, bootstrappers, or anyone with a busy schedule, letting you pick up a side business without having to drop everything else.

You still need to come up with a solid idea, build a brand, put effort into marketing, and provide excellent customer service. But you can bypass many traditional startup costs, such as initial inventory, warehousing, and retail space.

Here are 10 of these low-investment business ideas you can start today.  Read More

Ardean ¦ Business Planning

Monday 2 September 2019

67 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Ecommerce

Image result for KPI's
Key performance indicators (KPIs) are like milestones on the road to online retail success. Monitoring them will help ecommerce entrepreneurs identify progress toward sales, marketing, and customer service goals.

KPIs should be chosen and monitored depending on your unique business goals. Certain KPIs support some goals while they’re irrelevant for others. With the idea that KPIs should differ based on the goal being measured, it’s possible to consider a set of common performance indicators for ecommerce.

Learn the KPI's For Ecommerce By Clicking Here

Ardean ¦ Marketing Strategy

Thursday 22 August 2019

7 Steps to Beautiful DIY Apparel Product Photography

Image result for clothing photographyHigh quality product photography is essential for apparel ecommerce. For many customers, your product images will determine whether or not they buy your product. But essential doesn’t have to mean expensive. The difference between professional and amateur is talent, equipment, and experience. If you have an eye for photography and a modest budget, follow these 7 steps to benefit from our experience and create beautiful apparel product images. 

Read More By Clicking Here

Ardean ¦ Marketing Communication

Tuesday 13 August 2019

50 Exceptional Online Stores Built on Shopify

Today we'd like to introduce you to 50+ outstanding Shopify stores. These businesses serve as great inspiration for all entrepreneurs who are looking to start their own online store.

Take a stroll down their digital isles and note what these stores are getting right: company logos, beautiful product photography, great visual branding, clearly defined navigational elements, simple user-friendly layout and convincing call-to-action buttons.

View the list of 50 stores here

Ardean ¦ Marketing Communication

Tuesday 6 August 2019

Facebook Ads: The Beginner's Guide to the Facebook Pixel

Image result for facebook pixelPixels are common across most advertising platforms. They’re used to drop a cookie that will track visitors on your website so you can advertise to them later. This is called retargeting. Once you advertise to past website visitors, Facebook pixels can also be used to track their behavior when they’re back on your website.

Learn more about Facebook Pixels by clicking here

Ardean ¦ Marketing Communication

Monday 29 July 2019

The 17 Best Places Ecommerce Entrepreneurs Go To Find Product Ideas

Coming up with a great idea for a product to sell online will occasionally strike when you least expect it. Many times though, it’s something you need to be proactively on the lookout for.

The internet contains a wealth of ideas and inspiration, but as a new entrepreneur, where do you begin? Aimlessly searching online will only get you so far, so we’ve compiled a list of the best resources to give you direction and get you started.

Check out these 17 places to find profitable product ideas

Ardean ¦ Marketing Strategy

Monday 22 July 2019

Using spreadsheets for your business records for Making Tax Digital

Image result for making tax digital bridging softwareA spreadsheet can be used to calculate or summarise VAT transactions to arrive at the return information you need to send HMRC.

If you use spreadsheets to keep business records, you’ll need MTD-compatible software so that you can send HMRC your VAT returns and receive information back from HMRC. Bridging software may be required to make spreadsheets MTD-compatible.

Click here for List Of Software For Making Tax Digital

Ardean ¦ Business Planning

Monday 15 July 2019

Making Tax Digital: how VAT businesses and other VAT entities can get ready

Image result for making tax digital vatIf you are registered for VAT and your taxable turnover is above the VAT registration threshold (currently £85,000), you must keep digital business records and send your VAT returns to HMRC using MTD-compatible software. For the vast majority of businesses this applies to accounting periods that started on or after 1 April 2019.

Making Tax Digital For VAT As A Business : click here to view the steps by steps

Ardean : Business Planning