Why effective social media relies on understanding data

Every modern business needs to maintain a presence on social media if they’re to make the most of new digital technology and avoid falling behind. However, effective use of social media relies heavily on intelligent use of collected data. Here, we take a look at three reasons why understanding data is absolutely vital to the success of social media campaigns.

What works and what doesn’t

The data and feedback you receive from social media sites allows you to establish exactly what works and what doesn’t. Businesses can gauge the public’s response to certain types of post, content or advertising and compare it to other approaches, fine tuning their methods in the process.

Though it may often appear as though managing a company’s social media presence is a matter of throwing as much information and content at users as possible and seeing what sticks, this is actually both time consuming and wasteful. If you want to avoid such a situation, it’s best to use the data available to refine the methods you employ on social networks.

  

Chart progress

Effective use of social media also relies upon being able to chart your progress and implement a long term plan. A social media campaign needs to develop and change in order to maintain user interest and data analysis can provide marketers with a roadmap to how it should be run.

By measuring the response to various posts and adverts and comparing them to previous efforts, a business can ensure a campaign is moving in the right direction and can make readjustments if necessary.

Understand your customers

An interesting and successful social media presence relies on understanding your customers’ needs, desires and demands and building a long-term plan based on their fulfilment. This is important because of the way in which users view and consume information on social networks.

They tend to have short attention spans and enjoy switching between screens, tabs and apps quickly and with little thought. If you are to capture their attention in the short amount of time before they flick to something else, you need to understand exactly what they want and how they think.

Fortunately there is plenty of data out there that can help, as it is possible to record customer habits when online down in finite detail – covering anything from spending habits and clothing sizes to hobbies and food preferences.

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5 ways that studying abroad could help your career

If you’re thinking about studying abroad for a year, you may be trying to justify the decision by telling yourself that it will be great for your career and CV. In many ways, you’re absolutely right. Studying abroad is a fantastic opportunity that allows you to enjoy and learn about another country and culture while also developing your personal skills and testing your character. With this in mind, we take a look at five ways studying abroad could help your career.

Language skills

One of the biggest benefits to studying abroad is the amount of practical language experience you receive. Being able to speak another language is an achievement that can benefit you both personally and professionally and looks great on any job application. It demonstrates that you’re a committed learner, that you’re willing to try new things and that you respect other cultures.

Ability to adapt

The ability to adapt to any and all situations is key to a successful career. In business, not everything always goes entirely to script and employees need to be flexible and adaptable if they’re to impress their superiors. A year studying abroad really tests your ability to adapt and is great preparation for the world of work.

Self-awareness

When you uproot yourself and start again somewhere new, even if it’s only for six months or a year, you take yourself out of your comfort zone and are forced to discover what your real strengths and weaknesses are. This self-awareness allows you to target those skills and abilities that you may be lacking, helping you become a well-rounded employee and a more attractive prospect to recruiters.

Working with others

If you study abroad, you’ll find yourself working with many different types of people, the majority of whom will probably hold different social and cultural values to those that you’re used to. By broadening your horizons and cooperating with different people, you become a better team player and businesses will feel much more comfortable in throwing you into a culturally diverse work situation.

Curiosity

Studying abroad can also show that you’re an open minded and curious person that doesn’t mind taking on a challenge and pushing yourself. Recruiters want to hire people that don’t mind having to work hard to prove themselves or overcome obstacles and will be specifically looking for employees that relish finding themselves in new and challenging situations.

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Why your mobile presence can shape your job search

Mobile usage is on the rise worldwide and more and more people are using their phone and tablets to search for jobs. This ability to apply for professional positions wherever you are in the world is resulting in dramatic changes to the way employees and employers think about the application process. For businesses, it means ensuring websites are optimised for mobile devices and that the application process is streamlined and efficient. For job seekers, it has a variety of wide-ranging effects. With this in mind, we examine how and why your mobile presence shapes your job search.

Any time, any place

Mobile devices allow you to search and apply for jobs at any time and in any place. This means that you no longer have to restrict your job searches to your free time and that you have constant access to all the latest vacancies and job postings. However, this makes applying quickly and efficiently more important, as positions are filled faster than ever. Fortunately, many sites are able to send out notifications and reminders for vacancies you may be interested in, ensuring you don’t miss out on the perfect opportunity.  

Job search apps

The increased use of mobile devices has also resulted in the development of a number of apps able to assist in your job search. Usually designed to be accessed through mobile devices, these apps are powerful tools that allow you to take your job search with you wherever you go. Many also sync with your LinkedIn profile, allowing you to incorporate your wider professional network into the search and helping to identify potential job leads.

Social media

Social media is playing an increasingly important role in all of our personal and professional lives. With a greater number of people using platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn to communicate professionally, the way in which mobile devices provide instant and regular access to such sites is becoming even more useful. Instead of limiting your job seeking to internet searches and firing off CVs, you now have a variety of avenues to explore and new tools at your disposal.

Still some things that are easier on a desktop

Though mobile devices are certainly having an effect on the way we search for jobs, it’s important to remember that some things are still a lot easier on a desktop. The most obvious example of this is creating a CV. While there are useful word processing apps for mobile devices, they lack the levels of customisation found in desktop versions and are far more difficult to use. However, it’s only a matter of time before mobile devices catch up and the whole application process is easy enough to complete from start to finish on a small smartphone screen. 

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Where could a career in HR take you?

In the modern business environment, human resources departments are considered a vital part of any business. Tasked with managing employees, ensuring their welfare, attracting talent and assuring the business retains it; HR staff enjoy a diverse and challenging role with many opportunities to progress their career.

If you’re considering a job in HR, you may be wondering exactly where it could take you. Here we take a look at a few of the potential outcomes if you were to pursue the profession.

You can go anywhere!

One of the most important things to remember about a career in HR is that it could take you into any business, field or industry. Virtually all modern businesses employ a HR team or department, meaning that you could be working in the energy sector, for a recruitment firm, in foreign countries or with up-and-coming tech companies. The possibilities are endless and the variety and number of possible workplaces available to HR specialists is one of the main attractions of the job.  

The career ladder

Where you end up in HR will probably depend on what you like most about the job. If you prefer the personal, every day, face-to-face interaction with colleagues, you may want to look into becoming a Human Resources Manager. However, if you’re more interested in developing business-wide strategies and taking a more organisational role, you may want to pursue the position of Human Resources Executive. If you enjoy the job but want more control over your schedule and work load, maybe becoming a Human Resources Consultant would be a good choice. The fundamental skills required for these roles are often the same, although the degree to which you use the skills will vary.

Specialisation

It’s also important to think about whether you wish to remain a generalist or become a specialist. While generalists get to enjoy the variety of working with many different people and performing different tasks, specialists are able to explore the specific part of the job that they enjoy most, becoming an expert in the process. In modern HR departments there are many specialisations to consider – including IT, training and recruitment to name just a few – all of which supply essential services to many different types of business.

Think you've got what it takes to make a great employee at Capita? Check out our HR vacancies and apply today! 

3 things we can learn from the alternative finance sector

In the past few years, alternative finance has taken off in an incredible manner, particularly among small and medium sized enterprises. As smaller businesses have struggled in the search for capital from traditional lenders such as banks, they have increasingly turned towards a variety of new finance options, most of which are facilitated by the growing power of the Internet.

However, the explosive growth of the alternative finance sector hasn’t been without its problems and there is a lot to learn from the journey so far. Here we take a look at three of the most important lessons to be drawn from new sources of finance.  

Traditional finance options are no longer enough

Despite many promises that traditional lenders would begin to lend money to small businesses again, SMEs still found it difficult to source required investment. When alternative finance solutions began to spring up in the absence of other forms of lending, it soon became obvious that variety of choice was key to the continued growth of small businesses and that big banks were no longer the only option. This fundamental shift in the way businesses are funded has shown that traditional forms of finance cannot sustain continued economic growth and that small businesses need to have a multitude of options in order to succeed.

Regulation is a necessity

So far, the alternative finance sector has largely been self-regulating, with a number of regulatory bodies springing up as it has grown and developed. Among the main organisations established with the aim of providing oversight, the Peer to Peer Finance Association (P2PFA) and UK Crowdfunding Association (UKCFA) have proved particularly effective, despite the fact that they have taken a soft approach and tried to minimise intervention. If lessons are to be learnt from the traditional finance sector, regulation has to play an important part in alternative finance without restricting its growth too much. So far, this approach has been successful, though constant adaption and development is necessary in order to ensure continued growth.   

People are returning to personal networks

As the alternative finance sector is still defined by the failures of traditional lenders, it is important to consider the way it treats the relationship between borrower and lender. Statistics show that in 2014, 72% of those investing through crowdfunding platforms knew the person running the campaign. Though this figure may have shrunk as the industry has grown, it is interesting to contrast the reliance on more personal networks with the largely impersonal face of traditional lending. If this trend were to emerge in other aspects of business, as it has with the rise of social media and networks, we could see a more friendly, personal and network-driven type of business flourishing. 

Think you've got what it takes to make a great employee at Capita? Check out our finance vacancies and apply today! 

4 ways to ensure your CV grabs attention

Although the vast majority of people will have drafted and distributed a number of different CVs during their working lives, many still find the process incredibly challenging. Applicants have to present themselves in an interesting and engaging way that allows them to stand out among the crowd.

This poses a number of problems. What do you put in a CV? What interests and what bores recruiters? How do you demonstrate that you’re the ideal candidate using only a few sheets of paper? In reality, the answers to these questions will vary depending on the type of job, industry and business you’re applying to, but in order to assist you in a more general sense, we’ve put together four of our top tips for producing an attention grabbing CV.

Length

Not losing the attention and interest of a recruiter is as important as generating excitement. After all, how can you expect someone to react positively to your CV if it takes too long to read or all the interesting parts are lost amongst long passages of irrelevant information? Keep your CV short, sweet and punchy and don’t let it ramble on beyond the essentials. Remember that you want to generate interest in your application so that you’re invited to provide a more detailed history at an interview. You don’t want to divulge your whole life story in a CV.

Let the job advert write your CV

If you’re responding to a job advert, make sure you read it carefully and use it as a prompt when writing your CV. Examine the specific language used and respond to it accordingly. For instance, if an advert demands ‘passionate and hardworking staff,’ use your CV to prove that you have worked long hours in the past and will do so in the future, that you’re motivated and that you’re an enthusiastic team member. If the advert asks for ‘proactive’ applicants, use your CV to demonstrate leadership qualities.

Be specific

To create an attention grabbing CV, you need to make sure it's tailored to the job you’re applying for and that it uses specific examples from your own work history to prove you have the required skills. Instead of simply writing that you’re ‘hardworking and a team player,’ provide examples that back this up. Concrete evidence that you’ll be able to deliver on your CV claims is a sure way to increase interest in your application.

Do something different

Finally, if you have the ability and self-confidence, it may be a good idea to try something different with your CV. This is particularly true when applying for jobs that have a creative element to them. In the past, we’ve heard of CVs designed to resemble infographics, advertising boards taken out to display full sized CVs and a CV turned into board games, so anything is possible! 

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Slow marketing really is a thing, but how does it work?

We now live in a world defined by growing global connectivity and an ‘always on’ culture. Modern technology means we are permanently connected to events, trends and ideas and can find it difficult to distance ourselves from the rapid pace of change and the constant flow of information. Slow marketing is a response to changes in our work culture and the new demands of consumers hoping to detach themselves from the barrage of advertising and news we face on a daily business. In order to give you a better understanding of this marketing phenomenon, we take a look at how it differs from traditional marketing techniques and why it has grown in popularity.

Digital connections

One of the most important catalysts for slow marketing has been the growing dominance of digital technology in our lives. Mobile technology gives us the opportunity to access information at any time or place, although users often find it difficult to switch off and distance themselves from the social networks, shopping sites and news outlets that play such a large role in our lives.

Work and personal time

Such technology has also had an enormous effect on the way in which we approach and define the division of work and personal time. Now, more and more people are able to work away from the office, often giving employees greater freedom but also blurring the distinction between free time and working hours. Many people find themselves replying to emails or performing basic tasks in their spare time and are always connected to work by the Internet.

Slow marketing

Slow marketing tries to feed off a dissatisfaction with this fast-paced, ‘always on’ digital culture that’s often financed by a bombardment of high-energy, loud, attention-grabbing adverts. Rather than trying to approach advertising in a traditional way, by cramming as much information as possible into a memorable but short advert, businesses have begun to slow things down.

Two prominent examples include an 11 minute YouTube advert for Ronseal, which shows a man painting a fence and letting it dry, and an advert for Lagavulin Whisky, in which comedian Nick Offeraman is filmed silently drinking a glass of whisky in front of an open fire for 45 minutes. There are no jingles, catchy slogans or quick cuts, just slow, simple footage that goes against most of the governing principles of marketing.   

Slow marketing has become popular for a number of reasons. Primarily, it is a reaction against existing means of advertising, which many people find intrusive and aggressive. It also works because it makes the most of digital platforms that don’t cost money to use. Businesses can upload a long advert to YouTube and pay nothing for the advertising space. Finally, it appeals to a public that is getting tired of having to do everything at top speed and that finds it difficult to slow down and relax.

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