Category: Internet Marketing

Demystifying Digital Marketing Automation for Small Businesses – A Complete Guide

Home Business Magazine Online

Digital marketing is a specialism that can be completely transformed through automation, and so it’s worth taking note of if you run a small business and don’t have a huge in-house team to take care of promotional tasks manually.

To learn more about this influential niche of modern marketing, stick around and we’ll give you the lowdown on what you need to know.

What Is Digital Marketing Automation and Why Should Small Businesses Care?

Digital marketing automation (DMA) is a process of using technology to automate repetitive digital marketing tasks. It allows small businesses to save time, resources, and reach more customers by automating their online activities such as website visits, email campaigns, and social media interactions.

DMA also helps boost overall efficiency when it comes to managing customer relationships across multiple channels, from initial contact all the way through conversion. By taking advantage of this powerful asset, small businesses can stay ahead of the competition while still maintaining good customer service standards.

Identifying Your Goals: Crafting a Winning Strategy for Automated Digital Marketing

Before you can begin to take advantage of digital marketing automation, it’s important to understand your goals. What do you want to achieve? Are you looking to increase website visits and improve your conversion rates, drive more sales, or boost customer engagement?

Once these objectives are identified, they should be used as the foundation of your automation strategy. From there, you can pinpoint which channels will work best in reaching those goals, and create an action plan that outlines each step needed in order for them to be accomplished successfully.

By doing this upfront planning stage correctly, small businesses can develop a strong framework on which their automated campaigns will run smoothly and efficiently, providing maximum results with minimal effort.

Setting Up Your Systems: Tools & Platforms You Need for Successful Automation

In order to make the most of your digital marketing automation, you need to have the right tools and platforms in place.

Depending on your goals and needs, these may vary from one business to another, but popular choices include the salesforce marketing cloud for advanced personalization capabilities or Hootsuite for scheduling social media posts.

Other useful services are A/B testing software that helps optimize campaigns by allowing businesses to test different versions of their content against each other.

Gaining an understanding of how these systems work will allow small businesses to effectively set up automated processes.

Time-Saving Tips to Maximize Efficiency with Digital Marketing Automation

Utilizing digital marketing automation can be a great way for small businesses to save time and resources while still gaining the maximum returns. To ensure you are making the most of your automated processes, here are some helpful tips:

  • Set up triggers that will automatically kick off tasks at specific times — this could include emails or social media posts.
  • Schedule campaigns and promotions in advance so that they go out at a point that will maximize their reach and enhance engagement.
  • Harness AI-powered chatbots as another layer of customer service — these can provide answers to frequently asked questions quickly, and free up employees’ valuable time.
  • Create personalized content based on campaign data — this allows businesses to target customers more accurately based on their past interactions.

Final Thoughts

Even with all of the automation that’s achievable with modern digital marketing tools, you still need to be adept at putting them to work for you, and willing to accept that they aren’t infallible. Only by digging into the data of each campaign can you see whether you’re hitting the mark, or whether improvements are needed for the next batch of promotional content.

The post Demystifying Digital Marketing Automation for Small Businesses – A Complete Guide appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/marketing/internet-marketing/demystifying-digital-marketing-automation-small-businesses-complete-guide/

Cash for Trash? Currys extend scheme to your doorstep

Reading Time: 3 mins

Last year, tech giant Currys has launched a ‘Cash for Trash’ trial scheme. A year on, the scheme is still going. This is where customers can take their unwanted or unused electronic items to their nearest Currys store in exchange for a voucher worth at least £5 to use on their next in-store or online purchase.

Now, the UK’s largest tech retailer is bringing the opportunity directly to your door, announcing the new door-to-door recycling service, ‘Currys Collects’. So, what is this new initiative and what does it involve?

 

the scheme

This new initiative follows on from the success of the Cash for Trash scheme, which has seen over 46,500 tonnes of electrical goods, household appliances and tech recycled in the last year. However, understanding there may be thousands of potential customers unable to come into the store, Currys are bring the scheme to people’s doors.

Disregarded electrical items and tech is the fastest-growing waste stream in the UK. A whopping 155,000 tonnes of e-waste is thrown into household bins every year. We are one of the world’s largest producers of e-waste, producing 23.9kg per head on average.

With 190,000 tonnes of unused electrical items being hoarded by UK households at this very moment, Currys Collects is designed to raise awareness of how to correctly dispose of tech devices.

 

What will be collected?

This new scheme couldn’t come at a better time. New research has revealed that 76% of people feel guilty for not recycling tech properly. Another 38% admitted that they do not know how to dispose of electrical goods correctly, either. Shockingly, more than one in three 18 to 34 year olds (35%), said they had no idea small batteries, such as those from a TV remote, could be recycled. An estimated 600 million batteries end up in landfill each year.

The pilot scheme, currently taking place in Bradford sees a Currys Collects electric van driving around the city, collecting unwanted tech from people’s front doors. Additionally, the bank will park up at the local community centre. This is for drop-in centres, where experts will answer questions the public may have, as well as collect tech in exchange for £5 cash for trash vouchers.

The items being collected include a huge array of items, including anything that uses wiring or batteries, such as batteries, chargers, cables, beauty appliances such as hair straighteners and dryers. The scheme also happily collects kitchen appliances, including kettles and toasters.

cash for trash

what currys are saying

Mandeep Gobindpuri, Head of Circular Economy at Currys said:

“We know that people want to recycle – our survey found that 84% of the nation said they would recycle their old tech – but more than half either don’t know how to or lack the means to do so. Our new service aims to address both issues by collecting and educating the public. And what better time than spring to look into your cupboards for all those idle cables, outdated phones, broken remotes and used batteries. Virtually anything that houses a plug or battery holds value through its materials, no matter how damaged it is. We’re hoping to make it as easy as possible to recycle your unwanted or broken tech – and in a small way, help us live more sustainably.“We are making great progress on educating the nation about tech recycling and going into 2023, Currys Collects takes that one step further by bringing it right to people’s doors. We hope the Currys Collects pilot is a success and that we can eventually take nationwide.’”

 

Where else can you take unwanted items?

There are other ways to get cash for things like smartphones, satellite navigation systems, speakers, headphones, laptops and cameras. Businesses including CeX, Cash Generator and MoneyMyTech are a good place to start. MoneyMyTech gives people the chance to sell certain unwanted tech goods. All you have to do is review the quote you’re offered, and complete a sequence of steps.

We offer you a guide to is another way of getting cash for your old unwanted CDs here, while WeeeCharity is a not-for-profit UK charity that recycles nearly every kind of electrical item, regardless of condition. They provide these items to businesses, consumers and education facilities in need of them.

Where is my nearest Currys?

Once we have decided what we want to take, literally just take the items to your nearest Currys store. Find out where it is here.

You can also find out more about the Cash for Trash scheme here.

The post Cash for Trash? Currys extend scheme to your doorstep appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

Original source: https://www.moneymagpie.com/make-money/currys-offer-cash-for-your-trash

Get a free cup of tea this April

Reading Time: 3 mins

Get a free cup of tea this April.

It’s no secret that we Brits love a good cup of tea. Whether you are a herbal tea person, prefer an Earl Grey or are a fan of the classic English breakfast builder’s tea, it’s no surprise we drink a staggering 36 billion cups of the stuff every year. 

Forget the debates about the order you put tea, water and milk into your mug, this National Tea Day, let’s just enjoy the good stuff. National Tea Day is on Friday 21st April, and Bird & Blend Tea Co. are offering a free cup of tea in stores across the UK between 11 am and 12pm. 

When we say there is more tea available than you could even fathom, we mean it. Bird & Blend stores offer over 100 tea blends, showcased on the famous tea walls. With that many blends on offer, you are bound to find something suited to your taste buds. Plus, the fact that it will be free will make it taste just that bit better. 

Flavours include Chocolate Digestives, Blue Raspberry, Whisktea, Birthday Cake, Peppermint Cream, Cherry Bakewell, Jasmine Poached Pears, Tea & Toast, Honeycomb Cookie D’oh, Cherry Cola Bottles, Earl Grey Crème and Great British Cuppa. You may even opt to try something new and enter a world of flavours you never knew existed. 

 

Which stores are offering this?

  • Brighton North Laine 
  • Brighton Beach 
  • Bristol 
  • Cardiff 
  • Exeter 
  • Glasgow 
  • London Angel 
  • London Borough 
  • London Portobello 
  • Manchester 
  • Norwich 
  • Nottingham 
  • Oxford 
  • Worthing 

 

How to make the perfect cuppa

Tea really is ingrained in cultures across the world. It has a long and rich history dating back thousands of years to the Zhejiang province in China.  

But for those in the UK today, a cup of tea is a vital part of everyday life. It can bring comfort to everyone, with the first thing most of us do when we arrive home is put the kettle on, ready for a nice brew. 

Plus, a cup of tea really is appropriate for any occasion. Having a bad day? Cup of tea. Have a headache? Cup of tea. Enjoying a nice slice of cake? Well, it wouldn’t be the same without a cup of tea. 

Whether you’re a milk first or last, a tea bag squeezer, a scoop-er or a loose-leaf connoisseur, here’s how to ensure you get that perfect cup of tea every time. 

Select your perfect tea

Tea as to suit the mood. Need an energy boost? A classic breakfast tea might be the one for you. Want to relax after a long day? Chamomile may be the hug in a mug you’re looking for. If you are cutting back on caffeine, try a fruit infusion.  

Choose your teacup

We all have that one, particular mug we reach for first when going to make tea. Somehow, we find comfort in that special teacup, a fondness we cannot quite explain. Whether it’s the ‘Worlds Best Mum’ mug, the one that you have had so long you can’t even remember where it came from, or the posh one you splashed out on in a high-end department store on a whim, your vessel of choice determines your whole experience. 

Boil fresh water

Now hear us out. We want to save you money, so don’t go boiling a full, fresh kettle full of water every time you make yourself a cup of tea. We don’t want to send your electricity bill through the roof! Instead, measure out the exact amount of water you need using your mug. This allows for great, oxygenated tea, which tastes just that bit better. 

Read the instructions

Instructions? For tea? We sense you are scoffing… 

Well, everyone enjoys their tea differently. However, if you are trying a new brew that you aren’t too keen on, check the instructions. You may have brewed it too much, or not enough! Try following the recommended brewing times – you may just find this helps! 

 

Now sit back, relax, put your feet up, and enjoy every sip of your perfectly made tea. Oh, and remember to pic up your free cup of tea on April 21st!

The post Get a free cup of tea this April appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

Original source: https://www.moneymagpie.com/make-money/get-a-free-cup-of-tea-this-april

Google launches Perspectives, About this author and more ways to verify information

Google is officially rolling out some new features designed to help searchers better and more easily verify information within the search results.

What’s new. Google is:

  • Rolling out the About this result globally.
  • Launching Perspectives for top stories.
  • Launching About this author.
  • Making it easier to access the About this page feature.

Let’s dig in.

About this result expands globally: The Google About this result feature, which launched in 2021 to help searchers learn more about the sources and sites they see in Google Search, is now expanding to all languages. If you don’t see it yet, you should within the next few days.

By clicking the three dots next to most search results, you can learn more about where the information is coming from and how Google determined it would be useful for a query. 

Perspectives. Google has been testing Perspectives in Google Search since August 2022 and now it is rolling out in the English US results. The Perspectives carousel will appear below Top Stories and showcase insights from a range of journalists, experts and other relevant voices on the topic you’re searching for.

Here is what it looks like:

Alphabet Inc.

About this author. The About this author will be in the About this result. Now when people tap on the three dots readers will be able to find more information about the background and experience of the news voices surfaced on Google Search, Google explained.

So maybe your authors might matter a bit more with this feature?

Access to About this page. Google also said it is making it easier to access the About this page feature. You can now type in the URL of the organization in Google Search and information from About this page will populate at the top of the Google Search results.

You’ll be able to quickly see how the website describes itself, what others on the web have said about the site and any recent coverage of it.

Here is how it looks:

artificial intelligence

Why we care. With Google surfacing more information about your site, the authors and your page to searchers, making it clear to searchers that you can trust the site, the authors and the content on the page have become more and more important.

Not only that, Google can surface other perspectives around topics that already are ranking well in top stories, which gives publishers and content creators more visibility within the Google Search results.

Dig deeper. Read Google’s official announcement: Five new ways to verify info with Google Search.

The post Google launches Perspectives, About this author and more ways to verify information appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/google-launches-perspectives-about-this-author-and-more-ways-to-verify-information-394920

Domain Authority is dead: Focus on SEO content that ranks by Cynthia Ramsaran

SEO tool set

If you had undeniable evidence that Domain Authority is irrelevant when it comes to the rankability of your organic content, what would you do differently as a marketer? If you could stop focusing on metrics that don’t matter for SEO, imagine how much more of your effort could be put into the one thing that matters: Developing content that ranks.

In this bold presentation DemandJump’s Chief Solution Officer, Ryan Brock, will dare you to evaluate how much stock you put into your website’s Domain Authority and why. 

Register today for “Domain Authority is Dead: Focus on SEO Content That Ranks,” presented by DemandJump.

Click here to view more Search Engine Land webinars.

The post Domain Authority is dead: Focus on SEO content that ranks appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/domain-authority-is-dead-focus-on-seo-content-that-ranks-394975

Home-Based Business Facts and Myths

Home Business Magazine Online

Since early 2020 when the COVID pandemic swept the globe, home-based businesses have grown exponentially. Unfortunately, there are all sorts of myths and malicious bits of misinformation about the practice of operating a company from the comfort of a private residence. The misconceptions range from ill-founded ideas about tax rates and hours to equally incorrect beliefs about cosigning for loans and the kinds of goods people can sell. If you’re getting ready to launch a small business, review the following points about common myths and their corrected versions.

Owners Must Pay Twice the Tax Rate

The doubling only applies to self-employment rates, not other types of taxes. The old double tax myth has been around for decades. It’s based on a misunderstanding of how social security taxes work. If you operate a self-owned company, then as the owner, you are legally obliged to cover social security taxes for yourself. But that means you’ll end up paying what’s called a self-employment tax, not twice the total taxes imposed on individuals who operate businesses.

Cosigning on College Loans Is Inconsequential

Being a cosigner can potentially affect your credit scores. Many entrepreneurs ask themselves how does cosigning a student loan affect my credit? It’s the most relevant thing to wonder about because there are risks and benefits for cosigners, regardless of the size or type of a given loan. Keep in mind that most owners and founders of small enterprises work hard to build up their commercial credit rating. So, if you cosign on a college loan and the primary borrower defaults, skips payments, or is often late, then your credit potential could suffer substantially.

So, if someone asks you to serve as their cosigner, even if you trust the person, take the necessary precautions. Avoid the urge to immediately agree just to help a friend or relative get approved for an education loan. Find out how the situation could affect your commercial and personal credit scores. Whenever you think about becoming a cosigner, be sure to consider all the possibilities and scenarios before putting pen to paper.

You’re Restricted to Online Goods & Services

Many people sell tangible products and crafts. For some reason, many mistakenly believe that at-home entrepreneurs are only able to sell digital goods or resell products via e-commerce stores. While those activities make up a large portion of the niche, there are millions of people who sell hand-made items, works of art, jewelry, and countless other tangible products.

Be Ready to Work Around the Clock

Schedules vary, and few businesses are 24/7 enterprises. Just because your home’s second bedroom is company headquarters, that does not mean it’s a 24/7 business. In fact, most domestic entrepreneurs keep regular hours or work part-time. Other only do their thing on the side whenever they get a bit of free time. But for those who wish to run an around-the-clock enterprise, doing so online is one way to go.

Customers Know You’re Working from Home

Buyers seldom have a clue about where you are located. Some are afraid to run a small company from their garage, attic, or basement because they think potential customers will know that the company is small and home-based. There’s no way for a purchaser to find out where your base of operations is located unless you make it a point to tell them. Many entrepreneurs use PO boxes or assigned mailing addresses to give the impression their companies are brick-and-mortar entities. Plus, most consumers don’t particularly care where a merchant is based if products and services meet their expectations.

Home-Based Owners Have Much Lower Expenses

Expenses are based on multiple factors. While setting up shop in the attic or running a consulting service from a spare bedroom means not having to pay additional rent for office space, small for-profit organizations have other expenses that can offset the savings on lease payments. Most online sellers tend to incur higher than average advertising costs. It can be difficult to stand out in a crowd of e-commerce sellers within a competitive niche, so various marketing and promotional bills can add up quickly. Expect to save on commuting, insurance, and rent. However, be ready to spend significantly more on promotion and marketing.

The post Home-Based Business Facts and Myths appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/business-start-up/start-up-fundamentals/home-based-business-facts-myths/

The Impact of CRM on Business Performance and Profitability

Home Business Magazine Online

In the current business world, it is important for businesses to have solutions that will help them streamline their processes, maximize productivity and increase profitability. CRMs are one such solution as they enable businesses to centralize data from customer interactions and use this information intelligently in order to gain deeper insights into their target market. This improved understanding of customers can then be used strategically by a business resulting in increased performance and profitability. In this blog post, we’ll explore how advanced CRM systems can benefit your organization and why you should consider implementing one if you haven’t already done so.

Introducing CRM Systems and Their Benefits for Businesses

CRM systems provide businesses with powerful tools to increase customer loyalty and drive revenue. CRM helps companies record data from interactions with their customers and use the insights to gain actionable intelligence that drives marketing campaigns, provides better customer service and improves sales processes. CRM offers the ability to unify all customer information in one dynamic system that can easily be accessed by departments, such as sales and marketing. Ultimately, CRM system empowers businesses to drive growth and improve the bottom line by gaining a better understanding of their customers.

Benefits of Using CRM for Business

  • Improved Customer Insights: A CRM system provides you with comprehensive customer information, allowing you to better understand customer needs and preferences. This enables you to personalize your communication, provide better customer service, and build stronger customer relationships.
  • Increased Efficiency: A CRM system automates many routine tasks such as data entry, lead management, and follow-ups, freeing up time and resources to focus on more strategic activities that drive revenue.
  • Enhanced Sales Performance: A CRM system strengthens sales performance by giving reps real-time insights into leads’ and prospects’ behavior, enabling them to tailor their pitch and close deals faster.
  • Streamlined Collaboration: A CRM system allows different teams such as sales, marketing, and customer service to access the same data and collaborate effectively across different touchpoints in the customer journey.
  • Data-Driven Decision Making: A CRM system provides you with a wealth of data on customers’ behavior, preferences, feedbacks, and other metrics that can inform your business strategy and help you make informed decisions.
  • Scalability: As your business grows bigger over time, a CRM system can scale with it by providing additional features such as advanced analytics or integrations with other tools.

How CRM Can Help Increase Efficiency and Streamline Processes

CRM systems are a valuable tool for businesses looking to increase efficiency and streamline their processes. By collecting and storing customer data, businesses stand to gain better insight into customer behavior and decision-making. This knowledge can be used to create marketing strategies that yield higher returns, as well as streamline customer service operations. Additionally, CRM systems also help automate routine tasks like keeping track of orders and customer details, freeing up employees to focus on other aspects of the business. All in all, leveraging a comprehensive CRM system can be essential if a business is hoping to achieve greater levels of efficiency and optimized processes.

The Impact of CRM on Sales Performance, Profitability, and Customer Retention

The implementation of CRM into sales capabilities not only unlocks full visibility into customer data and metrics but consistently increases a company’s sales performance, profitability, and customer retention rate. Companies benefit by being able to understand the entirety of their customer interactions, having access to reliable customer data allows for better-tailored strategies and access to used historical data. Additionally, CRM systems provide system functions like automated spam filters as well as analytical insights from usage reports in order to offer personalized communication with customers which helps increase the success rates of campaigns. Implementing a CRM presents companies with innovative approaches for tackling the challenge of sales performance and building long-term relationships with customers.

Strategies to Leverage Your CRM System to Maximize Results

Leveraging a CRM system effectively can be key to maximizing your business results. It is important to ensure that the data which is collected within the system is comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date in order to gain meaningful insights. A successful strategy would also involve ensuring key stakeholders across the organization are trained properly to best take advantage of the system’s features. Additionally, assessing how different features of the CRM system interact with each other will yield a more beneficial outcome, as this facilitates better collaboration among teams and promotes organizational efficiency. Employing these strategies can help businesses use their CRM systems to its fullest potential.

Analyzing the Return on Investment of Your CRM System

Businesses often have difficulty gauging the ROI and overall profitability of their CRM systems. However, investing in a quality system can enable businesses to achieve tangible returns on their investment. Statistical tools such as analytics and automation can help businesses to identify patterns, trends, opportunities and risks while tracking customer engagement metrics across multiple channels. By taking advantage of these features, companies are able to measure the success of their CRM system and make informed decisions about where to allocate resources for maximum ROI. Ultimately, evaluating the return on investment of a CRM system is essential for businesses that strive for excellence in customer experience management.

Going Forward with a Comprehensive CRM Strategy

As technology has continued to evolve, so too have the opportunities for businesses to take advantage of customer-relationship management (CRM) systems. By implementing a comprehensive CRM strategy, businesses can gain significant insight into their customer base and ensure that their customers’ experiences are both consistent and favorable from an engagement standpoint. Through improved toolsets and analytics capabilities, companies can create customized ways of communicating with their target audience while also optimizing their products or services to maximize satisfaction. With the right CRM solution in place, businesses will undoubtedly have everything they need to engage in successful relationships with current and potential customers alike.

Conclusion

By now, the value of a CRM system should be clear. When implemented thoughtfully and strategically, the right CRM system can drive sales performance, enhance efficiency and streamline processes, aid in understanding customer behavior, increase profitability, improve customer retention, and assist in implementing successful marketing strategies. Ultimately, all of these factors combine to enable businesses to maximize their return on investment by using a comprehensive CRM strategy. When deciding which CRM system to choose for your business needs and objectives, it is essential to consider features that fit your current goals as well as future growth opportunities. With the right resources and cautious strategizing, you can successfully leverage a CRM solution for optimal success.

The post The Impact of CRM on Business Performance and Profitability appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/sales/customer-service/impact-crm-business-performance-profitability/

Could you be a local councillor?

Reading Time: 3 mins

The local council elections will be held on Thursday May 4th this year.

We recently posted an article about being a poll clerk, what that involves and how much you can earn. It got us thinking about what is involved in being a local councillor. Who can stand, how much time is involved, what are the responsibilities and how much do you get paid?

Before we get down to the nitty gritty, for those who are unsure, a local councillor is someone who represents the people who live in their ward to the council. They do this by attending meetings, deciding what services the council should provide and work out and review council policies. They are different from MPs who deal with things that affect the whole country. A councillor deals with local matters for local people.

Read on to find out if you could be a local councillor…

How much do you get paid?

Facebook

Let’s start with the basics. Local councillors do not get a salary. However, they do get financial compensation in the form of an allowance which covers things like the time they have spent on council duties, telephone and travel expenses.

According to the Local Government Association (LGA), on average local councillors in England can get anything from £3,000 to £16,000 depending on their council. The average works out at about £7,000 per year.

The amount they can get also depends on their responsibilities and what their role is. As well as a basic allowance, councillors with specific roles such as cabinet members or leaders of the council will also receive a Special Responsibility Allowance to reflect their additional workload.  This amount depends on the local council.

Many councillors have full time jobs and fit their council work in alongside their everyday lives.

So, it’s clear from this that people don’t stand to be a local councillor to make money. They do it because they want to give back to their community or feel that they have something to contribute. They might be passionate about a specific cause (e.g. the environment) or just want to make a real difference to peoples’ lives.

WHO CAN STAND?

Getting a Mortgage in the UK as a Expat living in the UAE

The basic rules for who can stand to be a local councillor include:

  1. being aged 18 or over
  2. being on the electoral register of the local authority they wish to stand for
  3. have lived or worked in the area for the past 12 months

You don’t have to be a member of political party to stand for local elections, some councillors sit as independents.

In terms of skills, there are no qualifications needed but it helps if you have good communication skills; are flexible and open-minded; and have a good grasp of how our political system works.

There is training available and although it’s often described as a steep learning curve, you would quickly gain experience and get more confident with time.

Councils are often looking to diversity their staff and encourage applications from people from different ethnic or socio-economic  backgrounds.

WHAT IS INVOLVED?

Home Business

According to a 2022 census of local authority councillors, the average amount of time spent on council duties is 22 hours per week. Some spend less (10 hours or fewer), others a lot more (over 35 hours a week).

During their working hours, councillors are expected to attend council meetings and to spend time preparing for these in advance. These meetings usually involve making and scrutinising decisions, reviewing council policy and other regulatory or quasi-judicial obligations.

Other duties might involve holding drop in sessions for local residents, getting out into the community to meet the people you represent and spending time sharing what you do on social media (eg Facebook).

 

You can find more information on what is involved in the role on the government website and here, on the LGA website.

 

The post Could you be a local councillor? appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

Original source: https://www.moneymagpie.com/make-money/could-you-be-a-local-councillor

Get £1200 added to your savings with Help To Save

Reading Time: 2 mins

 As the cost of living crisis continues, Help to Save could help Brits to get an extra £1200 added to their savings by the government over the next four years.  

In light of the extension of the Help to Save scheme, personal finance expert Lucinda O’Brien has given her insights into what this means for Brits: “For those on Universal Credit, the Spring Budget also highlighted Help to Save accounts and its attractive 50% bonus scheme.  

“The good news is that applicants can now apply for an account until April 2025 as the government is keen for low-income earners to have a savings pot for a rainy day.  

“The Help to Save scheme was due to end in September after its launch in 2018. However, the scheme is now even more important as many people are struggling with the cost of living crisis and finding it increasingly difficult to save each month.”  

 

How much can I save in a Help to Save account?  

Lucinda O’Brien says, “A Help to Save account is backed by the government which means that your money will be safe and secure. The account then allows you to save from £1 to £50 each month, but you don’t have to pay money in every month and you can pay in as many times as you wish – until you reach the £50 limit.  

“The account will then reward you for saving with a bonus of 50p for every £1 that’s saved over four years. The bonus is paid at the end of the second and fourth years and it’s based on how much you’ve saved.  

“For example, if you saved £50 a month for two years, you would get a tax-free bonus of £600. This means that you could end up with a pot of savings totalling £1,800 by 2025.  

“If you decide to carry on saving, you’ll then receive another tax-free bonus of £600 after another two years, meaning you’ll receive £1,200 after four years of saving.  

“However, it’s important to note that although you can close the account at any time, if you close the account early you might miss out on the bonus and you won’t be able to open another account.  

“You can qualify for a Help to Save account if you live in the UK and you’re receiving Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit (and entitled to Working Tax Credit) or Universal Credit and you had a take-home pay of £658.64 or more in your last monthly assessment period.” 

 

Who is eligible for Help to Save?  

“In the Money.co.uk savings report, it was discovered that as of March 2022 there had been almost 360,000 Help to Save accounts opened in the UK. This means that millions of people are missing out on the opportunity to earn a bonus from the government by saving a little each month.” 

 

How to Apply 

 

If you think you might be eligible for the Help to Save scheme, just visit gov.uk and enter your Government Gateway user ID and password to apply. You’ll also be asked to provide your UK bank details as you pay money into the account via either a debit card, standing order or bank transfer.  

“For more information about the Help to Save scheme, you can read this guide or visit gov.uk for full terms and conditions, plus how it can impact your benefits. 

 

 

The post Get £1200 added to your savings with Help To Save appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

Original source: https://www.moneymagpie.com/make-money/get-1200-added-to-your-savings-with-help-to-save