Put a solitary candle on the cake, it’s Informi’s one year birthday (OK, actually it was in September). So, what have we been up to during our first year of existence?
After a couple of months in Beta mode, the Informi website went live back in September 2016, back in the days when ‘President Trump’ was still a dream (or nightmare). And, just like President Trump answered the call of his impassioned voters, Informi answered the call of small business owners and prospective startups everywhere. We’ll stop the comparisons there. Here’s the big number breakdown of our first year ‘in office’ and some of our highlights.
How did we arrive here?
First of all, a little bit about the not-so-mysterious forces behind Informi. We’re a small team, most of us split between AAT activity and Informi. That’s Product Managers, Darren and Dan, Digital Marketing Manager, Huw, and our trusted media team, Adam and Jude, with plenty of help from others around AAT.
The Informi project itself had been in the pipeline for a number of years and was driven by AAT’s charitable objectives to do more to support small businesses and, in turn, AAT members. We identified that many business owners were struggling to get the guidance necessary at key stages of their development. Informi, complemented by AAT’s accounting and finance expertise, would be a free and impartial resource to empower business owners to make better decisions.
So, that was the brief but getting to the Informi you see today took a bit of time. The site went through various stages of research, focus groups and tests – much like a new business product or service.
Various website concepts and designs were drawn up and tested before we launched the Beta version of the website in July 2016. Through this Beta phase, AAT Licensed Members were the first to test Informi and were encouraged to give their feedback.
The response was overwhelmingly positive and our nerves were eased. Emboldened, we removed our Beta stabilisers and launched officially in September.
Giving you the guidance you need
Since then, we’ve seen over 150,000 visitors to the website, flocking to read our finely-tuned blend of inspiring blogs and instructional how-to articles. And our support hasn’t stopped there. Recently we’ve launched two ebooks which have been widely downloaded and shared.
The first ebook, how to start a business in 20 days, provides an action plan to help you get your business up and running – in, yes, you guessed it, 20 days. The second ebook, details how you can work more effectively with your accountant, with tips to help in areas such as planning, cash flow, and chasing late payments. Rest assured, there’ll be more to follow.
Getting out and about
It’s all well and good publishing A-grade content but sometimes you’ve got to put yourself out there.
We exhibited at The Business Show in both November 2016 and May 2017, taking with us business owner and licensed accountant Henry Cooper who delivered an inspiring and uplifting talk on why start-ups fail. Darren Nicholls, Informi Product Manager, also critiqued the state of the UK’s small businesses in his well-received talk.
In April, we headed up to Manchester for the Northern Business Exhibition, and another chance to road-test our expertly crafted elevator pitch: “Informi is really good and free.” Actually, it’s a little more refined than that. While our four-date Informi UK tour was modest in scale, each of these events has proved invaluable in finding out what matters to you.
Going social
Most businesses today harness the power of social media to spread their message and sell their products. Well, we’re no different – except what we’re selling is free and entirely good for you.
In a slightly surprising twist, Instagram has proven to be our biggest channel with over 7,000 followers hooked on our endless supply of inspirational quotes.
Our Facebook and Twitter accounts are ticking along nicely too, with just over 950 and 1600 followers respectively.
And lest we forget email. Our weekly and monthly e-newsletters are proving a hit – with nearly 6,000 subscribers to date. Taking a thoughtful and sometimes controversial look at the world of business, we’ve covered everything from what not to spend your money on to dealing with failure. A special shout out to Jen Smith, our resident email blogger for her amazing work.
