The perils of using your card abroad

Head of Membership, James Armitage, explains why the Grouptrader Card is the perfect travel companion for those foreign exchange rates

So you're going abroad; be it on that holiday you've saved hard for, or on a crucial business trip. You've prepared well – you booked your flight, double-checked the flight times, found out your passport was in date, then double checked where you put your passport, and you're all packed.

You’ve even spoken to your bank to make sure you get a good exchange rate or have gone into the market place for a pre-paid travel card.

And now you know that when you pay on your card, your exchange rate will be a good one, right? Maybe not.

Beware when paying for items abroad that you don’t select pay in sterling.

The reason for this is that these transactions, known as Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) transactions, make the exchange rate you have with your card provider effectively null and void. Instead of your card provider exchanging at your agreed rate, probably 2.99-6%, the transaction is superseded and charged at practically whatever the vender wants.

This can lead to you paying very costly fees and exchange rates – remember, do not opt to pay in sterling!

So the next time you have eaten out whilst abroad and the very helpful waiter has already changed the transaction to £ sterling so you can understand, politely decline and pay in the local currency and save yourself a packet.

Sponsored by Grouptrader Travel Card

• No debt

• The charge is only 2.89%

• Get exclusive deals at high street retailers too

Facebook for business

Social media expert, Louise Thomas, offers some ideas on how you can harness the power of Facebook for your business

As arguably the largest social network website around currently, it's impossible to ignore the marketing potential of using Facebook for your business.

However, over the past few years, Facebook has made it increasingly harder for businesses to reach as many users as they've had the freedom to in the past. In an attempt to focus on creating an enjoyable user experience, Facebook has put in place certain measures to limit how many marketing messages are exposed to the average user. The rules that determine how Facebook decides who your posts will be delivered to are formed by quite a complex algorithm, but there are a few pointers worth noting that will improve how you use Facebook for your business.

Starting from scratch?

If you're building your business a new Facebook page from scratch, then you're actually at a huge advantage. A great deal of how Facebook determines how many users your posts will be delivered to, is calculated from how well your posts have performed in the past – the more likes, shares, comments and general interactions your posts have had, the more likely they are to show up again in the future. Don't panic, however, if you've had your Facebook page for a while – the next pointer will still help improve your posts' reach. 

Get off to a flying start

A great way to kick start activity on your Facebook page is to run a giveaway or offer a free download. This will naturally lead to a great deal of interaction from Facebook users, which you can easily even promote based on how you run your competition – you'll see many pages use the 'share and comment to enter' technique. In the long run this will demonstrate to Facebook that your posts are interesting – obviously! – and that people want to read what you've got to say!

A photo speaks a thousand words

This quote has never been truer than on social media of 2015. While in the initial stage of social media a lot could be said for long blog posts and articles, it's now clear that social networking sites are geared largely towards image and video sharing. Even networks originally based around text exchanges – eg Twitter – have since been redesigned and updated to encourage users to communicate with images. 

Photos are always a popular option to share on Facebook, and a good way for users to feel closer to your brand or business. They're particularly a great way to break down the barrier between brand and consumer, making your business seem more personable than ever.

Educate or amuse

When planning your posts always remember the above, as the most popular posts on Facebook are either posts that teach us something fascinating or new, or posts that just make us laugh and we can't wait to share with our friends online. Always ask yourself, 'Is my post interesting or amusing?'

Analytics – a marketer's best friend

Facebook has handily installed its own Facebook Analytics software for every page user. This is an extremely useful and informative tool, which will help you assess the strengths and weaknesses of your Facebook marketing. If used to its fullest, you can learn when your users spend most of their time online – and schedule your posts to coincide with this – and which type of posts they enjoy reading most. You can also learn who your online target market are – sometimes this can be slightly different to your offline market, so this is particularly useful!

In for a penny, in for a pound

One final point worth mentioning in regards to Facebook marketing, is the ability to pay to increase the reach of your advertisements. For those hoping to use social media as a free form of marketing, this might not be of interest. However, it is an interesting feature and can be really fine tuned to your own business needs. For example, if you're running an independent women's fashion business in Surrey and want to reach new potential customers on Facebook you can pay as little as £5 to reach an extended audience online. You can then narrow down who exactly this paid ad will reach by location, age, and even gender. The feature enables you to control how much you wish to spend on your advertised posts, and naturally the larger amount you spend the larger reach your post will have online.

If you have any more queries about social media marketing for your business in general, then you'll find lots more hints and tips in Issue 1 of The Sneak.

The Grouptrader Member Spotlight: Rooms Inc

This is the first in a series of spotlight profiles on a variety of Grouptrader members. Head of Membership at Grouptrader, James Armitage is currently looking for a new kitchen, and focuses the spotlight on the Essex-based kitchen company, Rooms Inc. 

As part of my research for this spotlight profile, I went to visit the Rooms Inc showroom in the picturesque town of Maldon, Essex. I located the showroom, set behind large grey pillars within a beautiful Georgian building on the high street, and was impressed to see the charming kitchens, catering for all tastes, budgets and different-sized spaces on sale.

The showroom includes a wide range of kitchens from the more traditional English solid wood kitchens, which happens to be more my cup of tea, through to the ultra modern, sleek lined, German kitchens, and many styles in-between. 

You can spend big and make your kitchen a real feature of your home or equally, work within a more modest budget with Rooms Inc’s very own ‘Inspired By’ range, which offers great quality, fantastic flexibility and choice, but is more affordable.

Service with a smile

The main thing that stood out during my time at Rooms Inc was that it didn’t seem to matter what the customers were spending – the big spenders, or those on a more modest budget – everyone received the same great service. You get the impression that the staff genuinely love matching the perfect kitchen to the right people, which is so refreshing and different to how the huge plc chains I’ve previously visited operate.

In fact, there were no signs of a ‘sales person’ anywhere, just people who know, and care, about kitchens. And, whilst it is a new showroom, they certainly don’t lack in experience, as the small, friendly team has over 10 years’ experience in kitchen design.

Equally impressive is their attention to detail in the full installation service for their kitchens. The personal attention they offer extends from the first design idea to the last soft close of the door on your new kitchen. They can even provide you with a full range of every possible kitchen appliance you may need, all at competitive prices.

Talking and listening

The person I spent most of my time with, and observed in action the most, was the delightful Corinne Emery. Her passion and enthusiasm for giving people the best kitchen for their budget really shone through and her knowledge is second-to-none. She’s also incredibly inspiring and bursting with ideas.

Corinne demonstrated the ability when she met a couple who wanted very different kitchens from each other. Through a bit of talking, a lot of listening, and no small amount of patience, I watched her find them a kitchen, at the right price, that they are both delighted with. 

If you live in the Essex area and are looking for a new kitchen I highly recommend a visit to the showroom to find out what they can do for you.

We will be replacing our kitchen shortly and will definitely be putting Corinne’s skills to the ultimate test. Let's see what she can do with my wife and my differing kitchen styles! 

The Sneak Special Offer

Call Rooms Inc for a free, no obligation design consultation worth £100. This includes survey and 3D perspective designs using exquisite German and English kitchens.

The Grouptrader Card for International Travel

Head of Membership at Grouptrader, James Armitage, reveals why the Grouptrader Card is the perfect travelling companion

The Grouptrader Card is the ideal card to use whilst abroad, be it on a business trip or a relaxing family holiday. It‘s one of the best value cards to use abroad, there are no additional charge fees and no credit facility on the card, you can only spend what you have so you don’t need to fear the arrival of a big bill when you arrive back in Blighty!

Competitive rates

The exchange rates that the card offers are extremely competitive too and the latest rates can be found here.

Whilst you cannot withdraw cash with the card, you can use it to pay for whatever you want to buy, practically anywhere that accepts card payments, which is over 32 million locations worldwide. So, whether it's business drinks with clients or a family ticket to the water park, the Grouptrader Card can do it all.

‘Yes but what if I lose it?’ I hear you ask. Don’t worry, you can block your card instantly, either by calling the 24/7 hotline, via the website or even using the simple smartphone app.

If you want to benefit from the fantastic Grouptrader Card then simply click here: www.grouptrader.com

We hope you enjoy your trip away!

Connect with your customers – turning users into people

James McBriar, from Worlds Connect, reveals essential ways to connect with your customers

Worlds Connect

Worlds Connect is an OTT (over-the-top) messaging network for apps. It offers two-way content delivery between the client, the application and the user. Using Worlds Connect, you can have fast, secure and reliable two-way feature rich customer engagement using HTML 5. 

An OTT network also allows your users to share content with each other while integrating other channels such as social media, using push content. Our tools suite provides you with the power to communicate with your app users by a variety of means. This incredibly powerful acquisition and retention tool from Worlds Connect allows you to engage with your customers like never before.

We know that many consumers are addicted to their smartphones, probably more than watching soaps or even eating! As brands adapt to the consumer appetite for mobile data, websites have been re-optimised for hand-held devices and messages are being written to be read, specifically via mobiles. It’s no secret that both the business and the consumer are becoming mobile-focussed.

‘Messaging’ used to be limited to just sending a letter in the post, but now there are so many options: SMS text messaged, email, in-app messaging (push, rich and chat) and web (also push, rich and chat).

Some people even use a phone to make a call – yes that does still happen! With the tools now available for communicating with customers, a new challenge is presented; determining which of these forms is best suited to your customer or type of communications.

Getting this right can not only enhance your communications, leading to increased engagement and therefore a higher chance of sales, but also improve your ROI and brand equity.

Create a connected world

You now need a tool that can help you connect, identify and interact with your customers via apps, online channels and any other web-enabled device. This will connect all your touch points across web, app and any other format, regardless of the user’s IP, ensuring you can identify your connected customer, turning them from users into people. 

The advantages

Personalised communications

The ability to identify your customers not only humanises your thought process when planning marketing communications, but enables you to deliver targeted messages. The option to personalise, starts from adding simple merge fields such as first name – to increase the chance your message will be well received – through to content specific to each individuals preferences, optimised effectively to the device the message is being viewed from.

With your options increasing the temptation to bombard or over-test various messages types could become detrimental, having a negative impact on your brand. So consider, what do your customers not want?

What do your customers really want?

The simple burden of carrying a mobile device is receiving multiple messages within a small period of time. Bombarding your contacts becomes an intrusive process. If the message does not add value then don’t bother – it's that simple.

Your messaging can now be delivered in a range of ways, triggered by your location, automated by your current progress through your customer lifecycle and even synchronised across all your channels, delivering a consistent joined up experience for your user.

Creating your social element

The influence of peers should also be considered with the addition of integrated communications across an established website. By allowing your customers the ability to forward and share your news, you can create a social network for your brand. This lets your customers communicate with each another through the network and share information on social media and other channels, such as email – increasing your brand reach.

How is the smartphone changing things?

Anyone involved in digital marketing knows that smartphones are a key channel that now facilitates a significant number of communications. In the last 12 months, we’ve seen vast developments that will lead to new opportunities for B2C brands, to engage their audience and for their consumers to benefit from an advanced, more specific offering that meets their requirements.

For more information and to learn how to communicate better with your customers, contact Worldsconnect today, sales@worldsconnect.com or call 0333 3003491.

How to Trade with Fellow Grouptrader Members

Head of Membership at Grouptrader, James Armitage, shares eight essential tips to help your trading on the network off to a flying start

Talking to people you don’t know can be a real mine field, particularly when you want to start trading with them.  It’s very easy to let that little doubting voice in the back of your head talk you out of great opportunities. ‘What if they don’t like me?’, ‘What if they don’t rate my business?’ or ‘What if they say no?’

So how do you go about trading with a Grouptrader member you don’t know? 

Well, hopefully the following mix of practical advice and pointers on etiquette, will go along way into making the whole process a great deal easier.

1. Research – decide on the company you want to talk to, read their Grouptrader directory listing, website and any social media links. This allows you to get a good grasp of what they are about and what they are want to achieve.
2. What's the deal – think about how your offering could link to their aims or how both your respective businesses could complement each other.
3. Communication – decide how you wish to contact them, such as, email, phone call, Grouptrader message or other social media links. My personal preference is an email, followed up by a phone call 48 hours afterwards.
4. Don't be rude – introduce yourself properly first. Nobody likes receiving communication that just starts preaching at you before it’s put into context, or the credibility of the source has been established.
5. Focus on building a relationship – don’t just blindly sell, sell, sell. Remember, people don’t like to feel like they are just being sold to, show that you actually want to build a lasting relationship that will benefit both of you. 
6. Meet face-to-face – if possible arrange to meet up for a coffee. Meeting face-to-face usually significantly strengthens trading relationships.
7. Deliver on promises – start your trading relationship on the right foot. Do what you said you would to the agreed timescales.
8. Give and get back – if you can help out another member without an excessive amount of cost or hassle to yourself, then do it. They will remember you for it and you never no who they know. What goes around comes around, be positive.

If you stick to this advice, you can’t go far wrong and remember what’s the worst they can say, no? If your not trading with them now and they still don’t trade with you after, what have you lost? I would suggest the 5 minute email and 10 minute phone call are worth the gamble to grow your business.

Let’s start trading together today!

Grouptrader Pointsback Club and Personal Points

Find out how you could benefit from having a Grouptrader Card and Personal Points

Welcome to the home of great deals, savings, sales, amazing discounts and fantastic rewards.

Feeling a little skeptical? Well read on and let’s see if we can convince you to give it a try.

• Do you like paying less?
• Do you like getting great deals?
• Do you like the flexibility to spend your rewards where you want?

If the answers to these questions are ‘yes’, then you’ll love the Grouptrader Card.

So how does it work?

The Pointsback Club is a collection of retailers and service providers that will give you points back onto your Grouptrader card when you use it to shop with them both, on-line, and in-store. 

How much is a point worth?

We believe that people don’t want to collect millions of points to find out they are only worth 50p, so we keep things as simple as possible. One Grouptrader point will give you £1 of spending power, wherever you spend them.

Can I only spend them with members of Grouptrader?

You can spend them practically anywhere that takes card payments, that’s over 32 million locations worldwide. The retailer will treat the card just like a standard debit card. So when we say practically anywhere, that’s exactly what we men, such as your local pub, your hairdressers or even your hotel abroad.

How do I get points?

Grouptrader Personal Points allows you to purchase points to load onto your Grouptrader card. There are 2 ways you can purchase Personal Points from Grouptrader:

1. Using PayPal – use your PayPal account to pay for the points, this will cost 1.4% of your transaction + 20p
2. Using a bank transfer – simply transfer funds from your bank to Grouptrader using the correct order reference for FREE 

These Personal Points will be loaded straight onto your card so you can get spending!

How long does the Grouptrader Card take to arrive?

Your Grouptrader Card will be with you in two weeks from the time it is ordered.

Ok, but how much does it cost?

The card is only £10 per year

Is it worth it?

The average savings are around £485 - £2,334 per year, depending on spending behavior. For example a family of four are likely to spend more and so save more than a single person. 

So would you spend £10 to save up to £2,334 a year?

How do I get a Grouptrader Card?

Simply sign up and order your card from our website www.grouptrader.com

We hope you decide to join and start benefiting from the great deals, savings, sales, amazing discounts and fantastic rewards today.

To find out more information about the fantastic benefits of being a Grouptrader member visit www.grouptrader.com