We have had a series of anniversaries in the last few months. Seventy years since VE day, the ending of the conflict in Europe was partly obscured by the general election. Just recently we have had the 75th anniversary of the Dunkirk evacuation. Some moving stories of small boats going out over the Channel to rescue the beleaguered British, French and Belgian forces. One of the fascinating factors was the way so many boat holders responded to the request for help, nearly 800 in total! In an age with low phone ownership, just the radio, newspapers and word of mouth prompted hundreds to go to the aid of the troops.
In recent days there have been some more unfortunate anniversaries. In particular it has been 30 years since the Heysel disaster, when 39 Juventus fans lost their lives when a wall collapsed. Crowd trouble involving Liverpool fans caused a crowd surge which the retaining wall could not withstand.
As a Liverpool fan, I can remember watching the whole event unfold on the BBC, whilst sitting in my sister in law’s house in Cambridge. We had been camping nearby and wanted to watch the game live. It was a very sobering evening.
In a radio podcast last week, fans from both teams talked about the events of that night; the most staggering disclosure was the fact that many of the fans had no idea, until long after the game was over, that there had been any serious injuries let alone loss of life.
We find it hard to avoid news now, it is fired at us almost instantaneously via Twitter, Facebook and other social media. One man recounted it was only when they arrived at Ostend the following morning to catch a ferry home, that they saw the headlines in the early editions of the papers and realised the scale of the tragedy. It was a very quiet crossing due to the sense of shame which then took hold. There are increasing calls by the fans to get the respective clubs to assist in the reconciliation process and that can only be a good thing.
The point of all these stories is the importance of communication. It has to be clear, coherent and targeted at the right people. As businesses we also have to be aware of what is going on; we need to have our ears well and truly open, not just to hear what our customers and clients are telling us but to be aware of trends and changes which may impact on our future business activities.
Accelerator Club: Social Media Special 17th June 8.00am
The importance of communication has never been greater. As part of our focus on Growth, the next workshop will be looking at Social Media, an increasingly important part of the communication process. You may already be involved but perhaps for some it may appear irrelevant or just a lot of hype.
We have a guest speaker, Zoe Cairns of ZC Social Media leading the session. The title of her presentation will be:
Do you have a Social Media Business Funnel?
And she will cover the following:
- .Learn how social media can help you build your client list
- ·Turn your social media community into business leads and enquiries
- ·The DOs and DON’Ts of Social Media
- ·Three steps to take away to get started
With the mass use of smartphones and Internet virtually everywhere, every business really needs to review its social media strategy.
To book, use our events page, Eventbrite or call Jane on 020 8460 0543.
For early arrivals there will be bacon sandwiches and hot drinks; we usually also have a healthy alternative.
We look forward to communicating with you.