http://www.gloopcreative.co.uk/index.php?cID=http://www.gloopcreative.co.uk/index.php?cID=77 My Properties is a brand new property management application for the iPhone - the first UK centric property management application of its kind. Gloop (formerly BMAD) sees the launch of My Properties, an application that logs important information against properties, and calculates yields and Return on Investment (ROI) for rental properties. Since the launch of the App Store over a year ago, thousands of applications have been developed, but there is very little choice when it comes to property management applications. My Properties is targeted to anyone who likes to dabble in property - it doesn't matter whether they own one or fifty, this application acts as an informative snap shot of a property portfolio. After setting the security pass code and selecting a base currency from GBP, Dollars or Euros, the user is ready to add as many properties as they like and take up to three photos per property. The information logged is split into eight core categories: Property Details, Mortgage Details, Rental Details, Tenant Details, Agent Details, Utility Providers, Costs, Notes/Itinerary. In all, there are 24 available fields, but the flexibility of My Properties allows the user to complete as many or as little fields as they like. Whatever information is inputted is then presented in the 'at a glance' Portfolio and Summary screens that highlight Rented or Vacant properties depending on their status. If for instance, the user wants to check tenantsandrsquo; details and the duration of their rental agreement, they simply make their selection from the Portfolio screen, and all the information for that particular property is presented in the Summary screen where the user can scroll through the details. If they want to know the Rental ROI they tap the Rental ROI tab and the results for Net/Gross Yield and ROI for all rental properties within the portfolio are instantly listed. It's that simple! And in the instances where they may want to make ad-hoc rental ROI calculations, they open the Calculator; punch in the information and hit Calculate. Other features include: a running total of the value of the property portfolio, an email facility, the option to allocate a different currency to specific properties, and a live Exchange Rate feed andndash; also making it ideal for those who own properties abroad. Although My Properties is the first UK centric property management application of its kind, it is nevertheless a truly global application that combines simplicity, value for money and good design with functionality - making it a potential must for anyone in the property game.http://www.gloopcreative.co.uk/index.php?cID=110We are pleased to announce we have been awarded for our webdesign by designfirms.org. This is great news and adds to our list of past acheivements. http://www.gloopcreative.co.uk/index.php?cID=112 We're delighted to announce the roll out of two new fantastic design services. The first, iPhone Interface Design, is dedicated to the up surge in iPhone application development, and the second, 3D Design, is catered for those who want spectacular 3D models of their concept. iPhone Application andamp; Framework We realised a gap in the market for such a service because the majority of people with an app idea don't really know where to start. And that's where we come in. Specialising in all categories except for games, this new service doesn't program an application (we'll leave that to the experts) but instead prepare it for coding by designing the menu icons, splash screens and logos, as well as the screen shots and a storyboard showing how each screen is linked to another. This is a great starting place for getting an app off the ground and it makes life a lot easier for the developers to program, merely because they'll have a creative visual bearing to lead them. 3D Design We're really excited about our new 3D Design service as it adds a fresh dimension to our portfolio. This service can be used for exhibitions, conferences and interiors and gives you a great perspective of your concept either as a 3D still or as an animated 'walkthrough.' And the great thing is, our amazing 3D models can take your pitch or presentation to a new level.http://www.gloopcreative.co.uk/index.php?cID=117 Programmes like Dragon's Den may create the misconception that businesses always need sudden cash injections of hundreds of thousands of pounds to move into a new phase of growth. The reality is that a successful business can achieve steady growth through hard work and a focus on marketing. At the earliest stages of your business you should be spending your money, time and energy on marketing and getting your product out to people who can use it or feedback on it. If your product is an innovation, then you can refine it as the market develops, competitors come on board and you need to meet higher expectations.Here are some top tips to keep your new business marketing-focused.1. Maintain your enthusiasm In the early days, you are your business. Make sure you spend most of your time on researching, selling and delivering whatever your business idea entails. Don't spend too much time on struggling with activities that detract from your passion. It may not always be feasible, but if you can, outsource from the very beginning.Books - find an accountant or bookkeeper.Web designOrganising meetings, events, time - try a Virtual PA.Document preparation - word processing skills are not expensive to hire if document preparation is your idea of misery. 2. Free yourself from heavy back-end costs Keep your start-up costs to the minimum. Nowadays there is no need to invest in complex systems - look at the many free-to-try or pay-as-you-go online software solutions which can start at a low-cost entry level and scale up as your business grows. 3. Do your researchWhen researching your potential customers and clients, don't forget to analyse your competitors as well. Produce a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) and the process of creating a marketing strategy for your business will then become much easier. 4. Have a strategyYour strategy will address these crucial challenges:What changes are taking place in the business environment? Are these opportunities or threats?What are my/our strengths and weaknesses?What do I want to achieve? Set clear, realistic objectives.What are customers looking for? What are their needs?Which customers are the most profitable?How will I target the right potential customers? Are there groups that I can target more effectively?What is the best way of distributing and selling my products? 5. Plan your tacticsIdentify your perfect blend of different marketing tactics and the best way of communicating with your customers.Correctly price your product or service. Take into account how much customers are interested in quality, reliability, efficiency and value for money.Identify the best way to promote your products. Options might include advertising, direct marketing, exhibiting at trade fairs, PR or marketing on the web.Test to see if your marketing is effective. Check how your customers found out about your business. A small-scale trial can be a good way of testing a marketing strategy without committing to excessive costs.6. Revisit your planRevisit your marketing plan regularly and monitor your progress against a set of Key Performance Indicators to keep you focussed.Source: Business Linkhttp://www.gloopcreative.co.uk/index.php?cID=1151. Commercial awareness Commercial awareness mostly comes from experience. Are you from a commercial background? Have you been closely involved in the runnings of a profitable business? Do you understand the realities of making a profit? If the answer to any of these questions is 'no' then you may need some help or training before you start up. 2. Dynamism A noticeable trait among entrepreneurs is that they tend to want to get things done. Some entrepreneurs argue that perfectionism is the enemy, as the last 20 per cent of time spent on perfecting a product or service is the most costly. The trick to success is to get your product out into the marketplace and start getting feedback quickly so your product can be perfected by the early adopters. 3. People skills To be successful in business you have got to be able to deal with people effectively. You need to have the social skills to make people like you enough to remember you and want to do business with you again. The qualities of the engaging manager may be summed up as "the personal touch" connecting and showing an interest in people. These soft skills are as invaluable to the selling process as they are in managing staff. 4. Negotiation The skills you need to cut deals with suppliers will make all the difference to your bottom line. Recent research shows that 70 per cent of small business owners view themselves as strong negotiators. Negotiation is not a born ability but a skill that anyone can learn. 5. Story-telling ability All great entrepreneurs have a simple personal story about their success and how they overcome failures along the way. The ability to tell a great story is a priceless skill if you want free advertising known as public relations. The good news is that everyone has a story to tell, but you may need help to identify and develop it. 6. Self-belief and self-confidence If you don't have this on your side then most aspects of running a business are going to be a struggle. Your creative ideas may be brilliant but if you don't believe in your ability to deliver them, then you will get no response from potential funders. Source: Business Linkhttp://www.gloopcreative.co.uk/index.php?cID=119The burning question for new design and marketing agencies is which industries to specialise in. If youandrsquo;re a new agency then effectively you have an open book. Chances are, youandrsquo;ve probably done some work already for clients and have a good idea of what youandrsquo;re about. Even so itandrsquo;s worth looking closely at industry sectors youandrsquo;re familiar with and knowledgeable about and focus on them. Then you have to look at the services you want to offer; whether itandrsquo;s web design and development, copywriting, corporate logo design or marketing - itandrsquo;s important that you bed down your services from the off and not spread yourself thin. Gloop, a design and marketing agency in London, have done exactly this. Theyandrsquo;ve looked at the industry sectors they have experience in; like automotive, financial, legal, surveying and IT, and have used these strengths advantageously. The fundamental benefits of this approach are down to knowledge and confidence when attracting new business. Why? Because all potential clients want credibility and to see a display of knowledge in their industry, which in turn promotes rapport and trust andndash; without these elements itandrsquo;s increasingly difficult to procure new business. Between them, the founders of Gloop have over 15 years experience in the automotive retail sector, working with the likes of Ford, VW, Mazda and Iveco. This has put the agency on a stronger stance to use this experience and knowledge to approach the automotive retail network. Plus with a lot of work in the other aforementioned sectors, Gloop is widening their net. The next aspect to consider is geographical location. Does your agency want to cover the entire UK? Can it service an account and meet expectations for a client in Inverness? If not, then running a localised SEO campaign can help. By identifying the geographical areas you wish to initially focus on, you can run a campaign that filters search engine results by geographical area. For instance, if you chose London and the SE, then someone outside that area searching for design and marketing agencies will (through their IP address) find that Google will not yield results andndash; unless of course they specify London in their search terms. Itandrsquo;s important that whatever the size of your agency, you identify your strengths, service areas, approach and have a well optimised, creative website that shouts about your knowledge and displays creative work in the chosen industry sectors All this has to be done before even picking up that phone or even buying a list of email addresses that could potentially yield no results and hence waste valuable resources. In summary, as long as you know where youandrsquo;re going and what youandrsquo;re offering to whom, then suffice to say your agency is on the right track to success and in a good position to procure new business from different and exciting industries in the medium to long term. But this will be on the basis of your adaptability to changing trends and overall knowledge in your field of expertise.http://www.gloopcreative.co.uk/index.php?cID=121 There are quite a number of things you need to consider before you hire a web design agency. First, and very importantly, think about your budget. Many companies vastly underestimate their budgets and as such come up short when it comes to realizing their ideal website cannot be created because of the lack of funds. This is a fundamental mistake that leads to cheap and cheerful solutions for the sake of having an internet presence. Second, before contacting a web design company you need to prepare your brief because the better your brief the quicker the outcome. Look for a company whose ethos and portfolio are reflective of yours. Look at past projects and the quality of design. Third, make sure you avoid companies that use templates. Although there will be a temptation to contact them, you must ask yourself what level of quality you want for your website. After all, your site is the window to your business and creates the first impression to those looking at it. Surely you want your website to be unique, which of course enhances your company, its values, drives traffic as well as giving browsers the opportunity to tell others about it. Choosing a bespoke design is the best way to reflect your companyandrsquo;s personality, but it will however increase the price. Surely it's best to pay that little extra now as opposed to 6 months down the line when your site needs improving, as it's not getting the results you expect. Think about the medium to long term, as this will enable you to focus on your business strategy, both online and offline. The other thing to consider is whether you will need a CMS driven website. This is a site where you can update text and images yourself, when you want. Although this does add to the price, a CMS system adds value to your website due to its convenience, as well as reducing the long term cost with regard to not waiting for an agency to update your site at a premium. Make sure you are in control because there is nothing worse than waiting for a website to be update by a third party. Gloop can deliver the most innovative creative and cost effective solutions to help your business grow and evolve. And if you do have a business start up in mind then there are competitive packages that not only cover web design and development, but also logo design, stationery, hosting and domain registration. And as well as your web design and development, they can also help with all creative and graphic design needs, carrying your brand across all media, be it a logo/branding design, mailers brochures, email marketing and advertising to name but just a few things. Remember, the wider your vision and the more information you have in your brief, and the clearer direction you have in your head about where your business should be positioned, the richer the results.