If you’re pondering this question right now within your organisation you would be forgiven for coming to a quick conclusion that yes, a loyalty scheme is the answer- after all why wouldn’t it be? Offering your customers the chance to be rewarded for repeat custom is a win/win situation, surely? The organisation benefits from repeat sales and returning visits, whilst the customers are offered discounts/perks for their continued purchasing. Well, actually it may not be that straight forward.

Analytics are usually a polarising topic, stereotypically we have two elements- the ‘numbers people’ and then the ‘content people’. The pattern goes, as I’m sure you can guess, that the numbers people love analytics. They can’t get enough of them whilst the content people, well, they don’t even know they exist- right?

Well actually, that’s not true. So if that sounds anything remotely like what you currently experience then you need to change things up and shift those ideas. Analytics are an incredibly powerful tool and most importantly they benefit the ‘content people’ the most!

 If you love creating content or running engaging campaigns, how do you know if the imagery you designed or words you wrote are resonating with the reader? How do you know the reader is actually who you wanted the reader to be? The answer- Stone cold data. (I’m really trying hard to resist the urge to make a Stone Cold Steve Austin reference, but mainly out of fear that no one will recognise this and you’ll think that ‘bottom line’ is referring to profits or ‘3:16’ to the time.)

This is the final post in our twenty-part series on how to accelerate your career in your twenties and this time we’re talking about complacency. Complacency sets in when we allow ourselves to get too comfortable at work and it can sometimes happen without us even realising. In this series of articles we’ve talked about risk-taking, ambition, proactive learning and leadership - all of which boil down to this idea of not letting ourselves get too comfortable.

This is the nineteenth piece in our twenty-part series on how to accelerate your career in your twenties and this time we’re talking about learning. All the people you look up to in your professional life are likely to have one thing in common - they never stop learning. Just like life itself, your career is a journey. You should always strive to develop your knowledge and acquire new skills, and your twenties are an absolutely perfect time to develop this habit.

This is the eighteenth piece in our twenty-part series on how to accelerate your career in your twenties and this time we’re talking about ambition. Picturing where you’d like to see yourself a decade down the line can be a real motivator, particularly during those stressful periods when your workload is high. We all have things that we strive for, and it’s a good idea to start laying the groundwork for those goals early in your career. In fact, laying that groundwork can even help with your day-to-day performance at work.

This is the sixteenth piece in our twenty-part series on how to accelerate your career in your twenties and this time we’re talking about mentoring. Some roles will automatically assign a mentor figure - someone you can speak to about your concerns at work in order to be more effective in your role. While this is increasingly common in larger organisations, it’s not always a given. Even if you have been ‘assigned’ a mentor, there’s no harm in taking advice from other sources as and when you need it.

Whilst the media continues to cover the current snow storms hitting the UK and, rightly, highlight the plight of many in the face of travel chaos, school closures and business challenges we at Ascento like to look at the positive side of things. So how is The Beast from the East good for your business?

This is the fourteenth piece in our twenty-part series on how to accelerate your career in your twenties and this time we’re talking about weaknesses. We all have them. Most of us are happy to talk about our strengths, but weaknesses are something that most of us would rather forget. The thing is, that can actually be counterproductive when it comes to getting on in your career. Knowing your strengths is important, but it could be argued that knowing your limitations and weaknesses is even more vital. Here’s why…