Our 10 most popular how-to guides of 2020
Posted: Tue 29th Dec 2020
If there's one thing that goes down well on Enterprise Nation, it's a how-to guide. We've published a fair few over the years - and lots in 2020, owing to how challenging it's been - so we thought it might be an idea to share the most popular from the last 12 months.
10. How to pitch your products to Selfridges
Adrian Boswell, who looks after fresh food and concessions at the iconic department store, explains how to contact Selfridges buyers, why you must be on top of the latest industry trends, and how a new product launch can create some much-needed buzz. This guide was originally published in 2019.
9. How to write a value proposition that lands
You've got a product or service you have absolute confidence in. But how do you communicate this to potential customers? The answer lies in the value proposition: a few sentences that possess huge persuasive power. We reveal how to write one in five easy steps.
8. Businesses you can start from home during the coronavirus crisis
One in 10 people considered starting a new business in 2020, but which sectors should they have looked at? After unpacking seven areas of opportunity, Chris Goodfellow shares his tips on the best businesses to start in a pandemic.
7. How to pitch your products to Boots
Lily Child, Boots' beauty innovation buying manager, reveals what Boots looks for in small business suppliers, which categories the retailer is most interested in, and her top tips for pitching your product to Boots buyers. This guide was originally published in 2016.
6. How to find new customers for your start-up (when your product or service is expensive)
From telling your business's story in the right place at the right time to interviewing your first customers (with the intention of creating really powerful testimonials), discover how to attract new customers when you have an expensive product or service.
5. How to price your handmade goods
Kat Haylock's beginner's guide to pricing homemade goods reveals how to be profitable while competing with sellers on Amazon, eBay and Etsy. Beginning with pricing formulas before covering everything from deciding on your markup to calculating your labour costs, Kat's guide is essential reading for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to turn their hobby into a business.
4. How to create an excellent email newsletter
In its 2019 Year In Review, Campaign Monitor revealed an ROI of $42 for every dollar spent on email, which makes it more valuable than Instagram, Facebook and pretty much any other marketing channel. That's why you need an email newsletter. Here's how to create an excellent one.
3. How to create a compelling brand story
For small businesses, storytelling is a superpower. Discover how your favourite film could help you to find yours, why conflict and adversity are key to structuring any great story, and the story Netflix came up with back when its customers had absolutely no idea what streaming was.
2. Lock down your SEO: Three quick tips to action now
Learn how to boost your Google presence by getting the basics right (there's no reason to fear a technical SEO audit, promise), capitalising on local SEO (you'll never think of 'nap' in the same way again), and targeting new search terms (don't underestimate the extent to which the pandemic has affected what people search for).
1. How to sell to John Lewis
We published it back in the summer 2017, but our guide to pitching to John Lewis still attracts readers in their droves. Anna Rigby, who recently retired from the department store group - but was then its head of buying, home - revealed what John Lewis looks for from new suppliers, how to contact John Lewis buyers, and the categories it focused on at the time.
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