Sparks Electrical News October 2023

SPARKS DIGITAL

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Digital marketing can be your best tool yet E lectricians and contractors can no longer rely on word of mouth to promote your business. One of the subscription fee. They are accessible via computer or smartphone app, meaning you can post content from the office or on the jobsite itself. While this can work in tandem

which will help you be visible to a larger audience.

900% growth in people including the term ‘near me’ in their queries, while research shows that more than 80% of local phone searches convert to business. Digital marketing does not need to be intimidating or difficult. Once you have the hang of posts, tweets and online content, you will be able to promote your business to a wider audience in the blink of an eye. Business skills that you need As a contractor and small business operator, you need to be on top of your game 24/7. There is no such thing as an off day – you often must be ready to work at a moment’s notice and perform to the best of your skills and abilities. Here are a couple of skills to maximise your business offering: Adaptability Electrical work often hides pitfalls and other problems that you may be forced to deal with on site. A simple short circuit may be the result of a bigger problem and having enough technicians and the right tools on hand from when you arrive will give the impression that you are ready for any situation. Admin Paperwork is not fun for anyone, but if you have yours in order, it will make your clients feel better. Send a quote within the deadline, invoice as soon as the job is done, and send a statement of account to show that the client’s account is either overdue or paid up. Business acumen Running a company is more than just the actual job. It involves tasks like general admin (paying rent, settling rates, taxes and utility accounts), being able to lead a team, understanding people, managing clients and taking care of aspects such as corporate identities, partnerships, reputation management and more. If you struggle with something, there are free online courses that you can enrol in to help you – even software like Excel has a crash course video to help you. formats. Your team needs to know what is required of them daily as well as on projects, while clients need to be kept informed on the business that they are giving you. There is nothing worse for a paying client than to ask for a document or update and be left hanging because you forget to mail them back. Keep a diary of people to speak to or mark emails as unread in your inbox, then set aside 20 minutes at the start and end of each day to tackle communication. Communication This goes for internal and external Organisation As the business owner, you need to know everything about everyone all the time. If a piece of equipment is being serviced, for example, you need to know when it will be back so that clients who may need it can be given correct information. Source: www.comradeweb.com

Digital marketing A high-performing online strategy can send your company from no-name to the only name. You will need to add more to your arsenal than just social media, though. You will need to consider tools like newsletter emails, YouTube content, web adverts and even sponsorships. This should be relatively easy to do with the right tools (or a marketing specialist). Blogs continue to be a favourite digital medium as that it lets you write longer format content (social media can be limited with the length of material you post – X allows you to post 280 characters in one post, while you can post a 4000 character post should you pay for its Blue Premium subscription of R208 per month). SEO Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a way to get your web presence ranking higher on Google searches. Between them, search engines Google and Bing deal with more than 8 billion searches each day. Many people do not scroll past the first two pages of search results, so it is better to have your name high enough to be on page 1 or 2. The easiest way to do this is to optimise your SEO by using specific keywords or phrases in your posts and website. Search engine algorithms search for content and then place results on their Search Engine Results Pages, which sees you rank higher or lower. In 2017 alone, Google recorded a

simplest ways to get your name out there is by using digital marketing – and thanks to social media, it is quicker, cheaper and more manageable than ever… if you know what you are doing. Social media Social media is free – platforms such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, Instagram and others do not have a

with a website, social media has all but replaced websites for many companies. The platforms also allow for direct communication via built-in messenger applications (like X’s DM function and Facebook Messenger). Social media allows you to target specific customers (your followers) or boost your page (for a fee). You can also place ads on social media,

Digitise your low-voltage motor to be more efficient, says Siemens G lobal automation giant Siemens says there is a formula that will help realise a simple but powerful remote condition monitoring system for low-voltage motors: Digitalisation. “The SIMOTICS

Connect 400 and Insights Hug analytics app SIDRIVE IQ Fleet are plug-&-play connectivity modules that allow users to have a quick and comprehensive overview of their low-voltage motors’ condition and over-all operational stage,” says Siemens. Siemens’ SIMOTICS Connect 400 module, once connected to the SIDRIVE IQ Fleet app, provides real-time information about your low-voltage motor. The device and app allow engineers to spot problems before they happen by highlighting a drop in performance. That means that equipment not operating optimally can be withdrawn from the production line, sent to maintenance for repairs, then brought back into operation with the least amount of downtime. This can prolong a machine’s life by up to 30%. Automated maintenance An automated maintenance strategy is a must for businesses nowadays. This in essence is having a plan in place to remind you automatically what needs to be serviced and when, while also being intuitive and alerting users to equipment that suddenly develops an issue and needs to be withdrawn from the production line before irreparable damage is done. An automated maintenance strategy can reduce repairs costs by up to 40% as Benefits of digitising Increased life cycle

machines are serviced rather than being repaired or even replaced. Cost-saving Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data analytics are at the core of digitisation. They are central to the software that runs the SIMOTICS Connect 400 and the SIDRIVE IQ Fleet, and they allow the digital motors to identify inefficiencies in the complex operation processes. By using these digital tools to optimise your processes, you can lower energy consumption (as machines will be operating at their best capacity) while also reducing C0 2 emissions. One size fits all Siemens has made its tech industry friendly. While you get the SIMOTICS and SIDRIVE features as standard on new Siemens low voltage motors, the standalone device and app have been designed to work with non Siemens motors too. Through research and development, Siemens has even optimised its diagnostic performance – the SIMOTICS Connect 400 is able to detect anomalies and

other analytics at measurement levels of 1 minute. The built-in sensors provide larger raw data that is uploaded to cloud level. Hands-on usage The unit’s battery is replaceable, while the installation and configuration are simple and take only a few minutes, according to Siemens. The SIMOTICS Connect 400 sensor is glued to the motor, the app is somewhat autonomous and self-configures once users have input certain information, and information is uploaded to the app and cloud almost instantly. The digital dashboard is configurable to meet users’ needs, and the information is easy to interpret. By taking your low-voltage motor online with a monitoring tool and app, you can transform your business by having 24/7 information about performance at your fingertips. This means that issues will not sneak up on you but can potentially be seen before they develop into a significant problem that will cost you time, effort and money.

Enquiries: www.siemens.com

Source: www.skillsyouneed.com

SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS

OCTOBER 2023