Online v's Offline Advertising and Marketing for Small and Medium Businesses in South West England

Business in the South West of England and Companies throughout the region need to market and advertise their products or services to the appropriate target audience

Companies advertise in order to inform, persuade, remind or raise brand awareness or brand loyalty. The aim of such advertising is of course to increase sales and thereby increase revenue and profits.

In doing so businesses in the South West will have many questions which need to be answered in relation to their advertising and marketing needs. Such as:

Q: How can we effectively and efficiently target our adverts to reach our desired target market?

Q: What form of advertising should we use to maximise the potential of reaching that target market in a way that is minimising the cost to do so?

Businesses in the South West

Online advertising (websites, pay per click, static ads) and offline advertising (newspapers, paper directories, radio, and television) all serve those same broad advertising goals.

The thing to remember is that each medium of advertising has its own set of strengths and weaknesses.

As a business you need to decide which medium is most suited to the needs of your company.

Some offline advertising is either not appropriate or out of reach of many small or medium sized businesses in the South West.

Such mediums such as television or radio advertising can be expensive. Newspaper advertising in some cases can be outdated or inappropriate for that type of product or service.

There may well still be a need for paper directories, but they too have been affected by the many changes and the tide of progress through many new advertising choices there are. Particularly with the increase demand for all types of internet marketing and advertising which can be accessed efficiently and effectively by consumers and businesses’ alike.

The medium of offline advertising does have its place. The question to as yourself; Does it serve our company or business well or could we do it better elsewhere? Such as the internet?

Well here at Bath Business Web we meet company directors and business owners from the many towns and villages all over the South West on a daily basis.



Bath Business Web Ltd

Whether based in Bath, Bristol, Wiltshire, Somerset or Gloucestershire we help them get the most from their advertising and marketing.

At Bath Business Web we recognise the need for small and medium businesses to consider how they market and advertise online.

This may mean building a professional and purpose built website to advertise or market your product or service.


It may mean advertising the whereabouts of the business on Google Places. Create an advertising campaign based round pay per click, ad-words or utilising advertising space on social media sites.

But what of other forms of advertising?

Well television and radio is often out of reach for many small and medium businesses’. It may not even be appropriate and could flood a business or send advertisements to far flung parts of the South West which have no relevance if you’re a local window cleaner in Chippenham.

The decline of newspapers has been prominent in the news for a number of years and the internet has contributed directly or indirectly to the closure of a number worldwide. It is true that a number have successfully transferred part of their industry online and do have space to advertise and market local business.

There are other forms of paper advertising such as the local or national phone or business directories. Editorials or adverts in local magazines. Flyers, posters or Billboard advertising.

Well I guess they all have their place. So what you need to do is get to grips with how they will work for you.

Find me a person of the modern age who doesn’t think that a business should have a profile of one sort or another on the internet, because to think that way will not help grow your business



A Website or Online Marketing Presence for your Business

The advertising you choose does not have to complicated or over the top. The local electrician who runs round town in his white van and is too busy keeping his business afloat to be able to walk the streets with leaflets or flyers. The car valeting service who wants an automated service to book people in or the hairdresser who wants to show off all the latest styles and trends to their customers can do so easily and cost effectively online.

At Bath Business Web we believe that both online and offline advertising will remain robust in the foreseeable future. Offline advertising is very diverse using media such as illuminated poster boards, direct mail, promotional literature, magazine reviews, flags, stands and banners at business fairs, and because of that will help it continue to be a source of necessary and useful marketing.

But remember not all these mediums will be relevant or suitable for your business




Online Search Engines

To an extent the nature of your business will determine the nature of the advertising and marketing you prescribe to.
Many offline advertising mediums rely on the fact that potential customers will be in the right place at the right time to happen to see, read or hear their advert.

The only difference to this is when a potential customer goes looking for a company or business.
That's where the internet comes into its own.

Search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing allow the customer to do this with ease and speed.

This is where 'once upon a time, long long ago' the paper directory had come into its own and had been of such great importance since its conception. Well until now that is.



Did you know that the very first telephone directory in the UK was published in 1880?

It was published by The Telephone Company and it was made of cardboard. It contained 248 names and addresses and individuals and businesses jn London. At that time telephone numbers were not included as subscribers were always asked for by name when they got through to the local exchange.


Over 134 years of Business Directories

Following that publication the Post Office Telecommunication, a division of the GPO (General Post Office), launched the very first Yellow Pages in 1966 in Brighton and Sussex.

By 1973 the Yellow Pages was rolled out throughout the rest of the UK.

The offline paper directory has been with us 134 years. It stared off very small and grew very sizeable indeed.


So big in fact that there were competitions to see who could tear one in half with their bear hands. Eventually this sad pastime was left to the few strong men capable of such a feat.

However, since those days and in particular the conception of the internet offline paper directories have been losing their grip on the ‘look up a business’ market for everyday people of the modern age.

No doubt there are people out there who still prefer to look up there local pet shop by going into the Yellow Pages or Thompson paper directory. They may well be the same people who play gramophone records, only take the Morris Minor out at weekends or don’t have a mobile phone.

What the offline adverts don’t do or can’t do

• Show an interactive map detailing the whereabouts of your business
• Be able to pin point the exact location of your business in relation to a customer’s address
• Calculate the distance from the customers address to your business
• Send an email directly to your business account
• Show page after page of the products, services and resources which you have in your business
• Allow the customer to link immediately and directly to another associated business or association
• Go into detail regarding the history and makeup of the business you have created
• Allow the customer to swiftly and easily find the exact business they need with 2 or 3 key words

Reasons why small and medium businesses in the South West should develop or strengthen an online presence - online marketing v. offline marketing

It is clear that the internet is having a significant impact on how we behave as customers. The way we do business over the internet or the way we shop online. The need to get in touch with business or other consumers through social media.

It has dramatically altered the way we think when searching for a business or the expectations we have for each and every business to be online so we can see what they are all about prior to any contact with them.

Here are 8 reasons to consider with online v's offline marketing:

1. Any company or business can compete on equal footings with its rivals regardless of how big or small they are.

2. Your business can advertise and market itself at very little cost online, compared with the equivalent type of advertising offline.

3. Unlike offline marketing you can see minute by minute or day by day how your online marketing is doing or achieving for you so you can change or adapt as necessary to improve results. There are many ways to analyse or measure the effectiveness and performance of your online marketing and advertising.

4. You can see immediately with online marketing how many potential customers are engaging with your marketing or advertising methods.

5. A website which is well maintained and with high quality content will add value to your business by providing lead generation and focus directly to your target audience.

6. Your business will be seen anywhere in the world from one marketing source. Imagine doing this with paper advertising and having to send adverts to all the newspapers of the world.

7. The latest offers, messages from your business or updates about the service you offer can be sent out at a touch of a button. No need for flyers that nobody reads or posters which cost more than the return you get from the business they attract.

8. Your customers and potential customers can engage with your business like never before. With online marketing you can encourage sales through discussion and readership. Not only can they read about your business on your website, but customers can talk to each other on social media or read the latest blog. There is so much more contact and potential contact which enables you to spread the word or let your customers do it for you.


At Bath Business Web we fly the flag for online marketing and advertising

 

However, we also recognise that offline strategies still have a place for certain businesses.



Internet Advertising

Though we have conveniently divided marketing methods between online and offline, at the end of the day you need to decide what is more like to work for you and your business.

 

It is important to remember that successful companies constantly experiment with different ways to reach their target markets.

 

What works for you today may not be what you need for tomorrow.

 

Online advertising and marketing has been growing rapidly over the past ten to fifteen years.

 

Consumers use the internet more and more to carry out transactions and find the businesses they need.

 

This growth pattern of online usage by business and customers alike will continue, at least for the foreseeable future.

 

The rise of the internet has meant accessibility to markets never experienced before by local small and medium businesses.

This is your chance to make your business work in the modern age of online advertising and online marketing.

The world definitely is you advertising oyster.
 

The cost comparison between the internet and paper advertising has meant business has moved away from those more traditional ways

 

Now businesses in the South West of England have found more cost effective methods to advertise by focusing on the internet and online marketing.

 

All the best,                          

Bingham

Blogger for Bath Business Web Ltd
Your local Internet Marketing Specialist, Business Directory and Website Design Company

Bath Business Web Ltd - Bringing your Business to Life 

Call for a free consultation and find out more about how you can help your business grow

 

01225 920503

Taking a closer look at Business Website Design for Local Tradespeople, Businesses and Company's in Bath, Bristol and Wiltshire

Ever wonder what's involved in the Art of Business Website Design and Construction?

There are a number of skills needed, as well as a great deal of technical knowledge and know how which goes into the construction and on-going maintenance of a website. A good website is one which is very visible on the internet, high ranking in its position on search engines, very functional, attractive to potential customers and fit for purpose.

Click on here to see some of the designs of Bath Business Web Ltd

Website design in essence, is the planning and construction of websites which meets the needs and requirements of both the customer and the designer, as the web designer will be maintaining the website and ensuring it maximises its visibility and functionality on the internet.

The construction or build of a website is determined by the web designer skills and abilities to merge an aesthetically pleasing design, with a user friendly interface, embedding standardised code and proprietary software. The web designer then needs to ensure that the website is optimised accordingly with the most efficient and active wording, links, alt tags, and so on and so forth. All the while taking into account the needs and desires of a customer who may want something on the website which potentially could clash with the functioning of the site. This is where the web designers knowledge and people skills comes into play to help the customer come up with an alternative concept, while maintaining the wants and needs of the customer overall vision.


Bath Business Web Ltd - Website Design

The web designer needs to have a flare for design, as the website needs to be visible and appealing in its look and layout. They also need an understanding for the purpose of the website and its use.

So at Bath Business Web Ltd all our web designers have a good understanding of the needs of local business and local tradespeople. This helps them design a website fit for purpose for each individual customer.

A web designer is not only a wizard with graphics. They need to know their stuff when it comes to the internal workings of websites which are held together and function through codes, electronic messaging systems and algorithms.

They also need to have knowledge of the various platforms the website sits on. What is a platform I hear you ask? Well a generalised description is the underlying structure software or back end which is used by the web designer to build the individual website pages on. These are such as Sitemaker, Joomla, custom html or Word Press.

Fact: By the end of this financial year it is expected that the sale of tablets in this country will outstrip that of the conventional desktop computer. Our trusty friend the mobile phone, will also go forth and eventually outstrip sales of both these altogether. Last year over 30 million phones were sold in the UK. It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to work out, that is a huge number of potential customers surfing the Internet, looking for websites 24/7.

The simple way to look at a website platform, is if you ever create anything in Microsoft Word, then Word would be like the platform you write on. One would open up Word and get a blank page. Then start writing paragraphs, add a text box, add a picture or diagram etc. Basically one is building up all this information and graphics on a Word platform. Get it?



Bristol Business Web Online Directory

At Bath Business Web Ltd we are website designers at top of our game and only use website platforms which are compatible with today’s needs. Because things constantly change in the website build and construction game.

There was a time when we would use platforms such as Sitemaker, as it meant our customers could easily self-edit text on their business websites.

This is great if you’re selling a product where you need to regularly put out special offers or want to run a marketing campaign for a particular time of year. These platforms were very easy to make changes to and meant customers had a certain amount of editorial freedom.


However, times moved on and mobile phones with internet connection came about followed by tablets and very small computers. This meant we had to consider how  websites performed with devices having smaller screens.

Bath Business Web Ltd being a progressive and forward thinking team of professionals saw this coming and now we use Word Press. Why I hear you ask? Simple, because when you look at a website on a mobile device the picture is much smaller. Therefore, the website platform needs to be one which can change from large (for your desktop PC with a wide flat screen, to very small (such as a tablet or a mobile phone). And that's exactly what WordPress can do, switch the website size to fit the screen size. Clever hey!

Fact: WordPress is the name for what we call in the trade ‘an open source content management application powered by PHP and MySQL. It can be used to create a website with high definition graphics and is easy to keep updated with its text editor. This application can also integrate blogs into the website, which as you can see by the fact you are reading one, a  very useful tool for website design.
 
There are also other things which we now offer at Bath Business Web Ltd Website Design Company, which we didn’t offer some years ago. These are Google Places (what used to be called Google Maps), Ad Word Marketing, and Social Media Marketing and Blog pages. None of these things were heard of in the realms of business websites when we started the business. See how things progress at a rapid rate. I mean after all here I am writing a blog.



Bath Business Web Ltd on Google Places

Why do we do all these things I hear you ask? Well, because it’s new content for our website. It is mentioning our company name, it connects (what we call ‘links’) our websites or other business or trade websites. It reinforces strategic keywords which we know people will use to look things up on the internet. And the blog is also very informative, as you can tell by reading this one (I had to say that now didn't I). All of these things, and more, go toward strengthening the position of our websites on the internet and making them more likely to be found by potential customers looking online.

Fact: Did you know what we know as tablets, Kindle type devices etc. have only been with us for 3 years. Strange huh! Seems like they have been around forever.

A highly functioning and aesthetically designed website is what all good business need if they are going to attract the widest customer base possible. Because a well thought out website helps the customer find information about the business, its products and services quickly and easily.




Bath Business Ltd on Ad Words

Therefore, web design needs to cover the look and feel of a website for that individual customer.

The customer can then make sense of where things are, where to go  on the site to find out more.

Once deciding they are looking at the right business for them, they will also want to easily make contact  with that business or even make a purchase online.



A web designer at Bath Business Web Ltd in the website design studio will plan carefully for customer interaction with the site. Designers consider the different ways in which customers interact with a website, whether the site is advertising a product, service or trade.

The web designers aim is the same as the business owners at the end of the day. To create an advertising and marketing platform which will promote the business, advertise its products, inform consumers how it fits with their needs and set I motion the process toward making a sale.

After taking personalised information, images, photos, logo, potential links etc. from the business commissioning the site, the web designer will then consider how best to show this information as it appears on screen.

Fact: 1991 the world’s first website. 1993 the first publicly accessible web browser. 1994 the first search engine. 1998  the birth of Google.


A visit from Bath Business Web Ltd

All our customers, that’s the 300+ trades and businesses’ we currently work with, have been through that exact same process.

A process where they have been involved each step of the way in the build and construction of their website.

It all starts at the point of sale when a customer’s needs and requirements are discussed and recorded. Then an in depth analysis is taken of the type of business they are involved in and what they want to achieve from their website.

After all each business is unique and each owner or proprietor of a business has their own way they want their business to interact with the public.

When considering the design of a Website at Bath Business Web Ltd our team of qualified and professional designers also help our customers take into account the finer design aspects. Such as how the website will reflect the branding of the business, the colours used and do they reflect the colours of a company logo, vehicles or clothing etc. Which style of font to use and what letter or type sizes would match the individual pages. Is there a need to link with Facebook or Twitter and are they going to keep an updated blog page. Deciding what images or photographs taken by a customer will promote the business to its full advantage. Looking at what other websites would the customer want to link to or do they have an existing website which will compliment and reinforce the new websites visibility on the internet.

Fact: A mobile phone has been developed by Cambridge University, in which a virtual assistant (human looking in every way), interacts with the user. Bit like talking to a personal advisor or personal shopper (android style), who in the future could be advertising your business or products.

So you can see there is a great deal to consider when constructing a website and much to take into account to ensure a business gets its message across and markets its products or services in the best possible light. Which brings us on to the issue of visibility. After all, potential customers out there have different ways to find things on the internet. They have desktop PC’s, laptops, tablets, notebooks, mobile phones and other technological wonders to view the many websites there are. These individual devices will have their own way to browse the internet. The formats of these various viewing platforms will be different. The shape of the monitor, alternative display settings, the size of the screen etc.

As you probably know, even two of the same make of personal computer there will be different web browsers (such as Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome) and each handles websites according to their functionality. Therefore, the web designers at Bath Business Web Ltd take this into account and all efforts are made to ensure the websites we build are seen by all the people all of the time.


Video presentations require more complex language

Then we have the more technical details within the structure and construction of the website.

As mentioned before there are internal codes and electronic messaging systems. This is the language of the computer if you like. A language which copes with all the variables that a website need to have to work well.

The basic language of computers is HTML (hypertext mark-up language) and our web designers enter this language and others like it to create the many websites you see at Bath Business Web Ltd.


There are also more advanced language based systems which are used for very complex websites with a great deal of content or sites which require an amount of movement and interactivity.

At Bath Business Web Ltd we cater for all types of company or trade. We aim to give you the website that you feel best represents your business and it is constructed to take into account the needs of your customers. We pride ourselves at being one of the best website design studios in Bath, Bristol and Wiltshire. Our promise to you is that we will go all out to ensure your website reaches the strongest possible ranking in all the various browsers and search engines.

Fact: Bath Business Web Ltd is unique in the field of website design. Nowhere else will you fins a website design company which has its very own online directory to advertise your business and its website. In fact we have seven local online directories and the all interlink and give a great deal of strength to the ability of our websites to be found by surfers on the net.

Bath Business Web Ltd is also a family firm. At the helm are business owners Jackie and Duncan Short. So if you're looking for a relaxed, friendly, informative, knowledgeable, skilled and trusted company for website design, then you cant go far wrong with these guys. We have a website studio who are waiting and eager to take on the challenge of building you the best money can buy. So look no further and just give our Sales Director Duncan a call to set up that all important meeting to discuss your needs and take the step to a brighter and more prosperous future.

Looking forward to seeing you business website in our portfolio very soon......

Bingham

Blogger for Bath Business Web Ltd
Your local Internet Marketing Specialist, Business Directory and Website Design Company

Bath Business Web Ltd - Bringing your Business to Life 

Call for a free consultation and find out more about how you can help your business grow

 

01225 920 503

Business Websites – Do you want a Business Website? Do you need a Business Website? What you want your Business Website to do? What is a Business Website for?

• Ever thought websites are not for you or your business?

• You may think its only large online retailers or big companies who need one?

• Maybe you think that you have to be clever on a computer to have one?

• You may think ‘what the heck do I need a website for, as I advertise elsewhere?’

Whatever you think and whatever else you are doing to promote your business, if you don’t have an online presence, then you are not ever going to reach the full marketing potential of your business.

You know as well as I do, no business leaves marketing and advertising to chance. I bet you also know that no smart business owner keeps to one method of marketing. Like me you understand the need for what we call in the marketing world, the ‘pillars of marketing’ approach.

These pillars are made up of a variety of ways to market and advertise your business. All the top successful companies do this. They leave nothing to chance and maximise all opportunities. As they know that if they don't they are limiting their chance to maximise their on-going potential to attract new customers. 

Consider this. Did Woolworths know that after a hundred years of trading it would disappear from the high street overnight? Did Habitat realise, that after growing so successfully and with a loyal customer base, it would have to close up its high street outlets and move into a small convenient corner of Homebase? Did we expect some of the big banks to crash and leave customers stranded? The answer to all these is no.

 



Regardless of their ability to market or advertise their business, when push came to shove these giants of the business world were vulnerable. As all businesses are.

And that's why if you have decided that your continual flow of self referrals, word of mouth recommendations or responses from that one and only paper directory you advertise in is all your going to do, think again. 

Don't take your business or your personal future for granted. You may well have had a nice steady flow of customers conning to you on the back of your current advertising. But whose to say how it will be next month, next year or in the years to come. One day you could be another business which succumbs to the unknown consumer market which will be with us as we proceed toward 2014 and beyond.

Businesses close down for a number of reasons. The main reason is cash flow. That cash flow needs consumers. Consumers need to know you are there. They then need to be made aware that what you have on offer matches what they need. They then need reassurance that you can deliver on what you say you can offer.

So if you want to ensure you attract the people who are going to supply you with the money to keep that cash flow ticking over, you will need to take a serious look at your marketing strategy. And if you haven't yet got a good number of different ways to market your business, then get cracking and get some ideas of what you can do.

Because by having these different pillars of marketing in place. These different ways to advertise and promote your business. You are much more likely to maximise your chance to hook in new customers. Because potential customers don’t just read one newspaper. They don’t just respond to  a direct letter or flyer.

Out there in that big wide world of potential customers are people like yourself. People who respond to different things, in different ways, at different times. Some of these potential customers will hear about you from a previous customer. That’s great because people will then trust in you and if it fits with what they need, they will more likely contact you than anyone else.

 

But what about those potential customers who don’t hear about you ‘word of mouth’, how will they hear about you? Well maybe they won’t. Maybe they will see you. See your van or an advert in the local paper. Happen to come across an article in a magazine.

 

Then there are those potential customers who know what they want and will go searching for it. We all are the same in this way and this is sure the way we shop for things the most. After all, word of mouth and just coming across an advert are marketing approaches that are kind of left to chance. It would only be by chance that whoever your customers talk to are looking for your particular service or product at that very given moment. And of course they may well keep hold of your contact details until such time they do need your service.

 

So if you agree with me that most people, most of the time, will have an idea in mind of what they need. Whether they need new shoes, new windows, a new hair style, new central heating, an extension to the house or a back massage to relieve stress. Generally people do know what they need at any given time and therefore most people will go searching for the people who can supply them with what they need. Makes perfect and logical sense to me. Therefore, the next bit is easy. Where do they look for the people who will supply them with what they need?

 

You may be a new business or an established business with or without a website. It is quite surprising how many businesses do not have any web presence whatsoever. One would imagine with the dramatic and swift rise of the Internet and the ever growing use of mobile phones and with the expansion of tablets that those businesses without a website would have caught on by now. I wonder what it will take for the penny to drop. 

 

I can imagine that there are types of business who may not think that a website is going to do them much good. A business that has established a good flow of customers who return or word of mouth referrals. I could see certain retail pout lets and shops thinking that their presence on the high street is all the advertising they need.

 

No doubt that certain trades such as hairdressers, beauty salons, osteopaths, beauticians etc. may wonder how or why their customers would go searching on the Internet when they have adverts in local newspapers or magazines. Do scaffolders, roofers or bricklayers see a benefit to a website when they spend all their time outside in all weathers and are as far from the webisphere as you can get.

 

Well what can I say? Plenty really as Mrs Bingham will verify. It all boils down to how can a website benefit your business. And what do you want your website to do for your business. Do you want it to advertise the fact you are there? Do you want it to act as a brochure or online shop? Do you want it to be informative regarding the services you offer and the experience and qualifications you have to do the work? Do you want it to show off the projects which you have already completed or show examples of recent work? Well a website can do any one of these things or all of these things for you and your business.

Maybe you already have an idea of what you want and not sure how to go about it. So how about giving the professionals a call who can take you through step by step what you can do and how it can help.

 

Bath Business Web Ltd - Bringing your Business to Life

 

Call for a free consultation and find out more about how you can help your business grow

 

01225 920 503

Wishing you and your business every success for a future unknown.

Bingham

Blogger for Bath Business Web Ltd
Your local Internet Marketing Specialist, Business Directory and Website Design Company

A Brief History of Business Websites on the Internet

The modern day Internet (or the "World Wide Web”) has transformed the way we live. To get this in perspective, I would like to take you on a short journey in time:

1989 - Computer scientist, Sir Tim Berners-Lee (who you may have seen on the opening ceremony of the London 20-12 Olympics), presented a paper containing a method by which scientists could share essential documents.

1990 - Early adopters of the World Wide Web were mainly university-based scientific departments.

1991- Saw the world’s first website. Hoorah!

I wonder if you recall when you first saw the Internet. Where were you?  What do you remember? How did you view it? Just a fad maybe, something that wouldn’t catch on? And just how long ago was that? In historic terms, it was just very recently. Yet so much has progressed in terms of the technology and how we use or interact with that technology.

1993 - The first publicly accessible, fairly basic, web browser named 'Mosaic'.

1994 - The first search engine 'Archie', again very basic compared with what we have today. Followed swiftly by more familiar web browsers such as Yahoo and Internet Explorer.

1996 - It became obvious to most publicly traded companies that a Web presence was no longer an option. The increase of two-way communication over the Web led to the possibility of direct Web-based commerce (e-commerce).

1998 - Saw an increase in new web based companies, as well as the birth of what would become the most popular of all search engines - Google. 

2001 - The Web bubble burst. Many new start-ups went out of business. However, many also survived and went on to do very well. Some Companies which began as online retailers became highly profitable.

2002 - In the aftermath of the ‘dot com bubble’ these Companies success helped enhance the way we used the Internet with the likes of Google, EBay or Amazon.  This new era gave rise to social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter. Networking sites for Professionals, Entrepreneurs and Business also appeared such as LinkedIn, Biznik, PROskore.

 
These sites meant business was now able to communicate with thousands, if not millions of people and this would open up the biggest market place the world has ever known.

As business owners we need to keep up with this rapidly changing medium of marketing, communication and trade interchange.

• E-mobile technology (mobiles & tablets) is developing rapidly
• People are becoming co-dependent on this technology
• The technology is more portable, practical and affordable
• Twitter & other social media websites are growing
• The pre-web (older) generation is keen to adopt this technology
• Popularity of videos, images or photos is increasing … rapidly
• So too websites such as You Tube, Flickr, Photobucket
• Websites use images, photos, film & video to enhance the virtual experience

The future of the Net is looking golden.

Technology already allows us to send voice commands to mobiles and computers. Soon we’ll be able to have conversations with them. A mobile phone already developed by Cambridge University, in which a virtual assistant, human looking in every way, interacts with the user. Bit like talking to a personal advisor or personal shopper, who in the future could be advertising your business or products.

There will always be a need for larger viewing platforms for work, design or play However, the use of mobiles is on the increase. We now use them for the things that were previously done on computers and laptops. This market is growing .... fast.
 
Social media on the increase (especially for business). Where we used to text, we now tweet. Consumers are talking to each other on mass. Through social media people now want to know how a Business or Company interacts with its community. They want to see the human side of businesses.

People are now associating reliable businesses with the Internet, with research indicating that businesses with a website have grown 46% faster than those without.

 

What is the real value of the Internet to your business?

It can generate and help develop new business opportunities, reduce your expenses and improve business operations.

If you compare other more traditional ways to market or advertise your business. The cost of a one page advert in a local magazine for example. For one edition, reaching 8-10 thousand people, £500 - £600. The average cost to build a 4 page website, there 24/7, for however many years you want it, reaching an audience of millions, £500 - £600. You do the maths.

Will having a website provide customer awareness of my products and services; offer ready information and support; expand my markets; increase my income?  Absolutely.

A website is an adverting and marketing tool for your business. Potential customers will either be looking for you by name; seen your website in an advert or on a vehicle; looking for the services you provide; or just happen to come across you, in their search for other sites.

Websites extend business hours 24-7, any updated information, offers or product promotion is seen immediately. It’s an excellent means of generating new sales & keeping present customers aware of new products or services. It’s a brochure and catalogue all in one. A good website links to social media sites, video sites, professional bodies or associations. And with Pay Pal and the like one can offer safe and secure online transactions. With unlimited space you can convey your message for unlimited time. Your market is increased. New ideas can be tested in real time with instant results.

There is good practical value in having a website:

Statistics on who visits your site helps determine where you spend your money.

There are various ways to achieve increased visibility on the Internet. The main method is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) as well as Local Maps Optimisation listings.

Your website advertises your business, products and services. The best brochure; the best billboard and the best commercial, seen by millions. Creating links to other sites such as local directories, Google maps and a strong position on search engines, makes your business stand out from the crowd.

Remember! If you want to ensure you spend you money wisely and get the right product offering the best results always go to a 'professional' Web Design Company. The most successful sites on the Internet are ........ the most visible ones.

Intelligent advertising and connecting with the wider public (through networking sites), will create an awareness and an approachability that people will want to explore. Analysing feedback from Google or potential customers, means you’re able to update and develop your business effectively, efficiently, economically and productively. Offering yourself opportunities for growth and financial reward … profit both in income and personal and professional satisfaction.

Bingham

Blogger for Bath Business Web Ltd