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

Business in Bath Catching Up with Mobile Technology

Here at Bath Business Web Ltd we are always keeping an eye on current trends and future developments on the Internet. We have recognised for a while that mobile technology has been pushing ahead at a rate which surpasses the best of human innovations

It’s hard to believe that it was only 2010 when we started buying tablets. Now we can easily do on tablets that we had been doing on laptops. Just as laptops were getting smaller and less bulky to carry around, the tablet comes along and makes those laptops seem rather prehistoric and cumbersome in a very short period of time.
 
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 (less a phone now and more an interactive work and play station of immense variety) will also go forth and eventually outstrip sales of both these altogether. Last year well 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 and information on these smart devices which they carry with them 24 hours a day.

 

Sales of tablets will eclipse that of PC’s and smartphones will outsell them all

 
Global sales of the personal computer (or desktop) has fallen for the fifth quarter in a row, making it the longest duration of decline in history. By 2017 it is predicted that PC’s will be only 5% of the smart connected device market. With tablets and smartphones growing to 16.5% and 70.1% respectfully.

This decline has been brought home to the everyday consumer in news bulletins, which tell us of the struggles of the big names in computer technology from the past. The household name of  Dell having to reinvent itself due to falling sales of PC’s. The once giant of business technology IBM selling off its PC business interests. As well as other such companies such as Lenovo and Hewlett Packard seeing sales of their conventional products at an all time low.
 
The research boys and girls at IDC (International Data Corporation to you and me) have come up with some interesting findings of the world’s markets in sales of PC’s and tablets.
 
What we know is that the mobile revolution is gaining momentum, rapidly. IDC predicts that the shipment of tablets will easily top those of desktop computers and laptops in the final quarter of this year. Overall PC shipments are still expected to surpass tablet shipments for the whole of 2013.  It expects that the competition between PC’s and tablets for overall sales will be done and dusted by the end of 2015 with tablets outstripping shipments of PC’s on an annual basis from thereon in.
 


Estimated Shipments for 2013

IDC predicts the forecasts sales for 2013 of desktops will be 134.4 million, laptops 180.9 million and tablets 227.3 million.

That represents a market share of 8.6% for desktops, 11.6% for laptops and 14.6% for tablets.

Not bad for a technological wonder which no one was using four years ago.

 

A worldwide increase in shipments of tablets and smartphones markets are showing early signs of saturation. This will bring down the price of the various devices, which will change things still further



Predicted Shipments for 2017

The growing popularity of tablets and smartphones has thrown the PC industry into its longest downturn on record.

The smart device industry is in a constant state of change and development.

Wise business owners need to keep up to maximise their own marketing and online advertising on the Web.  



The pace of the industry is rapidly changing. The smartphone market has seen touch screen and voice command mobiles coming in to their own. Which may explain why the 'once upon a time everybody wants one’ Blackberry, is diminishing the hold on the market it once had a year or two ago. Even the iPhone, as good as it may be, has plenty of competition with other similar smartphones snapping at its heels, which are often just as smart and often a fair bit cheaper.
 
So here’s a wee bit of advice from Bath Business Web Ltd to all you businessmen and businesswomen in Bath and the South West. If you have a website, web presence or you are advertising your business on the internet, then get good sound advice as to whether people will see it as it should be seen. Website Designers and Social Media Marketing in Bath
 
The change of consumer technology has meant that the visibility of a website (or many other marketing mediums on the Web) can be drastically be impeded by using a platform which was created to show off your website pages on a desktop PC (on a big screen).

There are many hundreds, if not thousands of pages on the Internet which are just not that efficient, easily browsed or even visible on either a tablet or smartphone. As a business person you will need to catch up and make changes to your Internet marketing. Because if you haven’t, then it is almost guaranteed your competitors have. Then they will have the edge over you and any potential customers looking at your Internet advertising will go to them. Why? Because you didn't keep up or take notice of the tide of change in technology.

Don't be PC. Be Smart!

Bingham

Blogger for Bath Business Web Ltd - Website Designers and Social Media Marketing in Bath

10 Essential things Businesses in Bath and Somerset need from a Website

If you own or manage a small or medium sized business in Bath or Somerset, then there is a very good chance you have not got a website.

Surveys show that a staggering 60% of small businesses in the UK do not have an online presence. I wonder if that same percentage may well equate to the businesses based in Bath or Somerset. Are you one of the 60%?

 

You may still advertise in Yellow Pages or place leaflets through doors. However, many other businesses, such as newspapers, magazines, book stores, food stores, hair salons etc. do have a website and pay far less attention to paper advertising. Even Yellow Pages has a website. And what of your competitors? Do they the edge over you with an online presence?

 

One day all businesses based in Bath and Somerset will have an online presence.                          Why? Because consumers will expect it.

 

When the automobile (car to you and me) was first on our streets, people said it would never take over from the horse. When electricity was invented people said it was far too dangerous. When home computers became available they were only for scientists or gadget geeks. Who ever thought 15 to 20 years ago that  we could buy our shopping, play a game or watch video from a phone. In them days phones were for phoning and not much else.

 

The world is constantly changing. Every single piece of research on the matter shows us the use of online facilities is growing more extensively by the day.

 

So what potential customers will want to see from your Business Website:

 
1. An easy to remember and functional web address
Your domain name and your business name or the type of business you offer should be reflected in your domain name.

2. A clear description of what your business offers
Statements that are clear and precise to what you do, what services you provide or the products you sell.

3. A website that consumers can navigate easily
No point having a super duper website with fantastic pictures and great text if when they get there the viewer cannot work out what to do next or which page links to what.

4. Contact details that are accessible and obvious
So many times I have been onto websites, some of which owned by some big name companies and for the life of me I cannot find the address, contact number or email. Make it clear and make it obvious.

5. Testimonials and galleries of your work
Consumers like to know that other people have been satisfied with your work. There are many ways to ‘show off’ your work or have people talk positively about your business. Word of mouth really does help sell your business. 

6. A website is an adverting and marketing tool for your business
An excellent means of generating new sales and 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 one can offer safe and secure online transactions. With unlimited space you can convey your message for unlimited time. New ideas can be tested in real time with instant results.

7. Ensure your business advertises the right impression
Make sure your website is up to date. Make sure it promotes your business in the best light. If you advertise in magazines, on billboards or posters you would want your adverts to be very professional and send the right message. Whatever you do, however you do it, always bear in mind; The impression your business is making to the world around you.

8. Be sure to get your website visible
Always ensure it is professionally built and correctly coded for search engine optimisation. Your website needs to be compatible with mobiles, tablets and computers. Remember, most people now have a mobile phone in their pocket, which acts like a mini computer. Basically they have the opportunity of finding your website wherever they are and at any time of day.

9. Make yourself accessible
Websites extend business hours 24-7. Any updated information, offers or product promotion is seen immediately. Your customers are going onto Google or shopping on EBay or Amazon when they get home from work. People are online all the way till bedtime. They may well want to find a plumber, builder, electrician, fitness instructor, or osteopath as well. Why on earth would they search through a paper directory when they are probably online anyway, and all they have to do is tap into Google ‘hypnotherapy bath’ and there it is.

10. Keep up with social media
Increasingly people want to know more about the people behind the business. They want to get feel for the ‘human side’ of the people behind the adverts or the websites. Social media sites such as Facebook and particularly Twitter, enable a business to engage on that ‘human’ level to an audience of thousands. When you buy a product in a shop you are more likely to return if the shopkeeper has treated you well and given you that ‘human’ contact. Well that’s exactly what business is now doing with social media.

Some small business owners think that having a website will cost too much money. Well compare the price of a five page website to the money you spend on Yellow Pages, magazines or printed leaflets.

Ask people when was the last time they picked up a paper directory. Ask people what they do with the leaflets that come through their door. I can guarantee you are spending much more money on directories that people no longer read and on paper advertising that goes straight in the bin.

 

Yes your 16yr old could possibly build a website. Yes you can go cheap and do it yourself with the likes of 1&1 My Website. Yes you can get a website built very cheaply indeed. But consider this. In all my time working closely with local business in Bath and Somerset, none of them have told me that these sites do what they want for their business. Why? Because there is more to building a website than a few pretty pictures and some fancy Shakespeare style writing. To me it’s like buying a car on the grounds it’s a great colour, has black leather seats and a badge suggesting it’s a GSI. Totally without knowing how it works under the bonnet or if all the relevant parts are in order and functioning properly.

Are you going to catch-up and join the online success stories in Bath and Somerset?

Bingham

Blogger for Bath Business Web Ltd