10 Ways to Save Time and Money on Your Small Biz Website

It’s a new year and many of us are thinking about updating or creating a new website.  Whether you do it yourself, or have someone do it for you, spending a bit of time before you jump in can save you Time and Money!

1) Know what you want

It’s important to understand what you want a customer to do when they land on your home page.  For example,  are you providing information, do you want them to sign up for something, do you want them to contact you, do you want them to see what other customers think of you?  All of this information is key to understanding what message you want to communicate to those that come to your site

2)      What makes you different?

Why would someone buy from you?  What is your unique value proposition?  Have you developed a tagline that helps to draw your visitors in?

3) Tell your story

Trust is key in a buyer/seller relationship.  People are drawn to stories, and they help to personalize your site and create a trusting relationship with potential customers.  Tell your story and make it your ‘About’ page.

4) Describe your ideal client

Who is your ideal client.  Where does he/she live, what does he/she do, what is important to him/her?  If you understand who you are selling to (your target market) you will be better prepared to target your site to that group.

5) Keywords

Keywords are how people find you.  Figure out what they are, and then use them often.  In your blog posts, your tweets, your site content, your site’s meta data and any other marketing material you develop.

6)      Consumer motivation

We all think our business ideas are the best thing since sliced bread, but unless they a) solve a basic need, b) solve a problem, or c) make someone feel good, nobody is going to care.  Figure out which of the above your business fits into, and then focus on the ‘how’ when writing your website content.

7)      Organize your stuff

There’s nothing worse than looking for something and not being able to find it.  Save time and money by organizing all of your stuff – pictures, logo, previously developed marketing material such as brochures.  This will also be helpful to your web designer if you’re not doing it yourself.

8)      Customer testimonials

Happy customers are usually willing to provide you with feedback, but you usually have to ask for it.  Don’t be shy – go out and gather those accolades now.  They will help to develop a trust relationship with potential customers.

9)  Social Networks

Are you connected?  If not, you probably should be.  Word of mouth travels quickly and one of the best ways to stay front of your customers is to be active on facebook, twitter, and linked in to name just a few .

10)  Contact information

Last but not least, have all you contact info handy especially if you’re getting someone else to build your site for you!

The full MiBec Communications web development checklist can be accessed at www.mibec.ca .  Look under the “freebies” tab.

Judy Ranieri – MiBec Communications

www.mibec.ca

www.smallbizcafe.ca

@smallbizcafeTO

www.facebook.com/smallbizcafe

 

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7 Key Things You Should Have On Your Website Landing Page

I attended a Webinar the other day by Andrew Patricio of Bizlaunch.  I really enjoy his webinars, as he continues to impress me with his knowledge and willingness to help the small guys.  He was speaking about Building a Successful Website for Small Business.  During the webinar he reviewed a number of service oriented and product based sites that he thinks do a great job.

 

I walked away with the following tips for a great landing page:

1. Make sure your #1 benefit is clearly stated and very visible
   • This is important because if people can’t see that you are solving a problem that they have, they will not continue with your site
2. List other key benefits in the left sidebar
   • I like the left because we typically read left to right, so you want the person to read the rest of your benefits before he/she moves to #3 below
3. show a graphic or short video that clearly describes your service or product
   • a picture is worth a thousand words, and google loves video!
4. include testimonials
   • this helps to build your credibility
5. have a clear call to action
   • what do you want the person to do – buy, sign up, contact you?
6. keep it clean and simple
   • don’t be afraid of white space
   • make your navigation easy to follow
7. display your contact information
   • this should be on every page, but make sure it’s in a prominent spot on the landing page

 

Examples of great pages, recommended by Andrew Patricio

www.mint.com

www.clearfit.com

www.freshbooks.com

www.hubspot.com

www.dropbox.com

www.amazon.ca

Lessons Learned from a Bad Customer Experience

I recently hired a company to install reclaimed hardwood floors at my cottage.  I was excited.  We had seen reclaimed wood at the Cottage Life show years ago and fell in love.  We were finally in a position where we could replace the plywood with something that would transform our little haven in the woods. 

Upon arrival at the cottage, we were greeted with a beautiful hardwood floor.  At first glance, it exceeded my expectations!  We started to move the furniture back into the cottage.  I began to notice some small details.  There was an area that had only 1 or 2 coats of varnish instead of 3.  The floor looked dull in this one spot.  The floor had been stained but not varnished close to where the floor met the wall.  Most of it would be covered by baseboard, but in some spots, there was a 3 inch gap – no baseboard was going to cover that.  There was even one area near the stove that had not been stained or varnished.  It was obvious that the crew was rushed.  I knew that they had been delayed at another cottage and hence did not begin work on our cottage until almost a week later than the original planned start date.  

I paid a premium price for this floor, and my expectation was that I would get a premium product and service.  The contract said “floor installed, stained, sanded and 3 coats of varnish’.  I expected 100%, I got 95%.  I called the company (yes, they are a small biz) and told the owner that I love the floor, but that I felt that some details were missed and that it was sloppy.  It wasn’t an easy conversation, but he agreed to fix it. 

The work is supposed to be done this weekend.  I am travelling to the cottage (5 hours total driving) to supervise.  I got an email from the owner of the company stating that they will stain the part that is not stained and apply a coat of varnish, but that I would have to apply coats 2 and 3, because they don’t want to stay around waiting for varnish to dry.  OK, so maybe we will be at 98% completion.  I asked him what sort of discount he was willing to give me to do the remaining 2% of the work myself (his estimate is about 1 hours worth of my time).  That’s when things started to get ugly. 

I won’t go into details, but his expectation is that I will pay 100% of the price for 98% of the work.  

So here are my lessons learned: 

1. Make sure both you and your clients understand and agree on what 100% is.  It is so important to set expectations properly
2. If you make a mistake admit it, be humble and ask the client how you can remedy the situation
3. Do not let an unhappy client walk away, it will only end up costing you business in the future 

How do you ensure that you are setting expectations clearly?  What do you do when a customer does not think you have met those expectations?

How Does Your Business Plan Measure Up?

I recently attended a Webinar given by Andrew Patricio of BizLaunch , a company that has some really great resources for entrepreneurs.  The topic was “Develop a Business Plan to Boost Your Sales and Profits”.  In the webinar, Andrew speaks about what should go into a business plan, and the importance of keeping it updated.  He recommends and update every 90 days. 

Here is a list of 10 Questions that your business plan should answer:

1) What is your business idea or concept?

2) What problem does it solve?

3) What is so different about your stuff – why would someone want to buy from you vs. your competition?

4) How big is your target market?  Is it growing, and if so, by how much?

5) How will you market your product/services?

6) Who is the leader, who is on the team?

7) How will customers buy from you?  How much will they pay?

8 ) How much money do you need and how much profit will you make?

9) Where is the start-up money going to come from?

10) What are your key milestones?

Do you have a clear business plan?  Comment below to introduce us to your business.

Customizing Your Twitter Background

I attended a great workshop yesterday in Toronto called Twitter-licious. There was a question that was raised regarding customizing a Twitter background and specifically, what dimensions should you use when designing a background. No one had a specific answer, so of course the uber geek in me rushed home to research it.
Here’s what I found:
Do It Yourself Dimensions
1) To change your background, go to settings, then design, and then click “change background image.” You can now browse your computer and add any image you’d like, as long as it’s under 800k in size.

2) According to an article I read in ‘Mashable’ the total image size should be around 1600px wide by 1200px tall. This is important because if the image is too large, it will be can be covered by your Twitter profile, and if it’s too small it will start to tile.

3) If you build a left-hand column, (recommended because you can use it to display additional info about yourself) it should be small enough not to be covered up by the central Twitter content. Try using your FB banner if you have one. The FB image dimension is 200px wide by 600px tall.

The process will probably involve a bit of trial and error (unless you’re lucky the first time).  Stick with it until you get it right, or get totally frustrated (see tips below)!

If you’re not a geek or find yourself totally frustrated….

Try one of these freebie sites:
http://freetwitterdesigner.com/

http://tweetstyle.com/

http://www.twitbacks.com/

http://www.mytweetspace.com/

Los Cabos, Mexico

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Mom’s the Word!

Wow! What a powerful networking event when you get a bunch of solo women entrepreneurs a.k.a. Moms sitting in a room with food, coffee and an engaging speaker.  I walked away from yesterday’s meet-up feeling strong, motivated, and ready to conquer the world! 

I’m talking about the  www.momentrepreneursnetwork.com in Toronto.  Yesterday’s event featured Jen Maier of www.urbanmoms.ca . She spoke to us about the myth of being a Mom entrepreneur (it’s not easy), the sisterhood of motherhood (a very powerful connection) and the importance of community. 

 Although this was my first event, I will definitely sign up for more.  In fact, I’m already booked for Twitter-licious next week.  Hope to see you there!

The Dash

I attended a Celebration of Life this weekend for a very special man. One that has had a major impact on my kids lives. We will miss him. At his funeral his lifelong friend read a poem that described Louis. I wanted to share it here. It has nothing to do with Small Biz, but everything to do with life.
The Dash Poem
by Linda Ellis
I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning to the end
He noted that first came the date of her birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years
For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not how much we own;
The cars, the house, the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.
So think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy is being read
With your life’s actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?
©1996 Linda Ellis

Have you tried this yet?

FREE FROM YOU TUBE
This fun new tool would be great for small business. It took me less than 5 minutes to create this. Watch out though, it’s ADDICTING! If you’d like to try it yourself, go to http://www.youtube.com/user/SearchStories and follow the instructions.   Let me know what you think by liking or commenting below.