Making the move online? Key tips

Are you an entrepreneur wanting to move a new or existing business online? We can help! Here are some key tips to get started:

  • If you are confident with using computers and technology, then we recommend using WordPress: they claim to power about 30% of the web and provide a very comprehensive service, including a custom domain (your very own address on the web), encryption (making your site safe for your customers), a built in blog, and  the ability to add ecommerce and custom themes.  (If you don’t want to use  WordPress, there are similar competitor websites out there too!).
  • If you need help setting up your website in WordPress (or similar) we can help you do that.  Similarly, if you need help in editing a site after it has been set up, or adding extra functionality.
  • If you need a more complex website (e.g. because it needs to perform calculations, or manipulate data) then we can help you do that, via building a bespoke website for you in the cloud (Microsoft Azure).  It will use a responsive design, meaning that the layout will automatically adapt to the device that your site visitors are using (e.g. a mobile phone, a tablet or a computer).
  • Make sure you have chosen some good marketing collateral (that is to say images and text which conveys your message clearly and attractively).  Again, we can help you choose some suitable materials from your existing documents, or help you create new ones.
  • After that, we recommend you set up suitable social media channels (including Twitter and Facebook) so that you can reach a wider audience and to keep your content fresh and engaging!

We wish you the very best of luck in your exciting online journey. If you need any help in making this important first step in putting your products and services online, please contact us!

Marketing via social media – some key pointers

If you are new to social media marketing, this post is for you!

Social media via channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Instagram and blogs, can be a very powerful addition to more traditional forms of marketing.  We can help you with this.  Here are some key pointers:

  • add impact to your posts with well chosen images. Visitors to your posts/tweets/blogs are far more likely to read, engage with and remember your content if it has a suitable image!
  • post regularly but make sure your content remains relevant to your customers
  • initially, you can just dip a toe in the water by merely pushing content out to your target audience to excite their interest, without engaging in dialogue. (But do respond to any criticism or praise from your site visitors!)
  • however, for maximum impact, engage with those who visit your social media platforms, e.g. by taking part in discussions with relevant hashtags. Be aware that this is a more demanding strategy which will require you to spend more time, but if you engage well with customers and prospects, this can lead to significant new interest in your business or organisation!
  • a major strength of social media over traditional advertising is that it can help you reach target audiences in a much more effective way (e.g. by filtering audiences by age, location and interests).

Good luck with your social media journey – please contact us if you would like us to help you, or with any other aspects of enhancing your presence online!