Read

Own the Internet: Find New Customers and Increase Sales

Written by Haze Carver on 24 February 2022.

Kathy Ennis, LittlePiggy

Getting found online, finding more customers and increasing sales is the Holy Grail of modern marketing. And, because everyone is doing it, there is masses of competition and jostling for position.

There are also myths and legends being shared about the ‘one thing’ you should be doing to create a six-figure income.

If you want to know how to OWN THE INTERNET and make it work for you – rather than it owning you by creating endless amounts of work with no real return – it will take more than ‘one thing’.

It will take seven.

1. Get Found for What Your Do

I bet you thinmk I’m talking about social media, or maybe your website?

You would be wrong.

I’m talking about the most overlooked places – listing sites and business directories.

87% of of purchase decisions begin with research carried out online.

Consumers are looking for everything from a plumber to a hairdresser, a yoga teacher to a business mentor and coach. And what does the internet offer up to them? Places it trusts to list businesses that sell ‘that thing’.

There are hundreds of listing sites and business directories. Some of the biggest are:

You could also include the listing you have on websites that represent your trade or profession, organisations that you are a member of, affiliate organisations and local business organisations such as Chambers of Commerce.

You could be losing revenue to your competitors if your online listings are inaccurate – or don’t exist at all!

Tip: Check out which listing sites and business directories are suitable for your business get your business signed up. Let potential customers find you without you even trying.

2. Take Control of Your Reputation

When was the last time you visited a new restaurant without looking at the reviews to see what others have said about it? Or maybe you’re looking for an electrician and aren’t sure who to choose.

Yes, you’ll ask friends and family for a recommendation, but you will also check them (and others) out online before you make a decision.

88% of consumers make purchase decisions based on the reviews they read. Why? Because they trust them as much as a personal recommendation.

Glowing reviews is the aim.

No reviews is a no-no.

One negative review – that remains unanswered – can ruin all your hard work!

You can’t afford to miss a review, so you need to monitor the internet continuously.

Tip: Google will rank your business above others if you regularly receive reviews.

3. Build and Engage Your Audience

So now we get to social media.

Social media – for business – is a marketing and promotion tool to be used to engage and convert your target customers.

That means it needs to be part of your overall marketing strategy; not just something you do if you have time and can think of something to write.

So, as much as you like (or loath) social media, you have a job to do.

Tip: Don’t let social media become an ‘if I have time’ activity. Make sure it is part of your overall marketing strategy (Don’t have one? We need to talk!)

4. Make Your Website Work for You

Your website has got one job to do.

It has to convert your website visitors into leads or customers.

So, whatever stage you are at with your website, you can’t afford to leave things to chance.

These are some key aspects of your website to concentrate on if you want to be able to compete with your competitors:

Clear and easy to navigate menu
Strong calls to action
No large blocks of text
Images
Easy to find contact details
An engaging ‘About’ page
Responsive. 54% of all web traffic happens on a mobile device

Tip: Don’t think of your website as a nuisance or an expense. It is the only online space you have complete control over. Make it work for you.

5. Sell More Online

Do you sell online?

Selling can include anything from a full-on, e-commerce shop to selling courses, programmes, small-scale products or books.

Customers see an online store as a sign of a reputable, established business.

So, even if you are not a retail business, you can still sell online. I describe this a ‘productising’ your business.

If you want to know more about productising I talk about it in this blog.

Tip: If you have an e-commerce shop, make sure people know it exists. If you’re a service-based business identify what you can do to create a product out of what you know – and sell it.

6. Get in Front of New Customers

Online advertising is daunting and can be expensive.

64% of the online ads marketing in the UK is controlled by Facebook and Google.

This means your potential customers are within your reach. We know they are searching Google and scrolling through Facebook. So, with digital advertising, you can put your business in the spotlight so that those people consider you before your competitors.

The benefits of using paid advertising are huge:

Your ads get in front of your ideal client because you can control who you want to see it – demographics, locations, interests
You control exactly how much you spend
There is even the ability to control how often people see your ad, on what devices, at what time of day

Social media posts alone will never give you the reach and impact that paid-for advertising will.

Tip: Set aside a budget for paid advertising; it will reach the parts social media posts won’t. If you start with Facebook you can keep your costs really low.

7. Improve Your SEO Rankings

Your website is one part of the equation; SEO is another!

With a SEO (Search Engine Optimization) enabled website, you can boost your visibility in search engine search results so that people find you for what you are selling.

Every business owner should have a rudimentary understanding of SEO – what it is, what it does, how it works. But you don’t have to be an expert.

You can start small by having a SEO plugin on your website – Yoast and SEOPress are two I really like. Both take you through a process, using a red, amber, green traffic-light system to let you know if your page or blog post meets SEO ‘standards’.

Another alternative is to use a SEO expert to carry out research and implement a strategy for you. This isn’t a cheap option but it can be really effective.

Tip: Get to grips with the basics of SEO. See what you can achieve yourself but, if you find it difficult ask an expert.

Next Steps?

Join me for an eight-week programme that will show you how to increase customers and sales across the internet via websites, social media, reviews, e-commerce, paid advertising and SEO

Underrated Easy Side-Hustle Ideas to Turn You from Employee to Entrepreneur

Written by Haze Carver on 24 February 2022.

Kathy Ennis, LittlePiggy

Are you fed up with your day job but struggling to find a route out of it? I know how frustrating it can be to have that dissatisfaction and not know how to solve it. So think about taking that first step of turning your passion into a lucrative side-hustle.

Many people have found success with the following low-risk, easy side hustle ideas. The great thing is they’re tried-and-tested, and you can start them alongside your nine-to-five.

DOWNLOAD MY FREE GUIDE: 13 STEPS FROM EMPLOYEE TO ENTREPRENEUR

Freelancer / Contractor

If you’re craving more flexibility and freedom, think about going freelance or working as a contractor.

It’s one of the easiest businesses to start as you’re using your existing skill-set and qualifications with no start-up costs. It could be incredibly lucrative with a niche area of expertise with knowledgeable coaches and mentors in great demand!

Working as a freelancer will allow you to keep your day job and balance your responsibilities while building up your client base and getting your name out there.

Tutoring or Teaching English Online

Starting a tutoring business from home is as easy as 1-2-3!

If you already work in the education system, tutoring is a great way to bring in more cash.

You could be making more money within minutes by signing up to online platforms such as MyTutor and Tutorful. The demand for tutors has never been higher, given the pandemic’s toll on the education system.

Same with teaching English. You could soon be helping eager learners brush up on their English language skills online through Education First or Italki.

A particularly great option if you like meeting new people all over the world.

The best thing is you don’t even have to leave your house – all it requires is a good internet connection and an engaging approach!

Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Services

People will always need sitters and walkers for their pets, so you’ll never be short of clients.

This is an incredibly easy side-hustle idea.

Becoming a pet sitter or dog walker requires little start-up cost and low risk.

Because of this, you can use these side hustles to test the waters of entrepreneurship and see if you’re ready to make the jump and become self-employed.

You’ll have complete control over when you work, so they’re great side hustles to pair with a full-time job. Remote working also means the possibility of working while also being paid to pet sit.

Think Locally and Reach Out to People in Your Community

Remember to think locally and consider collaborating and offering up your services in your community.

Whether you’re a savvy freelance marketer, offer pet sitting or tutoring services, an easy way to find clients is to reach out to friends and neighbours where you live.

You never know what people are after, so do not underestimate the power of word of mouth! If you let people know of your services, you could have a diary full of clients before you know it.

Need more guidance? Download my free guide: 13 Steps from Employee to Entrepreneur

How much does a website cost?

Written by Haze Carver on 28 January 2022.

Bigfork – we’re the digital people

How long is a piece of string?

It entirely depends on what type of website you want or need and how you choose to build it.

The quick answer is that you can set up a professional looking website yourself for free, with hosting plans starting from as little a few pounds a month. Or, if you want a unique website, made to your specification, you can spend anywhere from a few thousand pounds to literally hundreds of thousands in build and design costs.

So how much should you budget for your business website?

What type of website do you need?

We’ll take you through the different elements that determine how much a website costs appropriate for your business needs and the type of websites available. There are many options to suit different budgets, and numerous ways to create a website, dependent on what you want to achieve and your website objectives.

Show off your services and generate leads with a brochure website.

Brochure website

Brochure websites are mainly utilised by small to medium businesses. They are often used to advertise services, demonstrate expertise, and display contact information with just a few pages. An example would be a plumbing company who want an online presence so that customers can find them.

The sort of content that a brochure site might include is:

A homepage with contact information
An “about us” page describing the company
Some customers testimonials / reviews
Product / service listing
News or case studies

These things provide the basics for a company website so they can promote themselves.

A basic brochure website is ideal for DIY web builders using platforms such as Wix, where you can choose from a range of pre-existing themes and templates, and then add your details. This is by far the cheapest website design and build option.

Custom build website

A custom-build website is created from scratch, with a bespoke design, built and coded to your business requirements. There is no template that will limit your wants, and can be linked with CRMs, social media or indeed any custom integration between your website and backend systems.

The benefit of custom build sites is that your website will be unique and designed to your requirements. They are also easy to scale up, giving added flexibility to grow your website as your business grows online.

This type of website does cost more and is dependent on the skill of the designer and the developer, which means choosing the right person or web design agency is vital.

Ecommerce website

One of the biggest factors in determining how much a website will cost is whether you want to sell online. An ecommerce website will significantly increase the costs when working with a web designer. Although it’s essential to understand that the additional costs of adding an ecommerce functionality to your website should be covered by the potential revenue from the increased online sales.

Shopify, WooCommerce and Magento are ecommerce specific website platforms, with advanced sales features for organisations of all sizes, from small businesses up to large online retailers.

Sell online with an ecommerce website.

Who should build your website?

A considerable factor affecting the design and build costs of a site, will depend on who creates it. There are pros and cons to taking the DIY route, hiring a freelance web designer or engaging a web design agency.

DIY build

For a quick and easy way to get online, a DIY template website builder is an affordable option to get your small business website up and running.

You can start with a basic plan, and add to this if needed, however, these platforms do have limitations. If you’re not particularly tech savvy, don’t have the time or right skills, you can risk ending up with an unprofessional looking website that can damage your business and brand.

Freelance web designer

If you have a bigger budget and a vision for your website, working with a freelance web designer is worth investing in. Basically, you’re paying for the time and expertise of a professional to build a unique website. Hiring a freelancer is typically cheaper than going through an agency, as you’re only hiring a single professional to do all the work.

A good freelance web designer understands all the factors needed for a website, such as the design, usability and functionality. They combine programming skills with design creativity to build websites.

Always ask to see previous examples of their work and speak to their existing customers. And you can find that you get what you pay for when it comes to freelance web design services, so be wary of suspiciously low prices.

Web design agency

Working with a web design agency, ensures you will get a website to match your exact needs and specifications. They can do pretty much whatever you want, but it takes time and money.

When you hire a web design agency, you are paying for a whole team of experts, but this has the advantage of drawing on their vast experience and increased skill set. Specialists within an agency will include copywriters, graphic designers, developers, marketing experts and SEO experts.

However, you should assess agencies on their work and testimonials, and how closely they align with your intentions for your own website. The end result should be a professional website and an investment that will pay dividends in the long run.

Choose a web design agency to get exactly what you want.

Ongoing support

You also need to consider what ongoing service and support you might need for your website.

What if there are issues with the website you cannot fix yourself?
How quickly and easy will it be for your freelance web designer or agency to make changes to your website?

If your website is vital to the success of your business, you need to make sure you have reliable support.

What you need to know

It has never been more important to invest in your online presence, no matter how much you are able to spend having a website will help your business prosper.

Having a plan and an understanding about the process of website design is essential if you are taking the first steps toward a website. If you already have a site, understanding the design process can offer you a wealth of useful information to help guide your choices about your new and improved website.

A website design brief helps to focus your thinking on what you really need from your web design, so you do not waste time and resources later on. A brief will also help your web designer understand what you want, resolve any questions, and give you an accurate cost.

You can view this Bigfork original article here

How to build a lead generation website

Written by Haze Carver on 28 January 2022.

Bigfork – we’re the digital people

If the purpose of your website is to generate leads, then you’ll need to design your website to be a superstar lead generator.

Read on for some of the best, proven lead generation tactics you can use on your website.

Firstly, what is a website lead?

A lead from your website could be several things. Here are some examples.

A phone call
A form submission for an enquiry, appointment, or quote request.
An email
Data capture through newsletter signups and downloads

Start off by identifying all the different ways people can contact you from your website. Think about your typical customers and how they like to engage with your company. Some people just like to call, but don’t forget the ones who may want to contact you out of hours.

How are you going to track your website leads?

It’s essential you track how many leads your website is generating and it’s not difficult to do with a tool like Google Analytics.

In Google Analytics you can set up ‘conversions’. Each conversion would be a type of lead, such as an enquiry form submission. You can then measure how many leads you are generating, what the best lead generation channels are, and your websites conversion rate. Examples of lead generation channels are organic search, paid ads and social media.

What is a website conversion rate?

Your conversion rate is the percentage of your website visitors who convert into a lead. For example, if you have 5,000 website visitors and 60 of them convert into a lead then your conversion rate is (60 ÷ 5000) x 100 = 1.2%.

What is a good website conversion rate?

This depends on your industry; how competitive it is and other factors such as your offer. Unbounce did a study of landing pages and found that a 12% conversion rate is deemed good. Generally, if your website conversion rate is below 1% then you have work to do.

Identify your best lead generation pages

Before you get started on improving your websites lead generation, use Google Analytics to see what pages are currently producing leads. These are typically your product pages, but check other pages like home or contact pages.

Find out which pages are your main landing pages. Landing pages are the first page that someone visits; either directly from typing in your website address, from search, or from a link on another website or social media. It’s normal for the most popular landing page to be your home page, however you might find that product / services pages and possibly your contact page also do well.

These are the pages you need to be optimising for lead generation.

How to generate more leads from your website.

Ok, let’s get started on how to improve your website to get those valuable leads in.

Design is not just what it looks like. Design is how it works.

– Steve Jobs

1. Provide a great user experience

If your customers struggle to find the content they want, you’ll lose them.

Your customer research will identify what content visitors want from your website, this needs to be the focus of your website content plan.

Design customer journeys for your website so visitors can quickly find the content they want. For example, make sure your products and services are the main focus on your home page and menu, as this is what your visitors want to find out about.
Add good navigation tools such as breadcrumb trails, links between internal pages, and easy-to-use menus.
Break up content with headings, bullet points, images, and videos to make your content easier for people to digest.

The key message is to keep it simple. People don’t like to learn new things so keep navigation and page layouts easy to use for good conversion rates.

User-friendly navigation is essential for lead generation.

2. Improve your website copy

Website copy is as important as design and often overlooked. Make sure your copy focuses on the key benefits of your product in a language that your customers will understand. Does your website copy appeal, persuade and convert? If not, then re-write it in a voice that fits your brand and speaks to your customers.

Top tips for writing powerful website copy:

Write for your audience. Use the right style, language and tone of voice that appeals to your customers.
Keep it simple. Don’t write too much text, don’t use complicated words or industry jargon.
Write for “scanners”. Most website visitors are searching for information and are scanning pages quickly. Headings, bullet points and images make it easier to read a page quickly.
Website copy needs to communicate real benefits. What is it that your customers really buy from you?
Search engine friendly. Include your main keywords in titles and website copy, but remember to write for people not search engines.

Find out more about how to write good copy for your website.

Customers buy holes, not drills

– Theodore Levitt

3. Design for your audience

If you want your website to be effective, design for your target audience. Your website isn’t meant to please the marketing directors brother-in-law or look good on the bosses wall, it’s there to convert your visitors into sales and leads.

Website design essentials include :

Branding in line with your company logo, colours, visual style, and tone of voice.
Using high quality images and video that presents your products, services and team in the best light.
Position your company correctly – if you have a premium product make sure your website looks premium, not like a discount brand.
Key messages and slogans throughout the design.

First impressions count and if your website has poor images and looks unprofessional its unlikely you will get many quality leads from your site.

4. Add effective calls to action

A call to action (often shortened to CTA) is what you want your website visitors to do.

Every website needs to have calls to action to guide people. To create good CTAs think about what you want your customers to do and, very importantly, what they want to do.

Remember that everyone is different, some people like to pick up the phone, others prefer a more cautious enquiry form.

Website Calls To Action examples include:

Call us for a quote
Book an appointment
Sign up for free trial
Call me back
Download our brochure
Buy online now
Take a tour

Each CTA needs to stand out through size, colour and style – buttons are a great way to present them. They also need to be prominent to attract attention and increase conversions. Link your CTA’s to your Google Analytics to track their performance so you know what’s working and what isn’t.

5. Capture visitor data

Many of your website visitors may not convert on their first visit. Capturing their data is a good way to stay in touch so you can remind them of your services and products in future through email marketing or direct mail.

Unless your product is highly desirable, just asking for an email address is unlikely to persuade them to part with their precious data. Try tempting your visitors by offering them something for free such as money off vouchers, ebooks, or useful resources.

You can also capture email addresses when people fill in a form on your website. If you do this, remember that under GDPR you must get consent for ongoing marketing by adding an “I agree to….” tick box, and an explanation of how you will use their data.

6. Establish credibility

A potential customer is always asking themselves “Why should I buy from this company?” when they land on your website. They will be looking for signs that you are a professional company who will deliver on service and solve any problems.

What makes a website credible?

A professional design
Customer testimonials
Lists of clients
Case studies
Trade associations and membership logos
Guarantees and warranties
Any relevant policies such as terms and conditions, delivery and returns, customer charters.
Address and telephone number of your business

7. Make sure your website works

If your website doesn’t is slow, has forms that don’t send, has broken links, or is in some way broken then you’re losing conversions.

What percentage of your website traffic is from mobile? Chances are, it’s very high. Use Google Analytics to find out and check your website on smartphones and tablets to see how the customer experience is.

Make sure your website is “responsive” i.e., mobile friendly. For many businesses such as restaurants, hotels, and estate agents, mobile traffic is becoming the biggest source of website visitors.

Does your website work in all the major browsers? Internet Explorer, Chrome and Firefox are the main browsers people use. Make sure you don’t lose sales because your website doesn’t work in a specific browser.

Is your website accessible? Accessibility has a huge crossover with user experience, and a good website is easy to use for everyone.

8. Add a telephone number

Make sure your telephone number is visible at the top of every page. If you have more than one number, show a “contact us” call to action instead, and link it to a page with your phone numbers. Many people still prefer calling, even in a digital age. Not showing a telephone number can reduce people’s trust in your company.

9. Keep forms short

All your forms need to be short and only capture essential information you need to follow up the lead. Remember, your aim is to get leads at this stage, not to ask for every possible piece of information, you can find that out later.

Shorter forms = higher conversion rate.

10. Add video

Video is a great lead generation tactic if used properly. Use video to answer people’s questions about your product. These may be videos explaining how your product works, testimonial videos from satisfied customers, or a video that shows the benefits of your service. Don’t bore people with long videos about the 500 year history of your company – keep them short and relevant.

11. Engage with live chat

Adding live chat to your website is a great way of talking to potential customers. Many people like using live chat to ask questions about your product while they do other things like work, cook, or hoover the dog. It’s not just a good lead generation tool it’s also great for existing customers who want more info or support from you.

Services such as Tawk.to are free and easy to implement. If you don’t have the resources to run live chat, then chatbots and managed chat services are also avaiable.

Don’t stop testing

Lead generation is a constantly evolving task. Your goal is to keep increasing leads, so test everything. Use tools such as Analytics and Heatmaps to how people are using your website. Try different calls to action, design and copy variations, button colours and wording, see if they make a difference. If you’re feeling fancy, you can run A/B tests to directly measure these variations.

Check out your competitors’ websites too, do they have any good lead generation tactics that you can learn from?

You can view this Bigfork original article here

How to write good copy for your website

Written by Haze Carver on 28 January 2022.

Bigfork – We’re the Digital People

Your website is constantly being judged.

It’s being judged in different ways by different people from visitors, browsers, shoppers, customers, not to mention Google and other search engines and even your competitors.

The one common goal they all look for, whether they know it or not, is high quality, helpful, engaging and valuable website copy.

With users spending an average of 5.59 seconds looking at a website’s written copy, the fact that good copy is often neglected or treated as an afterthought can be your biggest mistake.

Why write good, if not great copy for your website?

Let’s back track here, good isn’t quite GOOD enough, and here’s why you need to be writing GREAT copy for website.

Ask yourself, would you prefer to trust an elaborate site with low quality copy, or a simple site packed with engaging and informative copy that answers your questions and ticks your boxes?

We’re not saying ditch great website design, we love a beautifully designed website, but without engaging high quality website copy, the design can be wasted. Great copy and great design are a winning formula when it comes to user experience and the success of your website.

Your website is the ‘worlds’ shop window to your business and should also be your top salesperson. Even the best salesperson can’t sell with just an image, it needs to be backed up with words and in the case of your website, authentic and genuine copy.

This example from Gousto demonstrate this, with a sleek and simple design backed up with copy answering potential customer’s questions. Add to this mix, a reason why you should try Gousto plus a great offer to get you started, and they’ve ticked a lot boxes.

Write great website copy

The benefits of good copy

Investing in great copy for your site has virtually endless benefits and quite literally affects every aspect of your online business. It can even inspire customers to visit your bricks and mortar store if you have one, in addition to increased ecommerce sales.

Taking your copy to the next level can:

Attract new visitors
Connect with existing customers
Respond to users’ questions
Get visitors to spend more time on your site
Increase website and brand trust
Generate online sales
Improve conversion rates
Raise brand awareness
Collect consumer feedback
Improve your SEO
Gain better search engine rankings
Establish your authority
Cultivate customer relationships

If you have a beautifully designed website or not, with poor content, users won’t stay. Creating great copy for your website will portray your business in a positive light and let you stand out from your competitors.

How to write great copy for your website

How exactly do you write great copy? It’s certainly not all about quantity, but more about quality and understanding your customers and knowing what they want.

The recipe for good web copy should include:

A consistent tone of voice

This ensures all your communications are on-brand, it’s ‘how’ it sounds when you say it. You should also use your customers language, give it personality, appropriate for your customers to connect and engage with them.

Harrys demonstrate they understand their customers’ problems when it comes to shaving and speak through their copy with a clear, straightforward tone of voice, which is consistent throughout their website.

Show that you understand your customers problems

Writing for users’ intent

It’s essential when creating content to always keep the user in mind, throughout the entire customer journey. This starts with what keywords visitors will be searching for, to answering their questions and solving a problem. Getting the balance of using sufficient detail to educate users, while not boring them is fundamental.

Provide value to visitors

A customer can interact with your brand 20 times before they actually purchase anything. That can be through social media, website copy, marketing, reviews etc and each one leaves an impression.

Good copy should provide value to visitors, for example, people read blog posts to get information, help or answers. Using blog posts to address the pain areas or questions that your audience want to know is a great use of copy.

This example from Candymail shows how a blog post was written on the subject of a question that many customers were asking. Not only does the blog answer the question, but it also resulted in the No. 1 spot on Google for the search term “How hot are Flamin’ Hot Cheetos?”

What questions are your customers asking online?

Using keywords for SEO

While the above example, demonstrates how good copy works for users and search engines, take a look at how Air BNB appears in a Google search. Their copy has all bases covered, from local holidays, UK places to stay and how to become a host.

Researching keywords for your content is essential before you begin crafting website copy. Making your copy work for you is paramount for both search engines to drive traffic to your website and users when they arrive on it.

Find out more about how to write SEO friendly articles.

You can view this Bigfork original article here

Writing a website design brief is an essential first step towards creating your new site.

Written by Haze Carver on 28 January 2022.

Bigfork – we’re the digital people

Here we look at what your brief should cover, what your agency needs to know and the crucial questions to answer before you start.

A website design brief is simply a document that sets out what you want from your website design project.

It deals with areas including what the site will cover, how it will work, how you’ll update it and how people will find it.

A website design brief helps to focus your thinking on what you really need from your web design, so you don’t waste time and resources later on.

Your brief also helps your web design agency understand what you want, resolve any questions and give you an accurate cost.

The better the brief, the smoother the project – and the better the end result.

Want to get started straight away?

Download your free website brief PDF template

Your aims

These days, every firm is expected to have a website of some sort. But beyond that, why do you need a new one? What aims do you want to achieve?

Specifically, do you want to increase sales and leads, target new customers or promote new products and services? Do you want to build your brand’s profile or offer people a better source of information?

Or is it more about polishing up the design, improving performance, smoothing the user experience or making the site easier to update?

Take an honest look at your existing website – or ask your customers, if you can. What do you like and dislike about it? What is working well, and what needs to change?

Business background

A website is a commercial tool – whether you’re using it to sell online, generate enquiries or just build your brand. So your agency needs to understand how your new website will fit with the rest of your business.

In your website design brief, sum up your company history, your products and customers, your markets, your strengths or weaknesses and your future plans.

What is your position within your marketplace? Are you a best-value option, a premium choice – or somewhere in between?

Do you have a marketing plan already? If so, let your agency know what part your new website will play in it.

Competitors

Your website will be going toe-to-toe with your competitors – most obviously on Google’s search results page.

Therefore, your brief needs to include a review of competitors’ sites. Who are they? What are they doing well – and not so well? What opportunities does that open up for you?

Creative brief

As part of your website design brief, explain exactly what you like about other people’s sites – for example, the design, the functionality, the user journey. This helps your web design agency understand exactly what you’re looking for.

Visitors and traffic

Your brief should profile your existing and future customers. Who do you want to visit your website? How do people normally buy from you? Who are your ideal new customers, and what would they want from your site?

Then there’s the question of how visitors will find you. Will you aim for a first-page listing on Google, or direct traffic with pay-per-click (PPC) ads? What part will social media and email play? And what about offline channels like print advertising and events?

Structure and content

Now, think about what pages your website might need. Your agency will be able to help you here, but it’s good to have a basic idea.

For a smaller site, you can just list the pages. For larger sites, you might want to draw a ‘family tree’ style diagram (known as a ‘site map’), showing sections and links within the site.

Think about the content each page will feature. Remember, it doesn’t have to be just text – you can include images, video, documents, maps and more. Aim to give your users what is most helpful to them.

Detail in your brief what content you will be providing and what you need the web design agency to supply. If you need copy to be written then the agency knows they need to quote for this.

Technical aspects

Do you already have hosting and a domain name? If not, you’ll need to set them up. Your agency can do this for you, or work with your existing provider if you have one.

For ecommerce sites, your agency will need to know what platform you prefer (if any), what products you want to offer, what functions you want and the arrangements for payment and shipping.

Your new website will probably need a Content Management System (CMS) so that you will be able to manage most of your website content inhouse. If you have a preferred CMS then add it to your brief, however it may be better to ask what CMS the agency would recommend and why.

A site is a long-term commitment, not a one-off project – so what maintenance and support will you need? This could include updating content and features, security tweaks or just general help and advice. Ask your agency what they can offer.

Budget

How much do you want to spend? This is a bit like saying ‘How long is a piece of string?’ But your agency needs to have some idea of your budget, so they can tailor their proposal.

With websites, you get what you pay for. Think of your site as an asset that you’re investing in, not just a cost. It will be a central part of your sales and marketing effort for many years to come.

Timescale

If you have a timescale, let your agency know up front. A large site can take several months to develop, particularly for a smaller team – so don’t expect them to work miracles.

Download your free website brief PDF template

This sample document is the ideal website brief document that asks all the right questions for you to complete and send out to your list of web design agencies.

Ready to turn your website design brief into reality?

We can translate your website design brief into a beautifully designed, fully functioning website. And if you don’t yet have a brief, we can help you develop one. Find out moreabout our approach to website design, or get in touch.

You can view this Bigfork original article here

Selling is absolutely not a bad or negative thing!

Written by Haze Carver on 24 January 2022.

Brian Bush Online

What can be are the people that use the skills incorrectly. These folks bring the criticism that we often find levied at sales people. We fear the connection and engagement often. We believe that we will be sold something we don’t want or need.

There are two things here immediately. How can we be sold something we do not want? We are not hypnotised by sellers in some Derrien Brown style as at anytime we can say No. If we do not say No then we are willingly purchasing a product or a service by choice. So that’s on us. If we don’t need something why are we looking? So maybe we do want to buy but not from that person or outlet.

See selling is about relationships. It also of course involves a commodity too. That thing we are wanting to solve the problem we are looking to fix. So we have a ‘thing’ we need or want. That’s one part of the transaction and it has an approximate or fixed value that we are willing to meet. So it is now about the process of the sale and the person or people managing it. Do we like them? Trust them? Want to be in their company? Did we find them or did they find us? Do we know people we trust who trust them? And I am sure a number of other questions.

Some of those questions are front and centre conscious thoughts and some may be slightly deeper subconscious thoughts. All of which will stop us proceeding should they be unresolved. See to buy we must first know where to go. Then we must engage with a brand and the people representing that brand. We must feel that the value meets our expectations and that we are comfortable with the aftersales service.

Some brands are really good at not actually selling you anything and instead supporting you to buy it. They don’t need your money it seems and are quite happy to let you ask what you want answered and decide what you want to do. Others will seemingly oversell the product and keep at you until you buy. Think about which approach you prefer?

Could be the exact same product with a different sales approach and the whole process is completely different.

And then we have the nailed down importance of selling. Just think for a moment of all the companies you can mention that don’t sell anything. The brands you know that have shelves full of stuff nobody wants or buys…..exactly! So everyone needs to sell. We produce a product for £X and we sell it for £Y and the profit allows the business to survive and thrive. Without selling there is no business.

We now know the importance of selling, so why do we consider it such a negative activity and why do so many business owners fear it and never develop their skills in sales? Weird isn’t it. I meet many business owners who do not consider themselves as ‘sales people’ and often are annoyed that they can be viewed as one. And I work with sales people who have never been invested in and developed by their employer. So given the reluctance to develop skills in sales can we wonder that too many people practice it poorly

And I work with organisations that have no sales strategy in that they do not know who their customer is so may end up trying to sell to people who don’t want or need their product or service (refer back to paragraph 3) so the issue increases. There is also the simple equation that aiming to sell a product to 10 people who need it is far more productive than trying 1,000 who absolutely don’t.

Selling is about numbers as we hear often and it is orders and not leads that matter. If we flood the market harassing folks that don’t want to buy we not only negate our brand we develop the negative issue of sales.

So lovely people to improve the sales impression outlined above do it better. Know the market and your ideal customer and understand your product or service fully. Excel at what you do. Ask existing customers what they expect and then meet and exceed that expectation. Advertise and market yourselves to people that want/need your offer as doing otherwise is pointless and wastes their time and yours and therefore your profits. Employ people who sell with purpose not just profit in mind. The two can live wonderfully side by side.

Brian is a growth specialist and works with organisations to develop their sales strategy and connect them directly with opportunities from his own extensive networks.

Contact Brian here

https://bbushonline.co.uk/

Tips to keep yourself safe online

Written by Haze Carver on 7 January 2022.

Charles Stanley Wealth Managers

At Charles Stanley Wealth Managers we help clients secure their financial future. In today’s world though just having the right investments and tax wrappers is not enough. As everything moves increasingly online this presents new challenges.

John Harrison ACSI, head of information and cyber security at Charles Stanley, outlines some important security measures we can all adopt to help prevent and prepare for cyber-attacks.

Email

An email account is an attractive target. Hacking it allows criminals to reset other online account passwords, impersonate you, amend emails and phish your contacts. Use ‘Two Factor Authentication’ for your email accounts and change each account password to something unique, long, and strong. Never reuse an email or cloud password; criminals have tools that automatically try one compromised password with other popular online accounts.

Insecure email and secure portals

The global internet is a public network. Standard email sent across the internet is insecure: it can be read or intercepted. Email accounts belonging to individuals are increasingly being hacked. Charles Stanley’s ‘MyCS’ service is a secure website (known as a ‘secure portal’) that offers a safe messaging service for our clients and Investment Managers. As the messages stay inside Charles Stanley’s network, and are not sent across the public internet, the risk of a message being intercepted or tampered with is greatly reduced.

Password hygiene

Starting with your email account, make the password long (over 15 characters) and strong (containing numbers, letters and symbols). You can try using three random words that you can remember easily but mean nothing to anyone else. Then replace some of the letters with numbers and symbols.

Push payment fraud

This is when cyber criminals trick you into sending a payment to their bank account. Try to use a secure payment service like PayPal, or pay by credit card, instead of sending a bank transfer.

Two Factor Authentication (2FA)

2FA uses two pieces of information to prove your identity. Your password, ‘something you know’ is the first factor. The second factor will typically be ‘something you have’, like your mobile phone. After entering your username and password, a code is required before the account can be accessed. This might be sent as a text message or within an app on your mobile phone. An unexpected 2FA code also indicates a cybercriminal has your password, so you can immediately change it.

Zero trust

Protect yourself by adopting a zero-trust mindset, when emails, text messages or phone calls are not believed until proven genuine. Independently verify the sender by contacting them using details obtained from a search engine or official web site.

For more tips on staying safe online, contact a member of our Norwich team for your free guide to cyber security.

01603 856 932

norwichbranch@charles-stanley.co.uk

Past performance is not a reliable guide to future returns. The value of investments, and any income derived from them, can fall as well as rise. Investors may get back less than originally invested. Charles Stanley & Co. Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Top Tip #5 Stay Innovative and Creative

Written by Haze Carver on 6 January 2022.

Kathy Ennis, LittlePiggy

These top ten tips are not rocket science, but they will put a rocket in your profit and make 2022 a truly sensational year for you and your business.

Tip tip 5 is about how to stay innovative and creative.

Stay innovative and creative. Easier said than done, perhaps?

Sometimes identifying your business idea in the first place can be difficult, but then you have to constantly think of new and interesting ways to engage and communicate with your customers. Add to that the need to find ways to keep your enthusiasm (and accountability) for your own business fresh (particularly difficult if you are a one-person micro business) and innovation and creativity can be REALLY HARD.

So, here are five ideas for you to boost your innovation and creativity

1. Change Your Space

If you always work in the same space, at the same desk, sitting in the same chair you will encourage your brain to think in exactly the same way. Creativity and innovation come from allowing the brain to think differently; to make connections or find inspiration in places it has never been before. Changing your space can be a great way of encouraging creative and innovative thought – go to a coffee shop, go for a walk, do some exercise, work from a different desk sitting in a different chair, stand up rather then sit down – all of these things can help.

2. Keep an IDEAS Book with You at All Times

Where do you have your best ideas? With me, it’s when I am driving; with a very good friend it’s when she is in the shower. The point here is that our best ideas often sneak up on us. The best time to have a great idea? It’s when you are thinking about something completely different – like driving carefully or washing your hair!

So having a method for capturing those ideas when they pop into your mind is essential. Otherwise they will pop straight back out again and will be lost. Therefore you need a place to immediately record these ideas and a notebook is just one example. How do I (safely) do it while I am driving. Simple. My car has a Bluetooth phone connection so I call my office and leave a message on my answer phone. And what about my friend in the shower? Would you believe it, she has waterproof a pad of paper and a pen!

3. Do Mundane Things

Following on from creating a method to record ideas, mundane tasks such as filing, cleaning, sorting out papers etc can be a method of allowing your brain free reign to have flights of creative fancy.

4. Talk to People

Obviously getting out of your space could mean attending a networking event or a training course where you will meet other business-focussed people who may act as a spark for your imagination. However, talking to anyone can also help. Yes, you may feel a bit odd striking up conversations with complete strangers, but those people in the queue at Tesco, or the bus stop, or the train journey home can be just as helpful (and if we all did it could make the world a nicer place too!)

5. Do Something Child-Like

The problem with getting older is that we lose the sheer joy and enthusiasm for life that children have. Give a child a plain cardboard box and it’s a rocket ship, a fort, a fairy castle.

Do something child-like – run round the park, play a board game, make something out of a cardboard box – you will be amazed at the ideas you can come up with. And you will have had some fun too.

Next Steps?

If you’re unsure about how to implement any of the suggestions I have made in this article, why not take advantage of my free, half-hour mentoring session?

What have you got to lose?

https://littlepiggy.ltd/stay-innovative-and-creative-top-ten-tips-for-a-sensational-2022/

Top Tip #3 Follow Through Is Essential

Written by Haze Carver on 6 January 2022.

Kathy Ennis, LittlePiggy6th Jan 2022

These top ten tips are not rocket science, but they will put a rocket in your profit and make 2022 a truly sensational year for you and your business.

Top tip 3 is about ensuring you do what you say you will – when you say you will do it. Follow through is essential!

Why Should We Expect Customer Loyalty?

These days our customers enjoy the luxury of being able to easily switch from one company to the other.

Customer service has been proven to be the main element that attracts prospective clients and satisfied customers make repeat customers.

Those customers become prime advocates for your business.

Customer Expectation Has Never Been as High

Customers opt for companies and brands that offer quality products and excellent customer service.

You could have the best products or services on the market, if they aren’t backed up with great customer care you will lose customers.

On the other hand, you may have a less all-singing-all-dancing product or service but because you have excellent customer care and the essential follow through you will probably gain, and maintain, customers.

Let’s face it; as consumers, we all want to feel listened to, valued and cared for. That is why follow through is essential.

The Simple, Three-Step Follow Through Formula

Do what you have promised to do

For the people you have promised to do it for

At the time you promised to do it

If you want more ideas, why not check out my blog The Fortune is in the Follow-Up: Easy Follow-Up Tips For Your Marketing?

Next Steps?

If you’re unsure about how to implement any of the suggestions I have made in this article, why not take advantage of my free, half-hour mentoring session?

What have you got to lose?

https://littlepiggy.ltd/follow-through-is-essential-top-ten-tips-for-a-sensational-2022/

Top Tip #4 Respond Emails and Phone Calls Must Be Answered

Written by Haze Carver on 6 January 2022.

Kathy Ennis, LittlePiggy

These top ten tips are not rocket science, but they will put a rocket in your profit and make 2022 a truly sensational year for you and your business.

Top tip 4 is about being responsive to your customers (and to others making enquiries) because phone calls, emails and messages must be answered if you want to increase sales and engagement.

Being Responsive Doesn’t Mean 24/7

Being responsive does not mean that you have to be glued to your phone, mobile, tablet, laptop etc. waiting for the phone to ring, an email to ping into your Inbox or a notification from WhatsApp or Messenger.

So how do you manage it? Here are some ideas.

Messages Must be Answered: Not Immediately, but Quickly

Set yourself a ‘standard’ such as replies within 24 hours. Consider how you will maintain this standard when you will not be available for longer periods of time, for example, when you are on holiday.

Have a Short, Clear Message

Using the same message on both your mobile and on messaging services such as Messenger and WhatsApp is a good idea (for consistency).

Keep to the basics – “My name is ..; thanks for phoning (contacting); your call (message) is important to me. Please leave a short message with your name and contact number”.

Some messages include “email me on”, “visit my website at”.

Honestly? Too much and too long. They won’t remember any of it.

Consider What to Include in an Out of Office

If you are in a larger organisation and you have colleagues that can answer for you while you are away then an Out of Office email or voicemail that gives the person on the other end of the line or keyboard the contact details of your colleague is really helpful.

But what about the standard Out of Office in a one-person business?

The “I will respond within 24 hours” message.

Personally, I don’t like them. Why? Because they can set unrealistic expectations. For example, enquiries coming through on a Saturday – will you get back to them on Sunday?

Maybe, Maybe not.

Finally on this one – if you put out special information while you are away – please, please, please remember to change the content when you return.

It doesn’t sound good if a caller hears or reads a message telling them you are away in July if they are making the phone call in September (it happens!)

Keep in Contact Regularly

Follow-up is essential, but so is regular contact.

Allow your customers – and potential customers – to get to know you. Encourage them to connect with you via social media and definitely consider email marketing as it reaches the parts social media alone cannot reach.

Ask if you can place them on your mailing list.

Don’t just pop people on your mailing list. Ask them if it is OK. And then make sure you use the list to keep in touch.

On this one, you must give people the opportunity to unsubscribe from your list. Please don’t be upset if they do; we all do it!

Next Steps?

If you’re unsure about how to implement any of the suggestions I have made in this article, why not take advantage of my free, half-hour mentoring session?

What have you got to lose?

https://littlepiggy.ltd/messages-must-be-answered-top-ten-tips-for-a-sensational-2022/

Top Tip #2 Under Promise and Over Deliver

Written by Haze Carver on 6 January 2022.

Kathy Ennis, LittlePiggy6th Jan 2022

These top ten tips are not rocket science, but they will put a rocket in your profit and make 2022 a truly sensational year for you and your business.

Top tip #2 is all about managing customer expectation. It’s based on the old saying

You must under promise and over deliver

This is not a ploy to fool your customers. It is about managing the expectation your customers have about you, your products and your services.

Your task?

To surprise and delight your customers by exceeding their expectations.

Why Managing Customer Expectation Gives You a Competitive Edge

Many businesses think that to compete with their more successful, or more long-established competitors, they have to promise their customers that they will beat prices, deadlines etc.

It is important to understand that not all customers are driven by cost and speed.

Most customers rate the quality of a product or service, and the feeling of being cared for, understood and nurtured, over cost and speed.

The Outcomes of Over Promising and Under Delivering?

What happens to customer perception of your business if you fails to deliver and all the promises you made are not met?

Well, to put it simple, those customers will tell their friends and – more importantly – people they don’t even know.

How?

Word of mouth and online reviews.

When was the last time you booked a hotel or visited a new restaurant without checking the online reviews?

I know I can’t remember the last time I just booked something without checking.

The old saying was ‘give great service they will tell 10; give bad service they will tell 100’. Now add social media and review sites into that mix the ‘tell 100’ can very easily become ‘tell 100,000’

Perhaps the ‘under promise’ should be more ‘realistically promise’ and the ‘over deliver’ could be ‘exceed expectations’?

Next Steps?

If you’re unsure about how to implement any of the suggestions I have made in this article, why not take advantage of my free, half-hour mentoring session?

What have you got to lose?

https://littlepiggy.ltd/managing-customer-expectation-top-ten-tips-for-a-sensational-2022/