Internet Shopping

There is no denying that more and more people are using the internet to buy good and services. Both retail and whole sale transactions are occuring at a phenominal pace measured in £billions.

And is it any wonder, when a site can be set up for several £,000's tailor made to your business or concept. With strategic and well planned marketing and PR customer can be buying within days.

Just contrast the difficulties faced when opening a shop!!

• Rent
• Rates
• Heating and Lighting
• Security
• Fire alarms
• Insurances and Public Liability
• Health and Safety
• Disability Discrimination and Access
• Fitting Out
• Planning and Building Regulations
• Local Authority Regulations

It goes on and on, and thats before you sell a bean.

But apart form the loss of face to face contact, the web is a must-even if you already have a shop, business or idea to sell products, services and concepts.

Look at the following 3 examples

Shopping Web Site

Wholesale Specialist

Local Community Web Site (Not for Profit)

Notice the amount of actual material availabale to build-up that all important customer relationship, plus all the electronic tools to automate this process. These sites are full of news and articles, which can be submitted (after being moderated) by customers and suppliers alike, as well as the owners.

• E-mails
• Newsletters
• Blogs
• RSS Feeds
• PDF downloads
• E-mail a friend

This is the future, be warned.

New Resource in Yorkshire

A great idea is being piloted in Yorkshire by IBD Yorkshire. Its a FREE to join Networking Forum aimed at all businesses and anyone wishing to start up a business.

Whilst forums are nothing new, nor network groups for that matter, the neat thing here is that the buyer or seller can "post" their needs into the forum and then will be e-mailed when a responce is made to their post.

It's ideally suited to those many busy owners and mangers who just can't seem to find the time to do face to face networking.

There are regular articles, grant alerts and a whole host of benefits, which will increase as the membership rises. They can be e-mailed here too!

Good Luck to Yorkshire Network Online

Also there is the North East Network Online which was started up last year, along the same lines as the fore-runner. Thanks to Mark Flanighan.

Make a Business From Your Skills

One of a clutch of new clients picked up in the last two weeks, is a great example of turning your skills and employment history into a new business for yourself.

First step is to list your achievements, skills, strengths and testimonials from third parties. Then work out the weaknesses, threats and marketing needed to promote your new idea. This has been done with Inspirational Seminars Ltd. A strong skill set in presentation seminars has been augmented by a commercial and marketing team to create a "rounded" business plan.

We are at the point where finance plans are being drawn up and market research is being conducted. Please remember that with e-mail and internet sites, that marketing feedback need not cost a fortune. So a business can be floated at a low cost, that is able to target the right niche market segment profitably.

Get the legal structures right, take advice, insure the assets (including the Talent), find a few "old contacts" to exploit and you have the makings of a business. Plough the initial earnings back into marketing and PR, build a sales "machine" from Web Sites, Blogs, Podcasts and e-mail campaignes to pick up any traffic produced from the PR. This will "kick start" the business.

But remember that returns in the early months will be modest and do not count on a profit in the first year as a minimum. If you beat these targets, its a bonus, and put it towards more marketing.

The Way Ahead

We have recently seen a client with a web re-design requirement.

His current web site had plenty of content but:

He was having to put product information into an admin area in 10 separate places to populate the site! Utter madness and a complete waste of time, let alone risks with accidentally tying in an error.

However worse was to come. Having fallen out with the web designer, I have just discovered that his web designer is the registered owner of his .com domain!!. Oh dear.

This leads to one key point in any business relationship. The legal side, who owns what. Whilst it is probably possible to get back the domain ownership, this clearly an issue that can happen quite a lot.

With the ownership back into the company's control, we can get on with the task of re-design, complete with all our normal Marketing Initiatives.

Real World Marketing

Well, it's happened again. Another sizable firm this time with International Business Trade, and yet apparently oblivious to what is required in terms of Marketing.

Indeed it reminds me of my friend Kevin W McCarthy and his crusade to get his clients "On Purpose" in their business and life planning. It just seems so many people and businesses just survive in spite of their own actions.

Anyway back to my latest client, web site so introspective that the browser will have to do a lot of research on the site to find out what any of the 100 or so products actually do!! I mean its so secretive that site traffic will be giving up before they find out just what they supply. But don't misunderstand me, this is a "classic" web site and by no means unusual.

The problem is that it is designed by the owners and outside consultants but exclusively from the owners point of view. I mean its his business, his designs and products!

But, all material whether web, blog, newspaper advert, editorial, PR or flyer HAS TO BE WRITTEN FROM THE CUSTOMERS VIEWPOINT. I mean they are the ones that are supposed to read it, aren't they?

It's so obvious to me, an outsider.

But that's also the point. Most business owners are too close to the day to day issues. It is very difficult to step back and look at the "big picture", to see strategy, to look beyond next week's deadlines.

That's really my function whether it's a poor marketing web site, or poor strategy, I can arrive without the "baggage" of tradition, procedures or corporate or social history that has shaped these businesses. As an outsider I just see the "bones" of the business, indeed I do not have the time (nor would any sane client pay for) me to learn all the histrionics that make each business unique.

So I will let you know how it goes, when I open with "Your Web Site is Rubbish"

But I will help them build up this business with a fully rounded marketing plan that will encompass the web site and make it a worthwhile addition to the "family".

mail me for comments, ideas and help.