Have you just taken the plunge and started your business? Or are you established but come to the realization that you need a website? No matter what the reason is choosing a platform for your website can be really confusing. You’ve got options like WordPress, Wix, Magneto, Shopify, WooCommerce, DIY website builders and the list goes on. You’ve probably looked at that list and thought I don’t even want to go there!
While free website builders like wordpress.com and Wix can seem great you have to take into consideration how your potential clients are going to perceive you. What they sometimes don’t tell you is that with the free sites yes you don’t pay for hosting or a domain but you will have their own branding attached to yours, which can seem unprofessional.
A month after I started my business I realized I needed a website as there is only so much you can do on social media to build your brand awareness and I noticed that a lot of people after speaking to me initially wanted to visit a website to know more. I started with the DIY website builder from Go Daddy and purchased my own domain name and hosting through them. While this was a start now looking back on what my website looked like I’m surprised I got anyone to visit my website but at least I had an online presence and managed to get my second client through my website.
Personally for me I find WordPress.org to be my preferred platform. With hosting starting anywhere from $6 a month for Australian hosting, and domains from $22 you’re already half way there. With wordpress.org there are so many free plugins to use to create your site as well as free themes. What they don’t tell you with wordpress.com is that if you want premium features you have to pay and it will end up costing you more whereas some of these features actually come with the .org version. There are some paid themes available that have the ease of allowing you to drag and drop to create your website, this is great if you want to add your own personal touch and create it yourself.
Around 74.6 million people use WordPress so really that’s a good indication that it’s a great platform to use. Generally I find that WordPress.org goes hand in hand with the Yoast plugin for your SEO, this can be used as a free plugin or you can purchase premium.
So remember while free can be good it’s not always best especially if you want to grow your brand the right way. Wouldn’t you rather do it right in the beginning than later on having to spend more time and money having to change it?
If you would like more information or want to check out some of our previous blog posts you can read them here.
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Starting your business can be a daunting process and you find yourself in unchartered waters. What do you need do to become a registered business? How will you invoice your clients? And then how do you find those clients to begin with?
I’m coming up for my 3 year Business Anniversary this November and it has been a wonderful journey but I didn’t start getting leads until about a month of advertising and trying to get my name out there. Let me tell you it won’t happen right away it may take several months but it will happen.
My first client I signed up a month after launching my business and he found my advertisement through Gumtree. Never under estimate the power of free advertising on sites like Gumtree, True Local, Hot Frog, Locanto and other free sites. Doing a Google search and typing ‘free advertising sites’ in is a great place to start. Also when you place your advertisement on these sites I found that you increase your chances of being found in a Google search too providing you use the right keywords.
Now it took a further 4 months to get my second client. In the space of that 4 months I thought I was doing everything possible however it wasn’t until I launched my website that I got my second client. It wasn’t by simply launching my website that I got this lead it was the name of my business and the keywords used for my SEO that enabled me to be one of the listings on the first page when he did a Google search. Two and a half years later and I am still working with this client.
Your website doesn’t need to cost you an arm and a leg or even be professionally built (however if you can afford it great go for it!), but just having an online presence by way of a website will help you build trust with your customers. They can see who you are and what you do. When you think about it anyone can open a Facebook page and say they are running a business but by adding a website to the mix you are showing them you are the real deal.
Fast Forward to the present and I have found that networking is the best tool for growing your business. Join your local chamber of commerce, mine is the Wanneroo Business Association attend networking events and coffee catch ups get to know the local businesses in your area. They may not have a need for your services now but that doesn’t mean they won’t in the future and by getting to know them you are always at the forefront of their mind. Another networking platform to look at is Meetup.com on here you can find heaps of local networking events that you can attend.
If you don’t know the power of social media then you need to get started. With so many people using smart phones, tablets and computers you need to be on social media. You don’t need to sign up for every platform just the ones you know will work for you. Personally I would recommend Facebook and LinkedIn for any small business as they are both great online networking platforms.
Within Facebook you have the power to promote and educate your followers by posting content to your Business Facebook page. Try to follow the 80/20 rule which is 80% valuable content that your followers would want to see against 20% self promotion.
Join some of the Business community groups and promote your business to the local market however like your facebook page choose the optimal times to post. That being when people wake up early morning, lunch time, dinner time and when people are usually sitting on the couch relaxing. For an indication check your Facebook Page insights and see when your followers are most online.
Both networking groups on Facebook and LinkedIn are valuable as you can share you blog posts, tips and tricks and allow people to get to know you online. If they can see that you are adding value to the groups and get to know you and your work ethic you are half way there.
I’m hoping by sharing my experience that other start ups can get some valuable information from here to help them promote, educate and grow their customers.
Google the biggest most popular search engine has added a new feature called ‘Google Posts’. When a post is published with this new feature the post will then be displayed on the map search results in Google further enhancing your exposure and your call to actions. This is how you can add a post.
To do this you need to log into your Google account that is linked to your Google My Business account
Click on the Google+ icon on the top right menu
Select your Brand account from the drop down in the top right where you are logged in
Go to the top right again and click on ‘manage account‘
You will then see the Brand Account Details page come up click the blue ‘Google My Business’ icon
On the left hand send click the ‘Posts‘ option second from the top
Now you can create your post or event. You can add start and end dates and times plus add call to actions in the form of ‘reserve’, ‘sign up’, ‘buy’, and ‘get offer’.
You can preview your post prior to publishing
Once it’s published you can then see it on the map search in Google under your Google My Business Listing, it’s as easy as that. Below is a screenshot of what you would see on your listing.
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Sometimes when you are a small business and you have only 2-3 team members you don’t want to spend a fortune on programs when you don’t know if they will be successful and adaptable. Did you know that 9 times out of 10 you can use a task list program/app such as Tick Tick, Asana or Wunderlist to take care of your project management requirements.
There was an article I read last year where one business actually used Wunderlist for everything from to do’s, communication and a CRM, they actually minimized sending emails to one another and used this program. Some might think that’s a bit too much but using it for Project Management it’s definitely doable.
Task list programs all tend to have similar features these days so it comes down to personal preference and what you think will work well for your business.
Here are my top 4 picks of to do list programs
Tick Tick
Cloud based
They do both a free version & pro version (pro version is only a couple of dollars a month & is worth it)
Available on Android, Android Tablet, Iphone, Ipad, Mac, Web
Calendar View Available (Pro Version)
Get reminders on your phone or PC
Share Lists/Folders
Subtasks available so you can break a project up into smaller parts
Add comments to tasks (shows date/time/person)
Add #tags
Assign tasks to team members
Turn emails into tasks with the Google Chrome Extension
Voice Input (speak to create tasks)
Wunderlist
Cloud based
Both free and pro versions available
Available on Mac, Android, Iphone, Android Tablet, Ipad, PC, Windows Phone, Chromebook
Get reminders on your phone or PC
Share lists/folders
Create subtasks
Add comments, #tags
Asana
Cloud Based
Free program
Available on Android and IOS
Assign tasks to team members
Organize into boards
Tasks and subtasks
Due dates and times
Add comments
Calendar View
Trello
Free
More of a board task list
Share with team members
Comment on tasks
Available on Android and PC
Take a look and you might find something that will work for your business and team helping you to simplify your process and get on top of your workload.
Are you just starting your Business and looking for a way to invoice your clients and track your expenses? You may or may not of heard of Wave Apps.
Wave Apps is a free cloud based accounting program that has many benefits and I find is the perfect solution for managing my invoices and expenses. Wave apps is available on PC however you can also get Wave Invoices so you can invoice on the go from your mobile device and Wave Receipts where you never have to worry about loosing a receipt again as you can just take a photo of your receipts which will then be uploaded to the PC version ready for reconciliation.
Features of Wave Apps
Invoice your clients
Mark payment against invoices
Track expenses & bills
Import your bank feeds for easy reconciliations
Import your PayPal transactions
Accept online Credit Card payments through Stripe integration
Produce Quotes
Easy reports including Profit & Loss, Sales by Customer, Income Statements, Expense Reports
Wave Accounting has both a Business & Personal side to it so you can even track and budget your personal expenses from the one program. It is definately a program that you should be considering especially if you are still using an Excel Spreadsheet.
If you’re interested in taking a look you can find more information on their website.
