Web 2.0 explained for small businesses

We've covered the world of social networking as a small business marketing tool before on the Friday-Ad Business Blog. When web-based tools are used in a way that's appropriate to your business, it can end up as an engaging and rewarding method of reaching out while cutting marketing costs.

Saying that though, it's not hard to see why a lesser-confident web user would get their Twitter mixed up with their YouTube, and their Flickr muddled with their Delicious. Happily, the Guardian have saved the day with a very informative article on using web tools as part of your marketing arsenal.

Helen Keegan, the MD and founder of UK mobile marketing agency, BeepMarketing, has found such tools invaluable. "I use web 2.0 technologies because, as a consultant, they build up my personal brand to be top of mind in people's minds," she says. "You need to strike a balance between your personal communication style and the audience you want to reach."

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Workplace jargon: harmless or damaging?

First things first, a belated Happy New Year to the readers of this blog. Hopefully the festive break was a relaxing one - already it feels like a distant memory!

The Friday-Ad Small Business blog will continue as a resource for Sussex businesses in 2009, with more exclusive articles from local business personalities, together with the latest news from the economic world.

Today's post is based on a feature in the January issue of Sussex Enterprise's Business Edge magazine concerning workplace jargon. Their top ten cringeworthy office phrases are as follows:

• Going forward
• Blue sky thinking
• Web 2.0
• Ideas shower
• Pushing the envelope
• Low hanging fruit (?!)
• Knowledge base
• Restructuring
• Fully integrated
• Upskill

Research shows that 98% of staff from larger companies use buzzwords every day, compared to just 25% of workers from small businesses; whilst women (36%) are more guilty of spouting jargon compared to men (26%).

So why does office jargon exist? What's wrong with good old fashioned coherent speech? Is it a matter of laziness, or does it genuinely save time?

Answers to our comments form please! Feel free to add any classic office speak that we may have missed...

Does your website make buying easy?

I recently visited the website of a local retail outlet/visitor centre to look for information about Christmas events, opening times and so forth.

Hard to believe it, but I had to hunt around for this information – and even when I found it there was nothing about seasonal offers. And yet this company spends a lot of effort on making its retail outlet vibrant and welcoming.

Websites need to be more like their retail counterparts. With the vast majority of visitors leaving after viewing just one page, it's critical that the landing page (usually the homepage) does the job.

There are four questions people ask when they land on a website, and you need to answer them. Fast!

1. Who are these people?
Transparent contact details, a real address and phone number, photos of actual people who work for the company, or of the premises... all of these help in building trust.

2. What are they selling?
Sounds obvious, but is it? Ask a handful of people who don't know your business to take a look and give you their opinion.

3. Why should I stick around? (or, what's in it for me?)
The big one – how many sites have you seen with 'Welcome to our website! We are the largest provider of X in the country, servicing blue chip clients to the highest standards of blah... our excellent record is second-to-none...' etc. Who cares? I want to know what you're going to do for me, how you're going to solve my problem!

4. What do I do next?
When time is short, we like to be told. Think airport signs and announcements. How annoying is it not to be able to find crucial flight information? Tell us what to do! Clear instructions, calls-to-action, active verbs (shop now, buy now, find out here...)

Putting yourself in the shoes of your customer is good old fashioned marketing. What are they likely to be looking for when they come to your site? What's on their mind? How can you get their attention in those few second before they click away?

Make buying easy

If there's one mantra worth keeping in mind at all times, it's this. As Steve Krug said, 'Don't make me think!'

So many sales are lost because of clunky navigation, too-clever copy, design-gone-mad and 404 errors. Get rid of the splash pages and the broken links, fix the forms, the spelling mistakes and the black backgrounds, upgrade to a decent content management system and make buying easy. And have a happy Christmas!



Robin Houghton of Eggbox Marketing is an online marketing specialist and author of eTips: monthly marketing advice and ideas for small businesses. Sign up at eggboxmarketing.co.uk/etips.

Should you be spending money on marketing during a downturn?

A study showing the long-term benefits of maintaining an advertising presence during a recession.


There's no denying it, small businesses are having to rein in their costs, thanks to the current economic climate. What does that mean for marketing? Should business owners be cutting that too?

The answer partly depends on whether you consider marketing to be an expense or an investment. Related to this is whether or not you're measuring the results of your marketing. If you can measure it, do so. If you can't, how else are you justifying the expenditure? Ask not what will happen if you do spend £XXXX on a new brochure, website, display ad, directory entry, PR event or whatever, but what will happen if you don't. Not just 'are they cost-effective?' but 'are they effective?'

This question of measurability is key, and it's something that marketers traditionally have always hated. Accountants slashing their budgets, stifling innovation and growth. Marketers believe you have to invest in creative marketing in order to create a competitive advantage. I'm a marketer myself, and I do think it's short-sighted to make swingeing cuts in marketing during a downturn, however tempting, because marketing now is an investment for the future. Nevertheless, there's no point fiddling with marketing while the business burns. The idea is to market smarter – DON'T drop all marketing but DO question every pound spent, keep any eye on the results and stay flexible. Then marketing pays its way and nothing is wasted.

For example, a mail order firm used to send out its sixty page brochure twice a year, with smaller versions in between. Instead, they took the decision to send only one brochure a year and in between times send frequent email updates, attracting customers to their web store. The money saved in print, design and distribution costs was significant, even after the business reallocated budget to the email updates and improving website visibility.

It can be the small changes that make all the difference: halve your print advertising and put the money saved into getting your website found in searches, reconsider those annual directory entries – do they actually bring in business or are you just in them because everyone else is? Look at ways of retaining existing customers and cross-selling rather than focusing solely on getting new customers. Measure what you can: conversion rates, click-through rates, cost per acquisition... it's amazing how many businesses know nothing about their website performance except the number of 'hits' it gets. And most importantly, respond to changes and make the most of any opportunities. We all need to stay on our toes.



Robin Houghton of Eggbox Marketing is an online marketing specialist and author of eTips: monthly marketing advice and ideas for small businesses. Sign up at eggboxmarketing.co.uk/etips.

IDEA over RASCIL?

Following on from yesterday's post on the power of RASCIL in print advertising, we present to you an alternative view on writing the perfect persuasive copy for your product or service, nicely wrapped up in the mnemonic 'IDEA'.

Interest
Desire
Enthusiasm
Action

Interest
In the first instance the interest of the reader must be gained before there is the possibility of making a sale. The main methods of gaining the readers interest include:

- Unique selling point: car and van MOT’s just £35
- Self-interest: sale, 20% off with this advert
- Curiosity: something new, something different

Desire
The next stage is to create 'desire' – this is done by imagery and giving details to explain the offer and/or information about the product/services offered.

Enthusiasm
The ad should now encourage the customer to call/visit the business today, not tomorrow. This is done by the use of selling phrases.

- "Buy now whilst stocks last"
- "Yours for only £..."
- "Call now for details"
- "Offer ends in five days"

Action
Now the ad has gained the readers interest, created desire and enthusiasm to buy, the reader then needs to know how they can contact the business.

- Name and address (including map)
- Opening times
- Telephone number
- Web/e-mail address


Whether it's RASCIL or IDEA, Friday-Ad knows its stuff when it comes to print advertising. Why not give us a call on 0844 871 6604, or e-mail our sales team.

If you are a business owner, why not share your experiences (good or bad) with print advertising? Please leave your comments on the blog, or e-mail us at businessblog@friday-ad.co.uk.