Don’t find out the hard way! 

The most common reason for websites going offline is that either the domain name registration or the hosting agreement has expired. So how can you avoid this happening to you?

Do you know when yours expires?  If not, find out and make sure the contact details they hold for you are current.

Don’t forget that the domain name registration and the hosting could be 2 separate organisations – for example 123-reg, Namesco and UKreg offer domain name registration i.e. you buy the license to use the website name of your choice such as www.yourcompanyname.com  for a number of years.

Siteground, 1 and 1 and Fasthosts offer web hosting … and many of them offer both. This means they host your website and all its files on their servers, again typically for a number of years.

If you’ve had  a domain name for some time, and have a new website created, it could be that they are out of sync with each other, so it doesn’t necessarily follow that because one is due it means the other is too.

To compound the problem, many of us now use several email addresses for different purposes and it’s easy for things to slip through the net.

My recommendation is to keep a file (either a physical one or a digital one – preferably both) containing all the information on your website and emails – who hosts it, who created it, how do you get updates done, when are renewals due etc. and do an annual check so you’re prepared.  Designate one email address for all website related correspondence

Trust me, you don’t want to be trying to do this when you’re flat out busy, with looming deadlines and your emails and website aren’t working – do it soon!

Photo credit: Free Digital Photos

The more you can get people talking, the more popular your page will become as others will see the interactions going on and want to join in. Here are some ideas (based on a garden centre) to get you started:

Share photos:                               
“Here are some pictures of our gorgeous hanging baskets, made over the last few days. “

Hints and tips:                              
“Now’s the time to plant your clematis if you want beautiful flowers in the early summer months. Plant them in a sunny spot for best results”

Awareness:                                   
“Did you know we offer a gardening service, including lawn-mowing, hedge trimming and weeding?”

Staff focus/personal:                
“This is John, he works in our accounts department and has been with us for 5 years. He loves his enormous Irish wolfhound dogs, and regularly walks them in the park – you may have met them”

Warm and friendly:                    
“Mary’s got a packet of chocolate hobnobs for her tea break. She’s promised to share them if you pop into the shop today!”

Competition:                                
“Guess how many bedding plants we planted up yesterday. The nearest one will win a free box of beautiful pansies.”

Exclusive Offers:                         
“10% discount on everything today, just for our facebook friends. Mention facebook at the till to get your discount”

Achievements:                            
“Hooray! We’re in the local paper. Read all about our recent award here… “ (link to article)

Updates:                                        
“Just arrived …”  “Now in stock….” “We’re busy getting on with …” etc

Events:                                            
“We’re going to be at the village fair on Saturday – pop by and see us” (include details)

Success stories:                           
“We’re so proud of Fred who has just passed his NVQ Level 1 after months of hard work – well done Fred!”

Seasonal:                                        
Mother’s Day, Easter, Christmas – special items for sale/events

News:                                              
“Mr Celebrity is coming to see us on Tuesday”

Acknowledgements:                 
“Thanks to the local paper for supporting our campaign …”  “Thanks to all our supporters for their hard work and generous donations”

Questions/discussion:              
“What do you think looks best – this one or that one?” (with a photo)

Behind the scenes:                    
“Here’s Mary, busy preparing our planted tubs ready for sale at the weekend” (with a photo)

Link to articles:                             
“There’s a really good article about how to make the most of a north facing garden on the Gardener’s World website – have a look here” (link to website)

Involvement:                                
“We’re planning a family summer party … what entertainment would you like to see?”                                                           
“We need a new name for our gardening service – any ideas?”                                                          
“We’re having a sale at the weekend – tell all your friends and call in to see us for some fantastic bargains on all plants and garden accessories!”

Celebrity news:                           
“Mr & Mrs Celebrity called in today and bought lots of geraniums for their terrace”

Case studies:                                 
Stories and case studies of people who’ve worked with you can be written as an article and posted within the Notes section of your page. You can also add photos in this section. The introduction appears as a status update on your wall and on the news feed of all your facebook fans.     

Top tips

• Use images and links to either your own website or other, related websites to add interest and colour to your status updates.
• Be warm and friendly, not too formal – facebook is a social environment
• Respond and thank people for their comments and input on your page
• Be responsive to others – they will appreciate it and return the favour
• Even if you haven’t got anything to say, click the “like” button to show that you like a post

Photo credit

How to find images to illustrate your website, blog or articles

It’s incredibly easy to find thousands of great images online. But how do you know if you’re allowed to use them or not? Photographers rely on people buying their images in order to make a living, and if you use one without permission, you could be in hot water!

Here’s a guide to what the various phrases associated with images mean. 

What does All Rights Reserved mean?

Under current copyright laws, any creative work is automatically protected from the moment it is first published. This means the creator of the work must be recognized as the legal owner when it comes to fair use of that work by others.

“All rights reserved” means that the copyright owner must provide written consent before the work can be used legally.

What does Royalty Free mean?

Royalty free is a type of non-exclusive licensing. It generally means that you pay a one-time fee in exchange for the right to use a photograph according to agreed upon terms, with no ongoing license fees due for further use.  You can use the image wherever you like, as often as you like but you may not be the only person using that image.

What’s the alternative?

You can buy a licensed image which means that the image is licensed for a specific use. You need to pay a “royalty fee” each time you use the image. Usually you will need to specify how and where you are going to use the image.

How do I make sure other people aren’t using the same image?

If you want to be the only person using an image you will need to buy an exclusive  or “rights protected” licence. Typically you will agree a one-off fee, and specify how and where you are going to use the image within a certain time frame.

Where can I get images from?

There are lots of excellent photo libraries including:

http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/
http://www.alamy.com/
http://www.istockphoto.com/

How do I find free to use images?

Look for work in the “public domain”. This means it is free for use by anyone for any purpose without restriction under copyright.

In summary

Check the terms. Some images are available for use subject to you linking back to the photographer’s website. Some are available for a fee.  If you see an image you’d like to use, check the terms and conditions and if in doubt, contact the photographer. Most will happily negotiate a fee for you to use the image.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Thoughts from local photographer, Simon Fielding (unedited)

“Unfortunately, there is little or no respect for copyright anymore, no respect for the originator of the works. Whether or not it is music, photography or even written word.

People just seem to think it is OK to help themselves, with no regard for the losses incurred by the rightful owner.

With images I often add a watermark as many other photographers do.. Not always the best solution though…

The problem is that those amateurs that give their work free, because they don’t care who uses it and this undermines the value or perceived value of the works.

I know for a fact that even the major broadcasters will try it on if they think they can get away with it..

I have been a musician for fifteen years and a photographer for eight years, I still get people expecting me to turn up to an event for nothing, as if it is my hobby etc, why don’t these ignorant people just stop and think..

I even answered an advertisement, sometime ago asking for a ’professional’.. in the dictionary the definition is that a Professional is someone who makes a significant part of or wholly their income from an activity. The advert was placed by an embassy in London… I was less than polite….

If you don’t work for nothing, why should anyone else.. Or you could look at this way.. Pay peanuts and you get monkeys.”

Simon Fielder
www.sounds-and-images.co.uk

Photo credits: Funny face making by Petr Kratochvil and Photographer by Anna Cervova

However, every now and again, I catch up on the various newsletters that come in, and last time I checked I found a newsletter from these printers, promoting the idea of “twitter cards” – little business cards that feature your twitter username and say “you’re now face to face with (username)”

I thought this was a cute idea, so posted a link to the article on twitter. Evidently several other people also thought it was a good idea as they re-tweeted the post to their followers. And who knows if their followers forwarded it again! So what can we learn from this?

If the printer looked at their email newsletter statistics a week after they sent the email, they would have assumed that I was one of the people who had not opened their newsletter.

However, 2 months later not only did I open the email, but I forwarded the information to a new audience of 1,200 people (based on 4 people, each with an average of 300 followers).

The lesson from this tale is that you never know how far your marketing messages will reach – or how they will get there. So make sure your communications are easy to understand out of context and include a call to action and contact details.

By the way, if you’re interested the printer is Goodprint and the link to the twitter cards is http://www.goodprint.co.uk/style-l-twitter+cards-businesscards.php

See, yet another promotion to another couple of hundred people!

Photo: Federico Stevanin / freedigitalphotos.net

1.  Have a plan – be clear why you are using social media
2.  Make your username meaningful
3.  Use a photograph, not the standard ‘mystery’ icon
4.  Use the same photograph consistently so that people recognise you
5.  Spend time on your profile information – what do people need to know?
6.  Introduce yourself when asking people to connect
7.  Post updates regularly – how often will depend on your product and your audience
8.  Don’t use social media as a soap-box. Add value
9.  Think quality, not quantity – make sure your updates are useful
10.  Be responsive – thank people for their comments, start conversations

Whether you are a household name, or a small local business, the principles of getting yourself noticed are the same.  The key is to be seen repeatedly, and in more than one place.

If you think about the brands you’re currently aware of, you’ll find that they are on TV, radio, in the printed press and probably online too. Big brands never do anything in isolation – they create promotional campaigns.

So how can you re-create that impact if you’re a small business?

It doesn’t have to be difficult or even expensive. For instance, let’s take a car valeting company as an example. Their unique selling point (or USP) is that they come to you with everything they need to clean your car. You don’t need to provide water, buckets, sponges or electricity.

Imagine they have come along to clean a car in a residential area. In order to make the most of that as a marketing opportunity, they could have a sandwich board that they put outside the house while the valeting is in progress. In addition, they could deliver some leaflets or postcards through the neighbours’ doors, saying “we’ve just cleaned your neighbour’s car – if you’d like yours cleaned, give us a call”. They could also advertise in the post office window, take out an advert in the local paper or community magazine, and build up their local contacts on social media, inviting satisfied customers to post recommendations. They could have a branded van, with their contact details on – and maybe a uniform or branded T-shirts.

All of this activity should be consistently presented, using the same logo, typeface, colours etc so that people become aware that they have seen this company before. In each case, the USP should be highlighted – “it’s easy, you don’t need to provide anything, we just get on with it”.

Very quickly, they would build up a local awareness. All they would then need to do is deliver a good service to make sure that people talk positively about them. Next time somebody in the area says “I need my car valeting” they would be front of mind, and most likely to be contacted.

So what else can you do to build awareness of YOUR business?

Photo: Arvind Balaraman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Promotions can be a good way of generating interest in your product or service – a discount, 3 for the price of 2, buy one – get one free … a trip round your local supermarket will give you lots of inspiration.

I was struck today by an “early bird discount” promotion which seemed to be the opposite of the norm.  My children have been begging me to get “Alvin & The Chipmunks – The Squeakquel” (Just the title alone is enough to put you off … wait till you hear those squeaky little guys sing!)  But I got caught out!

It was recently released on DVD and available at the supermarket for £8.99 – right at the front of the store with lots of promotional boards and hype. I resisted the begging, but when my son received some money for his birthday he decided that’s what he wanted to spend it on.  So on the next shopping trip, I went to the DVD section, only to find the promotion was over, and the price was now £13.99!

The incentive was to buy early “for a limited period only” to boost early sales. I’ve always believed that DVDs are highly priced when they’re new and desirable, only to go into the bargain basket when they become yesterday’s news. This promotion is bucking that trend, and it certainly made me wish I’d been a bit quicker off the mark – next time a DVD is released I’ll be ready to buy as soon as it’s on the market.

What can we learn from this as small businesses?

Be inventive with your promotions and offers. What can you do to create urgency or a need to act?  Do you offer a last minute discount … or does the price go up if you wait till the last minute? Think about the buying patterns of your customers and reward behaviour that helps you.

Photo credit

Facebook have recently changed the terminology around business pages – insteading of becoming a “fan”, people can now “like” your page instead. This is a step in the right direction, and makes people less reticent to join your page. After all, you are a fan of a football team or a movie star, not a business! Here are some ideas to help you maximise your business page.

Friends: You will need a personal facebook page before you can create a business page. The difference is that on your personal page, you have friends. People you know and have agreed to be friends with. On a business page anyone can “like” you. You don’t have to be “friends” with them, and they won’t see your personal page. You won’t be identified in person unless you choose to be.

Groups: If you want to restrict members of your page, consider setting up a group instead. This enables you to approve people before they join.

Use the tools: Both types of page give you the option to create events, share photos, write articles in the “notes” section and start discussions.  They are like a mini-website and very easy to maintain and update.

Naming your page: When you create a name for your page, make it descriptive – not just your business name e.g. “Sarah Jones – artist with a passion for colour” rather than simply “Sarah Jones”

More than one business: If you have different businesses, create a page for each one. You can have several pages.

Accessing your business page: Whenever you sign into facebook, you will land on your personal home page.  You can paste the url of your business page into the “about me” section on your profile page, together with a description of your page. This has the added benefit of being visible to anyone who looks at your profile.

A user-friendly name: Once you have 25 people on your page, you can create a “vanity url” i.e. a name of your choice which would be www.facebook.com/yourname . In order to do this, go to www.facebook.com/username where you can change it. WARNING!  It’s very easy to mistakenly name your personal page, rather than your business page and once you’ve done it, you can’t change it. Make sure you choose the second option which is “set a user name for your PAGE”

Encouraging people to join: Evidently you will invite all your friends to “like” your page.  And it will slowly grow as others see your page and join it. Add a link to your page in your email signature, your website, your stationery etc.

Saying thank you: When people join your page, send them a message thanking them for joining and encourage them to take part, post comments, ask questions. Your page should be interactive for best effect.  It’s also good to acknowledge people’s input and comments.

Keep it interesting: What will be of interest to your fans – helpful hints, links to good articles, photographs, videos. If you don’t know, ask a question, or start a discussion e.g. what do you think of this?  Make sure you’re not just broadcasting your news all the time.

Be inspired: Have a look at other people’s pages. Which ones do you like?  Why?

Join me on facebook www.facebook.com/janebrocklebankmarketing

In a nutshell, it’s a more positive way of writing and yes it is important!

Using active voice in your communications makes them more direct and engaging. Passive voice can be seen to be avoiding the issue somewhat. For instance compare the sentences:

1. Your invoice will be paid next month

2. Our accounts department will pay your invoice next month

The first one sounds like an exercise over which you have no control – the invoice will be paid. Somehow, it leaves room for doubt and you just have to hope that it will.

However, the second one sounds much more positive with a definitive action.

In active voice, the subject is doing the action e.g. The accounts department is the subject, paying the invoice is the action, the invoice is the object.

In passive voice, the object (the invoice) becomes the subject with an action being done to it. It can be a bit vague. 

However, passive voice is sometimes used on purpose for diplomatic reasons. For example imagine a group of people at a party and someone breaks a glass.  The host comes in to find people scrabbling around for a dustpan and brush. Rather than saying “Fred broke a glass” (an active voice sentence), Fred’s embarrassment can be avoided by saying ”a glass got broken”.

Another example is politicians who want to dodge responsibility for something, for instance “taxes will be raised” (passive) rather than “we will raise taxes” (active)

So if you want your communications to be perceived as strong and positive, use active voice.

Although it can help to know the grammatical rules, the key to this is to think about is whether there is a clear and obvious responsibility within your sentence. Active voice is easier to understand and that’s always a bonus when you’re writing.

Photo credit

Networking is another form of marketing. It’s an opportunity to get you and your product or service in front of new people, and to build relationships that could be mutually beneficial. However, it is not a sales tool!  If you go along to a networking event and start selling, it will be a shortlived exercise. The focus should be on meeting new people, finding out about them and making business contacts.

I can honestly say that most of my business comes through networking – but that doesn’t mean I go to a networking event and come back with a new project. Over the years, I have kept in touch with many people I have worked with, including employers, suppliers and colleagues. Social media makes this even easier, so you can stay connected without any pressure or obligation to do anything.  The odd email or direct message from time to time, or a comment on an article or update all help to ensure that you and your business pop up regularly enough to prompt requests for help when it’s needed.

Networking events give you the opportunity to meet people and talk about business. There aren’t many places where you can launch a conversation with “Hi, what do you do?” Nobody minds, that’s what you’re there for. If you meet someone you get on with or think you could work with, keep in touch. 

For example, last year I met a lady from a design agency. I liked her portfolio and we exchanged details. Several weeks later, I bumped into her whilst walking the dog. Then we connected on LinkedIn. A few weeks after that I needed some help with a design project so of course I called her. And then she had a client who needed some marketing advice so I won a great piece of business. We’ve since worked on several projects together to our mutual benefit.

I used to avoid networking, thinking it was all about a sales pitch but it really isn’t. Use the opportunity to find out about other people and whether they have the same outlook and the same business values as you. You will probably have to meet someone several times before any work comes your way, so give it time. And networking can happen in many different places, not just at official networking events. Clubs, committees and groups are networking opportunities, as are workshops and courses. View meeting people as a chance to build up awareness, trust and credibility.

If you’re looking for opportunities to meet new business people in the Maidenhead area, try:

• Maidenhead Chamber of Commerce – www.maidenhead.org.uk
• Business Link – www.businesslink.gov.uk
• Success Network – www.successnetwork.org
• Thames Valley Business Women’s Group – www.tvbwg.com
• Ladies Who Latte – www.ladieswholatte.rsitez.com
• She plc – www.sheplc.com
• Athena – www.theathenanetwork.com

There are plenty of others I haven’t tried yet – search for “business networking Maidenhead” on Google

Photo credit