Start Up Britain

Start Up Britain

Although It is certain to help many new start up businesses get off the ground, the Government backed “Start Up Britain” campaign doesn't go into much detail on how to promote your products/services effectively and cost efficiently on the Internet. Yes, a website is absolutely essential and constructed and maintained correctly will definitely bring you increased business.

Websites

The downside? Well, websites historically can range from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds and if you choose the wrong website designer you may find you lose that investment because very few people are visiting your site. There are free websites available on the Internet so these are obviously the answer aren’t they?

Free Websites

If you commit to a free website you will end up with your site being build around a common template so you may find extremely similar sites on the Internet albeit they will be promoting different products. You need to remember that visitors like to see a professionally designed bespoke site to give them confidence in your services. A free website sends out all the wrong signals and may create more problems than it solves. Neither will it be optimised so that the search engines can find you. It will do your business no good at all if it only appears on page eighteen of Google.

Rent A Website

Rent A Website will design a professional website for you from only £14.99 per month with a set up cost of only £29.98. There is no contract. There is no termination penalty. If you wish to cancel, just stop paying. It’s as simple as that. There are no catches. On top of that, they will keep your website up to date for you and redesign your site annually to keep it fresh for NO EXTRA CHARGE. They have taken the risk and cost out of having a website and added simplicity. In fact, if you rent a website, it’s 100% tax deductible.

To see what else is included as standard, visit the website .www.rentawebuk.com and have a browse. They will even design a logo for you at no extra charge.

Website Health Check

If you have already published a website for your business, why not visit their sister site www.dp-group.co.uk and try out the FREE website health check. It will highlight if your site is working as it should. It may also save you a lot of money.

Facebook

Facebook. Don't you just love it? Well, certainly the youngsters do, but it seems the older generation are a little slower to recognise what this phenomenon has to offer. A majority of the older generation say “I just can't see the point” or “It's just for kids”. Wrong! Facebook is a brilliant business aid if you know how to use it to your advantage. Look! Don't get me wrong, I'm not interested in seeing photographs of Jimmy's latest stool samples or reading about how Kate's husband nearly caught her lover climbing out of the bedroom window and shinning down the drainpipe, (By the way, anybody got a quick cure for friction burns?) no, if you use it to promote and grow a business, then it does this exceptionally well.

 

Big companies are increasingly using social media such as facebook to interact with their clientele and gain helpful insight at the same time. Surveys indicate that 60% of the world’s top retailers have an active presence on facebook. Surveys also show that a growing number of companies are increasingly advertising more on online interactive media than in traditional media.

In using social marketing media, companies report increased earnings at reduced marketing budgets.

Surveys conducted among business persons document that 81% of online marketers use social media such as facebook for increased exposure of their businesses. 62% of business persons credit facebook for increased traffic and sealed business deals. 85% of small business owners claim to reap direct benefit from use of social media.

A whopping 81% of business executives state that social media marketing boosts their bottom line results and enhances their brand and business relationships.

Clearly, the impact of online social media has been phenomenal, especially for business. Social interactive media is here to stay and businesses that tap into it can expect to record improved performance and better results.

So, it's clear that if you ignore Facebook or fail to recognise its potential for your business, then, I'm sorry, you are a dinosaur, and you know what happened to them. 

HOT, HOT, HOT

I’ve recently discovered the UK’s best kept secret. Curries through the post. Now in recent years we’ve had curries in a box from the supermarket, we’ve had microwave curries and even homemade curries. Personally, I never buy a readymade curry. What’s the point? These days I like to know what I’m eating. I need to know that the meat involved doesn’t come from the back end of a donkey which expired of old age in a sanctuary. I like to get up the following day without feeling that the world has fell out of my bottom and that I need to spend the next twenty four hours alternating bum and mouth over the toilet pan.

I love cooking. In fact with so many TV chefs giving their all on the telly, it’s hard not to. Be that as it may, it is relaxing and the feeling of accomplishment when your family tastes your food and no one dies is amazing. But I’ve found that a lot of people will not attempt their own curry because, a. their nervous about it will turn out and b. it’s quicker to have one delivered. Well, forget about that, there’s a new kid on the block.

Diane Prince will send you for a ridiculously small charge, a curry kit. You supply the meat (Stop looking at the donkey), the onions, peppers etc. After all, anyone can cut those up and throw them in a pan. The curry kit consists of all the correct spices, with instructions how much to add and when. Not only that, there is a full recipe to follow to make sure you get it absolutely right. This is a fantastic idea and so simple. Your curries will reach a new level and the donkeys will love you for it. Oh, and there healthy too!

You can contact Diane at allthingsspice@hotmail.com or visit her blog, healthykit-tastic.blogspot.com Give these kits a go and you won’t look back.

Frans LaRoc