Category: Social Media

Blogging

Website Wonder

How many websites do you visit each day, tens, hundreds? However many you browse through, chances are you’re able to make a snap judgement on the kinds of websites that work and those that are very much going nowhere.

When you’re working on your own site, you’re looking to fulfill three or four golden rules to ensure that your lucky hits become return hits. Your website is your shop front so make sure you’re not missing any key components. In this blog we take you through some of the basics and some of the more sophisticated elements of developing your own website.

Landing Page

If your website is your shopfront, then your landing page is the display window. It should be less about you and more about the products you offer. When writing content for your site, think about how you can demonstrate to your customers the benefits of exploring your products or services.

If you’re unsure on how to write web content, don’t scrimp on this element and have a content developer write your website for you.

Create a menu bar that is clear and logical, with the same applying to any sub-menus. Make your landing page the first step of a logical progression around your site, funnelling as many visitors as possible to your products and ultimately to your checkout services, if applicable.

Media

Wall-to-wall text is a big no. Think about breaking up that text over several pages and concentrate on creating a strong visual theme for your site. If you’re using images such as photos, make sure that you’re sourcing them from a high quality site.

Make sure that the images are also royalty free, which means you have permission to use them on your site and they’re not subject to copyright issues. When using video, make sure that the imbedded media is formatted correctly and plays as soon as your website is opened. Your website will need to be able to support rich media formats. Your customers will not wait around to see the content of your video load, so it needs to load first time, every time.

 

Customer Extras

Communication and accessibility are key components that your customer will expect to find on your site. If you’re selling products or services, then your customers may have questions. Alongside your email, telephone number and queries form you should also consider creating a customer services bot.

Not sure of the benefits of a bot then visit a bot building resource page to discover how this element will make your website a one-stop for your customer.

You should also include customer testimonials on your site. These one or two paragraphs go a long way in giving your customer some reassurance that they’re dealing with experienced professionals.

Have your existing customers write a few lines for you and make sure they are properly credited to a real person in that company.

Finally, consider how your website loads on mobile devices. More than ever, we access websites on the go, walking down the street, sitting on the train. We are mobile people who need to do our banking while out and about. Your customer will expect your website to load properly, to look just as good on a mobile or tablet as it does on a laptop.

When you’re setting up your website or thinking about giving it a makeover, you need to find a combination of text, images and customer extras that mean your site rises head and shoulders above the competition.

You want your site to be found easily so think about how your content might be maximised for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). You’ll need to consider your key words, you’ll need to think about how people are going to find you and know your site exists. There’s little point having a great site if it languishes in a forgotten element of the internet.

If you’re able to, look at what your analytics are telling you. Which pages are getting the most hits and which are underperforming? Your site can and should be a constantly evolving site and one that you adapt and fine tune until it’s functioning to its maximum capacity.

Get your website running well and you’ll have access to the best resource in your business and a direct line to your customers. This is your shopfront and the gateway to your business so make sure it’s attractive, make sure it’s clean and well-designed and make sure it’s easy to navigate. Get it right and send your business soaring.

 

Business Blog

How to Set Up an Office

There are many different aspects to starting a business, one of which is setting up an office for yourself and your colleagues to work from. The office will be where you all spend the majority of your time, so it is really important that it is designed in a way that will encourage productivity, but also in a way that makes it a comfortable space to work in. Here, we run through some ideas on how to create a great office.

Layout

One of the first steps in determining the layout of the office, is to make the most of your light sources. If you can find a way to make sure everyone has access to a window, it will make them feel less trapped and the light will help them to maintain a positive mentality. Windows are key to making sure the air quality is good too. It can be a good idea to offer people different places to work from for example, a staff room, kitchen or their desk so that they can break up the monotony of an office environment. It is important that everyone has their own designated desks too, as it will make them feel more at home. If you want to encourage a team mentality, try organising the desks into a circle rather than having people sitting with their backs to one another; this helps aid group discussion and is ideal when it comes to company announcements. If you don’t have the space to accommodate this, split the group depending on departments, so that colleagues with similar roles can bounce ideas off each other.

Furniture

It is important to make sure everyone has all the equipment they need in order to ensure maximum productivity. This includes the right software and hardware, such as industry specific software like field service business management software personalised hardware like certain screen sizes, keyboards and mice from a company like Workwave. There are certain specifications to consider when choosing office furniture, as you need to make sure that people are comfortable at their desks. Their backs need to be properly supported by their chairs for example, their eyes need to be a certain distance from their computer screens and their feet need to be supported.

Decoration

There is a lot to consider when it comes to office decoration. First of all, you need to have the correct lighting levels. Poor lighting not only has a negative effect on state of mind, but it can also cause eye strain and headaches. Relaxed or warm lighting can cause people to lose focus and feel fatigued, so make sure the lighting is bright. Natural light is a must-have. The temperature of the room is important too; if it’s too warm people will feel relaxed rather than motivated, yet if it’s too cold, they will be uncomfortable and distracted. A nice scent can create a more enjoyable working environment too, as can some background music but make sure it is not too loud or too intrusive. Finally, make sure your office space is always kept clean and tidy to reflect the proactive approach you expect from your employees.

Conclusion

There is a lot to consider when it comes to creating an office space, so it is important to remember a few key factors when designing it. Think about the layout in terms of how people can interact with each other, make sure their desks are comfortable to use and ensure that you have the right lighting, temperature and noise level. For more business advice, take a look at www.vikingwanderer.com. 

 

Business Blog

Four Flexible Business Ideas

If you want to start your own business but don’t feel you have the time or don’t know what you want to do, then there are a few very flexible ideas. You can start a company that doesn’t require you to be chained to a desk and work that you can do in the evenings and weekends if you want to work around other life commitments.

 

Cleaning Service

If you enjoy cleaning or don’t mind doing it then running your cleaning service could give you the flexibility you want. You could choose your hours and your clients, and with people so busy now many people are willing to pay for a cleaner and they will pay a fair bit. If you wanted it to grow, there is the chance that your business could develop into a larger company, however, if you’re going to keep it on a small scale, then you can do that too.

 

Personal Trainer

For this one, you do need some qualifications, but if you’re into your health and fitness, then this might be something you enjoy and make money from. Any costs from your training you will make back as you can charge a lot by the hour for being a personal trainer. You need to get yourself a few case studies at first so that you can show people the transformations you have helped and show them your reviews, but it won’t take too long to build it up. As a personal trainer, you can make house calls, visit a gym, or let clients come to you (if you have the right equipment). You need to be very knowledgeable about everything from proper exercises for different body types to how to motivate people who want to get healthy. And you should feel comfortable getting close to your clients to learn what works best for them.

 

Towing and Recovery Business

A towing and recovery business can become very profitable, but you do need some knowledge and equipment to be successful. You need to draft and then follow your business plan and make sure you promote your business. You’ll need to have a look at recovery trucks for sale and look into buying other supplies such as traffic cones, floodlights, and strobe lights and you’re away!

 

Caterer

Are you a great cook and do you enjoy doing it? Then maybe you should start charging for your services and your talent and start a catering business! While you won’t necessarily be able to do all of your catering work from home, it’s an excellent place to start. Then you might need to use a commercial kitchen and will probably have to hire some part-time employees to help during events—much of the organisation, planning, marketing, and actual business work can be done wherever you like. Check the local food regulations to find out what you would need to be running a business from home, but even if not catering for big parties, delivery meal services are very popular today with people requesting all sorts of dietary requirements. It’s a money maker.

 

 

 

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