Local Business Web Design

If you're like many local business owners, you may think that there's no reason to take your bricks and mortar store online. After all, you do business locally...you don't sell on the internet. Well, you may want to rethink your strategy. More and more customers are expecting businesses, even local ones, to have an online presence. And more and more local businesses are using the internet to stay in touch with their customers, and alert them to special events and deals. Luckily, it's easier than ever to create a website, and local business web design doesn't have to be flashy to be effective. Read on for some basic tips.

1. Keep it small. Unless you are actually selling online, your website should only be a few pages long. A Home page, an About Us page, a Services page and a Contact page is usually enough for most local businesses.

2. Keep it concise. Your content should cover the basics: your business name, who you are, where you are, what you do, who you do it for, and why you are different and/or better than your competition. Summarize your business on the Home page, and use the other pages to expand further.

3. Keep it simple. For a local business, web design should be consistent with the look of your bricks and mortar store. Use the same colours and fonts as your business card or signage. A plain background colour, basic fonts and some pictures of your shop, your staff and (if applicable) your products or examples of your services will suffice.

4. Keep it friendly. Too often, local businesses go online and suddenly start sounding like a large corporation. You don't have to use formal terminology (unless it applies to your business)...create a relationship with your customers and visitors by keeping the tone conversational and light.

5. Keep it easy. Make sure it is easy for visitors to contact you by including detailed contact information on every page, either in the top header or the bottom footer. Include an email form on your Contact page, so people can fill it in and send it off to you without having to open up their email program.

If you're hesitant to create your own website for your local business, web design services can be had for a nominal fee. Check around with local colleges, or call local designers to see what they would charge for a simple, small site. But, doing it yourself is easier than you think! There are many easy-to-use web design tools suitable for local businesses, and you don't need to know any programming or HTML to use them.

For your local business, web design is easier than you think! Follow these basic tips, and you will be online in no time.

Home Business Tips 2011

Well, we're almost at the end of the year. As of this article, there are only 13 days to go. Regardless of what level you might be at with your business, you probably have plans to expand it in 2011. Maybe you do but maybe you're not exactly sure how to do that. Hopefully, after reading this article for inspiration, you'll get a clue as to where you want to go.

First let me start off by saying that I have finally reached that point in my business where I have no desire to expand. The last thing I want is more work or more responsibility. Don't worry...you'll know when you've reached that point as well. But for now, where to go? How do you go about expanding?

You might want to think about moving away from a model where you're constantly creating products to one where you have one continuity membership program. This way, you're creating one thing and simply advertising for more members. With most continuity programs, it's no more work to cater to 10,000 members as it is to 10 members. Simply set up a support desk, hire some people to run it, and you're done.

But okay, maybe continuity programs are not your style and you prefer to just branch out into multiple products. The question becomes, how do you go...wide or deep? Well, there are advantages and disadvantages to both models. Let's take wide first.

By going wide, you're creating products in a number of different niches. The advantage of doing this is that you can create a number of low end products that are affordable enough so that you probably give yourself a decent chance of converting well, not that you can't sell higher priced products. They just require a little more effort on the creation and promotion ends. The biggest disadvantage of selling low end products in multiple niches is that you're constantly looking for new customers to sell to.

What about going deep? This is where you have a product line in one niche. The biggest advantage of doing this is that once you've made that first sale, you've got a customer for life if they're happy with the product. Selling a more expensive product to that customer won't be nearly as hard as converting a new customer. On the downside, once you start selling more expensive products, it does become a little harder to get people to open up their wallets...no matter how dedicated a customer they are. Conversion percentage WILL go down the more expensive a product gets. However, you don't have to sell as many to make the same profit.

These are a couple of ways to think about expanding your business for 2011. There are plenty more, but I'll let you chew on these ideas for a while.

Is Our Company Office Party Going to Be Deductible

Happy Holidays everyone, now it's time for your yearly office party, and yes, it is deductible. No, not everything can be deducted 100% as many have reported in the media. There are specific rules for both corporations and small businesses filing schedule C. Why not look this up or talk to your accountant about exactly what you can and cannot deduct.

In fact, there was a great article on this the other day in Hot Rod and Restoration News Magazine, a cool trade journal for those of us involved in the automotive industry. The article was on this very topic and titled; "How to Write Off the Expenses for Your Company's Holiday Party," posted on December 8, 2010 and written by the all famous Devlin Smith!

Indeed, there was another great article which was also referenced in that article by Roni Lynn Deuth which appeared in Women Entrepreneur Magazine titled; "Party On for a Tax Break - Show Appreciation for Clients, Customers, and employees - and Get a Tax Deduction, Too!" which appeared on December 2, 2010.

If you are a small business and file a Schedule C - then under the IRS Codes under "meals and entertainment category" is 50% for allowable expenses. Some people try to bury it and categorize it in an Office Meeting or Office Expense, but technically that is not really appropriate. Many companies will buy things like candy, coffee, etc, while at the office supply store where they sell it, and since that receipt is from an office supply store then it's customary to deduct it as office expense, which mean it is 100% deductible.

Big Corporations have different rules, and event planners and such work to keep the party items less than extravagant so they don't get into problems, like Tyco's Dennis Kozlowski's party for his second wife Karen's 40 TH B-party, which cost $2 million and he tried to have Tyco pay half or $1 million. That was obviously over-the-top and definitely not deductible, not even half of it.

So, for your little company please stay within the rules, and have a great office party this holiday season, and only deduct what is appropriate as per the tax law. Make sure your business accountant does it correctly, and check with them in advance so you don't mess this up, as it can be a "red flag" trigger at the IRS is those expenses appear to be out of line. Please consider all this.

Online Fundraising

Are you tired of selling candy bars or cookie dough door to door for your school, youth or sports team? Stop eating your fundraising profits and start raising more money fundraising online. Are you a parent that is tired of writing checks for all of the items you son or daughter didn't sell?

Online fundraising is an awesome and profitable alternative.

Some of the benefits include:

• There is no product to sell
• There are no upfront costs
• There is no money to collect
• There are no orders to tally
• There is no delivery day

Now, if all that sounds too good to be true, think again. This is how most national non-profit organizations set up their volunteers to raise money.

Volunteers are encouraged to use online fundraising, often gaining access to easy-to-use website templates. With some simple personalization, their fundraising pages look professional and ready to send out to family, friends and co-workers.

In fact, I bet you have contributed to someone's efforts this way. Maybe they were running a marathon or a 5K and sent you a link to their donation page. It's fun to see their fundraising thermometer grow with each donation!

Let's face it, millions of dollars are raised every year this way. And it's great, because all the donations are made typically using a secure source like PayPal. Most people can give a little bit more money if they can use their credit or debit card. If your like most people, you probably rarely carry cash or checks any more. And who wants the hassle of having to go back and deliver product and collect money?

Think about it...have you ever seen a professional fundraiser selling candy bars?

Probably not!

You can imagine how pleased I was to find that I can help my son's band and my daughter's photography club, raise money online, for free, just like the national charities do!

All we had to do was add a photo of our group, information about our fundraiser and why it is important to raise this money.

Hint: People don't want to know you need the money, rather, they want to know why you need the money.

Make sure the information you include on your personalized online fundraising website includes how their donation will impact the groups education, experience or potential to impact others in a meaningful way.

So, stop raising your money one dollar at a time with candy bar fundraisers and help your kids raise money like the professionals.

Your school, club or group will thank you for it, and so will your waistline!

Promotional Coupons to Aid Corporate Branding

Recently, vouchers and coupons have began to replace gifts and rewards. Although they are practical, how welcome are these? And in what situations are your customers willing to accept them? Nowadays, immediately after you open a magazine, you will see vouchers and coupons for promotional items. Various stores distribute coupons of loyalty and they have a system of points to accumulate in order to win various prizes or free products. For the companies' coupons and vouchers when used as promotional items are one of the most effective ways of corporate branding.

To promote their products, entrepreneurs adopt the fashion of coupons and vouchers. The coupon has the logo of the company, the address and other data that help the customers to find the company to make an order. The vouchers usually represent an attractive discount for the company's product and services.

The fact is that vouchers are a convenient and cheap way to attract new customers and to draw attention to the company's products and services. However, they constrain the person who receives them to use them with the promoting company. For example, if you receive a coupon with 25% discount for a fitness subscription, you can not ask for its amount in cash, you have to pay for the fitness subscription; thus successfully generating new business.

I guess that for all of us it is natural to benefit from a discounted price, but to what extent varies form person to person. I know many women who collect discount coupons for promotional items as children collect stickers, they are very excited about. However it varies from person to person whether they use them or not. Many women believe that these coupons encourage continued spending and buying. Moreover, promotional coupons and vouchers often provide substantial benefits.

The best way to use promotional vouches is with an e-mail flyer or magazine advertisement. Here you will not only get a space to advertise your company, but give the reader an attractive offer they can't refuse. Corporate branding is all about effective advertisement and promotional coupons can really keep a campaign fresh and alive.

Using promotional coupons encourages new business; this in turn contributes to corporate branding. A coupon is an encouragement for a customer to make a purchase or sale as they feel they are getting a bargain. They not only give the customer value for money, but also give them an incentive to make a purchase there and then. Therefore, you must use coupons and vouchers as promotional items for your company and see the wonders they do for your brand.

It's Time to Think About Rollup Banners

Study businesses which have achieved success in their niche market, and chances are they have created not only a strong name for themselves but a strong image. So much of business today is in the marketing of image. It's not enough to be good at what you do, and for potential customers to hear that, they have to see it as well.

With the array of online marketing avenues out there, it's easy to neglect offline marketing practises. As important as it is to be Twittering and Facebooking, it's equally important to be creating a consistent strong impression offline. And your marketing message needs to be visual. And if you are someone who hasn't heard of the term Banner Stands or even better Rollup Banner, you may have a little catching up to do.

A Rollup Banner is essentially a portable movie screen. It sounds enticing already doesn't it. When you attend your next Trade Show to pitch your company's products and or services to potential clients, you want to walk in through the door with a Rollup Banner. The same goes for the next corporate meeting you present at. The first thing you should place strategically alongside briefcase, so that you don't forget to take it with you, is your Rollup Banner.

The no. 1 selling feature of a Rollup Banner, oddly enough, is how discrete the Rollup Banner is. You want your presentation to flow seamlessly with the environment you present in, be it a corporate office or a stand at a Trade show. Carrying in boxes of set-up paraphernalia will just look clumsy because it suggests effort. The CEO and Procurement Managers are interested in the results and success story you can help create for their company. Your job will be to focus on the results you can help them achieve, all the while reminding them of the behind-the-scenes work you will be doing.

Another feature of the Rollup Banner is that it has a nifty recoil or rewind mechanism. This allows for quick set-up and dismantling of the Rollup Banner. The best way to determine how viable a marketing tool the Rollup Banner is to gauge their impact on you, as a consumer, when you next attend a Trade Show. Imagine for a moment you are now entering a room, filled with vendors, all trying to promote their products and services. You'll probably stop for a moment, do a full 360 degrees turn to take in the room and look to see what catches your eye first. Trust you me, that the first stand you visit will have the most attractive marketing visuals on that floor. I, personally, would be surprised if they didn't have a Banner Display of sorts.

After all, Trade Shows are a lot like window shopping. Sure you may go with an idea of what you're looking for, and even with a plan, but that plan may very well be forgotten as soon as you see something that catches your eye.Be one of the companies that stands out. Be cutting edge. Set up that Rollup Banner.

Find Your Ideal Customer

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

If you have never written a description of your ideal customer, now is the time. Every business has a message. Knowing who you are trying to reach with your message is critical for business success. Are they male or female? Married or single? What age bracket? Education? Income? What are their interests? Hobbies? Do they have children? What ages are their children? How much do they spend each month for your products or services?
Often business owners think everyone is a potential customer. Even if you own something as basic as a grocery store, there will still be some demographic profiles that are better consumers than others. Senior citizens tend to eat out a great deal more than young
families with small children. These considerations can make the difference between success and failure when determining where to position a new outlet, or what kind of marketing material you intend to use.
Identifying your consumer appears on the surface to be common sense, but many businesses miss it. Information needs to be objectively gathered and reviewed in a mixed setting where potential consumers get to voice their issues.
Gathering this information is critical for your business strategy. The better profile you can draw for your ideal customer, the more pointed your message can be to reach them. Armed with the knowledge of your ideal customer, you can:
- Decide if a given business model will be successful in a given area.
- Develop a targeted marketing program to reach your ideal customer.
- Create a focused social media strategy.
There are four major categories you need to identify for your ideal customer.
- Geographic
- Demographic
- Psychographic
- Behavioral
The most common error made by business owners is the assumption that they are their ideal customer. They then develop marketing and outreach campaigns that target people like themselves. But entrepreneurs are a small exclusive segment of society and are seldom form a significant portion of a shop or service provider's customer base.
The best way to identify your ideal customer is to survey your existing customers and rank by volume of business. If you are opening a startup business, then seek existing data from similar businesses. One of the key advantages of a franchise is that the franchisor has significant information on customer demographics. Franchisor assistance in location selection, design and targeted marketing programs are a key reason franchises have a 400% better success rate than non-franchised startups. In the absence of a franchise, a reliable marketing or small business consultant can provide you with a questionnaire to help you identify your ideal customer.
Armed with the knowledge of your ideal customer, you can now choose an ideal location. A trendy coffee shop may want to be located near a college. A quiet business bar may want to be located near a downtown business district. A fast food restaurant should seek neighborhoods with young growing families. A good real estate broker familiar with local demographics can assist you in site selection.
The bottom line is identification of ideal customer is one task the small business owner should not endeavor to do alone. Objective data is critical and an objective opinion is essential.

Terrific Templates For Your Terrible Troubles

Project is derived from a Latin word called projectum. A project is undertaken to achieve a goal. It requires a strategy to be carried out. There are projects for different outcomes. Projects are not just to attain profits it could be a charitable project where you help people out and not have any stake in it. It could also involve big funds. People make projects to explain their strategy and about how they are going to handle their outcome of what they have planned. It involves a lot of research and management. A project manager makes big bucks if they are smart and efficient with their work.

Projects have to be managed by project managers and they are responsible for the whereabouts of the plan. Project managers have a lot of responsibility under them and need to be focused at all given times. It requires a lot of dedication and hard work. Project management is like taking care of a child you need to be careful at all times and not over look small mistakes. It is very important for the project managers to have their knowledge base up to date. New changes are made every day and it is very important to be aware of it.

If you ever plan to get into project management I would suggest you should just go ahead with it and not get discouraged. It is an upcoming field and very interesting as well. Project managers are making a good amount of money and them gaining more and more knowledge as they are on the job. It is a complete learning process and if you do have any passion for it then it will just clog you down. There are project management courses for skills and also for software development.

It is quite amazing to watch project managers work. They can sum up such complicated stuff in a jiffy. I had to help out a friend with the beginning of a new firm which he wanted to start. He was very passionate about his work. He wanted to be very precise and wanted his business well planned. There are ways to make work much more systematic. You can do that by using project management templates. These templates make work simpler. You could write documents faster with the help of project documents. They also provide guidelines and strategies which are very useful.

A number of managers have realized the importance of templates. They are not very expensive and easy to understand. A managers job includes the functions like planning, controlling, organizing and directing the employees of an organization, to carry on the functions his main role is decision making. For this purpose it becomes necessary for the manager to create projects. Templates are his key to success. They act like a catalyst and help the manager predefine his work. If you are considering on being a manager of a company you should definitely make use of these templates. They are going to help in a lot of ways.

Selecting Projects For Your Pipeline

Image via Wikipedia

Harvey Levine, in his book Project Portfolio Management, discusses the processes that comprise PPM. On page 24, he provides some great insight into how projects should be selected for the pipeline. He explains that during the selection phase you should establish a structured process to:
- Guide the preparation of project proposals (business case) so that they can be evaluated.
- Evaluate project value and benefits.
- Appraise the risks that might modify these benefits.
- Align candidate projects with enterprise strategies.
- Determine the most favorable use of resources.
- Rank projects according to a set of selection criteria.
- Select projects for the portfolio.
By establishing a clear process for project selection, you have created a template that can be used for all future undertakings. The best way to establish this process is to create it using an online project and portfolio management tool. With PPM software, you have a central repository of information and quick access to all of the projects within your portfolio.
The software allows you to create a process template that outlines the steps needed to properly prepare a business case, evaluate value and benefits, and align the project with enterprise objectives. The criteria you establish in the beginning will make it easy for you to measure risk, rank projects, and determine the most favorable use of resources.
As you become more familiar with the concepts of PPM, it will become easier for you to follow the process for each new assignment. Simply plug the new project into the process template, follow the established guidelines, and select the projects that will provide the most business value for your organization. These projects then become a part of your portfolio and can be followed and measured based upon the criteria established above.

Factors to Turn Your Strategic Planning Into Execution

Business strategy implementation is the name of the game in small and large companies today. Due to a revolving door of management mantras and fads, and increasing "guru fatigue", there is increasing recognition that the ability to successfully execute new strategies and programs is the real key to competitive advantage in business in the 21st century - not strategy development.
The ability to implement business strategy successfully is dependent on proper alignment of strategy with internal and external business conditions. Here are 4 factors that business leaders must consider and connect to their road maps during the strategic planning process and beyond.
1. Customer Marketplace Realities
It's no longer enough to respond to the articulated needs of the marketplace. If you do not have a process for empathizing deeply with your target customer, profits will eventually migrate to the first competitor who is able to articulate the "silent priorities" of your marketplace and provide for them.
Sustained success today requires spending almost as much time in your customer's strategic space as you do in yours. If you're a business leader, assign a team that has continuing responsibility for delving deeply into the strategic challenges of your customer.
Another technique is to create an infrastructure of continuous customer interaction in which customers get used to sending you a stream of information about their business, their challenges, and even their plans.
2. Macroeconomic Realities and Trends
Macroeconomic trends have the important characteristic of being able to shift customer patterns and priorities. The ability to consistently spot these trends early and accurately analyze them is a mark of a great leadership team. Whether your organization is a small or big company, you must keep a close eye on macroeconomic conditions and draw up strategic and operating plans that acknowledge them, as well as contingency plans to execute if some of your fundamental assumptions prove to be wrong.
3. Competitor Positioning And Strategy
One of the most startling realities of today's globalized, digitized and rapidly evolving business environment is the ever-changing definition of who constitutes your competition. A local spa business that once had to contend with 3 other competitors in a small town today competes with dentists (dental spas), chiropractors, and maybe even allergists.
As a business strategist, you must develop "funnel vision" - the ability to monitor adjacent industries both for ideas and for the possibility that a competitor might be rising from there. You must also commit to regularly scanning value chain neighbors to identify strategic moves that could seriously affect the viability of your business model.
4. Internal Resources And Ability To Execute
Your business strategy implementation process will stumble if you do not have a very clear grasp of the capabilities of your business team and the resources your leaders have available to successfully execute strategy.

• Do your product lines and service offerings represent the past demand or the future priorities of your industry?
• Does your company have a culture of execution, accountability and adaptability?
• Is your organizational structure updated to the current needs of the marketplace?
• How does your sales force compare with those of the competition in terms of length of time in the industry and in profile?
• Is your organization structurally and culturally focused to be clearly understood by potential partner companies?
• Does your organization have a deep enough network of strategic alliances to respond nimbly to market changes?

Perform an audit of your business - your core competencies, your structure, culture, marketing and core processes. Examine your budget. Dig deep into the reality of your organization's position.
Successful Business Strategy Implementation Depends On Realism
Effective strategic implementation depends on your ability to incorporate these factors into your planning process. Do not permit yourself or other leaders in your organization to merely pay lip service to these areas and move on.
Much of what passes for business strategy development activities today are merely exercises in "educated visioning" (or even worse, "guessing"). Good strategy is more than just vision-crafting. Your process must look for facts, robustly question and debate assumptions and have a continuing element of follow through and feedback to account for an increasingly dynamic business environment.