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Casual Articles - 5 Ways to Give Your Web Site a Big-Company Look and Feel
Now that you have had a chance to create a game plan for accomplishing your business goals during the third quarter of this year, let's focus on the fourth quarter of this year.These last three months of the year are not only crucial for meeting business goals for this year, they are also crucial for making sure you head into the next year on track towards meeting and exceeding future business goals.Here are some ideas for wrapping up this year on a positive (cash flow and emotionally) note:DURING OCTOBERCreate a contest or sponsor an event in your community.If you are creating a
Find prospective designers who work with small businesses, ask to see samples of their work, and be upfront about your budget. If their rates are higher than you can afford, ask them if they have any pre-designed Web site templates they can just insert your information in, cutting down tremendously on design time and cost.
Whatever design you choose, make it CONSISTENT on every page of your site, by using the same design elements such as borders, fonts, and colors.
If your budget is next to nil and you'd like to choose from a variety of templates that you can customize, check out Ken Evoy's new "Site Build It"! This innovative tool le
Five years ago I was in the process of helping a client locate an exceptional sales leader for a high-profile global account position within their organization. I had arranged for the VP of Sales to meet with a very well qualified, proven group of five individuals – all of whom would undoubtedly represent the company with great aplomb and, most importantly, greatly improve customer relations and rapidly increase revenues generated from all pertinent accounts.The interviews had been set up to take place in successive order over a period of five hours. The hiring manager and I had agreed to dissect the discussions
If you want to attract high quality clients and customers, and convey that you’re a legitimate, credible, and sought-after business, these five points are a great launching pad to give your site that “big company” look and feel.
1. Start with a high-quality LOGO.
The one your kid created for you doesn’t count! I’m talking about paying a designer to do one for you, and it doesn’t have to cost in the thousands. If you don’t have much of a budget, consider the following options:
For my E-zine Queen site, I used an online logo service called “1800MyLogo” (http://www.mylogo.com). At the time they charged only $199 to design a professional logo based on my business, style, and personal preferences. The whole process only took about two weeks and was conducted entirely over the Web. (To see the final result, take a quick peek at Ezine Queen (http://www.ezinequeen.com.)
I’ve also heard good things about GotLogos.com, where you can get a quick Web site logo for only $25!
2. Get your own business DOMAIN NAME.
It’s just a fact that folks will feel safer shopping at a site with its own domain name.
For example, if you were shopping online for a circular saw, would you be more likely to purchase from a hardware site called “...bobshardware.com” or the one whose URL is “...geocities.com/3339/bobshardware'? (This is a fictional example, by the way.)
Having your own domain name implies you’re a “real” company, and not Uncle Bob working in his kitchen at night (even though you my very well be ; )).
There are several places to buy domain names at good prices, but one of my favorites is WebLaunching.net (http://www.weblaunching.net). (Only $12 per year.)
3. Get (and use) a business E-MAIL ADDRESS.
Nothing screams “amateur” like sending out professional e-mail from a handle like “fuzzybear4u@hotmail.com.” Once you get a domain name for your Web site, have your hosting company set up a professional e-mail *alias* for you.
Let’s go back to Bob, for example. Suppose Bob’s e-mail has always been “BobSmith000002@earthlink.net.” Now that he has his own domain name, he can instead use “bob@bobshardware.com”. He still KEEPS his Earthlink address, because that’s where he’ll actually receive his mail. But he should only GIVE OUT the new one on his Web site, business cards, etc.
If you use Outlook or a similar e-mail program, you can set it up so that your e-mails ONLY show your e-mail alias and your personal e-mail address. (To do this in Outlook, go under the “Tools” menu. Then choose “Accounts.” Then select the account you use, and click “Properties.” Enter your e-mail alias in both the “e-mail” and “reply address” fields.)
4. Get a professional-looking Web site DESIGN.
This can mean either hiring a designer to do a custom site for you, OR designing it yourself. Unless you’re both trained extensively in HTML and have a background in design, it’s well worth the money to hire someone.
Find prospective designers who work with small businesses, ask to see samples of their work, and be upfront about your budget. If their rates are higher than you can afford, ask them if they have any pre-designed Web site templates they can just insert your information in, cutting down tremendously on design time and cost.
Whatever design you choose, make it CONSISTENT on every page of your site, by using the same design elements such as borders, fonts, and colors.
If your budget is next to nil and you'd like to choose from a variety of templates that you can customize, check out Ken Evoy's new "Site Build It"! This innovative tool le
Engage your customers no matter where they are on the web.Internet marketers are finding that having a great web page is only great for as long as their customers remain focused on their site. Web developers will tell you that they can make your site more compelling, but, no matter how engaging a web page is, it will only be on the screen for a small fraction of the 4 to 6 hours the average user is surfing the internet on a given day. Optimizing your site for search engine hits will bring your customers to the mountain, but what if you could put the mountain in their hands to take along with them?Companies a
I’ve also heard good things about GotLogos.com, where you can get a quick Web site logo for only $25!
2. Get your own business DOMAIN NAME.
It’s just a fact that folks will feel safer shopping at a site with its own domain name.
For example, if you were shopping online for a circular saw, would you be more likely to purchase from a hardware site called “...bobshardware.com” or the one whose URL is “...geocities.com/3339/bobshardware'? (This is a fictional example, by the way.)
Having your own domain name implies you’re a “real” company, and not Uncle Bob working in his kitchen at night (even though you my very well be ; )).
There are several places to buy domain names at good prices, but one of my favorites is WebLaunching.net (http://www.weblaunching.net). (Only $12 per year.)
3. Get (and use) a business E-MAIL ADDRESS.
Nothing screams “amateur” like sending out professional e-mail from a handle like “fuzzybear4u@hotmail.com.” Once you get a domain name for your Web site, have your hosting company set up a professional e-mail *alias* for you.
Let’s go back to Bob, for example. Suppose Bob’s e-mail has always been “BobSmith000002@earthlink.net.” Now that he has his own domain name, he can instead use “bob@bobshardware.com”. He still KEEPS his Earthlink address, because that’s where he’ll actually receive his mail. But he should only GIVE OUT the new one on his Web site, business cards, etc.
If you use Outlook or a similar e-mail program, you can set it up so that your e-mails ONLY show your e-mail alias and your personal e-mail address. (To do this in Outlook, go under the “Tools” menu. Then choose “Accounts.” Then select the account you use, and click “Properties.” Enter your e-mail alias in both the “e-mail” and “reply address” fields.)
4. Get a professional-looking Web site DESIGN.
This can mean either hiring a designer to do a custom site for you, OR designing it yourself. Unless you’re both trained extensively in HTML and have a background in design, it’s well worth the money to hire someone.
Find prospective designers who work with small businesses, ask to see samples of their work, and be upfront about your budget. If their rates are higher than you can afford, ask them if they have any pre-designed Web site templates they can just insert your information in, cutting down tremendously on design time and cost.
Whatever design you choose, make it CONSISTENT on every page of your site, by using the same design elements such as borders, fonts, and colors.
If your budget is next to nil and you'd like to choose from a variety of templates that you can customize, check out Ken Evoy's new "Site Build It"! This innovative tool le
With many retailers fearing the economic impact of the “Big Box” stores, some small business owners have leveraged the advertising dollars of their competitors to create a consistent flow of traffic to their “Small Box” stores. This incredible, simple and effective customer service and marketing strategy provides increased customer satisfaction and saves thousands of dollars in advertising costs. The first thing is that your location needs to be near the Big Box stores and on a well traveled route with noticeable signage. HINT: Location, location and location is everything and still re
Having your own domain name implies you’re a “real” company, and not Uncle Bob working in his kitchen at night (even though you my very well be ; )).
There are several places to buy domain names at good prices, but one of my favorites is WebLaunching.net (http://www.weblaunching.net). (Only $12 per year.)
3. Get (and use) a business E-MAIL ADDRESS.
Nothing screams “amateur” like sending out professional e-mail from a handle like “fuzzybear4u@hotmail.com.” Once you get a domain name for your Web site, have your hosting company set up a professional e-mail *alias* for you.
Let’s go back to Bob, for example. Suppose Bob’s e-mail has always been “BobSmith000002@earthlink.net.” Now that he has his own domain name, he can instead use “bob@bobshardware.com”. He still KEEPS his Earthlink address, because that’s where he’ll actually receive his mail. But he should only GIVE OUT the new one on his Web site, business cards, etc.
If you use Outlook or a similar e-mail program, you can set it up so that your e-mails ONLY show your e-mail alias and your personal e-mail address. (To do this in Outlook, go under the “Tools” menu. Then choose “Accounts.” Then select the account you use, and click “Properties.” Enter your e-mail alias in both the “e-mail” and “reply address” fields.)
4. Get a professional-looking Web site DESIGN.
This can mean either hiring a designer to do a custom site for you, OR designing it yourself. Unless you’re both trained extensively in HTML and have a background in design, it’s well worth the money to hire someone.
Find prospective designers who work with small businesses, ask to see samples of their work, and be upfront about your budget. If their rates are higher than you can afford, ask them if they have any pre-designed Web site templates they can just insert your information in, cutting down tremendously on design time and cost.
Whatever design you choose, make it CONSISTENT on every page of your site, by using the same design elements such as borders, fonts, and colors.
If your budget is next to nil and you'd like to choose from a variety of templates that you can customize, check out Ken Evoy's new "Site Build It"! This innovative tool le
Decision-making shows up throughout the problem-solving process. The decisions may be difficult or unpopular, so it’s very tempting to ignore some of them. Imitating an ostrich, however, is a wimpy way to decide not to change anything—and is quite likely to leave you making awkward explanations later.• Make conscious decisions: whether to proceed or not, which path to take, etc.• Know why you made the decision you did,• Be able to explain it (and offer alternatives).The first big decision in problem-solving is deciding whether or not you’ll tackle a particular problem. Take the time to gather the infor
If you use Outlook or a similar e-mail program, you can set it up so that your e-mails ONLY show your e-mail alias and your personal e-mail address. (To do this in Outlook, go under the “Tools” menu. Then choose “Accounts.” Then select the account you use, and click “Properties.” Enter your e-mail alias in both the “e-mail” and “reply address” fields.)
4. Get a professional-looking Web site DESIGN.
This can mean either hiring a designer to do a custom site for you, OR designing it yourself. Unless you’re both trained extensively in HTML and have a background in design, it’s well worth the money to hire someone.
Find prospective designers who work with small businesses, ask to see samples of their work, and be upfront about your budget. If their rates are higher than you can afford, ask them if they have any pre-designed Web site templates they can just insert your information in, cutting down tremendously on design time and cost.
Whatever design you choose, make it CONSISTENT on every page of your site, by using the same design elements such as borders, fonts, and colors.
If your budget is next to nil and you'd like to choose from a variety of templates that you can customize, check out Ken Evoy's new "Site Build It"! This innovative tool le
Kaizen is not a procedure, not a document that describes step by step actions of those workers that have been selected to implement it, not just a paper which becomes approved and becomes an official paper. Kaizen is not a methodology or theory like for example a “Strategy Manual” that a lot of companies have.Kaizen is not a philosophy like some military-oriented companies that require from their employees total loyalty, the desire to implement any order of management even if it will benefit the company or not.Kaizen is a quality and a religion. Kaizen is the efficiency of quality as a whole. Kaizen’s methods
Find prospective designers who work with small businesses, ask to see samples of their work, and be upfront about your budget. If their rates are higher than you can afford, ask them if they have any pre-designed Web site templates they can just insert your information in, cutting down tremendously on design time and cost.
Whatever design you choose, make it CONSISTENT on every page of your site, by using the same design elements such as borders, fonts, and colors.
If your budget is next to nil and you'd like to choose from a variety of templates that you can customize, check out Ken Evoy's new "Site Build It"! This innovative tool lets you create your own site very easily, and it has some of the most professional-looking templates I've seen. The affordable package (less than $350 USD) also includes hosting, a list service, and more. (http://www.sitesell.com/websellsecrets.html)
5. Tell us WHO YOU ARE and HOW TO REACH YOU.
Most of us (and rightfully so) are leery of purchasing online from a company we’ve never heard of before. To alleviate our fears, put contact information on every page if you can, with a physical mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address.
If you’re uncomfortable posting your home address, lease a box around the corner and use that address. Avoid using “P.O. box” in your address if possible, which can appear suspicious. Real companies have real addresses!
Also, get a *Toll-free* number if you can — it says “big company” and "customer service." I got mine from my long distance provider, 1Com (http://www.1cominc.com), because they charge no setup fee or monthly fees — I only pay for the incoming calls at my usual great long distance rates.
(c) 2002 Alexandria K. Brown
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