56 www.signlink.co.uk Issue 248 - August / September 2023 is a challenge. Instant quotes and online transactions require full productisation and merchandising of your whole range which is going to take you quite some time.” Finnie’s advice is to start with simple products and save complex quotation processes for employees in the business. “Manage your own expectations. Split your budget. Sending a website live is like putting a poster up in the desert. No matter how beautiful it is, and how easy it is to use, no one is going to see it unless you market it effectively.” Just as important as establishing your website and showcasing your range of products is marketing your website just as you would market the rest of your business. “You need to spend money from your marketing budget in order to drive traffic to your site, especially the traffic you want and need,” says Finnie. “Searching locally for customers is definitely a priority. Use long tail keywords as you want people who are ready to buy, not people who are only browsing.” SEO and google analytics have become an integral part of the success of a website, meaning that understanding that field, whether lightly or in depth, is key to understanding your online success. Finnie says: “A common pitfall is investing in the wrong search terms. The owner of a car sales website may think they want to rank for ‘cars for sale’, but the people searching that are just the people who are browsing. Search ranking for ‘Ford C-max with leather seats, blue, in Birmingham’ will get less search volume but more importantly will get the site visits that bring focussed buyers who know what they want and are ready to buy.” To conclude, it’s clear that making a website or web store is far from straight forward, but this shouldn’t discourage or deter businesses. A major pitfall is taking an easy option or investing in an online solution that will cause you problems down the line. Popular website builders can often take ownership of URLs, IPs, or processes, which will give you less control of your business. To understand what products and services work online, and how you demonstrate that will all ultimately demonstrate a better understanding of your business and its operations. Hoole adds: “Being online opens doors to endless possibilities and allows businesses to be found by some potential customers they may not have had the chance to ever meet with before.” While Finnie concludes: “Put some real effort into thinking about what you want your site to rank for. The process is not as costly as you might think. The benefits outweigh the costs. Get started now.” FOCUS ON / WEB-TO-SIGNAGE sure your website is current, user-friendly, and has some personality. The better the information is on the website, the more likely it will be that people will stick around and have a look at your business. • Simple emailing software is pretty cheap nowadays, and you don't need anything fancy to start with. Using something like Mailchimp will be fine as a stepping stone until you start looking at more complex marketing strategies. Once you have these things running, your database will grow, visitors to your site will grow, and you'll have more opportunities to quote and sell. Growing or expanding your business is a long game. It’s important to have that mindset before you start. For most businesses it starts with the website. It is the place where you want every interaction with a potential customer to end up. Whether that's from a social post, email marketing, or traditional advertisement, the website is where you want them to end up. For this to happen, there are three critical things that need to be set up at the beginning. 1. Your website - a user-friendly website that is up to date and has some personality 2. A way of communicating with customers suc as an email marketing program 3. Your audience - a database of potential customers Building an audience has to be in the thought process for every interaction you have. Whether that's an easy form for them to sign-up to a newsletter on your website, a link to a sign-up page on your email footer, or simply asking people during conversations. Building that database is crucial, and remember: • Whilst building the database, you want to make Grey Hoole, managing director of The Sign Group gives his advice on starting your display business and reaching new audiences: ▲ Graham Hoole, managing director of The Sign group ◄ Industry professionals say that a strong web presence can help win new clients online, sell online, and help other businesses grow
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