When you’re attempting to build up a new business from scratch, there are plenty of things to consider. You need to develop a business plan, arrange initial funding, source premises or equipment, employ staff and navigate your way through the many legal hoops that litter your path. So why not make one of those things easy and look out for an Office Space Reading location with ready to move into offices to suit your needs with links like https://www.arlingtonbusinesspark.co.uk/.
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Why digital marketing matters
You’ll already be certain that you have products or services that people
will want to purchase, but now you need to connect with them. Back in the good
old pre-digital era you’d have made sure that you had a business listing in the
telephone directory and organised advertising space in printed media, such as
magazines and newspapers.
Nowadays it’s considered essential to have a web presence, even if you feel
that it’s not a route you particularly want to go down. We are living in a
digital world where failure to have some sort of web presence can actually
alienate prospective customers. Even if you’re just a one-man (or one-woman)
band, offering a personalised service such as cleaning, gardening or odd-jobs,
people expect to be able to see a web page at the bare minimum, detailing a
little bit about yourself and the services that you offer.
There are numerous online resources that allow you to customise templates, all
requiring varying levels of skill, but if you’re not particularly tech-savvy
you’ll probably find it helpful to get some assistance from a professional.
Don’t panic – it doesn’t necessarily follow that you have to throw money at the
problem to get a beautiful, useful and fully functional website!
Good design doesn’t have to be expensive
This is where you can use the all-important search engines to your advantage and seek out professional web designers who understand the financial constraints on small businesses and new startups. You can find extremely affordable packages that will provide you with a basic site, including hosting and contact email addresses for under £200 – try searching for web design in your local area. Once the site is up and running it’s a good idea to check it works on different devices and doesn’t have any major software glitches.
If you’re determined to go it alone – or even if you just like to know a little
bit about the nuts and bolts of web design – The
Guardian’s Small Business Network offers some helpful advice about web design,
making it a great starting point in your web design toolkit.
Another particularly good resource is Forbes. Read
their article about common web design mistakes to find out some of the pitfalls
that you need to avoid. For example, first-time designers tend to create a site
that appeals to themselves on a personal level, even though it may not be
appropriate for the target audience.
Many have-a-go web designers include far too much flash, and not enough ‘bang’!
Just because you have access to widgets that show visitors the date, the time
and even the weather, doesn’t necessarily mean that you should use them. In the
world of web design, a little restraint can be a better approach – which is
something that the professional designers instinctively understand.